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The world was vast, open, and unexplored; millions of discoveries the monsters were yet to set their eyes upon and countless possibilities for them to work alongside humans. Unfortunately, the latter could not compare to them. In Alphys’ observation, she had figured out determination and lack of physicality were not the only things separating the two species – there was something else lurking within human nature. For one reason or another they tended to be much crueler than their monstrous counterparts. It may have been that same determination driving them to continue awful deeds, or perhaps a different, unfamiliar substance entirely, but the conclusion had been obvious – they were different.
Dreams of a better, hopeful world were crushed quickly. After an initial period of relaxation and wonder of beautiful possibilities, the planned friendship had been called into question; maybe the humans were fueled by fear of the unknown, or they were simply hateful beings. Whatever the case, the scientist’s little heart breaks at the thought, her resolve to solve the problem shaken – she was spending most days couped up in a blanket eating instant ramen noodles and watching anime. It is peculiar, the way humans portrayed them so full of heart in certain media, yet failed to show the same compassion when greeted with a monster face to face. It was a blessing as much as it was a curse when her phone rang, and she struggled to pause the show, accidentally opening a new tab before panicking and closing the entire browser. Alphys sighed in relief, checking the caller ID; it was a parent of one of the Amalgamations. She was still reluctant to face what she had done, but gritted her big teeth and picked it up nonetheless.
The conversation had been straightforward, a small request she was unable to turn down; after the atrocities committed in that True Lab catering to the families affected was the least she could do. She sits at the kitchen table, staring at the tea Undyne had made for them. Feelings of guilt, anxiety, and uncertainty plague her mind, so much so that the fishwoman must have noticed it – that, or the reptilian had been more quiet than usual. A bump of her fist at the table surface startles Alphys.
“NGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IF YOU SULK ANY LONGER, THE TEA WILL GO COLD!” Undyne protests, clenched teeth and threatening posture expressing distaste.
“S-sorry, Undyne!” the scientist stumbles over her words, placing her hands around the mug before jerking them back with a small, panicked protest. “It’s… Um… It’s still scorching hot.”
It brings memories of Hotland into her mind; days cooped up in her laboratory not only to bury herself in work and entertainment, but also to take advantage of the air conditioning. She is absent like that for a moment longer before looking up at the fishwoman who seemed to sigh her frustrations away now, looking off to the side in defeat.
“Alphys… If there is something bothering you, you know you can tell me, right?”
The true reason Undyne was so determined about it was not only her care for Alphys, but also a hidden, quiet fear. Ever since their final events in the Underground, she tried to get the lizardwoman to speak up more lest she buried her insecurities and troubles away once again, refusing to bother others with it.
It drags a nervous chuckle out of the shorter one. “Ah… Well… It’s… You know…” she hesitates, yet Undyne's stern expression reminds her once more that bottling up her feelings was not an option. “Moldessa’s parents asked me to watch it this Saturday.”
For a moment, the other was speechless, staring at Alphys and processing the words. Then, her expression twists into a huge, cocky grin, a powerful laugh reverberating throughout the room. “ALPHYS! THIS IS GREAT NEWS!”
The now confused and uncertain Alphys can feel a droplet of sweat run down her forehead.
“I’m going to TRAIN the kid! Teach it to FIGHT with SWORDS and SPEARS! It will be the best Saturday in years!”
“Ah! You don’t have to help… Really…” the scientist hesitates, but notes Undyne seems so excited about the possibility that she would not be convinced otherwise. Another thing Alphys remembers is that lesson the fishwoman had been trying to teach her – it is okay to rely on other people. Sometimes, asking for help makes one stronger than taking it on themself. “Unless you really want to… In which case, I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
This is how most of their conversations went. Even funnier when put in context; the pair had been living together for months now.
Alphys, Undyne, and Moldessa stand at the apartment window, looking outside at a car driving away. All three are smiling and waving as they watch; during the moment, the scientist takes the opportunity to glance at the monster child.
Its face is ever-changing; the color of its eyes, shape of its lips, length of its nose, hue of its skin, and texture of its hair vibrate, shifting in waves into different forms. Sometimes, its facial features rotate, an eye becoming a mouth or an ear becoming a cheekbone; it was impossible to tell if the monster was unable to control it, or willingly changed its face to suit an emotion or expression it was trying to communicate – that is, if observed by an outsider. To others who knew it, each shift spoke volumes. The child was either incapable of speech or chose not to talk, but its expression said enough. One of its eyes stays seeing that vehicle away while the other points in Alphys’ direction, making her nervously chuckle and scratch a spot behind her ear.
“Moldessa, what would you like to–” Alphys is cut off by none other than…
“MONSTER CHILD!” Undyne greets, a huge grin pointed in Moldessa’s direction.
The Amalgamate struggles to keep up with both, so it changes position of its eyes and ears, one pupil shifting to each side of its head.
“It is almost noon – you know what THAT means!?”
As Moldessa shakes its head, its eyes stay in place, staring – judging. Alphys thinks about what she has done.
“It’s time for LUNCH! Follow me, MONSTER CHILD! Let’s get to COOKING!” the fishwoman seems pleased with her proposition, heavy footsteps leading the way towards the kitchen.
The Amalgamate’s tiny footsteps follow, yet pause in their steps, its neck twisting as its facial features all point towards the still uncertain Alphys. The scientist blinks a few times, examining the expression; one of anticipation. With a small nod, she follows the monster, which resumes its steps just the same now.
Undyne seemed to be loudly digging through the pantry, pulling out some spaghetti and rice. She proudly turns to the Amalgamate, showing off the ingredients.
“Which would you like? Choose wisely!” she grins, looking down at the child.
Moldessa tilts its face a few times right before her eyes, nose, and mouth stretch into thin lines, moving in a spiral and curling around each other on its yellowing skin. Alphys seemed pleased with how quickly her girlfriend and the child seemed to be getting on.
“Spaghetti it is! You kinda look like Alphys, now!” Undyne notes, filling a pot with water and placing it onto the stove.
The comment seems to fluster the scientist, a confused and shocked look painting her facial features. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. “Eheheh… A little bit.”
The Amalgamate, on the other hand, looks thoroughly amused by this observation, its mouth curling into a grin, hair flowing in the air around its head.
“Make sure to always put the stove on HIGH so the spaghetti cooks FASTER!” Undyne advises, turning the dial so far to the right the water starts boiling within seconds; she opens the package directly above it, all of the pasta falling perfectly into the water, yet making a splash around the countertop.
Moldessa watches curiously with three eyes now, but Alphys is startled by the unnecessary safety hazard, taking a step back and fidgeting with her fingers.
“Ah… I’m going to put on a show so we can watch while we eat! Moldessa, would you be interested in… Um… Anime?”
Undyne washes the dishes, listening in on the conversation from the living room. Alphys seemed to be explaining the differences between Mew Mew Kissy Cutie and Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2, swearing that the sequel had ruined the protagonist’s entire character arc. The Amalgamate seemed to be listening intently, nodding and contributing to the conversation with its facial expressions save for its ears; they had morphed into that of a cat, honoring the main character they had witnessed on screen moments ago. One of them twitches towards the front door at the sound of a bell; Moldessa’s parents seemed to have arrived to pick it up.
“WHAT!? But we haven’t even had a SWORD FIGHT yet!” the fishwoman complains from the kitchen, drying her hands with a sigh and making her way over.
Alphys gives the child a kind smile, standing up and offering her hand. “T-that’s your parents coming back…”
Moldessa’s facial features immediately start revolving around each other, grabbing the scientist’s hand and standing up from the couch.
“Listen, MONSTER CHILD! You’ve gotta come back for your training, okay!?” Undyne insists with yet another big grin, proudly beckoning the pair towards the front door.
It unlocks, revealing two monsters waiting at the entrance – Moldessa’s mother and father. The child lets go of Alphys’ hand, running over to them, embraced in a tight hug. Its several now-mouths are smiling, hair twisting into two high pigtails that flap around like a pair of wings.
While Undyne is busy bragging about how cool of a day Moldessa and the pair have had together, the scientist glances down at the child once more only to be greeted by an eye at the back of its head, staring into her – judging. She is hesitant and uncertain about it, thick fingers curling into fists as she once again feels guilty about what she had done. The Amalgamates deserved to be with their families, and despite it, she had kept them in her True Lab all because she could not face her failures. The child approaches her, and for a moment, her fears make her believe it would finally speak, telling her how much it hated her.
Instead, Moldessa wraps its pigtails around Alphys in a tight hug. All those thoughts are swept away, and the lizardwoman smiles, returning the hug. “Y-you can stay here anytime, okay? J-just ask your parents, first!”
Alphys and Undyne stand at the apartment window, looking outside at a car driving away. Both are smiling and waving, a gentle sigh of relief escaping the former. It catches the taller one’s attention, her eyes setting onto her girlfriend with a concerned and puzzled look.
“Alphys, how are you feeling?”
The scientist looks up at the fishwoman, a confident smile showing off her teeth. “G-good. I thought Moldessa would have a hard time f-forgiving me, but… It doesn’t seem to be the case.”
The words reassure Undyne slightly, her blue hand settling itself atop the other’s head in a gentle pat. “And have you forgiven yourself?”
It was a difficult question to ask, one changing the atmosphere into a more emotional, intense one. Though, with each passing day, Alphys was less and less afraid of vulnerability, considering the words deeply with the smallest frown on her face. She thinks about the freed Amalgamates, living out their lives happily with their families, not only outside of the lab, but the Underground, too, roaming the surface as they always should have. Her friends – Undyne, Frisk, Asgore – had all given her the push to reach for it, yet the strength had come from within.
The scientist offers a proud smile. “I’m starting to.”