CH. 3 - Ink n' Nicknames
When the two versions of Sans arrived at their destination, the swapped version of the two stared in awe at the sky. It was nighttime, and millions of twinkling dots resided in the sky. Stars.
He had never actually seen real stars for himself before. It was… breathtaking. "Where are we…?" He had trouble tearing his gaze away.
"Ink's universe," he answered, "or at least what's left of it… his entire world was destroyed by Error. He had tried to save it, but couldn't bring back the people. The many versions of us are the only inhabitants."
"That's… sad…" He couldn't imagine what it would be like. Losing all his friends, his brother, even strangers he would never meet, the whole idea just seemed depressing to think about.
"Hey Sans!" He turned, about to say something, when he realized the newcomer was addressing the original. "I see you recruited the swap Sans." Sans nodded. "Well, I'm gonna give him a nickname before things get too confusing." He looked him over.
"I've already dubbed him Blue," Sans informed him. He didn't question it, just accepted the name as his own. The other nodded, then turned back to Sa- no, Blue.
"Heya Blue," he greeted the cyan themed skeleton, "I'm Ink. Welcome to my universe!" So this was Ink. The death of his world must have been a long, long time ago, since there seemed to be no traces of sadness left on his face.
"Heya…?" It was more of a question than a greeting. In the distance, he saw another version of himself, except this one seemed a bit worse for wear. He had a large crack running through his skull, bags beneath his eyes (if that were possible for a skeleton), and sharp teeth, one of which was golden. He wore a heavy black jacket, which had lots of fluff on the hood.
"I got the reports on Nightmare's current whereabouts," he spoke with a deep, rumbling, baritone voice, then added in a growl, "next time don't go disappearin' when I'm gettin' you something…."
"Thanks," Ink took the pages, and turned to the newest recruit. "Hey Blue, this is Red."
"How many of us are nicknamed after colors?" He had his priorities. "Oh, and… hi."
"Sup," he practically snarled. He didn't seem angry at anyone though. Frankly, he only looked slightly annoyed. "To answer your question, a bunch, just not all of us. These guys just aren't very creative."
"Aren't your brothers worried?" So many questions flooded into his head, nearly all spilling out with the one. Suddenly, he had a sinking feeling. Papyrus must be worried sick.
"I've been telling Paps that I'm working as a sentry for Asgore," Sans explained, "he believes it, though I feel bad for lying to him. He's a bit gullible…"
"My bro just doesn't give a shit about me," Red seemed to be telling the truth. Poor guy.
"Anyway, come along Blue," Ink ordered.
"For what?"
"Orientation."
• • •
Papyrus wasn't just mad. He was absolutely pissed. If somebody had the audacity to take his brother, and expect to be fine, they had a whole other thing coming. He still stood at the little echo flower, listening to the message over and over. It was no use, though. He just couldn't hear the parts. In a fit of rage, he brought his fist down on a nearby stone, splitting it in two. He stared blankly at it.
He just didn't understand. Out of all the monsters in the underground, why his brother, why Sans? And… why was the magic of the kidnapper so similar? He heard a familiar medley come from his pocket, and he pulled out his phone. It was Doctor Undyne.
"What did you find out?!" He immediately asked after picking up.
"A-a-ab-about th-the AUs?" She managed to stutter out.
"Yes, dammit!" He shouted, then heard a squeak and a muffled crash as she dropped her cell.
"O-o-oh! I-I found so-s-some of the o-o-old royal s-scientist's writing, b-b-but I c-could only fi-find out they're similar to-to timelines… a-and those are on-only a theory themse-themselves! I'm s-s-so sorry… I-I'm trying, I-I really- I really am…" That didn't ease his emotional pain.
"Call me again when you find out more."
"O-o-okay-" Click. He hung up before she could speak. So many emotions ran through his head. Sadness. Fear. Emptiness. Anger. Confusion. Helplessness. Rage was the only clear, distinguishable emotion.
• • •
Ink lead Blue to the biggest tree he had ever seen. It must have been at least a mile high! It was possibly eighty feet around on the trunk. Impossibly big. He looked at the other skeleton. "How…?" He gestured to the colossal oak with giant branches splaying this was and that.
"Literally magic. This thing's ancient, and many monsters, me being one of them, enhanced the growth to make it bigger than the rest. Sadly, it eventually died, and we hollowed it out for headquarters." Blue stared in awe at it. "Of course, on the outside we built an exoskeleton to keep it from collapsing. We're working on the inside." Another Sans approached them, handing Ink a little pouch, which he pocketed with a nod of thanks.
This version sported camouflage pant with varying shades of grey, a brown leather jacket with a golden star inside a circle on each shoulder, and plain white shirt. He also wore black, fingerless gloves, and a strap with empty loops across his left shoulder, to the right side of his waist. On his face were very light scratches. Upon closer inspection, he noticed one of the smaller details on the jacket, a dark blue, metal brooch with an echo flower insignia. Sans, Ink, and Red all wore one of these brooches as well, he noted.
"Sup. I'm Camo." He extended a hand, which Blue hesitantly took, then shook. "Who're you?"
"Blue," he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you." After a moment of relatively awkward silence, Ink dragged him into the tree, then teleported them into one of the farther reaches of the trunk. A door labeled 'Ink's Office' stood to the right, while to the left were doors belonging to different Sans's, like 'G', or a much smaller one, 'Meowzer'…? (Nicknames, am I right?) Ink lead him into his office, and took a seat. There were random splashes of color everywhere, and a large paintbrush mounted on one of the walls.
"Alright," he began, standing in the center of the room, "welcome to the MPL. We are the Multiverse Protection League, guardians of the millions of universes out there. We ensure the safety of every timeline, of every Papyrus, Toriel, Asgore, everyone. I know you may not be the strongest monster out there, but we'll train you."
"Mm." Blue nodded. Ink approached him, taking the pouch Camo had given him out of his pocket, then opening it. He stopped in front of the newest recruit, and pulled a small brooch out, similar to the one he and the others wore. He somehow pinned it to Blue's armour, near the left shoulder plate. He guessed it was magic allowing it to stick.
"If you're in trouble, all you need to do is hold it, and ask for help in your mind," Ink explained, "It's a bit like telepathy. You don't necessarily need it just for emergencies, but for communication in general." Another nod from Blue. Silence. "Well, that's all!" He clapped his hands together. "Sans'll take you home, so just wait a moment." He clasped his own brooch, and moments later, the original appeared out of thin air.
"Heya. You ready?" He held out his hand.
"Y-yeah…" Blue tentatively took it. This whole thing was a lot to take in. Sans lit his eye with cyan and yellow magic, and their surroundings blurred with a snap of his fingers. When the world came back into focus, Blue was back in his house, in the living room.
"Seeya 'round kid," Sans waved a hand, then teleported away. He wondered if he would learn how to do that.
• • •
Heyo! Idabit here, sorry for the late upload! I was working on this, I swear, but school just dumped a shit-ton of work on me, as well as playing tests in band I had to practice for! Again, I apologize for the short chapters, I've trying my best. I'm not sure when chapter four will be out, you'll just have to be patient. Sorry! Anyway, about Camo, he's actually from a currently nameless AU I'm working on. Have a good morning/day/evening/night, whatever time it is for you. Unless you're in the void. In that case... I dunno.
