Burning

by Skeletal Italian

Sans is faced with the human, Chara, and resets once more. However, he might be able to save them all...

It happened again. Another reset. I stood sentry outside my post, cracking jokes with the old lady on the other side of the iron door, when her voice dropped quickly. I felt my bones shiver, and knew what was happening.
"Sans...right?" the old lady asked, and I sighed. "Yeah," I replied, leaning against the door. "I'm here, whatcha need?"
"I want you to...to promise me...that you'll help the next one to go through this door...it will be a young human..." I cursed mentally, but agreed to the old lady's promise.
"No worries! I got ya covered!" I said cheerily, winking although she couldn't see me. I heard her faintly chuckle, and it slowly turned into sobs.
"Sans...they killed all the monsters on this side of the door; I'm all that's left...but they're asleep right no-oh god nO-" I jumped to my feet as she let out a blood curling scream, and silence fell. I could feel my soul shaking within me, and I prepared an attack, just in case. The door slowly creaked open, and the young child stepped out. I grit my teeth, suspecting they were on a murdering spree, but the second they laid eyes on me, tears broke past.
I blinked, and stopped my attack. 'This...never happened before.' I thought, but cleared my throat. "Yo, kid. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. You look a mite bit downtrodden. What's u-"
"...no...not again...I can't...not you..." they were sobbing, now curled on the ground. Their whole body shook with their sobs, and I faltered for a moment.
"H-hey, kid! Look, I'm trying to help ya! C-c'mon, let's get you someplace war-"
"You don't understand!" They screamed, head spinning towards me. Tears soaked their face, and the cold was freezing it almost instantly. They went back to laying in the snow and I groaned faintly.
"Kid, we're going." I grabbed their hand as quick as I could, and we appeared in Grillby's. "Now, what do ya feel like eatin'?" The kid was silent in response. I grunted softly and shook my head.
"Not this again, huh?" I asked, looking at the bar counter. The kid spun their head away from me as I glanced at them, and I sighed faintly.
"Fine. If you won't talk, then I will." I beckoned to Grillby and asked for a stiff drink, and if he could clear the bar. The hothead agreed, and everyone left at his command. He left a drink out for me, then went into the back.
"This is the first time I refused to let you near my bro." I said with a slight snarl, and the kid slowly glanced at me as I cracked the drink open. "I know you're killing monsters, and I WON'T let you kill him. Not again." The kid snickered, and I glared at them.
"I wouldn't kill him. Nor would I kill you. But everyone else? They're fair game. I'd kill you "bro's" if I didn't need your help." they sighed and folded their arms on the counter, laying their head in them.
I chugged a bit of the drink, then glanced back at the kid. "So. What's your name." I asked, and the child halted. "I'm...F...Frisk..."
"Nah." I grinned. The kid glared at me and I winked at them. "I know you're Chara. Frisk's too nice. What did ya do to them?" I sounded less friendly, and Chara hissed.
"How did you know my name?!" they demanded, rising to their feet and slamming their hands on the counter. I lifted one finger and used my magic to force them back into their chair.
"I've been through so many resets with you. You like to kill, don't you. Only once did ya help us all, but you still killed everyone. But this time's different. You're different. Why." I chugged the rest then demanded Grillby bring another drink. "I'm only asking because you didn't attack me on sight this time."
They stayed silent for a moment.
"In fact, you started crying." I continued, and Chara pulled their legs into themself. I watched them through the corner of my eye socket before closing my eyes with a soft chuckle. "Whattya know; the big baddie has a soft spot."
Chara snarled and spun around to glare at me as Grillby walked over with another drink for me. Chara opened their mouth then slammed it shut as they went back to resting their head in their arms. I sighed, and copied them.
"Y'know, it's funny," I started, playing with the label on the bottle. Chara glanced at me as I continued, "You refuse to kill my brother and I, apparently, yet you killed the old lady on the spot." I glanced at them, left eye glowing. Chara sat up immediately and a smirk crawled across my lips. "Whatever bone you had to pick with her, ya got with me. If you really need my help, then you can't kill another monster. Otherwise, you're gonna have a really...REALLY..bad day."
Chara scoffed before snickering gently. "You think you can scare me, Sans?" they laughed, voice melodic and echoing throughout the empty bar. I stared at the kid as they laughed louder. "You're such an IDIOT!"
"Ha...so that's it, huh?" I chuckled, and stared the kid down. "Thanks for the drinks. See ya in Hell, bucko."
Holding tight to my bottle, I teleported right out of the bar and straight to Papyrus' post; legs giving out the instant I arrived. I cursed annoyingly and slowly sat up, dusting off my jacket.
"Sans? Sans, why aren't you at your post? Why is there a bottle in your ha-did you go to Grillby's again?!" Papyrus whined, stomping his feet. I chuckled and gave him as sweet of a smile I could muster.
"Sorry, bro. Was taking a break when something came up." I slowly stood up and held my head, which was aching from the conversation with Chara. "Pap...do me a favour...if you see a human...keep as far away from them as possible, no matter how friendly they appear. They don't want to be friends. They want to kill everyone. They killed the old lady on the other side of the door..." I could feel tears build up and I rubbed my eyes before chuckling. "Please, Pap. Just stay away."
He was staring at me, worry apparent on his face, and he knelt down to my level. "Sans, what do you mean? How...how do you know this?" Papyrus seemed worried, and his right hand touched my cheek gently. I looked off to one side.
"I...I suppose you could say...I witnessed it." I then looked back to him, my smile dropped and eyes watering. "Pap, please...please promise me you won't go near ANY human you see..." I was beginning to plead, and the tears grew more. His arms tightened around me, and I wrapped mine around him. "I promise, Sans."
The hug broke slowly, and Papyrus was smiling gently at me. I smiled back and sniffed as I wiped my tears away. Just as Papyrus opened his mouth, our cellphones went off at the same time. Glancing at one another, we pulled them out and answered.
"Yes, this is Papyrus!"
"Yo, what's up." I replied into my phone, turning my back from Papyrus.
"I can't keep my promise, Sans. I need your help, and I'm getting it. Even if I have to kill Undyne for your attention." I froze on the spot at Chara's voice, and my free hand formed a fist. "Oh, and Papyrus can hear us."
Quickly, I spun to Papyrus, who was staring at me with watering eyes, his phone by his head. I gritted my teeth before snarling into my phone, "You listen here, you little brat! You hurt Undyne, and there's no way Papyrus will help you!" Laughter came from the other line, and the call disconnected.
"Sans...you...you know this human...?" Papyrus choked, stepping back. I shoved my phone into my pocket and stared at all the snow nearby before building a snowman. "Sans, what are you-"
"I don't know 'em personally, but I've met them in my dreams. And we chatted at Grillby's." I stepped back from the sculpture, then built a second, nearly identical to the first, but the hair more sharp and blush added.
"Lemme explain. Y'see, my dreams I see this human." I gestured to the first snowman. "Their name is Frisk, and they help us get to the surface. However, from my nightmares, there's Chara." I nodded towards the second. "Well...it turns out Chara exists. And they hate all of us monsters. They're killing everyone. And we have to stop them." I glanced at Papyrus, and he walked towards the snowmen.
"Frisk...is a good human...and Chara...is the bad human?" he replied slowly, and I nodded. "Chara...is the one that wants to kill Undyne..." I nodded once more, and Papyrus' face went completely serious. "Sans, we have to stop them from killing!"
Papyrus suddenly took off, and I grunted as I ran after him. He seemed to be heading towards home, until he ran right past it. My eyes flew open wide as I realized we were heading into Hotland, towards Undyne's house.
Cursing, I ran faster than I'm used to and could feel my eye burning up. As I tripped, I caught Papyrus in my magic and pulled him back to me; the both of us crashing against the ground and rolling into Hotland. I slowly pushed off the ground, panting heavily, and Papyrus started sobbing. I looked at him and he had his knees pulled into his chest, hugging and crying into them. I coughed, and crawled to him.
"Pap, I don't think we can rush the human...it's a child, a psychotic child..." I panted, and he slowly looked at me, his eye burning with magic. I slowly pulled away and sighed, hand on my head. "I know, I should've told you what happened. But I don't know what's happening anymore. This is all new, this hasn't happened before."
"So you've met humans before?" He sounded quite angry, and I looked away. "Sans! Tell me!"
"I told you, Pap; nightmares and dreams-" I started and he stared at me.
"How could the brother tell that the skeleton was lying?"
I blinked and stared at Pap. "Y-you're joking...?" Pap scoffed and shook his head.
"He could see right through him..." Papyrus slowly stated, and I flinched. "Pap, I..." Papyrus put his arms around me, hugging me tightly. Tears built up and I clung to him.
"I've seen you die so many times..." I sobbed, Papyrus rubbing my back. "The child...they used to be Frisk...something happened, Pap; they're not the child we met the first time...the resets did something..."
"What's a reset?" Papyrus asked, and I curled into him. "Is it like when a puzzle goes back to it's original state?"
"Sort of..." I slowly pushed off of him and chuckled. "More like boiling a pot of noodles, and when it's all done, the noodles not only didn't cook, but got corrupted somehow...that's a reset." I looked up at Papyrus, and his eyes were soft and pained.
"So...does a reset effect everyone...?" He asked, and I nodded, hut also shook my head.
"It effects everyone, yes, but no one remembers...except the kid that resets the timeline. And so do I...I used to be able to reset." I chuckled, tears welling up again. "Aw geez, Pap...this hurts..." I curled up, covering my face again. Papyrus threw his arms around me again with his soft scarf in my face. I buried my skull into the scarf, and he kissed my head.
"Sans, thank you for telling me...I may not fully understand, but you should not be baring this alone. So! I, the Great Papyrus, vow to keep us alive for as long as possible!" He pulled away from the hug, his big goofy grin on his face. I couldn't help but laugh, wiping my eyes.
He stood up and held out his hand to me, which I gladly accepted. "Don't run so far ahead of me next time...I'm not as fast as you. I got shorter legs." I winked at him and he chuckled, gripping my hand. "Also, sorry for tripping ya with my magic." I grumbled and Papyrus only smiled before walking towards Undyne's house. Hand in his, I followed him.
We walked and talked, mainly about the resets. He had several questions, and I answered all the best I could. Then, as we reached Undyne's house, he asked his last question:
"Are your nightmares when you wake up from the reset?"
I froze, and looked at the dummy outside Undyne's house, which gave me a angry glare. "Yes." I confessed, and his hand tightened around mine. He walked up to the door, me in tow, and knocked how he normally does.
"Undyne! Tis I, the great Papyrus!" he called out cheerily, and the door slowly creaked open. He glanced at me worriedly, and I gripped his hand tightly.
"Chara!" I yelled, and the human walked through the back door, a big grin on their face. Papyrus was shocked at the sight of the human, and I released his hand, my magic burning up.
"Relax, Sans! I'm here to make you tea!" They bounced towards the stove, and Papyrus ran into the back hastily. Chara watched him then stared me down. "Well, I only really need your help." they chuckled. My eyes flew wide open and I ran after Papyrus, the door slamming shut behind me.
I made my eye glow, and glanced around the room, noticing the orange glow on top of the unconscious Undyne. I moved towards them, and Papyrus stared at me with his glowing eye.
"Sans, she's hurt..." He sounded terrified, and I knelt to Undyne, checking her over for any injuries. "Look, her eyes..." My head snapped up from her wrists, and I noticed the blood dripping from her lids.
"No." I touched her head, opening her lids, and she flinched. "No!" I spun around, my eyes both glowing, my left hand covered in fire magic, as the door slowly opened.
"She was quite angry with me when I ripped her eyes out. Was even more violent when I pulled out her eardrums. However, she fainted right after. Pity." Chara stepped into the room, clicking on the light. The storage room lit up as we stood there, and I was panting heavily. "Aw, Sans, you look...short of breath!" Chara burst out laughing, and I couldn't hold back a second longer.
I lifted my hand, tossing Chara into the air with my magic. Papyrus gasped, and I was shaking with anger. "Why, kiddo. Why do you keep killing?!" I threw them against the opposite wall as Papyrus jumped, falling down beside Undyne. I stepped towards Chara, not noticing the vines growing around me. "If anything, it should be you who dies ne-" As I got closer, one of my slippers caught a vine and I fell forward.
"Heh heh...did you fall down?" Chara giggled, rising to their feet. I groaned and sat up slowly; vines suddenly wrapping around my wrists and pulling them into the ground. I screamed in pain and Chara stepped closer to me. "I'm not going to kill you, Sans. I need you." Chara had an innocent look in their eyes, and I gasped. "But Papyrus?" They giggled and brandished their knife, stepping towards my brother. My eyes flew wide open and I struggled.l to get free as Papyrus backed away.
"No! Don't hurt him, or I swear I'll kill you!" I screamed, and Chara began to laugh violently. "I swear it! I won't even help you, Chara; just please! Leave Pap alone!" My tears couldn't be held back any longer, and Chara glanced towards me with a playful smirk.
That's when I noticed Papyrus had risen to his feet, his eyes glowing bright orange. I struggled more, and the vines began to grow more tight; now wrapping around my legs. Papyrus raised his right hand, bones appearing above him. Tears were starting to fall from his eyes.
"Human!" Chara spun and stared at Papyrus as he released the bones from his spell; piercing the child's body. Chara flew back, falling into a small flower that I didn't notice was in the room. The impact caused the vines to release my, and I ran to Papyrus. "Human, if you dare hurt my brother, or any other monster, then I swear by the King's crown, I will end your miserable life!" Papyrus shouted, more bones appearing around him. I blinked, and grabbed his hand.
"H-hey! Pap, I'm okay!" I laughed sheepishly. "You can see right through me!" I tried to make a pun, but noticed Papyrus wasn't even listening to me. Chara slowly sat up, and the flower began to laugh violently.
"Howdy, Papyrus!" The flower had a huge smile, staring at Papyrus, who suddenly froze in shock. "It's me, your pal! Flowey the flower!" The flower began to laugh, and Chara wiped blood from their mouth. "You've grown quite strong! They're sure to let you in the royal guard now! But...you can't hurt Chara!" Flowey began to cackle, and so did Chara.
Flowey then looked at me, a demonic grin on his face. "You. You're Sansy boy, aintcha? Papyrus sure talks about you a lot! But you don't really look as lazy as he says!" Papyrus was beginning to shake; jaw dropped and eyes watering as Flowey continued speaking. "I mean, look at you! You've been fighting to protect him the whole time! I don't really believe that you're lazy! You're strong! Maybe even stronger than Papyrus! But you're also an idiot! Chara only wants one thing from you, Sansy!"
Chara suddenly threw their knife, lodging it in my shoulder as I let out a scream. Papyrus glared, charging towards the flower. "Papyrus, no!" I tried to grab him, but it was too late. A vine ripped right through his body; tearing his torso apart. I began to shake and sob, reaching for him as he turned to dust; his scarf the only thing to remain. I managed to grab it with my good hand. I slowly stood, holding it in my hand.
"Aw, I'm sorry, Sansy! But he was going to kill us!" Flowey cackled, his face growing more sinister. I clutched the scarf tighter; my eyes both glowing violently with my anger and magic. "...Sansy?"
"So...this is where you've been hiding, huh?" I chuckled angrily; putting the scarf around my neck. "Am I right...Asriel?" Flowey's smile froze. I laughed, raising my left hand as bones began flying everywhere across the room. Flowey shrieked and vanished into the ground; causing Chara to get struck by everything.
"Sans, I'm sorry!" Chara whimpered; their face had changed and was looking more like Frisk. I gritted my teeth, and prepared another attack. Chara began sobbing, laying down.
I stepped closer to the kid, not lowering my guard. They looked up at me; tears and snot covering their face. "Sans, PLEASE! Believe me!" My body shook; anger growing more violent and tears began to fall. They stopped pleading, only to just sob.
"Why should I give ya mercy, huh?" I asked. My mouth was shaking as I spoke. "You killed my brother. You killed the old lady. You killed several monsters, and badly damaged Undyne. You didn't spare anyone, so why should I spare you?!" I was starting to scream; more power being put into my upcoming attack.
"Please...Sans...they took over my body! I didn't...want to...they made me do it...please..." the child looked up at me, and for half a second, I believed them. But I shook it off, and scoffed.
"If you're not Chara, then explain somethin' to me." I stared at the child, and they wiped their eyes at me. "What the hell do you need my help for."
The child slowly stood, and put their hand over their chest. "I...I want you to take my soul, Sans...f-free the monsters...I'm giving it up willingly...if you don't accept, Chara'll come back and kill everyone...please..." I froze, and held a hand over my eyes, dropping my attack.
"I don't get it." I stared at the kid, who was stepping closer to me. "How can I believe you." I pressed my hand to my head, a smile of pain across my lips as I laughed weakly. "How...do I know...Chara isn't going to kill me...?"
The child bit their lips and looked down. "You don't, I know..." They looked back up at me, and pulled out their knife. "But maybe...I can convince you...?" I stepped back, my attack coming right back into position, ten froze as the kid turned the blade on themself; ripping their stomach open with with a loud scream.
I could feel my bones rattle, and I dropped everything. "Hey, k-kid! Y-ya didn't have ta...!" I knelt to them and threw the blade away; clutching their hands tightly. The look on their face told me it was, in fact, Frisk.
"Sans...please...take my soul...get the other six from Asriel...please...save who you can..." Frisk was sobbing; their face twisting and blood began to escape their mouth. I felt the tears fall down again, and nodded.
It felt strange, y'know; feeling a human soul enter my body. I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched as Frisk passed on, but Chara took over again. I leapt from the kid, barely managing to escape their backhand.
"You! Frisk...gave you...their soul...!" Chara hissed, coughing up blood. I could feel the determination of the kid, and grinned. "You...moNSTER...you too...shaLL DIE...!" Chara stepped forward and collapsed; body vanishing without a trace.
I stood alone in the room, silent. Then noticed the cell phone laying where Chara/Frisk had been. I bent to pick it up, noticing Undyne was beginning to regain consciousness. Shoving the phone in my pocket, I walked over to her and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. Undyne gasped, but began to sob uncontrollably. I lifted her, and walked out of the house. I used my magic to pull the phone out of my pocket, noticing that Alphys' number was missing. Sighing, I dialed it manually, and waited for her to answer.
"Y-yes...?" came Alphys' voice from the other end.
"Hey Alphy. It's Sans. I'm coming over with Undyne. You better have something to lay her on!" I hung up, and placed the phone back into my pocket before transporting us to Alphys' lab.
Who forgot I could teleport and let out a loud scream of surprise.
"Uh...told you we were 'popping by'!" I laughed, and Undyne began to cough violently. Alphys screamed again, and quickly pulled out a huge table for her to lay on. I set Undyne done, and my hand went up to Papyrus' scarf.
"Did...he die?" Alphys asked gently, and I looked away. Alphys stopped and hugged me tight, rubbing my nack, and I broke down sobbing against her. "Sans...I-I'm sure he's happy you saved Undyne!" I chuckled and smiled gently at Alphys, sniffing and rubbing my eyes. She went back to caring to her patient, and I pulled the scarf over my mouth, turning and walking out of the lab.
I knew I wouldn't just stumble across that flower again, but I knew it wouldn't be long before he came after me. I was now outside Alphys' lab, heading towards Snowdin, and could hear that freaky creature's cackling laugh.
"If you're going to try and fight me, ya better let me go to Grillby's, first." I chuckled, smirking. I was still holding into Papyrus' scarf, refusing to let go.
The flower popped up before me, and bones surrounded me. "Howdy, Sans! I won't be running away this time!" Flowey started giggling, and I smirked as the bones pounded the ground around him. Flowey stopped speaking, obviously scared.
"You want to know how I know it's you, Asriel?" I chuckled, feeling my eyes glow. I could feel HIS presence, and looked down. "Because I remember the experiment. I remember you and Chara begging for help. You both thought you could end our suffering, but you were wrong, weren't you? That's why you became a flower. That's why HE fell." I looked up at Flowey, who was shaking. "And no, I don't mean my brother."
I was preparing my Gaster Blaster, a demonic grin on my face. Flowey was shaking and panting; shrinking in size. "There's no way...you should be able to remember...the timelines-!"
"Ah yes, the timelines." I snickered, my attack waiting to finish. "The ones you keep manipulating. The ones you keep twisting, right? The ones you want to rule. Isn't reset a beautiful power? You barely remember jumping from timeline to timeline, and in the end, who even cares anymore? I didn't remember, not at first. Not until HE started his experiments, separate from Alphys. He gave me reset. He gave me teleportation. And he gave me...THIS."
I released my Gaster Blaster, and began to laugh; tears falling. "My father regretted it, you know. Letting you and Chara go through with your plan. He tells me, every day, every timeline, that he regrets it." Flowey was almost dead; body wilted, face in the ground. I could feel HIS hands on my back, and took a deep breath. "He's here, you know. My father."
Flowey's head slowly lifted up; a cruel grin on his face. "I contain the human souls...all sIX...iF I kILl yOu...I wiLL...hAVe SEVEN!"
I sighed, preparing Gaster Blaster again. "Oh, sure. IF you kill me. I want to see Omega Flowey. Let's see you try." I snickered, and Flowey cackled, transforming.
I could feel something wrong with the timeline. It felt like it was falling apart. I turned behind me, and could see my father trying to come into reality. I gulped, and spun back to Flowey. "Hey. Asriel." I said calmly. Flowey cackled, and I sighed.
"Oh, forget it. Not like ya'd have listened." I hit him with Gaster Blaster, which knocked him down to half health, and kept dodging his attacks. I could feel the timeline ending, and looked back Dad. He was pointing at Flowey, and I dodged his massive attack barely. And I knew, right then, I had only ONE CHANCE.
I reached back, and grabbed Dad's fading hand; our hands connecting. I managed to grab his true for, and began pulling him through, just as Flowey hit me with a critical hit. I pulled Dad through, letting out a weak gasp as blood escaped my mouth. Dad bent over me, and gave me a soft kiss on the head. I gasped; trying to sit up, and he signed for me to stay down. I closed my eyes, and could hear the fight going on.
Soon, I felt Dad's hand on my head, and I opened my eyes. He began signing to me a bunch of strange messages, so I replied back carefully. He smiled, kissed my head, and I saw the "Reset" button pop up. He and I held hands as we pressed it; the timeline around us breaking.
And I woke up in my bed.
The reset worked. I sighed heavily, and heard knocking on my door. I quickly sat up, rushing out and tackling Papyrus with a hug, crying against him. Papyrus yelped, and I clung to him.
"Thank...Asgore...it worked..." I sobbed silently; burying my head in my brother's chest. He wanted to speak, but instead rubbed my back.
"Sans, did you have a bad dream?" Papyrus asked gently, and I sat up, sniffling. I was smiling.
"You have NO idea...Papyrus..." I said, smiling.
Papyrus was very confused, but he began to hold me closer. "You wouldn't wake for over a day, Sans; I was growing worried...you never sleep this long unless something was wrong..." His voice was filled with tears, and I broke from the hug.
"Bro, I'm fine. I'm more than fine. I know how we can fix the barrier." Papyrus lit up at my words, and I winked. "I'm heading over to Grillby's. You want anything?" He groaned with exasperation and smacked his forehead.
"Sans..." he started in a warning tone. I began walking out the door. "SANS! AT LEAST GET DRESSED!"
I stopped and looked down at myself; only in my shorts. I laughed and grabbed my clothes before heading to Grillby's. When I arrived, I grabbed my phone, calling a good friend.
"Alphys," I ran my hand over my skull as she gasped softly. "Yeah, it's Sans. Listen, I know how to fix everything. Do you trust me?"
Silence. I felt my heart stop, and she sighed softly.
"Hurry over, Sans..."
I leapt out of my seat, paying for some ketchup, and began my trek to Hotland. I stopped, looked at the walls, and quickly teleported to Snowdin Forest. I shook my head as I looked up, seeing Frisk ahead of me. I smiled, and followed them.
"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" I asked in a low voice. Frisk stopped moving. I raised my right hand, whoopee cushion in place. "Turn around, and shake my hand."
Frisk turned, and shook my hand, causing the whoopee cushion to fart. "Heh heh heh...the ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick! It's always funny! My name's Sans. Sans the skeleton. You're a human, right?" Frisk nodded, and I laughed. "That's hilarious. I'm supposed to be on watch for humans right now. But I don't really care about capturing anybody. But Papyrus, my brother, he's he's a human hunting fanatic! I think that's him up ahead!"
A part of me was hoping Frisk would just do what they normally do, and skip my talking. And the slowly started to. They walked through the gate, and I sighed in relief silently. I glanced back, watching Flowey disappear in the ground, and sighed. I followed Frisk to my station, and they went behind the lamp. I blinked.
"Huh, before I could say anything..." I muttered, and Papyrus stomped over.
"SANS! I thought you went to Grillby's! Agh, I'm supposed to capture a human!" He began stomping in annoyance, and that's when I realized this timeline had changed, due to the last one crashing. I rubbed the back of my skull, and decided to give something a chance.
"I know, bro. But I think I spotted a human." I admitted, and Papyrus stopped, turning towards me. "Yeah, behind the lamp." I pointed, and he yelled in frustration.
"I don't have time for your shenanigans!" He yelled. I looked at Frisk, they at me, and they slowly came out from behind it. Papyrus stopped yelling, staring in disbelief as I walked over.
"Sans..." he whispered. "Is...is that a human?" I chuckled and nodded. His face lit up, but instead of mentioning capturing the human, he ran over and hugged them. "They're...they're still alive!"
My eyes flew wide open. 'There's no damn way that Papyrus should know about the timelines! Unless...unless he, too, had remembered everything...?' I must have seemed really shocked, because Papyrus walked over and knelt to me.
"Go to Alphys." was all he said, in a voice that wasn't his. I blinked, stepping back, then took off; teleporting once I was out of sight of the two of them.
I was freaking out, slamming my fist against the door. Alphys opened, staring in shock as I pushed past her, running to the computer where Papyrus and Frisk was visible, watching them.
"Sans? Did something happen?" Alphys asked meekly, and I lowered my head with a sigh as the two of them began clearing puzzles. I touched my forehead, and she placed a hand on my back. "Did something happen in the last timeline?"
"I had no choice, Alphys...the timeline was falling apart! I had to bring HIM in...I didn't know it would change the timelines..." I panted, gripping the desk. She stepped back, an angry look on her face. I held my head; tears falling as I smiled.
I looked up at her as she let out a heavy sigh. "Sans, that could possibly destroy the rest of the timelines-"
"No." I cut her off, lifting my head as I laughed. "He told me his ideas. His plans. His goals. I remember everything he told me. And I know how we can remove the barrier, thanks to him!"
I quickly ran to a closet, pulling out my old lab coat, and then ran to the elevator, stopping to look back at her. She looked very uncomfortable, but sighed as she joined me. "Fine...but you have to tell me..."
So I did. I told him his ideas on how to improve her determination serum, about how we don't need the human souls anymore, about his idea to cure Asriel. About how to save HIM. I told her about how he saved me in the last timeline, about how he fought Flowey, and about how Frisk had given me their soul. When we landed in the basement, and the lab doors opened, I stood there silently for a second. I was slightly dizzy, mainly from finally speaking more than two sentences. I let out a sigh, and stepped into the true lab, and we got to work.
I was smiling as we began working side by side, cleaning up the lab. We decided to start off small, and I found all of her patients. I calmly spoke to all of them, and sat down to work on a serum to cure them. It took days, but I came up with a solution. I held up the needle to one of the unfortunate fusions, and slowly injected them. Alphys spun as they let out a heartbreaking scream, and they laid on one of the beds. She stared at me, angry, until she noticed they were unfusing. Becoming themselves. I sighed in relief, and injected the rest. Alphys smiled happily, and the next day, they all went home.
Days turned into weeks. Soon, I discovered a secret lab entry, and called Alphys over. She sat by me as I turned it on, and Gaster popped up on the screen, waving hello. We were stunned, as he began signing to us.
"Hello, you two. I know, this may be a shock to you. I found a way to contact you from the void. I wrote over your first lab entry, Alphys, and for that, I am sorry. But I do not have much time. I see that you two have a setback, am I correct?" She and I glanced to one another, and nodded at the same time. We were struggling to come up with the formula for the determination, to help monster souls last longer. "Ah, I see. I have an idea."
We both watched carefully as he signed some words we weren't familiar with, and I cataloged them all. Soon, I noticed the video was glitching, and Gaster made a noise of shock. He turned to me, and signed to me "I love you, son." I teared up, and signed back about how much I loved and missed him. He smiled, and Alphys put a paw on the screen.
"Leaving already, Doctor...?" she asked softly, and Gaster nodded, a hand on the screen. She smiled faintly, and hugged the monitor. "We'll find a way to save you, too..." She was starting to cry against the screen, and I had to look away to prevent myself from blubbering as well.
"Goodbye, Dad." I signed, and he signed back "see you and Papyrus soon, my son." I smiled, and the entry clicked off.
Alphys and I sat there silently, and we soon took a deep breath, trying to interpret the hand signs he made. I scratched my head in frustration, ready to give up, when I noticed similarities to the signs "fusion" and "self injection". I sat up, rereading it, and realized that the signs meant "working on the self injection with _ to discover the cure for soul fusion". There was one word I could not interpret. I showed Alphys, and we nodded, deciding our next plan was to work on her determination formula. We soon found out where she went wrong, and changed the formula several times with different values to hopefully repair her mistake. She began freaking out when we made the serums, because we didn't have a test subject.
So I grabbed one, and stabbed it into my arm. She screamed loudly, and my vision slowly went black, and I lost complete consciousness, her voice begging me to wake up ringing through my skull. I smiled, reaching out for her, before everything around me crashed.
I woke in my bed.
I slowly started to climb out of the bed, but collapsed. I had little feeling in my legs, and began cursing myself for being foolish enough to try out the serum. I looked around my room and slowly stood, moving to the door. I pushed the door open, using the wall as support for my steps. Papyrus was humming from the kitchen, and I coughed as I entered.
"Hey bro." I laughed weakly, Papyrus dropping the spaghetti. He was in tears, almost in shock. I raised an eye, blinking. "H-hey! It's just me, Papyrus; what's with the fa-"
"Three days..." he sobbed, running to me, throwing his arms around me. I stumbled a bit, but blinked. "You've been asleep...for three days...I was so scared, Sans; I tried everything...you wouldn't wake up..." Papyrus was crying on my shoulder.
I was scared. I couldn't believe what I just heard. "N-nah, bro! There's no way th-"
"Alphys called me...told me to come get you...she was screaming...don't EVER do that again!" Papyrus yelled, and I flinched. He stopped yelling, staring at me; a thumb running across my cheek. I leaned into his hand, and sighed softly. He held me close, and I leaned on him.
"She told ya, huh?" I asked, and he nodded. "Damn it...I thought it would be fine...it was just an injection..." I closed my eyes, then they shot open. "Hang on. Three days you said?" Papyrus nodded again, pushing off of me, confused. I started laughing and patted his head, teleporting to Alphys.
And of course collapsing.
Alphys only face palmed and sighed heavily as she helped me to my feet, shaking her head. "You're going to get worse if you keep doing this in a weakened state, Sans; you're already cracking." I froze at her words; touching my skull, feeling the crack around my right eye. I stared at her, and she looked down. "In the breaking timeline, what happened? Tell me everything."
So I told her everything; right down to her aiding Undyne, and Alphys was crying at the thought. I even explained everything from Papyrus dying to Gaster saving me. She sniffed, and nodded, understanding me.
"So...you really had no choice." Alphys laughed nervously, and I chuckled weakly. She sighed, clutching her paws together. "Sans, Gaster showed up after you collapsed. He corrected the dose, injected you, and then vanished...so I think he saved you again. But he told me that you can't lose hope anymore. You can't give up. You need your determination. And that your soul is fine."
I started laughing; tears rolling down my cheeks. "That's dad for ya! Always so...ghastly!" Alphys groaned, and I grinned. Alphys shook her head, but smiled at me as I finally stood up without support.
"So was that everything?" I asked after a few minutes. She nodded, having found a way to patch my head. We realized that the serum had improved my soul's determination, and that it was as strong as a humans. "Good. Guess our work is done!" I was proud. I felt like I finally accomplished something. So I left for Grillby's, realizing I forgot something...WE forgot something.
I sat there, ketchup in one hand, as Frisk sat by me. "Hey Sans?" They were looking at me, and I looked up.
"Oh, hey kid. What's up?" I started drinking the ketchup, and they bounced on the stool.
"Papyrus said you got really hurt. Are you okay?" I sat up, glancing at them, then winked.
"Never better. Do I look really hurt to you?" I joked, and Frisk giggled. "But, seriously, I just had a small crack in my skull and a wobble to my step. I was really rattled." I winked, and Frisk rolled their eyes as they giggled. I smiled softly.
"You looked really sad, Sans. Is everything okay?" they asked, ordering a burger. I sighed softly, and leaned on my right arm as I played with the bottle. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I heard the barrier might break soon, thanks to you and Alphys." Frisk beamed, kicking their feet in the stool as they received their burger. I blinked, sitting up.
"What? How did you know-" Frisk squeezed the ketchup and it squirted me in the face. "Hey! You wanna have a bad time?" I smirked, and Frisk giggled as I used my powers to lift them high up.
Frisk was laughing excitedly as I held them up, and I set them back on the stool, wiping the ketchup off. "Heh, kid...you better be more careful where you're aiming that thing. Someone could lose an eye."
Frisk was watching me, and they sighed. "See...that's how I know you're not okay. You haven't made a single pun since o arrived." I gasped, then turned to the side, and Frisk rubbed my back. "It's okay, Sans. We're friends, after all."
"I just...I feel like I forgot something..." I grumbled, trying so hard to remember. Frisk was watching me worriedly, and I suddenly shot up as I remembered. "Grillbz! Put it on my tab!" I yelled as I ran out, running back to Alphys' lab.
I was running at top speed, my mind on the last person that needed saving, before I attempted to save Dad. One soul that was missing.
Asriel.
I slid into the lab, running to the elevator. Alphys was out on a date with Undyne, so I had the lab to myself. I found the formula Dad had rewritten for me, and made the right dosage for a flower. Snatching the vial, I shoved it deep into a lab coat pocket, and left. I sighed softly, then heard Flowey giggling from behind me. I turned, and smiled.
"Well well well! You became a scientist!" Flowey laughed, and I chuckled before kneeling to him, causing Flowey to panic. "Hey, don't get so close!" he yelled, and I opened the vial, pouring it into Flowey's mouth.
The flower began to scream and writhe with pain. I jumped back as the flower died, becoming motionless. I turned away just before he turned to dust; sighing heavily.
I failed. I didn't save Asriel. I could feel tears fill up in my sockets, and covered them with my arms. I started sobbing, falling to my knees.
And there was a quiet, faint groan from behind me.
I turned, finding the young child laying there. He slowly sat up, staring at his hands in both shock and happiness. He looked up at me, hiccupping as he cried, and he hugged me tight.
"Sans...Sans, thank you...!" Asriel was crying into my lab coat, and I held the kid close, laughing gently.
"Hey, no worries. Just had some weeding to do anyway." I joked, and Asriel giggled softly. He pushed off of me, smiling.
"Can...can we go see my mom and dad...?" Asriel asked softly, and I nodded. Asriel smiled, and took hold of my hand. I blinked, then smiled, taking him to the castle.
Asgore cried when he saw his son, and Toriel was shocked herself. I just smiled proudly, as Asriel's parents kissed and hugged their son excitedly. I felt a pit of unhappiness form in my gutless stomach, and teleported out before anyone could talk to me, arriving back at Grillby's. I groaned as I approached my usual seat, and sat down. Frisk hadn't left, apparently, and was staring at me.
"What did you do?" they asked, and I chuckled as I set my head on the table. I closed my eyes, and I just started laughing. I laughed so hard, that tears began falling from my eyes. I laughed so much, that I knocked the stool I was in to the ground, which only made me laugh even harder. Frisk leaned over me, worry covering their face. And I laughed some more. "Sans...you're scaring me. What did you do?"
I finally sat up, smiling brightly. "I just saved a kid, and gave 'em a future. I may have saved every single life in the Underground. Well...not just me...Alphys helped." I chuckled, and Frisk smiled. "But...there's one more life I can save...I just wonder if I have the ability to."
Papyrus soon burst through the doors, tossed me over his shoulder, and began walking out. I shrugged, and waved goodbye to Frisk as Papyrus carried me to the castle. I blinked, and looked at him.
"Bro? Where are we going, and why?" I asked, and Papyrus just shushed me. I pouted, and just let myself relax on Papyrus' shoulder. I watched as monsters from all over was gathering there, and instantly grew worried. "No, Pap; dude, seriously, the hell is going on?!" I was now fighting to get off his shoulder, and he finally sat me down in front of King Asgore, who was grinning from head to toe. I quickly looked out to the growing crowd, and started panicking.
"Sans," Asgore started, and I held out my hands.
"No. No no. Whatever the hell is going on, this had nothing to do with me!" I was panicking, staring at Papyrus, who now grew worried. "I have to go!"
I quickly teleported before anyone could stop me, and collapsed in the lab. I began coughing, and noticed that my health was deteriorating. I got up to my feet, and ran down to the true lab, finding all my notes. I started trying to piece together the machine that could help me save Dad, and the timeline, all at once. But, before I could flip the switch, Papyrus came and grabbed me.
"Sans! What is the meaning of this!" He seemed worried, and he touched my cheek. I snarled, summoned a single bone, and hit the button with full force, feeling the crack we covered getting worse. I stared at Papyrus as the machine started running. He looked back at the machine, then stared at me.
"Papyrus...I can save him...please...he's. ..he's gonna come back! We'll be a family again!" I was in tears, gripping him. Papyrus looked more hurt, but lifted me and carried me back to the castle, despite my protests.
I was back in front of everyone, my hood up to cover the cracks in my skull, as Asgore began announcing me as the Royal Scientist. I turned down the offer, and Toriel placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Sans, we're offering you a job. You can continue to help everyone. You can truly save us-" I moved away, and stepped towards the crowd, slowly lowering my hood. Everyone gasped.
"I can't accept that everything that happened was due to me! Alphys helped me!" I took a deep breath, and looked down. "Everything I've done has been putting a strain on my body. As...anyone can see...I'm falling apart. My health isn't what it used to be. I haven't bothered trying to save myself, and I won't. Not until HE comes back!" I hit my hand on the rail, and started shaking.
Hands were on my back now, and I gasped, looking up and behind me. He smiled down at me, looked out to the crowd, and waved. I was crying now, tears with joy, and no one said a word. He looked out, and signed to them,
"Greetings, everyone. My name is W. D. Gaster. Some of you may remember me, though, I fear, not all of you do. It has been a long time since I've seen your faces. I thought I would be trapped in the void forever, but my darling Sans saved me." I wrapped my arms tightly around him, sobbing into his chest. He gently caressed my skull, then looked back out into the crowd.
Papyrus was shaking, and he threw himself at Gaster and I. He was crying as well, and Gaster soon began sobbing. "D...dad...?" Papyrus choked out, and Gaster held him tight. "Dad! Y-you're...you're really here! Sans, you did it!" Papyrus was yelling happily, and I found myself growing weaker, darkness clouding my vision. Gaster lifted me, and Papyrus began sobbing. "S.. Sans...?"
I soon lost complete sight, and was slowly starting to panic. I could hear people freaking out, and Papyrus let out a scream. "Dad...? Dad, what's happening...?" I choked out, and soon noticed my hearing was fading. "I can't see...I can barely hear...help me...!"
I could feel hands on my skull as my hearing vanished, and I reached up as light came into view. I began to feel like I was floating in nothingness, and I realized just how badly I fucked up. I brought Gaster back, but I had thrown myself into the void. I let out a loud scream, and felt things shift. I awoke in my bed, panting heavily, hand over the cracks in my skull. I was sobbing pathetically, and just pulled the covers close as I felt familiar arms wrap around me. I looked up at Dad, who was smiling, holding out a Grillby burger.
"You were out for so long, Sans. I was afraid you were lost forever." he signed. I snatched the burger, shoving it in my mouth and groaned, causing Dad to chuckle. "Sans, be careful. Don't eat too quickly; you have work to do. We're above ground, everyone lived. You did it. You saved us all. Frisk is waiting for you."
I nodded, then got up. I slowly got dressed, and walked out into the blinding sunlight. I covered my eyes, and sighed.
"Sans, look! We're on the surface!"
Frisk's fingers became intwined with mine and I jumped out of shock. They were smiling happily at me, and I sighed softly, smiling back.
"Yeah...we did it, kiddo." I chuckled softly, and looked out at the fields and fields ahead of us. I sighed faintly, and my shoulders slumped forward. "So...what happened while I was out?" I asked, looking at them. Frisk looked at me, then smiled.
"Gaster took you in his arms, and you both vanished from sight. Papyrus screamed, it was kinda funny...and then Asgore started telling people to pack. I thought you'd be at the lab, but...you weren't there. Gaster screamed this ungodly screech of horror, and smashed a computer...but went to the machine you made. He wanted me to help him reconfigure it, and you suddenly popped back into existence. He held you, and just sobbed. I couldn't help it; I broke down, too...I thought we were gonna lose you forever...for weeks, Sans; you wouldn't wake up...you were out for almost a month...I've been dying to talk to you! I wanted to thank you, and...and to promise I would never reset...and I almost did, Sans; I thought it would return you to me! But then...Papyrus came out and told me you were awake, and I cried again...Sans, I hate you for that, I hate you so much for scaring me...!" Frisk just started sobbing, and hit me gently in the chest. I winced, and held them tight.
"I'm so sorry I scared ya, Frisk...I promise I won't ever do that again..." I rested my forehead against theirs, and they sniffed. I sighed, and then smiled as I released them. "No more resets...? Heh, sounds like a dream come true to me."
Frisk beamed, and then ran off to play like the little kid they were. I put my hands in my shorts pockets, and closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun. I took a deep breath; the scent of fresh, undusty air hitting me in a pleasant way. Dad was standing by me when I opened my eyes, and I smiled up at him. His smiled was bright, and his eyes were closed. I slowly closed mine again.
"I can't believe it's finally all over..." I sighed, stretching my arms over my head, then locking my fingers behind my head; eyes wide open. Dad smiled back at me, then looked up at the sky. I looked up as well, chuckling at the clouds.
I soon found my way to Grillby's new location, which was, again, only a few feet from the house. I slowly opened the door, and everyone cheered for me. I blushed, looking to the side and scratching my skull. I walked over to the bar and sat down, Grillby leaning over the counter towards me.
"Sans...about your unpaid tab..." Grillby was staring me down, and I could feel myself shrink. He slowly stood, held up the tab, and it went up in flames. "...I'm destroying it. Just don't let it build up to 10,000G again."
I nervously laughed, and he placed ketchup on the counter for me. I smiled, then chugged the entire bottle. I smiled when I emptied it, and laid my head on the bar as my eyes closed again. I felt so happy that it finally all ended, that I would feel the burn of a reset ever again...

...

...

...

...but I did.
I opened my eyes, and I was in Snowdin, in the forest.
And I screamed. I couldn't help but scream.
"THAT...FUCKING KID...!" I put my hand through a tree by me,and held my head as I cried. I was happy...everything was perfect...
And I could hear Chara's laugh echoing through the woods.
"You're going to burn for this, Chara...I fucking swear it...I'll make sure you burn in fucking hell!"

~~To Be Continued in 2016~~