Chapter Text
You couldn't have asked for better kids in your life.
Your parents died a while ago, just after you turned 18. Most kids your age would have looked to a relative to take care for your younger siblings but there was none for you to call. So, You took responsibility for your sibling's lives. The life insurance money from your parents' death was enough to pay off the house and feed you all for quite some time. You didn't have to get a job. You just had to watch your siblings. Sure, you had to drop out of school, but that was necessary. You could go back whenever you wanted. Besides, you wanted to make sure your only kin was safe.
You had 7 siblings, two being twins. Some were biologically your siblings and the rest adopted. Out of all of them you were the oldest, then next was Frisk, Martin, and Bella: They were 8. The twins, Randy and Mandy, were 7 along with Colin. The youngest was Chara, who was six. Only Chara, Frisk, and the twins were actually blood-related.
Chara had a natural green thumb, you supposed. She could always coax a dying flower from the yard back to life with a little TLC and what she liked to call "magic." (Or, a spray bottle full of water and fertilizer.) She was also very spoiled when your father and mother were alive and continued wanting the pampered treatment after they were gone. She often got fussy and ran off frequently to tend to her plants when you neglected her what she wanted.
Next was Mandy-- Well, as she so called herself, the Magnificent Mandy. She was the twin of Randy, only a couple minutes apart. While being mute, she still astounded everyone with how adept she was at the sleight of hand. She could always guess your card and make small things, like coins, disappear (and her small piggy bank somehow got even fuller as time went by.) If it was a rainy day, you could always count on her to brighten it up with her clever illusions. She was also very organized and clean. She hated dust with a passion and dusted a lot, even went through all her stuff weekly with cleaner and a rag. She also tidied up after her siblings, which often led to fights when said siblings couldn't find where she had put their stuff. It often turned into little wars you had to resolve with a peace offering of cookies and TV.
Colin was the sweetest boy you've ever had the pleasure to know. Not only did parade through life with his carefree loving nature, he was beautifully talented in ballet, tango, tap; Any dance you could come up with, he could do. You felt proud that you gave him the confidence to try out dancing when he was younger. The ability to express himself so freely gave him an innocence that you encouraged. He stuttered a lot, and sometimes his sentences sounded very broken up. He was often teased by his brothers and sisters about it and ran to you for comfort.
Martin was very shy, a social recluse. He didn't talk much vocally, but in his writing was the hidden mind of a poet. He could write up haiku after haiku and make up lyrics on the fly. He was the master of bedtime whimsies, spinning tall tales that seemed almost unreal. You were pretty sure he would grow up to be like the authors you learned about in school, like Dr. Seuss and Edgar Allan Poe. No wonder he was the first one to find out what cuss words were. Whoops.
Bella was more motherly than you could ever be. She loved to cook and bake, and spent most of her time either studying recipes or practicing them in the kitchen. Her hair smelled of vanilla and cinnamon, and her apron was always stained. You often volunteered to be her taste tester and was never disappointed with her cooking skills. After she was done with the kitchen, however...Let's say there's been multiple accidents of sticky pancake batter falling on your head.
Randy was probably the most hyper out of all of you. He was a spur of movement, always dressing in another getup. Unlike his sister, he could speak, and boy did he speak. He had a knack for acting, sometimes aiding Martin in the retelling of his stories. He had so many costumes from past Halloweens, school plays...He even made them out of his own clothes. You were often tugged around by him to play some game that he had come up with on the spot. You always complied, loving his creativity too much to deprive him of anything. He was also a night owl, staying up late to act out his little fantasies and waking up his siblings in the process. And you. But you never minded.
Lastly, there was Frisk. If you had to use one word to describe them, it would be determination. They lifted up your spirits by how persevering their own was, giving you and their other siblings hope for better futures. They were also the cutest, and soft spoken. They wouldn't hurt a single fly. Literally. They often caught the bugs that crawled into their siblings' rooms and set them free outside with a smile. They were very good at solving disputes but had a...affinity for pick up lines. And used them on the most unlikely people. Even you. You've chided them about this but all they did was send another one your way and-- Well, they're gonna be a Casanova when they got older.
You yourself were pretty talented in the vocal department. You had been in chorus for the majority of your school life and won every award offered. You practiced day and night and sung your siblings to sleep when they had nightmares. You had copies upon copies of past compositions from old concerts you participated in. If one listened to you late at night, they would hear you humming away a melody from your younger years to lull yourself to sleep.
Your family was so tight-knit and happy. You wondered what your siblings did to deserve the fates that befell them.
It started with Chara, after a hike down the trail near your home. She claimed she would be back before sundown, but she didn't return that night, or the day after. She had simply disappeared and you couldn't find her. Police were called, investigations done, but Chara disappeared without a trace. Your siblings grew very upset with you when you stopped trying to find her. You were tired but couldn't sleep because you worried about her so much.
Then the Twins snuck out, and again you went through the ordeal with the authorities. Nothing. Then it was Colin. Then Martin. And Bella.
One by one, you lost them all to the same, unknown fate. And they never were found. No bodies, nothing. The house was never the same without their presence. You grieved, you sealed the doors to their rooms. You lost your will to live. The usual sounds that filled the house was gone, replaced by the creaky doors and drafty halls. It no longer felt like home.
You lost all hope of retaining the normalcy that once was your life.
Until today. Today, you walked along the path that you and your siblings used to take, hugging yourself to shield from the cold. The beginnings of December chill was starting to settle in. Today would mark a month since Frisk's disappearance. Your heart was heavy with sorrow, remembering all the long hikes you took with your siblings and the laughter. Now they were gone, and you were left. You felt hopelessly lost. Maybe, if you walked far enough, you'd meet the same fate as your siblings. Maybe you would find them.
Or maybe you would perish, like they presumably did.
Instead, you were almost flung into a tree by an explosion from something further down the path.
It was a wonder you didn't get crushed by debris. You picked up your torso off the ground, looking around with unfocused eyes. The shaky outline of a hole in the ground had emerged from the cliff. From it came the sound of a group of footsteps. You braced yourself.
"Oh, goodness, the poor child. She was caught in the blast!"
the first figure to emerge was a tall goat woman. She held a regal stature similar to that of a mentor or queen. Her ears were long and gently brushed her purple gown, which was emblazoned with a sigil that you couldn't pinpoint the origin of. Her brown eyes examined your form curiously.
"Are you alright?" She asked concernedly, kneeling down to your level. Her soft gaze gave you a quick once over, searching for any wounds. When finding none, she aimed her attention at your face, looking for an answer.
It took you a moment to find your words. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I think. Who are you?"
Her lips pulled up in a sweet, motherly smile."My name is Toriel. What is yours, young one?"
"Sissy!"
You knew that voice. Your eyes widened, looking in the direction and hoping so desperately that you'd see them.
And you did! There stood Frisk, all smiles and even a little teary as they hurtled towards you, engulfing you in a hug. You let out a relieved sob as you held them close, burying your nose in their hair. They were with you, they were safe. The goat woman-- Toriel, looked on, witnessing the exchange. You noted that there were other beings behind her but you were too happy to care.
"Frisk, oh my god, I thought--" Your breath hitched as you held them tighter, too full of relief to say anything more. You buried your face into their hair, smelling the scent of stagnant air-- like the smell of caves underground-- and petrichor.
"Where did you go? You've been gone a month!" You exclaimed, pulling them back enough to look them in the face. They were still wearing their striped sweater, shorts, and golden galoshes that you remember putting on them all that time ago. Along with that was a heart locket and a stick. The locket looked familiar...
Before they could get a word in, the burly frame of a fish woman came into your sights, clad in a tank top and ripped jeans with combat boots. She looked tough as nails and you held Frisk a little closer. "Kid, maybe we should get somewhere before you start that whole tale. It is gettin' late, after all."
You looked up at the sky. Sure enough, the sunset was painting it hues of rosy pink and pale oranges, casting the glow across the ground. The group looked towards the sky in wonder, like they never saw it before. It was also getting colder, you noted. You let go of Frisk and slowly got to your feet.
"Uh," You say, addressing the group. You saw a small lizard woman, two skeletons, and an older looking goat man standing behind Toriel, still entranced by the sky. They lowered their heads to look at you once you gained their attention. "You can come with me. I have somewhere you can stay tonight."
Something about this rag tag group of beings made you smile. They must of had something to do with Frisk's return. No better time than the present to find out.
---
"--And that's basically what happened, Sis."
You sipped your tea, thinking for a moment. The burly goat man-- who later introduced himself as Asgore-- took it upon himself to make tea for all of you. The skeletons and Toriel took up the living room couch and the fish woman and lizard were huddled together on the floor. Asgore sat in the worn down recliner near the fireplace, which was blazing with flames. You sat with Frisk before it, drinking in all they told you.
So, there was a whole underground to Mt. Ebott. Monsters lived there. They needed to obtain seven human souls to get out, and they had six already, but somebody (Frisk wouldn't say who, and looked quite sad about mentioning them) broke the barrier themselves and set the monsters free.
"Huh. Monsters. That'll be something that the press will eat up." You pointed out. "Maybe your friends should stay inside for a bit, at least until Asgore can talk to the President or something. Speaking of your friends," You turned yourself away from your sibling and towards the other people in the room with you. "Seems a little late to ask, but who are all of you? Well, besides Toriel and Asgore."
"I am the GREAT PAPYRUS!" Shouted the taller skele, standing with his right hand over his chest. His (cape? scarf?) fluttered with invisible wind behind him. The other hand reached down and picked up the smaller skeleton by the hoodie. "This is my brother sans!"
"hi." He waved meekly, earning a giggle from you. The dynamic between the two of them was adorable.
"I'm A-Alphys." The lizard said shyly, curling into herself. The monster sitting behind her hugged her close, beaming a toothy grin. "I'm Undyne! I'm this nerd's girlfriend!"
The sight warmed your heart. Such a cute group of friends. You turned back to Frisk, smiling at them. "I'm...Actually kinda glad they're here. It's been so quiet without everybody here."
"Everybody?" Asked Toriel, looking at you inquisitively. "Who do you mean?"
You pressed on, despite the lump in your throat. "...Frisk and I had six other siblings that lived here with us, but sadly they've all gone missing. I'm presuming they're all dead." You murmured, looking into your tea cup. "That's the reason I was there when the barrier broke-- I was looking for Frisk before they ended up like the others."
The silence permeating the room was deafening. There was varying expressions of guilt encasing the features of everyone in the room besides Frisk. Frisk themself was very shaky and pale once their siblings were brought up.
"What...Were their names?" Asked Papyrus. His voice was full of regret. He wouldn't meet your eyes.
"Chara was the youngest. Then it was Mandy, and Randy, the twins. Colin, my little ballet dancer. Martin. And Bella." You replied, sighing heavily. "They...Were the best siblings I could've ever asked for."
Toriel placed a hand over her chest, eyes softened with sorrow. Like she was sorry for what she about to say next. "My child...Frisk, I think you need to tell her."
"Tell me what?" Your head swiveled to Frisk's face, who was nearly in tears. Alarms went off in your head, and you quickly scooped them up as they began to sob. You cradled them in your arms, looking at the others with a hopeless demeanor.
"What's wrong? Why do you all look so sad?" Your voice wavered. The gears in your head began to turn. "Are they...Still alive? Do you know who they are? Where they are?..."
Then it clicked. They needed seven human souls. They had six.
Your stare bore down into the carpet, an overwhelming feeling of sadness overcoming you. Sure, you were trying to accept they were never coming back, but there was a part of you that hoped that they were still alive, and looking for you or someone to take them home.
Now you knew they were never coming back.
"Why..."
Asgore blanched at the question, but sans was very quick to reply. "you have to know that we had little choice. and it wasn't like they could come back themselves. the barrier kept us all in. even humans. they had no chance anyways."
God, you started to sob. Frisk tucked their head under your chin, murmuring 'I'm sorry' and 'Please don't be mad.' How could you be mad? They didn't have a way home. Even if they were still alive they would still be stuck. "I...Thank you, for keeping Frisk safe then. I don't know what I would've done if..."
Frisk was your only family left. You held them close to your chest and cried your eyes out. A warm presence wrapped around you both a little later as your mourned over the truth brought to your doorstep.