Starry Night

	The moon hung in the dark night sky, illuminating the impromptu campground that the retired monarchs were staying in for the night. Bright stars dotted the heavy black of the heavens, constellations proudly shining for the older goats to view, galaxies reflecting off of their eyes. Moonlight gave the green of the grass and trees a silvery glow, barely enough for the Dreemurrs to see by. The two had decided to take a small vacation before the school year school started for both of them; these were the the last days of freedom before Toriel had to teach and Asgore had to keep the grounds, and all of their close friends pushed them towards taking a weekend off for just themselves.

	Toriel was fixated on the swirl of stars and galaxies in the sky as she sat next to her husband, thinking of many things as well as enjoyed the sweet quiet of the wilderness. Both of them had forgotten how much they loved the stars, especially because they rarely had such a wonderful view due to the city being so close to where they lived. She had vivid memories from way back before they were forced underground of the night sky, though dusty and ancient, that were brought back by the current view.

	She looked over as Asgore sighed, noticing as his face was beyond happy as he, too, enjoyed the peaceful night. Seconds ticked by, and minutes did, too, in complete silence besides the gentle murmur of the forest and of their breaths. Time became a secondary thought as the moon reached up to its apex. Tired eyes just watched and old lungs breathed, before Toriel finally broke the peace, looking over at Asgore.

	“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” He merely nodded in response, still watching the sky. Toriel smiled as she looked back up. “It’s crazy to think we went so long without seeing this. It feels like only yesterday that we… well, couldn’t.” She shifted on her hands, feeling the springy grass under her fingers, watching the universe spin by at what felt like crazy speeds.

	She closed her eyes for a moment, looking back over at Asgore again. “Have you ever thought about different timelines? Or other possible universes where we still exist? Where things happened differently?” Asgore turned his head at this, his interest piqued. She shook her head. “Like where that war never happened, or that… That we never separated or Asriel and Chara never…”

	She trailed off, and he stared at the stars. All the stars seemed the look back, almost as if they were trying to tell him something. He spoke up before she had to say anything else, “Yes, several times. I had plenty time to think after… what happened with us, and that was one of the many thoughts that plagued me.” Toriel nodded sadly, understanding that she must’ve picked at very sensitive scars and looked down at the ground between her legs. There was a silence that hung in the air heavier than the last one. Asgore’s face softened as he smiled back at her.

	“But, you know what?” She looked up at his gentle and warm expression. “I don’t want to be in any of those timelines. Because, despite all things, I think going through what happened in this one only made me love you more.”