The remaining free monsters of the Underground were for the most part holed up in Toriel's home. The door was back in its proper place and under tight guard, with several scouts in Snowdin keeping an eye out for more Foundation soldiers. Sans was one of those in Snowdin, specifically in Grillby's with Fuku and Artie, as well as an increasingly impatient Undyne.
"Where is that numbskull?" Undyne said, clenching her fists. "He should be back by now."
"Relax." Sans said, currently occupied with drawing on an empty plate with ketchup and mustard. "I'm sure I know what I'm doing."
Undyne glowered at him for a moment before returning her sullen gaze to the door.
Sans glanced at Fuku, who was currently asleep, her head resting on a bundled up fireproof tablecloth. Smiling, he carefully moved a wisp of her flaming hair from her face.
Her eyes opened, the amber orbs staring at Sans.
"Hey." He said. "Have a nice nap?"
"How long was I asleep?"
"About two hours." Sans said.
Fuku sat up and stretched her arms above her head, letting out a yawn in the process. "Feels like longer. I had the strangest dream about your friend Glen."
"You mean the one where she fought her way through the gates of heaven to rescue the me of her universe?"
Fuku's eyes widened. "You … you saw it too?"
Sans nodded. "I'm guessing the link Glen put on us is doing more than just keep us in the same reality."
They contemplated this in silence for a few moments before Sans said, "I'm glad. I think I know now."
"Know what?" Fuku asked.
"Why Glen's been helping me. Us. Why that other me viewed Glen as such a good friend. I've wondered, you know, since she told me what she was. When you live a long time, it's easy to shut yourself off from everyone. Why bother? It's just another day, another year, and even if you do care about someone, one day they'll just be gone. You need other people to stay true to who you are, to keep you connected. Without them, you'd just go nuts."
Fuku squeezed his hand. Sans felt his cheek bones grow warm as he realized she knew he wasn't just talking about Glen. Letting out a soft chuckle, he took his hand in hers and said, "Y'know, I don't even remember how many cycles I went through in my universe anymore."
"Yes you do." She said, smiling kindly at him.
He sighed and nodded. "Yeah."
After a long moment of silence, Sans turned to look at Undyne.
"That reminds me," He said, "I've been meanin' to ask. Where is Frisk?"
"Huh?"
"Frisk. The kid. The human who broke the barrier." Sans said patiently. "She tried to stop the Foundation, yeah?"
Undyne let out a sigh. "Yeah, she did. Tough kid. Probably the only reason so many monsters made it to Snowdin."
"She was captured?" Fuku asked.
Undyne shrugged. "No one knows. After the attack and our retreat, she was just gone. Some think she turned on us, but I think she got captured."
"With the power of all those souls?" Sans said. "I'd be surprised if they could even make a dent."
"Maybe she went to get more help." Fuku suggested.
The door to Grillby's slammed open, revealing a large excited bunny-man.
"Hey, Artie." Sans said as the bunny-man approached his table. "Good news?"
"Very." He propped up his farsnworth against the napkin-holder on the table with the screen facing Sans.
Glen's face smiled at Sans from the screen. "Sup, bonehead?"
"Glen." Sans said with a grin. "We were just talkin' about you."
"Oh? Good things, I hope. Listen, we're on the way to Ebott right now to help."
Sans perked up at this, though Undyne simply scoffed. "Great. More humans."
"Humans, two skeletons, and a Dreamer." Sans corrected. "And Glen's as good as an army. Guess it's time for us to come up with a plan."
"Hmpf. I got a plan." Undyne said.
"A plan where we don't end up as piles of ash." Sans amended.
"What's the point?" Undyne said, glaring at him. "Even if we kick their asses out of the Foundation, we're outnumbered! They'll just come back in force!"
"What if we moved the monsters somewhere else, somewhere where there was no Foundation, at least not as strong as it is here?" Fuku asked.
Glen raised an eyebrow at her. "Got somewhere in mind?"
"Yeah, I do." She said. "The UNDR-Ground."
The room fell silent for a few moments at this suggestion. Sans was the first to break it; putting his hand on Fuku's, he said, "It's a good idea, but one problem; Error's got the fragment."
Glen frowned. "Really? Huh. That's … weird."
"Weird?" Sans asked.
"Well, he's linked to me, just like you, and Fuku. Claudia, Jinks, Artie, Paps and Agent Sans, they came along because they were in contact with one of us when he shifted, but the four of us are anchored together. If he managed to figure out the shard once, you'd think he'd have used it again by now."
"Bringing the four of us somewhere else." Sans said, "Yeah, I was thinkin' the same thing. Maybe he found a way to break loose."
"Or maybe Aesop's robe incapacitated him." Artie said.
"Maybe." Glen said, though she didn't sound convinced.
"Hang on." Fuku said, snapping her fingers. "What about the local Sans?"
"What about him?" Undyne asked.
"Well, wouldn't he have a shard too?"
Sans froze, ketchup-bottle still raised half-way to his mouth. Eventually realizing this and lowering the bottle, Sans said, "Of course! This universe had a Gaster too, so he's probably got his own machine in his workshop."
"Gaster?" Glen asked. "Who is Gaster?"
Ignoring her, Sans said, "I'll go check."
"Don't bother. It broke years ago."
Those not currently projected on a small screen turned to the entrance to see Alphys's entrance. Sans couldn't help but be taken aback; given the close similarity of the other monsters to those of his universe, he expected the local Alphys to be the same as his: white lab-coat, thick glasses, poor posture (though he supposed he was hardly one to talk), and an air of nervousness.
None of that was even close. This Alphys wore an oil-stained sleeveless tank-top and shorts that revealed muscled arms and legs that rivaled even Undyne's physique. Most noteable, however was the heavy leather tool belt around her waist; every loop, pocket, and hole held some type of tool, powered or otherwise. A massive wrench hung at her side like a fighter's sword, gleaming slightly in the light of Grillby's. This wasn't a scientist Alphys; it was a Builder Alphys, and the confidence she exuded as she approached the table made it clear that she wasn't going to be stuttering.
"Your shard broke?" Sans asked.
"Yeah. When the actual rune disappeared, we went ahead and tried turning on the machine anyway. Didn't work, of course, but it was always a long shot. It doesn't matter though, because we don't have to abandon this reality." Alphys said, a defiant gleam in her eye. "We just need to retake the core. We get the core under our control, and I can put up a barrier that'll keep out the humans."
"Put up a barrier?" Undyne said. "Al, we just got the other one down."
"I just finished testing a prototype; by focusing the field to reject biological auras with inherent magical presence, I have essentially created a barrier that will repel humans and mechanized devices, while still allowing us to pass through unharmed." Alphys said, no small amount of pride in her voice. "Even better, I will be able to use the remnant of the old barrier as framework, essentially protecting the entire Underground. We'll still need guards, of course, but the humans won't be able to come in en masse."
Sans, Fuku, and Glen stared at the smug lizard-woman for a few moments. Sans could only guess the others were just as surprised as he was.
Coughing, Alphys said, "But we'll need to move quickly; I've already intercepted messages indicating a retaliatory attempt to quell the remainder of the Underground."
"Maybe that can work in our favor." Glen said, "Okay, it's a long-shot, but I'm gonna make a few calls to see if I can't drum up a little help."
"What kind of help?" Sans asked.
"Oh, just a few groups of interest that aren't terribly fond of the SCP. They may not exist here, but if they do, they might be willing to join in if it means giving the Foundation a hard time. Some might even help with surface relations after everything's said and done, though I'd avoid dealings with the Fifth Church. They can be a bit … intense."
"Uh, right." Sans said, glancing at Fuku, who simply shrugged.
"One way or the other, we'll be there in a few hours. Don't wait for us, though; the longer you wait, the more the Foundation will shore up its defenses. When we get there, we'll do what we can to help." Glen paused for a moment before asking, "You and Fuku holding up okay?"
"Yeah, pretty well." Sans said, flashing a smile at his girlfriend. "Been a long day."
"For you and me both." Glen shook her head and said, "I'll contact you once we're near Site 37. With any luck, we'll have the Underground Safe within a day. Then we can start worrying about getting everyone back where they belong."
"Without the crystal?" Sans said.
"I've got an idea about that."
"I hope it doesn't involve another jaunt into the Heavenly Planes."
Glen's cheeks went red … very red. "Oh … um … You, uh … saw that?"
"We both did." Fuku said. Despite the kindness of her tone, Glen seemed to grow even more flustered.
"Sorry about makin' you go through all of that." She said, "When we meet up, I'll fix it. For now, let's concentrate on stopping the Foundation, okay?"
Glen cut off the communication abruptly. Shaking his head, Artie closed the farnsworth. "She's got Claudia, Jinks, and Sans … Agent Sans with her." He told them. "I wouldn't worry too much about them."
"Good." Undyne said, moving to stand next to Alphys. "Because we've got an attack to plan, and I bet Al's got just the plan in mind."
"You know I do." Alphys said, a sly grin sliding across her face. To the rest of the group, she said, "My spy-bots and scans show that the military force present in Site 37 is actually quite low. Don't misunderstand; there are more of them than us, but after this defeat, it's much closer to even odds between us … and we have magic."
"Won't stop the guys with the special armor." Sans said, "Though frankly, I'm more worried about what else they might be able to bring to the fight."
"You mean other SCPs?" Alphys looked thoughtful. "That gives me an idea. Maybe we-"
The sudden appearance of a large colorful crate cut her off. It didn't flash, or shimmer, or even wait for them to look away; one moment, the table was empty, the next, there was a crate that looked to have been made a target in a paintball war.
After a few moments of silence, Sans said, "Well, let's open it up."
"Wait!" Undyne said, moving to stop him as he grabbed the handles on top of the crate. She wasn't fast enough, however; the top of the crate came off with a loud pop and a flurry of confettie that filled the room. Once the confetti settled, every table in the room was covered with what appeared to be the contents of a toy store, as well as two people. The first was a rather nondescript bald man, and the second was a woman with tattoos of musical notation on her body in one long unending staff. Even as Sans watched, the lines seemed to move about on their own, giving Sans the oddest urge to sing.
Undyne was on her feet in an instant, spear in hand. She approached the bald man, and demanded, "Who are you! How did you get here?"
Sans blinked. One moment, Undyne was threatening the man, the next, the man was replaced with a confused-looking Undyne being confronted by herself.
"Whoa." Fuku said. "That's cool."
"Not just a normal mimicking enchantment." Alphys said, looking over the new Undyne with her visor back over her eyes. "The guy literally changed into her."
Sans cautiously approached the woman and asked, "And who are you, my newest friend?"
Only he didn't ask it; he sang it. Before he and his friends could react, the woman sang in reply, "The Doctor hears your plea, call me Miss Melody, my friends and I are somewhat shy, yet pledge our help to thee."
She held out a sealed envelope, which Sans quickly took before he felt the urge to burst into refrain. The message within was written with an airy and fanciful cursive hand. It read:
To our Fantabulous new friends of the Underground;
On behalf of myself and all the wonderful Misses and Misters of the surface world you oh so recently have rejoined, allow me to welcome you to the surface world. I too lived in darkness for a time, so I know just how wonderful it is to finally breath fresh air and feel that wonderful light of the sun on your skin.
Please accept these crates containing an assortment of our fantastic products for your liberation enjoyment. Feel free to try them out with your new friends of the SCP Foundation, with the added assistance of our latest (and highly collectable) Little Misters, Mister Mirror, Mister Spooks, and Miss Melody. You'll no doubt find their peculiarites quite useful.850Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMi6PsruBo
I look forward to your continued patronage and friendship in the days to come.
Yours truly on the surface and beyond,
Doctor Wondertainment
"Mister Spooks?" Sans asked curiously.
His ketchup container rose in the air, turned upside-down, and wrote, "Hello there." on the floor.
"Huh." Alphys said with a wide grin. "New allies and toys to even the playing field. Glen works works fast. Let's see what we've got here, eh?"
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