In Which An Ending Happens
Frisk had returned to the room just before the barrier. It appeared that they had concluded whatever business that they needed to do. Apparently they had visited with several friends, including Mettaton, Napstablook, Shyren, Ice Wolf, Gerson, and many others. Going by the smile on their face, it looked like they had a good time. Or at least, they were satisfied with whatever they had accomplished.
But they had lost the mittens at some point. They still had the mittens when the barrier was broken, but at the end of their adventure, they must have dropped them somewhere. It was a little sad for Papyrus, to see his old mittens gone, but the human probably found a good use for them. And even if they are lost, he'd be getting them back soon anyways when it all repeats again.
Now that they're back, it must be time to see the surface. Papyrus has some mixed feelings about this, and he knows that Sans must too. Monsters have been waiting a very long time for access to the surface, and the number still alive that remember what it looks like probably no longer reaches the double digits.
The sun was beautiful. Apparently the time of day is called "dusk" by humans.
After proclaiming himself the new mascot for monsterkind, Papyrus made his extremely unsubtle but still completely "in-character" exit. Partway down, he hid behind a tree. He needed some time alone to think, and he didn't want the company of his friends for the moment. There was too much to think about right now after the short talk with Sans. Things would never be the same as they were before, and he didn't know how to feel about that yet.
After a few moments, Undyne past while calling his name. She must be worried. He would talk to her later. Once she was a safe distance away, Papyrus slumped down against the tree trunk. He stared at his mittens and sighed.
A quiet pop beside him made him start.
"'sup bro?" a too familiar voice asked.
Papyrus kept his voice low. "Sans, I would appreciate it if I could have a moment alone."
Sans looked confused. Papyrus figured that it was because Sans wasn't used to seeing him with less energy than a five year old on sugar.
"you sure?" Sans asked.
Papyrus nodded in assurance. "I'm fine. I just need to sort out my thoughts."
"gotcha. see ya later." Sans disappeared with another pop.
Alphys and Asgore pass by next. They were discussing science-y topics and something about a resignation. It sounded complicated. He had no doubt that the two would sort the problem out.
Papyrus just let the sounds of the mountain wash over him. It was mostly quiet with a soft ambiance when the wind hit the trees and animals chirped, croaked, and buzzed. The quiet was a nice change.
Shortly, Frisk and Toriel made their way past his hiding spot. Papyrus peeked over at them before quickly hiding himself again. He thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye socket, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. It must be his imagination.
Suddenly, Frisk stopped and started communicating with Toriel.
"Oh, what is it my child? You have forgotten something? Would you like me to accompany you? Oh, then I will just meet you at the bottom of the mountain. Be quick, my child! And stay safe." Toriel walked away quickly, glancing back every so often until Frisk was out of her sight.
Once she was gone, Frisk strode over to his hiding spot with determination in their eyes.
[I'm sorry that I don't have your mittens anymore.] Frisk apologized.
Papyrus shook his head and sat down against the tree. "It is alright, Frisk. I'm sure that there was an important reason for you to leave them behind."
[There was! I promise!] Frisk signed rapidly. They looked meaningfully at Papyrus. [Are you okay?]
Papyrus shook his hand at the child and smiled widely. "I'm doing great! We're finally on the surface and everyone is happy! It's the best possible outcome! I just need some time to... think things over."
[Are you sad?] Frisk looked concerned.
"Of course not! I just... want to know when everything is going to repeat again. Sans... he knows now so... it would be nice if I could give him a heads up."
Frisk shook their head. [No more resets. Everyone is saved.]
"Yes indeed. All of the monsters are free to see the surface now."
[Two people can't come up. I made sure that they have company and good memories.]
Papyrus was surprised. "Why can't they come up? Did I know them?"
Frisk paused for a moment. [Did you know a talking flower? Sans mentioned it to me once.]
"Yes I did! Flowey was my... acquaintance, I suppose? I don't know that I could call him my friend, even though I was most certainly his, but we were working on it!" Papyrus explained with a small smile. "Is Flowey not able to join us up here because his roots do not extend this far? If that is the case, then we could find a pot or a bucket to carry him in until we find him a new new home up here!"
[Flowey asked to stay behind. Flowey was not always called Flowey. He used to be the prince of the Underground before he died. He was sad and angry because his sibling died with him but he was the only one to return.] Frisk fudged the truth a little.
"I see. That is terrible!" Papyrus commented.
[He did not want to come to the surface because he did not want his parents to see him as a mean flower when he used to be really nice.] Frisk stopped for a moment and pondered what to say next. [I helped him to stop feeling lonely so that he would not be sad in the Underground anymore. I gave him two things.]
Papyrus filled in some of the blanks. "One of those things was my old mittens?"
Frisk nodded. [Flowey can remember me and our adventure forever now. I also helped him see his sibling again. Their memory was with me, so I moved the memory to the mittens, and now they can be together forever!]
Papyrus nodded. "I... am not sure that I understand you, but if you say that those old mittens are now making Flowey happy, then it is a very good thing that you left them with him!"
[So you aren't mad at me? I know that they were special to you.] Frisk glanced anxiously at the ground.
"Of course not! As long as they are making someone happy, then they are being put to good use! I could not be mad at you for providing another with happy feelings! And even if I felt bad about it, I know that they will be back in my closet soon. The repeat is coming soon, right?" Papyrus asked. Frisk had said that there would not be any more repeats, but he couldn't make himself believe that. The repeats had always happened before, so why would they stop now?
[No more resets! I can't do it anymore.]
"I hope that you do not feel too much guilt. You could not have known about myself or Sans unless we had told you. Which I am sure that we did not."
[Not enough determination left. I needed Chara to save and reset. No Chara, no more resets.]
"Who is Chara?"
[They were the sibling of the prince. They were like a ghost, but only I could hear them.]
"Oh, I see. I wish I could have met them." The two sat quietly for a moment and enjoyed the sounds of nature. A thought then occurred to Papyrus, "Does this mean that this repeat is permanent? Everyone will remember everything that happened?"
Frisk nodded.
If Papyrus had a stomach, it would have dropped. He knew that Sans would always remember, and he had made some peace with that. The two of them were going to work on it together. Now, it wouldn't just be Sans, but Undyne and Dr. Alphys too. And he had acted so weird and "out of character" in front of Undyne earlier! He would probably have to explain away his odd statements about how nothing ever changes or stays the same. Then there was the fact that all three of them knew about what he does...
He wouldn't be able to hide it anymore.
But... did he really have to? All three had said that they would support him, if not in so many words. They had all exchanged fist bumps of friendship! He hadn't been judged for his problems yet, so maybe he could believe that they wouldn't? Papyrus didn't judge Dr. Alphys or Frisk for it, so why would they judge him now?
It also meant that for the first time, his friendships would last. It was a very liberating thought that brought a smile to his face.
Only Frisk so far had seen the marks that he had left on his arms (and maybe Undyne did briefly), but the others surely knew that they existed. Papyrus was a little nervous, but he found a certain resolve within himself.
It was going to be difficult, especially in the short run, but he knew that things would get better from here. Papyrus knew that in proceeding with this plan, he would also be helping Frisk and be providing a good role model for them. If the human had so many hard experiences before coming to the Underground, then Papyrus felt safe in assuming that there were not very many good role models in their life the first time that they were on the Surface.
There was a small finger prodding his shoulder pads. Papyrus turned to face the child.
[Are you okay Papyrus? You look like you're thinking hard.] Their face held some concern. As much as their stoic face could show, in any case.
"I AM FINE, HUMAN! IN FACT, I AM BETTER THAN FINE! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE JUST THOUGHT OF A GREAT IDEA!" Papyrus proclaimed loudly. Before Frisk could question him, he removed his mittens and placed them over the smaller hands of the human. "SINCE YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE OLD BLUE MITTENS, WHY DON'T YOU USE THESE NEWER ORANGE ONES INSTEAD?"
Frisk blinked and looked curiously at Papyrus. They moved the mittens so that they could continue to sign. [But these are yours. How will you cover your scars?]
"WELL, FOR NOW, MY SLEEVES ON MY BATTLE BODY MOSTLY COVER THEM, YOU SEE?" Papyrus held out his arms and waved them around a little. Only the lowest mark could be seen on each arm. "AND THE SURFACE MUST HAVE MANY NEW FASHIONS TO TRY! SOME OF THEM SHOULD COVER UP IF I NEED TO DO SO. OR I CAN PURCHASE SOME NEW MITTENS! I WONDER HOW MANY G NEW MITTENS WILL COST. HUMAN! DO YOU KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY LARGER VERSIONS OF MY OLD BLUE MITTENS? IF SO, THAT WOULD BE WONDEROUS!"
Frisk's shoulders shook with laughter. [I don't know about adult mittens, but there are a lot of fashions with long sleeves. Thank you.]
"IT IS NO PROBLEM AT ALL! YOU ARE MY FRIEND, SO YOU DESERVE ALL THE AID THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN PROVIDE!" Papyrus claimed, and it was all true. If he could help his friends, he would do so without a second thought because everyone deserves to happy. If everyone else was happy, then maybe he could...
He might finally be able to gather the courage within himself to move on.
He had promised Undyne that he would try to find a reason to maybe sometimes not hurt himself. As general and vague a statement as "not hurting himself" was, the most effective method would probably be the knowledge of his peers. If he knew that he would be showing himself to them every day, that he would not be hiding himself so much anymore, then he would be much less willing to actually cause any visible damage.
He could start to heal. He could start to feel good about himself again.
He could once again be the great Papyrus. He would not have to lie.
Some day, far in the future, he might even be able to take some pride in his new battle scars. It could be a permanent reminder that temporary pain can have lasting consequences. He could forever be a better person.
He could some day, maybe, encourage Frisk to be proud of themselves too, in the same way that he was proud of them for overcoming as much as they did.
Papyrus ran his fingers over the dirt and grass, feeling the different textures. The dirt was rough and stuck in unpleasant ways while the grass was smooth and a little rubbery. Moss was bouncy, stones were grainy, and leaves crinkled into shapes that tickled his palms. One side of his scarf was smooth and soft, while the other was patterned with checkered squares using stitches in alternating directions. These were all sensations that he had not felt in a long time.
His hands felt light and cool.
Frisk was fidgeting with the inside of Papyrus's orange mittens, like they were getting used to the new texture and overwhelming amount of fabric. Hopefully they would grow into the new accessories.
"HUMAN FRISK! THE OTHERS MUST BE WAITING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN FOR US. WE SHOULD GET GOING." Papyrus hoped that Undyne wasn't becoming too impatient. If she was, she at least had Dr. Alphys to keep her calm, though.
Frisk nodded, but didn't make a move to stand. They seemed engrossed in their thoughts.
It was time to pull out the big brother tricks that Sans used to use with him. "I WILL RACE YOU TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN! THE LAST ONE TO GET A FIST BUMP FROM SANS HAS TO COOK FOR THE WINNER!"
Frisk still didn't move. Papyrus approached slowly. "HUMAN? ARE YOU-" And then Frisk ran past Papyrus with a smirk on their lips. That trickster.
"THAT WAS AN UNFAIR TRICK, HUMAN! BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER LOSE IN A FOOT RACE! FOR I TRAIN EVERY DAY TO BE THE FASTEST SKELETON IN SNOWDIN! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!"
Papyrus chased Frisk down the mountain, laughing as the two dodged trees and jumped over rocks.
The two caught up to their friends and waved as they approached. Without his mittens, Papyrus was sure that everyone there could see his scars. Even Asgore and this Toriel person who didn't know about any of it.
The two were both subtle in their reactions, briefly glancing to Undyne and Sans respectively to see what to do. The fish monster and the skeleton smiled widely and waved back.
Papyrus called out to his brother once he came within a reasonable shouting distance. "SANS! WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LET THE HUMAN FIST BUMP YOU FIRST! WE ARE HAVING A RACE, AND YOU ARE THE FINISH LINE!"
"oh? i guess i can't make it too easy for you then." Sans teleported to a nearby tree branch and made himself comfortable twenty feet in the air.
"NOW IT IS NOT FAIR! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO MOVE UP THERE!"
"c'mon bro, i'm just needling you."
Toriel chuckled.
"SANS!"
"i'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you're not impressed with my clever wordplay."
Toriel laughed harder and Alphys joined her. Undyne and Asgore buried their faces in their hands.
"NYEEEEEH SANS! STOP RUINING THE SURFACE'S FIRST IMPRESSIONS WITH YOUR BAD JOKES!"
"but i'm just exchanging pleasantrees with the local wildlife."
Once Papyrus and Frisk reached the bottom of Sans's tree, Papyrus replied in kind. "I HAVE NO MORE WOODS FOR YOU."
Toriel broke down in laughter, Undyne summoned a spear, and Sans fell out of the tree. Papyrus caught him so that he wouldn't get hurt.
"good one, bro."
Frisk stole a fist bump from Sans before Papyrus could set his brother down.
"AH! IT SEEMS THAT YOU HAVE WON, HUMAN! YOU WILL HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S SPAGHETTI SOME TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE!"
Frisk took Papyrus's bare hand and held it with their mittened one. It was time to go and start their new life.
It was the opposite of what it had been since the repeats started. This time, the scars were permanent. This time, he had friends and family. This time, the pain would be temporary.
And this time, Papyrus could finally see himself being happy.