A Leisurely Stroll [Ambrosia City]

[W.D. Gaster]

The inside of the city that Gaster had arrived in was bustling past the forest landscape that he had journeyed with Chara and Flowey through the Tangled Green. In general, the journey had no ambushes but the last moments on it did involved being stopped by the Ambrosian scout and later guards before entry.

How everything came together in not even a day in this strange world, it was satisfying that he was feeling the freedom to go onto places unknown beyond the home reality. To live a live of his own chapter, he couldn't help but to smile at the thought. Now all he needs to do is to reunite with Sans as the murmurs have it around the city as Gaster passed by the crowds of strange creatures from places unknown along with the occasional mix of Humans.

The populace all seemed peaceful. However, the Princess is one additional thing on his mind on top of the Ashen Steppes and the existence of this so called Koopa Kingdom. Never in all his time had he would encounter additional powers besides King Asgore of the Underground and the Humans of the Surface up until now at best.

With his arms wrapped behind his back as he walked in silence, the sun in the sky was reaching the twilight stages as it is now crossing the western horizion and the golden rays of sunlight was seeping through the trees making for a calm aria for him. In fact, the streets were not as rush happy; however, for some reason, he can't helped but to be reminded of New Home, the Capital of the Underground.

Yes, it was extremely specific in it's name but that was because Asgore wasn't exactly good at naming things out tier. In fact, the original city that was the Ruins was Home before the mass exodus of monsterkind coming in from the Surface as the Humans had banished them, sealing the survivors away under a Barrier. The Barrier of the Seven Human Mages, a barrier that time and time, Gaster tried to crack open with his scientific means.

Just remembering it all was starting to give Gaster a headache. A headache that was merely induced by remembering and stress.

Maybe he should get someplace to rest and in the peace of the surrounding forest. Could there possibly be such a place around here? Perhaps but that would require some assistance from the locals, whom much unknown to him, decided to approach out of curiosity as he seemed to had stopped for some odd reason. People were watching him, well, they had been since he had been there for sometime. It would seem that he got distracted..

"Excuse me, kupo?" asked a voice, causing Gaster to perk up and looked down at the unfamiliar creature. He knows that this wasn't a monster of the Underground as they had small purple bat wings, white fur-like body, along with cat-like ears, red nose, closed eyes and a pom-pom hanging out from their head. In fact, what a tiny little creature they were. "Yes, what is it?"

"Are you lost? You seem to be a newcomer here, kupo." replied the other. "In fact, you look like one of the skeletons..we don't see alot of skeletons around. Well, maybe one, I heard his name is Sans. Guy's a big fan of ketchup last I saw; he drinks the stuff constantly and somehow gets drunk off of it, kupo."

Typical Sans behavior, that's for sure. Mentally, Gaster rolled his eyes before he questioned,"What about Sans?"

"Well, you look like you're related to him.. and I know it sudden but what's your name, kupo?" asked the creature before Gaster lifted his head up and brought his arm forward placing it on front as he answered,"My name is W.D. Gaster and I am merely his mentor. If anything, I was the Royal Scientist of the Underground and helped out improve living circumstances among other things, namely with the creation of the CORE."

The Moogle's eyes widen as he perked up in surprise. "Mentor? Royal Scientist? Wow! That's a big title, but..was? What, did something happened before? I mean, with a title that wellknown, other Moogles would admire you. After all, we are known to go into the scientific stuff and I known some very intelligent Moogles, kupo!"

Gaster could feel those haunting memories flooding back but denied it before he sighed, lowering his arm and folding it behind his back. "It's nothing to be concerned about. By the way, what is your name and if I may inquire, what exactly are you?"

The Moogle nodded. "I'm Moogie the Moogle. Well, one of many around here; we live under harmony with our Princess. To be honest, we're not from around here and are travelers if not denizens from other areas around the Omniverse. In fact, you may notice that the varied creatures and people, there's little creatures called Pokemon, ponies and other things that make up the population. As of late, we have been seeing monsters around but the good thing that atleast you aren't one of those forest orcs or other guys lurking for trouble, kupo."

"Interesting." mumbled Gaster as he looked down to Moogie. "How about the Princess here? Do you have information about her?"

Moogie nodded. "Well, yeah! Everyone knows Princess Guu! She established Ambrosia a long time ago and we have been living around here since. Though, she is only ten years old and a little strange but.." He points to Pokute Palace up ahead. " ..in the middle of town, there's Pokute Palace. She lives there but ever since her absence, the city has been heavily guarded then. That's why there's a lot of guard presence."

Great, a literal ten year old little girl that is the ruler of the city. He's going have to cooperate with the likes of a little child and in his words, this is completely asinine. Atleast when he worked with Asgore, he respected him...but this? This child is their ruler? He could already feel the headache worsening. However, if she is ever going to gain respect from him, she will have to prove her worth straight down to the line. No child's play!

Before long, he continued,"If you would like, I can give you a tour around the city. It's the least I can do to help. Maybe act as navigation? Atleast something to get you to be familiar, but wow! I'm never going to forget this day ever because I want to know more, kupo."

Well, seems like he had already gained an admirer but maybe, being around the Moogles might give him a chance to learn more about their race. It was always interesting to learn more about the cultures and the world that surrounds them. The less he knew of the child ruler, the better.

"Very well, lead the way." Gaster answered before Moogie nodded and lead the way for he to get to know the city.

[W.D. Gaster]

The eager Moogie lead the way for the brief tour and they were sure to keep on the paths not blocked off by the guards especially Pokute Palace, mostly avoiding the center of town to ensure it at best.

Moogie perked up as he mentioned to Gaster, "Ambrosia's a nice place once you get used to. Since it does allow a diversity of individuals to bring what they could to contribute. from the Chocobos to other things in between; we're protected by other factions around here though there has been sightings of some people from the Koopa Kingdom outside the city however they seem to be having a situation causing trouble there at times, kupo."

With a slight tilt of the head, Gaster seemed to be a bit apprehensive. "Such as?"

Moogie rose his hand behind his head as he nodded. "I-I'm not fully sure on what they are but if any threat to the Tangled Green comes down here, we all have to work together and fight back with any means necessary. We are trying to remain as neutral as we could especially on terms with Camelot and the Empire are at each other. Those two go further back than of Ambrosia itself and they would keep on fighting until one falls, kupo."

"War never changes." sighed Gaster as he is aware of the feeling all too well. "Once it begins, there is no end unless something is done about it. If anything is done."

The Genocide route, the Human-Monster War, Chara's involvement for revenge and Frisk's corruption. Both the Humans were guilty in his eyes: one was the one that tried to murder Asgore and lead to the death of Asriel while the other murdered his children among many monsters even the beloved Queen. This internal feeling of rage, loss, tragedy and sadness plagued his soul for the longest time. It was hard to readjust and even now, with all these Humans, his prejudice towards the individual that killed his beloved if not his mother; the roots of hate remain however it was all in solace.

Moogie would ask but he didn't want to be rude to Gaster. However, deep inside the Moogle, he could almost sense that Gaster has gone through some troubling times. The tone and mostly neutral and almost calm expression stirs up questions.

However, he wanted to change the subject as he asked, "Are you tired, kupo?"

"I had traveled much to get here so I am in fact somewhat tired out." Gaster answered before Moogie lead him to a bench nearby for them to sit down in for awhile as the golden rays of the incoming sunset was upon them. When they found a place under a tree, Moogie sat down first before Gaster momentarily did and looked up to the sky, past the canopy.

"You know, the city will be starting to calm down soon enough. It gets quieter towards the nighttime with the crowds disappearing to go home to rest and to be honest, that's what I like about the evening hours in Ambrosia." sighed Moogie as he swayed his legs a bit before calming down while watching the people pass by them in the distance. "That and towards sunrise. You really ought to see it for yourself; I mean, I might not fully know what happened in your life but sometimes, I believe that you should take the time and enjoy it while you could. I know it's going to be hard at first but you start to get used to it, just don't get too much relaxing, kupo."

Gaster calmly brought his skeletal hands and sat them down in front as he answered, "If only if that was easy. Everyday, there has to be progress and I find myself not wanting to stop but that's because I work so hard on projects to do whatever I can."

Moogie looked over to Gaster. "I know you want to keep going but you are pushing yourself too hard. In fact, are you in a hurry? Is there something needed to be done? Do you have enough time to yourself? All those questions and yet little answers. I mean, us Moogles get that way as well and let me tell you; it can get hectic. Crazy even, kupo."

Gaster nervously chuckled, "I know how it goes or atleast I knew before. Things had changed much since I was there."

Moogie stopped for a moment before he asked,"Hey, I wanted to ask. What is the Underground like, kupo?"

Gaster was a bit hesitant however he explained, "It was my home. Of course, not just me but to other monsters in general; it was small at first but it grew bigger in due time. I had been there before everything changed for the betterment, mostly due to what I did as told earlier. In terms of locations, there were the Ruins, or originally called Home, then there is the snowy forests of Snowdin where I lived with Sans and Papyrus, beyond that is the tranquility of Waterfall, further on in is the home to the CORE, Hotland, and finally, the capital, New Home, where there was the barrier beyond that. A personal favorite is a tie between Snowdin and Waterfall for me."

The Moogle's eyes widened a bit. "KU-PHEH! Snowdin? Is-Is that supposed to be a pun?"

Gaster rose one of his hands to his face as he chuckled, "It is and the locals have a habit of telling puns. Sans loves telling pun jokes, along with pranking and other means, while with Papyrus, he gets a bit annoyed but there's been times I've slipped some puns in."

Moogie smiled, "Wow, so not just ONLY a mentor and such, you're a bit of a jokester. Hehe. It's good to have some humor in life, I'd find it a good quality in fact. After all, they say it's the best medicine. Now..I wonder if I came a bit closer to Sans at someplace around here, he'll probably say something if I ask, kupo."

With a brief sigh, Gaster nodded, "I'm sure he would. He is friendly but sometimes, he can be sarcastic; it depends on his mood on that day. With me, he tells scientific jokes and other things. Sure, I might get annoyed but I know he's doing it to cheer me up..well, if not a bit on trying to get attention. That's how he works out."

Moogie closed his eyes as he nodded and continued smiling, returning to watching the people in the distance. "Sounds like a nice guy. I oughta hang out with him when I can. Sure, he's already a bit weird with getting drunk off of ketchup but if it's with a guy eager to make some friends, I'm good with that, kupo."

"I'm sure he'll give you a chance." nodded Gaster as he seemed to had calmed down a bit while he took his time to relax for awhile. It was honestly awhile since he last did so in the Nexus before entering to the Tangled Green with Prometheus leading the way over for them.

Some time it has been..

[W.D. Gaster]

"So, I got another question. Were you just the mentor to Sans or there were others?" questioned Moogie as he slightly tilted his head at the skeleton. It was a moment before he answered, "There were several but one notable one was also Alphys."

The Moogle's eyes opened up in surprise. "KU-PHEH! W-wait, you knew of her too!?"

Gaster nodded, "She was also my pupil during our time in the Underground. Her tendencies to be distracted by anime and other things were a bit of an annoyance and detriment on her work ethic at times, however along with Sans, we worked well together during that time as a team."

..and then that accident happened, bust Gaster wasn't going to revisit that memory. He was very silent on that issue as he felt like Moogie shouldn't know of his tragic fate in the end of it all, marking his time of being the Head Royal Scientist. However, with the talks of Alphys, he now seems to wonder more on noted progress since she was in Ambrosia. He remembered on seeing physical proof of change but it was hard to tell. The city in itself still looks like a city in the middle of some ruins and it should be more advanced, however, then again, this is Alphys. Well, he's going to change it to be more suitable, Alphys was only a start but Gaster is going to push it fully through, if, he could manage his mental instability from the time in the Void.

Yes, while being with a personal request to be watched by the likes of Sans and Undyne sounds like he is letting himself willingly be monitored but he doesn't fully trust himself to the likes of being alone. Part of him doesn't want to harm others but the other half wants to desire it with the onsight of Humans plaguing this place; he had to remind himself that he is a civil monster, not a barbaric one.

In fact, the guards in front of Ambrosia's gates are even unnerved of him, fearing that he might do something awful to them out of sheer anger and wrath but he choose to spare them of his crushing feelings. Emotions were a weak point for him ever since he was in the Void, overlooking the many timelines and with unable to do anything to change it.

Moogie noticed that Gaster was eerily silent for sometime and perked up. "Are you okay? Excuse me, Mr. Gaster, kupo?"

The Moogle's tone was of concern for the skeleton monster he was with; of course, he wasn't a mind reader or anything like that but he could feel that something was off with the other. He was worried that something was bothering him in general and wondered if his mention of Alphys triggered this ominous situation to arise.

Gaster eventually came to before he looked to Moogie with a calm look. Even though he was sometimes called as insensitive and cold, feelings knew how to bring out things, even if he didn't want to admit it. Closing his eyes, he sighed a bit before Moogie spoke up. "O-Okay, maybe that's a bit insensitive. I didn't know you would react like that, kupo."

The skeleton shook his skull before he spoke up,"It is not your fault Moogie. I was just..thinking.."

Moogie nodded, "It's understandable. Take your time, there's no rush in it all. I'm here, you're here. Everything will be fine, kupo."

As much as Gaster is still much of a mystery, Moogie felt like he should watch what he brought up. So far, everytime he brings up a sensitive subject, Gaster has something of a habit where he stares out to space of something. After all, he can't help but to wonder what's going on inside that skull of Gaster's and just try to help him out from there but he didn't want to feel like he would add more problems that would make a mess of things. To  him, Gaster is an interesting individual in general but it feels like he's not all there inside that skull of his; as if he is haunted by something, regret or otherwise..

Moogie felt like he should do the talking about himself as Gaster had already explained himself to the Moogle.

Breaking the silence, Moogie asked, "Mr. Gaster, do you ever wonder where I was from? I mean, I did tell you about my kind but I feel like I haven't covered it good enough. You know? "

Looking over Gaster's attention veered towards the Moogle in question and nodded.

Before then, Moogie explained everything to him about the history of conflicts and other things while he was in Ambrosia. In fact, he was here when the city was in it's early days and it had grew much since then. However, in terms of being here, he wasn't all too sure about but he does remember some bits and pieces about what happened before, though some details were a bit sketchy to him, noted with him reaching up to the side of his head scratching. The Moogle kept talking on and on that Gaster started to calm down. As Moogie doesn't know it, he is a very intelligent Moogle in his own right and the skeleton appreciated being among other that are likewise. Seeing Gaster calm down again brought a smile across the Moogle's face as talking it out with him was helping the situation; after all, Moogie could talk for hours and hours as he was very talkative in nature.

Soon to eventually finish up what he said, it was actually getting closer to darkness as the crowds were getting lighter and the noise was becoming softer; a quick look in the skies would be indicating that the first stars are about to come out and the moon was becoming more visible, a signal of the oncoming twilight falling upon the landscape.

However, with all this talking, Moogie felt a bit bad that he got distracted of the tour around town as he said. However, he felt like he should do something nice for Gaster as he asked, "Mr. Gaster, would you like something? It's on the house, kupo. I mean, I might not had given you the tour around town b-but I promise to make it up. You are going to be in Ambrosia for awhile, right?"

Gaster looked down to Moogie as he nodded, "I do plan to stay for awhile. I have some..catching up..to do."

Moogie smile as he nodded in return. "Alright, oh and if you need someplace to stay, you could stay at my house for the night and starting tomorrow, we can get serious about that tour around town as I said. I'm sorry if I forgot but you were just so tired out that I was worried that you were going to fall over and hit the ground or something. That would be a bit embarrassing, kupo."

Moogie was still a stranger to him, but at the same time, coming to be an acquaintance. A fairly nice one that approached him when others surrounding him seem to fear him.

[W.D. Gaster]

The twilight grew and it wasn't long before Gaster stood up from the bench with Moogie raising his head to watch. It wouldn't be long before the streetlights start to turn on around them as despite this city having much to catch up on, has some minimum technology involved. Before long, Moogie hopped off the bench and crossed his arms.

"So where to? Want to visit anyplace in particular or head over to my house for the night? Your choice." Moogie offered before Gaster thought over a bit. "I would like to get a closer look of the Palace. It's still strikes me as strange and another thing, I have to see something."

Moogie perked up a bit as his ears twitched. "Huh? But the palace is-"

In silence, Gaster started walking towards that direction of the Palace until his Mobile Dataverse Device went off, stopping himself in place before he saw a message from Alphys.

A little update: Apparently Sans was with Undyne! We're all eating ice cream across the street from the palace. I guess come and find us when you are ready.

Moogie ran to see the message that Gaster was reading. "So they are across the street from the Palace?" he asked before Moogie hopped up and pointed in the direction to the parlor as he exclaimed, "Oh! I know where that is at! Follow me, kupo!"

Before long, Gaster and Moogie would make their way to the parlor to meet up with Sans and the others. Atleast that handles with what is going on in general and avoided a situation.