Look out Sans!
Lillian stepped me out of the way of an unseen attack as it came crashing down where I had just stood. The magic was on odd shade of gray, just like the monsters we were now facing. Not far from me stood a tall, fully armored, gray toned monster. I didn't sense a soul in them, but they were very much alive.
"Holy— There' more of them!?" Flowey panicked.
I dodged more magic attacks from the monster, and saw more monsters behind them coming in attack.
I know some of them... They are all Goners now?
Monsters controlled by the Dark Soul Monster. Great.
All of us stood together against them. Papyrus had his magic ready, and Mom summoned up dual swords for herself. Dad winced in surprise at them both and lost his focus for a moment. Flowey's vines grew through the metal floor and broke it up under the Goners to trip them up, giving us a chance to act.
"They are still here." Mom said under her breath.
"I-I don't think we can fight them again Arial!" Dad told her. "I-I'm still recovering from the last time!" he stated in fear.
"Then stand back!" she stepped to the front. "I will handle all these creeps myself." she growled, holding her swords in a strict fighting stance.
"Whoa there mama bear." I stepped up beside her. "You got me and Paps here ya'know." I reminded her.
"And Flowey!" Papyrus added, just as we heard the monsters holler.
Flowey's vines, covered in thorns, had wrapped around all the Goners and slammed them to the ceiling. Some of them cut themselves free, and didn't hesitate to shoot attacks at us. Me and Mom summoned blasters to block them, then she leaned back, gathering her magic to feed it into her blaster, I recalled mine and redirected my magic into hers. We funneled our magic into the blaster and fired it off, filling the hallway with its blast. We recalled all our magic and the blaster, and saw nothing left but Flowey's vines that sat burnt all through the hallway. Flowey soon popped up next to us hollering in pain.
"Oh please, we hit your branches, not your trunk." Mom waved him off.
"I'M NOT A TREE, LADY!" Flowey yelled.
"W-Wait! Did you both just—?!" Papyrus was in shock.
"Ah splints—!" I flinched in realization.
We just atomized MULTIPLE monsters...!
"Do not worry Papyrus." Mom said unconcerned with what we had just done. "They can hardly be called living monsters without their souls, so we do not gain any sort of EXP from them." she looked at the charred hallway full of dead plant matter from Flowey. "I discovered that long ago about them… In fact, I do not know if they actually die when defeated either..." she said with a serious expression.
I sensed she was right, as neither my LV or EXP had increased. Thank Asgore… I guess if there's no soul to destroy there's no EXP to gain.
"O-Okay..." Papyrus still sounded upset.
"Next time, GIVE ME A WARNING!" Flowey complained.
"Wasn't my call pal." I winked at him.
He growled and gave me a mean look. Then Dad suddenly yelped and held onto Mom in fear. Down the hallway were more gray monsters coming our way.
"More...?" Mom flinched.
Run Sans...! Get to the Rift! This could very well be a distraction!
"Let's skip these—!" I turned to grab Mom's hand.
I pulled her along with me down another path as Lillian directed me, the others followed, but by the second corner, we were trapped by the Goners. They cut us off from the way forward and the others trapped us from behind. The four of us each picked a side and got ready for battle, standing back to back with each other.
"Splints!" I heard Mom hiss under her breath.
Don't give up Sans!
Well, here we go…
The Goners shot first, and we all scattered to dodge the attacks from both sides. I summoned up bone attacks around myself, and before I threw them, Flowey mixed his pellets in, and we shot them all off at the same time. Most of the monsters dodged the wave of attacks, but those that got hit seemed unharmed by my attacks, but not Flowey's. I put everything behind that. What happened? Papyrus pulled me out of the way of a stray attack coming at me from the side, then quickly grafted together a sword with his magic to counter attacks that came at us.
That's what you need Sans, a weapon!
But I can't do that; I've tried. Gramps struggled to help me do it for over a year and all I got were splintered ribs.
It's easy!
Lillian took control and summoned up a pair of , grafting them together to create a sword in my hand without a sweat. How the heck does a human know more about magic than a monster…
Me and W.D did it all the time!
nice...
One of the monsters came charging at me, and I realized I also don't know how to use a sword!
I got it!
Lillian took full control and dodged the monster's charge, quickly counter attacking with the sword. It still wasn't enough to hurt them, even with all the strength we both put behind it.
No! Come on!
She charged at the monster, attacking it over and over again, dodging their attacks with ease. Any of our hits that connected didn't seem to faze the monster, though in our defense the monster had on full armor, so their defense was definitely higher then my attack. Plus all this moving around was beginning to wear me out, but Lillian didn't seem concerned about it.
I have excused your laziness up until now Sans…!
Heh, well excuse me kid.
A Gaster Blaster distracted us both for a moment as it fired nearby.
Move—!
Magic hit me from the side, knocking me off my feet, but Lillian got us into a roll and hopped out of it back on our feet, simultaneously firing off attacks at our attacker. Before we could see if we hit them, gray magic came down and pinned us to the floor. It was clam magic, SHARP clams. Flowey's vines came up and pulled them off of me and I got up as quick as I could, getting a face full of rock magic. I went tumbling across the floor, right into one of the other Goner monsters. I rolled out of the way as their spear attack came down on me, and I fired back as I got up out of the roll, my attacks again not fazing them, and I got attacked from behind.
That's it! Normal attacks aren't working, this sword is doing us no good, but THIS has got to do something!
I immediately fired off a blaster at the Goners, hoping to hit any of them, but when I recalled it I found them all still standing. Only one of them staggered a tiny bit from the attack.
"Sans—" Papyrus was cut off from warning me.
Someone grabbed me from behind and tossed me into the wall, pinning me to it with calm magic, and they didn't pin me by my jacket. The calms faded and I fell to the floor. I blakced out for a moment…
I heard Mom yelp, and manged to look up and see her and the others all caught across the hall by the Goners. The clam monster that had attacked me walked up with another monster, picking me up and holding me to the calm monster's one giant eyeball face as they peered at me for a moment. The others were thrown into each other as they tried to escape, threatened with magic by the Goners. I tried to break free myself, but was slammed against the wall.
HEED MY WORDS SANS... THEY WILL ALL BE DUST IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY...
No! Not again...! Get out…!
I fought my growing fears... My hate... sadness...
THAT IS, IF YOU TRULY CARE FOR THEM... BECAUSE THEY DO NOT FOR YOU...
Ignore it Sans!
Why wouldn't they care? They—
YOU HAVE BROKEN SO MANY PROMISES... IF THEY KNEW... WHAT WOULD THEY THINK OF YOU?
No… They wouldn't—!
Sans!
I fought against suppressed memories trying to reemerge. Memories I had forgotten, and wanted left that way...!
YOU KILLED THEM...
I didn't— I did what I had to—! It was the only option left! I—
YOU KILLED ALL OF THEM...
I looked out and saw my parents, and Papyrus…
I hollered out in defiance, refusing to let the memories return, kicking the Goner away and summoning attacks to blast away the rest. They closed back in one me, and I summoned blaster to ram them down the hallway as far away as possible.
I needed a moment to just… breath...
The memories… they were becoming clearer…
I wasted all that time… I lied and… betrayed others… I failed to keep my promise— all of them! So many lives were lost over and over again, time constantly resetting— I tried to stop them! I tried… I had no choice left in the end... I had no other way to stop it. To stop them.
To stop Chara.
I did exactly what I was trying to prevent...
Time reset... and I...
I killed everyone to kill them.
My eyes met with Papyrus' as Mom and Dad fought the monsters off.
I broke my promise...
Sans No!
The promise I told myself never to break...
the greatest one of all...
i promised him i wouldn't… but i…
this is what has been causing that feeling… this lost— suppressed memory was… i never actually forgot this, did i…? the last time they reset… and the next day after...
SADNESS
Chara and Asriel were dead...
i was paralyzed by fear, by a crushing weight of guilt… it all came back to me, all the times i faced Chara, all the times i faced Frisk worried that they might...
God I can still see it! Everyone I killed to stop them...!
YOU CAN CHANGE IT... YOU KNOW HOW.
I looked down the path towards the Rift. The time machine.
GO...!
I got up to go to it. Nothing would stop me. NO ONE would stop me! I had a chance to change history and—
Flowey's vines wrapped around me and held me in place. The feeling of them all around me, crashing me...
Not this time flower.
I cut myself loose with sharp bones and dodged his bullet attacks. I had his attacks memorized after all the times I fought with him, reset after reset...! He was not winning this battle..!
Mom and Dad had defeated the Goners and so were quick to pin me to the floor with powerful gravity magic.
NO. No one's stopping me. Now even them!
DESTROY THEM…!
I shook their magic off my soul and grabbed their souls with gravity, tossing them towards Goners down the path. As they got caught, I summoned all my magic into a single blaster to fire at them.
I didn't trust those Goners. I didn't Trust Flowey. And I didn't trust my parents who had LIED to me all my life!
I got ready to fire on them without mercy, but someone—
Papyrus.
"Sans! Stop whatever it is you're doing!" he shouted, holding me back. I fought against him, and he shot attacks through my blaster, destroying it. "Stop this! Don't—!" he held me in place as I struggled to get free.
I noticed the others escape, and an intense hate build up in me. I tore free of Papyrus grasp and threw him with magic to the wall. He staggered, but came right back at me full speed. I panicked. I expected him to stay down…!
I shot patterns of bones at him and he easily weaved through them. I summoned two waves of attacks on either side of him, then fired off a blaster, but he dodged the attacks and jumped above my blaster as I fired it. He came down on it with a sword and shattered it, knocking me back in a daze from the feedback. He raced forward and pinned me to the wall, looking me right in the eye with a serious expression. I dodged his gaze as I began to panic.
"It's okay Sans. Whatever is bothering you... I forgive you for it." he hugged me. Why was he…? He didn't know…! "I don't want to lose you… so please, don't give up because of one mistake, or one lie, or... whatever!" he sniffled. "I forgive you no matter what!" he stated.
"why...?" I managed to ask.
"Do I need any other reason other than you are my brother?" he laughed.
"no..." I replied. "b-but I—"
"Don't." he stopped me, holding me away from the wall. "We can talk about it later, just like we did the rest!" he said with a genuine smile.
Papyrus... you naive— you have no idea what you are forgiving me for!
A Gaster Blaster suddenly fired off down the hallway behind Papyrus, making us both flinch.
"Go for it kid!" someone shouted out.
Frisk went flying by through the air.
"Frisk—!" "Frisk?!" Papyrus and me both gasped.
They had the Star Blade. Where did they—
They dodged and countered the Goners and defended my parents with the Blade, taking the monsters out one by one with it. Its enchanted glow was their weakness, and within minutes, they were wiped out by the Blade, empowered by Frisk's human soul. They turned to us, worried, and I felt an overwhelming fear overtake me. Why did that Blade scare me...
"Look out!" the other voice shouted, grabbing Papyrus soul and pulling us aside to dodge a stray attack.
At the other end of the path were the rest of the Goners, fighting against...
S-Semi...?
The old bones dodged and parried the Goners attacks seemingly without effort, countering with what looked like a dagger. He got the dagger and a bone sword locked with a canine Goner's spear, quickly swiping it out of their hand and countering with his sword and a wave of magic attacks. He anticipated and dodged an attack from behind and struck his dagger upward into the Goner, then knocked them over into blue bones he summoned up from the floor to finish them. He ducked in time to dodge another attack from a Goner, and a frying pan flew into the monster, knocking them to the floor where Semi summoned a mixture of blue and orange bones. Someone else, a skeletal monster I didn't know, leapt over the Goner and retrieved her pan.
"Mom?!" I heard my Mom shout out in shock.
The lady tossed the pan to Semi, and he caught it as he jumped over an attack, catching one of the Goners in blue bones and blasting them before he landed, where he had to use the frying pan to block an oncoming attack. The lady fired off attacks at the Goner attacking him to distract them while Semi finished the one he had blasted with the frying pan. The Goner's body flickered out of reality from the hit. The lady got hit and was thrown back by the attack, but Mom caught her. Semi got distracted by it and was hit from both sides by the two remaining Goners. They got ready to make a final attack on him, but two blaster shots came out of nowhere and wiped them out before they could make it.
"Tahoma!" Mom recalled her blaster and rushed over to him as he collapsed to the floor.
"I'm... alright..." he said in a weak voice as he got himself up. "Just not... used to summoning those... just yet..." he panted, falling into Mom's arms as she reached him.
"Surprised you can at all boy." Semi laughed as he walked over, slipping the knife between his belt at his back.
I was surprised too, I thought it was purely a Gaster family thing. Where did Dad even learn to summon a blaster? Semi gave the unknown lady her pan back and the two shared a respectful glance for a moment. How did her know her I wonder?
"Thanks for saving my skin by the way." Semi playfully punched Dad's arm, making him wince in pain. "You alright Arial?" he asked Mom next.
She managed a nod, stunned by the sight of him, then he looked at us.
"Grandpa Semi! You are back too?!" Papyrus said with joy.
Semi stared at us with searching eyes for a moment.
"Papyrus?" he looked at him confused.
Papyrus ran over to him with me in tow.
"Did you get attacked and trapped in another dimension too?" Papyrus asked him.
"Uh, what makes— Wait, Sans?" he noticed me in Papyrus arms.
I shivered at hearing him say my name. Something about his voice reminded me of all the worst times I had with him.
"Yup!" Papyrus sat me down in front of him.
Thanks for the awkward position Papyrus...
Semi looked me over for a moment, then smiled.
"Heh, almost like looking in a mirror." I could tell his smile was forced. "It's uh... good to see you... Sans." he said awkwardly.
"You too!" Papyrus hugged us both.
"Boy—!" Semi gasped for air.
I felt uncomfortable being this close to him, if this was him. For him and our parents to just show up like this made no sense. And after they'd all lied to me for years. Why?
"Splint— FRISK!" Semi suddenly shouted out. Frisk hurried over to us, and I panicked. "Do NOT let go Papyrus!" he ordered him.
The Star Blade—!
I tried to escape Papyrus' grasp, but he held me tight along with Semi.
"The Blade Frisk!" Semi ordered them.
I started summoning my magic to escape, but Frisk didn't give me the chance. They quickly slashed all of us through with the Blade. The Blade's pure magic rushed through me, and all my emotions felt like they had been... reset. My mind cleared up, and for a moment, I felt light as air. But the guilt quickly returned, and fear shot through me from my memories. I still had them, and they were still tearing at my conscience. And my soul...
Sans... Sans...!
Lillian... I could hear her again.
"Sans!" Semi shook me. "Snap out of it boy!" he slapped me.
I instinctively retaliated, but with a fist to his face. He fell back, but bounced back from the hit, looking at me intently with more fear then hate.
"Sans—" Mom stepped towards me.
"Don't!" Semi gestured for her to stop "Sans listen to me." he grabbed my arms. "You are in a really bad spot, you hear me? Your soul may be alright now but if you don't fix the real problem it will go right back to being corrupted." he explained to me.
Sans. Just calm down.
"No...!" I shoved Semi away. I sensed Papyrus behind me and shoved him to the wall with magic before he could do anything. "None of this changes what I did..." I said to myself in a low whisper.
I felt all the emotions coming back. The hate. The fear. The confusion. The pride… The sadness. Everything I did to everyone... I remembered it clearly now. This wasn't them onster affecting me at all. This was just… me.
You need to forgive yourself...!
I can't. Not for that.
"Splinters...!" Semi spat in anger.
His tone of voice stirred up memories of him and me. He was always demanding more of me as a kid, wanted me to be a Royal Guard like him, and he never gave me any slack over anything. His callous attitude towards others... His anger when something went wrong… His pride that blinded him…! I was so tired of it. Nothing was ever good enough for him from anyone…!
But I knew… that wasn't him, I knew he could be better. I didn't want to be this angry with him. I knew he didn't mean what he said most the time, he never did...
I wanted to help him… but i couldn't… i didn't know how...
i just...
give up...
Semi caught me as I let myself fall over.
"Hey! Boy! Get up! Don't give up on me!" he held me up. "Sans!" he shouted.
"Dad stop shouting!" Mom shouted at him.
"Please..." he said calmly.
I looked up at him, feeling tears building in my eyes. I was so… confused about how I felt. His aged eyes were staring into mine intently. He had all the scuffs and scars on his face I remembered seeing, including the crack on the top of his skull. I glanced down to see a tear in his coat, probably from what had happened to him at the lab. He overall looked like he had been in a war, but his eyes told a different story. Past his rough appearance, I sensed… kindness; a complete contrast to the last time I saw him. Back when he threatened to throw me back in the dungeon for what happened… But even then, I could see past his rage and tell how broken he really was. All that shouting and threatening wasn't him. He never meant to be the way he was, he had a better side that rarely showed itself. I knew he could be better, and I never should have said what I did to him... I should have helped him... I was going to but he... he disappeared...!
"I'm sorry..." I cried at the memories.
"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry about." he replied.
"But I couldn't—" I gasped.
"You listen here boy, I got more to be sorry about than everyone here combined! I betrayed my own brother, I abused power, Ikilledin an attempt to protect everyone, I let my feelings grow callous until I didn't care anymore, I ignored every warning given me, I got all my goals wrong—!" he began to cry, taking a moment to recover. "Worse of all I hurt you and your family... I hurt everyone until I lost them..." he hung his head low. "Please." he looked up at me. "I don't want to lose you too Sans. I'm sorry for never listening to you, for never telling you..." he paused. "By Asgore, I can't lose anyone else..." his voice cracked as he held onto me. I noticed Mom step towards him concerned. He held me as tight as he could in a hug, and I hesitated to hug him back... but finally did. "Whatever it is that monster is using against you Sans, only YOU can overcome it and get rid of it. The Blade doesn't remove your weakness, that's up to you." he paused. "I wish I had done that myself sooner..." he quietly cried.
I knew it. There was good in him.
Papyrus suddenly grabbed me up in a hug away from Semi.
"Don't cry brother! B-Because if you do, I will cry!" he sobbed.
"You don't even know what I'm crying about!" I shouted.
"That just makes it worse!" he replied. Be worse if youdidknow actually… "Whatever is bothering you, let's handle it together this time. Please...?" he squeezed me.
I looked up him unsure about the idea.
"Dad, I—!" I heard Mom gasp.
I glanced back and saw her hugging Semi.
"Heh, you'll never believe where I've been Dot." Semi told her, patting her back.
"You'll never believe where we've been." Dad crossed his arms as he walked up.
Papyrus turned away from them and sat me down, shaking tears off his face.
"Sans..." he sighed. "This is something you need to work on right now, or..." he held back more tears. "Just... please. Let me help you. Tell me what is upsetting you so much." he pleaded.
I... hesitated… but he deserves to know if nothing else… i cannot carry this guilt forever...
"I broke my promise." I stated plainly.
"Promise?" he asked.
"The... one we made as kids." I looked away from him ashamed. "About, you know, never... killing..." I struggled to say.
"WHAT?! Is that what this is all about?!" he shouted.
"y-yes..." I replied in fear of what he was about to do to me.
"OH MY GOD!" he shouted. "YOU." he jabbed my face with his finger. "ARE." he did it again. "SUCH." he took a breath. "A CRYBABY!" he said.
"eh?"
"YOU HEARD ME!" he jabbed my face again, leading in close.
I slapped his hand away. He slapped my face. I tackled him. He got up, but I was latched to his leg. He tossed me with magic, but I held onto him, and we both slammed into the wall. I let go and threw him to the ceiling with magic. He picked me up with magic and did the same.
OH NO YOU DON'T BRO.
He tossed me one way, I tossed him another. He slammed me to the floor, and I did the same. We kept throwing each other around until we finally rammed ourselves into each other. He tackled me to the floor and we got in a real fist fight, but neither of us managed to land a hit on the other. I got up and was too fast for him to grab, and he was... also too fast to catch. Curse his longer legs. I threw myself up and towards him and socked him right in the face. He was quick to counter and do the same to me, knocking me to the floor. Seriously?
"Shouldn't someone be stopping them?!" I heard Semi panic.
"Nope. They will work it out. They always do." Mom confidently stated.
"Maybe when they were kids!" Semi argued.
Me and Papyrus stood staring each other down, and shared an understanding smile. We weren't out to actually hurt each other, and we knew it, or at least, I wasn't out to hurt him now. He trusted me, and I trusted his trust in me.
If you two are having an understanding WHY are you fighting?
It's a brother thing.
I know that. I am basically you remember?
Then stop fighting it. This is my mind, my choices!
Papyrus came charging at me, but I stood my ground, using my magic at the last second to slide myself under him to trip him up. He hit the floor face first and made his annoyance clear.
"HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!" he shouted in surprise as he got up.
"Trade secret!" I shot bone attacks and a wink at him.
He gasped and dodged the attacks, countering with his own. I leaned around the shots, dodging them without moving an inch. His expression told me of his annoyance at me and my lazy tactics, heh.
Then I was suddenly trapped with blue bones.
"Splints." I spat, holding completely still.
"HA! Victory!" he proclaimed.
"No way, I'm still standing." I stated.
"I'm not going to beat you up Sans! This is as far as this goes!" he replied.
"You sure?" I questioned, because with Lillian's soul I had more HP than before. I steeled myself, and walked out of the blue bones. "Oh stars—!" I gasped from the damage.
"Sans! Are you alright?!" he panicked.
"No—! Everything... going dark...! Can't feel... my toes...!" I gasped, pretending to be collapsing.
"Oh my god..." he groaned. "Do you actually need to be healed or not?!" he asked aggravated.
"Oh, yeah, sorta." I answered.
He sighed and walked up to me with his healing magic.
"It's a trap boy!" Semi warned him.
Papyrus stopped, and gave me a distrusting look.
"I know how you work Sans." he pointed at me.
"What? Heh, I took some good damage from that, Lillian's soul only does me so much good." I shrugged.
Kinda disappointing really.
Keep talking like that Sans and you my find yourself losing control. COMPLETELY.
Never mind.
I felt Papyrus heal me while I wasn't looking. I promptly swat his hand away.
"You said you needed it!" he shouted.
"That doesn't mean I WANT it!" I replied angry with him.
"Than why did you say anything?!"
"You asked, that's why!"
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"YOU don't make sense!"
"NEITHER DO YOU!"
"Maybe I don't WANT to make sense!"
"That's dumb!"
"YOU—! YOU ARE SO GOSH DANG ANNOYING YOU KNOW THAT?!"
"LOOK WHO'S TALKING YOU LAZY BONES!"
"I CAN'T FREAKIN' STAND YOU!"
"THAN GET A LIFE!"
"I—! DON'T BE SO RIGHT!"
"I'M ALWAYS RIGHT!"
"NO YOU'RE NOT!"
"YES I AM!"
"NO YOU'RE NOT BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON!"
We stood silent for a moment...
"But I do..." he said somberly. "I have always known, m-maybe not completely, but..." he grew quieter.
"I'm sorry Papyrus I..." I tried to apologize.
"You know what your real problem is Sans?" he asked as I looked up at him. "It's not that you are lazy. It's not that you don't care. It's not even the fact that you are prone to violence." he glanced away from me. "You just... You do not trust anyone. I realize that now." he looked away again. "You do not even trust me..." he winced with sadness.
"N-No I—"
"Don't try to make excuses Sans!" he shouted. "If you trusted me, you would tell me what's going on, you would let me help you, you would—" he paused as he shut his eyes and shivered. "You would know, that no matter what, I would always forgive you and be ready to help." he wiped his few tears away, and faced me with a determined face. "And I don't care what you say, or do, or not do, I forgive you for breaking your promise. Even if you hate me for it." he stated upset.
"Who said I'd hate you for it?" I was shocked he would think that.
"Because you do not think you deserve it." he stared right into my eyes.
I don't deserve it… Splints, how is it he knows this about me...? I didn't even remember this about myself until recently!
It's a brother thing.
"Is THIS what has been bothering you for so many years Sans? Keeping you from doing anything productive, keeping you from becoming better? Is this what has been slowly ruining you?" he kept staring at me. I didn't say… "I should have said something long before now, because I knew… I knew Semi wasn't coming back after he disappeared. I knew something was bothering you while you were working with Alphys. I knew our parents were gone when they didn't come back after a few days. I knew you lost your job and that we had to move because you could not afford the bills. I knew you were upset about it all, and that your smile was not always real. I understood but I never..." he paused, trying not to cry. "I'm so sorry Sans… I have been a terrible brother...!" he cried.
"Does this mean, that all the times you seemed happy, or tried to cheer me up or something… it was fake?" I asked him.
"N-Not ALL the time, no!" he was quick to assure me. "But, yes... Like you I... did my best to stay positive. For your sake. I-I did not know what else to do. I just knew, that... I didn't want to lose you." he looked at me. "like I lost..." he looked at our parents. "them..." he said softly. "I also did not want you to worry about me!" he said nervously.
"Yet I worry about you anyway." I looked at him.
"You do." he smiled at me.
"Yeah, I do..." I sighed. Maybe too much. "Heh, now who's the cry baby?" I tried to laugh at him and his tears.
He quickly wiped his face embarrassed, smiling back at me. I struggled to smile back. I didn't deserve his, or anyone else, forgiveness for what I did. I mustered up the courage to tell him the whole story.
"If you're going to be forgiving me Paps… you need to know what it is you are forgiving me for." I told him.
He looked at me with concern, and I could sense everyone's eyes on me. I ignored my fears and sadness of having to tell him about this, he needed to know. And I needed to admit it to someone other than myself.
"I broke my promise to you, so I could… kill, something that was killing everyone else." I shivered at the broken memories. "I was worse than them in the end… I had a choice, of either giving up, or taking the most desperate route to stop them. Having to make a choice like that… It makes you wonder; who is worse? Someone that kills with little reason," I thought of Flowey and… Chara. "or someone that gives in to kill?" I thought of Frisk, and Semi. I gave Papyrus a chance to answer, but he didn't take it. "I was glad everything reset after I… killed Chara, and that that was the last time they ever reset. If they had kept up with that they were doing…" I began to shake in fear of myself. "there's no telling how much further I would have gone myself…" I whispered.
"I still forgive you." Papyrus told me. "It sounds like you had good motives." he forced a smile.
That had to be hard for him to say.
"Still earns me a lifetime in the clink though." I shrugged my shoulders.
"More than that... actually..." he nervously chuckled. He would know. "Wait... You said everything reset after that, correct?" he spontaneously asked.
"Yeah? Chara had no choice but to reset time, because… well..." I explained.
The image of them laying defeated flashed by my mind. I still question if it was worth it...
Papyrus suddenly snapped his finger.
"Well there you go then!" he said with a smile.
"What...?" I looked up at him.
"Time reset! So everything you didtechnically did not happen!" he winked. "It was... replaced? Overwritten?" he guessed at. I had no quick reply for this. "So, as far as your promise goes in this timeline, you never broke it! Nyeh heh!" he stood proud.
I heard Flowey laughing behind me.
What. the heck. did he just say?
"That's uh... That's not how it works, sonny." I heard Semi say.
I saw Frisk shaking their head in agreement.
That is not how it works indeed.
An angry feeling I had not felt in the longest time stirred up in me at Papyrus statement. Does he seriously think that just because the timeline was lost, what happened in it did not happen? That it did not matter? That everything I just said, everything I had done, had no consequence?!
I pulled him down with my magic to look him face to face.
"You stop, RIGHT. THERE." I poked his face.
"Nyeh?!" he winced in surprise.
I heard Flowey laugh with anticipation.
"It still happened, Papyrus! What I did was terrible— horrific even! I killed everyone! And I'm going to be haunted by it for the rest of my life just like every other stinkin' massacre timeline I have lived through! Simply because it was reset DOES NOT mean it did not happen, and that I can be so easily forgiven for it!" I sternly explained to him. "You cannot just shove your mistakes away with a weak scientific excuse like that! I better not find out you have done something similar and have let it go because of such a weak explanation! Because if I do, I swear to Asgore, I will take your car keys, and ground you to the apartment, for the rest of your life!" I told him angrily with a stern point at him.
"WOWIE!" he said with wide happy eyes.
"Wowie?!" I replied in anger.
"Yes! You are finally back to asserting your older brother dominance! I'm so proud of you!" he cheered with tears of joy.
"I am being serious here, brother!" I shouted, trying not to laugh at his reaction.
"I know!" he shouted in fear. "I'm scared right down to..." he leaned towards me. "the bone." he smiled.
Wow. He really just did that in the middle of all this.
"You're grounded." I informed him.
"W-What?!" he replied surprised.
"Jokes ain't savin'ya brother! You've been practically lying to me all these years, nagging away at me, just made a sorry excuse for some horrific actions making me want to question my ethical beliefs, and I am just plain having a bad day!" I shouted as I grew more confused than angry.
You might be over reacting a bit here, I mean, you pretty much did the sam-
You are grounded too young lady.
Huh...?!
"T-That seems a bit... much." he said meekly.
"Well guess what. LIFE. ISN'T. FAIR." I sternly told him. "And you obviously don't understand the concept of taking responsibility for your own actions and mistakes! Even if what you did was erased by a reset, it still happened, it's still going to have an effect on you, and anyone else that remembers! Even if their memory is only vague!" I stated clearly.
"It's true." Flowey affirmed.
"Can confirm." Frisk affirmed as well.
"Yup." Semi lazily affirmed with them.
"Actions. Have. Consequences, Papyrus." I slapped one hand into the other in a chopping movement. "Think before you act bro, and don't make the same wrong choices I have." I stated as clearly as I could. He stared at me in shock with sweat running down the side of his face. "You got that, little brother?" I asked him.
"Y-Yes! Absolutely! Y-You are completely right!" he answered nervously.
"Good." I stated.
He was shaking with fear and kept staring at me with wide anxious eyes.
"You uh, alright there...?" I asked worried about him. It had been awhile since I last scolded him like this after all, heh.
"O-Oh! N-No! I'm fine! I... I just... I'm not used to this coming from you! Nyeh heh!" he told me with a nervous laugh. "PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY CAR AWAY! I'M SORRY!" he begged at my feet.
"Heh, I won't bro." I pat his head. "As long as you understand how serious things like this are now, I'll give'ya a pass." I told him. "THIS TIME." I warned.
"OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO GOOD AT THIS!" he grabbed and shook me.
"What would you do without a cool guy like me looking out for you, Papyrus?" I laughed.
He hugged me again, holding me as tight as he could.
"I don't ever want to know Sans..." he trembled.
"You won't bro. I promise." I hugged him back.
He snuggled me up before letting me go, patting my head as he sat me down, and me patting his knee as he stood up. I actually felt... a little better now, having gotten all of this out.
Was it really so hard?
You are still in time out.
"Ah, see? They worked that out, like, no problem!" I heard Dad say.
"They did..." Semi replied in shock.
"Of course they did." Flowey complained. "These two are inseparable. Believe me, I tried multiple timelines to pit them against each other, but it always ended like THIS." he explained. "They are such crybabies..." he stated.
I heard a blaster be summoned.
"Whoa! Mom it's okay let him—" I flinched to stop her.
But it wasn't her that summoned it. It wasn't Semi either. It was Papyrus.
"Uh, Paps...?" I asked him.
He flinched in shock and recalled the blaster.
"S-Sorry! I just...!" he stuttered.
"Overreacted?" I said.
He was visibly upset with himself.
"I swear Sans, if anyone bothers you again, you tell me..." he said in a low voice. "and I will organize a team of specialized officers to bring them to immediate justice!" he proclaimed with a stomp of his foot.
"Too bad you can't call them in right now to help deal with that monster." I said.
"Next time I see that monster I—! I DON'T KNOW!" he grew more flustered.
"Breath bro, breath. You're getting too worked up." I pat his leg.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. So did I. My emotions were still reeling.
"You were saying about timelines and trying to turn my family against itself?" Semi leaned over Flowey with a flash of magic in his eye.
Flowey squeaked in fear and shrunk into the ground a bit.
"I have DEFINITELY met this guy before!" Flowey yelped.
"Oh yeah? I don't recall making friends with a talking weed." he replied.
"And I don't recall you being so scary!" Flowey stretched out of the ground a bit.
Semi peered at him with a puzzled look.
"So... Is everyone alright now...?" Frisk asked meekly.
"Yeah, yeah, it's all good." I told them.
"I am just glad you two did not come to blasters." Mom said with relief.
"How did you know they wouldn't? That got pretty intense for a moment there." Semi asked her.
Mom winced with anger, but stayed calm.
"Unlike you Dad, I know my boys." she smiled with pride at us. "They may get in arguments and fights, but it is only because they worry about each other too much. They have ever since that alleyway incident. Anything that they argue about is just them trying to help each other, and they know that." she looked between us fondly.
Me and Papyrus exchanged glances, smiling to each other in agreement. All Papyrus' complaining about me and my laziness was his way of helping me out, the only way he knew how. And my keeping silent on things was my way of making sure he didn't have to worry about anything and go on living happily. Guess that will be changing after all this, heh.
I realized that Semi was staring at us with blank eyes, in a state of shock.
"That is a very odd way of showing they care." the new lady laughed. "But then again, that is what I and Semi do quite a lot ourselves, it's why I always get on to him over things." she looked at him as he stared at us. "Semi?" she noticed his expression.
Semi stood still and silent.
"Dad?" Mom called.
"Y-Yeah. It's good they can work things out..." he shivered.
He looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. I could sense... sadness. Intense sadness, like what I just got sliced out of me. I was expecting pride from him, given his attitude I remembered him having, but this... this was something I had been waiting my whole life to see from him. Regret. Guilt. Proof that he was sorry, that he could change. Which reminds me...
"Hey, Gramps." I called his attention. "You're forgiven too." I winked.
His magical pupils came back as he looked at me surprised.
"What for...?" Papyrus said confused.
"Throwing me in the dungeon for one." I stated.
"Oh yes! We definitely forgive you for that!" he happily replied.
"Of course we do." Mom affirmed.
"I don't know if I can forgive him for not, like, coming home. If he had we could have forgiven him sooner!" Dad stated a bit annoyed.
Semi's eyes went blank again, and he looked away with disgust. I walked right up to him, unafraid, unlike before as a kid. I could relate to how he must have been feeling. I understood his situation just a bit more. Maybe enough to finally help him.
"I forgave you a few days after all that happened, Gramps." I informed him. "And when you disappeared, well... I felt terrible, because I knew you weren't coming back and that I wouldn't get the chance to tell you that, that I had forgiven you." I explained to him. "But now I can. And with what I know now, I can actually help you like I wanted to. And you can bet your boots I will do it." I winked as I swiped my thumb under my nose like I would see him do.
He looked at me, no smile, no reaction, nothing. And I still sensed no corruption in his soul, just... sadness. He seemed to want to say something, but he held it in. Instead, he just pat my shoulder as he walked around me. He walked on down the path, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Was it something I said?" I asked puzzled by his reaction.
"Subject Semi..." Papyrus walked up writing in his notebook. "And no, that was all good Sans." he told me.
"ok..." I replied still confused.
"Semi..." the new lady said to herself.
"What you said was what he needed to hear Sans." Mom watched him walk away. "Once again though, he refuses to listen. And to forgive himself..." she sighed.
"I think he listened to that Arial." Dad assured her. She seemed doubtful.
"HEY." Flowey butted in. "I could use a healing down here!" he rudely declared.
The lady knelt down to him and looked him over.
"A Buttercup?" she asked.
"Golden Flower." Flowey corrected her.
"Let me see..." she gently grabbed one of his tattered petals. In an instant he was healed by her magic, all his torn petals made full and his stem made steadier. "How is that?" she smiled at him.
"Eh, not bad." he flapped his healed leaves.
"You are a strange little monster." she looked at him curiously. "I did not think there were any plant type monsters your size." she commented.
"He's not your average monster." I told her.
She looked over at me curiously for a moment.
"My, you look so much like Semi. But then, your eyes look so much like his grandmother's." she commented.
"Speaking of the old bones, he's kinda, like, walking on without us." Dad reminded us.
"We... better catch up with him." Mom said with some uneasiness as she looked at the lady. Seeing them side by side, they look like they could be related. Little did I know, Mom was about to clarify that. "Oh wait. B-Before we go..." Mom stopped all of us. "Mom, this is... Sans and Papyrus." she gestured to us. "Boys, this... This is MY mother, Calibri." she smiled awkwardly.
I slapped my hands together and held them to my mouth as I took a deep breath to keep myself calm.
You already knew this.
I was just hoping your memories were wrong...
"Is that why you look so much alike?" Papyrus glanced between them with interest.
"Apparently..." Mom side eyed Calibri.
"I am glad you turned out taller than Semi." Calibri laughed.
"You and me both..." Mom tired to laugh with her.
"So... Are we all the same age now—?" Dad began to wonder out loud.
"There's no need to get into that!" Mom stopped him.
"Wowie! I had no idea we had a grandmother!" Papyrus cheered.
"Everyone has a grandmother Paps." I told him.
"Well, nyeh, I bet no one else has atime-traveling grandmother!" he stated.
"Or parents." I added.
"Alright. We have cleared that up, now let's catch up with Dad." Mom hurried us along.
I glanced up at Calibri as we walked together. She looked... almost younger than Mom.
Your family has become a lot more interesting...
TIME TRAVEL.