Horrortale : Rotten apple | Horrortale AU

Chapter 4 : Extraordinary council

Undyne's fist hammered Alphys' laboratory door. The Captain of the Royal Guard was violently shaking, unable to hold the flaw of emotions that poured out in her any longer. She felt so guilty. Guilty for Asgore's death, guilty for letting her anger fell on Papyrus when he was just trying to help her and above all, guilty for have done nothing to prevent everything that happened. It was her role to protect the King. She engaged for that mission in the first place. And now, how could she even look her people in the eyes ? She was a failure and a fraud.

The door slid to reveal the small lizard lady behind it. Alphys smiled to her with compassion and opened her arms, in which Undyne throw herself in and bursted in tears. Not used to see her girlfriend so emotional, the scientific was uncertain of what she could do to help. She led the devastated warrior on her pink padded office chair and heat up a box of cheese noodles in the microwave. She put the small box on a tray, next to a raspberry bubble tea and a tissue box on which Mew Mew Kissy Cutie was smiling cheeringly, then she brought it back to Undyne. When she was stressed out, Alphys needed to eat. She never saw her girlfriend like this before and just assumed it was the same thing for her.

The fish-lady didn't even notice the intention. She swallows the integrality of the bubble tea in once. Uncomfortable, Alphys watched her in silence while dancing from one foot to the other without knowing herself why. The scientist played some times with her hands before she gathered enough bravery to talk, since Undyne was still silent, which was very far from normal for her. She always was her confident boost and seeing her like this broke her heart.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I should have t-tell you directly on-on the phone but... I was s-so scared you-you could react even worse that..."

"Don't worry about that, Al'. I'm not mad at you. Everything is my fault. I never should have let this kid go. If we sticked to the plan... But no, Sans had to let him roam freely out of the Ruins and now..."

"D-Do you think that Frisk d-did this ?"

"Who else ? Don't you have the recordings of the throne room ?"

She shook her head negatively, sorry. Undyne sighed and brought her knees against her chin. She stopped crying, but she didn't feel more right than before. She knew she had to organise the Council and to get ready to rule, but everything was still looking so far away ! She wasn't quite yet realising the consequences of Asgore's death.

"Undyne... I-I think you should r-rest a little. You are t-tired and we still have to t-think about the Council."

"I'm so scared, Al'. Everyone is counting on me, I know that, and if I'm taking a wrong decision, they're all gonna... They... I'm not ready to do this. It's too early. Why Asgore fucking had to die so suddenly ?!"

"Don't-Don't say that. I think y-you're wrong. Asgore is p-preparing you for a very l-long time now. I believe in you. You are going to be a great queen. The monsters are t-trusting you, they know y-you are doing your best. Everything will be fine."

"Then we should not wasting more time." she answered with a sad voice. "Send the messages for the Council reunion. I want everyone in the King's garden in two hours. I'll rest later. You can make it public, they'll know about it eventually, the sooner the better."

The scientist nodded and approached the computer. She wrote a quick email and send it in the undernet virtual boxes of every monster in the Underground. Surprisingly, two "bips" could instantly be heard outside of the door lab, followed by two stong knocks against it. Alphys and Undyne exchanged a look and the scientist switched on the camera in front of the building. The fish lady gasped. Sans was standing there, the eye sockets blackened. Papyrus was behind him, supported by a ghost from the past, one she would have never thought to see one day, and certainly not today : Toriel Dreemur. She didn't know what scared her the most : having to look Papyrus in the eyes or loosing the throne because Toriel wouldn't let her even a chance to defend herself.