#romantictale

The Broken Heart A RomanticTale Short Story RomanticTale is an AU created by Penchan All rights to Undertale belong to Toby Fox (and or any respective owners/ creators)

Crisp, cold, clean snow. Snowdin had aptly earned its name. The residents of the little provincial town were quaint and for the most part calm. Life had ticked by, one day at a time as it always had, little to no excitement was uncovered save for maybe a stray item of interest which might be hauled back from the dump, but that would involve a rather arduous trek through  several feet of snow or taking the ferry and having to deal with the ramblings of a mad monster.

It was peaceful, serene, and quiet.. and Sans liked it just that way.  Far from the capital and its problems, he was able to keep a close eye on his brother and the eventual friends they had gathered over the past few years. Life trapped within the Underground had never been a truly easy existence, but as time passed and the monsters discovered new ways to bring peace of mind to their imprisoned existence..

they gradually come to, if not enjoy, then at least tolerate their subterranean home. Those who had seen the great war, still carried the scars of the battle upon their fragile souls, but those who had been born past the days of the barrier being erected into place.. they were simply longing for something they truly did not understand.

Stories of things called stars, of fresh open air and seasons which changed from blistering heat to icy chill. They were told of a time when humans and monsters mingled, even shared common bonds, and then of humanity's ultimate betrayal. Forced back from their homes, they had scaled the mountain in hopes of gaining tactical high ground, but had lead into a cruel trap. The humans were, at the time, losing their hold on the realm of magic.. the delicate strings which interlaced their souls were being absorbed till their own formerly glassy, pure as crystal souls took on vibrant hues.

Monsters on the other hand, allowed the magic to dance freely about them.. it laced through their lives, tying love ones together in unbreakable bonds, granting strength to their warriors, and protection for their young. The monster's own crystalline pure souls took on the discarded magic of humanity, filling the glassy inverted hearts with pure white light. It was an exchange the monsters gratefully took. For magic to run wild, rampant.. would have been pure chaos. The exchange had been costly however. Monster kind had to give up something for such magic, and in turn.. they gave up matter.

Bodies twisted and changed, fur and horns grew, turning the formerly humanoid creatures into strange and bewildering sights to behold.. the most terrifying, for human kind, were the monsters who still looked far too close to human but in grotesque ways. The skeletons. Flesh and sinew melted away, and strangely enough turned to dust at the monster's feet.. their eyes dried to husks and were replaced with eerie lights, their joints and union of bone were aglow with the over abundance of the magic which now supported them. The transformation had been met with such disgust and fear.. fear which turned to hatred.

Out of all of the creatures who fell first, the skeleton nation took the brunt of the human's disdain. Families were brought down in the dead of night, till only a small cluster remained. Fleeing their villages to rejoin with their monster brethren,  the clans had separated with the great change.. but were now having to band together once more. The massacre of nearly a complete race could and would not go unnoticed. Finding strength in numbers, the monsters had to name a leader, a monster of strength and sound mind.

It had been easy enough to decide which race could take on such a role. They towered far over much of their new colonies, covered from head to toe in fur.. ranging from snowy white to rich chocolate brown.. and a few interesting patterns in between. A race of goat creatures, their magic imposing and powerful had few rivals.. but along with their frightening abilities, they proved their selves to be kind of heart and possessed strong minds. The first Queen was named, Adrienna, a dark and imposing figure. Her fur as dark as the night and her eyes stern in their crimson stare. By her side, her life mate, Baron was named their first king. He stood in contrast to his queen, alabaster white, his clover green eyes  held a compassion and understanding. Together they convened with the heads of each clan.. humanity had become a fearsome threat in such a short amount of time.. and the slaughter of so many gentle monsters could not go unpunished.

The first battle came with little warning. Baron opposed the out right violence while Adrienna lead the fray. Humanity had proven their selves to be soulless beasts, fighting with dirty tactics and cruelty. By the time the last blood shed was done, and the dust choked out the sun.. Baron was left to lead alone. Heart broken, he turned to his advisors.. Elementals, ranging from cold and calculating to infernos of rage against the humans who had not only slain so many of their kind.. but had taken the head of the queen before it disintegrate. The humans had mocked them, shamed them.. and stolen away so many precious souls.

For years to come, humans and monsters had clashed.. the monsters pushed back, bit by bit till they were few in number and losing strength quickly. Baron had previously fallen by the time the monsters had to take to the mountain.. and the young king, Asgore, had to watch as his siblings fell around him with their terrifying escape up the mountain side. The royal guard had been scattered, the armies were retreating in such a panic.. he cried out as his dark fur covered twin fell.. and something within his soul cracked. the youth was alone, left to rule his people with little guidance.

It was in this time of fear, that Asgore discovered something about himself. Armed with a spear from one of his fallen warriors, he turned the weapon upon a human who had approached with murder in its gaze. Blinded by hate, the human had not expected the small creature to attack in earnest.. Asgore would never forget the sickening sensation of blood matting and chilling upon his fur.

Once his people had regained and regrouped.. they discovered the young heir to the crown to be a different creature then he had been but a few days prior. His empty soul cracked with each order he gave, slay the humans without mercy, push back. But ultimately, monster kind had to retreat further. At the advise of his remaining court, Asgore lead his people to the mouth of a cave, where they might tend to their wounded.. This would be one of the regrets he would carry with him for the rest of his days. The cavern had been a trap set by a coven of human mages.. the last of the lot. Humans who had clung to what magic they had left.. with seven souls of disdain and a misplaced sense of justice.. the mages gave their lives to seal a barrier, creating a divide between monsters and humans one final time.

Regret, despair, and mourning fell upon the remaining monsters. They turned their attentions to their young king but shouldered no blame upon him.. each would have done the same. Too much dust had been shed, too many lives taken..  So it was there, within the stony crag of Mt. Ebbot, that the monsters made their first home.. a place that would later be known as the ruins. Life was far from easy there, and many more monsters fell to sickness and empty souls shattering. Their pure souls, vessels for the life force of their magic, drained with their despair till it left only a cracked and fragile glassy shell.. easily broken. It was during this time that a scholar arose from the remaining ranks. W.D. Gaster. He theorized that monster kind had to find some form of hope, or their magic would drain away and leave them husks till death finally claimed them.

Asgore had placed his hope in the hands of this scholar.. who in turned proved himself to be a monster with a rich mind, and an iron will. The monsters, under Gaster's gaze, dug deeper into the caverns till they broke through to a snow covered cavern.. massive, and strange.. it was curious that trees could grow beneath ground, but something within the rocks that glittered and shimmered over head, gave a faux sort of environment. For a time, they were happy here.. but some of the monsters were still troubled. The cold was difficult for various breeds.. and onward, deeper into the mountain they trudged till finding a water washed series of caverns.. but the chills till clung in the air.. deeper still, till the chill was replaced with a boiling heat.

It took some time, but gradually pathways were created between crags and out drops of rock.. the monsters who savored the heat lingered to create their own homes here.. Gaster insisted that a team of like minded monsters, under his command, remain to begin work on an academy.. which would later be crafted into a laboratory. Finally they traveled as far as they could within the mountain.. discovering that with the elevated rise towards light.. that the humans had indeed been cruel. The barrier stood, allowing only light within.. it seemed it covered the mountain completely.. and it seemed a cruel mockery that they had hollowed out a section of the mountain prior to the attack.. allowing monster kind to have only a hazy view of the world below. Asgore placed his claim here. Building his castle so to obscure the heart breaking view from his people. This place would be the capital of his new world.

Time progressed as it always did. Gaster's team of brilliant minds crafted a means to power all of the Underground. Asgore grew and eventually took a bride, another goat monster who held a heart and soul so kind, that his soul found peace. Together they ruled, giving hope to their subjects. Eventually the various places where monsters had decided to settle were given names.. now where Asgore was a good and kind king.. he had no talent for names. The Ruins, Snowdin, Waterfall, Hotland, and finally the Capital. The poorly named lands, actually uplifted his people. They found humor in the simplistic way he assigned the titles of the land.

As the years continued to pass, monsters had settled into their quiet lives. They crafted goods, developed technology around their magic, and scrounged through the refuse the humans continued to discard intro the mountain. Humanity's sins would never be forgotten, but the great sting of failure eventually dulled to a low ache with the monsters. They learned to find happiness where they could, new life was one of their greatest joys, and no new soul was ever celebrated as greatly as that of the new prince, Asriel. He was a joyful baby, carrying his parent's light coloration and bright eyes. Often in times of celebration he would join his parents as they gave proclamations for their kingdom.. it seemed all would settle with ease for monster kind. But peace can only survive for so long.

The first fallen human child. Chara. They had been delivered to the royal court as swiftly as they could be.. weak and injured, with aggravated wounds that did not come from the fall.. the monsters puzzled over what to do. Here was a human, the source of their captivity and yet.. it was a child. A child as young as their beloved prince. It was at the prince's declaration, that he claimed the human for his own, a sibling he had begged his parents for, that the decision was made.The Dreemurrs took the human child into their home, and raised it along side their son.

Sans sighed as he sat back, leaning against his small sentry station.. thinking on the stories and the past always left him feeling hollow. It was well known what happened to Char and Asriel.. at least what was well known to those who were not sensitive to change. He still remembered. He remembered the name of the great scientist who fell and was erased from history.. in the stories, he was left unnamed.. no one could put a finger on who it had been who had created the laboratory, nor who had stood by the king's side in his darkest days. They did not know of the true face of the royal children.. nor that the human who had fallen what should have been a month ago, had found a way to toy with time itself. He liked his home, he loved his brother, and he protected his friends.. and this human was putting everything the monsters had worked so hard to obtain, into ruins.

He had seen time repeat itself. Some days the child stayed longer with the former queen, and would seem happy to be the child that the old monster needed in her life so.. in those days, he could tend to

his brother.. helping matches to be made, ensuring no new souls shattered.. but in a few cruel runs, the child tore through his homeland and laid to waste all he loved. He could time it like clock work. The oncoming reset, which path the child might take.. and how he had to face off with the human in the end. It always reset, save for one aspect. Where monster souls would replenish, their magic stores renew with the resets.. Sans' soul did not. It grew cold, empty, and fragile. He knew that his days were counting down to the end.. but he would find a way to stop the child before he would finally fall. Some way he could claim that determined soul, deliver it to Asgore.. and ensure his brother found the true happiness he deserved.. And maybe if Sans was lucky, he would see the stars before his soul finally shattered.

TBC

Notes on RomanticTale:  Sorry it seemed so rambling. I have had a horrible case of writer's block for a bit so I just wrote and let it go where it would (within what I had established for the story of course) this one was mostly back story and history, giving some prelude to what is to come. In this AU, monsters are more fragile then in most. Their souls are like glass containers, filled with magic which is fed from joy, love, and happiness (yes it is a bit campy), but if they do not surround their selves with positive networks (family, friends, loved ones) , their souls gradually drain of magic and become extremely delicate, cracking to the point that a simple attack can end them. There is more to this story line then I am ready to reveal just yet, I hope you can get past my horrible name for this AU and stick around for what I have in store. Thank you for