So... its been a while. heh. Yea I meant to post a chapter ages ago but I got very distracted with lots of things and now we are in May... Anyway, in this chapter we see where Dream has landed and find out who the next addition to the cast is. I hope you enjoy.
I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS THAT FEATURE IN THIS STORY.
Chapter 9: Mixed Up
Dream had seen Error begin to warp his portal, but he was too late to react. He spiralled down and down into the darkness. Dark, dark yet darker, he fell into emptiness in his corrupted portal. One by one, he saw as his comrades disappeared into the mists surrounding them. The last thing he felt in their hearts was pure terror. He couldn't stay conscious any longer and everything went black.
"INK!" He yelled sitting upright in a panic. He was sitting on a sofa with a blanket tucked around him. He glanced around to see if he could place where he was but everything was still fuzzy. His eyes began to adjust to the sudden intake of light and he saw that he was inside some sort of living room. He knew he recognised it but he couldn't quite place where he was.
Suddenly the front door slammed open.
"PAPYRUS! DID HE WAKE UP! I THOUGHT I HEARD SOMEONE YELLING!"
"i dunno bro, ive been upstairs."
"SO SOMEONE IS HURT ON OUR COUCH AND YOU JUST LEAVE THEM THERE! I ASKED YOU TO LOOK AFTER THEM!"
"well its not like they were going anywhere."
Dream looked up and finally focused on the figure standing in the bright light from the doorway. Squinting through the brightness he saw that it was another Sans. It wasn't one of the ones he has been with before though.
"GOODNESS ME! YOU ARE AWAKE! LET ME GET YOU SOME WATER." The Sans said before running into the kitchen. The other voice belonged to a Papyrus who had began walking down the stairs.
"so... what do i call you" Papyrus asked.
"Huh… Oh, Dream. My name is Dream."
"well dream, care to tell me why we found you lying out in the forest covered in cuts and bruises, and while you're at it, you could explain why you look just like my brother." He asked with a hint of hostility.
Before Dream could speak however, Sans returned with the glass of water and a wet rag which he applied to Dreams forehead. Dream didn't complain and drank the water. He really needed it.
"I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS AND THIS IS MY BROTHER PAPYRUS." He said gesturing to his brother leaning against the wall lighting a cigarette.
"sup."
Ofcourse. When you need positivity, look no further than Underswap Sans. He must have subconsciously tried to crash here as he was falling through the space between universes. Dream was feeling better already.
"I'm sorry for imposing on you like this." Dream said after another sip of water.
"NOT AT ALL. WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP, AREN'T WE BROTHER."
"meh."
"BUT IF YOU DON'T MIND ME ASKING… WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?"
Dream stared into his glass and sighed.
"I was a fool… I got into a fight that I was not prepared for at all. I didn't want to get too many people involved because I would be putting them in danger but by not being more prepared, I've only put more people at risk."
"WELL YOU ARE SAFE NOW. DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?"
"I'm sorry… But me just being here has put you all in grave danger! One of them will be here soon to finish me off."
"one of who?" Papyrus said stepping forward.
"Ok… I guess you deserve an explanation for everything you have done for me…" Dream sat up and took a deep breath. "First of all, I am from another universe. It was a world similar to this one but different. There are almost an infinite number of universes that exist and in each of them there are constants and variables. I am a version of you Sans. I was tasked with the protection of the golden fruit. My brother was supposed to protect the dark fruit but he fell to their temptation and consumed them all. It changed him into a monster who wants nothing but destruction and chaos."
"WAS YOUR BROTHER LIKE MINE?" Sans asked looking afraid.
"No. he was more like an alternate version of me if that makes sense. Anyway, recently my brother has been gathering forces of evil to bring the multiverse into a state of madness. Me, my friend Ink and four other Sans's tried to stop them... but we failed. We… I underestimated them and almost got everybody killed."
"and one of them is coming here for you?"
"Most likely, yes."
"DO NOT WORRY MY LOOK ALIKE FRIEND, FOR I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS WILL KEEP YOU SAFE! MWEH HEH HEH!" Sans announced triumphantly whilst posing on the coffee table.
"not that im against risking my life for a total stranger but, why should we trust you?"
"Because if I don't manage to stop them, they will roll over this world like a hurricane and leave nothing behind!"
"I BELIEVE YOU, BUT WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP THEM?"
"Well first things first, we need to evacuate this area. Every resident of Snowdin needs to go to Alphys' Lab and hide in the basement."
"snowdin? you mean sunnedout. and alphys doesnt have a lab, undyne does." Papyrus said, confused.
"Constants and variables. Either way the people of this town need to get to safety. Next, if Alphys is the head of the royal guard then we need her here for the defense. Finally, I'm going to need to be at full power if we are going to stand a chance."
"HOW DO WE HELP WITH THAT?"
"I take my energy from positive emotions: happiness, joy and cheerfulness will make me recover faster. Just focus on your hopes and dreams and I'll be fine in no time."
"how long do you think we have?" Papyrus asked in a very serious tone.
"... Not long enough!" Dream replied ominously.
Everything became a frantic dash to prepare. Nobody had any clue what they were to expect but things were moving quickly. Papyrus was quite efficient at organising an evacuation having done it several times already, not that anyone would remember. He had hoped he wouldn't need to this time as Chara had already passed through without killing anybody. By now they must be near Napstaton. Papyrus just hoped that they had the sense to stay there and not come back.
"DREAM!" Sans said running over. "EVERYONE HAS BEEN EVACUATED."
"Good, how are the defences?" Dream replied.
"MY BROTHER IS WAITING AT THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN AND I'VE SET UP A WATCH STATION AT THE WEST SIDE."
"Any news from Alphys."
"SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD ONLY LEAVE WHEN ALL OF THE CIVILIANS WERE SAFE."
"Alright, guess we just have to hope that she gets here before they do."
Sans nodded and then turned around to face the east entrance to Sunnedin.
"SO REMIND ME AGAIN WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FROM THIS GUY." Sans asked.
"Well I'm still not even sure if they will only send one but there are six of us and six of them so it would make sense. Anyway, all six of them are very powerful and skilled in combat. My brother Nightmare is almost indestructible and feeds on your fears. He is excellent at manipulation and tactics so if he shows up, we are in trouble."
"IF HE IS YOUR BROTHER, CAN'T YOU JUST TALK TO HIM?"
"That would be the ideal scenario but he is too corrupt. All he wants is destruction. Another possibility is Error. He has glitched out of his mind and seeks to end the creation of new universes and destroy anything that he deems incorrect. He is powerful and has destroyed countless universes in the past. Whatever you do, don't let him tie you up in his strings. Once he has you he will take you to his own void dimension where he can possess your body or simply just leave you there to die."
"HE SOUNDS LIKE HE NEEDS A FRIEND…"
"Believe me, he doesn't. Next is Cross. He is a fusion between a Sans and a Chara. Not like Chara from this world though, but something much worse. He is incredibly fast and has the power to control others. He can manipulate knives and has several hacking attacks that he can use to change the world around us. He wants to steal parts from other peoples worlds to rebuild his own destroyed world."
"WELL I'M SURE IF HE ASKED NICELY, HE COULD LIVE HERE WITH US."
"That would be nice but he is too determined to 'take back what was taken from him.' Horror is a wildcard, literally. He has gone completely mad due to malnourishment, isolation, claustrophobia and desperation. He is cannibalistic and completely unpredictable. If it's him, expect the worst."
"IT SEEMS LIKE THEY HAVE ALL JUST FALLEN DOWN THE WRONG PATH IN LIFE. ISN'T THERE A WAY WE CAN HELP THEM?"
"A problem for another time, for now all we need to focus on is staying alive. Something that would be very difficult if they choose to send Dust after us. He was driven to kill everyone he loved in order to save them from a worse fate. He has lost all motives for his destructive tendencies and fights only to get stronger. He is very powerful and will not go down easily. You may be able to distract him by talking about his brother however. He seems to think that the ghost of his brother follows him around and talks to him."
"THAT'S TERRIBLE… I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT I WOULD BE LIKE WITHOUT MY BROTHER BY MY SIDE."
"Lastly there is…"
"me!" a voice called out from behind them.
Dream realised that whilst they had been talking, nobody was watching the east entrance. Killer stood a few paces away from them grinning. He drew his knife out from his pocket and tossed it playfully between his hands.
"go on then, tell him about my troubling history. tell him how i stabbed my own brother to death just to see what would happen."
Sans took a step back and gasped.
"BUT… YOU… WHY?"
"heh... i cant feel anything anymore. the only time i ever have any sort of reaction so something is when im taking a life. to have that much control over another being is liberating to say the least."
Dream could feel Sans fill with dread and fear… but then it softened back down again to a state of empathy. He was trying to convince himself that nobody does something like that without a really good reason. Deep down evil wasn't real… was it?
Suddenly Papyrus appeared next to Sans and the three of them stood ready to fight.
"Just remember, stay positive. Don't let him get inside your head." Dream whispered before he summoned his staff and prepared for combat.
"GOT IT!" Sans said, summoning two full length bone weapons to hold in each hand.
"we need to hold him off as long as we can, until alphys gets here." Papyrus said raising his hand and gesturing at the husk that stood before them.
"this should be fun" Killer whispered as he cracked his knuckles ready for the conflict.
The action made the three shudder, but they held their positions. The air was eerily silent. Both sides glared at one another. Then suddenly, without moving, Killer brought a wall of attacks up from the ground beneath the feet of the unexpecting Dream and Sans. Acting on instinct and reflexes, Papyrus quickly forced himself their direction, pushing them out of the way of the attack. He was successful in pushing them to safety but unfortunately his right leg was grazed by one of the attacks which left him unstable on his feet. He could stand but he wasn't going to be able to do any major acrobatics.
"YOU OKAY BRO?" Sans asked as he stood up.
"he just grazed me, ill be fine." Papyrus lied. He was in no position to fight but he didn't have much of a choice. He would have to stay back, give cover and try not to get in the way.
Killer was surprised to see that they had escaped his surprise attack and was thrown for a short time. Dream used this time to quickly pin him down with fast light attacks with his staff. Sans was quick to follow up and they quickly had Killer pushed back to the edge of Sunnedout.
"is that all you got?" Killer said. He jumped back and threw his knife at Sans who blocked it by crossing his duel weapons. In doing this Sans lost sight of Killer who leaped forwards to grab his knife and rip it from Sans weapons where it was lodged. This action shattered the bones to splinters and sent Sans stumbling back.
Papyrus raised a barrier of attacks in between the two to keep Killer away from his brother.
"Watch out!" cried Dream as Killer jumped into the air. Despite the fact that he was there to finish of Dream he seemed more focused on dealing with this new Sans. Killer turned his knife towards the ground and plunged downwards aiming for Sans' chest. Before he could deal this lethal strike however, Papyrus was able to summon a blaster in the way. Killer looked shocked for a moment, but he sliced the blaster in half before it had a chance to fire. Dream was right there to intercept his next attempt on Sans.
He tried to pull Killer away from Sans and divert his attention back to himself. The two of them fought for a long time with Sans and Papyrus chipping in with regular attack to keep Killer on the ropes.
Finally Dream managed to hit him back into the open.
"how is it that you are so much stronger now. during your fight with nightmare, you barely moved but now…" Killer looked at Sans again and then back to Dream. "so thats why i found you here."
"ENOUGH!" Sans said summoning his own blaster in front of Killer. This took him completely by surprise. He had thought that the Papyrus of this world was the only one capable to summon the prototype. It was a misjudgement that lead to him taking the full force of the attack. He was sent flying backwards into the cliff wall next to the entrance to the caves.
He lay there seemingly defeated. The three skeletons waited in anticipation for any movement from the murderous monster. His eyes began to leak thick black liquid more than ever before. Sans and Papyrus thought that meant they had won. Dream know otherwise.
Suddenly Killer began to glow a bright red light. And all traces of injury seemed to seep away. He stood up and glared at them with more hatred than ever. It was the only emotion that they had seen from him so far and it was terrifying.
"you surprised me… heheheh…" he laughed sinisterly. "you wont be able to do that again."
"who is this guy" Papyrus gasped.
"WHAT KIND OF POWER IS THIS!" Sans yelled.
Papyrus and Sans' spirits dropped seeing how easily and quickly Killer had recovered from his wounds. This weakened Dream and he began to realise that there was not a very high chance them winning this fight.
It was just then, that group morall was at its lowest, that Dream suddenly felt a wave of energy. To begin with he had no idea where it was coming from but then he remembered.
Killer was standing right in front of the cave entrance when suddenly several axes appeared from the darkness. Several of them were dodged by Killer but the volume of projectiles were too much for him. Several axes found their target in his back and flung him limply across the ground.
"Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going on!" Alphys yelled furiously as she arrived, fully adorned in steel armour.
Just as before, Killer oozed black goo from his eyes and managed to recover from all of his wounds. He stood up and looked around. He was surrounded and outmatched. He may be able to win the fight through endurance but it was not his style.
"hmph… looks like im outgunned here. as much fun as this has been, i think im going to take off, but i will be back. you can count on it!"
As he said the last line the area of grass below him opened up into a black hole that enveloped him and before anyone could react, he was gone.
"Alright someone explain!" Alphys roared. "You! Who are you!?" She yelled pointing at Dream.
"I am so sorry…" Dream took a deep breath. "You may want to sit down for this."
After a long explanation of the events prior to the encounter with the emotionless husk known as Killer, Alphys, Sans and Papyrus were shocked.
"So now I need to go and find the rest of the team scattered throughout the multiverse." Dream concluded.
"are you going to fight your brother again?" Papyrus asked.
"I don't have a choice really. If I sit here and do nothing then the whole multiverse is in danger."
"Sounds like you need some help." Alphys added. "And as much as I would like to help you… It sounds like we are more vulnerable here than ever before. This world needs me to protect its people."
"I appreciate the sentiment but I agree that it would be best if you stay here. I am partially responsible for what's been happening so I should be the one to fix it." Dream said looking down at the ground.
"WELL I CAN NOT LET HIM GO AFTER WHAT HE DID TO MY BROTHER" Sans said, standing up angrily.
After the fight, Papyrus had realised how bad a condition he was in and he was currently laying on the sofa with a makeshift bandage around his leg. It was a miracle that he had even been able to move during the fight with Killer.
"bro, im fine."
"NO YOU ARE NOT. HE HURT YOU AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM." Sans turned to face Dream. "I AM COMING WITH YOU WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"
Seeing that there was not much point arguing with him, Dream eventually decided to let the new Sans come along.
"If you want to come we are going to need a new name to call you by whilst you are with me."
"WELL… ALPHYS CALLS ME BLUEBERRY DURING OUR TRAINING SESSIONS, HOW ABOUT THAT."
"I think I will just stick with Blue." Dream said, standing up and resting his hand on 'Blues' shoulder. "Let's go find my friends."
Blue waved goodbye to Papyrus and Alphys, who promised to get Undyne down and have a look a Papyrus's leg. He was sad to have to leave the two of them behind but he knew that Dream couldn't do it on his own and if just staying positive was going to help him, then he was going to be more positive than he had ever been before. For the sake of the multiverse, he had to be.
So there we go. Posted a bit later than I had originally planned but I have not given up on this story. I have a bad habit of starting things and not finishing them but I'm trying really hard to make sure I keep at this project. I am aiming to do something special for the Undertale Anniversary but I need to get through a few chapters before we get there so now I have a deadline. hope to post the next chapter sometime next week. see you then.
