PATCHWORK SOUL - NEW MEDIUM

by TakaiWolf

DIRECT SEQUEL TO "PATCHWORK SOUL" — A few months later. A family of monsters and their little human kid try to start life anew beyond the confines of a giant mountain. Maybe they find something. Maybe they lose something. Time flows ever onwards, but sometimes it goes sideways, and it's heavier than they thought.

48. i can't find anything in my own house

i literally can't find anything in my own house chapter 48

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Sans was getting pretty sick of water. He felt enough like he was sinking on solid land. But, the streams in Waterfall carried magic well, and having that charge of energy pass between his ribs and right over his soul was comforting, in a way.

.

He was slouched back, leaning on his hands, trying not to doze off again in a pool at the base of a few small waterfalls. He wasn't sure if attunement was really for him, but Undyne was still more than powerful enough to drag him along with it, even if he wasn't doing the moves. She was flexing under a a downpour of water. Her magic dyed the liquid even more stark and bright than its normal glow.

.

It had taken a while, but the distortions in time had faded enough that Sans could handle seeing again. There were still some strange, angular fragments. Some seemed to stick in place in the real world, while others popped up here and there without warning. He saw his sister, for just a moment, the red of her soul glinting off the water. He saw Undyne's shadow marching through. Shimmers of swimming monsters passed for just a second. He saw Undyne as a rough-and-tumble child, little and skinny with short, scruffy hair and a big bandage over her damaged eye. She stood beside herself before the past flitted away.

.

"Hey, punk, you still with me?!" Undyne called.

He stuck his thumb up in the air. "Yup."

She dove into the water and surged out again much closer to him, splashing him pretty hard with her momentum. She pushed her hair from her face and plunked herself beside him, stretching her arms out in front of her. "You could at least try this, right?"

Sans laughed tiredly. He sat up straight and mimicked her as she interlocked her fingers and stretched forward, then upward. She shook out her arms. He let his drop limply back at his side. She looked him up and down thoughtfully.

"Want me to try a burst again?" she asked.

"Nah." He winked. "Ask me again when I'm down to a point-zero-something."

"Hm. Have you told your brother yet?" she asked.

"Nope."

Undyne glared at him and he smiled apologetically.

"I know. I'm trash," he said.

"You can't put it off 'til the last second, dude. That's not fair to him. He's not a baby."

"I know." He leaned back again lazily. "S'just… never had to before. It was, uh… Always me. Who was left. So."

.

Undyne's scowl softened. She huffed out a loud, rough sigh. "Shit."

"Hey, what can I say?" He shrugged one shoulder. "Time loop's crap. But, uh, it becomes kinda a crutch, too."

"…Yeah, I don't get it," she said.

"S'okay." He laughed. "Think there's maybe two people that do, and that's about it."

"But you're gonna tell him, right? You better."

He nodded. "Once our dad's up."

.

The big monster's ears drooped. She grimaced and got up, only to quickly plunk herself behind him and clap both hands against his skull, her fingertips glowing bright. Her healing magic was probably the only one in the kingdom that could be described as rough, but it was energizing, too. Sans wasn't about to complain.

.

"So, in all your weird timeline things, he ever got a tattoo before?" she asked.

"No." Sans snickered. "That's pretty new."

"How 'bout been in a movie? Because that's pretty awesome."

"Uh…" He cracked a smile. "Couple times actually. He can be quite the skel-ebrity. Heh. Mostly in the sideways ones. Couple times in the normal ones."

Undyne's brow furrowed. "What's that mean?"

"Like skeleton and celebrity but smushed. Since he's a—"

"No, not that!" She rolled her eye. "Sideways."

"Oh. It's what I call when a big shift happens outside of the normal loop. Usually happens when the world ends and then comes back too many times, it's a whole dumb thing."

"Uhhhh… Nope. Still don't get it," she said.

"Okay, so, normal is just… stuff changes 'cause the anomaly changes it by their actions. Or, I guess, I or A… Asriel did." The name felt kind of weird, saying it aloud. "My sis counts as an anomaly, by the way, d'you remember me explainin' that?"

"Yeah, kinda," she said. "So sideways is something else changed, like, retroactively?"

"Yup. See, a normal one, that could go on for just a day or two, or for months." He winked. "Or, with our kid, indefinitely, when she gets back. Sideways is like what's happenin' to us now except, uh… The changes usually don't mix and match like this. Or just start happenin' right in front of us."

"Like… My eye, that's one of those?"

"Yeah."

"Man, that's stupid," she growled.

"I know."

.

"How many of those were sideways?" Undyne asked. "And how does it become, like, un-sideways? I gotta go punch the CORE or somethin'?"

"Oh, I wish," he said with a tired laugh. "Uh. Couldn't say how many, really. A lot. Less than normal, but still a lot."

"And if I wanna fix it?"

"Gotta get those kids," he said.

She sighed heavily, a growl in the back of her throat. "Sucks, dude."

"I know."

"I hate how it feels in my head! It's weird not knowin' what's right in a timeline or not!" She squeezed his skull. "Nnngh, it's just so frustrating!"

"I know," he said.

"I know you know!" She drooped. "Urgh. Normal would be real good about now."

"Sure would." He tilted his head back to look up at her. "Hey, uh. I get it's total garbage. Thanks. For stickin' with me."

"Told ya, y'punk, I'm your bodyguard until this crap is done," she said.

"Don't get me wrong, 'preciate it, but if you change your mind, I completely get it."

Undyne gently bonked him on the head with her fist. He snorted and grinned, settling into the water a bit more comfortably.

.

"So. What do we do now?" she said. "Got anything?"

"I, uh… Dunno. Check the lab, I guess," he said.

"Guh. Boring," she said, but she sighed plaintively anyway.

"Miss 'er?" Sans asked.

"Hell yeah I do," she said. "It's making me crazy. Like, I miss everything! I miss how her walk sounds. I miss the way she does a little tail slap and snorts when she's dreaming. I miss how she sneezes, for god's sake! It's so dumb."

"No it's not." Sans huffed out a tired laugh. "I got a ton of those."

Undyne grimaced. She growled to herself and shook her head. "Whatever. I'll deal. Won't be much longer, right?" She got up and stretched. "What d'ya think, wanna go to Flambé's?"

"Feel like hoppin' on that train to Nopesville might be kinda harsh, huh?" he asked with a sideways grin.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" she asked. Her face immediately fell into an incredulous glare. "The whole thing's wrong, huh?"

"Yup." He got up slowly and rubbed his head. "Ah well. What's a little existential crisis with a side of fries gonna hurt? They still serve fries?"

"Think so," Undyne said.

"Lessgo."

.

The two waterlogged monsters went to Undyne's to get cleaned up before heading towards the cold of Snowdin. There was a pink cat girl in a tutu outside the house, but she sprinted away, leapt across the river, and vanished before either of them could say anything to her. She looked oddly familiar to Sans— like some sort of anime character, or something.

.

Papyrus's scarf carried a little tingle of his magic with it. Sans always felt weird about having it, but it was very cozy. He put it on with his hoodie before they set out.

.

As she often did, Undyne let Sans set the pace as they walked. When they were about halfway, a small voice calling the skeleton's name from deep in a cavern made them pause. From out of the shadows, a little purple crocodino rushed to join them. She stumbled to a halt, holding her knees and panting for a moment before she straightened, pushing her dark mop of hair out of her face only for it to flop down over her eyes again like a sheepdog.

"Kid?" Sans grinned sideways. "Skippin' again, huh?"

"No, no no, I…! Ugh!" She huffed. "Ah…! C-Captain Undyne, I—!"

"Relax, squirt. What was your name again? Suzy?" Undyne said.

Suzy gulped and tried to stand up straight. "Y-Yeah! I…! I'm not skipping! I mean, not on purpose! I promise, and I—!"

"Deep breaths," Sans suggested.

.

Suzy took a moment to try to calm herself. "My school is gone!"

"Gone?" Undyne's brows rose high.

"Gone, like… gone gone?" Sans asked.

The kid nodded hurriedly. "I was gonna go but it was moved and I couldn't find it so I figured it was that weird time stuff you told me about so I tried to call that number Doctor Gaster gave me but nobody picked up so I tried to go home but my house was gone too and nobody there is picking up either so I thought maybe if I could find one of you, m-maybe you could fix it but I didn't know where you lived or—"

"Whoa. Okay." Sans put up his hands to slow her. "New Home shifted around?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying!" Suzy insisted. "I can't even go to school 'cause I can't find it now and I can't go home either 'cause it's not there!" She put her hands to her face. "Oooh, no no no, is my sister just totally gone?! I don't get it, wh-what if something happens and I just vanish into nowhere, too?! I don't wanna vanish! That'd suck! I don't wanna—!"

"Hey." Sans lifted the kid in blue and grabbed her up under her arms. "Listen. You listenin'?"

"Y-Yeah?!" she said.

"You won't vanish. That black in your soul? Means you're safe. Okay?"

"Wha…?! But…" She slumped. "You're sure?"

"Yup."

"A-And it's all gonna go back to normal later?!"

"Yup."

The little monster gritted her big, sharp teeth. She heaved out a heavy sigh and flopped forward, gripping the skeleton in a tight, desperate hug. His eyes went wide. He looked at Undyne only to see her stifling a laugh. He carefully patted the kid's back.

.

"Alright, c'mere, y'little punk," Undyne said, lifting the kid up into her arms. "What kinda thing do you call yourself?"

"Uh. Crocodaur?" she said.

Undyne shifted Suzy to one arm and pulled out her phone. She pushed one button and then slapped it to the side of her head and tapped her foot. After a few seconds, a voice sounded and her ear lifted.

"Yo. It's me," she said. "You still work for me, yeah? …Great. I need, uh, a search of New Home. You know crocodaurs? See if any are missin' a kid named Suzy and get back to me. Alright? Thanks, man. Yeah, yeah, dismissed." She hung up and then looked at the little monster. "Guess you can stick with us for now, if you want? You hungry? We're gettin' lunch."

"Wh-Wha…? Uh! Yeah! I'm starving," she said. "That's really okay?! You guys don't mind having a… a weird kid hanging around?!"

Sans shrugged. "Nah, we're used to picking up strays." He winked and waved them on their way. "That's how I got my sister."

"What, really?!" Suzy leaned over Undyne's arm to look down at the short skeleton. "What, you just grabbed her outta nowhere?"

"Pretty much."

"Wow." Her yellow eyes got big. "Nice."

.

At the snowy edge of the caverns, it was Sans's turn to deal with a phone. Papyrus was calling. Sans gestured for Undyne to continue onwards with Suzy and plunked himself on the steps to their house.

"SANS!" Papyrus shouted the second his brother answered. "I have fantastic news! Really amazing! Guess what?! Actually, don't guess, that'll take too long! But first, how are your eyes?!"

"They're eye-lright. What's up?"

"I am choosing to ignore that. But, good. Doctor Alphys and I ran dad's DT program! And! We got a melody! One that matched with her work with that Dark Model thingy!"

Sans perked up right away. "Oh yeah? Can I hear it?"

"I'll get her to send it along," he said. "It's really very nice! It was actually right in that strange cube I can't remember getting. Not everything was a hit, obviously— that bizarre round dog plush and dad's weird vial of determination juice or whatever it was didn't have it, buuuut, that strange red orb thing from the lake sort of did as well! So! Overall, a great and very important success, if I do say so myself! Which I do! Nyeh heh heh heh!"

Sans caught himself with a hint of a genuine smile. "Hey, lookit you, a bone-afide science guy."

"NYEH. Sans! That was far too obvious. However! Yes! Just for a bit. Not without the help of Alphys, of course, I am just taller and faster at movement and grabbing so that was definitely handy getting the whole thing going," he said brightly. "Anyway! There is one thing. A small. But important. Thing. There is a chunk of it missing. But! I think I know what is. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully! The solution. And that solution is! Asriel."

Sans's brows raised. "Oh yeah?"

"Absolutely! Since he's missing, too, he must be the key to what else is missing in this song! I'm not entirely sure how to figure that part out, but I had a very clever thought! Which was: the King or mom might know. Now, I know all their memories are wrong, too, like mine are, but they also were able to figure out his name on their own," the said. "I asked Asgore, but unfortunately he had no clue. Aaaaand, I am not actually sure where mom is. Which is partially why I called! Are you anywhere near home?"

"Eh. Pretty close," Sans said, getting to his feet and heading inside.

"Excellent! I need you to check for mom. She may be asleep there. Which would explain why she would not answer my calls. Or texts. Or video chats."

"Gimme just a sec."

.

Sans trudged through the house. Obvious choice was her room, but she wasn't there. The attic was also devoid of Toriel, as was Papyrus's room. He headed down the passage under the sink, but was mildly surprised to not find his path to the basement there. Instead, a strange, underground chamber opened before him, leading to a red and white shrine with little golden dogs decorating a curved, crimson roof. There were some colourful festive lights strung up around it and a portrait of a white, fluffy dog placed in between white columns, above a golden box with a coin slot in it and beneath a glimmering crest of the Delta Rune. A boom box played a soft, barking melody from off in a corner.

.

"Uuuhh. Bro? You didn't happen to move my extra basement path, did ya?" Sans asked.

"Nnnno, I don't think so?" Papyrus said.

"And I guess you didn't happen to build a whole entire shrine to a dog down here, huh?"

"WHAT?! Sans, what the heck are you talking about?!"

Sans snickered tiredly to himself and snapped a photo of the room, sending it along to his brother. Papyrus was silent for an extra few seconds. Sans could already picture his wide-eyed expression.

"This is in our basement?!" Papyrus squawked.

"Welp. I dunno. Maybe we got two basements, now," he said. "Guess I'll check."

"This is ridiculous," Papyrus grumbled. "Doctor Alphys, look at this nons—! NYEEHH! WHERE DO YOU KEEP COMING FROM!? Did you build this under our house?!"

Someone woofed.

.

Sans laughed. He wandered back outside and around the back of the house to his basement workroom as his brother continued to argue with a pooch in the distance. Normally, teleporting meant where the path was wouldn't matter. Sans had done a little magic redecorating and linked it to their bizarre under-the-sink cupboard so his kid wouldn't have to do exactly what he was doing right now. However, when he peeked into the cool, tiled room, Toriel wasn't in there, either.

.

"Where are you now? And where is mom now, is she there?" Papyrus asked.

"Basement. The, uh, real one. No luck."

"Did you check the garage?" Papyrus pressed.

Sans sighed and headed back out into the snow. "On my way. You called her, right?"

"Of course I called her! I called her over a dozen times!" he said. "You didn't eat her phone, did you?!"

"Why would I eat her phone?" Sans asked with a laugh.

"Not you! This annoying dog!" Papyrus said. "Oh, whatever, it's alright. Hey, Sans? I have an odd question for you."

"Mhm?"

"In the future. I mean. In the normal timeline," he said. "You know how our garage is really just a shed but I enjoy calling it a garage because of my dreams for the future?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Did we… Or I? Did I ever have a car?"

"Uh. Not this time. Last time. Once we hit the surface, though."

"Ah! So that's why I remembered how to drive a car right away," he said. "Because I'd actually done it before. Right?"

"Guess so, bro," Sans said. He reached the shed garage and pulled the door open.

"Nyeh heh heh! That's good! It's not all completely a hundred percent gone from my mind, then."

"Yup. Pretty lucky," Sans said.

.

Inside the garage was completely vacant, without a single thing of interest within but his big clunker of a time machine, sitting in the middle of the floor.

"Nothin' here," Sans said.

"What?! Really?! Well, where else could she be?!" Papyrus demanded.

"Think I heard she was lookin' into the monsters with black in their souls. Maybe she's doin' that?" Sans suggested.

"Ugh. Well. She didn't mention anything about Asriel to you, did she? We need his hum. Maybe Big Dog can help again, but I just don't know."

.

Sans folded his arms and leaned up on the wall, straining his mind for anything of the sort. He tapped his foot and let out a quiet, ponderous sound. His soul ached. He remembered the huge monster humming a song to him when he'd broken down in the attic. He knew it was the boy's, but he couldn't for the life of him remember the notes. He knew his sister knew it, too, but it was enigmatic nonsense in both of their memories, just like hers was. The song was the same as the tune of an old music box Toriel had, but he wasn't sure where that was, either.

"…I think she knows," Sans said. "She hummed it, I think, but I didn't really catch it on account of sobbin' like a dumb baby at the time."

"Aw, Sans! That's okay, don't worry. I just need to find her," he said. "I just have this feeling… Like I'm missing her. Maybe I've just been walking back and forth from the King's and so has she but on different paths? She was there very early this morning."

"Maybe," Sans said. "Welp. I'll let you know?"

"Yes please and thank you very much! I'll probably be here, or maybe at Asgore's. Don't doze off anywhere dangerous or weird, brother! Okay love you bye!"

.

Sans smiled to himself as he pocketed his phone. He didn't usually end up wearing his brother's scarf and able to hear his voice at the same time. Wasn't so bad. He headed out feeling a little bit better.

.

When Sans peeked inside Flambé's, he was startled by the upscale, fancy, silver metallic aesthetic of the place. He'd seen different versions of Grillby's before— others colours of brick and fire, priority on savoury pie instead of burgers, even a western-style cowboy saloon— but never one that wasn't still Grillby's. It was packed with dogs and other monsters, though, so that was probably a good sign.

.

The short skeleton wandered in as if he'd done it a thousand times, grinningly greeting familiar faces until he joined Undyne and Suzy at a sleek, silvery booth. Food was already there. The purple crocodaur had her teeth sunk deep into a burger.

"How's Paps?" Undyne asked, shoving a plate piled high with fries and a ramekin of orange sauce towards him.

"Good." He flopped when he sat and rubbed the back of his skull. "Him and Alph did some science. Sounded like it went real well."

"Well, that's something, They're a good team, I guess." She took a swig of a big, bubbly soda. "So, uh, what do we do with this kid?"

"Yeah, what do you do with me?!" Suzy asked. "What if you can't find my house?!"

"Hm. Guess you could stay with one of us until this crap blows over or we find your sis," Undyne said. "That okay?"

"Is it?!" Suzy's face flushed. "I mean, that'd be pretty cool, I guess. I wouldn't mind."

Undyne nodded. "Sans, you got any room?"

"Uh." He blinked— he supposed they did have a place to rest and a TV, at least. "Guess so."

"Good. That'll be safer," she said. "Y'know, 'cause I keep…" She tapped the side of her head and rolled her eye. She downed the rest of her soda and burped loudly, slamming the cup onto the table. "Y'know. I think I don't even like soda."

"I was gonna say," Sans said.

.

"Wait, so you guys really don't mind me just… sittin' around in your houses and stuff?" Suzy asked.

"Nah," Sans said. "Unless you got somewhere else you'd rather hang out? A friend's, maybe?"

Her snout flushed and she shook her head quickly. Sans's brow tilted sympathetically.

"Ah. Sorry. That was rude." He grinned sideways. "It'll be alright. Hope you like spaghetti."

"I dunno what that is."

"You'll learn," he said.

.

He tried a fry. It was good, but it just wasn't the same. The hot oiliness and the salt were a little off. Crunch was fine, though. He dipped a fry in the sauce and was instantly intrigued. Not ketchup— something a bit fruitier and spicier that he'd never had before.

"You know what this is?" he asked Undyne, pointing down at it.

"Uhh… Chutney, I think?" she said.

"Chutney…" He added that to his long list of things he'd texted to his sister. "Nice." Since he had his phone out, he shot Toriel a message, too. He took his small ramekin and began to eat the chutney with the flat of a knife, much to Undyne's chagrin.

.

"So, uh…" Undyne shook the look of incredulous revulsion off her face. "What now? We just waitin' on Gaster?"

"Yup," Sans said. "Tori, too. Figure she might have the last piece we gotta feed into the NOCTURNE."

"Uh-huh." She put her cheek on her fist and drummed her fingers on the table. "Uh. Okay. Don't freak out. Who's Tori?"

Sans blinked. His soul stuttered and he could have sworn he'd just fallen off the train to Nopesville, dropped full-on off the top of Nope Mountain, and plummeted into somewhere far worse. "Wuh-oh."

"Not good?" she asked.

"Toriel any better?" he said.

"Oh. You mean Asgore's ex?" She tilted her head. "…Uh, didn't she vanish like hundreds of years ago? You might be waiting a while."

Suzy looked between the two of them with confusion. "…Uh. Captain Undyne? She was on the mountain with us a few days ago, remember? She's like a huge white goat or something?"

Sans nodded when the kid looked at him for confirmation. Undyne's ear fins drooped.

"Aw, damn it, it happened again, didn't it?" she said, smacking her brow. "Sorry, guys. My bad. Ugh, hopefully if I see her again it'll come back so I don't seem like a huge jerk."

.

Sans nodded. He drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully. Suzy's brow furrowed.

"This is really weird," she said. "So you guys don't remember right either?"

"He does," Undyne said, pointing at Sans. "It's just me." She sighed heavily. "Damn."

"Cap, s'okay, you're doing better than most," Sans assured her. "Chill out, alright?" He planted some coins down on the table and got up, stretching his arms above his head before making his way to the door.

"Whoa, where you going?" Undyne called.

"Not crazy, hopefully," he said, pushing it open with his back. "I'll catch up with you later."

"What about the kid?! What about you?!"

"Uh. House'll still be open when you're done. I'll be there, probably." He shot them a half-hearted finger gun. "Don't burn anything down."

"That was one time!" Undyne shouted.

"Up that by a hundred and you're a little closer." He winked and was gone before she could throw something at him.

.

Hoping he'd masked his dread, Sans rushed home, dialling Alphys on the way. His bones rattled as he nearly broke into a jog, slippers crunching in the snow.

"Moshi moshi!" the lizard said as she picked up.

"Hey, cameras workin'?" Sans asked, rushing up the steps.

"Wh…? Um… Y-Yeah? Why?" Alphys said.

"Oh. Uh. Congrats on the red line stuff, by the way," he said as he shouldered his way into the house. "Can you check around for Tori for me?"

"Tori?" she repeated.

Sans winced. His eye flared uncomfortably, the blue shining bright. "Toriel. The old Queen?"

"Wh…? Oh! Toriel! Sorry, I…! What does she look like? W-Wait, she's back?! Oh m-my god, does Asgore know?! H-He thought sh-she was dead!"

.

Sans rubbed his temples. Here came the headache again. "She's a big goat. Paps should have photos."

"Ooh, s-sorry," she said sheepishly, "he already left. B-But I can definitely look!"

"Thanks." He opened the door to his old room. His vision cracked, doubling the off-coloured fragments. Heaviness crept into his skull. "Mind stayin' on with me?"

"N-No, not at all." Her tone softened. "H-How are you feeling?"

"Eh. Been better."

"S-Sans, I… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he said.

.

Toriel's desk was still where it had been. There wasn't much in the drawers. Her chest was near the bed, but her clothes weren't in it. It was as if she'd moved out in a hurry.

"This ain't good," he muttered.

"What?" Alphys asked gently.

"Oh. Uh… So. Toriel, right? She's, uh, 'sposed to live in my house? Annnnd she's gone and no-one can find 'er."

"Uhhh… Wait, the old Queen l-lived in your h-house?!"

"Yeah, uh… Check…"

The droning of a hum started playing in his head again. He cringed.

"Sans?" Alphys asked.

"Check, uh… Asgore's. This morning. See if she left or… The Ruins, maybe…?" He put a hand against the side of his skull to try to steady himself, but all he saw was blue sparking along the walls. "Damn. Text me? Because, uh, I'm probably gonna faint."

"What?! Sans, what d-d-do you—?!"

.

He'd already lost her words behind a hum that flooded his skull, drowning out all else. He sighed and squinted through the changing colours of the room.

whoops im deaf, he texted her.

whhhhyyyy? Alphys replied.

weird hum in my head 2 loud 2 hear thru. Sans finished with a shrugging emoji.

EAT SOMETHING! X. X

.

She was right. It had helped last time. He tapped over to his item box but didn't get a chance to take anything out as his vision failed him.

.

He was cold. He blinked. White and black and scattered fragments of unusual gold and red made up most of the world. He was cheek-down in the snow, but at least he could see. Blackened tree trunks penned him in. It was quiet here.

.

With a grunt, Sans heaved himself up, snow tumbling off his back and shoulders. He knocked some out of his head, too. There was more of it in there than he thought. He got to his feet, snapping a twig as he stood and looked down. Sneakers. His jacket was the heavier blue one he often liked, with the warm, fluffy hood. He patted his pockets— no phone. Had to be a dream, right? He felt Papyrus's scarf in his pocket. Puzzled, he put it back on.

.

Footsteps broke the still of the chilly air. He perked up and curiously wandered between the trees, following the sound. He saw a small shape passing along a path through the trunks. Blue and pink. His soul's hum sped and so did his pace.

.

He broke out past the trees and skidded onto the path behind a small, brown-haired human child.

"Kiddo?!" he called.

The kid didn't stop. He reached out only to have his hand pass through nothing. He drew back, puzzled, and looked at his fingers. They seemed okay. The scar was still there on the side of his hand. This was a dream, right? Or did the whole world just shift? Did his clothes shift on his bones?

.

His eyes focused back on the the snowy land around him. The kid was gone. Sans flinched. He put his hand against his skull.

"Okay. Fully losin' it. That's fine." He took a long, deep breath of the cold, sharp air. He figured that temperature alone was enough to say this wasn't a dream. He didn't have anything in his pockets to read.

.

Still heavy-headed and stiff, he turned to get his bearings. His soul's song sped— the dusky stone of the Ruins loomed above him as if it'd snuck up on him. The massive doors were shut tight. Left eye flickering with alarmed blue, Sans tried to pry the slabs apart. Nothing. Magic hummed through the rock beneath his fingertips. The doors were sealed.

.

"No way," he muttered. "Oh, no, Tori, don't tell me…" He knocked hard on the stone. "Knock knock."

Gentle snow blew around him. The wind was the only reply. He knocked again.

"Tori?" he called. "Hey, uh, Toriel? You over there? Can you hear me? It's Sans."

.

Silence.

.

He grimaced. Dread froze his bones. He tried to gather himself, but his mind was racing. She wasn't the first person to get shifted around, but he'd never expected it to snatch her, of all people, out from under them. He knocked again, the sound of his hard bones on rock echoing around him.

"Tori? You there?" His knuckles hurt. He pounded on the door with the side of his fist. "You hear me?" He rested the his head against the stone, reaching for any sound at all.

.

Nothing.

.

Sans rubbed his sore hands together as he drew back. If this was one of those times where some horror had stabbed her… The blue in his left eye blazed. He looked the doors up and down and took a deep breath. Would it be smarter to go home? Probably. Maybe wait for someone to find him? Alphys's cameras had to have seen him. He put a hand against the stone again, just to be sure. He could feel Toriel's magic seal woven just under the surface. He winced. Someone else showing up here wouldn't help him at all. There was only one way through this door without Toriel releasing her grip on it.

.

The skeleton closed his eyes. Focused. Pictured the other side of this door— the dark stone and the markings carved into it— as clearly as he could. His sister's memories filled in the space and the shadows in a place she'd seen a little more than he had. His soul hurt before he'd even shifted; screamed that this was a horrible idea. He should wait. He did not.

.

He vanished into frozen nothingness and stumbled back out on the other side of the door. His soul felt like it was seized out of his ribcage, gripped in a frozen, clawing hand. It pulsed so hard it became a boulder slamming into his spine, knocking the wind from him. He couldn't keep his legs under him and his vision was shot. Every inch of him hurt and void black goo began to drip down his face as he collapsed onto the stone and shadows overcame him.

xXxXx

Feeling the dips in Sans's energy was second nature to Papyrus. No matter the distance, they were always in sync, and when his brother was feeling bad, naturally, he was the first to know. So, when Papyrus got up from his father's bedside intending to make some tea and was almost knocked off his feet with a hit against his soul that felt like a sledgehammer, his brother's name was all that tumbled through his mind.

.

Staggering to his feet, he was already calling Sans with his phone in one hand and scribbling out a note to Gaster with the other, just in case. He slapped the paper onto the bedside table and sprinted out the door in a matter of seconds.

.

Sans wasn't answering. That could mean a number of things, but the most likely one was that he was unconscious. Papyrus reached the special elevator to the lab and pressed the button to make it open so many times it was if he was trying to hit a high score. When the door opened with a pleasant ding, he leapt inside and scrambled with the panel at the back. As soon he hit the right combo of numbered buttons, the whole elevator plummeted. He leaned back and pressed himself into the wall as hard as he could.

.

The elevator shuddered to a halt with a heavy thunk. It felt like an hour between the chime of its arrival and the doors sliding open. Papyrus set out running, only to almost trip over a sweaty and whimpering Alphys a few steps out.

"AAAaaaah! P-Papyrus?!" She looked up at him with huge, dark eyes and stammered nonsense for an instant before grabbing his hand tight. "O-Oh my god, I'm…! I'm s-sorry, I sh-should h-have called you, I—"

"Doctor, I'm so sorry but I definitely don't have time for anything right this second unless it's about Sans," he said.

"I-It is!" she squeaked.

"Do you know where he is?!" Papyrus demanded.

"Th-That's just i-it, I…! I…!" She gulped hard and hauled him across the lab to her monitors.

.

Alphys clicked around on her computer furiously, bringing up the feeds of several cameras on the big screen. She rewound the footage. The images jump-cut and distorted in big, awkward chunks.

"I…! I was on the phone with him, h-he said he was w-worried about fainting and then he couldn't hear and—!"

"Wait, he what?! Is that why he didn't answer me?!" Papyrus yelped.

"I d-don't know, I just…! I-I was checking Asgore's because h-he asked and then e-everything went weird, b-b-b-but I…!" She wheezed for breath, her short claws digging into her desk.

.

Papyrus grabbed the panicked little lizard up into his arms and squeezed her close. She squeaked with surprise and babbled, but he didn't even bother to try to sift through what she was saying and glowed bright for her instead. Her words trailed off into a sigh. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"…Thank y-you, Papyrus," she said quietly.

"Mhm! No problem at all, Doctor. Do you feel a little better?"

"Y-Yeah." She nodded. "I j-just…!" She winced. "I-I'm so sorry. I… I panicked. I j-just wanted to f-find him b-before…" She sighed again. "I should have c-called you."

"Yes, you should have, but I, the great Papyrus, am here now! So." He gently plopped her back in her chair. "Let's just take a look at what's here. One thing at a time. Why were you checking Asgore's?"

.

Alphys gulped. "He s-said something about the old Queen," she said. "Um, T-Toriel? Going missing?"

"Missing?" Papyrus's eyes went wide. "Wait, you mean missing missing and not we-just-can't-find-her-at-the-moment missing?!"

"I g-guess?! But, um…! S-So, I…! I tried to find Sans, too, a-after he stopped replying t-to my texts, but I s-saw…" She huffed and rolled her eyes at herself. "Ugh, I'll j-just show you."

"Yes, please!" Papyrus said.

.

With a few clicks, she enlarged panels showing the Snowdin cameras. They were a mess. Distortion and corruption everywhere. It was as if the recording tech had no idea what it was looking at. A flutter of pixels for barely a fraction of a second flipped Flambé's back to Grillby's. A big hunk of purple in the corrupted Ruins cam vanished.

"Is this now?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"No, that's, um, f-from this morning," Alphys said.

"And now?"

The lizard gulped and fiddled with her computer again. The current footage was missing that purple stone, but was far more pixelated and smeared.

"So that means the door is closed, then, isn't it?" Papyrus mused, tapping his chin.

"W-Well, yeah, it's supposed t-to have been closed for hundreds of years, that's why it was w-weird!"

.

Papyrus's jaw dropped. "What?! No!" he barked. "Oh! Oh. My. God. Nyooo, oh no, that is very not good!"

"Huh?!" Alphys said.

"Sans and I, we talked about mom being missing," he explained. "I mean, I just thought she was on a walk or taking a very heavy nap or something, but if the Ruins are closed, that probably means she is back inside! Because the way you're talking, you don't remember her correctly at all, do you?"

"R-Remember…? Your mom? I'm confused," Alphys admitted.

"Yes. My mom— Toriel is my mom," he said. "Though I don't remember how exactly that happened. So it must involve Asriel and Crabapple Kid, because Asriel is a hundred percent her kid with the King." He shook his head quickly. "And thaaaat completely doesn't matter right this second. If we figured that out, I'm sure Sans did, too. Did you catch him on here?!"

"I… I noticed some blue, but look at all this."

.

She played the footage. It was a mess. There was a fleck of blue in there but whatever it was was unclear. Even so, Papyrus leaned towards it, eyes wide, soul flickering. He was entranced.

"It's… It's a-almost unusable, and… Papyrus, what're you…?" Alphys winced and held the side of her head. She took a long, deep breath, and muttered to herself, "Yose, yose, t-tomeru…"

Papyrus snapped out of it and turned to her with a worried frown. "Are you remembering something?!"

"N-No, I…" She grimaced. "Maybe, I'm… n-not… Oof." She looked up at him. "Whatever's g-going on, l-let's go f-find your brother."

Papyrus scooped her up under her arms. "Yes, let's!"

.

They raced out of the lab and took the riverperson's boat at full speed to Snowdin. The instant they passed solid, snowy ground with enough room to stand, Papyrus grabbed Alphys up in his arms and leapt for it.

.

Beelining down main street, they almost crashed right into Undyne and the little purple kid she was with on their way to the house.

"Yo, what's the rush?" Undyne asked worriedly, catching Papyrus by the shoulders.

"Sans," Papyrus said. "Fainted."

"Oh shit." Undyne barrelled ahead, leaving Papyrus to scoop Suzy up too and rush to follow her.

.

Undyne raced up the steps to the house, kicking in the front door so hard that it flew off its hinges and slammed into the kitchen wall. "SANS?!" she yelled.

"Aaah, Undyne, our door!" Papyrus protested shrilly.

"I'll get you a new door," she growled. "SANS?!" She stormed through the kitchen like an angry whirlwind, then stomped upstairs.

"H-He was here, right?" Alphys asked.

"What's going on?" Suzy asked.

"Ah! Sorry, little purple child, this is all just… Um." Papyrus blinked. "Oh! Suzy! From the mountain top! What are you doing here, don't you live in New Home?!"

"Everything moved around and your brother said I could, um, stay with you? Until the Guards find my sister," she said sheepishly.

"Oh!" Papyrus put both her and Alphys down on the couch. "Yes, okay, that makes sense, I will show you around just as soon as we find him."

"He left the restaurant when Captain Undyne couldn't remember who Tori was, does that help?" she said..

Papyrus gawked. He stuck a finger up. "Yes, that helps tremendously. UNDYNE! DID YOU FORGET WHO MY MOM IS, TOO?!"

"WHAT?!" she shouted back.

He headed up the stairs. "DO YOU REMEMBER TORIEL?!"

"I DUNNO!" She poked her head out of his room and pointed back down the stairs. "Check your weird basement and stuff, wouldya?!"

"Okay I will! Don't forget to check in the closet!" Papyrus turned on his heel and ran right into the kitchen, only to squawk loudly.

A small, fluffy white dog ran out of the room behind him and jumped up onto the couch, flopping over Alphys's legs and licking Suzy's hand. The little monster gently patted its head despite the confusion all over her face.

.

Undyne headed into the other bedroom. There wasn't much there, but there was a phone on the floor. She cautiously picked it up.

"Sh-Should I try to track his phone?" Alphys called from downstairs.

Undyne frowned. She tapped the screen. The background was a photo of space and stars, and notifications from Alphys and Papyrus were pinging all over it.

"No, I got it!" she shouted back. She hoped he wouldn't mind her giving it a quick look, but he was part of a missing monster investigation now.

.

His camera and recent texts contained nothing of interest, except for when he nonchalantly told Alphys he went deaf and she spammed him with texts trying to get an answer that wasn't going to come. Undyne suddenly had a horrendous thought. She dropped to her knees and sifted through the carpet carefully with her fingers, peering down at it with an intense glare.

"I'm gonna kill you, dude," she snarled. Sweat beaded at the edge of her forehead. She cursed herself— she should never have let him go on his own. However, she didn't feel anything like dust or see anything glittering in the fibres.

.

Her ears perked and she sat up quickly as Papyrus filled the threshold. He tilted his head.

"Did you find a clue?" he asked.

"Uh! Just this." She got up quickly and passed him his brother's phone. "You?"

"Well, he was right about a bizarre dog shrine under our house, I think, but otherwise nothing interesting," he said. He slipped past her into the room and lifted the bed up with one hand to peek under it. "Hm. He's not here anywhere? If he can't hear, he might just be sleeping, which would explain him not answering us…" He stared at the phone. "And it's very possible he dropped this because he is so sloppy, but…" He turned and jumped the railing in the hallway to get back to the ground floor.

Undyne followed him.

.

Papyrus frowned thoughtfully as he lifted up the couch with little regard to its occupants and peeked underneath. He scratched the back of his skull after setting them down again.

"H-How can I help?" Alphys asked.

"What's a pasghetti, is that important?" Suzy wondered.

"The answer to both of those things is, unfortunately, I have no idea," Papyrus said. His soul flickered and he cupped his hand over it. "Nyeh, what on earth is going on?"

.

"Okay. Calm down," Undyne said. "Let's sort this out. Alph, you heard him faint, right?"

"Y-Yes, Captain," Alphys said quickly.

"Dude, you don't gotta…" Undyne shook her head. "Okay, that. Anything else weird?"

"I felt him faint," Papyrus volunteered. "I think! I mean, it's never hit that hard before."

"R-Right! He has a s-soulbond with his brother," Alphys volunteered, sticking her hand up like she was in class. "I-It's because they're both artificially made from Gaster."

"Whoa, you're a weird science experiment?" Suzy asked.

"Yes, for sure," Papyrus said.

Undyne's eye narrowed. She rubbed her chin. "Okay, uh. Paps. Don't freak out. This is just a hypothetical question, okay?"

"Okay," he said with the tiniest lilt of suspicion.

"If… Ugh, this sounds bad already in my head," she said. "Okay, if Sans died, you'd know, though, right?"

"DIED?!" He squawked, putting his hand to his soul spot. "I…! I'm pretty certain I'd know! I'd definitely feel it, right?!" He looked back at Alphys for help.

.

The lizard's face was flushed, her eyes wide, and she looked extremely sweaty. "We…" Her voice croaked. "Th-That's n-n-not something w-we could t-t-test, obviously! Eheh… I…! I'm s-sure you'd know, but, um, I'm positive he's f-f-fine! Wherever he is…"

"Right! I'm sure! And it's not like he can just fall down out of nowhere without me knowing," Papyrus said.

Alphys bit her lip and gripped her hands together tightly, catching Undyne's faint grimace. "R-Right!" she said.

"What?" Papyrus asked. "What's that look for?"

Alphys made a long wheezing sound while her face fought to keep an awkward smile. Undyne clapped a heavy hand onto his boney shoulder.

"Ah… Look. Papyrus. Here's the thing," she said. "Sans is… uh… Weirdly determined, right? But we all know he's been feeling extra outta it since he woke up. And the thing is, the state he's in, it's… Well, you know how secretive he is about junk, yeah? Once we find him, I kinda think maybe it'd be a good idea to sit down with him and, uh…" She caught Alphys looking absolutely mortified and she smiled sideways, her scales flushing a little darker. "Aaaaand get somethin' nice at, uh, that café in New Home you like, right? We could all go! And chill out for a bit. And… talk about stuff, y'know, that kinda thing."

Alphys looked like she was going to become a puddle on the couch. The dog licked her face.

"Oh! Sure! That does sound nice, I'm sure he will appreciate that," Papyrus said, heading for the empty front door frame. He grinned. "Aaand I completely believe that was what you intended to say originally and not something else a bit more dire about my brother's health, which I certainly have no reason to be suspicious about, nyeh heh…! I'm going to check the Ruins now! Since Sans is not here and he's looking for mom, I figure that's the most logical next place to look. Anybody coming?"

The dog woofed and ran outside around his ankles. Suzy got up, too.

"Is it okay?" she asked.

"Perfectly okay!" he assured her. He smilingly beckoned her out and looked back at Alphys and Undyne.

"Yeah, uh, just gimme a minute," Undyne said.

Papyrus stuck his thumbs up and strode away in a hurry.

.

Undyne wilted and rubbed her hand through her hair with a big, huffing sigh. "Damn."

"Um… C-Cap… Um. Undyne?" Alphys snuck up to her with big, worried eyes. "You… know about Sans, right? A… About what's happening to him?"

"Yeah," she grumbled.

"I… I f-feel so bad about it," the lizard said quietly. "I've known them b-both since… Well, f-forever, it feels like. I just c-can't… I can't imagine wh-what's they're going through, it's h-horrible."

"Yeah. It's rough," Undyne said. "That bonehead better not've gone and dusted before he told Paps anything about it, I swear…"

"Well, h-he's going to figure it out pretty soon," she muttered.

"I hope not. Paps said he wasn't suspicious, so—"

Alphys snorted out a small laugh.

"What?" Undyne said.

"S-Sorry! Sorry!" Alphys stuck her hands up and waved them back and forth. "B-But he was d-definitely suspicious, for sure."

"What?! But he said he wasn't; he doesn't lie!"

Alphys smiled. "No, he's a t-terrible liar. Trust me, I've known him s-since he was three."

"Oh, damn it!" Undyne growled. She rushed outside, leaping the steps, and Alphys squeaked and followed as quickly as she could.

.

"C-Captain, wait up!" she called, sticking her hand up as if to grab her.

Undyne reluctantly slowed her pace and Alphys shuffled to catch up. She sneezed quietly into her hands. Undyne felt a blush creep over her. She swiftly took her large jacket out from her phone and wrapped it around Alphys's shoulders. The lizard's cheeks flushed and she sheepishly pulled it close.

"Th-Th-Thank you!" she stammered.

Undyne nodded, but she couldn't help but pout and kicked snow as they went.

"What?" Alphys asked.

"Man, I gave Sans a hard time for babyin' him and now I'm doing it," she grumbled.

"Well… Well! You're the Captain of the G-Guard, though!" Alphys said, clenching her fists. "O-Of course your f-first instinct is to want to protect him!"

Undyne shrugged half-heartedly.

.

"Anyway," Alphys said. "Um. I know this is y-your job and everything, b-but I'm glad you're on the case, Captain. It m-makes me feel a lot better."

"Eh, they're good pals," she said. "Plus, I owe Sans. So he better not be in a pile somewhere or I'm gonna be pissed."

"I… I think he still has a few d-days," she said quietly. "I hope… I h-hope whatever's going on i-is fixed before…" She sighed. "His father seems c-convinced that everything'll be fine when these… kids? When they c-come back. And I-I'm sure Papyrus would feel if… I-If something that bad that did happen to Sans, anyway."

"So what was that? Soulbond, right?" Undyne said.

"It's what w-we called… I mean, it can h-happen outside of being made in a lab, but it's really rare," she said. "I-It was sort of hard to do tests on, though, b-because Papyrus never really got sick as a kid. But they do both, um… It goes b-both ways." She gulped and smiled sideways. "My dad worked at the lab. Before he, um, passed away. A-And then I did, after, s-so Sans and I spent… a lot of time together since then. I… I d-don't want him to be gone. S-So you'll let me know if there's anything m-more I can do to help, right?"

Undyne nodded. "Yeah. Of course. Thanks, Alph."

Alphys blushed. She smiled bashfully and then cleared her throat. "L-Let's hurry and c-catch up with Papyrus." She tried to walk ahead but instantly slipped in the snow.

Undyne scoffed and caught her, whisking her up into her arms. The little lizard's face flushed entirely and Undyne couldn't help a grin.

"This is faster!" she said, booking it down main street and kicking up a blizzard in her wake.

.

When they caught up with Papyrus, Suzy, and the dog, the three were already in front of the massive, sealed doors to the Ruins. Papyrus was pacing the road ahead of them. He wasn't wearing his windbreaker— it was now on Suzy like a robe, the sleeves hanging low over her hands and the hood eclipsing most of her face. She looked like a tiny mage.

"Ah! Good news!" Papyrus announced, skidding to a halt. He gestured to the small, purple monster. "This clever Suzy already found some tiny footprints, which means they must be Sans."

"You sure?" Undyne asked.

"I am! Look!" He bent down to one of the tracks in the snow. "This zig-zag pattern is one I recognize, plus it's very pristine, mostly! They were new out of a box when we found the shoes, and since he usually teleports, the wear is actually very minimal! Except the lazy scuffs near the toe area. See?"

"Wow… Th-That's kind of amazing," Alphys said, eyes wide. "You noticed all that?"

"Of course! I am the great detective Papyrus, after all," he said with a grin.

.

"So, uh, where is he?" Undyne asked.

"The tracks just stop here," Suzy said, pointing at the ground in front of the doors, directly beside where she stood. "Papyrus, can I move now?"

"Ah! Yes! Thank you, my great assistant," he said brightly.

"No prob," the kid said. She looked pretty proud.

"So he…? W-Wait, I thought t-teleporting was making him sick," Alphys said worriedly.

"It was. But. I think… maybe he decided to anyway?" Papyrus looked up at the door. "If it was for mom— if he really thought something was wrong— I think he would try it anyway."

"But how did he get here?" Undyne pointed along the ground. "Unless I'm seein' this wrong, looks like he came from the woods, right? That's pretty weird."

"Um." Suzy stuck her hand up for just a moment before shoving her sleeved hands into her large pockets. "Maybe it's like how I met 'im? He just showed up wandering all weird in Waterfall and he didn't know how he got there. Maybe that happened here, too?"

"This is why this kid is a very good assistant," Papyrus said.

"So," Undyne said. "He fainted on the phone with Alph. Then somehow wandered here. Un-fainted. And then teleported into the Ruins. And that was, for some reason, the worst." She rubbed her head. "Damn, okay, so we gotta get in there, then."

.

Gesturing for the others to move behind her, Undyne summoned a bright, cyan spear and slammed it into the crevice between the two doors. She growled and shoved as hard as she could, but it wouldn't budge. She took a few steps back and then did it again, throwing her weight against it, trying to get leverage to pry it open. Nothing. Her aura of energy pulsed around her shoulders and she clenched her fists as the magic crackled and arced in huge spikes.

"NNGAAAAAH, OPEN UP, YOU DAMN ROCKS!" She hurled spear after spear at the stone: they stuck in, but did nothing.

"Ooh! Are we trying to smash it?!" Papyrus asked.

"YEEAH!" Undyne hollered.

.

Papyrus carefully picked up Suzy and Alphys and moved them a few steps back. The dog jumped up and flopped across his head. He ignored it and summoned bones as tall as the doors themselves and crashed them into both sides. They shattered to little effect. As Undyne continued her barrage, he drew up four more bones and spun them so quickly they seemed to form disks before shooting them forward. Still nothing. He hopped back a few feet and pulled a bone bow out of sparkling magic, then drew out a huge arrow, glowing white.

"No way," Suzy said.

"P-Papyrus, when did you learn that?!" Alphys stammered.

"This morning!"

.

He closed one eye while the other flared amber-gold, and drew an invisible string, pulling the arrow back as far as he could. He aimed right under the Delta Rune symbol over the closed passage. It felt second nature, even though he'd never done it before. He let the arrow fly and it plunged in between the doors and burst in a scattering of white and icy blue magic.

"HOLY CRAP!" Undyne yelled. She shielded her eye with her arm and squinted as the blast blew her hair back.

The snow-like magic faded. The rock hadn't shed even a shard.

.

Papyrus drooped and Undyne groaned loudly.

"Maaaan… How strong is this rock?!" She grabbed onto it with her bare hands and tried to pull it. "NnnnNNNNGAAAAHHH! How strong is this Toriel?!"

"Pretty strong, I think, she's over a thousand years old," Papyrus said.

"So we just gotta hit it HARDER!" Undyne yelled, another spear coming to her hand.

"C-Captain, wait a second!" Alphys said. She hurried to the door, holding up one hand before laying her palms against the stone. She closed her eyes, her tail swishing back and forth.

Papyrus and the dog draped over his head leaned closer to watch her.

"Hm…" She drew back, shivering, and folded her hands into her sleeves again. "There's a v-very powerful seal here. W-We'd…? I feel like, to open it, we'd need a b-boss monster stronger than h-her who knows a dispel-spell. Which, umm… There's only the King. Annnnnd he d-doesn't know one."

"Can we teach him one?" Papyrus asked.

"Uhhhh… W-We'd have to find one. O-Or invent one," Alphys said. "And then he'd h-have to learn to do a v-violet soul state? Aaaand then he'd have to learn the spell. So. Um. N-No. I don't think so."

"Damn," Undyne said, rubbing her head. "D'you think it runs through the whole Ruins?"

"I have no i-idea, I'd need to drag a big scanner out here," Alphys said. "Do…? Do you want me to?"

.

Undyne folded her arms tight, frowning at nothing, and tapped her foot in the snow. "Alph, you got any big buster blasters or something?"

"Oh! Should I use my special attack?!" Papyrus asked. "They are blasters."

"Maybe?!"

"I, um… I installed a lot of w-weaponry into Mettaton," Alphys said, "but it's m-mostly for, um… use against a human, n-not against a mountain." She looked down with a shameful blush on her face. "And… my battle magic is, um… nothing to really write h-home about."

Undyne growled and slammed her hands onto the doors. "Damn! Maybe there's a weak spot somewhere! There's gonna be, right?! Everything has a weak spot. If we just hit…" She held up her arms. "As much of this wall as we can! We gotta be able to get a crit somewhere, right?!"

"I'm willing to try!" Papyrus said. "Come on, Doctor, even if you can just hit it a little, that's still covering space!"

.

Alphys sighed. She nodded and pulled out her phone. With a glimmer of yellow across her fingers, a bright, lemon-coloured heart appeared on her screen. Metal bits moved and shifted, turning the phone into a still mostly phone-shaped, sci-fi pistol. Papyrus beamed, eyes glittering. He raised a hand and a massive, draconic skull dropped from thin air. It was much like Sans's blaster skulls, though it was a little vulpine in appearance. It had a more angular snout tip, and longer, straighter horns on either side of its head that resembled ears at a glance. The narrow, cat-like eyes shone with bright white rings in each socket, but it also wore a pair of extremely cool sunglasses tinted gold.

"Dude, you actually put shades on it?" Undyne said.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Papyrus said brightly. He grinned and thumped it proudly on the top of the snout. "This baby's only good for a feeewww shots, but I think with all of us working together—!"

"Me too?" Suzy asked.

"Yes, please, feel free!" Papyrus said. "Everyone ready?"

.

Undyne flexed. Her magic sparked like lightning around her shoulders in a burst. Alphys gulped and, though her hand shook a little, she aimed her phone-pistol at the wall. Undyne stuck a hand in the air and lowered each finger in a countdown. When her closed fist was left, they all struck the rocky mountain wall with everything they had. Magic seared the stone, scorching across the surface and the resonance of the energy in the air was electric and chaotic. Papyrus's blaster did its best with an intensely white beam before it seemingly got dizzy and tumbled away into sparkles, only to be replaced with another wearing a cool eyepatch.

.

Suzy rolled her sleeve up. Her claws glowed with a warm purple, shifting with an unusual black. She snuck close to the door and gave it a swipe. The dog on Papyrus's head stood up and barked furiously, jumping down to the ground and running in a circle around Suzy's feet. The others stopped their attack.

"Huh?! Did I mess up?" Suzy asked.

The dog gently shoved her out of the way and stood up on his hind paws, yipping. Suzy's little claws had left a mark.

.

"W-W-Wait, WHAT?!" Alphys yelped.

"Aaaah! Purple kid!" Papyrus lifted Suzy up under her arms. "Great job! What did you do?!"

"Iunno," she said.

"Wait, I thought…? Yo, you a tiny boss monster?" Undyne asked, squinting at her.

"N-No!" Suzy protested.

.

Alphys beckoned for Papyrus to bring Suzy to her, so he let the kid down on the ground beside her. Alphys gently took Suzy's hand and put it against the stone near her claw marks. She rested her own palm against rock and closed her eyes, concentrating. The others— the blaster mirroring Papyrus's posture and expression as well— leaned in curiously.

"…U-Use a little magic, i-if you don't mind, sweetie," Alphys said.

"Oh! Right." Suzy set her claws aglow again.

Alphys shivered. She pulled back with wide eyes. "Th-That… That makes n-no sense…"

"I did mess it up, huh?" Suzy asked, drooping. "I'm a freak. You want me to leave?"

"No! N-No no!" Alphys said quickly.

"Great assistant Suzy, you are not a freak!" Papyrus assured her, pulling her up into his arms. "Relax! Deep breaths."

"Yeah, squirt, chill out," Undyne said. She turned to Alphys. "So?"

"It's… Okay. She has this wei… Um. Unusual. Silent energy. It… It s-seemed to negate the n-no-damage portion of the seal, b-but only where she touched. A-And only as long as she t-touched it."

"Ooooh, so…! Wait. But we can't just expect her to dig through the whole wall, she's tiny! That'd take forever!" Papyrus said.

.

The dog began to bark and spin again. It ran back and forth up the path before sprinting off and into the trees near the cliff's edge.

"Hey, wait!" Undyne shouted. "Ugh. Follow 'im, right?"

Papyrus shrugged, but he did anyway.

.

The monsters trailed the dog as it gracefully swan-dived off the cliff and landed in deep snow far below. It heaved itself out, barking and twirling, and took a stand near a tiny, dark crevice in the dusky wall. Papyrus and Undyne shared a look. She hefted Alphys into her arms and they jumped from the cliff, too.

.

The dog brought them to a tiny hole, no bigger than a golfball. It barked and then flattened itself to the ground and, impossibly, slipped in, fluff and all. It came back a second later and yipped, staring up at Suzy with intensely glimmering black eyes.

"Huh?! I can't fit in there!" she protested.

"Man, if you had a way in, why didn't you say so?!" Undyne asked crossly.

The dog looked back up where they'd come from and stretched out longer than seemed possible. Then, it looked at the hole and squished itself inwards strangely.

"…It's…? Th-The wall h-here is thinner?" Alphys asked.

The dog rolled over in the snow and then woofed insistently at Suzy again. Papyrus cautiously put her on the ground and the dog grabbed her sleeve and dragged her to the wall.

"I-I still can't dig this out on my own!" she insisted.

The dog tilted its head. It bounced over to Papyrus and spun in a circle so quickly it rolled up into a ball and tumbled away into the nearby forest.

"Great," Undyne said.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he might be right," Papyrus said.

"Huh? R-Right about what?" Alphys asked.

"I believe I can blast the wall while our new little friend touches it and blow through, but it will still be a very small hole," Papyrus said.

"Y-You got all that from spinning?" Alphys asked.

"Of course! So, if Suzy agrees—"

"W-Wait, won't that mean you blast me?!" Suzy yelped.

"Umm…" Papyrus rubbed his chin. "Let me feel your soul for a moment?"

.

Suzy put a hand to her soul spot and let it glow quietly. Papyrus knelt down and, after a nod from her, touched the light carefully. He tilted his head and then grinned.

"Yes! I can do it! It'll mean a very very very very fast frequency shift, but I believe fully I can do it!" He winked. "Don't worry, little friend, the part that passes through you will do no damage whatsoever regardless."

"You think you can pull that off?" Undyne said.

"Of course!" He frowned slightly. "Though… It would mean, Suzy, you would have to be the one to go in to look for Sans first. Is that alright with you?"

The crocodaur looked nervous for just a moment, then clenched her fists and nodded. "Y-Yeah! I can rescue him again."

"Excellent!" He grabbed his friends and moved them backwards, and then brought his eyepatch blaster down to line up with the small kid. "Now, I think all you have to do is touch the wall as much as you can and start glowing!"

"Sure." Suzy carefully put herself against the wall and scrunched her eyes shut as she set her soul aglow. Her shadowy purple energy seeped in an aura out around her. "Ready."

.

"A-Are we sure?!" Alphys asked shrilly.

"I am," Suzy said. "I can take it! Let's go!"

"If I shift right, which I certainly will, it'll be after my magic's already gone through her, Doctor," Papyrus assured the lizard gently. "Like I said! Even if by some impossible accident I goof it up, there's no situation where she will be hurt."

"R-Right. Right! Okay!" Alphys said shrilly.

"Okay!" Papyrus's eyes flared bright, as did the uncovered one of his blaster. "Three! Two! One!"

.

The blaster shot a beam right at the kid, washing out the world in white for a split second before it looked dizzy and glittered away. Suzy was left standing, completely unbothered, in front of a Suzy-shaped hole.

"Eeey, nice job, Paps!" Undyne said, thumping him on the shoulder as Alphys bent forward, letting out a loud, long breath and holding her knees. "And great job, squirt! Real brave!"

"Didn't feel a thing!" Suzy said proudly.

"Perfect! You did great!" Papyrus said, sticking his thumbs up.

"Th-That's… That's amazing, P-Papyrus," Alphys said.

"I know!" He bounded over to Suzy. "Okay, let's trade phone numbers just in case."

.

Just as they'd finished, that white dog bounded up and pranced into the small hole. He doubled back out of the darkness and grabbed Suzy's sleeve.

"Guess I'm goin'," she said.

"We'll try to find another way in," Undyne said.

"Good luck in there!" Papyrus said. "Watch out for some simple puzzles! And thank you so much! We will try to meet up with you as soon as we can."

"Y-Yeah!" Suzy clenched her fists. "Yeah, I got this."

.

With the dog leading the way, the little purple monster disappeared into the shadows of the Ruins. Undyne sighed. She looked Papyrus up and down and folded her arms.

"What?" he asked.

"Man, you're just gonna zoom right past me," she said with a sly grin.

"Pfff, I may be very cool, but so are you," he said. "I like to think we will be an even match!"

"Hah! Yeah, okay! Anyway…" She looked the tiny hole over, then bent down to examine it with her hands. "Think if we put, like, some gel on your skull we could slip you in there?"

"WHAT?!" he yelped.

"You're super super skinny!" Undyne insisted.

"Am I?!"

"I might have some MTT mechanical grease," Alphys volunteered.

"Nyehhhh…"