If humans cannot be called cruel, dusthungry, violent beings, then they at least choose the most inconvenient moments to show up.

Twenty years.

It had been twenty years since Prince Asriel and the fallen human- the first fallen human- had died. The king and queen had begun to heal from that terrible wound, and, though still dour, the Underground was regaining its hope.

Twenty years.

And suddenly, another human was bursting through the Ruins door, running through the Underground, causing panic and havoc. Four monsters were killed, another two put in critical condition, only just within my power to save.

But the human was captured. Taken into custody.

From there, it was a debate of what to do.

Toriel wanted to take in the child, and care for them as she had the first fallen human.

I disagreed.

"Asgore," I pleaded to the bossmonster, "you must kill it! It has already caused enough damage here, it will only cause more if you give it free reign of the Underground!"

"My friend, the child was frightened and did not understand that we meant them no harm. What they did was an accident."

"But was it? Was it an accident? Asgore, you saw the war just as much as I did! Humans merely cause destruction!"

Asgore gave me a look from where he sat on the throne. "Chara did no such thing."

I made a few angry hand gestures. "Well-... well, maybe that human was an exception, but think about why they jumped into here in the first place! Their own kind was too violent for them! This human is one of them, and if no one kills them, then they're going to cause destruction, Asgore!"

He just looked up at me.

There was something about it, something in his eyes that...

Well. I realized I needed to switch gears. Letting Firhaur's fire burn uncontrolled wasn't working. "Look. Asgore. I realize that... that things like this, they're not... not in your nature. And that you probably think you can take this kid and bring hope to the Underground the way you did with the h-... with Chara. But it's madness to attempt the same thing, and expect different results! I mean, think about it. If you were one of the people out there, and you heard that your king and queen were going to try something that nearly destroyed the Underground the first time around, would that bring you much hope? Wouldn't you much rather hear that we were one seventh of the way to breaking the Barrier? To reclaiming our freedom?"

Asgore looked away. "Gaster... I do not want to hurt anyone."

"I know, Asgore. I know." I put as much sympathy in my voice as I could manage. Truth be told, it was only slightly exaggerated. "But as king, you have to do hard things, sometimes. Sometimes, you have to do the last thing that you would ever want to, all for the sake of the people. The good of your people."

When he looked back up at me, there was an incredible pain in his eyes. But I remember seeing also the smallest spark of hope, there. "Do... do you really think this is the right thing? That this will work?"

And I knew I had gotten what I wanted. "I do."

Asgore nodded, standing up. "I trust you, Gaster. I-... I will think it over."

That was all I could ask for, at the moment.

I thought everything would be just fine after that.

Ohh, my delusions overcame me!

Only the day after this conversation, Toriel came into the lab, seeking me out.

... (actually, it was nighttime. No one else was there.)

"My friend," she said, "I have come to say goodbye." She was carrying a backpack.

"Goodbye?" I looked at her, confused.

"Yes. Asgore has done something despicable, and I can stay no longer. I am leaving for the Ruins, where I will lock the door, and do what I can to foil his plans."

"But Toriel," I asked slowly, "whatever could he have done that would make you do that?"

The fire in her eyes, I could swear, almost matched the fire in my Soul. "He is going to kill the fallen child, and declare that any human to fall into the Underground must be killed, so that their Souls can be used to break the Barrier."

She must have seen the spark of satisfaction in my eyes.

Her own anger increased. "Do not tell me that you agree with him."

I looked at her. "I detest humans. You should have known that I would agree before you even came here."

"Gaster! If we break the Barrier with human blood, you think that the humans will accept us peacefully back onto the surface?"

"Well they should've thought of that before they made a Barrier that could only be broken by human Souls! Don't you see, Toriel?! Even as we seem to flourish down here, we rot. We rot and decay and die, all in the depths of this human-concocted hellhole. It does not matter how much we try, how long we survive! Eventually, we will run out of space, out of resources, and die! They intended for us to die, down here! There would not be a peaceful reunion on the surface anyway, because they intended for our deaths! Violence is not the wrong answer! It is the only answer! The only choice we have is whether the violence is humans dying," I paused a little, meeting her gaze, "or us."

For a moment, she could only stare. There was an intense hatred, a burning loathing in her expression. Then, "You are just as bad as he is." She spat, and turned away, stalking out before I could say another word.

And the next day, all was as she said it would be. The king announced that he had killed the human, and all the rest to fall down would be similarly slain, until seven human Souls had been gathered.

... But the queen was gone. I would never see her again during my existence.

And when I went to see Asgore...

He was in the throne room. Not on his throne, but sitting on the ground.

There was a deep crack in the grassy floor, a fracture that ran right between the two thrones.

And just poking up through that crack was a golden flower.

Asgore did not acknowledge my presence, just looked at the flower and wept. I realized now was not a good time for me to be there.

And as I left, I had to question myself. Had I really done what was right, convincing Asgore to kill the human?

Or had I merely split the Underground's driving force right down the middle?

§

A/N

It's only been 3 days since the last update, and suddenly I feel like I haven't updated in forever. It's kinda funny, really.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and votes are my Favorite Things and every notification I get makes my day!