The Queen's Justice - Book 2 of Her Majesty

Chapter 5

The moment Mettaton opened the door, he hugged Alphys and wouldn't let go for a while, making her blush and look to Undyne for help.

"Thank god," he murmured. "Asgore started talking about snails. It's freaking me out, and Laurel looks like she's going to vomit."

Undyne laughed, before carefully extracting her fiancee from his grasp. "Then we're here just in time," she replied.

Laurel looked up as they walked into Mettaton's suite, and she did indeed look rather nauseated. "Hello," she said softly, her voice wobbly. "Lord Asgore was just... talking about snails..." She looked away, paling.

Asgore shrugged. "I don't understand your reactions," he admitted.

Undyne and Alphys sat down with him, while Mettaton sat down on the other chair and gave Asgore a sour look.

"Snails are a wonderful food, especially in pies! They're high in protein, and the texture allows them to slide down the throat in such a delightful way--,"

"Baaaarf," Undyne broke in, adding choking noises. "Dad, no one likes snails, so please spare us."

Alphys blushed a little. "I-I kinda do," she admitted softly.

Asgore beamed at her, and she smiled in return.

"Anyway!" Laurel broke in, sounding desperate. "Please!" She turned to Undyne. "What did you decide? Do I need to contact my friends today?"

"No," Undyne admitted, and Laurel's face fell a little, until she added, "but Friday works for us."

"What?!" Mettaton spluttered out.

Undyne grinned at him, all teeth. "You heard me, pencil sharpener. Friday."

When he looked at Alphys, who nodded with barely-hidden glee, he leaned back and said nothing, his expression carefully blank.

Laurel and Asgore, however, shared the same emotion: happiness.

"That's wonderful!" Asgore exclaimed, grabbing Alphys - who was beside him - into a tight hug, one she returned with a laugh.

While not as close to Asgore as Undyne, through their work together, they were still friends, and she still looked up to him in a similar way as Undyne - though admittedly, not at first (that, when she looked back, was humiliating, and planned to take it to dust, despite Mettaton already knowing).

"M-Mettaton," Alphys then said, once Asgore had let go of her. "I-I need to ask you a favour. C-can I talk to you in private?"

Undyne looked down at her in surprise, but Mettaton nodded, standing up right away and holding a hand out to her. She took it, and he led her down the hall to his bedroom.

The two hotel suites weren't that different, so Alphys felt a strange sense of familiarity when she looked at the place. However, it was clear that Mettaton had spend the couple of weeks decorating instead of recuperating, as the entire room was full of posters and samples of his products. She smiled a little at seeing this, as it reminded her of how things were when they shared a space in the Underground.

He let go of her hand and said, with a smile, "Well, darling, spill. What is it you need of me?"

"I-I..." She fumbled with the front of her shirt, stretching it out a bit. "I... d-don't have many friends, as you know. And I-I'm marrying my - er - second-best one."

Mettaton beamed at this, which made her happy she said it, despite fibbing a little.

"S-so I was wondering if y-you could be... m-my second."

Mettaton blinked. "I thought it was going to be a human ceremony."

"It is," she agreed. "But I still want you there, at my side, Metta." She looked up at him, and he felt his soul ache a little; she looked so vulnerable asking. "You've been amazing these past few weeks, and all wh-while I thought you didn't even like me very much..."

"Hush, now, that's just ridiculous," he answered sharply, making her blush. "That's the furthest from the truth, now. Perhaps..."

He sighed, looking uncomfortable. "Yes, perhaps at first, this was true. I saw you as a means to an end, and that was my bodies. But the more I spent time with you - the more I spend time with you..."

He smiled, a genuine, warm smile. "How can I not adore you, my dear?"

Alphys lit up, smiling up at him and grabbing one of his hands. "S-so you'll do it? You'll be my second?"

He nodded. "Yes. Of course, how silly of you to even doubt it!"

Alphys threw herself at him before he even finished his sentence and hugged onto him tight. Mettaton bit his lip, his smile fading and his eyes dimming, but he held her close in return.

"You're happy, yes?" he murmured.

She laughed shakily. "Can't you tell?" she replied.

"I can," he agreed. "I just... needed to make sure. If you weren't, I'd say no. But if you're truly happy, Alphysy, then I will do anything in my power to make sure you stay that way."

Alphys couldn't help it, then; she started to cry. She tried to speak, but only got out high-pitched gibberish, but he understood all the same, and held her close, wishing he could cry, too.

When they came back, there was tea. Mettaton paused in the doorway, though Alphys returned to the couch.

"Where the hell did that come from?" he asked, pointing to the tea.

Asgore smiled, reaching into his coat pocket, and held up a small tin of golden flower tea. "I never go anywhere without this," he explained.

"We were just talking about your plans," Laurel said with a smile. "And I think it's a great idea. Having a private ceremony is, truthfully, understandable, especially after what happened when all you wanted to do was present a speech."

She paused, then looked guilty. "Sorry, that was rude."

"And yet no less true," Undyne replied, waving her hand as though to wave away the insult. "I don't want to risk anyone's life, so yeah, I agree."

"Y-you can really get us married?" Alphys asked Laurel. "It would be legal on the surface and everything?"

Laurel nodded, taking a sip of her tea - which she rather liked - before continuing. "Yes. Both Cathy and I agree that it's a good idea, and..."

She looked into her cup. "It's also a way of an apology. From both of us."

"Uh," Undyne blinked. "What?"

Laurel sighed. "My team failed you," she admitted, her face falling. "My security team. They were supposed to guard you at all times, and they failed you. Alphys got shot because they didn't pay attention close enough. I'm so deeply sorry."

"Laurel, you already apologised for that," Undyne answered. "And repeatedly, too. But," and here she grinned. "I'm not gonna say no to a chance to marry Alphy legally, even if I disagree with your reasons for setting it up."

"Still," Laurel sighed. "They need better training."

"May I ask you something, Laurel, dear?" Asgore wondered, looking sombre. "The human who shot Alphys - who were they, and why did they do it?"

Laurel looked up at him, surprised. "You didn't see it on the news?"

"I still live Underground," he replied kindly. "And I do not have a way to access human television signals."

"I can fix that for you!" Alphys broke in. "I'd love to be able to fix that for you, Asgore."

When he nodded, she grinned, took out her phone, and started writing down steps on how to do so. (Undyne had to hide her laughter at this, as well as her blush, and the sound that came out of her was a kind of sneezing-snort.)

"The shooter," Laurel went on, "said that he acted out of natural disgust. He said that monsters were meant to either be dead or underground, and if they won't stay underground, he'd see them dead." She winced, especially when Asgore looked horrified. "He was going to kill not just Undyne, but Alphys and sans, too. He admitted it, and wasn't ashamed at all for what he did."

Asgore stared at her, his eyes wide. "But... it's been decades, Laurel. Why is there still such festering hatred?"

Laurel sighed, tapping her hand against her mug, so that her rings made a clinking noise. "Your guess is as good as mine, because honestly, there's no reason for it. We, as a city, had long forgotten that you existed, save in fairy tales. The fact that someone suddenly wakes up and decides, 'I'm gonna kill those monsters I didn't know were real until now' is really frightening to me."

Mettaton glared, but not at her. Rather, he picked a place on one of the walls, so that no one would think he was angry at them. It was rare to see him glaring, so everyone stared at him, anyway.

"It also makes you wonder," he added,  his voice low, "just how many more humans are like him, harbouring the same hatred, and waiting for a moment to strike."

"Mettaton, don't be paranoid," Alphys answered sharply, though her claws dug into her knees a little at the thought of it. "It was probably just one human acting irrationally and based purely on the way he was raised. I highly doubt that there would be anyone else as depraved, especially here in Ebott."

"But remember," Laurel said softly. "Our children grew up with stories of us, the mighty humans, defeating you, the evil monsters. There very well could be others, and we'd be fools to be so naive."

"So what are we supposed to do, then?" Undyne demanded, leaning back and looking irritated. "Ask everyone who wants to murder monsters to come forward? Are you kidding me?"

"Would that it would be so easy," Mettaton muttered.

"And truly, it's not," Laurel agreed. "Which is why, again, I'm glad you're opting for a private wedding, for now. Once monsters are allowed on the surface and are legally citizens, then you can throw a huge party. I think it's a great idea, and a safe one. And I'll be certain to have the place ringed with security." She paused. "Good security."

"Do be less hard on yourself, please," Asgore told her kindly. "No one expected a gun."

Both Alphys and Undyne shuddered, moving closer together without even thinking about it.

Both knew what it was like to feel a bullet, as though Alphys had been the one (technically) fatally shot, Undyne had felt the bullet bounce off of herself, too. It was not a pleasant memory.

"Seriously, what the f**k is wrong with you humans, inventing s**t like that?" Undyne muttered.

"Well," Laurel said softly. "We, like you, had magic, once. But once we sealed you away, I think that's when we also lost - or started losing - access to our magic. So we needed new ways to kill each other." Her tone was flat. "Bullets are the preferred method."

"I hate them," Alphys confessed, shuddering again.

"They're technically illegal, here," Laurel said, her voice still flat. "Save the army, police force, or some hunters, no one is allowed to have them. And the guy still won't tell where he got it from. It wasn't a rifle, so we know he's not a hunter, but one of those..." She made a face, waving her hand in the air. "Handgun-things."

"A Glock," Mettaton answered.

When everyone looked at him in surprise, he blinked back. "What? I like detective shows."

"Well, whatever it was, it wasn't legal," Laurel concluded. "Not even my security team has guns. They have tasers."

When everyone blinked at her, she elaborated. "They look like guns, but shoot out cables with barbs at the end that cause electric shocks to stun someone."

"Why the f**k would anyone use bullets if they have one of those?" Undyne demanded.

Laurel sighed yet again. "You ask all the questions many of us have been asking for years, Undyne," she replied.

Alphys thought about this, pausing in her plans. She'd also watched many shows from human media from discarded video tapes and DVDs that had guns, and they were as lethal on-screen as they had been for her. There was certainly a lot of shows that had them, and many humans seemed to resort to guns first, rather than other non-lethal methods. It was a strange, backwards logic, as one would think they would want to keep each other alive, instead of taking a life so easily and so pointlessly.

"You promise we'll be taken care of, Laurel?" Undyne said sharply, leaning forward and narrowing her eye, the colour glowing a little.

Laurel sat up and nodded, her own eyes glinting. "Yes. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're safe."

Undyne smiled, then, believing her. "Thank you."

"So, shall we change the subject, then?" Laurel wondered. "To, perhaps, what you'll be wearing come Friday?"

This, everyone agreed - even Mettaton, who had many opinions on this topic - was a great idea.

"I look ridiculous."

"Nonsense, darling, you look delicious. Undyne will sink her teeth into you the moment she sees you."

"Great. My brand-new wife will become a widow in the span of ten minutes by eating me."

Mettaton glared at Alphys. "Do stop being difficult, Alphys. It causes you to look much older."

Alphys snorted. "Too bad for you that I don't care about things like that," she replied honestly.

She sighed, turning a little in the mirror, before turning back. "Seriously, Metta, I look like a jackass."

"Are you saying my dress line is designed to create jackasses?"

"I'm saying no matter what I wear, I'm a jackass."

Mettaton sighed. He looked around the shop, one that he had specifically bribed in order to make the place as empty as possible, and save the owner and two clerks, he had been successful. This was the first store that had begun carrying his line of clothing, and he intended to make sure that his best friend got the best of it.

Except that she was being stubborn, and annoyingly obstinate.

Outside, there was a crowd of people trying to get pictures. The news of the impending elopement had luckily not broken, yet, but it was clear that the city's new monsters were up to something, and the human reporters were eager to figure it out. Luckily, the clerks and owner had drawn as many curtains as possible and locked the door, additionally adding the "Closed" sign for good measure, but this didn't stop them from trying.

At the moment, only one clerk and the owner were around, and both were looking at something else, clearly and purposefully not saying anything; when Alphys saw this, she stormed right to the change room and slammed the door with a growl; even the staff knew she looked stupid. She stripped herself free of the gaudy garment and sighed, standing there for a moment in just her underwear and gazing at her tired reflection.

It had been two days since the mayors' meeting, and they still had yet to hear anything from Mayor McCallion. It was nice to be distracted with the process of the elopement, it was true, but Alphys was cynical all the same. She wondered if it was even worth the trouble, if all the Mega-Mayor was going to do was nix everything they had fought for.

She gently hung the dress back up, noticing that it looked far better on the hanger than it ever would on her. She then flicked her eyes to her reflection for a moment and sighed.

What the hell am I doing? she wondered. Why does she even want to marry me?

Why does she even love me?

I wish I had my favourite dress...

She bit her lip, blinking back self-pitying tears, and grabbed the next dress. It was a teal-green thing, made of a soft material, and she sighed again, wondering what this one would make her look like. She shrugged it on carefully and smoothed it out, then looked again - and paused, her eyes widening.

The dress hung just above her feet and flowed in a flattering way, cinched right below her breasts to accentuate and allowing the material to flow down in gentle pleats. It was simple but elegant, with flowing short sleeves and a V-neck, one that was panelled by off-white lace across the bust.

She froze, then reached up and touched the sides - and found pockets. Pockets. In a dress designed by Mettaton.

Carefully, she walked out of the change room, her eyes still wide, and she looked at her friend in confusion - especially when he grinned and nodded in a knowing way.

"I knew it," he said, adding to her confusion. "That's it, isn't it?"

"Mettaton," she murmured, putting a hand in one of the pockets and testing it a little, making the material of the dress flow around her; it was so soft around her legs.

"You..." She glared at him. "You tricked me."

He smirked.

"You made me put on monstrosities that you knew I hated, all while having this at the bottom of the pile!" she added, walking up to him with both hands out and claws aimed for his neck. "You made this dress for me! And you still made me go through that taffeta-tulle-satin nightmare!"

Yet when she reached him, she grabbed him and hugged him tight, bursting into tears.

"It's perfect," she sobbed. "I hate you, Metta."

He chuckled and held her close, nodding and giving her a kiss on her cheek. "You're welcome, darling, and I love you too."

"You devious prick," she answered, then laughed tearfully, finally feeling a bubble of excitement rise up in her breast - finally. She pulled away and looked up at him. "D-do you think Undyne--?"

"Yes," he replied before she could finish, and she lit up, more tears filling her eyes.

"Think of it, Metta," she murmured. "Something happy amidst all of this loss. Something cheerful to celebrate amidst all of this death. It doesn't make it worth it, but it helps, just a little, d-don't you think?"

He cupped her face into his hands. "Absolutely, my darling," he replied, giving her another kiss on her forehead.

"Hey."

They turned around, and saw, coming up from behind the owner and one of the clerks (who had been watching with starry, tearful eyes, too happy to speak) the second clerk. Her face was carefully blank, and she held one hand behind her back.

"H-hi," Alphys replied, though her body suddenly filled with a wave of adrenaline. She blinked, and her heart started racing, something stirring deep in her chest, and without control, she felt her magic stirring within her blood.

It shocked her so much that she froze, speechless, a hand going to her chest, even as she mentally latched onto that magic.

"What do you think?" Mettaton wondered, all smiles and oblivious to Alphys's reaction. "Isn't she a vision?"

"No."

And she raised her hidden arm and pointed a gun right at Alphys, right at her head, and fired.

And something happened then, something that Alphys couldn't fully explain for a long time.

Something flared out within her, from, she knew later, her soul, and she threw her hands up and thrust that power out in front of her, just as the snap of the gun firing reached her hearing. A bright flash of yellow - so yellow, like sunflowers, or buttercups - burst from her palms and flattened out before her and Mettaton, in mere seconds, and she felt a jolt as something hit that sheet of magic. The jolt was hard enough to knock her back a few steps, but she kept her hands up and that magic summoned, and something dropped harmlessly outside of it: a bullet, now flattened by the force of the hit.

Mettaton grabbed Alphys a second later and pulled her behind him, breaking her concentration and causing the shield to vanish, but by then, it was safe, as both the owner and the first clerk screamed and tackled the second clerk, knocking the weapon from her hands and holding her down, dragging her arms behind her back.

Alphys stared from behind Mettaton, her breaths short and fast and her heart racing. She stared at that human, and as the human stared back, she saw nothing but pure hatred.

"You're disgusting!" the clerk screamed from the floor. "You don't belong here! You belong buried back where you belong, in dirt and s**t!"

"Call the police!" the owner told the first clerk, and he nodded and ran to the back, while the owner kept herself seated atop the female clerk, who was still spitting obscenities at Alphys and Mettaton.

Mettaton had taken hold of Alphys by her shoulders and pulled her back, as far from them as possible and to the other side of the store, and Alphys didn't protest.

All she could do was stare into the eyes of the human who had just tried to murder her.

All because she wanted to wear a nice dress to her own wedding.

"We all know!" the woman screamed. "We all know what you are! And don't think this will be the last time, monster! We know we can't kill that demon, but you? We can kill you, and when we do, she'll kill herself!"

Something snapped in Alphys, then, and she flung herself forward with a snarl, hands out and claws ready, her teeth bared. She wanted to hurt this human for that, for not only what she did, but what she was saying.

Because it was true.

Mettaton grabbed her and hauled her back, and she shouted and tried to break free, tears filling her eyes.

Silently, as she screamed and tried to break free, Mettaton dragged her to the back room and out of sight of the humans, just as they heard sirens coming closer.

It took a long time for Alphys to calm down from that, longer than she cared to admit.

Mettaton had to fight her for a good ten minutes, and once she wore herself out, he managed to bring her back to the change room and get her dressed back into civvies, wrapping the dress up again and placing it over his arm.

Now, she sat in the corner of the room and curled up, hiding her face into her arms and not saying a word, though she was shaking and weeping.

When the police came to see them, they asked if she needed medical help, but Mettaton told them that she was unhurt - just in a bit of shock, and that he would get her away from here and safe as soon as possible. They then took his witness statement, asking if they could come by the hotel later to take Alphys's statement once she'd calmed down, and they were finally permitted to leave.

They left out the back way to avoid press, and just barely managed to get into the care waiting for them without being seen.

The whole time, Alphys was silent, her eyes always full and overflowing, her face so hurt that it hurt Mettaton to even see it. He wanted to try and say something - anything - to comfort her, but nothing seemed right, as everything seemed too cliché. So instead, he put his arm around her and held her close, and she leaned on him but still remained silent.

 Undyne was pacing, chewing on her nails to blood and shaking, as she waited for Alphys and Mettaton to return.

She had been going over more notes of soul-absorption, hoping to figure out what was going on between her and Alphys, when she got a text message from sans that said: "turn the damned tv on, now, undyne."

She did, confused, and saw coverage of what looked like a police scene at a small clothing store - one she recognised.

When it suddenly clicked, she felt herself go rigid with terror, and she watched, her face close to the screen, until she heard that no one was hurt.

Then, she turned the TV off, threw the remote across the room with a shout, and started to pace.

The moment Alphys walked back into the hotel room, Undyne barely took it in before she lunged at her and grabbed her into an embrace, bursting into tears. Alphys grabbed her immediately and held her tight, breaking down, herself, and she could feel Undyne trembling so hard her teeth rattled.

"Oh, god, Alphy," she whispered, over and over again, in a tear-choked voice. "Oh, god, Alphy, Alphy..."

"I'm okay," Alphys whispered back, her own voice high with tears. "I'm okay..."

Mettaton quietly went to the closet and hung the dress up, then said, very gently, "Alphysy, do you want me to stay for a while? Or are you going to be okay?"

"I... I'll be okay..." she murmured, opening her eyes and looking up at him over Undyne's shaking shoulder. "Th-thank you for everything, Metta."

"Thank you for saving us both," he replied with a gentle smile. "I'll text you later, okay?" When she nodded, he left.

 Mettaton stood outside of the door to the suite for a moment, a hand on his chest and over his soul, his eyes closed. He was shaking, something he had been able to hide from Alphys. He felt like he could barely breathe.

You almost lost her, and you did nothing. She almost got murdered, and you stood frozen like a stupid statue. If it wasn't for her own actions, you and her would be dead.

You did nothing.

You almost lost her, the only person left in this stinking world that means something to you.

What kind of friend are you?

He wished, for the millionth time, that he could cry like he could when he'd still been a ghost.

Instead, he walked slowly to his own suite, went into it, and curled up on the couch, shuddering.

He didn't move from there for a long, long time.

"Alphy..." Undyne murmured, her voice shaky and wobbling with each syllable. "How...? How did you... survive?"

Alphys reached up, loosened Undyne's hair, and started stroking it slowly, something that had Undyne closing her eye again and burying her wet face into her shoulder, immediately comforted.

"I... used my magic," Alphys admitted.

Undyne jerked back in surprise, her tear-streaked face pale but shocked. "You used magic? But, Alphy, you never use magic!"

"Er," Alphys smiled weakly. "Th-that's not true. I use it a lot in my research. I just choose n-not to use it beyond that because... uh..." She looked away. "It's... powerful... and sometimes hard to c-control."

"You never told me that," Undyne said in shock.

"I... d-didn't think it w-would be important..." she admitted.

Then she looked up and right into Undyne's eye. "B-but Undyne... some-something happened. I was able to control it, eff-effortlessly. And it worked. It didn't backfire or hurt me or any of the usual stuff that happens when I use magic like that. It just worked, and in a way I've never even used before!"

She couldn't stop speaking now, which was good, because Undyne was speechless.

"I... I was able to focus, and actually summon up a shield, and keep it up, and it didn't even flicker or fizzle out! And it was... it was so easy... And it didn't drain my reserves. If-if anything, it made me feel more powerful! I... I was..." She finally ran out of words, staring up at Undyne in disbelief, now.

"The soul," Undyne whispered, and Alphys nodded emphatically. "It's given you control, and it saved your life, and Mettaton's."

"Y-yes!" Alphys agreed, placing her hands on Undyne's shoulders, now, and holding tightly onto them, her eyes blazing with an inner light that held Undyne spellbound. "The soul you gave me, it just... the m-moment I saw that human, Undyne, something rose up in me. It knew I was in danger, even before I did! And it saved me! It helped steady my magic and saved me!"

She suddenly felt confused. "H-how does that...? Why did that happen? How d-did it know before I did? Undyne... I'm so... so confused..."

Undyne pulled her closed and held her, just as Alphys clung onto her tight. "Me, too, Alphy," she agreed. "But you and me, we'll figure it out."

Alphys nodded. "Yes. We will. Together."

Undyne managed a small smile, and she closed her eye. "Together."