"...What did Clover just say?" Dove asked slowly.

"...That..." Martlet considered just playing it off as a joke... But she REALLY didn't want to lie to her parents... "That they're human."

"...What?"

"Well... It'd be more accurate to say that they... Were, human." Martlet frowned. "Like Clover said... It's a long story."

There was a long silence. Clover looked around the room questioning if he'd done something wrong, Martlet practically wilted under her mothers appraising look. And Sparrow just sat there, thinking.

"Did I... Do something wrong?" Clover posed the question after a few more seconds.

"N-no, I was just hoping to tell them a bit more... Gently?" Martlet smiled weakly.

"A... Long story, hm?" Sparrow finally spoke up.

Martlet sucked in a breath, and barely managed to squeak out, "yeah."

"...Feel free to tell. We have all day, don't we?" His chest slowly fell after he managed to get the words out.

"Okay... Thank you."

"Sorry." Clover sunk into his pile a bit.

"No need to be sorry... Just, like we talked about, don't just blurt stuff like that out?" She gently patted him on the head.

"M'kay..."

"Now..." Martlet glanced at both of her parents and confirmed that yes, she did indeed have their full attention. "I'll... Start from the beginning. Clover... I met Clover, like I said, about a month ago... They'd just fallen down into the Underground and they were wandering around Snowdin. I uh... Kind of attacked them, but like, I didn't really attack them? I didn't realize that humans took so much... Damage... From magic."

"Not like I made much of an effort to tell ya." He mumbled in his encasing. Her frown just got wider as she had a realization. This whole, Clover saying that it was his fault for not asking... Was that just him reflexively shifting blame around to appease her? She... Couldn't say that was completely impossible.

"...Uhm, anyways... I figured I'd help get Clover to the castle... But we had a bit of an accident on the way? The boat sort of... Crashed."

"...The boat?" Sparrow asked curiously.

"Yeah, you know how I wrote to you about the aviator?"

"...I see."

"I lost Clover for a bit after that, I'm not really sure what happened to them but, I found them an hour or so later."

"Wait." Dove raised a wing.

"...Yeah mom?"

"So... Clover was still a human by this time, yes?"

"...Uhuh, I'll get to how that... Changed, soon enough."

"We visited The Wild East, and I kind of got tossed in a jail cell... Uh, don't worry about it." Martlet smiled and shook her head at the sight of her parents concerned looks. "I'm fine, I'm on good terms with the people who did that... Sort of. Anyways... Clover... He had a really, really bad fall into one of the ravines. He almost... Died..."

Both Dove and Sparrow stared with serious concern, but they allowed Martlet to continue speaking. It helped that Clover didn't look too... Worried about it.

"I got to them just in time, and uhm... I don't know how exactly this all worked out, but Clover's SOUL fractured before I got to them. Somehow it kind of... Latched onto my magic? And... Uhm... Glued itself together? I dunno, my friend was a lot better with this stuff..."

Her beak hung open for a moment as she ruminated on what exactly she should say next... Her parents seemed to be in no rush to say anything...

"Uh... I'm sorry, I'm not doing a very good job of this am I?"

"No, no, it's fine. Carry on." Dove spoke evenly. Martlet really couldn't get a read on her mom right now...

"O...Okay... So, after that happened... I took Clover back home. My home. Because we weren't sure if it would be safe for Clover to stay in The Wild East after a lot of monsters had probably already seen them in The Dunes... Granted, they were also seen in Snowdin, but I'm a Royal Guard and wouldn't be as suspicious as say, a human loving monster... Wow I really am just describing treason aren't I?" Martlet's face paled at the realization that took her a month to come to.

"...Yes, which is why you should finish this story." Sparrow eyed her with a neutral expression.

"Right... So... I gave Clover a bed and a place to stay, even though they were still... Unconscious... I uh, I went about my normal life for a few days after that. Eventually though, Clover... Woke up. They were... They were in a lot of pain. I think that's when they first started changing...? They, uhm, they fell asleep next to me after that. And when I next woke up, they looked like this...!" Martlet gave her best smile and squeezed Clover's hand under the cover of their blankets. "Their SOUL also changed, it, had been changing, just so we're clear. But that was when it... Finished changing, I think?"

Clover felt tempted to let her know about the more seamless blend of yellow and white he'd seen in his SOUL today at school, but eventually decided against it. It didn't really seem like the time or place.

"Now, the thing is... Clover kind of got amnesia. They didn't remember anything at all, at first... It came to them in bits and pieces. And I... There's... Really no good way to say this. I didn't exactly lie to them, but... I never really told them what exactly they were, either...? They... Thought I was their mom, and I didn't really do anything to tell them otherwise. I mean... I sort of was acting like their mom, but that's besides the point." She smiled nervously. "Jeeze... Saying this aloud, it feels a lot more messed up than it felt... Uh... Anyways... It... Took something a bit more serious to finally bring that truth to light."

Dove raised an eyebrow, but didn't press Martlet for any further details when she didn't start explaining what exactly that 'something a bit more serious' was.

"And uhm... Surprisingly... It kind of just made things more serious?" Martlet eyed the ground as she said that. "I was totally expecting Clover to hate me after that, to just basically get up and leave, but uh... Nope???"

Clover slightly leaned against her as she spoke.

"...Thanks. Uhm... Clover?"

"Yeah mom?"

"Do you mind if I talk about your life up on the surface...?" Martlet hadn't ever asked him any actual questions about it, but she had a general idea of what it was like.

"...Nah, say whatever y'need to."

"Okay... So... Clover had a... Poor upbringing." Martlet frowned. "His parents were abusive."

Clover flinched at the word 'parents'. He felt the overwhelming need to say something at that moment. "...Parent, only one."

"O-okay. Sorry. But uhm... As I was saying, Clover's... Guardian, was abusive towards him. So, me doing what was basically... The bare minimum, was still way better than whatever he had to go through back up on the surface." Martlet's frown continued to deepen. Her parents, similarly, were starting to scowl. Martlet got the feeling it wasn't directed at her though.

"Did more than the minimum..." Clover mumbled defensively.

Martlet's frown abated for a moment as she squeezed his hand again. "So... As I was saying, even if I'd been lying to Clover about being his mom... He didn't... Really care? It was leagues better than the alternative. So uh... After that, like I said, it just became a more legitimate relationship. For all intents and purposes, I am his mom at this point..." She smiled a little nervously. "Not that I'd have it any other way or anything, unless that other way meant we could get around the whole falling down a ravine part... Oh also, part of Clover's SOUL is based off of my magic now, so... We, kind of, sort of, are actually related? Though they're also adopted...? It's odd." She finished her spiel with a sigh.

"...That is certainly a lot to take in." Dove leaned back and closed her eyes.

"So uhm... Is everything alright?" Clover mumbled out the question a few seconds later.

"...I suppose so." Sparrow answered gingerly a few seconds later himself. "...If you would allow me to summarize?"

"Yeah, go ahead dad... You were always better at stuff like this."

"So, essentially. Clover fell into the Underground, became critically injured soon afterwards, and you ended up taking care of them?"

Martlet nodded.

"After he woke up, Clover became some sort of monster... Somehow. He had amnesia and assumed that you were his mother. You assumed the part, and after Clover recovered from his amnesia... You simply carried on as if nothing had changed?"

"...Yeah, pretty much." Martlet nodded again.

Sparrow took in one, long, drawn out breath as he closed his eyes. And then he let it out.

"...Dad?"

He raised a wing to his head, as if deep in contemplation...

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Is... Everything alright?" She cringed after the words left her beak. 'Oh, yeah, hey mom and dad, I'm just committing like the biggest crime possible in the entirety of the Underground bar murder. Meet the felon who's your grandson by the way!' No, of course they wouldn't be fine!

"You know dear, you really should tell us these things." He stated dryly.

"...I know."

"Well... You always were a little... Bird brained." He smiled slightly. "Maybe the responsibility will help straighten you out. I'd certainly hope so."

"...So, we're simply going to move past that?" Dove asked quietly.

"What else is there to say?" Sparrow shook his head gently. "I'd sooner die than see my own grandson be fuel to the fire."

Martlet got a really, really big smile when she heard her dad say that.

Dove stared off into the distance for a few seconds. Her eyes were cloudy, distant... But they refocused a moment later. "I... Suppose I wished to see the sun one last time." She noted wistfully.

"Mom..."

"But... You are right, dear." She addressed Sparrow. "Even if the way you came to be family is... Questionable." She turned her gaze back towards Martlet. "There is a clear bond. I don't think I could fathom a circumstance where I'd ever sacrifice my own family for a simple desire."

"So..." Martlet started nervously.

"No, of course we aren't going to report you to the guard. Why would you even ask?" Sparrow once again, delivered the statement as dryly as possible.

"Look-I just wanted to ask, okay!?" Martlet squawked defensively.

...There was an awkward silence after that.

"...Uhm... This really wasn't how I was expecting today to go." Martlet sunk into the couch a bit. "Sorry, mom, dad, Clover."

Clover was close enough to give physical reassurance, by leaning against his mom a bit more, but both of her parents remained silent, contemplative.

"So uh... I'm gonna try and get us back on track...?" Martlet hesitantly offered, and when nobody spoke up to either deny or affirm her, she continued. "So... I finally got off probation!"

"...For Royal Guard business?" Sparrow asked after a moment.

"...Yeah! I also picked up a few side jobs, nothing too major. Just more of the same, helping people out with carpentering and what not." She smiled a little less nervously.

"I see you actually did screw your head on a little tighter. That's wonderful to see." He finally smiled warmly, a smile of genuine relief.

"...Yeah, I guess I did, huh?" Martlet smiled right back.

Dove straightened herself out and cleared her throat. "Well... That was certainly eventful. How about we..." She paused for an extended moment...

"Clover."

"Y-yes, grandma?"

"Have you... Made any friends?"

That was a knot of tension that suddenly found itself undone in both Martlet and Clover's stomach.

"O-oh! Yeah, yeah I have!"

"How about you tell us about them?"

...

Things were... Very strained at first. After that whole shocking reveal, it took a little bit for the family to... Get comfortable once again. It certainly helped that Clover made himself just about as helpful as he possibly could to the process. He was a great source of conversation topics on things about him not being a human, despite being, you know, the human.

"Oh and I also made a second friend at school today!"

"Really now? And who might they be?"

"Uh, their name's Noelle! I was a little wary of them at first... But, I felt like we got along pretty well. She was friends with Kanako before her accident... So, I guess it makes sense, given me and Kanako get along so well."

Dove nodded with a smile on her face. "That's great to hear. To know you're adjusting so well after only a month down in the Underground warms my SOUL. Anyway... It was your first day at school in the Underground... Ever, was it not? Did you learn anything interesting?"

"Oh, well, not much really. I kind of read about most of the stuff that was talked about in school today... Uh... Outside of school. I like reading, a lot. It's one of my favorite pastimes. Oh, but I did learn one thing!"

"And what might that be?" Sparrow tilted his head curiously.

"I learned how to use magic! I know that magic is... Kinda impossible for humans, but I guess I just didn't really think about it? I mean, m'not a human any more so it makes sense that I could do it. But uh, take a look!" Clover chirped as one of his hands surfaced from the pile of blankets he now called a temporary home.

"Mrs. Undyne said somethin' bout energy manipulation or whatever-" Martlet's expression shifted into shock at the words 'Mrs. Undyne', but she didn't interrupt Clover. "- being part of what I could do. But also that she hadn't really seen anythin like it before? I guess it makes sense, given I'm not really a normal monster n'all, but it's a little intimidating to know I won't really have any help with m'magic. Anyways..." Clover closed his eyes for a bit, and a moment later he was holding a yellow ring.

"Huh, that actually worked." Clover noted and spun it around for a bit, though it quickly sizzled away. "But uh... Basically, I can make stuff, or whatever? I'm not really sure what the limits on that are. Or if that's even everything I can do. But, bein able to just whip stuff up on the fly doesn't sound too bad to me. Just another pro of bein a monster I guess." His hand retreated back into his fortress.

"Hm... That's certainly unique." Sparrow nodded in agreement. "It's a rather interesting form of magic if what you say is true. Most monsters are limited in the scope of what exactly they can produce from their magic, but if you truly can create just about anything that's a limitation you won't face. I can see it being rather practical as well, if you can simply produce anything you'd need on demand."

"...Huh, I guess you're right." Clover nodded thoughtfully.

"Would you like to try a few ideas of mine?" He raised a wing in thought.

"...Whaddya mean?" Clover asked before Martlet had a chance to ask.

"If you only just learned how to use your magic today, why not try to figure out more about it? Strike while the iron is hot, and what not." Sparrow mumbled that last bit to himself and stood up slowly.

"I'm sure your grandmother would love to ask Martlet a few more questions anyways. So. Would you like to learn?"

"...Sure! I'd love to!" Clover smiled and began to dig himself out of his cocoon. Martlet scooted a bit to the left, to give him range of movement, and a moment later he was up and on his feet. A few moments later, he was happily following his grandfather right out of the room.

"So, uhm... What exactly did you want to ask me...?"

"Martlet, are you... Really ready for all of this?"

"...Oh." Martlet frowned. "Uhm... I'd honestly be lying if I said yeah. It's been real... Difficult."

Dove exhaled and closed her eyes. "That's to be expected. You made it all sound rather... Sudden."

"Well, because it was. But uh... Can I tell you something?"

"Of course you can dear."

"I... Uhm... I haven't really felt like this before. Taking care of Clover has really opened my eyes, if you can understand that. I... Don't think I want that to change. It might've been sudden, but when I say I wouldn't have it any other way... I really do mean that. I love Clover, a lot. A lot, a lot. Like wow, for having only taken care of them for a month or so... It's honestly shocking..." She cleared her throat. "But uhm, like I was saying... Uh..." Martlet frowned, why couldn't she just get the words out? "Screw all intents and purposes. Clover's my kid. For real. I don't care how technically related we are, or any of that... As far as I'm concerned, they're my dust and magic."

...Better.

"...I see." Her mom smiled, but Martlet couldn't quite figure out what kind of smile it was. "If you feel so strongly about it, I have no reason to doubt anything you've said. But... As your mother, I'd do well to ask a few more things."

"Sure, go ahead." Martlet nodded.

"You can provide for Clover, can't you?"

"Of course, you heard me, even picked up a few new jobs!"

She nodded with that same smile. "Of course, of course. Then, one last question. You know you can visit with Clover at any time, don't you? I'll always appreciate getting to spend time with my new grandson."

Martlet stood up immediately and made her way over to Dove, as she'd now done so many times before, she kneeled down and hugged her. "Of course I do... Thanks mom."

"If what you said is true... That child's already suffered so much. Take good care of them."

"...Of course."

NOTES: