Chapter Text
A large crowd was gathered around a stage in a park filled with tables and food. Frisk weaved their way through the crowd, ducking under monsters and humans alike to get to their family's table. Undyne greeted them by picking them up and giving them a noogie. They laughed before being put down, sticking their tongue out at Undyne.
She gasped in fake offense before smiling at them.
“Hey, punk! Glad to see you made it!” She said.
They said “Hi, Undyne! Of course I made it! I live with mom and dad after all.”
“I-I think sh-she meant it’s s-surprising to see y-you out of school.” Alphys smiled and patted Frisk on the shoulder in greeting.
“Oh! Well, mom convinced the school to let us have the day off to celebrate the monsters' freedom. It’s been half a year now, so this speech was long overdue.” They said.
Alphys nodded, “Y-yeah, it really w-was. But it was h-hard for Asgore t-to get all the legal d-documents out o-of the way. S-so it makes s-sense why it’s so late.”
Toriel walked up to the group of three, holding a pie in her hands while giving them a warm smile.
She greeted, “Hello dears, it’s lovely to see you here.”
She set the pie down on the table before turning her smile on the two love birds.
Undyne saluted, “Lady Toriel-”
“Toriel will be just fine.”
“-it’s nice to see you again too.” Undyne said.
She gave the former queen a toothy smile but was unable to say a word more.
A voice broke out behind Toriel, “Pie see we’re not too late then.”
“Sans!”-Papyrus glared at his brother and stomped the ground- “We’ve barely even seen them for two seconds and you’re already making puns!”
Sans snickered to himself, “That was a good one dough.”
Toriel laughed as the two bickered for a moment, Alphys and Undyne shaking their heads in amusement.
She spoke, “Okay, okay. I don’t mean to cut in but I crust you two can behave yourselves during the speech?”
She giggled as Sans laughed in genuine delight, and Papyrus shouted in frustration.
“Oh dear, what has happened here?” Another voice asked.
Asgore set a grumpy Flowey down on the table, and Tori merely laughed in response. Frisk smiled at their goat parents, glad to see them getting along. The two still had their fights and strong disagreements, but they were trying to work out a co-parenting plan for Frisk’s sake. They made it pretty clear that they didn't have any intentions of getting back together, though.
“Sans and your clone are making those awful puns again!” Papyrus said.
He threw his arms up in the air in exaggerated annoyance, making everyone else laugh at the display.
Asgore chuckled, “I am not all that surprised by this. They certainly know how to piece together a good pun or two.”
Papyrus’s eyes bulged, “Not you too! I am going to go find Mettaton before any of you can make another awful pun! I cannot believe the Great Papyrus has to suffer through such awful humor!”
They laughed as Papyrus stomped off, most of the group sitting down in their selected seating. Frisk gave Asgore a greeting hug.
“Are you nervous dad?” They asked.
Asgore chuckled, releasing Frisk from the hug after a moment.
“Perhaps a little.” He admitted, “Speaking in front of all those people is rather scary sometimes little one.”
“Like when I talk in front of the class! But you’ll do great!” They said.
Asgore smiled at the child’s kind words, patting their head in fondness.
“I am not the one to be nervous, however. It is those receiving the rewards I imagine are having a harder time.” He nodded in Undyne and Alphys’ direction.
“What are we even wasting our time on here anyway?” Flowey huffed.
He was disgruntled at having to be out of the house. Being surrounded by so many strangers certainly didn’t help either.
Frisk lit up and rushed to Flowey, grinning at him.
They said, “Dad’s going to make a speech in front of monsters and humans about all the important jobs they had down there! Then he’s going to call them up and hand out medals for their work, seeing as most of the jobs are no longer needed here on the surface. Cool, right?!”
“Tch, sure. If you say so. All I hear is I’m going to have to suffer through hours-long of boring speech.” He rolled his eyes in clear annoyance, “I could have been at home playing my games instead of here listening to some dumb speech about the importance of different monsters with stupid titles or whatever.”
“That wasn’t very nice of you.” They pouted.
“Well I’m not a very nice monster, am I Frisk?” He grinned at them.
They compromised, “Come on, if you behave, I’ll give you some of my pie!”
He hesitated before huffing, “Fine. But only for the pie.”
“Well then, now that that’s settled, why don’t we go ahead and get ready, yes?” Tori clapped her hands together with a gentle smile.
Asgore nodded, taking a small breath in. He pat Frisk’s head as he passed, heading for the front of the stage where important-looking people stood. Toriel got started on distributing the pie. She chuckled as she shook Sans awake, who had managed to pass out in his chair despite the little time that had passed.
It wasn’t too long before the audience was called to attention by Asgore awkwardly fumbling with an active mic. He blushed bright pink before giving an awkward smile and clearing his throat.
He said, “H-Hello, humans and monsters alike. Thank you for coming out today to celebrate the freedom and service that many brave monsters have provided for us.”
He chuckled as the crowd burst into applause, awaiting the calmness.
He continued, “As monsters, we had many different jobs and laws underground than here on the surface. So much so that something had to be done. Monsters have agreed to forfeit much of their culture, as have humans, for the sake of harmony. So today, we are here to celebrate those that served, and to recognize we would not be where we are today without them.”
Cheers erupted from the crowd, making Asgore smile and try to soothe them with some hand gestures.
“As many of you may know, there were very important roles assigned to a few people. And I promise we will get to them all very soon. But I ask for you all to have some patience, seeing as we have a lot of ground to cover starting with the sentries.”
People cheered once more, and Frisk felt their excitement flood through them. It was only the smallest of jobs, and yet everyone was so excited! They watched as several monsters were called upon, receiving medals and being able to speak. They made sure to whistle as loud as they could for the overly excited dog pack.
When Sans's name was called, Papyrus had to shake his brother awake to go up and get his four different medals. One for each post. His mini-speech was filled with awful puns, causing Papyrus to cringe audibly.
The rest of the awards went smoothly, the sentries leading into the rest of the Royal guard and eventually the captain. Undyne clapped R1 and R2’s shoulders on her way up to the stage in congratulations. She beamed at Asgore as she stood next to him, confident in herself as ever.
“I present to you Undyne, the captain of the Royal Guard! She’s been a huge help to many monsters, including myself. Without her, the Underground would have most likely been led to ruins. With a kind heart and tough exterior, she led all of the Royal Guard as a singular unit. She also personally trained many of them.”
Asgore smiled in pride as the two gave the audience a chance to calm down. She then stood forward, grinning sharply at the people and proudly giving her speech, helped by her amazing girlfriend.
When it was time for Alphys to go up, the little group made sure to cheer extra loud for her. And after her mini-speech, Asgore gave her a pat on the back. Then he turned back to the crowd, waiting for Alphys to depart the stage.
That was when most seemed to think it over, as they continued on from cheering to talking. This was not the case, as Asgore took authority once more.
He said, “Alright, alright. I ask you to settle down for a while longer, please. We’ve not quite finished.”
A hush fell from the gathered crowd, and Frisk took notice of Sans actually sitting up for once. Papyrus, who had joined them at the table during the awards, seemed to be sweating. Wasn’t he a skeleton?
Asgore continued, “I-… Well, please bear with me as I have not prepared anything for this. I hadn’t thought I’d do this here and now.”
Murmurs erupted, mostly seeming to be confused.
“I had a few things under wraps. I’m sure this isn’t really a surprise, but I had people working jobs that weren’t exactly public knowledge.” He explained, “Perhaps several of you here are aware of some, such as The Judge. However, I do not expect you to know who and what role. I’ve decided to reveal this not out of malice or to atone, but in the spirit of today. We are free now, and letting these things go.”
Frisk felt nothing but excitement, leaning up on the edge of their seat. They wondered if they were right, and if Jerry was actually a super secret spy for Asgore.
He rubbed the back of his neck, “Let’s start with a few spies I had, watching the general populace in hopes of keeping everyone safe. Old friends and war veterans, Grillby and Gerson.”
He held two medals up, looking fancy with black fabric to hold them in place of the colorful ones from earlier. Frisk wondered if they were always going to get it in a more private setting, or if they were spares.
Grillby crackled in surprise, and Gerson nearly doubled over in his laughing fit. They did eventually find their way upstage, accepting their awards. They had no speech to make but seemed grateful. Frisk wasn’t sure anyone wanted to hear Gerson fall into random babbles right then, aside from a handful like Undyne. Also, hardly anyone could understand the elemental.
Once they left, Asgore seemed much more hesitant in his reveal. His earlier confidence wavered so badly, Frisk feared he may stop altogether. He pushed on.
He went over more spies (No Jerry.), engineers, and other roles. Towards what was clearly an end, he seemed to be silently relieved.
“Phew.” He said.
Not so silently relieved.
He straightened back up, smiling at the anxious crowd. Frisk wondered what had them so riled up that even Sans was wide awake. His face held an interesting expression, despite being a skeleton.
Asgore said, “Now, for the reveal many of you have no doubt been waiting for since the passing of our beloved ex-judge. However, it is important to disclose something to you. In this life cycle, a set of twins was born into the world. Despite what we thought of a Judge, both of them exhibited several traits.”
Frisk’s jaw dropped with the rest of the underground, but not for the same reasons. They had a feeling that Sans was one half of the pair, thanks to the end of their runs. Either they were completely wrong, or…
“For the first time ever in recorded history, these twins were blessed by the sacred powers.” He said, “These next medals go out to the two sacred Judges, defenders of the Underground. ‘First Belief’ and ‘Final Hope’. Or, as everyone knows them best, Sans and Papyrus Serif.”
He held up two shiny medals, copper and silver respectively. There was an image that was too far away to make out on them, but Frisk wasn’t focused on that.
The effect was almost instantaneous. A pause before a loud outcry erupted from the monsters in the crowd. Papyrus quickly ducked under Undyne’s arm, which swung out in an attempt to grab him. Picking his brother up, he did a cool roll and then hopped up onto the stage.
It took several attempts for Asgore to settle the whole crowd down, but he eventually succeeded. More or less.
“It is true”-He started- “that Sans and Papyrus have filled this role. I know that it’s a shock, but please try and be civil.”
A thought seemed to occur to him, and he pulled the microphone back just before Papyrus could accept it.
“One last request. Understand that they were sworn to secrecy. Should they have been free to share this information, their entire work would have been compromised. I am trusting you to understand.” He said.
He finally passed the mic back over to an awaiting Papyrus. Frisk could tell he was nervous, so they tried to give him a thumbs up.
“Yes, it is rather true that my brother and I are the two Judges. However,”-Papyrus straightened up- “that does not mean we are different people. It’s just like having another job! An important one that no one ever really knew about!”
He held Sans out by the arms, for the whole crowd to see.
“My brother is still very lazy, and loves his ridiculous puns.” He said.
He then set Sans on his feet, shifting his stance a bit. Placing his hand upon his chest, he raised his head proudly. His cape somehow billowed about despite the lack of wind.
“And I am still very great!” He declared.
Frisk nodded their head along to this. They noticed Sans had a single eye socket half opened, and decidedly not looking their way. They hoped he didn’t think that everyone was upset for this.
There was a pause before someone in the crowd cheered, causing a chain reaction. Undyne whistled so loud beside them that Frisk’s ears rang. It was awesome. They looked from Undyne’s impressed smile, to see the skeleton brothers finally looking their way.
Both seemed momentarily surprised before Papyrus laughed and Sans relaxed some. Frisk was glad that everything seemed okay, except for one thing.
“All this time, and we only knew about the smiley trash bag?!” Flowey shrieked.
He slammed his head into the table below him in frustration. Frisk saw Chara, their human ghost friend, settled on the table beside the flower. Remarkably, he mirrored his brother. He smacked his head with a hand, the blank stare dissipating.
“I can’t frickin’ believe this! They were the Royal Judges?! This whole time?!” He yelled.
“Does Papyrus know about resets then?”-Chara looked at Flowey in alarm- “Does he know about us?”
Frisk didn’t know how to comfort either of them, as they were admittedly worried about this too. They decided to focus back on the present.
Sans and Papyrus had already accepted their medals and were now exiting the stage. They got instantly bombarded with affectionate noogies and questions. Frisk could sympathize with the slightly dizzied expression they both gained.
“If Undyne stops giving the Great Papyrus a noogie, he promises to tell all his amazing friends about it later!” Papyrus yelled.
He whined as Undyne continued the affection for a moment longer before releasing him.
Sans yawned, “Welp. That was way too much hype for me. ‘m takin’ a nap.”
He plopped onto his chair, eyes already starting to close.
“Oh my God Sans, don’t you dare! You know Asgore is just about to finish up!” Papyrus scolded, “I absolutely refuse to carry you to lady Asgore’s home! Are you even listening brother?!”
Sans snoring proved that no, he was not listening to Papyrus. Papyrus was set on another yelling fit, Undyne encouraging him on the side. Toriel had to step in.
Once Asgore finished talking, he departed from the stage and made his way back over to their group. He tried his best to ignore the people attempting to grab his attention.
Undyne seemed to have a new air of respect for him, shooting him a wide grin.
“I can’t believe you knew about this the whole time and didn’t say anything!” She yelled.
Sans piped up, “What I can’t believe is that you had us train for this for such a long time, made yourself and us absolutely sure to never share this information, and then just announce it without so much as a heads-up in our direction.”
He looked unimpressed with the King’s decision, idly staring through one eye socket.
Said King looked sheepish, “Yes well, I was debating on revealing it alongside the others, or just holding the private ceremony. I decided last minute to go ahead so that everyone could celebrate together. Especially as secrecy is no longer needed here on the surface.”
He scratched his cheek, “I suppose I could have still warned you of the possibility, but I’m afraid it didn’t occur to me.”
“Of course it didn’t.” Sans dead-panned.
He then seemed to decide sleep was better than any of this. Papyrus shot him an incredulous look but otherwise didn’t say anything more on the matter.
“I just can’t get over the fact that you dweebs were the sacred, oh-so-powerful Judge this whole time!” Undyne cackled.
Alphys laughed along, “I-It is a bit s-surprising. B-but I suppose it makes s-sense. It c-certainly explains some th-things about you two.”
“Oh my god, it totally does! You dorks! You had all of us fooled this entire freaking time!” Undyne said.
“U-Undyne calm down befo-ore you s-suplex the table” Alphys warned.
She exclaimed, “I can’t! It’s just so freaking cool!”
Papyrus broke into a sweat and quickly dashed forward to keep his friend from breaking another piece of public property.
He said, “Undyne! We already had to pay for the last one! Would you please just calm down before the Great Papyrus has to apologize to the owner again!”
“Oh dear. It seems those three certainly have their hands full.” Toriel chuckled before facing the Monster King, “I suppose you made the right call, telling their friends about this. I admit I was quite shocked, but more so worried about how the others would react. They have some good friends, do they not?”
He softened, “We do.”
She smiled at him, and Chara sat to attention with an excited look. Flowey would never admit to looking as well, but Frisk wouldn’t hold it over either of their heads. They knew that the two just wanted their parents back together.
“I must say, they are rather young to hold the Judge’s title.”-she placed her hands together as she glanced at the two- “Did something happen to Veda?”
Asgore said, “I’m afraid she has fallen.”
“Oh, how unfortunate. What ever has happened to her?” She asked.
Asgore sighed sadly, “It was an illness that struck her down. But not to worry, she had a good home leading up to her passing.”
She said, “That is good to hear. I a-”
“Queen and King of monsters right?! I was wondering if you had the time for a mini-interview regarding today’s speech!” A human excitedly cut them off
Frisk glanced at Chara nervously. He looked decidedly angry, that creepy look settled upon his face with that weird goop sluggishly making its way down.
He growled, “I’m going to make them suffer.”
Frisk glanced around in case anyone was watching before turning to him.
They said, “Hey, calm down. There’s always next time. Besides, at least they’re friends now, right?”
“Who are you talking to human?” Papyrus asked.
Frisk jumped as he stood over them from behind, smiling down.
They chuckled nervously, “P-Papyrus! U-um no one? Just myself.”
He glanced around, “Very well then! Would you like to accompany the great Papyrus in moving food to the car?!”
They nodded, “Sure! But only if I get a bite!”
“Of course you will human Frisk! And we can move that lazy bones while we’re at it.” He said.
They giggled as they nodded, grabbing as much food as they could and helping Papyrus move it to his shiny new car. It wasn’t long before the group was ready to leave, making Frisk smile as they viewed all the gathered people.
“Hey, mom?”-they tugged on Toriel’s sleeve- “Can I ride with Sans and Papyrus?”
She said, “Hmm… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything. But do be careful, alright dear?”
They grinned and nodded, grabbing Flowey and running up to the skelebros in excitement.
“Oh, human, all set?” Papyrus asked.
“Uh-huh! Mom’s fine with me riding with you!” They said.
He nodded, “Well then, let us be off!”
He grinned, setting his sleeping brother in the passenger seat and buckling him before hopping into the driver's seat. He managed to evade all of Frisk’s curious questions by promising to tell them all about it once they were home.
It wasn’t long before they parked at Toriel’s, right next to Undyne’s van. Papyrus shook Sans awake before the small group headed inside, greeting the other monsters around. It was a rather pleasant evening for all of them as they hung out and congratulated one another.
Toriel and Papyrus eventually called everyone in for dinner, having extra chairs and other things of the like set up so that everyone would fit.
Sans grinned, “It looks great you two. I apeasiate it.”
He laughed along with Tori, while Papyrus looked nonplussed.
Papyrus groaned, “Sans! We didn’t even make peas tonight! Why must you make those corny puns?!”
Sans laughed, “Pfft-. Good one bro!”
“What?”-He quickly realized what he had just done, pulling a face- “Nyoooo! How could I stoop to such low-brow humor?!”
“Oh, but what would dinner be without a few puns peppered in?” Tori beamed at the table.
“A very great one!” Papyrus crossed his arms and nodded his head.
Sans snorted, “C’mon Tor, you’re kale-ing me here.”
“Oh? Well, that wouldn’t be ripe of me.” She said.
Papyrus cut in, “Please lettuce enjoy a good meal with minimal puns!”
The two punsters snorted but otherwise nodded their heads.
Toriel said, “Very well dear, we’ll try not to make any more cheesy puns.”
She laughed along with her partner in crime before ending the pun exchange as promised. There was a pause of simply enjoying the divine food before Undyne cleared her throat.
“So… what even is the Royal Judge? Like, I know it’s some kind of honor, and that they have to let you pass to see the king, but that’s about it.” She said.
She leaned back in her chair, picking at her teeth for a moment.
Asgore opened his mouth, but Sans cut him off, “Are you all really that interested?”
After receiving several nods, he sighed.
He said, “Alright, but buckle up. It’s gonna be a long story.”