Under Mt. Ebott: The Core Incident

After the Core project, which was supposed to be the ultimate safeguard to destroy the barrier and ensure the survival of the Underground, backfired catastrophically due to the scientists’ reckless imbalance in the reactor, causing the first violent explosion that shook the very foundations of the kingdom and sent tremors echoing through every corridor, Alphys came running to you, desperately warning, pleading, almost screaming that the Core was unstable and that without immediate intervention the energy would spiral out of control and consume everything, but as the user embodying Asgore, naively believing there was still enough water to contain the rising heat and the molten energy, you hesitated, you listened but did not act, and the Core erupted again, far worse than before, a wave of searing light, twisting metal, and burning magma that swallowed whole districts, sending monsters fleeing in terror, fracturing the ground, corroding machinery, destroying the communication lines, severing power, and leaving Alphys frantic as she returned once more to your side, her voice trembling through static, telling you that not only was monsterkind now in imminent danger but the royal family themselves were at risk, that the chambers that once held the ancient archives were now melting, that the laboratories were collapsing, and that the Core’s corruption had begun leaking into every system, every conduit, every shadowed corner of the Underground, and now you, as the user, must make impossible decisions, direct the dwindling water reserves, prioritize who lives and who dies, navigate hallways that are twisting, crumbling, unrecognizable, with the haunting presence of the King speaking through flickering, glitching, corrupted broadcasts, his voice repeating fragments of phrases, cutting off mid-word, whispering warnings and cryptic accusations like “You… you should have listened… it burns… it consumes… the Core remembers… the Core sees… all is lost… yet some remain… do you understand… [static]…”, and every choice you make echoes, amplifies the terror, stretches the agony, and you feel the weight of the kingdom collapsing, the Core’s hum growing louder, hotter, more alive, as Alphys shouts fragmented instructions, the walls themselves trembling with energy that defies comprehension, the tunnels twisting unnaturally, and the King’s presence, half-ghost, half-machine, half-core, watches, judges, and speaks again, his words warped by interference, glitching, repeating, warning, accusing, mourning, as if reality itself is unraveling, and the fate of the Underground, the survivors, and your own legacy as a ruler rests entirely in your hands, and the echoes of the explosions, the Core’s unstable pulse, the crumbling of the kingdom, and the haunting, corrupted voice of the King follow you into every choice, every hallway, every command, every desperate attempt to save what remains before everything, absolutely everything, is consumed in fire, static, and broken memories that flicker like dying VHS tapes, leaving only you, Asgore, and the fractured, corrupted consciousness of the King, speaking through glitch, warning through fragments, accusing through half-formed sentences, as the Core’s rage grows beyond comprehension and the Underground teeters on the edge of annihilation.

I… I think we still have enough reserves, Alphys, the Core has always been stable before, we can manage this, I’ll keep watch, but now seeing the first explosion, feeling the heat, and hearing the tremors, I realize how wrong I was and how much is at stake if we do nothing.