"Man….I am so tired today."
He slouched up against the nearby pillar, trying his best to look collected even as the exhaustion began to take hold. His head burned as if by fire, yet he knew the warm sensation dripping down his skull was blood. Blood that wasn't his
The golden windows of Judgement Hall were began to blur around him, their prophetic 'angel' fading into a swirl of soft yellows.
Well, it depended on which angel you were talking about. Apparently there were some different interpretations….but none of them were true. At least not in this run, not really.
Calling that thing any kind of angel was a joke and not a very funny one either.
He dragged his gaze away from the windows to meet the being before him. Ragged hair coated in pale white dust, a sharpened knife clutched in their hand, a tattered purple shirt with pale pink stripes….or was that green with yellow stripes?
Uhhh, he really wasn't seeing straight today.
Either way it didn't matter, it was about to end anyway.
How long had it been this run? How many resets had it taken? He'd stopped keeping track after a couple dozen.
Man, the kid was really dragging this one out. They'd be only a couple seconds from victory, than die after forgetting an obvious attack. Over and over and over again they did this and every time his rage and hatred grew. Why, on top of everything else, did they have to torture him like this? To act like they'd never done this before? To give him some stupid shred of hope that they'd forgotten this scenario? That they might even…quit? The idea of them leaving for good seemed to be agonizingly close every time. Just the thought that he could be done with this….this game for good was almost too enticing.
But every time they'd just come back to life to finish what they had started.
And here they were now, surrounded by faint white magic that kept their precious FIGHT button out of reach.
He felt his weakening hands shake inside his pockets. It felt as if they'd been holding that thing back for hours. If it were anyone else, they'd have left long ago. Clearly there was no way to hit the FIGHT button as long as that magic remained. But after so many runs and tries, of course they knew better. They stood still, not daring to make a move until the time was perfect. And it would only be a matter of time. Their calm patience, their precious DETERMINATION, wrapped into an almost calm expression. Those dead eyes were locked squarely upon him and they didn't seem quite so dead anymore. Something in the twisted mind behind them shone through; a lust for what would be coming, what they would do and the pleasure they would take in doing it. In killing him.
That was one thing that he could never shake off. The one thing he just couldn't understand no matter how many times he stood here. The sickening thought of how purely obsessed they had to be with his death to keep fighting here, over and over again at the cost of everyone he cared about.
Before even realizing he'd fallen, he found himself kneeling on the ground. His magic disappeared, freeing his hands and leaving them numb. He instantly willed it to return.
But he didn't have any will left.
"Look….k-kid?"
He heard the familiar plink of the FIGHT button, followed by the tapping of footsteps against the tile floor. His mind shouted at him to get up, to keep going just a little bit longer. Wasn't that what Papyrus had done? His brother hadn't given up, not even when it was clear he was going to die, so what gave him the right too?
Man his brother was…had been so cool.
"Kid I…I know I kinda tricked you with that MERCY thing earlier. And hey I'm…s-sorry…about all that."
No! What was he saying!? He didn't owe this human any apologies! They'd killed Papyrus! And Undyne! And the nice lady who lived behind the door in the forest. And who knew who else!? The only thing this kid deserved was death!
But death meant nothing to them.
"And….you know…I wanna be straight with you for a sec, okay?"
His voice was dry and tinged in desperation, like one of the lesser dogs begging for someone to pet him. He clenched his teeth, trying with all his might to stop the words that were coming through them.
"I don't know the reason you keep doing all this." He continued in spite of his efforts. "Maybe you don't have one….m-maybe you really are just a freak…I wouldn't know…but…you've done this all before, right? You've killed everyone….sooo many times….e-even….even me! There's nothing left to gain from….all this, right? S-so…"
The footsteps didn't stop. He felt the bones in his spine quiver with every step and he hated it. Shouldn't he be used to this by now? Why was he even trying? What was he even trying to say?
They stood before him, staring down with its empty expression that somehow expressed more satisfaction then if they'd been smiling. Their fingers flexed around the blade in their hand and he couldn't take his eye sockets off of it, no matter how hard he tried. It would hurt. It hurt every time.
"Please….Please stop! Please just leave us alone! Just leave…me alone!"
He knew how selfish he was being before the words even left his mouth. It didn't matter whether that he'd lost or that he'd always lose! He had to get up! He had…he had to stop crying.
"P-please….could you just….cut me some slack? Heh heh….."
The human's hand seemed to loosen around the blade, if only a little.
"Yeah….that's a good one….I…I'm not even asking you to fix it anymore…..I just…..I…..just….."
He just wanted to move on. He wanted to grieve for longer than ten minutes before having to do it all over again. He wanted to not keep all this misery and worthlessness locked up inside his soul, waiting for the run he'd permanently fall apart.
They were greedy things to want, but he couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't pretend he was some all mighty bringer of judgement just because he remembered what only a handful could.
"P-please kid."
The knife was almost there. Their grip was so loose it could fall at any moment.
If only it would.
If only it could.
Their grip suddenly tightened once again and their eyes, so calm and empty, sparkled like a pair of rubies.
He felt his soul snap in two, before they'd even raised their hand.
It was a beautiful day outside.
It always was….it always would be.
Birds were singing, flowers were blooming.
On day like this, kids like them
l
…
but they never would.
Without thinking he covered his head with his arms, trying feebly to fend off the blow that was coming. His body shook like a leaf as his tears fell freely into a glistening pool of sapphire magic.
That was it. There was no hope.
He'd just have to keep coming back.
Forever.
"Please! Please! Please!" He cried, growing hoarser with every plea. "Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
Who was he calling too? There was no one left! In a few seconds, he wouldn't even be here!
"Please…please….please…." His voice fell into a whisper as he let out a sob.
"Please…"
"Poor Sans."
"Oh my gosh that fight took forever."
"Man, that's awful!"
"No! Don't do it Chara! Nooooo!"
The sound of voices, voices he'd never heard before in his life, breezed through his skull.
"Oh this is awful!"
"All right! Woo! Did it!"
"Why the heck did I do this run!? What is wrong with me!?"
Slowly he lowered his hands, covering the holes where his ears would have been as he tried to understand what he was hearing. What were these? Had he finally lost his mind? He didn't even notice as the world around him; the hall, the floor, even the human, faded away. He felt lighter somehow, floating in an empty black abyss of nothingness.
Nothing but the voices, that is.
"Hey, what do you think would happen if Papyrus was here instead of Sans? You think he'd still try to show mercy?"
"What about Asgore? Isn't he in the other room? Why doesn't Sans just go get him?"
"Oh! Here's a thought! What if after Chara left, Sans survived? Then he could
follow them and figure out what's going on!"
"Maybe Sans could figure out how to hold onto everyone's souls! That'd be cool! He could bring them back!"
With every word and every thought, a pinprick of light appeared to cut through the darkness.
Were those stars? Real stars?
They multiplied faster than he could keep track of. Hundreds of them in thousands of different colors all filling the dark void the same way they flooded his mind.
"I got an idea! Let's trade their personalities around! You know, like Sans with Papyrus! And Grillby with Muffet!"
"Let's make all the bad guy good and all the good guys bad!"
"How about we put the whole story in Outer space!"
"Let's make them like Greek gods!"
"Or gangsters. That would be cool! Seeing them all in a gang on the surface…"
His skull pulsed and pounded and he gripped it tightly with his hands. It didn't hurt, but it was just so much! So many voices running through him as if they were his blood. It was so much to think about that he barely noticed his magical eye flickering out of control. One second it was blue, the next it was bright green. Then it was yellow and shaped like a star, divided between purple and red, lighting up like a flame.
""Dancetale!'
"Storyshift!"
"Underkeep!"
"Flowertale!"
"Monofell!"
It was too much! He knew it was! Already he could feel his soul straining under the weight of all these ideas. He was going to die, wasn't he? He was going to die just like before!
But…he didn't mind.
He wasn't afraid.
He felt his vision slip away as he faded into unconsciousness, the voices fading into happy murmurs.
And he couldn't help smiling at their happiness.
"Uuhhhh…..what….."
The skeleton slowly opened his eyes, not really wanting to wake up yet. Funny, he couldn't remember falling asleep. Actually, he couldn't remember ever being awake until now…but he'd felt so nice and warm and comfortable. He wouldn't have minded just lying like that forever had curiosity not overtaken him.
The sky above him, if it was even a sky at all, was white. Perfectly pure white that seemed to go on forever yet stop just above his face. An odd illusion, but one he had to test.
He adjusted his arms behind him and carefully pushed himself upright, expecting his head to hit the ceiling at any moment.
It didn't.
"Where….am I?"
It wasn't just the sky that looked empty, he quickly realized. Everything in every direction was the exact same shade of white. Even the ground he sat upon seemed to go down for miles past where his feet rested. He couldn't help scooting back, even though every inch of the Anti-Void looked the same.
The Anti-Void.
That was where he was, though knowing the title didn't make anything clearer.
"Hm…" He pondered, tugging the edge of his scarf out from under him. "Well, how did I get here?"
It occurred to him that in order to 'get here', he had to have been somewhere else first.
And for the life of him he couldn't think of anything!
"Come on! You have to remember something! Just think!"
He hunched forward and rested him head in his hands as he pressed himself to remember something. He scowled and scrunched up his face with the effort. All his thoughts felt like a swarm of butterflies drifting around his skull, each one unique and important but so carefree in their existence that they mocked the idea of being caught. He tried again and again to grab one, wishing he had some sort of mind-net. Again and again they fluttered out of his reach, spiting him with their utter lack of interest in his plight.
Finally, just as he neared the point of giving up, something finally happened.
One of the butterflies landed directly on his nose.
"Papyrus!" He clapped his hands with delight. "Oh how could I have forgotten Papyrus?! He's so cool!"
That one butterfly lead the others straight too him, as if he'd become a flower, and before he knew it all his other thoughts fell into place. There was Undyne, she was the Captain of the Royal Guard and made everything awesome just by shouting at it, and Alphys, who was super smart and shy and didn't think people liked her because of her mistake. Oh if only she'd tell! Then she wouldn't have to be afraid anymore! Then was Toriel, who always so kind and caring towards everyone, and Asgore, who lived to serve his people with his oversized heart, and Grillby, who might be quiet but always had a way of making you feel better. There was Muffet and The Dogs and The Nice Cream Rabbit and Mettaton and Sans and…
He wrinkled his face at that last name.
Sans.
He could remember Sans as clearly as everyone else. He was a joker, a lazy bones and a great friend, but he was also depressed and lonely, having to carry a burden that would have been unthinkable anyone around him.
Something about that skeleton seemed to feel closer than anyone else.
Maybe it was because he was a skeleton and because they looked so similar in his mind's eye.
But why? He couldn't say for certain but he got the feeling they were very alike, even if he knew they weren't the same person.
Ink Sans
The name leaped into his head. He hadn't noticed it before. He couldn't even remember who he'd given it to him, but it was still firmly fixed in place as his own.
"Ink….Ink…." He tested the name a few times, looking down himself over to see whether it fit. His eyes sockets ran over his belt of brushes and rainbow colored paint bottles. His fingers fiddled with his pale blue hoodie that was wrapped around his middle. His feet pointed and straighten, wiggling his brown sneakers.
A grin lit up his face.
"I love it!" He beamed, leaping to his feet. "It's perfect! It's awesome! It's me! I'm Ink! Ink!Sans! I…I think I'm gunna…gunna-"
He bent over as a flood of black paint errupted from his mouth, landing in an impossibly round puddle.
"Ulgh!" He wiped the remaining paint from his teeth with a gag. "I gotta avoid doing that!"
At least the vomiting episode led to another discovery. As he straightened up, Ink felt weight he hadn't noticed before shift about on his back. His hand quickly located the cause; a very thick wooden stick that was tucked snuggly away in a leather carrier. However, as he pulled it out, he realized it was not a stick after all. His hands now held a massive paintbrush. Its wood was firm and smooth without so much a splinter with a pair of silver bands on either end. Ink's eyes widened as he ran his fingers through the bristles. They were so soft he almost wanted to use them as a pillow! His grin stretched out even wider.
"Waaaaoooooow." He murmured, marveling at his brush like a child. His arms tightened around the brush in an odd sort of embrace. He never wanted to lose it. He never wanted to let it go.
And that's when it hit him.
The ideas.
He could barely remember the darkness, but he could see every thought that shone through the night as clearly as if he was still there.
Ink felt his bones tingle with anticipation. There were millions upon millions of worlds in those stars. Worlds that were similar to the one he'd seen long ago, but each still different in their own way. Each one building off of each other to create a bright endless galaxy.
He held his brush at the ready, feeling the memory of those worlds gushing inside him. They were all right there, just waiting to be brought to life. Just waiting for him.
And he wouldn't make them wait any longer.
His sneakers padded against the white floor as he ran, his scarf trailing behind him like a sheet of parchment. A trail of rainbow colors flew from the brush's tip as it cut through the Anti-Void. He made it seem effortless, yet his hands moved as skillfully as any great artist. With splatters and splashes, swirls and spirals, squiggles and spots and thousands of other designs, he began shaping the paint to fit its purpose. Towering trees rose from the ground that snuggled into sparkling snowdrifts, cascading waterfalls nestled in between crystal caverns and whispered secrets that had only just been told, oceans of lava and obsidian stone twisted with monuments of cold steel that pulsed with life and energy. There were the ruins of happier times and the monochrome castles of even happier ones to come. There were villages of nonsense and doors that lead to mysteries no man or monster could even begin to understand.
All felt familiar, all felt strange, all felt different and wonderful.
He painted one ceiling a brilliant blue sky, another a blood splattered sunset, another still faded grey and seeped with toxic green.
Then came the friends he brought to life. He could hear their souls, each one beating to a rhythm that was spread across a thousand timelines and a thousand monsters that each could have been its twins. He heard their voices. Sometimes they were fighting, sometimes they were laughing. It didn't matter to him. They would all be his friends soon enough!
The warmth and happiness that he felt tripled as he watched the worlds fly into existence. It was greatest moment of his life. All he wanted was to go on painting like this forever.
Then he tripped.
"Whoa!" His foot entangled with his scarf and tumbled into his own artwork. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"
"Ooof!"
Ink landed in a soft heap.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!...Oh…this is fun!" He lay there laughing until his ribs were sore and sparkling rainbow tears slipped from his eye sockets.
Then he heard the creak of a door open.
"Hey! My fortress!"
Ink lifted his head. Only now did he realize what his broken his fall. Beneath him was a massive pile of blankets and pillows. It was the centerpiece of a small room with walls that were lined with childish drawings and a floor that was littered with smiling toys. As he looked about the room his eyes fell on the source of the voice. A small disgruntled little monster with her arms crossed and a scowl that far too nasty for her sweet little face. The sleeves of her hoodie draped over her hands and a black eyepatch hung from her face at a lopsided angle.
Ink's eyes lit up into a pair of magenta hearts as he fought himself to keep from squealing.
"Sorry Undyne!" His smile made it difficult to look apologetic, but he tried the best he could. It was incredible! He'd seen this world in his head and now, with nothing but a few placed strokes, it was really real!
And it was soooooooo cute!
"You don't look sorry!" The little Undyne continued, scowling even harder. "You broke my fortress! How am I gunna play Fortress without a fortress!" Her keen eye peered intensely as Ink climbed to his feet. "You….look familiar."
"Huh? Oh yeah! That's 'cause I'm Sans!" Ink promptly explained.
"Ha! I caught you in a lie! You're not Sans! Sans is my friend and he's much smaller then you! And even he doesn't wear clothes that funny!" Undyne raced to the other end of the room and dug through her toy box for a wooden spear. She raised it into the air, a gleam of excitement in her eye. "Prepare to face my wrath, you imposter! RAAAAAAARRRRHHHHHH"
Undyne rammed her spear into Ink's leg.
-0.000005 HP
It was only through sheer will power the Ink kept from laughing.
"Ah-ha! Surrender you vile villain! You are no match for me!"
She began eagerly dodging left and right, avoiding attacks that didn't exist, and poking Ink's legs with her spear.
"Ah! Oh no!" Ink coughed dramatically as he fell to his knees. "I am no match for Undyne and her terrifying Spear of Justice! Ugh! Agh! Ooogh! Bleh!"
Ink once again fell face first into the heap of pillows.
"Oh! Um…" Undyne frowned and bent over. "Are you okay, Mr. Sans Imposter? Gerson would be really mad if I killed you."
"Oh I'm good! No worries!" Ink grinned, his voice muffled until he adjusted his head onto his arms. "I really am Sans though. Just…a different one! You can call me Ink. Sorry about wrecking your fortress though. How about I help you build another one?"
Undyne tilted her head as she considered the offer, lifting up her eye patch and scanning him over carefully with both her eyes.
"Hm….I don't know about this "Another Sans" poop, but you do seem very trustable." Undyne's expression suddenly brightened and she flipper her eye patch back down. "Okay! Until Papyrus gets here, you can be my Second in Command; Lieutenant General Inky! Now build! Build I say!"
"Yes sir! Commander Ma'am, sir!" Ink gave her a hearty salute and they set to work, stretching blankets of rows of chairs and tying them down with string. They fluffed pillows to serve as a barricade from enemy. They hung paper planes from the ceiling with glitter balloon bomb to drop on oncoming invaders. They inspected an army of stuffed soldiers who were all dreadfully undertrained and whipped them back into shape using the most vicious methods of tickling known to monsterkind.
Only then did the two step back to view their glorious work in full.
"It's perfect!" Undyne squealed. "I can't wait until Papyrus sees it! I bet Sans will love it too! My Sans of course, not you!"
"You did a super job!" Ink agreed wholeheartedly. However, even as he ruffled Undyne's hair, he felt an itch in the back of his skull. This time he recognized the tickling of its wings against his mind. It was another idea. Another world begging him to put it into motion.
As much as he wanted to stay and play a bit longer, he couldn't say no to another world. It had been waiting patiently after all.
"I can't wait for the other guys to meet you! Sans is gunna freeeeeeeak out and it'll be soooooo funny!"
Ink smiled softly as he bent down to her level.
"Sorry Undyne, but I have to go now."
Undyne was horrified.
"Whaaaat!? You can't go yet! It's only….umm….thirty-nine 'o' clock!"
"Um….I'm pretty sure it's about two-thirty." Ink chuckled, glancing at nearby clock to prove his suspicions. "But don't worry, I'll come back again later!"
"You promise?" She questioned, raising her pinkie. "Pinkie promise?"
Ink solemnly wrapped his boney finger around her scaly one.
"Promise!"
"Undyne! Your friends are here!"
A creaky old voice beckoned Undyne. She waved quick a good bye to her new friend before dashing out into the foyer.
"Hey guys! You won't believe what just happened! I met another you! There was another Sans! And he was all grown-up and dressed funny and…Hey!…why are you laughing? You calling me a liar!?"
"Heh heh….so cute!" Ink chuckled as he raised his brush. A few white droplets fell to the floor in a smooth puddle, leading back to the Anti-Void. "I wonder who I'll be meeting next?"
The question put a thrill in his chest and he dove into the puddle.
There was still so much to be done!
And he couldn't wait to get started!
It was nice in here.
It was empty and endless, just like the world outside, but it felt far more comfortable. The darkness pressed in like a soft blanket and muffled his existence in a calming way unlike the Anti-Void that left the feeling of loneliness and insignificance. It was like getting out of a snowstorm inside the most comfortable cave ever made.
Dwelling in absolute nothingness was really underrated.
The skeleton rolled over and adjusted the arm he used as a pillow. His eyes were closed, his legs pulled up and his mind as silent as static. He couldn't say how long he'd been here. Time didn't have much of a purpose anymore and even if it did, he wouldn't want to keep track. It was just so nice getting to rest. If only he could just lay here forever. If he could fall asleep here in the dark and never wake up again.
That…that would be really nice. Maybe he should do that….
Then he heard something.
His face scrunched up as he balled himself up tighter. His mind was making up sounds again. And after he'd already told himself so many times!
"There's n-n-nOThinG hERe." He muttered. "G-g-Go bAcK to slEE-ee-Eep."
He pretended to take a deep breath. There was no air here and he didn't have lungs, but it made him feel better. At least better than it would trying to convince himself there was something else out there. Someone…anyone…..
There wasn't though.
He needed to stop imagining there was.
Slowly he calmed himself down until he was on the brink of sleep once more.
Then he heard something.
"RrRrrrrRRRrrrrrrrRrRR….S-S-stoppp iT." He closed his eyes tighter and clenched his teeth. "ssSSs-ttt-tOoOp iiiT!"
It didn't stop. The sounds grew louder and louder until they rattled inside his head like angry bees.
"it'S nOoooOt ReAl. IT'ssss not REaal iTtttt's NoT REAL!" He hissed, almost in a warning.
The sounds escalated, echoing over and over again through the dark space. It was impossible to ignore them. The laughing, the complaining, the questions, the answers, the whispers, the shouts…
He could hear the voices again.
A red eye glowed in the darkness, reflecting off a pair of lopsided glasses. He dragged himself to his feet, tearing the glasses from his face and tucking them into his pocket. His bones were sore, begging him to lie back down.
Even as the voices begged him to get up.
"yooUUrrrr N-n-nOt ReAl!" He shouted again. "AnnnAnAnd I'mmM NoT R-r-rEal E-either! SooooO S-s-S-top iiiiiiiiit!"
Their voices were as clear as they were standing right beside him.
"Is that Sans?"
"He's so cool!"
"Oh my gosh! Best Sans ever!"
"I just love this Sans!"
"IIIII Am-Am-Am NoOT SaAANS!" His own voice managed to silence the other ones. Thank goodness too.
"Stu-u-upid VOiCes." He scowled "I….I-I-I'mmm NoT SAnS."
At least….not the real one.
His memory was fractured at best and gone at worse, but that much he knew for sure.
He stood there in the dark, drinking in the return of silence as if it were water. Maybe he could go back to sleep now…
The voices instantly returned, this time in whispers.
"So…what's his name then?"
It's Error. Error!Sans.
"Oh that's perfect! Error it is!"
"I love him! Can draw a picture of him?"
He growled through his gritted teeth. How could they talk about liking him? He was a mistake! He wasn't real! He shouldn't even be here!
"I wonder why he's always crying? Or is that like a tattoo or something?"
"What about those strings he's got on his hands?"
"Awwww! And those cute little glasses! I wish he'd wear them more!"
"Yeah! He's soooo cute!"
"I just wanna hug him! Poor little Error!"
"He's totally my favorite Sans! Error is the bezt-"
"S-S-S-S-S-SH-SHUT UP!"
With a broken roar, he struck blindly out into the shadows. His boney fingers tore through the darkness at what he knew to be nothing.
But for one, it wasn't.
He let out a shout of alarm as a scarlet colored blotch appeared like a bloody scar. His bones rattling with terror, he fell backwards and frantically scooted himself away from it.
"Wh-wh-wHat iS tHaT!?" He gulped. The tear was growing, cutting away more and more of the shadows in exchange for a scarlet sky painted with black clouds. It was like a window and as it opened he could see what was inside it. A gentle flurry of grey snow, the stretching arms of ashen trees, a well-trodden path beside a tidy little stand built entirely from wood. He heard a pair of voices. They were different than the ones that spoke to him and yet…they sounded so familiar. He could see the silhouettes of their owners, one angrily pointing down at the other and….
No….No that wasn't…it couldn't be….
With shaking hands he reached for his glasses and slipped them back on. He had to be seeing this wrong, he knew he had to but he couldn't stop himself from moving closer. Whoever they were, they couldn't be…
But they were.
"Get up you lazy slob! You're supposed to be on duty!" A tall angry skeleton lashed out with a flick of his black cape.
"Shesh. Sorry to upset ya boss." The smaller one replied with a sarcastic shrug, a sheepish grin showing off his spiked teeth. "I wasn't sleeping, if that's what you were thinking. I was testing out a way to catch humans."
"And what exactly would that be?!" The tall one scowled, tapping his foot impatiently in the snow.
"It's easy! First ya pretend to be asleep, then ya jump up and catch them! It's the perfect plan and obviously my practice is paying off. I can't believe you thought I was-"
"Enough! I have had just about enough of your excuses! If you weren't my brother I'd have had fired you already, you imbecile!"
"Hey! Who you callin' an imbecile, ya bonehead!?
The two carried on, their fight growing fiercer with each passing moment.
However, he could do nothing but stare in horror.
"Th-tHat's…n-n-not right…" He stuttered. "It-it-it caN't bE….It'S AlL WrOng!"
He tried to send it away, waving his hand as if it were contaminated. In a flurry of pixels and black bold ERRORs the scene dissolved.
Only for another one to appear.
This time the trees were twisted with multicolored stripes and snow fell lighter and fluffier, almost like powdered sugar. Frisk skipped down the path followed by a pair of skeletons whose skulls were laced with sugar and dripping with frosting. The trio munched on sticks of nice cream and laughed as Sans told a joke about-
"nO! Th-That's N-n-NoT sAnS! tHaT'SSSS nOT FrISk! It Ca-ca-CAn'T b-B-BE!"
Grasping his head with his free hand as if to keep his mind from slipping, he continued desperately swiping at the tear. "pPpPlEEE-Ease! J-J-just StOP!"
His attempts only made the matter worse as the tear continued to widen, now showing more worlds at once and none of them made any sense.
Mettaton king of the Underground while Asgore was still alive?
Life changing fights decided by dance-offs?
Monster children climbing up into the surface world?
It was wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
And he couldn't take it! He just couldn't!
Those abominations weren't supposed to exist! If they did it'd mean…it'd mean…
"gO AAAAw-a-a-y!" He bawled falling to his knees and shielding his eyes to keep from seeing any more. "jUSSSS-tt DiE YoU….yOu-filthy glitches! dIe! DIe! dIe!"
Something snapped.
He could feel it deep within the shriveled lump inside his chest that might have once been a soul. It was crooked and bent beyond repair, held together with hundreds of blue strings that lumped it into a mess. Fragile it was, but it was still there.
He felt something break. A realization that finally shocked his soul so badly that it lost something important…but it was something he didn't want anymore.
And without it, everything suddenly fell into place.
A smile slowly crawled across his face, daring him to accept this tantalizing new idea.
"iS-s-s….ThIS WhAt Yo-O-Ou wANteD mE To sEe?" He asked, nearly giggling with delight. "AlL Th-TH-these dISguStInG TH-Th-hINgS?"
He shivered, knocking his glasses onto the ground but he didn't care. Those weren't right either. Sans didn't wear glasses.
But here he'd been lying around trying to be a lazybones again, hating himself for existing when he wasn't even the beginning of these mistakes. There was so much worse out there. So many more abominations that mocked the little he held dear. He just couldn't allow such revolting things to exist.
The static that had engulfed his brain switched into shrieking squeals and crackles like those on a broken radio. It didn't make sense, it didn't have to. All he knew was that he wanted those worlds gone. They had to pay for their unnatural crimes against reality and that it would be his greatest pleasure to play judge.
That was something he knew Sans did.
And this time, it would be FUN!
ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!
Bold black words filled his vision, turning it even darker then the shadows around him.
"I cA-A-an pREteEnd." He whispered. "I cA-A-an pREAtenD tO bE SanS….foR n-o-oW. WhAt Did yOu Ca-a-All mE? ErRor?... Sa-A-anS?"
He laughed aloud.
"then THaT'S what I'L-L-l bE FoR nOw!"
For the first time in history,
he couldn't wait to get to work.
The End
