AN: Gah! You would not believe how bad my writers block has been. I've been working on this chapter for a month, and I still don't think it's the best, but I wanted to move on so... here it is. I hope it's not too disappointing. Updates may be slower on my stories until I manage to find some inspiration. Also life's been pretty stressful and it is impossible for me to write when I'm stressed so that may be part of why I'm having such an awful time with my stories. Hopefully I'll be able to get over this soon and find some inspiration to write. Thanks to everyone who's sticking around and sorry it's taking forever for updates. Hope you like this and please let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: Toby Fox is the undisputed owner of Undertale, not me.
Papyrus ran through the snowy landscape on his way to readjust his puzzles. That morning had be very peculiar. He couldn't help feeling as if he'd forgotten something important. Not only that but his brother had seemed terribly depressed for some reason. The younger skelebro was unsure whether or not he should leave him alone, after all, maybe he could cheer him up. However, Sans had assured him that he'd just had a bad dream and that it was nothing to worry about. With that assurance, the spaghetti lover had reluctantly agreed to carry on with his day. Now, as he marched through the forest surrounding Snowdin, a feeling that something bad was about to happen crept over him. Whatever that feeling was, however, he didn't have time to dwell on it. A human would be coming today... he could feel it in his bones!
'Hmm, I still can't figure out why this all seems so familiar though.' The would be royal guard thought to himself fleetingly before carrying on with his appointed task.
It was nearly three hours later when he and his older brother met the human child as she wandered through the trees. The girl seemed to know exactly where she was going, which was odd because she couldn't have been there before... surely he would have noticed. For the rest of the morning Pap watched as the shorter being completed all of his puzzles, though for some reason her enthusiasm seemed to be lacking and he swore that he could see a bit of dust covering her slight frame. Unease filled his soul as they left the child behind in the forest and returned home, knowing it wouldn't be long before she appeared in Snowdin.
"Sans?" Papyrus called as the duo approached their home. "I feel as if something is not quite right with the human."
His brother stopped walking but refused to face him. His voice when he answered was quiet and filled with contempt. "Welp, I guess you could say that... though it's kind of an understatement."
The puzzle lover sent a confused look toward the smaller being who only shrugged in return.
'This isn't how it happened last time.' The younger brother thought. 'Wait, what is that supposed to mean? Last time? What is going on!?'
"Listen, Pappy, she's dangerous... I don't want you anywhere near her." Sans said, completely serious, drawing the taller monster from his thoughts.
"But what if..." He began, only to be interrupted.
"No." The comedian returned, voice taking on a slightly sharper edge which worried the sentry to no end. "No ifs, ands, or buts. Stay away from that brat... okay Pap?"
The lanky skeleton nodded, speechless. What could have caused his normally carefree brother to behave in such a way.
"Good. Now I'm gonna go warn the others." His older bro stated as he turned to face the direction in which Grillby's was located. "They should probably make themselves scarce until the human leaves town. We don't want any more monsters to be hurt."
Without another word Papyrus was left on his own. Thinking about what the shorter monster had said about warning their friends he figured it was best to try and slow the fallen human down, but that would mean going against his brothers wishes. Still, if it were for the sakes of others he was certain Sans would understand. With this reasoning, the kindhearted being raced off to find the child. A short while later he had found the girl near the long bridge that led into town. She was just standing there, leaning against a tree on the far side as if she'd been waiting for him to return. It was all rather unnerving for the tall skeleton and he felt an irrational fear settle in his soul as he stared into the girls red eyes. Still, he refused to cower like a child and decided it would be best to get to the bottom of this.
"HUMAN!" He called, not setting foot on the bridge, instead settling for yelling across the gap. "WHY IS IT THAT YOU SEEM TO KNOW THIS PLACE? I ALSO HAVE THE FEELING THAT I'VE MET YOU BEFORE... BUT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE! SURELY I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED SUCH AN EVENT."
He paused, waiting for the child to answer... but she refused. The only response he got was for her to slowly begin making he way across the rickety, wooden bridge, a cruel smile contorting her face.
"ANOTHER THING... WHY DOES IT LOOK AS IF YOU'RE COVERED IN MONSTER DUST?" Pap demanded, standing his ground even though every instinct was telling him to flee. "MY EYES MUST BE PLAYING TRICKS ON ME! THERE IS NO WAY THAT A CHILD SUCH AS YOURSELF COULD BE SO CRUEL! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT!"
The smaller being was growing closer and he could see the excited gleam in her eyes as she approached. The puzzle lover could feel his legs begin to tremble as images passed through his head, too fast for him to understand what they were, but he felt it had something to do with the fallen human before him.
"BUT MAYBE I AM WRONG. MAYBE YOU DID KILL THOSE MONSTERS." Papyrus admitted, eyes beginning to show a slight hint of orange. "IF THAT IS THE CASE I WILL TAKE IT UPON MYSELF TO PUT A STOP TO YOU HERE AND NOW! PREPARE YOURSELF HUMAN, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOT LET YOU CONTINUE ANY FURTHER."
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
It had taken nearly forty minutes to convince the residents of Snowdin to evacuate and Sans had grown ever more worried as the time progressed. Chara should have arrived by now. What could be keeping her? As he rushed back to his house, the elder skeleton immediately felt as if something was off. One look through their home and he knew what it was... Papyrus was gone! After agreeing to stay away from the brat he'd up and ran off anyway! The comedian had noticed that the other monster had been acting strangely all day but had just passed it off as disorientation. Sometimes, after a reset, the ones who had been killed later than the others would act like they were walking around in a daze. It usually wore off in few hours so he figured it would be the same with his little brother... but what if he were wrong? What if Pap had actually remembered parts of the previous timeline and went to confront the brat sooner than he usually did?
'This is not good!' He thought to himself, rushing off towards the snow covered woods. He didn't waste magic on teleporting, he'd need all of his strength in case his bro needed help when he found him. 'Come on, Pappy! Please be okay... just hang on a little longer.'
As he approached the long bridge Sans could hear the telltale sounds of battle echoing through the air and immediately quickened his pace, hoping he would be in time to save Papyrus.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
He was loosing strength and quickly. The battle had been going on for quite some time and the younger skelebro feared that he would fall to the humans might. Yet even so, he refused to regret his decision to challenge her. If it bought his brother enough time to warn the townspeople then he would consider it a job well done.
"What's wrong, Pappy... feeling tired already." The child mocked as she swung her knife towards his ribs.
The tall skeleton barely managed to avoid the attack, his breath coming in quick pants as he flung an array of blue and white attacks at the fallen human. She dodged easily.
"Is that really all you've got? You're so pathetic." Chara laughed, eyes shining like fire as her attention was drawn to something behind the younger skelebro. "Hmm, I was planning on playing with you more but it seems our time together has come to an end. Oh well, it's been fun while it lasted. Goodbye, Papyrus!"
Pap tried to launch an attack but he hardly had any magic left and collapsed to his knees in the snow, the single bone he'd managed to manifest vanishing as the evil little girl advanced on him. Accepting his fate, the scarf wearing monster closed his eyes and awaited the blow that would end his life. It never came. Instead he heard a soft grunt and opened his eyes to see his brother standing between himself and the murderous child, the girls wrist caught in the judge's hand. In the blink of an eye Sans' blue magic engulfed the kid and she was flung backwards into a nearby tree. A sickening crack was heard before the human collapsed to the ground, the knife landing in the snow beside her.
"S...Sans?" Papyrus asked, trembling slightly as he managed to stand on shaky legs.
The smaller being turned swiftly, eye still blazing blue and a panicked look on his face.
"Are you all right Papyrus?" Sans exclaimed, rushing over to where his younger bro stood. "Are you hurt? Do I need to heal anything?"
"I'm fine, brother. I just used up too much of my magic." The spaghetti lover explained, somewhat embarrassed.
The shorter monster let out a relieved sigh before letting a smile grace his features. "Sounds like you're pretty bone weary."
"SANS NO!" Pap cried, covering his ear holes even as a small smile found it's way onto his face.
"Or maybe... dead tired?" The elder monster chuckled at the others reaction, he knew that Papyrus didn't actually hate his puns as much as he tried to make everyone believe.
He earned a small giggle for his efforts and smiled widely in return before his face grew solemn.
"But seriously bro... are you sure you're alright?" The comedian spoke, concern heavy in his tone as the lighthearted atmosphere all but vanished.
"Don't worry Sans, I'm..." The younger rushed to reassure the smaller monster but was cut off as a knife soared through the air toward the smaller monster's back.
Papyrus' eyes flew wide with shock and fear as images began to flood his vision, similar to earlier but a lot slower and more clear.
The human attacking him as he offered her a second chance, the wound she inflicted upon him, his older brother finding him bleeding in the snow.
The slipper wearing monster noticed his brothers face contort in fear and whipped around, managing to catch the weapon with his magic and fling it back at the brat before once more engaging her in battle.
Pap clutched his skull as memories assaulted his brain, completely unaware of what was happening around him.
Learning about the timelines, watching his joke loving sibling run off to face Chara on his own, following after him even though he'd been told not to.
The visions became more painful and he sank to his knees, head buried in his hands as he tried to block out the images.
"Papyrus?" Sans asked, hearing a whimper somewhere behind him as he deflected another attack and flung the human into a second tree, this time hard enough to render her unconscious, before rushing to his distressed brothers side. "It's okay, you're gonna be fine. I won't let her hurt you!"
'Something's wrong.' The elder monster thought to himself as he knelt beside his scarf wearing brother. 'It doesn't seem like he can hear me... or even see me for that matter. What the heck is happening?'
The taller skeleton shuddered, tears beginning to well up in his sockets as the memories continued to run through his mind like some twisted play.
Watching from behind the pillar as his bro fought the human, rejoicing when he'd thought Sans had won, being pinned to the column as Chara's knife flew towards his body.
The comedian softly placed a hand against the younger skelebro's cheekbone, trying in vain to get Papyrus to focus on him.
"Come on bro, you need to tell me what's happening." He pleaded, concern flooding his soul with every moment that the other monster remained unresponsive.
Sans sacrificing his own life in order to protect him, being granted what was left of his brother's magic, facing the fallen child over and over.
Sans wrapped his arms around the younger being, settling on offering what little comfort he could seeing as he was unable to snap his bro out of whatever this was.
By now tears were streaming heavily down the normally enthusiastic skeletons face as sobs tore from his throat.
Failing to avenge his family and friends, laying on the floor as his body slowly turned to dust, hearing Sans' voice echo through his head before falling into oblivion.
As the last memories passed before his eyes Papyrus' head shot up, locking onto his older brothers gaze in quiet wonder.
He remembered it all, even what happened after he'd been killed by Chara.
It felt as if he were floating. There was no light... there was nothing besides the immeasurable darkness that surrounded him. To be honest, Pap was becoming slightly frightened. Then, all of a sudden, his brother was there, holding him close as he whispered words of comfort. Tears fell as Papyrus sobbed into the soft, blue hoodie, releasing his pent up frustrations as the other waited patiently.
'Shhh, it's alright.' The slipper wearing monster said after what seemed like forever. 'Ya did good Pappy, there's no need to be ashamed. You were so brave and did your best to stop that brat. It's all anyone could ask of you. I'm so proud.'
Papyrus let himself be drawn further into his brothers embrace, seeking the comfort the older skeleton offered so freely. He was exhausted from both the mental and physical stress and could feel his sockets drifting shut as he leaned into the comedian.
'Just relax, sleep. It will all be better soon. Let yourself forget.' He heard Sans say softly as he felt warmth pulse through his soul. 'I'll protect you... I promise.'
Now, watching his big brothers eyes flick between him and the unconscious human child, Papyrus knew that he was keeping that promise. But he also knew that dealing with the timelines alone was slowly destroying Sans and he refused to allow that to happen. During the last loop he had made a vow to help his pun loving sibling no matter what... but he'd forgotten. That thought made guilt well up in his soul. There was nothing he could do to change that fact but he could help now... and he'd never allow himself to forget again.
"Sans..." Papyrus trailed off, unsure how to start.
The older skelebro held his gaze, relief shining in his eyes now that the other monster had finally come out of his catatonic state.
"What is it bro?" He asked, searching the younger beings face for any indication of what was wrong. "You alright?"
"Yes, brother, I am fine." The spaghetti lover stated, more serious than usual. "But... I remember."
Sans froze, sockets widening in shock. No, it had to be something else, it couldn't be what he thought it was. There was no way Papyrus could remember the last timeline. The skeletal scientist had figured out a long time ago that memories of the various timelines were subconsciously suppressed by all but a few beings. Those being himself, the brat, and the weed. It was easy to deduce why the other two could remember, the determination coursing through their bodies played a major role, but the only reason he could figure out on himself was his resolve to save his friends. His brother had never shown any sign of remembering however. So how was it that now, after all this time, Papyrus seemed to be doing just that?
"Remember what?" Sans finally asked, noticing the worried look his sibling was sending him.
'Please don't let it be the last timeline, please don't let it be the last timeline, please don't let it be...' The jokester repeated in his head as he awaited the answer with bated breath.
"I remember everything that happened last time... you know... during the timeline." Sans sucked in a breath as his fears were brought into the light.
He'd never wanted his innocent little brother to have to go through the pain of remembering what had occurred during those awful loops. After all this time he was used to it. But, even so, he still had days where it felt as if it were too much to bear. Papyrus didn't have a mean bone in his body! How was such a caring person supposed to deal with the reality that everyone he loved had been killed on multiple occasions by a child he'd once offered friendship to?
"I'm sorry, brother." Pap muttered, bringing Sans' attention back to him. "I'm sorry I failed to stop the fallen child. I know you already said you forgive me but... how am I supposed to forgive myself?"
The scarf wearing skeleton turned away, too ashamed to face his bro as tears pooled in his eye sockets.
"Hey, hey, listen to me Pappy." The elder monster spoke seriously as he moved forward, reaching up to grab the others chin in a gentle hold and turning it so that the taller being would meet his gaze. "What I told you last time was true. You have nothing to be sorry for. In fact... you did better than most people would have done had they been faced with the same situation."
Papyrus wrapped his lanky arms around the judge, clinging to him as if he were a lifeline. "But it wasn't enough. I wasn't able to save you! I WASN'T ABLE TO SAVE ANYONE!"
Sans didn't know what to say to that. How could he tell his impressionable baby bro that even if he had managed to save someone... it wouldn't have mattered. The brat would have just reset and they'd be in the same position they are now. No, he couldn't bring himself to reveal that truth. Instead, he chose to remain silent and tightened his hold on the other monster, infusing as much support and love into the embrace as possible. After a short time Sans led Papyrus back toward their house. They only had a small amount of time before Chara woke up and he didn't want his younger sibling in the area when she regained consciousness. The only reason he didn't kill her right then and there is because it would have given her the opportunity to load a save and then she'd be after them even quicker than if he just left her laying there in the snow.
"Don't worry Pap, we'll figure something out." He said a short time later as he settled the unusually quiet monster down on their couch before heading into the kitchen to fix his brother a plate of spaghetti.
'But how?' The dejected skeleton wondered to himself. 'Even if I do remember... how will that change anything? Sans is far more powerful than I am and even he hasn't been able to bring a halt to that evil child's resets.'
"I'll just be a burden." Pap admitted under his breath, hanging his head in defeat as his older brother reentered the room.
Sans set the pasta down on the side table, waiting a few minutes before sighing and leaving the troubled monster to his thoughts. As much as he'd rather be trying to raise Pappy's spirits, he had some planning to do before he faced Chara. There were so many unknown variables that hadn't been present in any of the previous loops, apart from the last one that is, and he was uncertain how they would affect the outcome of this timeline.
Papyrus watched his brother walk off before slowly lifting the plate into his lap. The spaghetti was sending up small wisps of steam and looked absolutely delicious... but he found he had no appetite for it. All he could think of was how badly he was letting down his friends, his brother, and it nearly tore his soul in two. Placing the food back onto the stand the puzzle loving monster made his decision. The last thing Chara would expect after what had happened earlier would be for him to meet her in his regular place at the edge of Waterfall. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to throw her off her game.
"Yes! This may just work." He said aloud as he jumped to his feet, spirits renewed at the thought of helping his loved ones. "But how do I stop her from resetting?"
The sentry thought about their predicament for a few minutes, eyes narrowing in concentration. There was one thing he was certain of and it was that he wouldn't be able to defeat the child on his own. But what was the point of trying to kill Chara when she could just reset whenever she wanted to? Finally, after what seemed like forever, an idea came to mind.
"I may not be able to defeat the human but I am positive that I can capture her." He declared confidently, rising to his feet in order to strike a dramatic pose. "If I manage to hold her long enough for Sans to figure out a way to take away her control of the timelines then maybe we can stop the resets altogether!"
With that, the scarf clad skeleton headed towards the door, pausing momentarily to glance back at the meal his brother had so lovingly prepared for him.
"Thank you Sans..." He whispered, stealing his resolve as he flung open the door. "For everything."
With that he was gone, scarf flowing in the wind as he trudged through the snowy streets towards his destination.
AN: Thanks for reading, don't forget to review ;)
