3177 took the long way through Waterfall, at least to Sans's mind. As though anticipating the question, 3177 explained that many of the normal paths had been compromised, either by the SCP Foundation or the monsters themselves. Most direct paths were now highly dangerous, if not fatal, to both human and monster. Fuku was curious, but 3177 didn't respond to her questions, other than to urge them to move faster.
The sight of the gentle snowbanks and quaint homes of Snowdin came as a great relief to the group, particularly Artie, who seemed about ready to pass out from the exertion. Fuku and Sans helped the bunny-man along until they reached the sentry station right near the Waterfall cavern entrance.
They were only feet from the entrance when a massive metal door slammed across the entryway, sealing them inside Waterfall. Bright spotlights activated around them, making it hard to see much of anything, though Sans thought he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind them.
"And what have we here?" Said a familiar voice. "Four intruders trying to infiltrate Snowdin?"
3177 raised a hand to block out the bright light. "That you, Undyne?"
"I'm asking the questions here!" She barked, though Sans was certain 3177 was correct. "Now, who are you?"
"It's me, Sans, fish-flake." 3177 said, not bothering to hide his exasperation. "Don't tell me you forgot me already."
"Forgot Sans? Ha! Of course not! I remember when that sack of lazy bones was captured and dragged away by the humans. I definitely remember there being only one of him, not two. I've gotta say, this is the sorriest attempt I've seen you SCP bastards make to try and take the rest of us. Even I can tell one of the Sanses is a fake, just lookin' at him."
"Yeah, about that." Sans said, barely able to make out Undyne's outline past the bright lights, along with the outlines of many others, no doubt armed.
"Stuff it, faker!" Undyne said. "You can explain it from a cell."
"Another cell, huh?" 3177 said, "I think I'll pass."
Several of the lights went out following the tell-tale sound of whirring bones and shattering glass. Sans could now see Undyne standing at the other side of the entrance cavern, blocking their potential retreat with Lesser Dog, Greater Dog, Dogamy and Dogessa. Sans
"Oh, you wanna fight?" Undyne said, her blue spear appearing in her hands as 3177 approached, tossing a bone in the air and catching it again repeatedly.
They glared at each other for a long tense moment before both letting out a laugh and hugged each other.
"It's good to see you again, bone-head!" Undyne said with a sharp-toothed grin.
"You too, Royal Carptain." 3177 turned to the others and said, "They helped me escape. SCP bastards thought he was me, and let me out while trying to put him in my cell. I'm guessing Al had a hand in that?"
"Yeah." Undyne said. "Saw them arrive, and made extra sure they'd think you'd gotten out." To Sans, Fuku, and Artie, she said, "You guys are really from another reality, huh? Crazy stuff. Still, Crazy's been the norm around here since the barrier went down. Alphys wants a word with you, after you speak with the Queen."
To the dog knights, Undyne said, "All right, back to your posts; I've got the feelin' Sans's little escape might prompt some kinda retaliation, and I wanna make sure we send those Foundation freaks runnin' with their tails between their legs.
"Humans have tails?" Dogamy asked. The other dogs looked to Undyne curiously.
Undyne grimaced and added, "No, they just … we're gonna kick their asses, okay? Everyone's got one of those."
This seemed to satistfy the dog Knights, as they saluted Undyne and hurried away to their posts.
Shaking her head, Undyne said, "C'mon; I'll bring ya to the queen."
"You go on ahead." 3177 said, hands in his pockets. "I've got a few things I need to take care of. Say hi to Tori for me, yeah?"
Undyne sighed as Sans walked toward Snowdin. Shaking her head, she turned to the others and said, "Well, come on! Get movin' already! Queen's been waiting for you."
The sight of Snowdin was like a breath of fresh air. There were differences in the realities, sure, but Snowdin was home, and just being there made Sans feel comfortable. His and Papyrus's house was right where it always was, the same Christmas wreath on the door, and past it was the 'Librarby'. Sans couldn't help but chuckle; he'd yet to see the reality where they spelled the sign right.
Even more welcoming was the sight and smell of Grillby's. Sans's gaze wandered to the glowing windows only for Undyne to say, "You can get a snack later, Sans."
Undyne led them through the town until they reached the Snowed-In hotel. The hotel looked the same as ever, though now had several guards posted around the perimeter. A large bear and a cat woman guarded the main entrance.
"As you were." Undyne said as the guards moved to block the door. "Queen's asked for this lot specifically. They helped break out Sans."
"But isn't dat Sans right dere?" The bear guard said, pointing at Sans.
"Nah, Sans doesn't have that." Said the cat guard, grinning as she pointed a clawed finger at Sans's skull.
"Doesn't have what?" Sans asked, feeling the sides of his skull before turning to Fuku. "How does everyone know I'm a different Sans?"
To his surprise, the flames of Fuku's cheeks suddenly burned red. She looked away from him toward the entrance. "Um … we should hurry."
"Fuku," He said, but she was already walking through the doorway. He turned to Artie, who simply shrugged and said, "Don't look at me. I'm just along for the ride."
Shaking his head, Sans followed Fuku into the Snowed-In hotel. The inside of the hotel was just as warm and inviting as ever, though considerably more crowded. There were quite a number of monster children running about, though scarce few adults as far as Sans could see.
A small bunny child sat at the front desk, scribbling on notebook paper with a blue crayon. Sans approached and glanced at the paper. The image depicted a goat woman wearing purple robes and glasses surrounded by a crowd of smaller figures. All figures bore a comically large smile.
"Hey, nice work." Sans said. "It's the Queen, right?"
"Uh-huh." The bunny kid said, not lifting her eyes from the paper.
"Is she in?" Fuku asked.
Without moving her gaze an inch, the little bunny girl shouted, "Mom!" loud enough to make Sans wince.
"Thanks for that." Sans said, rubbing the side of his skull.
There was some shuffling from the room behind the main desk. After a few moments, the curtain over the door parted to reveal Queen Toriel.
"Please don't shout like that, Amber." Toriel said, placing her hands on little Amber's shoulders. "Oh, my, that's an excellent drawing. Let me know when you're finished; I know just where to hang it."
"Visitors, Mom."
"Oh? Welc-" Toriel looked up and immediately froze at the sight of Sans.
"Uh, hi." Sans said, giving her a little wave.
"Sans!" She said, a smile spreading across her face. "Oh, Sans! It's so good to see you!"
She hurried around the counter and gave him a hug. "Alphys told us you'd escaped, but I couldn't help but be worried." She pushed him back and gave him a good look over. "You look thinner."
"You tryin' to say I need some meat on my bones?" Sans said.
Toriel let out a laugh that made it clear there had been precious little to laugh about. "Well, before you go raiding Grillby's, I have to ask; while you were captured, did you happen to hear anything about my husband?"
"He's alive."
Attention in the room riveted to 3177 as he walked into the Inn. He ruffled the hair of a few kids as he approached the front desk. "Don't suppose I get a hug too?"
"Oh!" Toriel said, glancing between them for a moment before hurrying over to 3177 and hugging him as well. Looking at Sans, she asked, "Who-"
"Also Sans." Sans said. "From another reality. This is my girlfriend, Fuku, and our friend, Artie."
"Nice to meet you, Missus Dreemurr." Artie said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Oh, no need for all that." She said kindly. "Just call me Tori."
"I'll try." He said as Toriel motioned for them to follow her.
She led them to a large dining room in the back of the inn. There were more children there, but Toriel quickly scooted them out the door. She needn't have bothered; Sans could count no less than three children hidden in the room who would no doubt make sure anything secret spoken didn't remain so for long.
"I apologize for the mess." She said, picking up crayons and stacks of paper from the table. "The little dears can be a little disorganized. I do what I can, but with their parents gone …"
Sighing, she sat down and said, "I'm sorry. I should start at the beginning. You come from different Undergrounds; could you tell me the history of your Underground?"
"Similar beginnings, in each of our cases." Sans said, nodding at Fuku and Artie. "The monsters were trapped in the Underground by humans a long time ago, sealed here by a magical barrier. Asgore was King, but his insistence on killing human children drove you to leave him and live in the Ruins of Old Home."
Nodding at Fuku, Sans said, "In Fuku's reality, Asgore became a tyrant, and killed a great many monsters as well as the humans. He stole their magic and gold and used it to make weapons with which he hoped to wage war on the surface. In Artie's reality, an eighth child named Frisk appeared, who ultimately helped bring down the barrier and freed the monsters, who then integrated with the surface. I'm guessing that didn't happen here."
"Not exactly, no." Toriel rubbed her forehead for a moment and said, "Frisk fell down here and helped us escape, that much is the same. After living here as my child for a time, she harnessed the power of the six human souls my husband collected and used them to break through the barrier. At first, it seemed like everything we dreamed of: the surface in all its glory, the warmth of sunlight, the fresh air … a new world for our people to explore."
"The trouble started when we approached the inhabitants of the town of Ebott. The reaction was … mixed. Some of the townsfolk were frightened, yes, but I'd like to think we eased their fears soon enough. We are a gentle people for the most part, and we were eager to integrate with humanity in peace."
"That was when the SCP Foundation showed up. It was just a few agents at first, asking questions and speaking with human and monster alike. All too soon, humans friendly to our presence began to disappear, those remaining warning us to leave. Some of us heeded that warning, but others …" She let out a frustrated sigh. "We were finally free! Frisk's courage and determination was an inspiration to us all, and the thought that we would be forced Underground again just didn't seem fair. We had to try to coexist."
After a few moments of silence she continued, "The first attack was swift and brutal; soldiers surrounded Ebott, rounding up every monster who wasn't fast enough to escape. Some left Ebott; maybe they made it, maybe not. I'd like to think they found solace somewhere. Those captured were interrogated, examined, and then …" She shuddered before finishing, "Experimented on."
Fuku rubbed her shoulders, shuddering slightly. "That doesn't sound good."
"At first it was little things, small things. Tests of strength and endurance, examination of magic in action. When monsters started disappearing …" Toriel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We tried to put up a defense, to keep the SCP out of the Underground, but there are so many of them … and only so many monsters. Our magic only held out so long before we were pushed back, first out of New Home, then out of Hotland. Fortunately, the maze-like caverns of Waterfall were easy to sabotage. By funneling any incoming troops and booby-trapping obvious avenues of travel, we were able to finally hold off the Foundation squads, even with our reduced numbers."
Toriel closed her eyes and bowed her head. "That, I am sad to say, is where we are now. The Foundation can't get here, but we can't take back the rest of the Underground. Unfortuantely, this cannot last indefinitely; the Foundation has too many people, and we too few. Every monster lost is one that can't be replaced, not without years, and I doubt we have that much time."
A long moment of silence fell over the table. Sans's own emotions were mixed; he thought the Underfell universe seemed hopeless, but somehow, this was so much worse.
"Don't worry, Tori." 3177 said, patting the bossun woman's hand. "We'll think of somethin'. Somethin' big. Some of the humans are on our side, and both Asgore and Alphys are working together on somethin' big. Fortunately, our friends dropped in on us at just the right time to get me sprung. We'll need a day or two to sort out the final details."
Sans glanced at Artie and Fuku. They both nodded in silent agreement.
"Count us in." Sans said.
3177 and Toriel looked at him with obvious surprise. "You … want to help?"
"Hey, we're here." Sans said with a shrug. "And helpin's second nature to me, yeah."
"Second to taking naps." Fuku murmured.
"Can't excel at everything. I'm just one skeleton." Sans said with a shrug, prompting a chuckle from the rest of the table.
"Well, we appreciate any help you can give us." Toriel said. "There isn't much room here, but I'm sure I can arrange for something reasonably comfortable for the three of you. Could I ask that you keep an eye on the kids while I set it up?"
"Sure thing." Sans said. "Artie here loves kids."
Artie glowered at Sans as he and Fuku headed for the lobby, and Toriel walked further into the inn. Sans moved to follow Fuku and Artie, only for 3177 to stop him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Can't help but notice you skipped over what happened in your reality." 3177 said.
Sans was silent for a long moment before he finally said, "Not much to say. I made it out thanks to a friend I didn't even know I had. The rest of the Underground wasn't so lucky."
3177 nodded. "Sorry to hear that. Tell you what, why don't you meet me at Grillby's later? I'd like to hear more about it, if you don't mind tellin' it."
"Can't imagine it'd be helpful here."
"Maybe, maybe not. Just curious, really. Besides, I'd like to know how you and Fuku ended up together. If I tried anything with Grillby's girl here, I'm pretty sure I'd end up on the menu."
Glen was sitting in the rocking chair with her hands behind her head when Barbara Jagger slowly walked down the steps.
"I see you've made yourself at home." Missus Jagger said, a slight note of contempt in her voice.
"I'm stuck here." Glen said with a shrug. "Might as well get comfortable. That is, unless you'll just let me walk outta here."
Missus Jagger chuckled as she approached Glen. "But you just got here, my dear, and we have so much to talk about."
Sighing, Glen rose to her feet and faced the old woman. "You're wasting your time. I'm not gonna help you."
"Oh?"
"Don't work with bad guys. Or gals." Glen shrugged. "No offense. It's just not my style."
Miss Jagger nodded and slowly walked around Glen. "So you would say that you are a 'good guy' so to speak? That your behavior is virtuous and true?"
"Pretty virtuous., yeah." Glen said. "I helped stop a reality from collapsing. Heck, I had a hand in restoring all the realities destroyed in a nasty little cycle. I've rubbed elbows with heroes and heroines, fought more than my share of monsters, so yeah; I'd say I'm a pretty good person."
To Glen's surprise, Barbara Jagger laughed. It was a small chuckle at first, but in a matter of moments, her laughter seemed to reverberate off the wooden walls of the cabin.
"I can see it, you know." Missus Jagger said, circling Glen faster now. "For all the light and goodness you gird yourself with, I can see the darkness hiding. You may be a heroine now, but your actions have not always been pure. I will find this crack, and I will open it to reveal the darkness in your heart … and then, you will be mine to control, just like Mister Wake."
"Don't know what you're talkin' about." Glen said more defiantly than she felt.
"I think you do." Barbara Jagger whispered. "The balance of light in dark that exists with souls … you know more about it than most."
"If that's the case, then what about you?" Glen countered. "Maybe you're afraid I might find some sort of inner light. Would that sting a thing of darkness like you?"
Barbara laughed again before suddenly appearing directly in front of Glen, their faces only inches apart.
"You assume I have a soul. Now let us begin."
ns 15.158.61.18da2
