Alphys’ room, Canterlot Castle, 2 weeks later
Alphys awoke peacefully, gentle morning light speckling the room, filtered by the tree outside. Considering how her life had been before, at least two things- maybe three, she hadn’t had her coffee yet- were still surprising. Raising her arms and stretching, she thought about how these past two weeks in Equestria could not be any more different than the past two months. Good food, no threats and the most work that she had done was explaining the technology she had brought. At request, not knifepoint. She internally chuckled at the complete and utter awe that the best scientists of Equestria showed at her phone. “A device for long-distance communication that doesn’t rely on magic?” she distinctly remembered one of them exclaiming. She couldn’t imagine what her lectures about how she was able to make a mechanical body for a ghost would do to them. Although, she was dismayed at the whole Equestrian philosophy of science- as far as she had seen, they had nearly no technology. The scientists that she spoke to thought of technology as mere trinkets, a novel idea but nothing more. They never thought to expand beyond the magic they naturally held.
‘Might as well get up,’ she reluctantly thought as she glanced at the mechanical alarm clock on the table next to her bed. ‘It's eight thirty now, so if my schedule is correct that means I have about thirty minutes before breakfast with Sans, Monster Kid and the Princesses.’ The former royal scientist looked out onto her balcony, gazing at her creation that was currently soaking up the sun’s rays. Flowey’s initial reaction to the sun had been... amusing. He had acted like a child on a sugar high at Christmas. Alphys simply chalked it up to him having never been under direct light influence during his time being alive. Everything synthesized back underground.
Alphys donned one of the lab coats that she had brought with her and silently walked to join the potted plant out in the golden rays of the morning. “Enjoying yourself?” she said suddenly.
The flower jumped slightly at the breaking of the silence- at least, as much as a potted plant could jump- before looking up at the now grinning Alphys. “I WAS,” he replied, annoyed, “until you came and interrupted my early morning snack.” The flower looked down into the courtyard watching the guards change from the late night watch to the morning watch. “There are more of them around right now, you know. A week ago there were only four watching this area, and now it’s up to twelve.”
Alphys turned around and leaned on the white marble railing. “Well, I suppose that it's not every week that a princess gets married,” Alphys theorized. “Plus this spot has recently become famous for being a popular place for alternate dimension shenanigans. I’m sure that they just want to make thing safe here, ‘Royal Security’ and all that.”
Flowey shrugged, saying, “I kinda get it, but still. Three times the security? Not even Asgore would be that tight, he’d just probably pull the dogs from Snowdin and post them around the castle.”
“Asgore didn’t have to deal with several other nations that would be attending, as well as the ‘Security Risk’ that the guards keep talking about.” Alphys gestured to the Gryphon dignitary that was walking through the courtyard. “He just has to worry about fellow monsters, and who would have wanted to kill him?”
“Me,” Flowey told her in a frighteningly offhand tone. “I’ve tried several times, you know.”
“W-well, he... doesn’t remember that.” Alphys was uncomfortable at Flowey talking about such things, as such callous mentions of death were rare for monsters. She kept forgetting that Flowey didn’t actually have a soul. Deciding to change the topic, Alphys continued. “Besides, he would have been strong enough to handle himself. He’s the king, it’s his job to be strong. ...Well until they came…” She turned back around and put her elbows on the still cold stone, resting her head on her joined hands.
“Not much that we can do about it. Although, what you said is true.” Flowey looked over to her. “Asgore IS tough. If he really wanted to fight Chara, he’d stand a good chance of winning. ...My only fear is that he won’t want to. He tries to avoid fighting…” Both the flower and the lizard stood for several minutes, alternating between enjoying the silence and the morning air, and reminiscing on their time Underground.
Eventually, Flowey broke the silence. “Say, don’t you have to meet up with that smiley trashbag soon?”
“Sans.”
“Yeah, that’s the trashbag’s name.”
“So call him that.”
“I would, if it weren’t for my critical inability to care enough to do so.”
Alphys gave up and answered his original question. “Yeah, got to meet him soon. I just want to soak up the sun for a bit longer, though.” She stood there about a minute and then grabbed Flowey’s pot. “Well, time to get going.”
“Hey! Put me down!”
Alphys chuckled. “Nope, you’re coming with me. We are going to have breakfast- actual breakfast, I know you’re a flower and all but a few sunbeams aren’t enough- and it’s going to be nice. I know you can eat, I saw you do it in the True Lab. I don’t know how though. I’m going to have to investigate that a bit later, maybe I’ll give you a check up.”
“Don’t even THINK about it! You may have made me but you can’t tell me what to do.”
The lizard grinned. “Well, you’re under the age of eighteen and I am the one who made you, so I technically am your mother, and therefore have parental control over you. If I said that you had to get a check up, you would have to get a check up.”
“Wha- buh- you- that’s not even remotely how it works, you IDIOT!” Flowey snapped at her. “For one, just because you made me doesn’t mean you’re my mom! You made Mettaton’s body, do you consider yourself his mama?” He continued on, not giving her a chance to answer. “And secondly, I am NOT under eighteen! I’m several hundred years old, way older than YOU! ...Andyesresetscountdon’tevensaytheydon’tshutup!”
Flowey finally stopped and caught his breath, looking up to gauge her reaction. She looked… surprisingly amused, given the verbal beatdown he had just given her.
He then noticed she had never stopped walking, and the window he was at was already around a corner.
“Well played,” he muttered begrudgingly as they continued on to their breakfast.
Dining Room Canterlot Castle
Sans yawned as he walked into the dining room, tired. It wasn’t entirely that nine o’clock was earlier than he normally got up- although that was certainly a factor- but more that he’d spent more time awake so far than he normally did. Once you get used to sleeping sixteen hours a day and being awake eight, it was hard getting used to them swapping. But he had to meet up with Alphys and the Princesses for breakfast and he couldn’t miss that ...Oh, and the flower. It too. Stuffing his hands back in his pockets he sat down in one of the chairs that surrounded the massive table in the room. “mornin’ all.”
Celestia, who was sitting at the head of the table, smiled and returned the greeting, “Hello Sans, how are you today?”
Sans shrugged and sank deeper into his seat. “tired, sleepy, exhausted, lazy, fatigued, zonked, drained, weary. I like leavin’ a lot of options on the menu.” He looked over to Candace and Shining Armor who had been sitting at the table, “how’s the planning goin’?”
Shining Armor smiled, “It’s going well! Things are going exactly to plan: we are preparing the castle, and a shield around the whole of Canterlot will be going up soon to make sure that the ‘threat’ we keep hearing about won’t be able to get in. Invites have been sent out and all the supplies are arriving.”
“sounds like you’re gettin’ pretty engaged in this. invites, huh? wonder how purple smart’s going to react to having her brother being married off.”
Shining thought for a moment, about the nickname ‘Purple Smart.’ ‘Who does he mean by that?’ Then he realized the skeleton’s use of the word “brother,” and his pupils promptly did their best to hide in his eyes.
“OH MY GOSH, I FORGOT TWILY” He turned to Candace and shook her, still wide-eyed as before. “How could I forget my own sister?! I’ll be back, I’ve got to write her an invitation along with some for her friends, don’t worry about me I had toast already it’ll be enough okay bye!” He rushed off, presumably to start the invitations, and almost ran over Alphys, who was carrying Flowey, and Monster Kid on his way out.
“you know, I don’t think he’s got all his priorities set,” Sans said to nobody in particular. “he forgot his sister, and he’s already proposing toasts.”
Monster Kid looked back at the unicorn that was rushing down the hall, before asking, “What was that all about, yo? I’ve never seen him move that fast before…”
Alphys shook her head. “He probably forgot something for the wedding,” she told him before looking back into the room. “Well, good morning Princess.” It was a few seconds before she noticed Cadence in the room and awkwardly added am “es” to her sentence.
Celestia smiled good-naturedly. “Good morning Alphys, Monster Kid, Flowey. I trust that you had a restful sleep?”
“Yo, your beds are still the comfiest things ever!”
“Yes, it was great. Once again I would like to thank you for providing us a place to stay. Your generosity has really helped us out.”
“Mediocre at best.”
All the monsters stared at Flowey.
“What? She’ll appreciate the honesty. Plus, do you really think putting my pot on a bed will do anything for me?”
Celestia waved a hoof. “It was really no problem, this castle has more rooms than I know what to do with. More than half of them just sit empty, gathering dust. It is nice to see them get used for once. Flowey, if you are bothered by your sleeping conditions, we can arrange to…”
Sans tuned Celestia and Flowey out- something about sleeping in the garden- and turned over to Cadence. Ever since arriving in the castle, he had made a habit of subtly Judging several ponies he met. Some were amusing (“Princess Luna- long ago, she had thrown a temper tantrum and was told to go sit in the corner and think about what she’d done”), while others were heartwarming (“Spykoraneuvelitar, nicknamed ‘Spike’- the odd one out, but always right at home with his friends”). But sometimes, like with Clean Sweep, he would find an odd one. Case in point, the first time he met Cadence.
Sans remembered back to when he had first Judged her. ‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, nicknamed “Cadence.” LV 5, EXP 2396. HP 2939/2500, ATK 100, DEF 120. Princess of Love, soon to be married to Captain Shining Armor. This pony seems awfully cold for a Princess of Love…’
Sans frowned. At that LV, sleeping should only be raising her HP by very little. It had been early in the morning when he had first met- and consequently, first Judged- her, but that didn’t change how much she should have gained. He had first Judged her about a week and a half ago, but it was worse the second time, three days ago.
‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, nicknamed “Cadence.” LV 5, EXP 2396. HP 3289/2500, ATK 110, DEF 120. Princess of Love, soon to be married to Captain Shining Armor. This pony seems awfully cold for a Princess of Love…’ Essentially the same thing, except with 350 more HP and 10 more ATK. That wasn’t how HP worked. You didn’t just gain more and more without your base rising as well. And ATK only raised upon gaining more LV, and she was still LV 5. Just to confirm, Sans decided to Judge one more time.
Again, everything was the same, except for the HP and ATK. 3289/2500 HP, 112 ATK. Something was wrong here. ‘ first clean sweep, and now her… they’re connected somehow, but how? ...I’m not able to prove anything right now, but I’ll have to investigate.’
“Well, how about we now have breakfast?” Celestia gestured to table filled with pancakes, waffles, eggs, orange juice, apple juice and, oddly enough, a cake. “I hope you all enjoy.”
Canadce’s Room Canterlot Castle
“Urgh! Why did Candace have to deal with those simpletons?” Princess Cadence asked, and hopped up onto the bed, scowling. ”She’s a princess, not some commoner. Is this truly how Equestrian royalty treat themselves? I don’t understand their infatuation with the lower class.”
Cadence thought for a moment, about one guest specifically. He was suspicious of her, she knew it. She could feel his sheer distrust washing over her, overpowering anything else he felt towards her. That would not do. Her horn lit up in a vivid green magic, as she cloaked herself in a pillar of green flames. She had to deal with him.
“Shining Armor, would you please come here my love?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Would you please request that the skeleton named Sans come to me, so that I can speak with him?”
“Of course, dear.” And with that, Shining Armor set off to find Sans, leaving Queen Chrysalis alone in her costume’s room.