His attack was fueled by more than a simple need for elimination. It was edged on by his anger. The skeleton in Papyrus' arms felt incredibly frail. This Sans was far weaker than his had been even moments before his death. No Papyrus should have ever let their brother get so weak. A Sans couldn't help his biology but his brother should have been able to protect them. That Papyrus was failing, just like he had before.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to be here! Sans was supposed to be halfway across the Underground working one of his jobs. He was supposed to be anywhere but here.
Why was he here? Papyrus hadn't told him about joining the Royal Guard, about being sworn in. He shouldn't be here. Yet, Sans was here. He'd been dragged in by one of the many guards only moments after Papyrus' oath. The king loomed over the small skeleton, grinning.
"Now that you're a Guardsman, distractions and weaknesses must be eliminated from your life. We'll start with this glaring deficiency."
Papyrus froze as the trident came crashing down on his brother's skull. Sans' smile never wavered. Even as his body disappeared forever, he was fearless. His last words were barely audible but Papyrus would remember them forever.
"Love you bro."
He was gone. Just like that, Sans was gone. Papyrus had failed.
Papyrus clutched at this new Sans, his new Sans, protectively. He couldn't afford to fail again; he likely wouldn't get another chance. It was by some miracle that he got this one.
What was it the other Papyrus had said? Something about a human illness infecting Sans. If that was the case, Papyrus had only one choice. The Royal Scientist was likely sleeping at this hour, but she'd just have to get over it. There was work to do.
Groggily, Sans awoke. The constant jostling was almost enough to lull him back asleep but something was different. While the movements were fast paced and purposeful, like Papyrus, it didn't feel like Papyrus carrying him. Whoever it was seemed stiff and overly cautious. Sans couldn't tell who it was, all he saw was red. Despite straining to get a look at the monster carrying him, Sans couldn't move.
There was the ever present feeling of his magic being ebbed away, yet it didn't seem like he shouldn't be able to move at all. He had felt the weakness growing in his legs before. He'd known without trying that he couldn't speak when he'd lost that. Still, he couldn't move.
Maybe that's why it felt odd being carried. Maybe Papyrus had noticed something and was taking him to the doctors again. If something had gone wrong with the machine, it would only stand to reason that Papyrus wanted to ensure nothing else hurt him.
The movements were comforting, yet the small skeleton couldn't fully relax. He wasn't able to actually see anything and he couldn't definitively identify Papyrus. Normally, the taller skeleton would talk constantly. It was as much a comfort for Sans as his jacket had been. The silence put him on edge.
"ALPHYS! I DEMAND ENTRY AND ASSISTANCE!"
A voice broke the silence, but it didn't discourage any of Sans' anxiety. It sounded similar to Papyrus but the voice was much more gruff and stern. Even when upset, Papyrus never sounded quite like that, yet it did sound almost like Papyrus. If his brother was worried about him again, it made sense to call for Alphys. While she hadn't helped yet, she might do something if things got too bad.
Had it? Had he gotten so weak that Alphys would actually try something? What had even happened?
Whispers, too quiet to be understood, reached the small skeleton. The mystery voice was joined by another. While he couldn't decipher the sounds, hushed whispering was always a cause for concern.
The red that Sans could see was suddenly moving. It took a moment for him to identify the scarf as such but then there was something much more pressing to process. Sans was being looked down at by two monsters.
The first was clearly Alphys. Although her clothing was unique, it wasn't particularly bothersome. He hadn't seen her in a long time, after all.
The other monster was what really caught Sans' attention. The monster, a skeleton, looked so much like Papyrus. The other's face was littered with scars ranging from miniscule to colossal. Even with all those scars, the monster looked down at him with kindness. The monster even smiled, but concern was clearly etched across his face.
Slowly, the realization of who the monster was dawned on him. The machine had actually worked. There was no other way to explain how someone who wasn't Papyrus could look so much like him. The relief at their success was only momentary as his thoughts moved back to Papyrus. If this was a different universe and that was a different Papyrus, where was his brother?
So focused on the not Papyrus, Sans hadn't noticed Alphys moving his limbs. His arm was being flopped around every which way, yet he hadn't felt anything. Seeing each movement, he knew he should have noticed but he hadn't. He couldn't feel anything.
The monsters were talking but, while loud enough to hear, Sans didn't pay any attention to the conversation. Desperately, he willed his arm to move, to twitch, to at least tingle. There was nothing. The realization of just how much he'd lost was overwhelming. What was the point? Why did things have to go so right only to turn so wrong?
He could see Alphys messing with the bracelets. With a loud snap, they split and fell off. Just like that, they were gone. The one thing they'd spent countless nights trying to remove with any contraption they could find was off with so little effort on her part. He was finally free of those awful contraptions, yet no matter how he tried to force any part of his body to move, he couldn't.
Clenching his eyes closed, he tried to suppress his emotions. He knew he was being childish, but it just wasn't fair. He wanted to cry and scream. He'd thought it was so simple. Remove those dang bracelets and he'd be fine and dandy. He wasn't. Things didn't just go back to normal. He was still stuck like this. Maybe, just maybe, he'd gradually get everything back but what if it was permanent? What if he was just stuck helpless and useless like this forever? He couldn't even do anything about it! Gosh, he really wanted Papyrus to be there right now. At least Papyrus would talk to him, say everything was going to be alright, say anything really. It was a small comfort but one the small skeleton desperately needed.
Reluctantly, Sans reopened his eyes. He couldn't even struggle when the not Papyrus began to wrap the scarf around his eyes again. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. He couldn't even move! He was no better than a baby bones at this point.
He was no stronger than the child they'd claimed him as. Even without the bracelets, he was pathetically weak. All he wanted to do was to go home and sleep. Where was his Papyrus?
They were moving again, that much was clear. The movements were obviously that of the other Papyrus, who appeared to going much faster than he had before. Still, Sans couldn't return to the relative peace provided by sleep.
A low whisper caught the skeleton's attention.
"I know you are not asleep." The other Papyrus was calm and quiet. "It is okay to be scared. Being in an entirely different situation can be quite intimidating but I promise you are in safe hands."
There was a long pause before he spoke again.
"I am certain both of us have many questions. Those will have to wait until you've recovered from the dampeners. I will do whatever is necessary to expedite the recovery process." Sighing, the other adjusted his hold on the smaller skeleton. "I must apologize in advance. It has been quite some time since I've had friendly guests in my home. Nonetheless, I will attempt to be the best host possible."
Despite having received no response, this Papyrus began humming. The tune was oddly jolly and vaguely familiar. Whether it was the tune or the calming movements of being carried, Sans didn't know. All he knew was that he found himself drifting off to sleep once more.
