Chapter Seven: The Nightmare

(If it's Underlined, it's part of the nightmare.)

Frisk trudged forward, into the judgement hall.

She saved,

"We're so close, Frisk… Can you feel it?" Chara asked, her voice echoing within Frisk's mind.

Frisk nodded feebly, and turned towards the end of the hall.

She walked forward, the windows shading light on her. Her blood and dust stained clothes. Her emotionless face. Her gleaming knife. Her soulless eyes.

Her… DETERMINATION.

Frisk stopped at the end of the hall, waiting.

Sans walked out from seemingly nowhere, stopping a few feet in front of Frisk.

"Heya.

You've been busy, huh?

So, I've got a question for ya.

Do you think that even the worse person can change…?

That everyone can be a good person, if they just try?

Heh heh heh heh…

All right.

Well, here's a better question.

Do you wanna have a bad time?

Cause if you take another step forward…

You are REALLY not going to like what happens next," Sans threatened.

Frisk felt herself move forward.

"Welp.

Sorry, old lady.

This is why I never make promises," Sans said.

Frisk's soul appeared in front of her.

"It's a beautiful day outside…

Birds are singing,

Flowers are blooming,

On days like these… Kids like you…

SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL," Sans growled.

Sans lifted Frisk high into the air, and dropped her, shooting rays from his gasterblasters at her.

She slammed into the ground, her HP quickly draining.

"Huh. Always wondered why people never used their strongest attack first."

Frisk quickly stood up, and sprinted towards Sans, slashing at him.

He dodged out of the way.

"What? You think I'm just going to stand there and take it?"

Frisk was quickly hit with a barrage of bones and gasterblaster beams, which she skillfully dodged.

She slashed at him again, missing.

"Our reports showed a massive anomaly in the spacetime continuum. Timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting…"

Frisk dodged the bones that darted at her, and tried again to slash Sans, and once more, missed.

"Until suddenly, everything ends."

Sans hit Frisk with a gasterblaster beam as dodged another one of Frisk's attacks.

"Heh heh heh… That's your fault isn't it?"

Frisk's HP drained significantly as she failed to dodge one of Sans' bone attacks.

Desperately, she tried to slash at him.

"You can't understand how this feels."

Sans failed to hit Frisk with a gasterblaster's beam as she unsuccessfully tried to stab him.

"Knowing that one day, without any warning… It's all going to be reset."

Frisk felt her hand move forward in vain, trying to once again stab Sans.

"Look. I gave up trying to go back a long time ago."

She attacked again.

"And getting to the doesn't really appeal anymore, either."

Frisk tripped, but managed to get up just in time to avoid a beam from a gaster blaster.

"Cause even if we do… We'll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?

Sans sighed, and wiped off his forehead, as he casually dodged Frisk's knife.

"To be blunt… It makes it kind of hard to give it my all."

Frisk jumped forward, and tried to hit Sans, but was clotheslined by a bone, and fell over.

"...Or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy…? Hell if I know."

He glared at Frisk with unbridled malevolence as she tried to kill him.

"All I know is… Seeing what comes next… I can't afford not to care anymore."

Sans panted, worn out, and just barely dodged Frisk's blade.

"Ugh… That being said… You, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?

… Listen.

I know you didn't answer me before, but… somewhere in there. I can feel it. There's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. The memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. Someone who, in another time, might have even been… a friend? C'mon buddy. Do you remember me? Please, if you're listening… Let's forget all of this, ok? Just lay down your weapon, and… well, my job will be a lot easier."

Frisk held still.

She looked at Sans.

Something clicked in her mind.

A friend long forgotten…

His smile…

His jokes…

Maybe…

Just maybe…

There was a chance at redemption for Frisk yet.

She dropped her weapon.

"...You're sparing me? Finally. Buddy. Pal. I know how hard it must be… To make that choice. To go back on everything you've worked up to. I want you to know… I won't let it go to waste… C'mere pal."

Sans held his arms open for a hug.

Frisk started sobbing, and shambled towards him.

"If we're really friends… You won't come back…" Sans said.

Frisk quietly gasped as she was impaled by the bones.

Sans backed away from Frisk.

Frisk then saw something… awful.

Sans had a hand over his left eye, as his skull began to melt. His gaze did not meet Frisk's.

"Monsters weren't meant to have this kind of power…" Sans muttered.

He chuckled.

"Then again, I guess humans weren't either…" he added.

Frisk sat in absolute shock as six figures began to… materialize, around Sans… There were six children, standing around him, gazing down at Frisk. The children were all staring at her with… sadness.

The six children were translucent, and colored with the colors of different souls.

Light blue. Orange. Blue. Purple. Green. Yellow.

Frisk watched as her health slowly drained.

It stopped…

At 1 hp…

Frisk looked at Sans, who still refused to meet her gaze.

*You begged for forgiveness…

*…

*…

*…

*But nobody believes in you anymore =)