Chapter Text
POV: Martlet
On rare occasions, Guards have to do their job. Their REAL job.
Are you ready for some Royal Guard protocol?
Humans are dangerous! They cannot be trusted and certainly not “escorted”.
I’ll get you home in time for dinner!
Humans are merciless. Incapable of decency in any form.
You are a kind soul. One of the best I’ve met.
If I were you two, I’d leave Clover here and forget about this.
Y-you can’t have Clover! We are going to ASGORE and that’s that!
Try to assess the situation rationally. I know you can!
I, Martlet of the Royal Guard Snowdin Division, sentence Clover to be happy and in peace. And that’s a life sentence!
I know there are good humans. I raised one… and killed four.
PLEASE, WE’LL PROTECT THEM. CLOVER… YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH! PLEASE, PLEASE! THEY’RE ONLY ELEVEN!
I have delayed the inevitable, it is true… but that is because I do not wish to follow through with my vow to exterminate humanity.
Your Majesty… don’t worry. You won’t have to go through with it. You’ll never see another human in your life.
If another human ever steps foot in these sands, I vow to protect them, to prevent them from facing King Asgore until their life is spared, until the war is called off, until peace and justice reign. For coexistence between monsterkind and humankind, for justice, for Clover.
Her head swirled with thoughts of Clover, of Chujin’s misguided beliefs, which thankfully never took root in her, of Ceroba’s betrayal and redemption, of Asgore and how much she naively trusted in him before, of all her failures, of the corpse… she was sure if she had been smart, if she had taken the right decisions, if she hadn't been an idiot… but it was too late now, and an innocent child was dead because of her. History could not be allowed to repeat. She now had to do everything in her power to ensure peace, be a responsible adult even if no one else could, so children wouldn’t have to bear the burden, so that war would be made impossible. Even if she lost… she wanted to, at least, have the right to say she tried in the end.
Clover’s face tormented her. This should never happen again. This will never happen again, she tried to convince herself. She was grateful for her friends, who she met because of Clover and who she wholeheartedly trusted in now. If it wasn’t for them… she wouldn’t have been as courageous, she was sure. Thank you, Clover.
As she thought of all the events of that fateful day… someone touched her wing and jolted her awake. She must have dozed off at some point… well, she had barely slept, and everything that transpired since she met them used up a lot of her mental energy, so it made sense.
“Hey… you fell asleep,” said Dina. “Didn’t want to bother ya before, but I’ll let ya know Starlo, Ceroba and Mooch are back now.”
Just like she said, the three had walked in and were taking their seats.
“Good to know”, she replied. “Where are the others, if I may ask? They have the right to leave, I’m just curious.”
“Well… the town… it’s kinda crowded now, so… they’re explaining the saloon is closed and distractin' the visitors,” said Starlo.
“Yes,” confirmed Ceroba. “The town’s pretty busy most of the time, but there’s never been more people before. Some of the faces here I’ve never seen before, even. And I fear I know the reason why.”
“Oh.” She knew the implications… “How disgusting.” She was sure farfewer people would visit the town if they actually knew what they were celebrating.
“Yer right, Feathers,” said Starlo somberly. “Though at least I feel there’s no risk of a break-in. Ed can intimidate, and Moray and Ace are pretty darn good at distracting people with magic bullet shows.”
“Indeed. If someone breaks in, they’ll have to go through Ed, which will give us time to stop talking. And the speakers do a pretty good job of masking our conversations, so I feel we’re still in the clear,” said Ceroba.
“Oh, by the way… I chose to come back because, well… I feel I have experience in, um… sneakiness. And… I’m tiny, so I believe I can at least offer the physical perspective of a kid;” said Mooch.
“I mean… the seventh could be an adult. It’s not impossible,” said Ceroba.
“We’d be very lucky if it was the case,” she replied. “Unfortunately… I have a hunch things won’t be that easy. Why does it always have to be children?”
“Well…” Ceroba sighed. “I guess adults are rational enough to not visit a mountain that I assume is known to be one-way trip for them. I know we have to prepare for the worst, unfortunately. Martlet… thought of anything while you were on break?”
“Um… I fell asleep a-and t-thought about everything that happened… and um, I realize now the river route to here, which should be a safe haven should my plan work, isn’t the best. It skips Waterfall, which is great, but… um… at the end, there’s a waterfall a-and a-a rock and a huge drop… and I left the poor kid t-to die… G-god… t-they had a horrible day, and they remained brave and forgiving despite it all… it’s so unjust, everything that happened to them,” said Martlet.
“Yes… they could have been not just a great sheriff, but something even greater… well, we ain’t taking kids to that goddamn murderer again, that’s fer sure!”, said Starlo. “Anyway, Feathers… you said there’s a rock at the end of the river… well, I got dynamite magic,” the star proposed.
“Um… but wouldn’t that just redirect the flow of the waterfall? We don’t want to flood the cave,” said Ceroba.
“Oh,” replied Starlo.
“Maybe… you could use your woodworking skills and build a dock? Make up an excuse that it’s for ‘infrastructural improvements'. Most people would buy that,” said Ceroba.
“I could do it, but wood and Hotland don’t exactly mix,” said Martlet.
“How about building a boat with an anchor?” said Mooch.
“Great idea! But, um… where would I get an anch-” A lightbulb went off with her head. “Right. I do have connections to the Royal Scientist. If she can build robots and laser systems, anchors should be pretty easy.”
“Oh. Her,” said Ceroba with zero enthusiasm. “Why do you think she’ll give you anything for free? You just guarded her lab, that doesn’t mean you’re friends.”
“Yeah… we’re not really friends… but occasionally, she'd go outside to rant to me about things she was mad about regarding her interests. Once in a while she let me go inside her lab when I was on break. And, from what I’ve gathered… she seems to be a human media fanatic. I believe she has a collection of human cartoons, comic books and video games.”
“…Oh. The royals… what the hell is up with them? Are we really letting ourselves be governed by adults who watch cartoons, and, more importantly… what right does someone like her have to keep my daughter in her clutches? This is an outrage and I dem-“ Starlo touched Ceroba’s shoulder and managed to calm the enraged mother down somewhat.
“Um…” said Starlo, “you said we shouldn’t be startin’ a civil war.”
“Yeah… we’re weak and outnumbered,” said Ceroba. “It’s just… damn it, I just want to know what happened to my precious little girl.”
“Oh… I…I’m so sorry Ceroba,” she told the mother. “It’s just… I was trying to say, that… we could maybe look for stuff in the Waterfall dump to use as currency?”
Ceroba looked shocked. “…Martlet, you have quite the mind.”
“R-really?” she answered. She didn’t really think she was that smart… especially given the fact that she took all the wrong decisions that day, at the worst possible cost.
“Yeah. You… you’re pretty creative, to say the least,” said Ceroba.
“We should at least try Feathers’ idea, just in case. Ya know… you can get some great stuff from the Dump. That’s reason enough not to exterminate humanity to me,” said Starlo.
“Star, did you think I was criticizing it? Just the opposite. Knowing just how ridiculous the royals are… I’m confident the bribe will work,” said Ceroba.
“It’s not a bribe, it’s a transaction,” she clarified.
“Well, call it what you want. Point is, I think we’re getting an anchor,” the fox replied.
“And if she rejects us,” said Mooch, “I have ways of getting stuff, if you catch my drift.”
“Real subtle, Mooch, but I think we’ll be trying to keep things as legal as possible,” said Ceroba.
“Oh, is she… a criminal?” she asked curiously.
“Yeah,” Ceroba responded. “I mean… technically we all are, but…”
“Starlo… aren’t you a lawman?” she asked the sheriff.
“Yeah, but it’s not like we don’t punish her. She’s lost her Adult Soda privileges, her boot privileges, her rights to my inheritance… and she’s a great pal, still. Fun to be around,” replied Starlo.
“And hey… at least you have someone to take the heat in case you plan to do anything illegal… which you do,” said Mooch. “Though it’s not like jail can stop me. I’ve seen the inside of every jail cell in the kingdom, and I’ve found ways to get out of each of them.”
“So, if we’re arres-”, she said. Even though she could technically arrest her, especially given that she was still technically a Royal Guard, she had to recognize she was useful enough as an ally to let her be free. And, well… she had leverage in case she did something unnecessary.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” interjected the squirrel. “My methods are top secret, and even if they weren’t… you’re all too tall for them. So, um… better to keep things legal for you three, right?”
“Right. We’re all law-abiding traitors here,” said Ceroba.
“Yeah, I’m technically supposed to uphold the law, so let’s try to keep the unnecessary crimes to a minimum,” she said. Of course… the crime they were planning to commit was necessary. She believed with all her SOUL it was the right thing to do, that sparing them was justice, just like Clover living would have been justice too. “A-anyway, maybe the anchor plan can fail, but I do actually have an ultragravitational pillow from the Royal Scientist, which she allowed me to use to make my bridge puzzle safe. If she can give me one, I think it’s safe to say she can give me another.”
“Or maybe we could use a regular mattress,” proposed Starlo.
“Maybe a trampoline?” proposed Mooch.
“Mooch… a child just died. Please try to be serious for once,” said Ceroba.
“Yeah, exactly!” she said. “This is no time for jokes!”
“…I was being serious, but alright, I’ll try,” said the squirrel.
“Thank you,” she replied. “With an anchor and a cushion, I think the trip will be safe enough, at least on my end. I’m curious, though… Starlo, Ceroba… how do you get to the other parts of the Underground? There’s the Steamworks, but… I don’t think either of you went there before yesterday?”
“Never have been… maybe one day,” said Starlo.
“And neither did I before that day…” Ceroba sighed. “W-we spent so much time there… I had so many opportunities to back down… maybe, if I did it earlier, they would still be alive.”
“Yeah… as much as I wish I could, there’s no changing the past, sadly,” she stated.
“…all the more reason to change the future now, I suppose,” replied Ceroba. “Anyway, as a response to your inquiry… there’s a path from here to Hotland. I’ve been wondering why you didn’t take it.”
“Wait, really? But I never saw a path to Hotland when… when I was with them.” She realized she had to remember her painfully short journey with Clover, the most precious time in her life whenever she visited the Dunes now. In a better time, they would be happy memories…
“Maybe it’s ‘cuz it’s blocked right now by a cactus monster. Girlboss behavior, she says,” said Starlo.
“Oh… yeah, I remember her,” said Martlet.
“… couldn’t you just have gone over the fence?” asked Ceroba.
“…I didn’t know if it was legal, a-and I was k-kinda scared s-she would attack me with her spines,” she argued.
“…I mean, I guess I didn’t take the path either, but that’s because I was afraid of running into Undyne or another guard. The Steamworks… guards don’t go there. Well, I guess Axis could count as one, in a sense,” said Ceroba.
“…if I recall correctly, there’s a fork in the road there that eventually leads to the Waterfall dump there, too. I… I kinda got lost for hours there when I was a kid. Eventually found my movies that day, so it was worth all the scoldings from my parents, at least!”, said Starlo.
“Yeah, you don’t know how worried I got when I realized you were missing that day. You came back a changed monster after that day, I guess,” said Ceroba.
“Oh yeah, the tight hug when you saw me again… I suppose I kinda misinterpreted the implications, heh,” said Starlo.
“…Yeah, maybe you did.” Ceroba chuckled. “Still… I’m relieved to have you back, friend.” Ceroba smiled.
“…oh, it’s so nice to know how much you care for each other.” She smiled before frowning. “However, unfortunately… as much as I’d like to, we don’t have time to reminisce about the past. You see… I have information to share related to the lab. You see… there’s cameras there. In Upper Snowdin and Waterfall. I fear we’d be very lucky if the next human came out of the Lower Snowdin door again, so… we have to plan against these, somehow.” And she had no idea how to even defeat the cameras. Sure, she could stand outside the Upper Ruins door for hours, but that would very obviously attract suspicion.
“…well, I suppose we have to do some crimes,” said Ceroba.
“But… destroying the cameras would easily mean jail, I don’t know their exact location, and it’s very possible they have some sort of defense mechanism,” said Martlet.
“Wouldn’t the lizard have a feed of the camera locations? All the more reason you should have a meeting with her, I suppose,” said Ceroba.
“W-well, maybe, but I haven’t really checked.” She was busy doing something else that day, anyway. “I… well, I’ll bring a notebook and pencil that day, just in case.”
“Maybe I can thoroughly explore the areas? Jail isn’t really a problem for me, remember? And even if it were… well, better me than any of you,” said Mooch.
“Maybe you should get yerself a disguise just in case,” said Starlo.
“…actually, I do recall my husband having a black cloak,” said Ceroba. “Maybe you could go there at 3 a.m.?”
“And if direct contact is a problem, I do have a gun from Blackjack,” said Mooch. “Sure, Starlo confiscated it but he can give it back to me, right? Right?”
“…on a temporary basis. Remember, if you don’t give it back when it’s time, I’ll tell Ed!”, declared Starlo.
“…Phooey,” replied Mooch.
“But… even if you managed to find and destroy the cameras… wouldn’t they just… replace them?” she pointed out.
“Yes, that’s a good point,” said Ceroba. “Maybe we can wage a war of attrition, but… the more the cameras are destroyed, the riskier things get. All it takes is one mistake,
“…I mean, if I get found out, I can tell a half-truth and say it’s because I wanted to sell metal and glass,” proposed Mooch. “I won’t rat anyone else out, I promise!”.
“…this isn’t about your greed. This is about saving a life and preventing a war,” said Ceroba. “Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Actually… I have an idea,” said Mooch. “Maybe I could use stilts. Would be good to hide my identity further… and well, I lost my boot privileges, so…”
“Oh… maybe I could make them?”, said Martlet.
“Yeah, you sh-“ said Ceroba before quickly backtracking. “On second thought, no. We don’t want anything that could be tracked back to us three. Though… you could explore Snowdin. It’s not illegal to explore, after all.”
“Yeah, I do, in fact, know Lower Snowdin like the back of my wing… but the cameras are in Upper Snowdin.”
“…right, and you have to be doing your job,” said Ceroba. “Searching for cameras and shooting them down is an incredibly risky and reckless plan, especially given that they could be bulletproof, but… I don’t see any better alternatives, sadly. At the very least, we’ll try to make sure only Mooch gets arrested.”
“And that’s what friends are for!” Mooch smiled. “By the way, Martlet, don’t worry about the stilts. I can just… acquire them at a store.”
“Legally. No unnecessary crimes,” Ceroba reiterated.
“Oh…if destroying them is impossible, maybe I could find some way to cover up the lens. We should have time,” said Mooch.
“Maybe we should plan ‘fer more meetings in the future… maybe in our house or Feathers’, given they’re not public places unlike the Saloon,” said Starlo.
“…yes, though Martlet will have to be absent from some meetings, right? She has a job to do, after all. Unlike me…” admitted Ceroba.
“I mean, I have a job too,” said Starlo.
“Yes, but I sleep in the same house as your posse, so I know your schedule. And we can make up the excuse of having ‘government meetings’ on Saturdays… even if it’s not actually a real government,” Ceroba replied.
“I mean, if my plan works out, it’ll be one… though you’ll have to pretend to uphold the law of the kingdom, you know… except for… that law. That damned law”, she replied.
“If it works out,” Ceroba pointed out.
“I’m pretty confident it will. I…I hate Asgore’s plan now, obviously… but I think it’s clear he doesn’t want to see a human ever again. And he gave us a pardon despite everything we did, so… um, I think he’s a pushover mentally” she said.
“Yeah, there’s no doubt he is, but it’s not guaranteed to work out, as much as I hope it does. I think you’d have to be careful with the wording of the decree if you want to improve your chances. Give Star the authority without revealing what he wants to do with it until it’s time, and only then make the coward announce that the Wild East is a safe haven. That’s the best course of action, I think,” said Ceroba.
“Yeah, and it’d mean the Royal Guard would have no reason to go to the Dunes anymore, which is the main purpose of the plan. Speaking of… I’m quitting my job,” she revealed.
“Really? I mean, I get it. I’d quit too… they murdered Clover, god damn it…” said Starlo.
“…I mean, I understand exactly why you would feel this way, and I won’t judge you for it, but… I think it’d be better if you stayed. More intelligence gathering, more income, less suspicion…” argued Ceroba.
“…it’s just… after everything that happened, after Clover made it abundantly clear just how admirable they were… I don’t think I can bear to hear lectures about how humans are the enemy anymore. My rage could get the better of me, and well… you know what happened with Asgore. And besides… I need to take a principled stand, show that I can sacrifice too, And I’ll have more free time to improve and sell my work, so…” she replied.
“…well, I can’t force you. I…I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing,” said Ceroba.
“And, besides, I’ll probably get fired, given my massive number of infractions. There’s no changing my mind on my decision. I’m sorry, but I’ll be writing my two week’s notice,” she said.
“…I really am sorry for your loss,” replied Ceroba.
“I mean… it’s our loss too,” she said.
“Yeah… I’m pretty torn up inside. Damn it, they deserved to live and be safe and grow up… and they never got to. I’ll always remember them. And… it has to be extra painful for you, Ceroba, after Kanako…” said Starlo.
“…yeah. I… I don’t think I can bear to fail another child again. Actually… I suppose it’s time to renew my gym membership. By the way, Star, Martlet… I really appreciate what you’ve done for me. You forgave me, even if I’m not sure I deserved it… and I do appreciate Clover for valuing my life even when I didn’t…” said Ceroba.
“Ceroba… what do you mean by that?” said a worried Starlo.
“I…before you two woke up, I asked Clover to kill me. And… t-they spared me and forgave me… so I suppose I have to honor that and keep living. T-they… they were such a great kid.” Ceroba sniffled.
“…and I suppose we’re all friend now thanks to Clover. Perhaps… we’re three leaves of a clover, with the fourth ripped out, missing forever. Does that metaphor make sense? Maybe not… but either way… no more deaths. No war. This is what they would have wanted. Clover loved us all, and… we didn’t repay them nearly enough. But now? We have to live for the future, the future Clover deserved to see,” she said.
“…it’s still risky, of course… but I think it’d be nice to say we tried, despite everything,” said Ceroba.
“We’re not alone, at least. Clover… you’ll always be a member of the Feisty Five,” said Starlo. “Maybe… we should all hug each other.”
“…alright,” said Ceroba.
The three tearfully embraced each other. The shared grief… it gave her comfort. They cried for a while…
Eventually, Mooch spoke up.
“Um… sorry for interrupting your moment, but, um... about the cameras, maybe I could just cover up the lenses with black tape,” proposed Mooch.
“Um, maybe? God, I hope we have enough ti-”
All of a sudden, her cellphone went off. She hoped it wasn’t who she thought it was…
“Um… cell phones ain’t allowed in the Saloon,” Starlo pointed out.
“… let her be. You seriously aren’t going to jail her again, are you?” said Ceroba.
“Yeah, I guess I ain’t. Feel free to pick it up,” said Starlo.
“R-right.” She did, and… she heard her boss’ voice. She reflexively flinched.
“Meet me at my house at 2:00 p.m.. We have something to discuss.” Oh god, she had to somehow keep secrets from her. She was the very last person who could be allowed to know about their plans.
“…alright. I-I will.” She was probably going to get fired, given she was... nowhere near her post, but she could live with that. It’s not like she was going to keep her job.
“Great. Actually, I don’t even mind if you come a few minutes late, heh!”
“Um… I’ll make sure to come on time. Um, c-can I hang up now?”
“Yeah, sure. See you later.” And she hung up.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!” She said while sweating up a storm.
“What happened?”, said Starlo.
“I…I gotta go! M-my boss… s-she called me, and she wants me at my office at 2:00 p.m.! B-bye!”
She rushed off the building, slammed open the gates, hastily apologized to Ed for accidentally hitting him (he was understanding, thankfully), and took off like a rocket towards Waterfall. She could not afford to miss her meeting; doing so would be very suspicious.
She looked downwards. The Wild East really was crowded now…
But it’s not like she was any better.
Somehow… she had to pretend to be loyal to the government now.
She had to fail them one more time.