Chapter 2 [Edited]
Twilight’s hair frizzled out in every direction, obscuring the pillow beneath her head. Spike nuzzled deep into his own bed at the foot of Twilight’s. The low hums and clinks of various scientific equipment filled the room.
A steady beeping peeled away Twilight’s dream of devouring a literal tower of pancakes. Then, a loud whirring forced her to open her eyes. Spike scratched one of his ears and curled up tighter.
When a blaring alarm with a flashing red light went off, Twilight shot up. Her hand jolted around her nightstand for her glasses. More alarms joined the first one. Flashing lights colored her room red and orange.
“What in the name of Starswirl!?”
~~~
Ghosts floated through the sky, living fire lounged around heating units, and an airplane wearing some sort of cap with a ribbon atop it zoomed between buildings. The streets teemed with what appeared to be human-sized lizards, turtles, and dogs. Walking eyeballs that closed to reveal faces wandered alongside translucent blobs that sucked up anything they oozed over.
Every now and then a terrified face would appear from behind a curtain or an unsteady eye would gaze through a peephole before they quickly vanished back behind shuttered windows and locked doors.
A lone homeless man wearing a mismatch of rags twirled through the streets alongside the monsters. He hefted a sign up high that read: “Change for a phone because I called it!”
Monsters filled the sky and the courtyard around Canterlot High as well. The few staff and students that had arrived early that day were now barricaded in whatever spaces they could secure.
A combination of chairs, desks, and whatever else could be found were crowded around the research lab’s door. Both Sunset and Twilight raced around the room and peered at the screens and printouts of various machines. Their hastily pulled back ponytails bounced up and down with each word they scribbled on their notepads.
“Portal readings still negative?” Sunset asked.
“Y-yes,” Twilight stuttered. She turned a shade paler when a mouth with wings flew by the window.
“Darn it!” Sunset slammed a fist onto a table, shaking the instruments around her. “I swear if Discord decided to go evil on this dimension, I—”
A ding drew both Twilight and Sunset’s attention. They rushed over to a table in the middle of the lab where a lone circular locket sat. A steady white glow glistened off the glassy sphere in the center of it. Twilight’s pupils shrank as the locket’s light reflected off of them.
“That’s an unrecorded reaction,” she said, voice low and shaky.
“Meaning we’re in the dark.” Sunset fell into a nearby chair and massaged her forehead. “Twilight is gonna love this.”
“Wait, wait.” Twilight came over to Sunset with the locket in tow. She gave the middle of it a tap. “It’s a hypothesis, but every encounter with Equestrian magic produced a purple hue, and before that, radiation would give me gray. So, maybe this has nothing to do with the portal.”
“Okay.” Sunset took a few deep breaths before her body grew even tighter and her face pulled back into a look of absolute panic. Her hands reached out and clasped onto Twilight. “In that case, all our knowledge is useless and there is still a swarm of monsters outside!”
“Omigosh! Everything is so clean!"
Twilight and Sunset spun around to see a chubby reptilian creature hunched beside the table opposite of them. One its hands was extended out toward the instruments with a single clawed digit pressed up against a vacuum tube filled with a glistening blue vapor. A few beads of sweat appeared on its oily brow as it stared back at Twilight and Sunset. It slowly pulled its hand away from the tube and gave a feeble wave.
“Uh, hi?”
Twilight screamed, flew past the monster, and dove into the supply closet. The door slammed shut with enough force to shake the frame, muffling the sound of the lock tumbling into place.
“That’s it!” Aura erupted off of Sunset. Her ears elongated while her hair extend down to her knees. She then threw a shimmering palm out at the monster. “I don’t know who you are, or where you came from, but you are not hurting my fri—”
Sunset paused when she saw that the monster had curled up into a ball on the ground. Its claws partially covered up its face but tears were still visible. The glow around Sunset vanished and her body reverted to fully human.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the monster sniffled.
“guess i didn’t fully think this through.”
Sunset spun towards the door and froze. Lounging atop part of the barricade was a stout creature about as big as the other monster. A light blue jacket and baggy shorts obscured most of his body, but the bare skull that was his head was on full display. His jaw appeared fused to his skull, making his teeth appear as a cheerful grin. Overall, his appearance reminded Sunset of a lazy trick-or-treater save for the ethereal dots of light that floated in the middle of his eye sockets. The tiny dots glanced over at the other monster.
“sorry about that, alphys. let me just explain things to the humans and then I’m sure they’ll be happy to show you around the lab.” The skeletal monster looked back at Sunset. “anyway, human, it’s probably been a bit of a hectic morning for you. those are the worst. you can relax though, our king is speaking with the highest authority he could find to assure everyone we don’t have any bones to pick with you.”
One of Sunset’s eyes twitched. “D-did you just…”
~~~
Principal Celestia sat straight in her chair, hands clasped tightly in front of her on her desk. Vice-principal Luna stood at her side as stiff as a board. Every couple of seconds, they would glance at each other, but a creak always brought them back to their guest.
Across the room, a giant of a creature had stuffed himself into one of the chairs. His faded purple cape flowed over the armrests and the rest of him threatened to follow. Both administrators tried as hard as they could to look away from the massive horns that curled around his small crown.
The monster shifted a little in his seat, producing a series of creaks and groans. The shaky smile on his bearded face grew more unsteady as did the ones on Luna and Celestia’s.
“Well...” Celestia said, steadying herself with the knowledge that she’d had more than her fair share of odd experiences as of late. “It is a relief to hear that this isn’t a massive invasion of the surface. Though perhaps the mayor might find all this a bit more useful?”
The monster blinked. “Do ‘mayors’ now hold higher authority than archmage regents?”
Celestia and Luna blinked back.
“Oh dear...” The monster hung his head low. “It seems more has changed on the surface than just the buildings.”
“Is there perhaps a way you could explain the situation to your people?” asked Luna.
Celestia glanced up at Luna. “Or perhaps give us something to assure humans of your intentions?”
The monster’s eyes leveled onto the microphone that sat upon Celestia’s desk. “I think there may be a way to handle both problems… at least here.”
~~~
Rainbow Dash whipped a shovel through the air. The small gust sent a collection of small winged creatures crying off into the sky. Bringing the shovel back down, Dash jabbed it at the crowds of monsters shuffling around her, driving them away from the large equine statue behind her.
While she continued to swing the shovel around, Dash pulled out her phone and quickly glanced at the blank screen. With a snarl, she shoved it back in her pocket.
“Darn it! Someone answer me!”
Dash brought her shovel down with a loud bang. The monsters around her jumped back, but more flowed forward.
“Heh, already found a human that looks pretty good with weapons.”
Dash spun around and looked up. Standing atop the head of the statue was a lithe blue monster. Her scales glinted in the morning sun in contrast to her wavy crimson ponytail.
“Get off of there!” Dash yelled as she angled her shovel up at the monster.
“Was about to.”
The monster crouched low and flipped into the air. Inches before the ground, she uncurled and slammed into it, feet cracking the concrete. Up close, Dash saw that despite the monster’s skinny frame, her limbs rippled with muscle. Her uncovered eye looked toward Dash and she walked over to her.
“As much as I’d like to see what you can really do, I’m actually looking for someone. Have you seen a tiny yellow nerd around he—”
Dash held the metal end of the shovel up to the monster’s neck.
“How about you call off your goon army first?” Dash demanded.
“Wow, that how you treat someone just asking a question?” The monster scrunched up her face. “Plus, I was gonna let it go since you had some decent moves, but I don’t take kindly to you trying to smack other monsters around.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Dash pushed the shovel a little closer. “It’s just I ‘don’t take kindly’ to a bunch of monsters invading my home!”
“Invading?” the monster snarled, revealing her fangs. “Human, if we were invading, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. You’d be knocked flat on your butt and I’d be laughing.”
“Let’s see you laugh at this!” Wings sprung out of Dash’s back and her ears shifted to the top of her head. She swung the shovel with all her might and it dented against the ground.
The monster bared her fangs at Dash from a few feet away. The slits that made up her nose flared out, hot breath fogging up around her face. The other nearby monsters came to a halt.
“You wanna go?” the monster asked with a huff. “Asgore’ll be mad if I rough you up too much, so I, Undyne, will play nice and only strike you down into next week!”
With a snort, Undyne summoned a shimmering cyan sphere into her hand and crouched low. Tightening her grip on the shovel, Dash did the same, her wings flat against her back.
Silence fell upon the courtyard. Not even the giant frog monsters let out a croak. No one noticed a tiny orb ornament slowly slipping from one monster’s antlers until it fully came off and crashed against the ground.
Both Dash and Undyne exploded off the ground, sending up clouds of dust in their wake. Undyne bounded across the courtyard while Dash pushed her wings as hard as the could. Their battle cries echoed across the school. Their weapons were raised high when the PA system screeched to life causing them both to swerve and tumble across the ground.
“Attention students and anyone else… er, any humans outside, please take refuge in the gymnasium,” Celestia’s voice sounded from the speakers.
A deep burly voice then replaced Celestia’s, making the fins on the sides of Undyne’s head perk up. “Monsters, please calmly wait outside.” The PA hummed with white noise for a second. “Oh, and please stay far away from the large horse statue at the front of the school.”
Dash and Undyne stared at the nearest PA speakers before glaring back at each other. Dash’s wings faded away as did Undyne’s spear.
“This isn’t over, punk.” Undyne jabbed a webbed finger at Dash. “I’ll keep my eye on you.”
Dash leveled the shovel at Undyne. “Same to you, fish-head.”
Both of them turned away with a huff, the crowd of monsters parting to allow them through. Just before Undyne disappeared into the crowd, she twisted her head back to glare at Dash, only for Dash to already be glaring back at her.
“Darn it, I need to focus on finding Alphys,” Undyne muttered as she pulled out a cellphone. Its tiny scratched screen was still blank, making her scowl.
“Darn it,” Dash muttered as she typed out a text. “Had to retreat to gym. Get there if you can.” Dash pounded the send button. The harsh frown on her face shrank before she typed out another text. “Please be safe, everyone.”
~~~
The air in the gymnasium was abuzz. Due to the early hours, the crowd was mainly composed of jocks who had shown up for morning practice, but a variety of other students and a small collection of teachers were present as well. Regardless of clique, all of them huddled close together amongst the bleachers.
Dash stood by one of the doors, shovel still in hand. Every time the door opened, she bent it back, but would then lower it as soon as a human stuck their head into the gym.
Her shovel clanged to the floor when a Rarity tumbled into the room. Her boots were scuffed up and her jacket was damp with sweat. Shr groaned and fell onto her knees, completely out of breath, ears and hair shrinking back to their normal sizes.
Sweetie Belle gasped for air besides Rarity. Her left arm flopped to her side but her hand remained locked with Rarity's right.
Dash rushed between them and hefted their entwined arms across her back. The strength of their grip surprised her while she struggled to lift them both up. With a grunt, she planted one foot in front of her and managed to raise them up. “C’mon, let’s sit you down and get you some water.”
“I never want to run that fast ever again,” Rarity rasped.
“You got here and kept your sister safe, that’s what matters,” said Dash.
Dash sat Rarity and Sweetie down on the closest seats. Both of them fell back onto the bleachers behind them. Dash spun and bumped into one of the larger football players looming over her with two cups in his hands.
“Thanks, Bulk,” Dash said as she took the cups.
Bulk gave a silent nod before returning to a seat beside his fellow teammates. Dash couldn’t help but notice the slight tremor in each step he took. Turning back to Rarity and Sweetie, she handed them the water. While they gulped it down, Dash looked over them, lingering on their reddened knees and disheveled clothes.
Letting the empty cup fall to her side, Rarity leaned back and put a hand across her eyes. “What a nightmare.”
“Tell me about it.” Dash gave a small snort. “Those monsters didn’t hurt you or Sweetie, did they?”
“Aside from giving us the scare of our lives, no.” Rarity managed to raise her head to look straight at Dash. “There was one thing though. I think I may of hallucinated it, but while I was running here, a giant talking calculator accosted us and said that while my mascara was good, his brand was far superior.”
Dash raised an eyebrow. “Okay, even for today, that sounds a little too strange. Look, you and your sister just sit back and rest for now. Sunset and Twilight are trying to work things out and hopefully Twilight will be able to come over and help.”
Dash pinched the bridge of her nose and took a breath. “We really need to find a way to tell the two of them apart when all this is sorted out.”
The doors Dash had been guarding opened up again. Both Rarity and Dash blanched at the sight of Applejack and Pinkie Pie leading a blindfolded and shaking Fluttershy into the gymnasium. Applejack herself was covered in a mix of dirt and dust. Pinkie still somehow had a bounce in her step and a small smile on her face.
Dash was upon them in an instant. “Applejack! Fluttershy! What happened?”
“Woah, woah, easy there, RD.” Applejack reached out and put her free hand on Dash’s shoulder. “I’m betting it’s been a pretty nasty morning for you too, but we’re okay.”
“But you look like you stumbled out of a war zone!” After a brief glance at Pinkie, Dash focused back on Applejack. “Well, you and Fluttershy at least.”
“R-really, Rainbow D-dash, I’m f-f-fine,” Fluttershy stuttered. “There are no m-monsters here. No skeletons. J-just friends. I’m with friends and I’m safe.”
“Yep!” Pinkie chirped while giving Fluttershy a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Everything's a-okay, Fluttershy. You just keep that blindfold on until you think it’s safe to take it off.”
“Yes. I’m with friends and I’m safe.” Fluttershy’s voice shrank to a mumble as she repeated the sentence to herself.
Dash looked back at Applejack. “So what’s your story then?”
“Well,” Applejack said as she and Pinkie led Fluttershy over to where Rarity was sitting, “Apple Bloom and I were heading off to school when hell decided to open up. I got Apple Bloom back to the house, but we had to make our way past these giant carrot things that were tearing through the farm. I swear it was like something out of a fever dream till I gave one a good kick. Varmint threw up a bunch of dust and clods and scurried off with its pals. Didn’t have much trouble on the farm after that.”
Applejack and Pinkie set Fluttershy down on the bleachers. All the girls then huddled close together. Fluttershy even ventured to lift one end of the blindfold but kept her head lower than the others.
“I saw the texts from you and Sunset after that and was gonna reply when I remembered Fluttershy. Poor girl, she’d probably opened her door hearing the commotion outside and got the fright of her life.”
Fluttershy let out a small whimper.
“Luckily, I got there to help!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I mean, her parents were obviously there too, but this seems like a ‘get the girls together and see if awesome friendship magic can help’ problem.”
“How did you manage to get there before me?” Applejack scratched her head, loosing a small shower of dust and dirt from her hair. “I know you have a good sense of things, but this is pushing it.”
“Oh, I would have never known if I hadn’t gotten a text from Fluttershy’s phone.” Pinkie raised her phone up to the group. “It said, ‘your friend had a bit of bone-chilling encounter. sorry about that. you should probably come and make sure she’s okay.’”
Pinkie put her phone away and giggled a little. When silence greeted her, she blushed and pulled her head back. “Sorry, it’s just that I haven’t seen puns that cheesy since that foreign student visited.”
Dash narrowed her eyes at Pinkie. “Taking people’s phones, scaring Fluttershy half to death, causing problems all around town? These guys are really asking for it.”
“I’m with you on that.” Applejack nodded at Dash. “But I don’t want to get in over our heads, especially if there’s an easier way to solve this mess.”
“W-what about Sunset and Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.
“They’ve been at in in the science lab even before I got here,” Dash explained. “Twilight’s machines went on the fritz this morning, so she got Sunset over to her place. When monsters started appearing, they booked it to school about the same time I got here for morning practice. I’ve been keeping the portal safe ever since while they’ve been off in the lab.”
“Oh dear.” Rarity bit her lip. “Will they be safe there?”
Dash pursed her lips. “Sunset could probably handle things on her own, but if she’s looking out for Twilight…”
All five of the girls felt knots grow in their stomachs. They vanished a moment later though when both Sunset and Twilight entered the gymnasium through the doors that led into the school. Catching sight of the other girls, Sunset rushed over to them while Twilight trailed behind her. They all pulled into a big hug with Twilight lingering on the outside, but Pinkie managed to stretch around and brought her next to the rest of them.
“Girls!” Sunset said, tightening her hold. “Thank Equestria you’re okay!”
“‘Course we are.” Applejack flashed Sunset a grin. “Glad you two are safe as well.”
Sunset focused on Fluttershy and the uneven blindfold that still covered one of her eyes. “I’m guessing today hit you a bit harder than the rest of us.”
“I’m with f-friends and it’s safe,” Fluttershy repeated.
“Give her some time,” Dash said. “What about you two? Did you find a way to magic these monsters back to wherever they came from?”
Sunset broke away from her friends. She swept off a bit of dirt and dust that had gotten on her from Applejack and took a deep breath.
“This is a lot more complex than just magicking away things.” Seeing her friends’ faces pale and grow tight, Sunset threw up her arms and waved them frantically. “No, no! It’s not complex in a bad way!” With a sigh, she slumped her shoulders. “Look, let’s all just sit down. Things will hopefully make a little more sense in a second.”
Dash opened her mouth wide to shout something, but was cut off by Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna entering the gymnasium. All eyes went to them as they marched up to the center of the bleachers. Scanning over the sparse yet densely packed group, Celestia turned to Luna. Her eyes focused on the bundle of cables and the microphone Luna had brought in with them.
“I don’t think we’ll need the mike with these numbers, Luna,” said Celestia.
Luna nodded and put the mike and the cables off to the side.
“I’m sure this has been a trying morning for all of you,” Celestia said, voice reverberating throughout the gym. “First, I want to assure everyone that I’ve spoken with the authorities and they are acting to take control the situation right now.”
A few people’s ears perked up. From beyond the doors that led to the courtyard, they could make out something sounding over the PA speakers. Their attention went back to Celestia as the she continued talking.
“As you are well aware, a large number of creatures have appeared outside and are making their way through the city.” Celestia took a deep breath. Both Sunset and Twilight tensed up, the latter bringing her hands up to her ears. “I want it to be known that despite their appearance, these creatures mean no harm and are just acclimating to life back on the surface. So please remain calm a—”
Celestia was cut off by the bleachers exploding into a maelstrom of shouts and cries. Everyone was now yelling, some grabbing each other, many pointing fingers at Celestia. Some could only blankly stare at her.
“Darn it!” Dash tried to get up but Sunset restrained her. “Let go of me! Can’t you see Principal Celestia’s been brainwashed again? We’ve got to do something!”
“Just calm down!” Sunset huffed while trying to hold Dash down. “She’s telling the truth!”
Dash reached out and grabbed the collar of Sunset’s jacket. “Did they get to you too?”
“Rainbow Dash, stop it!” Twilight placed a hand on Dash’s left arm. She opened her mouth to say something, but the intense glare Dash shot her forced the words to catch in her throat.
The shrill tone of a whistle sounded through the auditorium. While everyone’s hands went to their ears, their eyes went to Pinkie. She continued to blow her whistle until her cheeks turned blue. Releasing it with a gasp, she sucked in fresh air for a few seconds. After a few coughs, she bounded over to Celestia.
“Mind if I say a few words?” she asked with wide eyes and grin.
“I’ll accept anything that will help today,” Celestia sighed.
“Oki-doki then!” Pinkie spun towards the bleachers. “Okay, everyone, I have a question to start things off with. Did anyone here actually try talking with the monsters?”
“What?” a collective shout went up.
“They’re monsters!”
“They’re destroying the city!”
Pinkie blew into her whistle again. It was quiet again, but Pinkie kept the whistle pressed to her lips. Only after a good few seconds did she she let it dangle around her neck. Placing her hands on her hips, she pouted at the bleachers.
“Well, I talked with a few of them. I even gave some of them the soda I keep on hand for cases just like this.” Pinkie reached into her purse and produced a frosty can of soda. Her brow furrowed when she put the can back. “Some monsters asked me where they could learn about human history. Some wanted to see where we all hung out. Some even asked where the best food was.”
Pinkie’s lips curled into a grin. “It’s Sugarcube Corner, by the way. My point is, does that sound like something an invading army would do?”
“You mean gathering intelligence?” Dash called out.
Pinkie shot her a glare. “It’s not. That’s not what invading armies do. That’s what clueless tourists do! Now, if you still have a problem with that, please feel free to panic about your local hangouts being overrun by the hordes of the unassuming that, while good for business, will cause lines to spring out the doors!”
Pinkie wiped some sweat off her face and chugged the soda from earlier. Grumbles and dissatisfied mutters started rising from the bleachers. While Pinkie finished off her drink, Sunset came up beside her with Twilight in tow.
“Well, um, leave it to Pinkie Pie to make a discovery none of us would have come by.” Sunset let out a nervous chuckle the echoed across the gym. Sighing, Sunset sharpened her glare at the crowd. “Okay, I know this is a total mess, but this isn’t Canterlot High’s first tussle with monsters. I should know and so should all of you.”
A few faces in the crowd glanced down.
“Aside from what Pinkie said, Twilight and I have been working all morning at sorting this out too,” Sunset continued. “There is a lot we don’t know right now and the situation outside is one everyone, and I mean everyone, wants resolved. What we need to do now is take some calm breaths and analyze the situation. Think about what Pinkie said, has anyone here actually been attacked by these monsters?”
Bulk Biceps raised a hand. “Does a walking washing machine trying to clean up your dirty jersey count if you’re still wearing it?”
“How about a giant dog knight stretching its head out to lick your face?” asked a wall-eyed girl.
People began muttering again, though not with the earlier intensity. When the talk began to get louder, Sunset tapped Pinkie on the shoulder and the party girl blew her whistle again.
“I think you’re all beginning to see a pattern here,” said Sunset. “Pinkie said it best: we’re dealing with a wave of tourists… they’re just a bit more on the unusual side of things. From what I’ve just overheard, you can bet both I and Twilight…” Sunset glanced over at Twilight. “Er, other Twilight, did a lot of the same things when we first got here. You were willing to give us a chance, so why don’t we just let cooler heads prevail and take things one step at a time?”
A knock at the doors that led to the courtyard rang through the gym.
“I think we’ll have a good step right now.” Celestia faced the crowd again. “Now, everyone, given what you’ve just heard and shared amongst yourselves, I want you to remember that we are not under attack and that we should try and understand as much of the situation as we can.”
Celestia then strode over to the doors and inched one of them open. From the angle, it was impossible to see who Celestia was speaking with and their hushed tones made their conversation hard to make out. After a moment, Celestia gave a nod and backed away from the door.
Everyone sucked in their breath when the doors opened. From the courtyard came a massive monster that vastly dwarfed his kin. His cape billowed around him, its purple hue highlighting his snow white fur and horns alongside the gold of his regalia and hair.
Twilight, Sunset, and Pinkie stepped away from the giant monster as he approached where they’d spoken. Up close, they saw that they barely reached up to the base of his rattling breastplate.
No one let out a sound. Fluttershy shook while Rarity held her in her seat, though she too was quivering. Even Rainbow Dash and Applejack felt goosebumps crawling up their legs and arms. Finally, the monster opened his mouth, his voice such a deep baritone that it seemed to carry its own echo.
“Um… good morning? Nice weather today, isn’t it?” Everyone continued to stare at him with no one daring to even take a breath. The monster tucked his bearded chin and shook his head. “Oh, that’s not right. None of this is. I knew I should have asked Tori for help.”
After a moment, the monster sighed deeply and managed to raise his head up. “Humans, I should first apologize on behalf of my people. If I had known we would cause such trouble, I would have made sure our departure from the Underground was much more controlled.”
The monster bowed his head again. “The least I can do now is tell you that we mean no harm. I do not even know where to begin after that though. So much has changed since we were cast behind the Barrier.”
Pinkie waved a hand through the air. “Why don’t you tell us your name first, so we’re not just calling you ‘big boss monster guy’?”
“I suppose this will be one of many introductions today.” Folding an arm across his breastplate, the monster gave a courteous bow. “I am Asgore Dreemurr, former king of the Underground and monsterkind.”
“I got a question.” Dash raised up and pointed a finger at Asgore. “What’s your big idea coming here?”
A few gasps went up through the crowd. Asgore’s baggy eyes met Dash’s fiery ones.
“Monsters have long dreamed of returning to the surface,” Asgore said, his back bending slightly. “Long ago, so long ago it seems that humans have forgotten, there was a terrible war between our two races. In the end, monsters were sealed behind a great barrier. Countless years passed but we managed to hold out hope that we would one day shatter the Barrier, not to retake the surface but to just see the sunlight again.”
Asgore lowered his head, allowing some of his hair to fall over his face. “That is what I would like to say. Many years ago, a personal tragedy befell my family and in my rage I redeclared war on humanity. Yet, as the years went on and we grew closer and closer to taking down the Barrier, I realized I could never inflict the same horrific loss on humanity that had struck my own family. If things had continued on that path, my foolish actions would have damned humans and monsters to another senseless war.”
By the time Asgore paused and put a hand to his chest, his voice was little more than a shaky whisper. The sound of his armor rattling was the only noise in the whole gym. Even Rainbow Dash— now back in her seat— was left in silence. Taking a deep breath, Asgore raised his slightly dampened eyes to the crowd.
“But a lone human, the final sacrifice we needed to bring down the Barrier, fell into the Underground some days ago,” Asgore said, his voice regaining strength. “They were given every opportunity and excuse to defend themselves, yet they made it all the way to me without harming a single monster. They had even befriended some of them, my captain of the guard in particular wound up… ‘besties’ as she puts it, with the human. Whether it be through their magnanimity or some other miracle, upon reaching me, the Barrier was destroyed. Now monsters only seek to live upon the surface once more.”
It was Applejack’s turn to stand up and face Asgore. “That’s all well and good for the monsters, but what about us humans? The monsters outside are causing a whole mess of problems even if they don’t mean to.”
“I’m well aware,” Asgore sighed. “Luckily, with the help of your administrators and my top scientist, we’re working on a solution even as we speak.”
~~~
“Uh, everyone, please just take a form and fill out your name and what you’d like to do on the surface!” Alphys called out. “Just like King Asgore said, the faster you fill them out, the faster you get your free signs or t-shirts!”
Monsters swiped up forms from the stack of papers clasped in her claws. As she struggled to make her way through the courtyard with the teetering stack, she bumped into something as solid as a rock. Shifting the forms to the side, she was met with Undyne staring down at her.
“U-u-undyne, you’re here!” Sweat trickled down Alphys’s face. “Y-you’re probably mad about me up and vanishing like that, b-but Sans promised to show me a really cool la—”
Undyne darted around Alphys and pulled her into a headlock. Reaching down with her other hand, she gave the scaly scientist a noogie. “You bet your butt I’m mad at you! Plus I’m all fired up now because some human decided to get fresh with me! What if they’d taken that piece of junk shovel of theirs and hit that big brain of yours?”
Before Alphys could reply, she felt Undyne’s hands loosen. Her sleek chest pressed up against her hunched back. Any nearby monsters took a step back and looked the other way.
“We’re gonna have a whole lot of new challenges and dangers on the surface,” Undyne said, her voice losing its grittier tones. “A guard can’t be good if they don’t ensure their people’s safety.”
“Undyne…”
The papers flew out of Alphys’s claws. Undyne lifted them high with a smirk. “Not bad, nerd, Papyrus is gonna love that you can already lift this much. Now he won’t need to start you off with benching marshmallows. What are you doing with these things anyway?”
“D-did you not hear what King Asgore said?” Alphys stammered. Undyne cocked her head to the side. “W-well, he asked me and Sans to hand these all out. If everyone fills out these forms, then we can make t-shirts and signs explaining who we are and, uh, then the humans won’t panic… maybe.”
“Free t-shirts, eh?” Undyne grinned. “That’s a great idea! You need more clothes than just lab coats and that one nice dress, Papyrus needs to ditch that costume since it's got too many stains and burns from our cooking classes, and I’m just sick of Sans always wearing that stupid jacket!”
Undyne launched off the ground and onto the top of the school’s front entrance. With reckless abandon, she threw the stack of papers high into the air, scattering them across the courtyard.
“Ahahaha! This is way faster than just letting everyone take them one at a time!” she bellowed. “Alright, everyone! You heard Alphys, get these forms to every monster you know!”
~~~
“Okay,” Applejack said after hearing Asgore’s plan. Her gaze went over to Celestia. "Taking a big assumption this all works out, where does that leave us?”
“I suggest you return home and inform your families about the situation, but the school is also open to all that seek it as a refuge,” Celestia replied. “King Asgore has promised to keep monsters a good distance away once all the t-shirt and sign forms have been passed out save for higher ranking monsters that may have business here.”
Dash’s eyes narrowed and she stood back up. “What could they want here?”
“Information, for one,” said Sunset. “Our library and labs are some of the better ones in town that anyone can access.”
“Plus sharing histories and sciences will help make monsters’ transition to the surface go smoother.” Twilight flinched when Dash crossed her arms and hardened her glare.
Dash opened her mouth to say something. A hand clasped her shoulder before she could get a word out.
Fluttershy’s leg wobbled underneath her. She tightened her grip on Dash. “Rainbow Dash, I… I think that sounds okay.”
“But…”
“You heard what K-king Asgore said.” Fluttershy clenched her hand further. “I’m still really scared, b-but if what he says is true, then there’s no reason to fight these monsters.”
“As traumatic as this morning has been, I have to agree with Fluttershy,” said Rarity. “There’s nothing gained from causing a fight where there needn’t be one.”
“And why have a fight when you can have parties instead?” A spray of confetti exploded behind Pinkie as she stuck her head in between Dash and Fluttershy. Her lips curled into a sheepish grin. “Okay, maybe the confetti was a bit much.”
“Still Pinkie and Fluttershy have a point.” With a gulp, Sunset stepped forward once more and stood beside Asgore. “It’s been a very long morning, but we’re now at least a little closer to getting things back to normal… well, stable. It’s probably gonna take a bit for things to truly settle down, but I know everyone here has been accepting of strangers before. So, can we at least give these people a chance too?”
Pinkie let out a string of claps, which was followed by Fluttershy and Rarity. Soon, others joined in as well. With sighs and then smiles, Applejack and Rainbow Dash added to the applause. A few people kept their arms crossed or at their sides with their wary eyes on Asgore.
When the applause died down, Asgore looked at Sunset and smiled. “Human, I do not even know your name, but I sense from you and those that appear to be your friends a great Determination.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Why do you say it like th—”
One of the windows near the gym’s ceiling exploded inward. Everyone snapped their heads up to see an armored skeleton tumbling through the air. Despite careening straight for the ground, his skull still displayed a wide grin. His eye sockets shifted like wet clay to give the appearance of him glancing over at Asgore.
“OH GOOD!” Papyrus called out while still racing towards the floor. “KING ASGORE, I HEARD WE WERE GETTING FREE T-SHIRTS AND I WANTED T—”
The waxed floor cratered under Papyrus, sending up a small plume of dust and bits of splintered wood. In a fit of coughing, Papyrus waved a hand through the dust, clearing the air. He was a little scratched up from the fall, but still wore a wide grin on his face.
“WHOOPSY DOOPSY! I ACCIDENTALLY DEFEATED THE GROUND!” Papyrus’s sockets narrowed. “HMMM, SOMETHING FEELS A BIT OFF ABOUT THIS VICTORY THOUGH.”
He tapped a foot and reached up to stroke his chin, but clasped nothing. Glancing down to his right, he saw that his arm had disappeared. “OH, THAT WOULD EXPLAIN IT. BEST FIND MY ARM BEFORE I NEED A REPLACEMENT!”
Nearby, Fluttershy dared not to move or even breath. Her eyes faced straight forward, but weren’t focused on anything in particular. Not her friends rushing to her side, nor Asgore running over to Papyrus, not even Papyrus himself as he turned and began sprinting towards her.
Every part of her screamed to just keep looking forward even as she felt a newly acquired weight on her shift lower to the ground. What started as a small tremble grew into a frenzied shaking as her eyes looked down for the briefest of seconds.
They froze as did the rest of her at the sight of a bones sliding down her torso. Their descent was slowed by the gloved hand being draped over Fluttershy’s shoulder. She could feel the bumpy ends of its wrist dragging against her clavicle.
Her friends were saying something to her, but their voices were overtaken by Papyrus’s. Wasting no time, he pulled his arm off of her and shoved it back into its socket. Giving it a few rotations, his smile widened. He then used his freshly reattached arm to wipe his forehead despite the lack of sweat.
“WHEW, CLOSE ONE. A FEW MORE SECONDS AND I’D BE OUT AN ARM AND YOU’D BE…” Papyrus squinted and then beamed at Fluttershy. “HEY, YOU’RE THAT NICE HUMAN FROM EARLIER! DID YOU MAKE THE PASTA I LEFT YOU? IT’S GREAT FOR RECOVERING AFTER A HARD ROYAL GUARD TRAINING SESSION OR SEEING THE GLORY THAT IS PAPYRUS FOR THE FIRST TIME!”
Fluttershy fell back like a chopped pine tree. At least this time, her friends were there to catch her.
Papyrus glanced to the side. “I’LL TAKE THAT AS A NO AND A SIGN FOR ME TO USE THE BATHROOM.”
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God damn it Papyrus!
That is all I have to say, great chapter btw
I'm not surprised that Dash and Undyne would butt heads. Where the heck are Toriel and Frisk!?
Great chapter
And Chara
Lol Mettaton.
My god...this is so interesting and hilarious! The interactions between the characters are great, and I like how you got the personalities of the monsters down, while also juggling the vast array of characters so far.
Can't wait to see where Toriel and Frisk are, both being my favorite characters of Undertale (as well as the Mad Dummy, who I hope appears). Keep up the good work!
Poor Fluttershy. Totally unable to deal with the sheer awesomeness of the Great Papyrus! Maybe she'll have a better chance of bonding with So Sorry or Napstablook instead? I also have to join in on wondering where Toriel and Frisk are while all this is going on. It seems like having the human and goatmom take the lead on introducing the monsters to the surface world would have helped smooth things over.
Things I'm looking forward to:
The inevitable Ultimate Contest of Ultimate Badassitude between Undyne and Rainbow Dash
Bulk Biceps vs. Aaron flex-off
Alphys being an adorable nerd
tEmmie!
Human7's reactions to Mettaton EX (especially Rarity, because come on)
I'm simply stuck wondering where Equestria is going to fit into all this,..
6818930 When is the next chapter coming out?
Mushroom dance
Mushroom dance
What ever could it mean?
*looks at applejack*
IT MEANS YOU'VE LIVED A LIFE OF SIN
Please stop traumatizing poor Flutters. (Even though it is really hilarious)
I do not look forward to Papyrus' first time driving.
...Wow, Papyrus. Way to go.
the way I see the next chapter going is:
I'm gonna snap some bones!
sans: Your time will be 20% worse
At some point this would happen:
Spider
*splat*
Muffet: ahuhuhu, you will have a bad time dearie.
Maybe we will get to see the pony version of frisk.
Well, good to see that the situation is getting under control, though it's still in a delicate state. There are a number of stress points that could send all of this collapsing into anarchy. It will be very interesting to see what comes of this.
Papyrus, will you stop making Fluttershy faint every time she sees you?! Sweet Celestia!
All those mentions of "dust" gave me a really bad feeling, like AJ maybe dust'd a few monsters while trying to protect her home. Too many of them! XD
More this is good
Is fluttershy fainting from papyrus gonna be a running gag or what? I feel like it's gonna happen at the end of every chapter, but other than that, amazing crossover
I like this! I like this a lot!
Btw will Muffet and MTT EX be introduced yet, besides I'm thinking of a million ways that could go down
Awesome so far!
Things that need to happen:
Pinkie and Sans set up epic pranks and eat hot dogs
Vinyl and Napstablook have a DJ battle
Anything that involves Mettaton EX and Rarity
The CMC and tEMMIE!
Pinkie, Undyne and Papyrus attempt to make something edible
I LOVE THIS FANFIC
6912000
What about Toriel and Frisk?
6912000 the CMC and the Temmies?, do you want to destroy the multiverse?
Two chapters in and I'm already smiling. The gag with Papyrus scaring Fluttershy out is funny. Don't worry, his bark's a whole lot worse than his bite.
But where are the rest? Toriel, Frisk, Chara and Asriel/Flowey?.
Please add in Goat Kid. Please.
well, it seem it gonna be work out fine soon, but what I read some forms managed to crest over to the statue and were swallowed up by the portal at its base that enither spike or princess twilight see the forms they know some happen to the eqg world they go to and they gonna misunderstang, I hope thing going work out soon
once again i'm unable to read the author's note.
6942757
I'm guessing it's Wing Dings.. i can't really tell from my xbox 360..
remember beware the man who speaks in hands..
Now My Thoughs on the chapter... simpley poor flutters.
gg papyrus.
and i feel in one chapter temmies and the cmc will destory life as we know it...
6979582 i know it's wing dings. but i still cant read it.
6980538
ah kk.. i would translate it via wordpad or notepad if i was on my computer but sadly i am not... when i do get on i'l translate it then...
till then then humble plushie will sit on her dresser and wait...
*Sitting Intenify's*
6922510 YES
6914340 Errm....... Frisk attempting to flirt with everyone?Cannot think of anything for Goatmom.
This is all well and good, but if the monsters intend to move to the surface, then don't they have to just go back underground, since that's where all their stuff is?
If I may make a suggestion: in the future when you write Sans' dialogue, leave out the occasional apostrophe in the contractions (ex. 'cant' instead of 'can't'). It more closely mirrors his way of speaking in the game, as his record for contractions there is rather hit and miss.
Also:
Missing quote mark from Alphys in Chapter Two. And I thought I saw something else in the first Chapter, but now I can't find it. *shrug* Oh, well.
I'd kinda like to see Frisk in a friendship debate with Sunset.
7054160 this is why i dont have much to say for wd gaster
Nice.
Will Toriel become a teacher at the school? She could teach "History of the Underground."
Damn, the inspiration to keep writing this must have died....
'TheuaYisbloc????ed'
There weren't any question mark WD's that I could find. Also, I have no fucking clue what this means. The other one was straightforward, but this one? Not backwards, not forwards. Not an anagram either. I got nothing.
7168279 It's "the way is blocked". I think the question marks are actually symbols that got garbled in the upload.
I find it funny that Rainbow Dash is so commonly the bigoted one in these situations. Seriously, think about how many HiE's there are where rainbow dash is a racist piece of trash. Remember that one with Lucario where she attacked him coming out of the hospital because she thought he was a diamond dog as if that justifies it.
It actually makes me kind of sad that people apparently think loyalty goes hand in hand with being intolerant of those different from you, especially when you can see it in the real world. How many patriots spit nothing but hate and poison about them damn mexicans or those terrorist towel heads? How many of them think they are being loyal to their country by doing so?
Why is Rainbow Dash always made out this way? Yes, she's loyal to her friends and wants to protect them, but does that mean she has to be suspicious of every stranger and act like a complete jackass? I don't think so, but apparently the brony community does.
This is truly awesome so far. Asgore really should have waited for Tori to take the lead, but I certainly understand their eagerness to return to the surface.
Someone needs to leash Papyrus, though....his over-the-top personality isn't something that the humans are ready for yet, especially poor Flutters.
7168279
"The way is blocked"
Why are none of the monsters reacting to the sight of humans using magic?
Um might I ask, Wheres Frisk? Through out this hold ordeal we have yet to see him/her. I think it might make things a bit easier if they let Frisk talk on their behalf. Or was atleast there to calm them down.
Correction: Pretty sure you meant either sight of a bone or sight of bones.
So far, your succinct, quick-paced style is working out very well for this story!
wait...bathroom?
8119269 Just an excuse on Papyrus's part. He used the same one at some point during the game when he needed to make a quick getaway.
Sans. Never stop making puns.