The Bunny Inn lady asked if you wanted to have dinner with your relative. She’s cooking a big pot of vegetable stew tonight, and she thought of sharing some of it.

Conflict moment. On one hand, you wanted to have dinner with Mom. On the other hand, you wanted to spend more time with Cenna. You never really got the chance to bond with her.

So you phoned Mom to ask for her opinion.

“That’s a great idea, my child. You have a lot of lost years to catch up with her. I don’t think the previous week gave you much chance. Since… we weren’t sure of her allegiance half the time.”

You noticed something odd about Mom’s voice. It’s as though she’s trying to be peppy for your sake. You swear that you heard Undyne in the background somewhere.

“It’s different now. Go ahead, you have my permission.”

There’s no mention about a curfew. Whenever you hung out with the gang on Sundays, Mom always reminded you to return early for school.

Maybe she thought you should know that by now?

You set aside any suspicion and thanked Mom. Then, you enjoyed your dinner.

Qutie a bit of stories were exchanged around the table. The innkeeper’s circle of friends had encountered a bunch of less than pleasant humans in recent weeks. They asked you if it’s normal for your species to behave like that.

No way. They’re the ones with personal issues. To humans or monsters, they’d act out the same.

The innkeeper lady chuckled. “That’s good to know. You know, monsters aren’t always the most chummy either. Remember the old grumpy puzzle-purist in Waterfall?”

Oh yeah, you do. That fella was never satisfied. There are many humans who behave like that too.

“Ain’t so strange if you ask me,” said Cenna, “We have tons of humans, but it’s everyman for himself. Usually.”

“That’s such a shame,” said the innkeeper. “The Surface is wonderful, but I can see how easy it could be to lose your sense of community with all the extra space. I hope we’ll stay together for as long as we can.”

You hope so too. Monsters have their fair share of bullies and broken families, but they’re a small percentage compared to the average human society.

Thinking about ‘family’ stirred concern about Mom’s strange behaviour. Maybe something happened at home and she didn’t want to worry you yet?

After thanking everyone for the warm meal, you decided to head back home.

“Frisky, hold up a sec.”

Cenna buttoned up her coat in preparation for the cold outside. “I’m gonna walk ya back. If I don’t do that, I ain’t performing my duty as a functioning adult. We can agree with that, yeah?”

You noticed an honest casual friendliness on her face. With your freedom from Chara, she could get close to you without worry.

So the two of you walked together in the snow. Well, if she’s really your big sister then you should hold her hands at least once.

You reached out for her hand. To your surprise, it’s rough and leathery.

“What’s with that expression?” She giggled at you. “If you take a physically challenging job like mine, your hands are gonna be covered with calluses. Tool handling, accidental burns, assorted fighting styles, obstacle courses, so on and so on.”

It never occurred to you, but in hindsight it does make sense.

What was her life like when she was your current physical age?

“Adventure!” she told you. “Climb trees, bike around, sneak off into odd corners to catch bugs, swing on the monkey bars in the playground. I love nothing more than getting active.”

Sounds like she would have gotten along with Undyne. Besties material for sure!

“Ya think? Yeah, maybe! I noticed she’s the physical sort too. Man, I wish I could race with her, but I can’t. Gotta make sure I don’t get injured before Spring.”

What mission was that anyway?

Cenna placed her finger on her lips and grinned back at you. “Shhh, top secret.”

Oooh, playing the noir detective role again?

“Totally. Hey, remember I said that your bio parents were important Magi families? Papa descended from a badass line of Vanquishers.”

For real?!

“Yup! Our unusual surname is proof. When you get home, do an internet search and you’re gonna get a list of our ancestors. That’s why the foster homes hid it from you.”

You hung your jaw in awe. Was your human dad a badass demon hunter like the heroes of anime?

“Nope. Soooorry. It skipped a generation. Papa had magic, but it’s all the wrong skillsets. In the end he broke tradition and took up science. That’s where he met Mama.”

“Hah, his friends more or less threw a celebration when they discovered my talents. They didn’t care if I’m adopted. As long the skills get passed down with the name, they’re stoked.”

Your Ebott home was just up ahead. Aww, and here you thought you get to hear more stories about the parents you never knew.

Maybe tomorrow.

Cenna stopped walking. The abruptness almost tripped you over.

“Frisky, stop.” She said, “Something ain’t right. Trust me on that.”

Just as when you’re about to ask how, Sans stormed out of the door. He covered his left eye with his hand and looked upset.

You saw your goat-father Asgore rushing out soon after. He tried to hug your blue skeleton friend, but instead he caught thin air.

Sans had just teleported out of his reach. Reappeared a few meters away.

Tension flooded the air. Undyne and Alphys stood by Dad’s side.

Strongest fish, angry face.

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Nerd lizard, concerned face.

The expressions fit their personal reaction to the drama that just went down inside.

“What the fuck are you doing, Sans?!” Typical Undyne reaction right there.

Alphys then said, “King Asgore just wanted to apologize.”

Sans did not reply. Instead, he tried to walk away. He’s so focused on his escape, he didn’t notice that you’re witnessing the scene.

“SANS!” Undyne yelled. “Get your damn ass back here!!!”

“No.” He replied at last, “Just. No. I can’t accept that. Not after all these years.”

You heard a slight tremble under his voice. Wisps of blue leaked out between the gaps of his finger bones.

Undyne was just one step away from raining down spears. “Why not? Alphys suffered just like you suffered, and yet she accepted the apology and moved on! If she can do it, why can’t you???”

“Because I’m not Alphys,” he answered back. Hollow. Bitter.

This Is bad. Very bad. Cenna pulled you to the side of the road and stood in front, ready to protect you should a fight break out.

“Undyne,” he said, “I’m a weapon.”

Pointing her thumb to her chest, she proudly declared: “I’m a weapon too!”

“It’s different. You chose that path and stuck to it. Me? I didn’t have a choice.”

Sans shot a resentful glare at Asgore. “My entire life revolved around his careless promise. My routine, my education, my career was decided from the day of my birth.”

“I hit the jackpot of talents, Gaster wanted to see the Surface, and King Asgore swore vengeance over his son’s death. Hooray. Bingo. The stars and planets aligned. More motivation to break the Barrier by any means necessary.”

“I had absolutely no say in it,” said Sans. “Nothing.”

Alphys tried to reach out to him. “But, Sans--”

He didn’t let her. “Do you have any idea what’s life like for me? I have the most fragile SOUL in the entire Underground. I had to give a thousand percent effort every day just to survive my training regiment. There are so many nights where I can’t sleep from the fear that I’d screw up and die.”

“When my parents ‘fell down’, it got worse. I had to worry not only about my own survival, but Paps’ too. Who’s gonna take care of him if anything happens to me?”

“Maybe if I’m truly alone, I don’t mind dying. It’s just. I’m not. If it’s not Mom and Dad, it’s Paps.”

Goatdad breathed in, wanting to say something. Anything. In the end he mustered a mutter that would be something along the lines of: ‘But I didn’t know.’ You couldn’t hear it, but you could guess from the next response.

“Of course you don’t,” Sans answered back. “You don’t know anything. You wouldn’t even know if the entire Underground died behind your back. It happened before. In a different timeline, yes. But it did.”

Undyne vibrated from head to toe as she struggled to not blow up. You could tell that she really, really, wanted to suplex Sans for Asgore’s sake.

“Un… Undyne?” Said Alphys. “I think we should let Sans calm down first. He’s not thinking straight.”

Too late. The strongest fish let out a roar of frustration. Then, she yelled her thoughts at Sans.

“Do you know WHY I’m so bloody pissed off? It’s because you’re not making any damn sense! Half the shit you say don’t match with that you do! You tell everyone that you sleep on the job because you’re lazy. Like fucking hell that’s true!”

“You took FIVE jobs, dammit! Like, WHY??? Lazy people DON’T take five jobs! So what if you rotate them, they’re still JOBS!”

“You think I didn’t notice?! I’ve caught you sleeping at the booth so many times! Sure, I fucking flip out. But in the end I let you go because I KNOW how you work yourself to the bone! You funded not only the house rent, but also Papyrus’ very life!”

“You go on about how nothing matters, yet you still give a damn about Frisk and Papyrus and Toriel and god knows who else you have on your mind! Here’s the news: YOU don’t even believe your own nihilistic shit!”

“Now you’re telling me that we’re still chaining you down??? YOU’RE FUCKING FREE, DAMMIT!!! F-R-E-E! Nobody’s forcing you to do anything anymore, so why the flying fuck are you behaving this way?!”

Sans turned to his side, refusing to look at his one childhood friend.

He then confessed: “I’m not free, Undyne. If being ‘free’ means having a normal life, I don’t think I’ll ever be free.”

“I don’t even know what is a ‘normal’ life. I let Paps make his own goals because it’s the opposite of my regiment. Surely the opposite of ‘abnormal’ is ‘normal’, right?”

“After the Core Incident, I… I drifted. I tried to get my act together. But in the end there’s no meaning to anything I do.”

“The comedian stuff?” He said, “Pranks? Puns? Pure self-entertainment. My promise to Toriel? That’s my attempt of becoming a normal monster again, not a human in the skin of bones. Monsters are made out of love and compassion, right? I wonder if I’m still capable of those.”

His ribcage expanded as he inhaled the winter air. When be breathed out, there was no vapour. He’s as cold as the world around him.

“…I don’t know how to live. I just exist like a piece of trash. That’s all.”

It hurts you to hear him say that.

Sans shuffled off. Everyone else hung back at your home, lost. No one knew what to say, or how to respond. Papyrus must be in there somewhere, but he knew his limits.

Your friend stopped walking when he spotted you. He darkened his sockets and tried to avoid contact.

You approached him. Asked if he wants company. Hang out at Grillby’s. Or anywhere else.

“Nah, kid,” Sans replied. “You should get ready for school. I mean, you’ve missed quite a bit of days. First Paps, then your fever. If you keep watching out for me, you’re gonna fall behind your studies.”

But…

“Please don’t make me feel guiltier than I already am.”

Though reluctant, you let him go. You wished him goodnight.

“Night. And, thanks.”

He vanished right before you, no doubt teleporting to Grillby’s.

Cenna said nothing as she guided you to your monster family. This isn’t the time for commentary.

“Oh shit,” Undyne blurted. “You heard all of that?”

Saw it too.

“Toriel’s so gonna kill me.”

Nah. It’s not anyone’s fault. You just had the luck to walk in at the ‘best’ time. You patted her on the arm and helped yourself inside.

Mom realised that you had seen a little too much. She hurried you upstairs, using her large body to shield you away from the sadness.

You tried to wave to Papyrus. But he’s staring too hard on the ground to notice. At least he had Mettaton to hug things out.

That glam robot won’t be around for much longer though. He had to return to his studio tonight.

When Mom returned to the living room to address the predicament, you put your sneaking skills to good use. You stopped at the corner to the stairs. Listen hard enough, and you could pick up whatever went down below. Science was on your side.

You heard Mom say: “Thank you for bringing Frisk home, Cenna.”

“Eh, no probs,” Cenna replied.

“Are you available for consultation tomorrow? I have some concerns to address.”

“Yeah, Miss Toriel. Gimme a call and we’ll meet up.”

“Thank you.”

Mom then addressed Dad with a much sterner tone: “I don’t want to see you at school tomorrow. Or the entire week. I’ll arrange a replacement gardener in the meantime.”

“…Yes, madam.” Dad had no choice but to comply.

“And Doctor Gaster,” she continued, “You won’t be cooking any meals for me either. I’m placing Undyne in charge of your arrest. You will remain under her watch until the case files are updated in full. That is all until further notice.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.” An appropriate statement.

“The two of you will not approach Sans under any circumstance without my permission. Now please go home, everyone. I need to retire for the night.”

That’s your cue to hurry back into your bedroom. You’re sure that everyone left without any further objections.

“Frisk, I know you’re listening.”

By now, she knew of your busybody habits. You waited for her to climb up the stairs.

Mom gazed down on you in deep worry. “My child, I know you’re our ambassador, and you’re wise beyond your age. However… I don’t think you’re ready to handle this case.”

“You see, a terrible chain of events happened. And I’m very sure the Surface authorities will eventually discover the truth. What Asgore and Doctor Gaster committed could be considered a war crime. I’m not sure what are the modern legal procedures for such cases.”

Is that why Mom wanted Cenna’s advice?

“Yes. I hope the two of us could negotiate penance for their actions. Such as parole and community service. That would be the best outcome.”

You’re afraid to ask, but you must. What would be the worst outcome?

Mom struggled to tell you the truth. You reassured her that you can take it. The anime you watched were not all white and light.

She smiled a bit. But it was short-lived.

“In the worst case scenario, Asgore would be executed for declaring war on humanity. Doctor Gaster, well, since he’s an Amalgamate he might end up being imprisoned for life. Unless they developed a method to execute him too.”

“As for the rest of us, it depends. If human society fears us as much as the ancients, we might be sealed Underground once more. This time, there will be no sweet children to help us.”

No. No, no, no, no! Not after coming this far! You hugged Mom and sank your face into her belly.

She caressed your hair and held you close. “My child, I’ll do my very best. Please trust me.”

“Tomorrow, you will go to school as usual. Many of your friends are anxious for your return. You do your part, and I’ll do mine. Do you understand?”

You understand.

After that, the both of you prepared for the next day. You checked your homework, packed your schoolbag, and washed up for bed.

You pulled up the blanket close to your chin and pondered about your next plan.

Papyrus.

You should talk to him. At the very least, he could tell you what happened while you were away.

It took a while, but you eventually fell asleep.