Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Pepper was dead. There was no denying it. She saw it happen. She remembers it like it was yesterday. 

One careless step and she had fallen down into a death trap. A prison underground, populated by monsters that wished her dead. All because of a dumb bet she made with her schoolmates. Not like that mattered at this point. Her friends, mom and dad, everyone. They were never going to see her again.

Some monsters were friendly, or at least easy to find common ground with. One or two of them even agreed to help her. Many were not as nice. Many weren’t swayed by her words or actions. They were out for blood and she just had to run. 

Pepper was a performer at heart. She loved dancing and acting, ballet and even ventriloquism. She even planned on going into theater once she was grown up. What a waste . But her passions helped her be quick on her feet and sharp with her tongue. Lying and misdirection were the keys to hasty escapes. And when words failed, she accidentally killed one. Despite her shock, she wasn’t afraid to do it when her back was against the wall. But her luck eventually ran out.

In a snowy town, she was surrounded on all sides. Their eyes peaked from the windows. Guards were closing in. It was in this place that her composure shattered. She was afraid, truly afraid, but not afraid to fight back. With her agility and strength, she used her ballet shoes as a weapon against these creatures. Many simply ran scared. Clearly some of the guards were just as afraid to die. And those who weren’t afraid died at her hands. She was driven into a frenzy, as magic was cast and arrows sailed. She couldn’t determine who was a threat or not, and just lashed out at anyone. 

This only ended when she was hit by a very strong monster. The monster had protected another smaller monster and launched a lightning bolt into her chest. The force launched her backwards, as she lost control of her own body. She writhed in pain, before attempting to crawl through the snow to escape. The monsters didn’t attempt to follow her. Before she got away, she took one last look at the small monster that she almost killed. It looked like a little fox girl. 

Once she was sure she was safe, she stopped to catch her breath. The ballerina costume she was still wearing from school was now covered in a mix of her own blood and the dust of the fallen monsters. She tore off her tutu and took off her shoes, throwing them away. Her shirt and pants would have to suffice.

After hiding in that dark cavern for a while, she was stopped in her tracks. This strange robot had caught her in a corner. She tried to run. In a fraction of a second, she was struck in the face. Her vision was blurred. Her body failed. A ringing rang through her ears. She couldn’t breathe.

Then it was over. 

There was a pain too powerful for words. And then nothing. Then there was nothing. She couldn’t feel any pain anymore. She couldn’t see anything. She was dead. Murdered by these monsters.

She tried to cry out; to call for help or find anyone. But she didn’t have a body. She could only feel the phantoms of her arms and legs. Darkness surrounded her. There was nobody. Just herself. 

There were voices she’d hear in the dark. She couldn’t make out very many words, but they were either talking to her or about her. Every now and again, there were these sharp pains like needles. She wanted to cry, but had no eyes. I hate them. I hate them all!

She tried everything. She tried to keep this oblivion away. Her mind was constantly racing through her memories. Through everything and everyone she had. But she eventually lost hope. All her sadness and rage had dried up. She was truly dead. It can’t end like this.

The eighteen monsters she had slain on her journey weighed heavily on her. Two in the ruins, three in the woods, twelve in the town, and one in the waterfall caverns. She hated them. The way they tried to kill her, yet screamed and cried when she fought back. And yet their cries still echoed in her mind. Their last words were often apologetic, sometimes to her or sometimes to their loved ones. She had all the time in the world to think about those last words. Maybe it was better that she was dead. Could she really return home knowing that she hurt so many? That she did so without remorse? She felt no guilt, and it terrified her. It made her sick. This has to be my divine punishment. I’m a devil. I deserve this.

Then there was one voice that gave her comfort. They spoke with such softness and warmth. They reminded her of her own father. He was a loud church preacher, but always knew how to make her feel comfortable. Always made her feel safe. She hoped that this voice had to be him somehow; that he had asked the Angel for help. Whoever they were, they gave her a drop of hope in this hopeless world. Thank you, dad…

Then one voice cried louder than all others. Suddenly she could see something. It was a child, younger than her, crying for help. She tried to help them, and could almost reach out with her own soul. But they vanished almost as quickly as they appeared. Then she heard it again. But this time she saw what was happening. This poor human child was being tortured by this thing. It was no monster. It was a demon. A gargantuan beast with many arms and heads. A true devil designed of plants and machinery. She knew what she was seeing was evil. Pure evil. The evil the folks in town spoke of that lived under that mountain. It was an abomination. She knew it had to be stopped. It had to die. She reached out with arms invisible and tried to attack the monstrosity. She felt her very soul burning as she plunged herself into the belly of this beast. The echoes of many other souls rang out, as the devil howled in pain and fear. Then silence.

The other souls she had felt had disappeared. The human child stood across from the devil, now reduced to just a flower. She tried to scream out. Kill it! Please kill it!

Then the human didn’t. They walked away. She tried to scream louder. She knew there wasn't a man or monster safe for as long as that devil lived. Her words fell in vain, as the human child disappeared from this place. The flower slowly started to vanish, Pepper felt a rush of something within her. She was determined to see it through. To finish what that other human failed to do. She charged it, but it only got a glimpse of her before disappearing. A warmth filled the void, as a great light annihilated it all.

And Pepper was back in the dark. Back in the world of the dead. Back to dance through nothing for all eternity again. She wandered and wandered, endless planes of nothing, until she felt something cold. She slowed to a crawl, knowing that it was hopeless. Maybe it was just a dream? Can I dream?

Actually, everything was cold. And she could feel it. She could feel again. Rough cold stone surrounded her. What is this? She could move. She had her arms and legs. And she couldn’t breathe. 

Horror set in. She was in her own coffin. By some miracle she was revived, and she was about to suffocate. She smashed her arms and legs against the ceiling. There was just no way she was going to let herself die and return to that darkness. Her weak limbs started to drip with blood, as something started to give. She felt a rush, a desperation to breathe took over. 

The lid slowly started to move, as fresh air and dim light poured in. Even what little light there was blinded her. A loud thud signaled that the lid was off. Her attempt to sit up immediately failed, as pain shot through her body like a hurricane. It was like her bones were on fire. She’d have to contend with laying back and staring at the ceiling.

As her eyes adjusted, she contemplated how this happened. Did the Angel do this? Was I brought back to fulfill some grand purpose? Was it just luck? How long have I been dead? Are mom and dad still looking for me? 

Once the light finished blinding her, she noticed something odd; she couldn’t see out of her right eye. She reached up to feel around her face, but pulled away when she felt a painful sting. She clearly had some sort of open wound on her face that she’d need to get fixed up. It didn’t feel like it was bleeding, so she had time. She felt around a little more. There must’ve been some kind of burn scar surrounding it. 

With both arms as leverage, she pulled herself upwards. The pain was only slightly manageable, even with her arms covered in bruises from her escape. She was in the clothes she died in, still covered in her own blood. The walls assaulted her with visions of plain gray stone. Her head turned to look around. Her blood ran cold as she saw that her coffin was only one of many. She slowly crawled from her grave to investigate. 

Chara. Justin. Lily. Clover. Marine. Victoria. These were the names ingrained in the stone. The only name missing was her own. The lid of her coffin only labeled her “The Dancer”. Made some sense, she didn’t even remember if she gave anyone her name. And all the monsters probably hated her anyway.

Why am I the only one alive? Her head ached, unable to understand. Tears started running down, as she tried to stand on her own feet. Her left leg hurt like nothing else, so she limped over to lean against the wall. They were all more innocent than she was. They all deserved to live more than her. For as much as she hated the void of death, it was what she deserved. This was so cruel.

Was she brought back as some sort of redemption? To make up for the monsters she’d slain? Nobody would forgive her. They’d all just kill her again. And she couldn’t escape either way . She didn’t have a monster soul.

She steaded herself, looking for a way to go. Waiting wasn’t going to do much, and asking the universe wasn’t going to get her any results. She at least wanted to know where she was. There had to be a place she could hide away. A place she could crawl under and never return. A place she could live a little, then die peacefully. A place where she couldn’t hurt anyone.

Before she could start looking for such a thing, she had to conquer her worst foe yet: the stairs. She couldn’t put a lot of weight on her left foot, so she had to drag foot as she crawled up the surprisingly tall staircase. Being barefoot wasn’t making it any easier. It wasn’t impossible, she just had to painfully crawl on all threes. Once she felt stable enough, she stood against the wall in order to keep her balance. It wasn’t much faster, but it felt better. After a few excruciating minutes of climbing, she made it to the top.

Her head was spinning. She kept her pace steady. It’s just a hallway, it’s not going to kill me. She needed something to eat. Her stomach was empty and she had to have been dehydrated. It was amazing she was able to walk at all. 

The hallway split off with a bright path. A plaque labeled that way as the entrance to the throne room. This made her freeze in place. This was the exit she had literally killed to get to. From what little she knew, the thing standing between her and the human world was only the king of the monsters. And she didn’t have a monster soul either way, so she couldn’t even try to make a run for it. All she had was EXP; a reminder of how distant she felt. 

I need to run! She told herself. She screamed silently to herself. He’ll kill me! He’ll put me back! Her own words fell on deaf ears, as she stepped forwards to the light. She peaked her head inside. There sat the lonely throne, surrounded by golden flowers and equally golden rays of light. Very stark contrast to the gray stone before. 

And there stood the king. Just watering the flowers.

Flowers? Pepper stepped back a little, flinching at the thought. The king seemed to have heard her gasp, as his head perked up from where he was looking. 

“Is someone there?” He called out, in a voice strangely familiar. “Just a second.” 

She slowly started to walk backwards, before tripping over when she tried to run. The light was blocked by the king’s tall shadow. He loomed over her, as she curled up on the floor. She closed her eyes, knowing the worst and readying herself for it. It was the end of the line. 

“Are you okay child?”

What? She peaked out, looking up at the king. Unable to answer properly, she croaked out a scratchy “No”. The king froze at the glimpse of her face. He was horrified. Her head continued to dance, as the panic began to escalate. The world was looking fuzzy, as her consciousness faded. She was simply too tired to go on.

Something felt warm. Cozy and soft. Like sitting on a couch next to a nice fire, with a heavy blanket laying over Pepper. Her eyes jolted open and it was exactly that. She was in a gray house and she wasn’t dead. A wooden chair was pulled up next to the couch, with a bowl of soup and a glass of water resting on it. She didn’t hesitate to gulp down the water. Her body felt more relaxed and rejuvenated than before; maybe it was magic water. The soup was still hot and didn’t look very appealing, so she thought it would be better to eat it slowly. Whatever was in it, it was slightly bitter but soothed her pain. As she ate, she finally noticed the cloth wrapped around her head to cover her wound. 

The king emerged from the doorway, holding a clear glass container. As soon as he saw she was awake, he placed the container on the dining room table and walked over to her. She flinched at every step he took.

“Sorry if I scared you,” He said, before he took the empty glass in the kitchen. Pepper waited until he had returned to respond. 

“T-than- -uo“ She tried to speak, but it was clear she still wasn't in good shape. Her voice was much deeper and more strained than she remembered. 

“Please take it easy. Rest for as long as you need.” He responded.

Is he trying to kill me with kindness?

He snapped his fingers. “Would you like some tea?”

Pepper silently nodded. He went back into the kitchen, the hiss of water boiling followed a minute later. Pepper placed the bowl back onto the chair and bundled herself in a blanket cocoon. He’s going to kill me. She made an effort to push those thoughts away for the moment. Obviously he could’ve killed her at any time, so either he was just being nice or he couldn’t for whatever reason. 

What confused her was why he was being so nice? He still needed her soul. Did he give soup and tea to all the children he murdered? And why was his voice so familiar?

The king returned with a teapot and cups on a tray, which he placed on the table. He pulled a chair out for her. She begrudgingly accepted and slowly limped over to the seat. The magic soup could only help so much. 

“What’s your name child?” He asked, pouring a cup of tea.  

“P-Pep-p-er-er,” She tried to answer. 

He slid the cup over to her. “Pepper?”

She nodded, staring down at the cup. She noticed her reflection in the rippling water. The edges of what was covered by the cloth looked to have been scarred, possibly from a burn. She needed a proper mirror for a better look. 

“Pepper. That’s a lovely name.”

The king silently offered her cream or sugar for the tea, but she just shook her head. A silent minute passed as she waited for it to cool. She was still too scared to look at him. Once it was over, she lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. Must’ve been magic too, since she felt something in her throat clear up.

“T-thank you, sir.”

“Please, call me Asgore. No need to be so formal.”

Pepper couldn’t remember if she had already heard his name before. So many names have slipped from her mind over time. As she searched her memories, she failed to notice the tears forming.

“What’s wrong?”

She realized that she had lost more than her life. The names of her parents, friends, anyone: all gone. Like they never existed. Their faces too were just blank in her mind. She had truly lost everything. 

It wasn’t working. She couldn’t breathe, no matter how hard she tried. Every breath was shallow. Her whole body was trembling. Without her even realizing, she had crushed the teacup in her own hand. The hot water hitting her fingers made her jolt, as she fell back and shattered the chair against the floor. 

“Sorry- I’m sorry- I’m s-sorry!” She curled up again, shaking and staring at the ceramic shard stuck in her hand. All she could do was cry and scream, nothing else. “Please- I’m sorry!” It’s over…

Asgore did say a word back. He kneeled down next to her, took her injured hand, and used some kind of green magic on it. The pain faded, as the fragments seemed to pop out. She looked up at him, still not understanding why.

“You don’t have to apologize,” He explained, as he draped the blanket over her again. “If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. It’s my fault that this happened to you.” 

She stared up at him again, a fire burning in her eye. The eyes of every monster were judging her through the king’s own eyes. She saw everyone who hurt her in him. Everyone she had slain. “Why are you being so nice now?” She asked weakly. “You’re just going to kill me anyway.”

His hesitation spoke volumes. The elephant in the room had arrived. “Well yes- I have an obligation to monsterkind- but it doesn’t have to be now.” He stumbled out. “And it’s clear you needed help. So please; take as long as you need.” 

That answer didn’t fix it, but it was still an answer. She tried to rub her tears away. “How am I even here?”

Asgore glanced away. “I do not know.” He placed a hand softly on her shoulder. “But consider this a miracle. A second chance.” His eyes turned towards the container. “We all wish we had one…”

It couldn’t be contained anymore. Pepper pulled herself underneath the blanket completely. “I’m a murderer. I can’t go home. I can’t leave. I just want to live… Please don’t kill me…” Words flooded from her mouth, rambling more to herself than the king. 

Asgore was unsure of what to say at first. Then he lifted her up and placed her back on the couch. Her eye grew wide with surprise, as the king of the monsters used the blanket to wipe her tears. “You can live here for as long as you like. You’re safe here, I promise.”

What? She still couldn’t believe it. This monster had declared war on mankind. He had the blood of six other humans on his hands. And she had the dust of even more monsters on hers. While she still lived, the underground was two human souls short. He had every reason to kill her. To put her back in her resting place. Yet he was extending an olive branch. All for a walking corpse.

“D- Do you mean it?”

“Consider this house your home. While I can’t guarantee your safety outside of here, I promise not to lay a finger on you.” He explained. He walked over to pick up the container again. “What do you say?”

She stared down at her healed hand. “Please…”

He stepped back to the doorway. “Get some rest, young one.” As he left, Pepper started to feel the pull of sleep again. It didn’t take long for her to doze off.

Asgore sat on the floor of his throne room, with the now empty soul container in front of him. So many memories from long ago returned to him. The day the first human fell. The day he lost them. The day the queen left. The day a young scientist first presented him with the soul container. His name might’ve been Folder? Page? Asgore didn’t know why that was so hazy. 

How was this possible? He knew humans were capable of many things, but he didn’t think humans could just return to life. Could all humans do this? Could all the humans they’ve killed come back? It was probably just  wishful thinking. Clearly he needed some rest as well. Cause there was no telling how this happened in the first place.

It was the first day. Pepper had found a mirror at the end of the hallway. This house was very clean and quiet. Now that she had a few more hours of sleep, she decided to take a better look at herself. She was ready. 

Her hair was a mess. It was much shorter than before. Her pony tail must’ve been severed in an attack. The lightning from that monster had created violet fern-like scars under her dark skin. They bloomed from her neck, shoulders, and arms. The back of her right hand had a small thorn stuck in it. Nothing she tried seemed to dislodge it. Now for the big one. She slowly unfurled the cloth. And it was not pretty. She couldn’t even scream or cry, just stare in horror.

It was a crater. It was a charred crater right above where her right eye should’ve been. The surrounding skin was burned and scarred. Most of the upper right side of her face was damaged. How am I still alive? That robot must’ve used some kind of fireball or energy blast on her. She didn’t even have time to bleed out. 

She felt ill. She wanted to vomit her guts out. But she couldn’t. It was all so far away. 

The main thing she felt after that was an overpowering hatred. True contempt for that hunk of metal. Every bone in her body and voice in her head wanted her to smash its stupid rectangular face in. To rip out its wires with her teeth. If she could get it to scream and beg, it would be music to her ears. And her dance would be to wipe it off the face of the earth.

That wasn’t really a goal though. It was really just a vague hope for revenge. She looked down at her bruised feet. Without any shoes, she wasn’t fighting fit either way. Better to just table it for now. 

She wasn’t going to go on an apology tour either, cause she wasn’t sorry. She was horrified by what she had done, but it was self defense. And they killed her in the end either way. She hated herself for it and hated the monsters she killed more. And all those monsters who she hadn’t killed were probably better off than her. Maybe it was a childish reason, but she was still a child.

She took a walk, leaving the cloth behind. Down the stairs was a path above the city of New Home. Her eye traced across the roads of the bustling city. Monsters of all different shapes and sizes littered the streets. Do they still remember me? She took a seat on the ledge, kicking her feet in the stale air. Maybe I’m safe here? Her mind wandered back to the coffins. It wasn’t fair to them for her to be walking about, and Asgore probably wasn’t ever going to give up the other souls either way. 

Her only hope was to live. She hoped to live a long life. Hoped the other fallen humans would get the chance to live as well. But in the end, she was on her own. In a monochrome house high above, in a tomb buried under a mountain, with a fluffy killer as a housekeeper. 

She pulled herself up. What should I do now? Maybe the king needs help with the flowers? Her path guided her back towards the throne room. Not to escape, but to tend to a garden.

Flowey waited in the spot. Where him and that idiot human always meet first. It wasn’t his first rodeo, and he was pretty bitter about it. Every time he got the upper hand. Every time he claimed the human souls for himself. Every time he had that human dead to rights, those souls disobeyed him. But this last battle hurt more than any before.

“Stupid humans, why don’t they just learn to do what I say?” He grumbled to himself. “It’s all ‘oh, we don’t like you handsome and powerful flower god. We’d rather help the ugly baby with too many friends’. Gimme a break.” He straightened his posture. “Whatever, let’s try this again.” 

But nobody came. The human was late.

“Hmmmm, this has never happened before.” He looked around. “Maybe they went a different way?” He tried to move elsewhere, but nothing happened. Try as he might, he couldn’t sink into dirt. He appeared to be stuck. “Captain Cryptic? You there?”

[………]

“Narrator! I know you’re there! I know you can hear me!”

[Wait- You can hear me?] 

“Yes! Everyone can hear you! Everyone just chooses to ignore you cause you’re weird and say everything out loud!”

[You think that’s a little mean.]

“I don’t think it’s mean enough,” He snapped back, before shaking his head to dislodge the thought. “Whatever. Do you know where the human is?” 

There was a long pause. It was hard for Flowey to tell if the voice had ditched him or if it was actually checking. Hard to talk with someone who you can never see.

[Error:Human_Capacity_Reached?? Try again later??]

“WHAT!? What do you mean?!”

[You think there might be a human already here.]

“Is that why I can’t move?”

[You see that a thorn has been pulled out.]

He looked down and saw that, indeed, one of his thorns was missing. He started struggling, garbling unintelligibly in rage. That blue one had stabbed him and tore a piece loose. He tried to reload, but somehow that red soul was still in effect.

With the strength he could muster, he pulled out two muscular vine arms. He attached these arms to his stem and pulled his roots out of the ground. A manic giggle escaped him as he started to crawl along the floor.

[You look absurd.]

“Shut it!” Flowey yelled out, as he slowly pulled himself away. “I- need to find that other stupid human.”

Chapter Text

Why am I doing this?  

Pepper asked herself over and over, yet she didn’t give any answer. She just kept on waiting in front of the other coffins. It had been about an hour. She had told herself to go to the throne room, but she had decided to do this instead.

Of course nothing had happened so far. The stone coffins remained closed, and she dared not open them. What were the odds that the same miracle that struck her would affect the others? It was all very pointless.

She noticed that her own coffin was closed. It was for the best. The underground didn’t need to know she was alive again. For as long as she stayed here, she could probably live forever in the king’s nice house.

After a while longer, she decided to call it quits. But she promised to come back in the future. She slowly climbed the stairs again and went to the throne room. There she found a different scene.

The king, Asgore, was sitting in front of several pots. With a trowel in hand, he was slowly moving one or two flowers from the soft ground and replanting them in each pot. The outside of each had a small yellow ribbon around it. The golden glow of the sun had faded, leaving very little light in the room.

Pepper stepped forwards. “Are those… gifts?” She asked, still uncomfortable with how her voice had changed. The king was startled by her sudden appearance.

“Oh my…” He held a hand to his chest. “The sun is going down. Please don’t linger there in the dark.” It made sense; her appearance was hardly what anyone would want to see in the shadows. “But yes, these are gifts. I’m giving these out for monsters across the underground. Care to join me?”

She took a seat across from him, staring up at the ceiling. Then her eye glided to the doorway at the end of the room. That was the exit, but to her it was nothing but a dead end. But it still drew her attention, if ever so slightly. She refocused on the flowers instead. If I killed him, I coul-

No. She shook that thought from her mind. There was a throbbing sensation in her neck and head. Sleep was sounding so inviting again. But she chose to ignore that pain for now. She didn’t even realize that she was just kinda sitting there, not saying anything. There had to be a way to make this less awkward.

“Do you have any clothes I can wear?” She asked, pulling at her bloodstained shirt collar. “Cause these need to be washed.” 

Asgore paused for a second, before looking in her direction. “You don’t need to worry. You can…” He trailed off, before refocusing. “I can get you new clothes.” 

“I have one request. Can you find me a mask?” She pointed towards her right eye socket. “I don’t want to scare anyone else.” The thought of using one as a disguise slipped her mind. But that was really just a bonus. My head is killing me! 

Asgore simply nodded, before his eyes started to shift. He stood up, signaling for Pepper to move. “I think the guests are here. Make yourself hidden.”

Pepper wasted no time. She calmly started panicking, before merely placing an empty pot on her head and standing in a corner. Then she realized she could just hide behind the throne. He quickly hobbled her way behind it, without even taking off the pot. 

There was a sudden continuous sound of blowing wind. She felt the change in the air even from behind the throne. It took some effort, but she managed to get into a good position to peak out without losing her footing. 

They looked like a tornado; with menacing eyes glaring from their center and many hands floating around them. They greeted their majesty, and Asgore greeted them back. Each hand picked up a potted plant, and they quickly went on their way.

Once she was sure that they were gone, Pepper reemerged. She was sweating profusely. It was almost over for her. If just one monster saw her, they’d kill her on sight. Her blood felt like ice. Her mind was rushing back to the moment she died. 

Asgore tried to reassure her; put a hand on her shoulder because she was clearly afraid. Pepper reacted before anything else, striking his large hand away. Her eye stared up at the king, before her gritted teeth faded and she started to back away. She just struck the king of the monsters. 

“No, it’s okay,” He tried to reassure her. “I promised not to hurt you. And I barely felt it.” She kept her distance, but she stopped in place. 

“I- I need to go to bed-“ She said, as she turned to leave. Asgore let her go, knowing she clearly needed time to herself. Once she was gone, he looked down at the palm of his hand. She had actually left a small scratch.

Even after sleeping on the couch for a while longer, she didn’t feel much better emotionally. Most of what she’s accomplished since she was revived was sleep. She needed to do something. Anything. There was an entire world out there, and she was still too scared to venture out. Scared of dying and scared of lashing out.

There was an open cardboard box near the couch, with a note attached. ‘Take whatever you’d like.’ Inside were stacks of clothes. She rummaged through the pile, looking for something nice to wear. 

There were a lot of random things. Must’ve been old clothes or costumes that were thrown out or too old. She got lucky with a pair of black leggings that looked to fit her. The only other bit of clothing she could find that wasn’t torn up was a long blue skirt and a black tuxedo. One quick trip to the kitchen to change and she stepped back to the mirror for a look.

She looked ridiculous, but at the same time, rather dapper. It made her think back to her days performing in school plays. Maybe it was too dramatic, making her stand out too much. But this was an absurdity she was fine with. She looked cool to her, that’s all that really mattered. Plus it was temporary anyway, cause she hoped to find her old tutu and shoes one day.

Right, shoes. She returned to the box. There was only a pair of lightweight boots for her to wear. They were in tatters, but it was better than barefoot. 

Pepper found herself doing something she hadn’t done since she fell down here; she was smiling. Despite her injured leg. Despite her scars. Despite her crimes. Despite being under the protection of someone who would want her dead the most. Despite everything, she was smiling.

And at the bottom of the box was something very exciting. A bone white half-mask, perfect to cover her scar on her right side. She brought it up to her head, and it seemed to attach itself to her face with magic. She went back to the mirror, taking the moment to admire her looks. She considered this her theater kid merit badge. 

When Asgore comes back, she’ll have to genuinely thank him for this. Despite his hospitality, she still didn’t fully trust him. But this gesture gave her some joy in this bleak moment, so she had to show her gratitude. She was tempted to throw her old bloody clothes into the fireplace and burn them, but that was probably a waste. 

Out on the edge of the snowy forest, a skeleton lay in wait. Sans was ready for the next round. The human would exit the ruins, they’d walk to the bridge, and he’d greet them there. But for some reason, they were taking forever to show up. 

He wasn’t really concerned. Patients was his favorite game, he wins by not doing anything. And Sans was great at not doing anything. Maybe the human was just really taking their time? Or maybe they had settled down for a while. Or maybe they weren’t coming. Hours passed, and Sans decided to leave for now. Surely they’ll arrive eventually.

A few days had passed. At least Pepper thought that they had. It was hard to tell time down here. Plus she was sleeping more than she ever had before. Her main response to her pains was to sleep. Sometimes on the couch, sometimes on the floor, and occasionally on the table. So she didn’t have a schedule.

Asgore’s words rang through her head every minute. That promise of safety as long as she remained inside. But she felt that this house was a prison the longer she lived there. The king was kind and supportive, but he discouraged her from leaving this place. 

She could read. She could garden. She could dance to herself. She could act out her own plays. But she felt so lonely. She needed something else in her life.

She went back to his throne room. He smiled at her when she entered, but it quickly turned when he saw her solemn look. “What’s wrong, child?”

“I…” she hesitated to answer. Her fists clenched as she bit her tongue. “I need to leave.”

And just like that, it was like the king had seen a ghost. His eyes darkened, before he turned away from her. “I see.”

“No- No- I don’t mean leave the underground,” She clarified. The king looked back, shocked by what she said. “I just need some time to myself. And I need to get out of the house.”

“I see…” His face was equally glum and his tone of voice had changed. “I’m sorry, Pepper. But I can’t let you.”

Her blood ran cold. “W-what do you mean?”

“Too many monsters died. I can’t risk the safety of my people.” He explained, as he loomed over her. “You need to stay here.”

Her heart raced faster and faster. “Please, I can’t stay here! I- I.” Ideas ran wild through her mind. “I won’t hurt anyone! I promise!” 

“Child…”

She stood her ground. “If I harm anyone, I promise to deliver my soul to you myself.” To prove herself, she pulled her blue soul for him to see. Then she quickly pulled it back inside. “Please, Asgore… I understand your duty, but I can’t stay here forever.”

His eyes wandered. “If you really mean it, then also promise to keep a low profile. The sudden appearance of a new human would cause a panic.” She turned to walk away, only for Asgore to place hand on her shoulder. “And I’m in no position to say this… But please stay safe…”

“I will.” She nodded. 

“Actually, I have something for you.” He said, walking over to his throne. She followed behind him. He pulled something out from behind it. “Take this. Just return it to me when you come back.” 

He placed a cloak onto her shoulders. It looked a lot like his. But this one was a lot smaller, and it even had a hood.

Pepper could guess that this was either one of Asgore’s old cloaks, or more likely, it would’ve been a gift for his own child. She had seen the empty children’s room. He was clearly lonely like she was. But it was clear to her that guilt had eaten away at him. She could somewhat relate.

Despite his intentions, Pepper was overwhelmed by the gesture. She could barely keep herself from crying. This was clearly a massive gamble on both sides, so this cloak was a sign of trust. And yet she still couldn’t bring herself to trust him completely. I don’t deserve this. But for just this moment, she accepted it.

Pepper hugged him. He was taken aback by this. It was the first time she had ever done so. “I will return one day. And I’ll return my soul one day.”

He hugged back, before she slipped out to exit stage hallway. The two waved goodbye. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll always be here.”

Pepper stood in front of the elevator to the city of New Home. She had hidden herself underneath the cloak, so as long as she stayed out of sight, she could remain hidden. This game of trust had given her a blank canvas, but that all depended on remaining on the down low. 

There was no time limit for her escapade, but she knew it couldn’t be too long. Without her soul, two more humans would have to die in her place. That was unexpectable. So she would have to steel herself for when she threw in the towel.

With her hand still shaking, she pressed the button. She had a few ideas. She wanted to find that fox girl she almost killed. That monster was probably grown up at this point, living with the trauma of almost dying. That would be her only apology she would give. 

The evil voice she heard when she was dead. The one who had tortured her soul. She could probably break her promise for them exclusively and they would have had it coming. But that was a problem for future Pepper to deal with.

Lastly, that robot. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to destroy it or not. She didn’t even know if it was actually alive or not. Was it even a monster? Or was it just following its programming? 

The door opened and she stepped inside. It was just the beginning and she had some traveling to do. She wasn’t ready, but she was going down this third path no matter what.

As it traveled down, she contemplated the future. If the king of all monsters was willing to spare her for a while, maybe there was someone out there that she could befriend. Maybe she wasn’t hopeless. She just had to make sure that nobody recognized her from before. Nobody who met her before was likely to want to help her. Maybe she could go to monster school? Or star in monster broadway? Theoretically, if nobody ever realized she was a human she could do anything she wanted.

As she stepped out of the elevator, her eyes adjusted to the low light of the city. It wasn’t too different from a city up above, but everything was made of grey stone. Most light was sourced from the window of each building. It was surprisingly quiet, but she still moved into the closest alley to stay out of sight. But she still peaked her head out to see if anyone saw her.

“hey kid, whatcha you looking at?” Voice from behind her asked. She quickly spun around to a short skeleton man standing there, holding a bag of groceries. “wow, you look dead tired. but not as tired as i am.”

Chapter Text

Fuck.

“now i don’t know everything,” The skeleton said. “but i know humans can’t just come back to life. how did that happen?”

Fuck . What were the odds that the first monster she encountered recognized her as a human. How was she supposed to get out of this situation? Any fight would attract more unwanted attention. She could always run, but this skeleton would probably tell everyone. He looks weak. I could kill- 

NO!

“I- uh- didn’t want to be dead anymore?” She stammered out an answer. 

The skeleton closed his eyes and shrugged. “ok. sure.”

“Please don’t tell anyone about this,” Pepper begged. “I’m just… taking a break.”

“don’t worry, i get it. it’s just i have seen your soul before. i’ve seen your LV.” He slowly approached. “i don’t think i can let you run free.” Then he turned around and started to walk away. “but that’s not my job.”

Her head tilted. “Wait, you’re letting me go?” 

“yeah. i’m dead tired, looking really pale, and i’m so famished i’m skeletal.” Pepper heard the sound of cymbals. “you don’t look so good either. later.”

“Wait. Before you go, can you point me in the direction of the nearest library or bookstore.” She asked. The skeleton paused, before shrugging again.

“sure, just follow me.” He signaled for her to follow him as he went further down the alley.

Alphys was flipping through stacks of papers rapidly. It’s not every day she gets asked by the king himself to look into something. But it seemed important to him, even if she wasn’t so sure.

Endless folders of reports, newspapers, and documents all surrounding one person. The Integrity soul. The human was infamous for her attack on Snowdin, but the details surrounding her death were hazy. All that was known for certain is that her body was found horribly scarred, a long while after her death. The natural magic that permeated the underground had killed most microbes responsible for decomposition, so her body had remained in the same condition she died in.

And for some reason, the king wanted her to look through the date again. She wasn’t going to complain, she was just confused as to what had prompted this. Why now? 

Only thing she could really find was an autopsy done by an unknown person. It was a very strange document, clearly written in a hurry. Apparently the human head and brain showed signs of being incinerated and electrocuted. Which kinda sounded like some of the weapons she had prepared for Mettaton. But there was no w-

“The steamworks!” She yelled out in realization. The decommissioned steamworks was full of old robots. One of those robots could’ve used some kind of energy blast on her. But what was a robot doing in Waterfall? That part didn’t make sense. 

Alphys thought about asking someone to go down to Steamworks and maybe just asking the robots. But nothing down there was likely to still be running, and the coolant was still too dangerous for anyone to be willing to risk it. At least she had a lead. 

Somehow, the end of the alley leads Pepper directly to a small bookstore at the edge of the city. She looked around confused, as the skeleton pointed towards the building. “there you go. now remember kid, i’m going to have to keep my eye on you. can’t have you causing trouble, ya know?”

She rubbed her shoulder. “Yeah. Don’t worry, I made a promise.” A few steps forward and she stopped to ask. “Will anyone else recognize me?”

“nah. most folk around here have never seen a human before.” He answered, flipping through his phone. “your disguise is just fine.”

Pepper stepped into the book shop. Anything to get away from that weird skeleton guy. The musty air blasted her in the face instantly. It was very quiet and visibly dusty in this quaint little bookstore. Even then, there were a few monsters about. It looked so much like a bookstore from up above.

She took her time to graze the shelves. There were tons of old books from the surface world, probably brought down when they were first sealed. All the newer books written down here were all in a different section. Oddly, there didn’t seem to be a fiction or nonfiction section, which had to make things a little confusing. 

One book specifically caught her eye. Dust in the Snow: The Snowdin Massacre by Reel Am. Newly published, had a display up and everything. Apparently, it documented the events she caused from eyewitness accounts. It seemed that even the underground wasn’t free from the terrors of true-crime.

It appears that monsters really liked a lot of human culture, judging by the amount of random human books on display. Trashy fantasy and sci-fi novels, paperback romance, and old magazines. There was even a dedicated comic and manga section. But it was mostly a lot of series that Pepper thought were overrated. And she was probably the biggest hater of Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie there was. Why did her classmates obsess over girly manga, and not centuries old plays like she did? 

The monsters that were about didn’t recognize her as human, but Pepper was sure to mask her appearance under her hood at all times. She’d act like she was shy and just wave to others. But a little cow girl monster ran up to her to talk directly. 

“Excuse me mister? Do you know where the manga are?”

Mister?! 

Pepper cleared her throat, since she was out of practice talking to strangers. “Down that way.” She answered, reaching her hand out to point in the direction. There was an attempt to mask her voice under a masculine tone.

The little girl nodded and skipped along, waving back to her as she went. “Thank you!”

“Aurochs?!” A voice shouted. “Where did you go?!” Around the corner, running low to the floor on four floating hands, appeared a spear monster. The spearhead was curved upwards, with the face of comedy on the front of the head and tragedy on the back. The monster looked all around, out of breath, before jogging over to Pepper. “Have you seen a cow girl go past here? Brown fur? Orange eyes? Horns? About yay big?” He asked, his mouth unmoving.

Pepper repeated her pointing, the spear quickly rushing that way. She felt nervous about showing her hands like this. Hopefully monsters wouldn’t be able to recognize a human based on skin texture. After a short delay, the two monsters returned.

“Oh come on, professor,” the girl lamented, “I’ll be fine.” 

“The general would have my head if I lost her daughter in New Home, you need to stay where I can see you,” he scolded back, before turning back to the mysterious girl in the cloak. “Thank you so much.” He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. “Wait wait… What’s a kid like you doing working here?”

She waved her hand. “No- No- I’m just passing through.” When she turned to walk away, she felt the throbbing pain return. Sparks and stars danced across her vision. She grabbed her temple, trying to just keep the pain under wraps. Maybe she could just grit her teeth and it would be easier.

Pepper felt something tug at her cloak. She looked down to see that little cow girl grabbing the fabric with her hoof hands. “Mister? Are you okay?” She asked. 

“F-fine. Just fine.” She replied, while trying to subtly pull away. But the girl, Aurochs, wasn’t letting go.

“No… You don’t sound fine. Here, let me-“ She said, as a green magic swirled in her eyes. Tiny jade particles bursted outwards, before fading just as quickly. 

It didn’t cure her pain, but it was dulled for the moment. There was the smell of freshly cut grass in the air. Pepper let her muscles relax, and she looked back down towards the girl. “Thank you… But why did you?”

“Cause you don’t sound well. Please take a seat.” The spear monster explained, loafing on the carpet next to Pepper. Aurochs sat across from them. Pepper begrudgingly followed and sat with her legs crossed. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

There was no way she was doing that. That was the best to get found out. “No. I just need some rest.” 

The spear tilted his head. “You should be at home then. What are you doing here?”

She couldn’t figure out a way to answer that. Would it be better if she was honest? Nobody would believe her if she said she lived with the king of the monsters. She could say she was homeless. All this pondering and Pepper forgot to say anything. She opened her mouth to speak, only to release a loud cough into her hand. 

Her hand was shaking. There was blood. She just coughed up blood. The two monsters had their eyes wide in shock. Pepper had to go, but she was sure if she could even run. Her legs still weren’t moving like they should. 

“Professor… Is he…” Aurochs started to speak.

“Aurochs, I need you to wait outside. Right now.” He requested, which the girl complied with and stood up to leave. “You can’t be here for this.” 

Now that it was just the two of them in the aisle, Pepper tried to make her escape. But more coughing prevented her from doing anything. It was like she was choking on a rock. The spear faced her head on. She braced herself for the headache that was coming.

“So are you going to turn me in?” She asked, as she readied a fist hidden within her cloak. 

“I probably should. But I can’t.” He stated, as he turned to see if anyone was looking. 

Pepper calmed herself mostly out of confusion. She let her guard down for the moment. “What? Why? I mean I’m glad-”

“I can’t do it, okay? I’m a teacher for goodness sake. I’m not some savior of monsterkind. I can’t handle that pressure.”

“Oh…” Pepper wasn’t sure what to say next. Maybe something to lighten the mood? “So you’ll let me go, right?”

“Yeah- I guess,” He said, all dejected. “But I’d rather sign a deal.”

“A deal?”

The spear’s eyes wandered around, again looking out for anyone else. “Listen, I’d like to see myself a scholar. Put it simply, I’d like to archive everything you know about modern human life.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow, not that he could see. “Alright, and what do I get out of this?” She cautiously asked. “Besides not dying.”

He raised a hand to speak, only to return it to his face. “Um… Hmmmm… I have a spare room you could rest your head in. Oh, and you could use me like a walking stick if you need.” 

Pepper weighed her options. Then she realized that her other options suck, and it would be nice to have someone to lean on. “Can I trust you?” Was probably a stupid question, cause there was nothing stopping him from lying.

“You don’t need to trust me,” he answered. “I’ll help regardless.”

He had a point. She didn’t trust Asgore and he still chose to help. It really didn’t matter. So she might as well accept, but she wasn’t going to let her guard. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Oh no, we don’t need to start that now,” He said, as he walked slowly to her side. “We can start with our names instead. I’m Shakesspear.” He pointed to himself, then to her. “What’s yours?”

“Pepper,” She replied, as she slowly began to push herself up. The bookshelf behind her was very helpful in that regard. She still tried to keep herself hidden under the cloak. While she went, Shakesspear placed himself in her hands to hold herself up. His four hands were laid passively on her shoulders. 

“Let’s talk as we walk, no need to stick here. I’ll guide you to the tram station.” He explained. Pepper was only half paying attention, because something more concerning had caught her eye. The thorn stuck on the back of her right hand had grown in size. It had started as something barely visible, but it had slowly widened ever so slightly. She was scared to touch it, there was an emptiness that surrounded it. Like something terrible would happen if she pulled it out.

The two took a quick walking tour around the store to start. It was nice to walk with such grace again. Though she wasn’t sure if she’d ever dance like she used to again. Anytime she’d tried, she’d start just fine but end with her face on the floor. 

Once she felt comfortable on her three legs, Pepper made her way out to the front door. The little cow girl was sitting on a bench right nearby. She rushed over to meet the two, but without the light and enthusiasm of before.

“Professor. Is he really a-“

“Let’s not discuss this out here,” He interjected. “Hold on- Pepper, I need to face her.” She quickly complied, turning him so one of his faces was pointed forward. “Thank you.”

“But aren’t humans, like, super evil and stuff?” Aurochs asked.

Pepper shrugged. “Not all of them.”

“Worry not, Consider her a- erm- a criminal. And we’re going to take her in for interrogation.”

Well that’s not really a lie.

The young monster tugged at her sleeves. “You’re not going to hurt us, right?”

Pepper put her hand to her chest. “I’d never hurt a fly. I promise.”

“We can talk this over later. You really should be heading home soon. And we will have plenty of time on the tram.” Shakesspear stated. The young monster pouted and crossed her arms. Clearly she was upset that this trip was cut short. “Pepper, I’ll guide you to the tram station. And let’s avoid any prying eyes.”

The hooded human nodded. As the three started on their way, Pepper looked around. Sitting on a bench across the street was that skeleton from before. At first glance he appeared to be reading a newspaper, but he was actually holding a phone up behind a completely blank page. It was probably for the best to just ignore him for now. Like he said, it wasn’t his job.

In the corner of her eye, she saw something else for a brief moment. It looked like a golden sparkle. Like a trick of the light. But it vanished in an instant. Must’ve been nothing.

Alphys was really tired. All those documents, and now she had to organize them now that she was done. She was pretty sure she had mixed up her own personal magazines and zines into this mess by mistake. And it had to have been hours later.

Before she had the chance to doze off on her desk next to her cold ramen noodles, there was a howl that echoed through the lab. It sounded like one of the amalgamates, but it was louder than any of them had ever been. It echoed against itself, like a glitch in a speaker.

Alphys rushed out of her workplace to see. It was out in the open of the hallway. The fox girl, Kanako Ketsukane, was screaming in some kind of anguish. Her form and fox features were stretched out, hunched over and yet still hitting the ceiling. This was the most active she had ever been.

Ever since she was brought in, she was the only one to not meld with anyone else. But her mind and soul were still morphed. It was like she was being shaped by some outside force. Alphys didn’t know the details of how she had fallen down, but it was clearly something dangerous. 

“ Alive… ” She cried out, her white fluid form flailing in shock. Before she shrunk in size, into a small pile on the floor. Then something came out of the goo. It was a mask of a kitsune, with stripes of blue flowing from the snout. The blue stripes spread from the edges of the mask onto her body, until they formed into ribbons that stretched across the floor. “ Pepper… Alive… We… Alive… ”

She rapidly grew, her form blocking the hallway entirely. The mass charged at Alphys, who had been frozen in shock. But when this happened, she rushed behind a door. She stepped back from it, as the amalgamation began to slam against the door. After five tries, she backed off and started to howl again. 

“ See sun… Dancing… Late to school… Alive… We’re scared… Dalv help us… Feel rain… Mom… Dad… We are so far away… Ate the shampoo… Cold… Still bleeding… Pulling… ”

Tears started to flow from Alphys’ eyes. She didn’t know what to do. Up until now, Kanako had been close to being completely catatonic. Now she was agitated and lashing out. What had happened? What changed? And why was she flowing with blue color? But Alphys could barely keep eyes open at this point. So she just passed out on the floor for the moment.

The side-roads of New Home were much quieter than the rest of the city. Shakesspear continued to give Pepper directions, as the Aurochs followed slowly behind. Despite the lack of crowds, Pepper still made sure to keep her head down for every passerby. 

Then she stopped in place. There was a sudden itch. Under the throne, she felt a little itch and a slight scratch. Like there was something pulling at her soul. 

“Something wrong?” Shakesspear asked, looking up with his frowning face. 

The sensation disappeared. “Oh it’s nothing. I’m fine, Dalv.” 

Her blood ran cold. Why did I say that? Who’s Dalv?

“You sure?” He asked again, clearly not noticing the odd name she used. 

“Nothing. It's nothing.” She assured him. 

They continued on, but she couldn’t shake the feeling something was terribly wrong. But in comparison, everything was a little wrong. But she was going to live with it. No matter what.

Chapter Text

New Home seemed like a nice place. A pleasant and bustling city, with what looked like tons of lovely people. Could be a great place to go on vacation. 

The city streets were lush with stores and beautiful restaurants. Kids laughed and played in public parks and playgrounds. Lamps kept everything lit, fighting back the darkness of the underground. It was like a capital city straight out of a dream.

Pepper was just disgusted. How could they live with such high spirits on a hope built on the backs of dead children like her? And the king was planning on raging war on all of humanity after? Did they all just not care? Could they even go through with that?

“Are… Are you okay, Pepper?” Shakesspear asked, snapping her out of her trance. She hadn’t even realized that she had stopped in place, tightly gripping her own living walking stick. “You’re shaking.”

“Do they all hate me?” She asked back.

He held his head down. “Many don’t. Many do. Everyone has a different view, I can’t guess everyone.” 

“It’s your fault.” Aurochs interjected, her arms crossed. “You trapped us here.”

“My fault?!” Pepper couldn’t believe the audacity of this girl. “I wasn’t even born! What are you-“

“Keep your voices down!” Shakesspear reminded them, quickly waving at a passerby. “Nothing to worry about.”

The two followed his lead, but still passed glares at each other. Once they were out of range of the random citizen, Pepper stepped into a nearby alley for a breather. This kid had made a complete one-eighty. What was her problem?

“Pepper, please don’t be mad,” He assured her. “She’s young and she doesn’t know what she’s saying.”  

Pepper tried to keep control of her breath. Rage was easy, but she couldn’t let it guide her. She had to stay calm. It took a minute, but she closed her eye and tried to make the world around her go away.

But her eyes quickly opened again. For a brief moment, she thought she was dead again. Her heart was racing faster and faster. She was sweating.

Her wide eye looked down at him. Within this angle, he could have a better look at her face. There was a fear in her deep blue eye. And the mask was clearly a bandage over a big scar. 

“I see,” He remarked, with an air of understanding in his voice. “It isn’t simple sickness that plagues you.”

“A monster did this to me. I don’t want to hear it from her.” She knew she was being hypocritical, she deserved to be angry. 

“Look- I don’t wish to pry any deeper. But please understand, her life has been hard.” He continued, simultaneously looking down at the street and up into her face. “She is ill. It’s nothing life-ending, but she’s had it ever since she was born. She needs healing magic everyday, or else she can barely move. And it’s given her a resentment. Not just for humans, but for everyone. She tries to hide it, but it slips out. She’s a gentle spirit at heart, I swear, so please don’t dwell on her bitter side.”

“So what? Should I just ignore her?” She asked back.

“No, you two share common ground. I can’t excuse her the same way I can’t excuse you.”

There was something to that. Pepper didn’t think that Aurochs had ever died like she had, but there wasn’t anyone who could relate to that. Maybe the other human souls, but nobody she could meet. It was a genuine fear that Aurochs could rat her out if pushed too far. It was a very selfish reason to try and be her friend, but it was her life on the line. 

As she stood up from the alley and stretched a little, there was a small thought that started to bubble to the surface. The other souls. They need to be freed. I need to- She shook her head, trying to hold the thought down. But there was one thing she felt compelled to say.

“When Asgore shatters the barrier, what will happen to the souls?” 

“W-what brought this up?” He asked, more than a little concerned.

She leaned down, her expression darkening. “I’m scared. What’s going to happen to me if I’m caught?”

“Well… We don’t know what’ll happen until it happens. Maybe they’ll live on in his head, maybe they’ll cease to exist. No monster alive has claimed a human soul.” His words created a chill across her skin. “But as long as we have that deal, I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear on my soul.”

Pepper nodded in understanding, but couldn’t help but keep those souls in mind. She was walking and talking, while those poor souls were rotting away. At some point, sooner or later, she had to return to the throne room and set things right. She needed to find out how she had returned and bring those humans back.

These cloudy thoughts circled her mind as she walked. The future wasn’t looking bright, but she had time. After all, what are the odds another human falls down here? That human she saw before was long gone, but she wasn’t sure about any of that. That could’ve just been her mind creating a stupid illusion. Nothing real.

She looked back up. Aurochs was kicking rocks on the sidewalk, pacing back-and-forth. Once she noticed they were returning, the young lass turned away. If Pepper was going to move forward, she had to act like she got along with her. Luckily, she was pretty good at acting.

Across the street was that skeleton again. He was still following her. But he appeared to be talking on the phone at the moment, so it was best to just keep moving and hope she loses him.

The blue screen glow reflected in Alphys’ eyes. Her phone contacts stared back at her. Kanako needed her help, but Alphys needed someone to help her with helping her. She needed someone who she could trust. And Sans already knew about her dirty secret. He was there, at least she thinks so. It’s so hard to remember things these days.

Luckily for her, her phone started to ring before she could choose. It was Sans. She didn’t even expect him to be awake to answer the phone. Her finger moved with hesitation, but she took the call and took a deep breath. 

“hey,” He casually answered.

She let out a slight sigh. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you. I need your help.”

There was a pause. “that’s funny. i was going to ask you the same thing. small world.”

“M-my help? I don’t understand.” She paced around her room, taking the time to flip the lights on. “I was about to call you.”

“well then, you go first.”

Alphys inhaled. “One of the patients is freaking out and attacking things and I don’t know why!” She belted out. It felt like a weight was lifted off her chest. “None of the others have acted like this before!”

“who?” He asked back, a little more concerned.

“Kanako Ketsukane. Her form is unstable and something is agitating her. She’s talking a lot.” Alphys explained, her nervous sweat caused her neck to itch. She turned her head at the sound of Kanako screaming from across the lab. It was followed by crashing metal and squelching. 

“wow. that’s pretty serious. things aren’t much better out here.”

“What do you mean?”

“one of the human souls is alive again.”

It was like a bomb. There was no way that could be real. “H-ha ha, very funny.”

“yeah, i wish i was joking too. but that’s what i’m looking at.”

“How is this possible?!”

“d’know.”

This was disastrous. Alphys had knowledge of Determination from her research, but this had to be impossible. How could a long dead human revive themselves? Was this a result of their soul being left intact? Was this random?

But there was a second problem at play. This meant monsterkind was down one soul. And the safety of the underground was of even greater concern.

Not every human killed, but a few did. Patience and Justice never hurt anyone. Bravery and Perseverance only had a few casualties. But Integrity was the most dangerous of them all. That human was the biggest catastrophe the underground had faced up until that point. 

Then a revelation hit. She hung up the call instantly. Blue was the color of Integrity. The very same tone of blue that Kanako was afflicted by. And Asgore asked her to look into the mysterious death of the Integrity soul. As a scientist, it wasn’t healthy to make assumptions. But this was all too much for it to be coincidental. 

She needed time. Time to think. She had to fix all this. But she didn’t know where to start. 

The sounds of the young fox’s cries drew her attention. She left her phone on her desk, and ventured out to find her. The mutated monster was in a smaller form, whining and trying to gnaw at the metal bed frame. Blue ribbons surrounded the floor around her. Alphys didn’t dare try to cross the gap. 

Alphys opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated and stopped herself. Kanako wouldn’t recognize her own name at this point. Her mind was splintered and her memories seemed to be confused. So it might be better to act like she was a new person.

She stepped up to the edge of the ribbons, clearing her throat to get her attention. “E-e-excuse me, what’s y-your name?” She asked, trying to reach out to her more.

Her form started to bubble and shift. The ribbons retracted back into the shape of the kitsune mask. Alphys watched as the young monster took a familiar shape. Her monochrome body thinned out, straightening herself into a humanoid form. Actually it was a very human form. 

“ Name? Dirge. ” She answered. Her body was now a mimicry of the Integrity soul. A ghost white human body with a pitch black ballerina outfit. It almost looked like the clothes were just empty holes of nothingness. The blue kitsune mask covered her face completely. “ Mom! Mom! How do I look? ”

Well this confirmed her fears. There was a connection between Kanako, or Dirge now, and the blue souled human. While Alphys hadn’t met the human in person, she was unfortunate enough to have seen the body. This still raised more questions than it answered. Alphys was terrified of the possibilities. 

But she knew something that might help. “A-are you hungry? Let’s get you something to eat.” Alphys walked away, with Dirge slowly following behind.

“ Corn on the cob. Family barbecue. ”

Something was wrong. Pepper stood at the road across from the tram station. The entrance of the tram station was a single gate in the wall at the edge of New Home. A sign reading ‘Fort Rock’s Bottom’ in faded letters hung above the doorway. Two royal guards stood watch outside the entrance.

“Fort Rock’s Bottom?” Pepper questioned her sharper companion. “You live in a fort?”

“Oh don’t worry, it’s not an official military base,” Shakesspear assured her, rubbing the back of his head. “Think of it as more of a commune.” He tilted his head. “But usually there aren’t any guards around here.”

“Can we hurry up?” Aurochs interjected. “I’m not feeling too good anymore.”

“Me neither,” Pepper snarked back. She wasn’t lying though, her head was killing her. “What now?”

“We should just wait. They’re probably just on patrol.” He answered, hopping out of her hands and resting against the wall. “Let’s not risk it.”

It would be so easy. Pepper couldn’t stop thinking about it. She promised her life on it, but her mind kept returning to it. She had killed monsters before, she could easily do it again. But she didn’t have to fight. She could always choose to ACT. And she was pretty good at acting.

“I’ve got an idea, wait here,” She told the other two, who were curious as to what she was planning. The two guards hadn’t seen her yet, so she had time to prepare. 

One was tall and skinny. Some type of tree creature, or maybe a bush. The other was short and ball-like. Possibly a metal bead of some kind, but their body was a very dark black which made it hard to tell what they were made of. Both held menacing spears.

Pepper hid herself from them in a nearby bush so she could eavesdrop. Best to know what they were like before approaching. 

“Ow do you get your hair like that? At’s all I’m asking.” She heard the small one ask. 

The taller one rolled their eyes. “Please focus. Don’t want to talk.” They gestured towards the city around them. “Be on guard, she said. Dangerous monsters on the loose, she said.”

“Ome on now. This isn’t important. It’s just busy work.” He told his coworker. “Et’s just go find something better to do.”

Pepper had a pretty good idea on how to start. But it’ll require some prep.