The Multiverse in a Nutshell

by Pennington Inkwell

The Ruins

Missy tried to repress a shiver as she forced herself to press forward further into the catacomb-like ruins beneath the mountain. Thankfully there was some kind of magical lighting here, allowing her to clearly see the purple bricks that made up the entire structure, along with the crunchy-looking red leaves scattered in piles along the floor. Ordinarily, she would have taken the opportunity to dive head-first into a pile of autumn leaves, but... something told her she shouldn't draw attention to herself. The silence in this place felt oppressive, crushing in on her and muting any sounds outside of her own footsteps.

This place wasn't just empty: it was abandoned. The only signs of live she could see were the thick vines crawling up the walls, not that they could move for themselves. She hadn't seen so much as a beetle or a fly buzzing around here. No bats, no rats, no creepy-crawlies of any sort were anywhere to be found. It was as if anything with the ability to move under its own power had gotten out of this place, and fast.

Eventually, it started becoming harder and harder to move forward. Traps and puzzles appeared in her path, usually already solved by some previous traveler. When she came to a place where the path was cut off by rows of tall metal spikes, she paused for a moment. While they certainly looked sharp, they were also tall enough to nearly reach her waist. If she was careful, she could tiptoe her way around them, but... That looks a little too much like iron for my liking...

She didn't need to say anything to Lantern, simply signaling by raising her arms. He floated down and let her wrap her arms around him again before easily carrying her over the spikes. Together, the two of them floated on through the ruins, carefully avoiding more of the traps and puzzles.

What a pain... first I can't fly in Minecraft, now I sprain both my wings at once! I'm starting to think the multiverse just doesn't like me flying...

On the bright side, it didn't seem as if she really was going to get lost any time soon. All of the tunnels seemed to lead in the same direction, and any branching paths seemed to quickly come to a dead end. In the end, there was only one path she could take.

The two of them paused as they floated into a side room, finding what finally felt like a familiar sight: a bowl of candy left out in the open on top of a pedestal, with a sign that read "Please take one."

She and Lantern both looked at one another, each smiling at the small piece of home that had appeared here: they were already preparing for trick-or-treaters! Wherever she was, the people here were folks after her own heart. Each of them gleefully plucked one piece from the bowl (taking any more would not only be rude, but inconsiderate to any other trick-or-treaters who came through) before carrying on on their way. The crackle of the wax paper felt deafening after spending so long in silence, but they were both willing to risk it now that they'd acquired some small comfort.

Normally, the first candy of Halloween was considered sacred to the Ghostricks, waiting until just after midnight on October 30th so they could all toast together before 24 hours of unabashed snacking, sucking, gorging, gobbling, dining, and devouring began. No one was allowed to eat while they were scaring at the haunted house, but any time there was no one around was fair game to sneak in as much candy as they could cram into their mouths. It wasn't uncommon for poorly-timed visitors to receive a scare in the form of a mouth full of candy corn teeth.

Since it wasn't actually Halloween, they weren't technically breaking tradition, but the two of them still toasted each other with their pieces before tossing them into their mouths. There was a brief moment as each of them began to chew before they exchanged confused looks. The flavor was sweet, but... other than that, it was hard to really put a label on. The only thing Missy could really tell for certain was that it definitely wasn't licorice, but after that it was really unlike any other candy she'd tasted before. The strange flavor didn't last long as the candy melted away in her mouth, and after another few seconds, each of them shrugged and moved on.

"MISSYYYYYYY!"

"MISSSSYYYYYY!"

Sunset's anxiety was mounting as they went longer and longer without any sign of their friend. The three of them were climbing up the mountain, with Isis leading the way to the last place she'd detected the signal from Missy's earpiece.

"I don't think she can hear us..." Penn muttered. The more time that passed, the more his face settled into a tense scowl. "Maybe we should just focus on getting to the top-"

"We have arrived."

Both of them drew up short, instantly beginning to examine their surroundings. They had nearly reached the mountain's peak, and the solution of where Missy had gone presented itself rather obviously: a dark cave mouth stood to their left, ready and able to entice any curious spirit who wasn't afraid of the dark. She and Penn both exchanged a knowing look before Sunset reached down to scoop up Isis and place the drone on her shoulder.

"Think you can give us some light, Isis?"

"Affirmative."

The pink crystal on her chest began to glow brighter, illuminating the path into the mountain's heart in a soft glow. Sunset took the lead as they entered, letting Penn trail behind her, nervously shuffling his cards.

"I picked the wrong night to read Lovecraft before bed..." he whispered.

Sunset rolled her eyes and pressed onward, the tunnel eventually opening up into a wide cavern. Before she could start to marvel at the geological wonder, her gaze was drawn to a huge opening in the center that led down into pitch blackness, along with a clean line dragged into the floor where something had pushed aside the vines and dirt. The clean streak led straight into the hole, and Sunset felt her stomach starting to twist itself into knots as the visions of her nightmare returned to her. She carefully stepped up to the edge, eyeing the hole warily for any signs of motion inside.

"Isis? How deep IS that?"

There was a short pause as the drone leaned over on her shoulder.

"Sound navigation and ranging has failed to produce measurable results."

"So... it's infinite? A bottomless pit?" Penn muttered, staying several steps behind Sunset.

"Unlikely. This unit will investigate directly."

The drone spread its wings and hopped off of Sunset's shoulder, slowly gliding down into the dark until it was nothing but a pink speck of light. Sunset looked away for a moment as she reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone, switching on the flashlight. Behind her, the shuffling sound of Penn's cards came to a stop and a second light joined hers. The two of them stood in solemn silence for several seconds before Sunset felt the urge to fill it.

"So... when do I get to read Noir's story?"

"Sunset, I wrote that when I was in middle school. Full-blown teenage edgelord phase."

"So?"

"So, nobody's reading it! I might do a rewrite sometime, and THEN you MIGHT get to read it, but until then, the first draft isn't going to see the light of day!"

"Oh, come on! How bad could it be?" Sunset rolled her eyes. "I mean, your story about Isis was great! Even Blake loved it!"

"You showed it to Blake?" Penn sounded horrified, but Sunset only smirked.

"And when SHE said it was good, she showed it to Weiss and Pyrrha, who showed it to Team JNPR and-"

"Uuuuuuughhhhh..." Penn groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Did all of Beacon read that lousy first draft? If I'd known you were going to show it around, I would have at LEAST gone through and proofread it better!"

"It was fine, Penn! Seriously, what are you getting so worked up about?" Sunset frowned. "You've got a gift for writing!"

There was a long pause before he finally sighed in defeat.

"Penn, don't shut down on me, come on."

"I just- it's dumb..."

"Try me."

"No, I mean the story. It's dumb, I don't like it! I can't write sci-fi to save my life! The only good thing to come out of it was Isis!"

The two of them sat by the flashlight light for a few seconds in silence. Finally, Sunset snickered.

"I get it... you're shy!"

"What? Pfft-" He gave an exaggerated wave to push aside the thought. Sunset had seen it a dozen times before when Rarity was trying to push aside some embarrassing thought. "I am NOT!"

"You totally are. Rarity had the exact same reaction when she found out Fluttershy had been looking through her design sketchbook! She said the designs were all garbage and they were never supposed to see the light of day, but they were some of her best work! She just stopped liking them as soon as somebody saw them without her permission! I wound up writing a whole journal entry to Princess Twilight about the dual importance of privacy and having confidence in yourself! Sounds to me like YOU have the same problem!"

"Can we NOT do the 'friendship lesson' thing while Missy's missing? In the middle of the night? After hiking up a mountain? In the middle of the night?"

Sunset raised her hands in a show of surrender. "Okay, okay! I just wanted to help."

The two of them jumped slightly at the sound of metal striking rock. A moment later, Sunset's phone buzzed in her hand.

"Connection to the unit has been lost. There appears to be a one-way barrier blocking outgoing signals and transmissions."

"So if Missy DID go down there, that's why you lost her signal!" Sunset grinned. "She could be fine and just not know we lost her signal!"

"Except, y'know, that whole 'nightmare of being dragged into a dark pit' deal..." Penn muttered in return. "Isis, could that barrier also stop physical matter from leaving?"

"Potentially."

Sunset felt her hopes sink again. "So, once you go in... there's no coming out?"

"I didn't say that. If there's a way in, there HAS to be a way out..." Penn muttered. "Ugh, I'm too sleepy for this. Isis, can you start working on a way to open a gap in that barrier?"

"Unknown. However, should the force sustaining it lie anywhere on the electromagnetic spectrum, I will find a way to disrupt it."

"Atta girl..." Penn muttered. "Just one more question..."

"What?"

"How are we gonna get DOWN there?"

Missy and Lantern both looked up at the place their path had eventually led them: a house at the end of the path, built from the same purple bricks as the rest of the ruins. They slowly floated up to the door, and Missy hopped down onto the ground, ignoring the pain as her ankle cried out in protest. She raised her hand and, with practiced ease, rapped her knuckles fervently against it.

"Trick or treat?"

They both waited for a few seconds before she tried knocking again, more forcefully this time.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

As she tried knocking a third time time, the door began to creak open on its own. She blinked several times before leaning in slightly to shout directly into the house.

"HELLO? L-look, I was kinda joking with 'trick or treat' but I could really use some help! I fell down the hole out there and I hurt my wings and my ankle!"

More silence followed.

The door opened wider as Lantern floated over and past her head, pushing it completely open. She watched Lantern float into the foyer, examining in all directions for safety before motioning for her to follow. Missy nodded and stepped through the threshold.

It was a cozy little place. Just from the foyer, she could see a living room with a comfy-looking recliner, a hallway with three doors that ended in a dead end, and a set of stairs leading down. After a second of silent agreement, Missy walked into the hallway while Lantern flew into the living room. She limped her way down, taking a turn to knock on each of the first two doors, in case someone inside hadn't heard the front door. There was no response. When she came to the third door, she was greeted with a sign that read "Room under renovations," making it clear she wouldn't find any help there. She limped her way back, letting out a sigh of defeat as she spotted Lantern returning, his hands clutched behind his back.

"Find anything?"

He nodded, shaking the Jack-o-Lantern on his head up and down before pulling a small bag of ice out from behind his back along with a long piece of cloth that looked like a curtain. He floated down to her, gingerly placing the ice at the place where her wings met her back, then wrapping the curtain across her chest and over her shoulder to hold it in place. She clenched slightly at first as the cold seeped into her flesh, but the relief that came soon after was more than enough to make up for it.

"Ohoooohoohoho... That's nice. Thanks, Lantern... Guess this place is abandoned too, huh?"

Lantern nodded again, and the two of them turned to look at the stairs.

"Guess there's only one place left to look. I know 'spooky' is usually our wheelhouse, but going into the basement of an abandoned house in the middle of a bunch of ruins under a mountain REALLY feels like a set of decisions you'd see somebody make in a horror movie when you're yelling at them to stop, turn around, and just run back home."

Lantern gave her a skeptical look, and she already knew what he was thinking before he said it.

"I KNOW there's nowhere else to go if we want help! I just wanted to say I'm not HAPPY with this turn of events! I want it on record that I think this is a bad idea..." she muttered as she limped further on. Thankfully, Lantern picked her back up again before she had to descend the stairs on her bad ankle. Together, the two of them floated down into the house's basement. Rather than a dank storage space or some mildew-ridden concrete cube, they were in yet another hallway. Together, they floated down the new tunnel until they came to a huge door with an ornate symbol carved into it. Just before the threshold, Missy could see a neat pile of gray dust settled on the ground, as if someone had taken all of the dust that would have accumulated from years of abandonment and swept it into a single spot, then stopped before getting it out the door.

It was strange, almost unnatural, and something about it put her on edge again. The house had been a nice place to catch their breath, but they needed to keep moving. She adjusted her shoulders, feeling the makeshift ice pack already beginning to melt. I'll have to try to summon Yuki-Onna later to re-freeze it...

Lantern placed his hands on the heavy stone door, slowly pushing it outwards. As it first cracked open, Missy felt a blast of cold air hit her face.

Or not...

Outside was like a winter wonderland, a forest of leafless trees and a thick blanket of snow on the ground.

"Great, as if Christmas wasn't elbowing in on Halloween's territory enough as it is..." she muttered as Lantern pressed onward.

Doctor Alphys was not fond of surprises, especially not today. Today, every surprise she'd gotten had been a bad one, and she already had taken more onto her plate than she thought she could handle when she volunteered her lab as a route to evacuate what monsters were still alive. When she saw the motion alarms going off for her cameras in Snowdin, she'd panicked at the thought that they had left someone behind.

When she'd turned on the cameras, however, she'd been shocked at what awaited her.

"Wh-Wh-WHAT? Mettaton, g-get a look at this!"

She heard the telltale sound of her robotic friend's single wheel rolling up behind her.

"OH MY! ALPHYS, DARLING, IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS? ANOTHER HUMAN? AS IF OUR CURRENT SITUATION WASN'T BAD ENOUGH!"

"N-no! Look closely!" Alphys pointed to the screen, tapping her claw just over the little girl's shoulder. "Unless humans started growing wings while we've been gone from the surface, I think she's a monster of some kind! They both are! But I-I've never seen monsters LIKE them!"

"SHOULD I TRY TO REACH THEM, BRING THEM TO THE EVACUATION?"

She ran the calculations quickly and easily, as much as it hurt her. She shook her head. "The-The human's between us and them. If they can make it closer to us than the human already is, then you can go get them. For now, we-we're just going to have to hope the Royal Guard can point them in the right direction..."

"RIGHT..." Mettaton's shoulders sagged slightly on either side of his box-shaped body. "DOCTOR ALPHYS, YOU'RE THE EXPERT ON HUMAN HISTORY, SO CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT... AREN'T HUMANS WITH WINGS AND HALOS-" he paused to point just above the little girl's head, where her hair seemed to flow upward into a two-colored halo, "-KNOWN AS 'ANGELS?'"

Alphys's eyes widened as she realized he was right. This new monster... was some kind of angel. In the hour of their darkest, most dire need, an angel had emerged from the ruins, which almost certainly meant...

She'd come from the surface.

The prophecy. Everyone had thought that the Angel of Death had come for them in the form of the human child, but here, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, Alphys was staring at an honest 100% literal angel.

"I-I-I-I g-gotta call Undyne!"