Asgore and Toriel waited at the front entrance of what had been Site 37, hand-in-hand with Frisk. She'd insisted on being there, despite the danger. Toriel fussed over her, which brought a smile to Asgore's face. Even if this was to be their end, for a short time, they were a family again.
The fighting had died down finally; the GOC and Serpent's hand were the longest hold-outs, but eventually even they were pushed back by the most powerful of groups the mysterious Glen had called for aid. Now the leader of the last group standing was requesting an audience.
"Okay." Asgore said, glancing back at Alphys and nodding. "Open the entrance."
Tight-lipped, Alphys nodded. Moments later, the stone walls covering the entrance to Site 37 slid open, revealing … a woman in a colorful labcoat.
Both Toriel and Asgore stared as she walked forward and extended her hand, giving them a smile full of brilliant white teeth.
"I must say, I am very excited to finally make your acquaintances!" She said, shaking Asgore's hand with the force of a pneumatic pump. "Ever since your emergence, I've been dying to meet you face to face! My word, you're a stately one, aren't you?"
Turning to Toriel and pumping her arm as well, the strange woman said, "And you, you would be Miss Toriel?"
"Queen Toriel." Toriel said, smiling at her husband. He squeezed her hand as she added, "But Tori is just fine."
"Oh, more than fine! Tori is a fantastic name! Simply fantastic! Now before we speak of our no doubt long and prosperous friendship and collaboration, beginning with the settlement of your people on the surface under the wonderful light and warmth of the sun, I must ask …"
She moved closer and looked into their eyes hopefully. "Were my tricks and toys helpful to you in retaking your home? I sincerely hope they were. And my wonderful Misters and Missus?"
Toriel and Asgore exchanged surprised glances. Eventually, it was Toriel who said, "You are Doctor Wondertainment?"
The woman reached up to pull off her hat, only to seem to realize that she didn't have one. She pulled a disc from her pocket, stretched it until it was a foot long, and tapped it in the center, at which it turned into a colorful top hat. She placed this on her head before taking it off again and bowing respectfully to Toriel and Asgore.
"Indeed I am! Creator and Innovator of wonderful things! But you don't have to use my formal title; never was much for formalities myself. Seeing as I'm sure we're to be good friends, you can call me by my first name, which is-"
"Glenda?" Asgore said. There was no doubt about it; the face was identical to the woman who'd helped them take the core. He could even see the rune beneath her right glove.
Glenda laughed and patted Toriel and Asgore on the back. "My word! You are clever, aren't you? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though I certainly was when I asked for my own help yesterday! Speaking of my other self, is she still here?"
"I'm afraid not." Asgore said. "I believe she was taken back to her own reality."
"Ah, yes, well that's not surprising. Dreamers like us, we move around all the time! In any case, yes, Glenda is my name, though don't be afraid to call me Glen. I prefer it, actually!"
"Professor Glen, your contribution was invaluable. I honestly don't know if we could've done it without your donations; most of the remaining SCP is still under the thrall of Miss Melody."
"Ha! Fantastic!" Glen said, claspin her hands together. "I do love a good musical! Now, shall we have a seat and discuss your upcoming move to the surface? I've already taken the liberty of ensuring that the SCP will be of no more bother to you or your kind."
"Really?" Asgore asked, intruiged. "How, exactly?"
"Oh, it's a simple enough matter. Boring, actually. Say, have you considered a settlement in Texas? Lovely place; I'm from there myself, though you probably guessed that from the accent."
Still talking, Glenda Wondertainment walked side-by-side with the Queen and the King of the Underground and Frisk, who was now smiling and wearing Glenda's colorful hat. Minutes later, every news station on the planet would broadcast the tale of the peaceful monsters and their return to the surface. The SCP was not mentioned (the reports described them as an independent military organization), a move that the mysterious O5 Council accepted as an offering if not of friendship, then at least peace. In the years to come, humanity and the many races of monsters would unite under the name 'Earthlings' as they explored space and found other civilizations … but that is a story for another day.
Claudia stepped away from the shelf with a smile. "There we go; Marjorie Husted's Collander."
The somewhat rusty old kitchen implement sat silently beside Terry Pratchett's wizard hat and the original Rubik's Cube, the latter of which was spinning silently on its own.
Already, the events of the past few days were fading in her memory, just another bizarre adventure thanks to her job at Warehouse 13. Still, she found herself wondering how everything turned out after she and her friends were sent home.
There was a loud crash from a few aisles over, followed by Papyrus's high-pitched voice shouting, "Stop playing with that! Sans, I'm warning you …"
Claudia grinned as another crash soon followed. Her life was back to normal … at least, as normal as it ever had been.
The buzz of her farnsworth made her jump.
Swearing softly, she pulled out the small metal box and flipped it open.
She said. "Consider Betty Crocker bagged and tagged."
"Yeah, well, until her spatula turns up." Replied Artie. "Get back to the office; the next thing on Glen's little list is proving a bit … problematic."
"Yeah, I kinda figured Pete would play with the legos."
"It's not the Legos. It's … well, see for yourself." The image on the Farnsworth screen shifted as Artie turned his farnsworth to show what appeared to be a large blue police box.
"Now that's retro." Claudia said, grinning. "Was that one on the list?"
"No, but apparently, it just appeared in the middle of London. We're trying to get the doors open right now, but we need-"
"A Doctor?" Claudia finished with a grin.
Artie turned his farnsworth back toward her, showing his grimace. "Very funny. Get back here!"
Claudia shut her farnsworth, still smiling. She slid down the ladder, and was just about to head back when she spotted a glimmer at the very back of a shelf, behind several reams of paper bound in neutralizer-coated cardboard. Experience taught her to avoid the temptation to go poking around with things in the Warehouse, experience that she again ignored as she reached out and picked up the object.
"Huh." She said, turning the dusty crystal in her hand, the imprint of the Inverse Harmonius faintly visible within it. "Isn't this interesting?"
Mettaton's studio was full to the brim. Most of the audience was from the Underfell Universe, but quite a few locals from UNDR-Ground turned up as well. Toriel of Underfell, her once ragged fur now white and smooth and adorned in a lovely cream-colored dress, slowly walked down the aisle toward a waiting Grillby in a snappy (and fireproof) tuxedo he borrowed from the UNDR-ground's original Grillby. Asriel and Frisk both stood behind him, looking particularly cute in a suit and dress respectively as Asriel held the cushion containing the ring and Frisk held a mostly empty basket of flowers. Wolfrred stood as best man, the wolf-man fidgiting as though resisting the urge to scratch at the ill-fitting suit he'd somehow worn.
Sans watched from the front row, though his attention flickered to Fuku, who was the maid of honor. She winked at him whenever she caught him looking her way as a blushing Toriel moved to stand beside Grillby. The priest, a kindly old man who introduced himself as 'Father Adams' smiled at the couple before beginning the ceremony. It was a short and simple, and after the two exchanged their vows and rings, he seemed all too happy to announce, "You may kiss the bride."
The crowd cheered, none louder than Sans and Fuku. The UNDR-Ground's Toriel was in tears, and both Reiko and her Grillby let off a stream of bright bursts in the air that exploded like fireworks.
Sans was among the first to congratulate the new couple, though the crowd made it impossible for him to get more than a few words in. He eventually ended up standing next to Fuku while the crowd followed the married couple into the next studio, where the reception would be held.
"Went without a hitch." Sans said, winking at Fuku. "Well, there was the one, but that one was okay."
Fuku giggled before slipping her hand into Sans's. She leaned forward to give him a kiss when Sans heard Toriel shout, "Here it comes!"
Fuku and Sans turned as Toriel tossed her bouqet of bright yellow buttercups. Those of the female persuasion jumped for it, but the bouquet sailed just out of their fingertips before landing in the surprised hands of Fuku.
Fuku looked down at the flowers and then at Sans, her cheeks burning pink as several of her nearby friends giggled.
"Wanna go for a walk before hitting the reception?" Sans asked, presenting his arm.
Fuku nodded, and the two walked arm-in-arm out into the twilit evening.
The studio backlots were surprisingly empty as the sun slowly descended into the horizon. Fuku and Sans walked slowly in a strangely tense silence.
Eventually, Sans let out a small cough and said, "It's nice to be back, isn't it?"
"It is." Fuku let out a sigh. "Sans, I know you're worried about Glen."
"Oh." Sans said, rubbing the back of his skull, "Well …"
"I'm worried about her too."
Sans looked at Fuku. "I … didn't expect you to say that."
"She helped you." Fuku said, giving Sans's hand a squeeze. "That's what she does, I think; she wanders around and helps people, even when it'd be easier to just look the other way."
"Bet she'd deny it." Sans said with a soft chuckle. "They say trouble finds those most suited to dealing with it."
"Who said that?" Fuku asked.
"I did." Sans said. "Just another bit of my endless font of wisdom."
They shared a chuckle at that. After another stretch of silence, Sans said, "Um … Fuku, do you remember when I was suggesting that maybe we could, y'know, move in together?"
"Yes?" Fuku asked, her eyes on his.
Sans sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I was thinking that …"
"Yes?"
"Maybe it's not a good idea."
Fuku stopped walking, a stunned look on her face.
Sans continued, "I mean, we're not engaged; people could get the wrong idea … and then there's me. I mean, I'm a mess. If we moved in, I'd have to start picking up after myself and cleaning. That's a lotta work. I'd have to be … responsible."
"I … I see." Fuku said, bowing her head.
Sans looked at her for a long moment before pulling out the small jewelry box and kneeling down in front of her. Her eyes went wide as he opened the box to reveal the diamond ring and held it out to her. "Fuku, will you-"
"Yes!" She threw her arms around Sans and hugged him tightly for a long moment. Upon release, she punched him in the shoulder, relief mingled in her happy expression. "You bonehead!"
"I'm sorry." He said, rubbing his arm. "I couldn't help myself."
They shared a long kiss before Fuku asked, "So I can move in?"
"As soon as you want." Sans said. "I've even picked up my socks already."
"Uh-huh. I'll believe that when I see it." She gave him another kiss before adding, "And once I get settled in, we can get started."
"Get started?"
She gave him a winning smile. "On finding a way to help Glen, of course. I'll need a maid of honor, after all."
Asriel, Shye, and Mina sat with their legs poking out of the railing of the good ship Bazooie. They were a fair distance from the Edge, having waited there since the temple slowly vanished into the distance, much to Sylpha and Bella's dismay. They stood by the helm, looking depressed despite the Captain's attempts to cheer them (or more specifically, Sylpha) up.
Asriel was the first to see it. "There!" He said, pointing in the distance.
Everyone looked out past the edge, where the faintest of glimmers could be seen. Naddy frowned and pulled out a spyglass. After staring through it for a few minutes, she let out a whistle. "Now ain't that somethin'?"
"What?" Sylpha asked. "What is it?"
Naddy passed her the spyglass. Sylpha took a moment to adjust the spyglass before peering through it. She let out a gasp and quickly rose to her feet.
"I … I gotta grab my notebook!" She said, hurrying toward the cabin doors. Naddy chuckled and adjusted their course slightly.
The continent heading toward them was covered with a desert of purple sand. There was a magnificent city near the edge as well, it's most prominent feature the massive statue of a veiled woman sitting in a meditative pose in the very center of the city. Even from a distance, Asriel could make out people walking along the multi-tiered walkways between massive sandstone constructs that surrounded the statue.
There were even a few people standing on the shore, pointing and waving excitedly as the continent drew nearer the glass ocean.
"My, my, my." Bella said, smiling as she rose from her coils to join the others watching as the continents connected. "Now that looks like the sort of opportunity I was looking for. You mind carrying cargo, Captain Naddy?"
"It ain't my usual gig, but I'm sure we can work somethin' out." Naddy said, her grin widening.
Golemite let out a sigh from her place at the ship's helm. "Guess we aren't goin' home yet."
"No," Asriel said, glancing back at his friend. "But something tells me we'll get that vacation you wanted after all."
Golemite chuckled and shook her head. "If you say so, Azzie."
Asriel and Shye watched as the Edge of the glass ocean merged seamlessly with the edge of the purple desert. In a matter of moments, it looked as though the Glass Ocean and the desert had always been together.
"Well," Bella said, already moving toward the stairwell that led into the ship. "I'm going to go see about making some new friends."
"I'm coming too!' Shye said, Mina meowing in agreement before bounding after the lamia and the cat girl.
Asriel went to follow as well, only to find his hand stuck. He glanced back at the railing and immediately drew in a surprised breath. Green vines extended from beneath the sleeves of his shirt, wrapping his hand securely to the banister. They slid back almost instantly, but not before Asriel heard Flowey's unsettling giggle surround him.
"I'll be watching, buddy." Flowey's voice whispered as Asriel stared at his hand in horror.
Jake and Frisk walked through the corridor toward Dreemurr Palace in silence, glitter from their fight with Mettaton falling from clothes and robotic parts to leave a very sparkly path behind them. They entered the elevator waiting at the end of the path without so much as a word between them.
After a few minutes of listening to elevator music, Jake glanced at Frisk; her young face full of worry.
"Hey." He said, gently bumping her side. "It's okay; you heard Alphys. A fresh battery, and he'll be as good as new."
She nodded, but her expression didn't change.
After a few minutes of listening to elevator music, Jake let out a sigh. "Look, I know that was some pretty heavy stuff Al left on you … but y'know, it's not like we have to go fight Asgore. I mean, do you really want to go back to the surface?"
Frisk's hands moved in quick reply. "I want to help them. They didn't deserve this."
"You're a kind kid, Frisk, and you've got a good heart." Sighing, Jake said, "And you know I'll be by your side, no matter what you choose. Thing is, what exactly are we planning on doing? Even if we beat Asgore, that just gets you through the barrier, maybe us if we're clever about it. I've got tricks, but even my plasma cannon isn't gonna be enough to blast through somethin' needin' that much power. That little toy I picked up on Omega might not be enough either, and it's not like I can go and ask the Alliance for help. They're not exactly AI friendly."
"Don't get me wrong." He said. "I'm all for tryin'. It's just, we might be stuck down here for the long-haul. Still, that wouldn't be so bad, would it? All the friends we've made? I mean, even if we can't get in touch with Toriel, I'm sure Sans and Paps would-"
Jake stopped at a sniffle from Frisk. She rubbed her eyes as though trying the force the tears back, but it didn't work; in a matter of moments, she was crying.
"Frisk, hey, come on. You're gonna get me started." Jake's face perked up. "Hang on; I know just the thing."
His back panel opened to reveal a small plastic container. Sniffing, Frisk picked up the container and pulled off the lid to reveal a big piece of cinnamon-butterscotch pie. A small smile spread across her tear-streaked face. She hugged Jake before taking a bite out of the pie.
"See?" Jake said as the little girl quickly finished the pie slice. "Things aren't so bad."
No sooner than the words left his voice synthesizer, the lift came to a shuddering halt. Frisk looked up, worry in her young eyes and graham cracker crumbs on her face.
"O-kay." Jake said, trying his best to sound reassuring. "Just a little hiccup on the power grid. I'm sure everything is fine."
A few moments later, the lift shuddered again before going back to smooth operation.
Jake resisted the urge to let out a sigh. "See? What did I tell ya?"
Frisk raised her hands to respond when the lights in the lift died. Jake felt Frisk's hands grab him moments before he activated his monitor's inbuilt flashlight.
"It's okay." He said, a tremor of nervousness in his voice. "I'm sure it's just …"
Jake and Frisk were thrown to the side. It was as thought some invisible hand grabbed the lift and yanked it about thirty-yards to the side.
"Quick!" He said, fearing the worst as he clambered to his feet."On my back!"
Frisk quickly climbed onto Jake's back. Jake activated the safety program Alphys had installed on him; moments later, several belts flew across Frisk's back, securing her to Jake.
Jake hacked into the elevator remotely, triggering the doors to open and reveal the sight of the elevator in free-fall. Even more disturbing was the lack of a track; the lift apparently functioned by magic, and said magic was gone.
"Don't worry, Frisk." Jake said, suddenly grateful that Finn took the time to install mag-boot subsystems in his legs. "I know just what to do!"
Frisk clutching his back, Jake clilmbed out of the lift. Unfortunately, this caused it to spin in the air. Jake didn't have the biology for naseau, but that didn't make planning his trajectory any easier.
"Steady!" He said as they drew near the top towers of the Core facility. "Now listen; things might get a bit crazy, so just hold on, okay?"
He felt her head nod. Realizing that they were only seconds from smashing into the top of the facility, Jake took a running leap across the back of the lift. He heard the crash of metal as the lift slammed into the tube that normally received it, twisting it beyond all recognition.
The next minute was hectic as Jake landed with difficulty on the various bits and bobs that covered the top of the core facility. Cooling rods, pylons, strange towers with crystals that radiated power and hundreds of metal conduit tubes filled the air. He had to keep moving, as the machinery wasn't meant to be load-bearing, and while Frisk was fairly light, Jake was a robot dog. Still, he managed to keep them airborne while avoiding bursts of steam and swirling magical steam runoff long enough to get them close to a maintenance entrance.
"All right." Jake said as he slowly slid down a vertical wall just opposite the maintenance entrance. "Almost there, Frisk; just hold on for a a bit longer."
He tensed and leapt. For a few moments, he was sure he'd made it. He had the speed and the trajectory dead-on, and yet only feet away from the opening, something suddenly jerked him backwards a good fifteen feet.
Jake didn't have a stomach, but he nevertheless felt something in his mid-section drop as he fell past the door toward the distant lava below. Realizing that he had no way to stop his descent, he shouted, "Frisk! You're gonna have to jump!"
He felt her head shake.
"No, seriously." He said, "That emergency ladder right in front of us; if you kick off from me, you should be able to-"
Her hands tightened around Jake. She wasn't going to abandon him, even if it killed her.
Jake sighed, even as he fell. "All right; there's something else I can try. It might kill us both, but at this point … what the hell?"
Jake clamped his legs against his body, whispered a quick prayer to any robot gods who might be listening, and activated what Finn once referred to as the bottle-rocket booster. Panels in his backside slid open revealing the cobbled-together booster moments before it fired.
In a matter of moments, they were flying upwards in a spiral path. There was no question of steering; Finn hadn't finished calibrating the speed to a controllable level before they investigated the SunCrusher. Still, it got them away from the lava, and by a twist of luck, flying more or less toward Dreemurr Palace.
Jake saw two small arms shoot out on either side of his back. Frisk was enjoying herself, despite the fact that if he didn't figure out a way to slow down, they'd be hitting the palace walls with the force of a small comet.
Without warning, however, Jake felt something pull at them. It was just like the previous times, only this time it kept pulling. Dreemurr Palace hung in his vision for a few moments before being replaced with the tall shelves of a massive library all around them.
Jake yelped and cut off his booster even as his momentum carried him through the shelves with enough force to knock books off shelves. After missing the top edge of a shelf by mere inches, Jake could only watch as he fell toward a tall figure standing on the floor below. He had just enough time to notice the figure raising its hand before something stopped him and Frisk dead in mid-air, only three feet away from the figure.
A white skeletal face with a large crack running down it smiled down at them. "Ah, there you are. If I might ask, where were you a few moments ago?"
"Uh, outside the Core."
"Ah." The skeleton said, nodding his head. "That explains it. The emenations from the core can cause … odd behavior in magic, particularly that which seeks to affect it from outside time and conventional reality."
"Oh." Was all Jake could think to say.
The tall skeleton lowered his hand, Jake in turn slowly descending until his feet touched the floor. Frisk slid from his back the moment he deactivated the safety belts, the little girl moving unsteadily toward the nearest bookshelf to steady herself.
"You okay?" Jake asked, not feeling at all steady himself. She gave him a nod and a brief smile before sinking to the floor with her back against the bookshelf.
"My apologies." The tall skeleton said, giving them a sweeping bow. "I realize this manner of summons is likely unexpected, but I'm afraid it was necessary. But where are my manners? I've yet to introduce myself. My name is Professor Gaster."
Somewhere Underground, in an abandoned lab long since forgotten, or perhaps in a place that was only a memory of such a lab, there was a marvelous machine. It sat in the center of a room filled with monitors, itself a magnificent array of vials, circuitry, and ingeniously cobbled-together devices that, when activated, could do the unimaginable … all thanks to the shining rune fragment whose light glowed brightly from within the depths of the machine.
The Starkid, the solid black outline of a child whose only light came from her eyes and the glowing Everstar shard on her chest, stared at the monitors surrounding the device. She saw the arrival of Glen in Ebott after Finn Cresste and his team narrowly escaped the Illusive Man's Sun-Cruncher. She saw Sans prepare himself for a final battle that turned out to be far from his last. She watched as the Dreamer and the Skeleton faced adversaries both apart and together, and come out victorious time and time again in reality after reality.
She also watched as the dog found Frisk and eventually regained his soul, and as the two travelled through the Underground as so many Frisks had, unique in that they had each other. She saw them taken by the tall skeleton, whose hands once helped craft the machine in the center of the room.
More than anything, she watched Asriel, her little brother, as he found his way to the Deep, and his quest to find the shards of the Everstar. From Nowhere to the Precious Meadows, the Glass Ocean to the Temple of Memory, she followed her adoptive sibling's path, rejoicing in his victory and shared in his fears of the flower within him.
Even as she smiled at her friend meeting the people of Garange, the Oasis city of the purple desert now a coastal city of the Glass Ocean, an unpleasant giggle from inside the chamber made her smile falter.
"It's all going according to plan." A voice said, floating past her ears. "The pieces are set. It's only a matter of time before they get here."
"No." The Starkid said, shaking her head. "I won't let it happen."
"Why are you fighting me?' The voice whispered. "Admit it; we both want the same thing."
"No, we don't." Starkid said, still watching the monitor showing her foster brother. "Asriel will stop you, and if he doesn't, I will."
"You?" The voice giggled and said, "There's not even enough of you to form a full person! You're only a schrade, a shadowy reflection living on borrowed time. What can you hope to do?"
The Starkid was silent for a long moment before she turned to face the machine. "I'll stop you. I'll find a way."
"How can you stop me?" The voice whispered, "After all …"
The machine pulsed as though alive. Starkid took a step back, the bright points that were her eyes widening as light from the machine briefly coalesced into the form of a small girl exactly the same shape as the Starkid.
"You are me." Chara said, her smile widening as ichor trickled from the corners of her eyes.
