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English
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Published:
2016-02-09
Updated:
2016-03-20
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2,557
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3/?
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Denouement

Summary:

Most AfterTale stories take place when the monsters are settled with humanity, giving only brief descriptions of how they got there.

Not this one.

Warning for graphic depictions of reality. VOTING & FEEDBACK REQUIRED.

Notes:

While I have lots of ideas on my own, you help shape this story! What things do you want to see as the monsters interact with human society?

Also, I think I can get the Undertale cast relatively to have IC reactions. My problem is the word-for-word dialogue. Send help.

Chapter 1: The Pilgrim's March

Chapter Text

The monsters march down the mountain. An assortment of suitcases, travel packs, and wagons trail behind them.

While their steps are loud, most voices are hush. They are too amazed to speak.

 

The small creatures (and a lone ungulate) that inhabit Mt. Ebott watch the strange scene from a distance. The monster's trail is long and narrow: Around a mile long, including the wagons taking up the extra space. Almost a thousand monsters admire the wildlife as they trudge along to their destination: The city within view of Mount Ebott. The sky-scrapers show the way; and indicate a dramatic change from what it once was. The fort-village that once sealed them away and guarded over them would now be the place that reintroduces them to life above ground.

 

And humanity.

 

Guards escort the front of the line, and guard the rest. Conversing with people, ensuring the path is clear of large rocks and dangerous animals. Harmful plants had long since been moved aside when they picked out the best trail days before.

 

Undyne is not with them. Undyne hadn't even played a part in choosing the best path, outside of some small agreements with Asgore. She was busy serving as Frisk's official guard for their mission: Telling Humanity About Monsters. Asgore was absolutely terrible with names. He hadn't even spelled T.H.E.M right.

 

Her second-in-command takes her place, but not really. Though technically her regent, they aren't nearly as involved in the planning of this project as Undyne would've been. The entire Royal Guard is taking direct orders from Asgore on a group & individual basis. Normally, they would be taking orders from Undyne; who may or may not have been given orders by Asgore. The second-in-command focuses more on keeping everyone in line and ensuring that their soldiers are following Asgore's orders, rather than their own.

 

Speaking of, our King Asgore shepherds from the back. Duty suggests he do from the front, but he really wants to take a lower role. This way, he ensures there are no stragglers while his army does the rest; and he doesn't have to act like a leader.

 

He is chatting with Gerson and a family from Snowdin. The old tortoise was enjoying the sunlight and walking slow from both age and as a racial attribute. Asgore was happy to see him again; a fellow comrade in that he had lived Aboveground once before.

 

The family, on the other paw, had to travel slow due to their disabled child. In spite of this, they gave the kid a small wagon to pull. The wagon has a strap instead of a lever, which the child holds in their mouth like a bit.

 

Asgore is telling the family about how this band of pilgrims came to be. He has just finished explaining how some monsters and The Human witnessed The First Dawn since being forced Underground. He moves on to what he did after that incredible experience.

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Chatter in the Forest

Summary:

NOT approved by Lunaescence; they took too long.

Notes:

I really prefer present tense. Does it show?

Also, no one offered to help or accepted my add to assist with dialogue. So be it. At least Asgore is easier.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Asgore ran down the slope to help stop Papyrus. He wasn't sure if there was any realistic chance of the monster finding a human. But Toriel & Frisk needed their alone time. And besides, he had a very valid reason to prevent Papyrus from discovering some humans: First Impressions.

 

Fresh and dried foliage crackled underfoot when his jog led him into the forest. Whew! He was really out of shape! When was the last time he ran?

It was easy to see where everyone had ran off to. His tracking skills had faded away centuries ago, but he didn't need them for this. They left an obvious path of destruction in their wake. He may need to have a chat with them about this.

They were also loud. Since his form was partially based on an ungulate, his hearing was better than a humans.* So he could hear them bickering from a bit further away than you would've.

 

He heard Papyrus was defending his actions. Everyone else was trying to gently explain to him that he would scare off the humans.

"i don't think they can handle you, bro."
"HUMANS CAN HANDLE THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” The offended monster argued. He continued on, and explained how they could handle him. And that he knew what he was doing! He knew how to handle the humans back!*

Undyne challenged him. Her gruff demeanor affected her attempts to be gentle. She awkwardly tried to explain why it was such a bad idea.

Alphys agreed with Undyne. Asgore knew her well enough that he could sense her starting off with the right reasons; but she couldn't fully get her own thoughts out thanks to her stuttering. Papyrus’ truculent interruptions seemed to intimidate her, and prevented her from making a comprehensible explanation.

Asgore could finally see them in the distance. He slowed down as he approached.
"Papyrus!" He bellowed out.

The three monsters surrounding him jumped! They turned to look at Asgore. Were they so loud and focused on Papyrus that they hadn't heard Asgore's approach?

Papyrus was already facing Asgore's direction. So he just looked straight ahead.

"HELLO, KING ASGORE" the skeleton greeted friendlily. He then complained about how his fellow companions are trying to talk him out of meeting the humans(!); and could His Majesty please convince them otherwise? "…That I'm right?"*

Asgore disliked doing the responsible thing, sometimes. This wouldn’t be too bad, right?
"Unfortunately," Asgore began, "your friends are correct. Humans are timid of new things, and would be scared of your looks and..."

What was a nice word for his...?

"...enthusiasm."

"BUT I'VE MET A HUMAN ONCE! THEY WEREN'T SCARED OF ME AT ALL! IN FACT, THEY WERE RATHER IMPRESSED WITH ME AND WE ARE NOW FRIENDS!"

Asgore took in a deep breath.
"Frisk is brave and a child. Human children are different. They enjoy things they find strange and unique."

There was a pause as a thoughtful Papyrus assumed a contemplative pose.

Asgore let himself have the distraction while he had the chance. He's already thoroughly disappointed Papyrus once, and he's nervous that it might happen again so soon.

So Asgore looks at Papyrus' brother's face instead. He's looking up at Papyrus with a hopeful twinkle in his eye. What was his name again? Sands?...What a darkly poetic name for a skeleton...

Papyrus straightened his posture and looked at Asgore. The king thought that Papyrus might say that he would look only for children.

Instead, he conceded.

He said that humans needed to be gently welcomed with open arms. Which he will do. Another day. Preferably in the city and not in the creepy woods.

Sands looked at him, nearly ecstatic. Proud. Papyrus had matured. Asgore's seen that same look on Toriel's face many times before. When Asriel did something wise; when Chara did something unusually nice...His heart winced.

--------

Asgore pauses. The pain of the memory within the memory brings him back to the present. The scene he had just been describing was only a brief one mentioned with humor. "The poor lad" Asgore had called Papyrus, instead of his name.
The kid’s parent is looking at him pitifully. He shouldn’t have mentioned it. Why did he mention that?

The wheels of the small cart stop. Asgore has to stop too, as it’s in front if him. The monster kid turns around and looks at Asgore. Though the child's mouth is filled with faux-leather, they start talking excitedly. The few phrases are rather muffled; but at the end Asgore thinks he hears the question "So what happens next?"

"Well..." and the wheels begin rolling again.

After Papyrus had made his sound decision, everyone relaxed. They tell him how pleased they are. He uses the situation to give both himself and his friends credit. Asgore blankly watched their conversation, unsure of what they said. But it did end with a group hug.

He chuckled at Alphys' startled look. She had been pulled in by Undyne and Papyrus. This was very good for her.

Asgore waited for them to let go. When they did, he cleared his throat to gain their attention.

Asgore told them that they've all had a long day. ...Even if it was technically morning out here right now. He knows that everyone is very excited by the prospect of the future. Would they like to come back to his castle and have some tea? He would like to discuss his plans for how the monsters escape the Underground and approach humanity. They look at each other and agree to, one by one.

---------

“An’ naw wehre herrre!” the little monster exclaims.

“Yes. And now we’re here” Asgore concurred.

“Oh, come now Fluffybuns. We know there’s more to the story than that!” Gerson encouraged.

Asgore could see that they had a long way to go before they reached the city. The monsters up front were nearing the forest. He decides that he wants to be there when they do. He still has a bit time, however.
“Very well.” And so Asgore resumes his storytelling.

--------

They all headed westwards together. There was a silence, but it was short “…Do you notice something?” he asked them.

They quietly observed their surroundings. Undyne has the best tracking skills out of all of them, Asgore knew. And thus, she was the one who noticed all of the damage.
“We really made a mess of the place, haven’t we?” she looked between a large broken branch that was still half-way attached to its tree, some torn up dirt, and a pile of crumpled flowers.

The others caught on and looked where she looked.

“…whoops.” Sands said.

“Whoops, indeed.” Asgore agreed. “I would appreciate it if you more careful with the forest. It’s been a long time, but I still feel as if I were the Guardian of this forest.”
The silence welcomed them all once again.

“Isn’t this place lovely, though?” Asgore eventually said.

"Y-yes, it is very...uh, lovely..."

"Yeah...this is pretty amazing! I never thought it'd be this beautiful above ground..."

"IT'S VERY LOVELY! THIS DOESN'T EVEN COMPARE TO THE FORESTS AROUND SNOWDIN!"

"yeah. real trees are better. what a treet."

Asgore smiles, feeling validated. "You know, the trees up here look pretty young. I don't remember there being any trees at this elevation before we were barricaded underground."

Undyne turns her eye on Asgore, attention focused.

"I'm so glad the forest has managed to grow and prosper without my help."

There is a stunned silence. He waits for them patiently.

 

Papyrus gasped loudly. He closed his dropped jaw, then opened it again to say something; but Sands beat him to the punch. "you took care of these woods?"
“HEY I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT!”

“sorry, bro. i was curious, that’s all”
“WELL…OKAY THEN. I UNDERSTAND!” Papyrus cheered up.

Asgore waits a couple seconds to ensure that they were done. "Yes, I did. I used to plant seeds into the the ground and watched them grow. I guarded over the rare plants; sometimes humans had a habit of collecting them. I took care of them when they were ill, and destroyed them if the sickness spread. When the soil stopped giving nutrients, I would burn an area to replenish it I convinced some monsters skilled in water magic to help me take care of this forest during droughts. I’ve even chased off some humans before, after they had chopped down one too many trees.”

The others were still in shock. He was a forest guardian? Their king?

"WOWIE! YOU DID ALL OF THAT?"

They were entering the scrublands of the summit. He spotted Toriel’s and Frisk’s forms in the distance, running towards them.

"Why yes, I did all of that. What did you think I did before I became King of the Monsters?"

Asgore's sharp ears could not pick up on the others' internal shouting.

--------

“Whaaat? You’re stopping there?!” The child had dropped the bit.

“I’m sorry. But I really want to be there when the start of the line enters the forest” Asgore explained. “But I’ll come back! I promise!”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Gerson interjects. “Go! Go and make your spectacle! Hurry up and write new history!”

“Oh, er, yes. I’ll be going now!”

And so Asgore jogs to get to the start of the line that’s almost a mile away. Go Asgore, go! Work those legs! We’re all rooting for you!*

Notes:

Done!
Notes:
1. Well, except maybe a hearing aid. Haha, sorry! I couldn’t resist! Seriously though, I only said ungulate because this is supposed to be an ambiguous country. You’ll understand later, especially if that ambiguous country plan fails.
2. *Glares into your soul*
3. I couldn’t imagine the rest of the dialogue, but I could hear that clearly ringing through my head!...But I also didn’t want to delete “convince otherwise”. So this was the compromise.
4. I promised myself I would finish this tonight, and it’s 4 AM. This narrator can have a bit of fun, right? Well, feel free to agree or

Voting finished! I'm changing my strategy from number of voters to a finishing date for the next chapter.

Results are...a complete tie.

...

Well, I can work with that.

Chapter 3: A little disappointment

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Tick, tick, tock.

 

The clock ticks away. You look at it, hoping to get out. You want to move on, to create more of your work of art.

 

But alas. Other people control the time. Only by your intention, of course. Because you PROMISED. You can't go back on social promises like this. Too stubborn, too dependent on people to prove just how much they enjoy your creativity. Your mind. Who cares about liking bodies? People loving what you create is one of the best things ever. Creative work is a link to the mind. And liking someone else's mind...appreciating what they have to offer the workd is the best thing ever.

 

But you notice that these people, these strange anonymous humans moving the arms of the clock, don't seem so high-quality either. Non-high quality people look at your work. The better ones--the ones who know how to look good and intelligently respond--seem to just move on.

No offense, of course. Every story compromises mostly of snack comments. Except the few best ones (#GFY*). But everyone writes for meal comments--delicious, heartily written stuff that go into detail about your work. Or even small stuff that point out a special, wonderful thing you implemented or didn't see. Snack comments are...useful. They fill you up. But they don't provide nutrition to keep you going. 

 

That's what counts. Proof that intelligent readers care about your fic.

 

 

 You look at the papers before you. Placed upon a desk, the chapters you had previously wrote.

 

You realize it's shit. If you look close enough, you can see where you fucked up. The stupid parenthesis there, the OOC character who was "OOC" to indicate character development (but that's not how the reader will see it, is it?). You know your descriptions work better with comics, where it's merely drawn out (heh).

But this story...would do much better as a written work. Easier to fix, easier to write. Easier to remain stable and focused. Fluidity in narration & setting. Most importantly, the focus on POV is much better expressed in written form. Comics are just too "outside" framed to work with it well.

 

So now your stuck with this piece of crap. You think about rewriting it. The pencil is right there, after all. On the corner of your desk. But if you were to rewrite it, it'd be to make a major distinction. Small changes with a wam to make it count.

 

So what do you do? If this is a story up to them, then you'd have to ask. It's only half-way, though. Seems like a good idea, anyhow.

 

But then, you're only going to get a couple people responding. And how dare 3 people decide the entire fate of a fic 600 people have read?

 

Oh well. That's politics for ya.

 

Vote: Edit chapter 1 (AKA prologue) Edit chapter "2" Edit both Nope. None. Vote end: April 3rd. Because numbers were apparently a super-bad idea. :/

Notes:

*Reference "joke".