His nightmares always started out the same way. Flashbacks to a bad Reset where the Human annihilated them all without resistance. Where either he lost his brother first and experienced the terror of being alone, or he died and imagined that his brother must have been livid at his failure.

But something about this nightmare was different. At one point he had been about to be cut down, again, when the world beneath his feet shattered and became a gaping maw that swallowed him whole. If the whole experience hadn't been utterly different from his usual nightmares he would have been in more of a panic. As he fell down into the darkness he felt enveloped in almost a warmth, a strange sensation for a Skeleton that lived in an icy village.

Before he knew what was happening something seemed to be coming closer to him. Growling defensively he tried to move to use his powers but found them out of reach. Panic began to set in and his body was soon covered in sweat from his trembling.

When he came closer he realized that what he was approaching seemed to be a mirror and he sighed in relief. Staring at himself he was about to sneer when he realized something was wrong with his reflection. The first thing he noticed was the lack of gold tooth that Papyrus had given him in an attempt to make him look more menacing. The second thing he noticed was that this reflection was wearing what appeared to be a worn out blue hoodie. That wasn't right. Glancing down at himself he saw the same black jacket he always wore. Shaking his head he looked back at the reflection in confusion. Slippers? Like hell he'd ever wear fuzzy, bitch-ass, slippers.

Reaching out his hand to touch the reflection he was astonished when it reached out the opposite hand and touched the surface of he mirror the same time he did. But instead of a grimace of confusion there was almost a giddy curiosity on the reflections face.

Suddenly he felt a strange pressure wrap around him, this wasn't right and his instincts knew it. It was as if something was holding it's breath before a plunge. And plunge he did. Right into the mirror.

Waking with a start he screamed and reached into the air. To grab onto what, he didn't know. His breathing was a gargled wheeze that came in short gasps and his chest, his soul, felt like it was on fire. Covering his mouth with his other hand he rolled over, away from the door, and closed his eyes tight.

'Shit, shit, fuck! He had to have heard me. Fuuuuuuck! He's going to come up the stairs any minute. Shit, I'm in for it now.' Trembling as he heard hurried footsteps up the stairs outside his room he held his hand over his mouth and curled into a tighter ball. If he hadn't been in such a panic he might have realised that the sound of feet coming up the stairs was less menacing and more hurried. But he was too busy wondering what his brother was going to do to him to notice.

"Sans? Sans! You Lazybones! What are you shouting for?" Bursting into the room the taller skeleton rushed over to his brother, who was shaking on his bed. At first Sans thought he was going to be grabbed and hauled up, or maybe kicked out of the bed like usual. But instead his brother sat on the bed next to him, making him jump.

"Sans? What's wrong? You're shaking. Are you alright? Did you have another nightmare?" Rather than a menacing and angry voice what reached his ears sounded kind, worried. Surprised he opened his eyes and almost jumped when a hand lightly touched his arm.

"Wh-wha?" Turning to look up at his brother he felt a roll of fear rush through his body. This was not his brother. It certainly looked like him but his clothes and expression were all wrong. Even his magical aura was different.

"Sans, I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong. The Great Papyrus must know if he is to make everything better!" Who in the Fuck was this guy?

oooOOOooo

After falling into his bed Sans closed his eyes and sighed. All day he'd been plagued with flashbacks. It had been a disaster resulting in him actually snapping, Snapping, at Papyrus. The look of hurt and surprise on his face was enough to make Sans feel lower than dirt. All the times he lost Papyrus to a bad Reset, a human that wanted nothing more than to murder them all, and he was treating his precious brother like crap. The feelings he had to bottle up inside, knowing that Papyrus couldn't handle the truth, made it harder to function. Lack of sleep and proper food, since he kept forgetting to eat properly if at all, were taking their toll on him. Though Papyrus tried to make sure he ate at least his dinner the food he made wasn't quite... edible enough.

Closing his eyes he tried to take slow, deep, breaths to calm down the aching he felt in his bones. Was it any wonder he felt sluggish all the time with the weight of the horrible memories pushing down on him constantly?

Sans didn't know how long he lay there, focusing on nothing but his breathing. Eventually he opened his eyes and knew that this was either another flashback or a dream. Though everything had a tendency to blend together he could tell when his reality was slipping, it probably had to do with all the Shortcuts he took. Anomalies in the fabric of the different timelines were something he was both familiar with and understood fairly well.

Standing before him, brandishing a knife, was the tiny human. His heart sank. They were just a little kid. What could have happened to turn them into a psychotic killer in the first place?

"If you come any closer than that kid; you're gonna have a bad time." As his eye began to glow and he slipped one hand out of the pocket of his hoodie he felt a sudden pressure rumble through the space. Startled he whipped his skull around, trying to find the origin of the strange phenomenon. Beneath his feet the ground dematerialized outward from the center and sent him hurtling downward.

This was the first time he'd experienced such a strange happening while dreaming. Rather than be frightened it filled him with and odd sense of intrigue. As he flew through the black empty space, toward what end he did not know, he realized the sensation was much like his Shortcuts; though entirely different at the same time. The world around him felt compressed and thin, as if the space itself were holding it's breath.

Coming toward him was a vague shape that got clearer the closer he came to it. Curious he stared at the image as it began to finally make sense. Recognizing it as his own reflection he sighed, relieved that it was not some random flashback to a horrible memory. But something was off about his image and he noticed it immediately.

Rather than his normal teeth they were sharp and one was gold, what had happened there? Instead of his normal hoodie and white turtleneck he was greeted with a red t-shirt and black winter coat. The shorts were much the same, though different in the color of stripes. On his feet were sneakers that were a little worn, rather than the comfy slippers he usually wore everywhere. Why would he ever dress like an emo teenager? It made no sense.

As his reflection grimaced at him in confusion he peered at it curiously. Their faces were exactly alike. Trying to tap into his power, to see if he could use his magic, he felt something tug it back and realized he didn't have access. Since there was no real need to panic he decided to indulge his curiosity and reached out to the mirror. Rather than copying his actions the mirror vision of himself reached out with the opposite hand and they touched the glossy surface at the same time. Suddenly he was thrown forward and everything came crashing down.

Waking up in a cold sweat, his body feeling as if it was filled with ice-water, he curled in on himself as his cry of pain died down. Gasping he took quick, shallow, breaths as his body felt like one long ache. Deep inside his chest his soul felt like it was being squeezed and he couldn't help but cough. Though they didn't technically feel the need to breath the movement of his chest seemed to ease the pain somewhat.

Suddenly, from downstairs, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and shut his eyes, his face both conflicted and anxious. Papyrus was home. That meant he'd heard the yell of pain and he'd be coming to ask a million and one questions, try to fill him with horrible food, and complain that he wasn't telling him what was wrong.

'Shit. What am I going to say to him? I can't keep up the lies much longer... No. I have to. I can't burden him with this.' Turning away from the door so he wouldn't have to look at his brother he waited until the footsteps stopped in front of his door, fully expecting his brother to barge inside. What he didn't expect was the door to literally slam inwards and bang off the wall, the hinges creaking horribly from the force of the blow. Surprised at the noise he jumped slightly, his eye flashing blue for a split second. He also didn't expect that his power would send a jolt of pain through his body, momentarily crippling him.

"I Knew you were up here, you lazy sod! Sleeping when you should be working on your Puzzles, like the useless piece of trash you are." Eyes opening wide he felt a gloved hand reach down and grip his arm painfully before being twisted viciously onto his back. Blinking he stared up at someone that looked like a villainous version of his younger brother.

"P-Pap? Damn, I feel liked I'm chilled to the bone." A snort of disgust reached him as the black clad skeleton reached his other hand down and gripped his neck bones, holding him down roughly. Though he didn't need to breath the sensation of power streaming through the evil looking version of his brother that pooled around his neck made it hard for him to focus.

"Disgusting! Since when have I Ever given you permission to use such an atrocious moniker! And was that a Pun?" For a moment Sans's eyes became tiny pinpricks inside his sockets, as if his body just couldn't handle the situation he now found himself in. After a moment however he snapped back when Papyrus shook him and gave him a long, searching, look.

"Usually by now you would be shaking with fear, weak coward that you are, and either insulting me or making excuses..." So, this Papyrus was a little more observant than his own brother. That was going to complicate things.

"I don't think I'm in Snowdin anymore." He replied with faux levity. Anger flared in the imposter's eyes as he bodily lifted Sans from the bed and held him in the air, their skulls almost touching as purple energy flared in his eye. Creepy.

"Whoever you are you most certainly are not my sniveling weakling of a brother." Dropping him to the floor he sneered as Sans got to is feet and dusted himself off. Taking a second to survey the room he was shocked to find it mostly clean but had an uninviting feel to it.

'More like a Prison than a Bedroom.' He thought to himself.

"Welp. It was nice knowin ya." Grabbing hold of his power his body flickered momentarily before that deep chill settled into his body again. All at once there was a snapping sensation in the world around him and the pressure rebounded into his body. Agony rippled through his magic, sending him to the floor in a heap of hurt.

"It's obvious that you are just as weak as my pathetic brother." Leaning down the fake Papyrus gave him a grin that made him shiver in fear.

"I think I'll keep you." The menace in his voice, and the leering of his eyes, made Sans shake his head in horror.

'Just what the hell is going on?'