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Undyne tightened her grip on Alphys’ hand as they made their way up the charred hill. Their feet sunk into the ash and, even with her tail, Alphys struggled to keep herself steady. If Undyne came alone, she could have moved quicker and gotten farther, but Alphys insisted on coming. She had updated their gas masks and wanted to see how well they functioned out in what was left of the surface.
And Undyne knew Alphys hated it when she left the underground. Alphys feared she wouldn’t see her again, and even a small part of Undyne worried the same. She liked having her girlfriend at her side. Even if it slowed them down, she felt better knowing Alphys was safe with her.
They had been together when the explosion hit. They were in the underground, salving tech from Alphys’ lab to bring to the surface. They felt the earth shake even from their distance under the earth. When they reached the surface, ash blotted out the sun and fell from the sky like a blizzard. Their lungs burned. Undyne wanted to press forward, but Alphys pushed her back into the depths.
Undyne called Papyrus as Alphys dug around in her lab for a solution. Sans and Papyrus were on their way to meet them. The air stung, but perhaps because they were already fleshless, they were able to move a bit easier through the new landscape. They wouldn’t last forever, but they could move safer than Undyne and Alphys. Undyne ordered Papyrus to look for other survivors, and Papyrus assured her he would. Alphys shouted for him to find anything to cover their mouths and protect their eyes to offer to those they came across.
Then Alphys set Undyne to work. Together the pair built two solid walls that worked as an airlock at the entrance of the underground, It protected those inside, but still allowed those from outside to come in. When Papyrus and Sans finally arrived, they brought a few old friends with them. A handful of Temmies. Bratty and Catty - who had been deep under a pile of trash at the time of the explosion. The Monster Kid. Mettaton. A mixture of monsters and humans. Papyrus carried a few and tossed them underground.
“Where’s Asgore?” Undyne asked. “Or Toriel? Frisk?”
There had been no word of them. Sans showed her his phone. Toriel had sent him a text. “We’re fine. Phone battery low.”
“I told them where we were heading,” Sans said. “I haven’t heard back.”
Once Alphys crafted gas masks for them, Undyne started patrolling as far as her mask would allow to try to find any stranded survivors. She brought back whoever they could, but the King, Toriel, and Frisk continued to be unseen. And the survivors were less and less with every passing day. Time became an enemy to Undyne, and even sleep betrayed her.
Undyne put Papyrus in charge of guarding the door. He mostly remained in the airlock, often checking for survivors and letting anyone come in who requested it. Undyne thought he was the perfect guard of the door. Strong enough to fight any threats. Strong enough to bring in any wounded. But soft enough to care for and aid the survivors. He was enthusiastic about his new standing, and she was glad to be rid of the responsibility herself.
Alphys continued developing the masks to help them survive for longer and longer outside. Undyne did what she could to keep order in the underground. Most of the monsters already had homes and places to stay. Some went out and salvaged goods - Undyne often joined them. Most opened their doors to the stranded humans, though Undyne herself had to settle more than a few conflicts. She tried to remain unbiased. She tried to see every human as Frisk, but there had been fights and there had been deaths. All in the name of keeping the peace.
Mostly though, the underground remained unchanged. Bright in its own way. Warm. Secure. It felt like the same home she’d had for years. If it hadn’t been for their missing friends, Undyne could have forgotten what happened on the surface. But with them gone, she didn’t want to forget.
Part of Undyne was nervous leaving the underground behind as she and Alphys reached the top of the mountain. Sans hadn’t left his room in weeks. She feared Papyrus would be too soft of a ruler if something happened to her and Alphys. She tried to press her concerns aside as they looked over the desolate city.
Ash still rained from the sky. She hadn’t seen the sun since the explosion, and she thought the underground now offered the better view. Most windows in the cities had broken in the explosion, and some of the taller buildings were crumbling or already split into pieces. It was nothing like her first sight of the city. Nothing like the place she grew used to calling her home.
Now the underground was her home again. Or maybe anywhere where Alphys was.
Frisk and Toriel lived just outside of the other side of the city. Alphys checked her filter. “Taking into consideration any detours or distractions, we can just make it,” she shouted over the wind. “We’ll explore the city another time.”
Alphys and Undyne started down the other side of the mountain. Undyne kept her arm tightly around her small girlfriend. The ash made things slippery, but their grip on each other kept them steady. When they had first started exploring together, they tumbled and tripped each other often. Alphys was always embarrassed and Undyne always laughed and lifted her into her arms until she felt better. Now they walked as one unit - used to the others’ strengths and weaknesses when it came to walking through the slippery ash.
As they reached the bottom, the howling wind and blowing ash made the city feel alive. But Undyne knew it was actually still and silent – likely void of any life. Undyne kept her sharp, yellow eyes aware on the off chance she saw some movement. She’d been attacked by survivors before, and she listened carefully for any irregular noise.
They hadn’t found anyone alive for nearly a week, but if she lost hope, it meant she lost hope in Asgore, Toriel, and Frisk. She couldn’t let that happen.
Alphys held Undyne’s hand lightly as they walked forward. They couldn’t see each other’s expressions through the masks, so they’d gotten used to talking through light touches or squeezes. Alphys’ light touch was hopeful and a little afraid. Undyne wasn’t sure what frightened her. Was it the thought of not finding them? Or was it simply the desolate space around them?
Undyne didn’t really need to know. She offered Alphys hand a squeeze, and Alphys’ grip tightened in hope. Undyne had enough confidence for the both of them.
As they walked through to the other end of the city, the wind began to pick up. The trees outside the city were twisted and crumbling. Without the buildings or the trees, there was nothing to protect them from the biting wind. Alphys gave Undyne’s hand another squeeze, and they pressed forward as the ash in the air thickened.
Undyne didn’t know the surface as well as she knew the underground. She could walk around most areas without any light underground. She’d never had to try on the surface. She kept her pace slow so she wouldn’t lose Alphys. Alphys stumbled once - her gas mask muffling out her apology. They continued to press forward. Undyne merely guessed they were walking in the right direction. Between the ash and her mask fogging up, she couldn’t see much.
The wind was so cold it felt like it chipped away at their skin under their protective gear. Undyne half wanted to turn back now that they knew what they faced outside the city. And the thick air couldn’t be good for their filters. It wasn’t that Undyne was afraid; she just didn’t think it was smart to press on into the unknown like this.
She stopped when Alphys fell again. Undyne lifted Alphys into her arms. Even with her backpack, she could carry Alphys with ease. Between the wind and the masks, she couldn’t hear what her girlfriend was trying to tell her. She pressed forward still with Alphys’ arms firm around her neck. She knew if she turned around, there was a good chance that they’d get lost in the ash.
Undyne wasn’t sure how long they walked for, but at one point when she reached out, she felt a wall in front of her. With one hand outstretched, she felt along the building until she found a door. “Let’s wait for a bit in here,” she said to Alphys, unsure if she could even hear her.
She heaved open the door and threw her weight against it to shut it again. Her limbs felt weak as she set down Alphys. The pair brushed ash off of themselves and their masks. Alphys checked the filter again as Undyne looked around the familiar house. She nudged Alphys and pointed to a picture on the wall.
Frisk and Toriel waved at them from the still picture. Alphys nodded and pointed to her mask and then gave her a thumbs-up. They were fine, for now. The pair stayed together as they slowly searched the house. The wind thundered outside while the house creaked uneasily. They found signs that the pair had packed up some belongings. A few cupboard doors were left open, and lanterns, food, and medical supplies were missing. Alphys packed up some of the food for themselves. Nothing remained of the medicine cabinet to salvage.
There was no sign of Asgore, but Undyne doubted he’d go anywhere without knowing Toriel and Frisk were safe. If they were gone, he was certainly with them.
Weariness settled in Undyne’s limbs as they continued to search through the house. Alphys lightly touched her arm and pointed towards the basement. As they made their way downstairs, Undyne felt her body failing her. She’d pushed herself too far. She sat down in the hallway in the basement, leaning against the wall. She wanted to take off her mask and rub her face. She wanted to nuzzle into Alphys’ warm neck.
Alphys squeezed her arms and offered her a thumbs-up. Undyne returned it as her eyelids grew heavy. She couldn’t believe her stupid body wanted her to sleep now. She watched Alphys walk away as she succumbed to exhaustion. Fear settled into her. If she opened her eyes, Alphys might not be there.
She might wake up alone.
She told herself to open her eyes and find Alphys. Resist exhaustion. Stay together.
Undyne opened her eyes when she heard a soft voice. Through her fogged-up gas mask, she saw Frisk offering her a glass of water. It reminded her of how their battle ended. She smiled to herself, knowing Frisk couldn’t see it. When she reached for the water, Frisk faded like ripples in her stomach.
Dread grew in her stomach.
She heaved herself off the floor and found her strength grew alongside her uneasiness. She walked through the basement and found Alphys searching the room at the end of the hallway. “No sign of them,” Alphys said. “I found some preserves though. I’m taking them back with us.”
Undyne suddenly realized it was quiet in the basement. The storm outside seemed like a distant memory. But the silence only unsettled her more. It only reminded her of what they were missing. She said, “If there’s nothing else, let’s go.”
“Should we leave a note?” Alphys ask.
“Do you think they’ll come back here?” Undyne asked.
Alphys shrugged and they walked back upstairs. She wrote out a note in the kitchen anyway and stuck it to the fridge with a magnet. They walked back through the living room, and Alphys stopped at the wall they first saw. She reached up to grab the photograph off the wall. She stuffed it in her backpack alongside the preserves and other food. Undyne wished she’d seen a picture with Asgore.
“Will we make it home?” Undyne asked Alphys.
Alphys checked the filter and nodded. “We’ll just be careful.”
Undyne smiled and took her hand again. Alphys said, “I won’t fall this time. I’m feeling better.”
Undyne felt worse. She didn’t say anything, but when she reached out for the door handle, Alphys stopped her by gripping her wrist.
“We didn’t find them,” Alphys said, “but we found signs that they escaped. They probably found somewhere safe and are waiting there until they can move out to find out. This wasn’t a failure.”
It took a moment for the words to settle in. Alphys knew what she needed to hear. Hope grew within Undyne and she grinned. She lifted Alphys off the ground to hug her tightly. She said with a laugh, “Of course it wasn’t. Let’s get out of here and tell the others the good news.”
The warm hope pulsed through her as she opened the door. When the pair stepped back outside, the wind outside didn’t feel quite as cold.