Everything was black. And white. Black and white and black and white. The pattern continued on everywhere in little squares. Down the staircase, up the ceiling.

Running, running. Light filtering through windows and casting ominous shadows upon the black and white and black. Still running. The pattern is everywhere, turning in large designs of circles beside me. It feels like a passage of time. But can't focus on that. Gotta keep running. But to where?

There. Finally reached something. An open area? Still black and white. But where to go? There's four staircases. Oh look! Finally something not black or white. It's actually turquoise. EXIT. Yes… yes! I can leave now. But gotta climb these stairs first… step by step by step. Up the black and white and black. At the top now. Just a few more steps.

Suddenly, cities. White buildings, standing, floating, white. Where am I? Maybe a flashback? Or a foreshadowing? I open the door to the exit.

Met with a crazy scene. In a tiny wood house, on a huge black tree, in a world of floating debris. The sky's dark, the cities torn. The gears continue to turn. Above me, a horrible sight. A huge… thing… up in the air. It was absolutely massive, with huge wings stretching out beside it like an angel of death. Down below, a small insignificant figure. He was a short guy, his head completely white. He wore strange clothes, and a circular looking thing was equipped onto his arm. Before complete identification though, he jumped. Up. Flying towards the thing.

A floating building suddenly collided with the figure. I watched as the building exploded onto another one. Was he okay? Relief passed through me when I suddenly saw them, floating to the side not too far away. Yet there was no stop to the attacks. Red streams of fire shot towards this figure of white. He managed to dodge most of them, and brought his shield out to protect him from the last fire. Somehow, that puny thing worked.

"How… awful." I murmured, taking in the scene before me. What was happening to the world?

"It can't be helped." Something said beside me. Their voice was a little squeaky, like a kid's. Confused, I looked down to see the strangest flower I had ever seen. Or was it an animal? There was a flower's head, practically pasted on a white creature with long ears and tail. Little golden rings floated around the ears, seeming not to fall off. The flower actually had face expressions. What was going on?

"Who are you?"

"It was too much for the idiot to handle alone." The flower-animal ignored me, "But he knew this might happen." Pausing, the two of us watched as more fireballs blasted at the white figure and caused him to float in the air momentarily before crashing straight into a tree. Wood exploded everywhere. I winced at the thought of the impact.

"This is awful! This shouldn't even be happening!" I protested to the flower-animal. After all, he was the only one who was there to listen. I stared in desperation at the white figure, who I swore was staring at me, even though he was miles away.

"If you give up, it'll be the end of everything." The flower-animal told me, leaving me blinking at him in bewilderment. "But unfortunately, you're the idiot that has the capacity to change fate. This unavoidable destruction, this sorrow - you can change it all. That's why you have this power."

W-what? Me? My eyes widened at this flower's words. "Are… are you telling me the truth?" I stared at this awful world again, and found the white figure falling from the tree. Down down… in the darkness… to his doom. "Can someone like me really do something to stop this? Can I really prevent everything from turning out this way?" Can I even save that figure in white?

"Of course you can!" The flower-animal responded before his face turned to a mischievous grin. "Form a contract with me and become a magic monster!"

I grit my teeth before raising my head in determination. My mind was set.

I had to save the world.

…

Eh?

I sit up on the mattress and blink, hugging my pink plushie close. I was apparently in bed, on my pillows, and safe under the covers. Weary, I sit myself up and hug my stuffed animal close, examining my perfectly normal room.

"It was a dream?" I sigh in exasperation, holding mt heart locket close to my chest.

Scarfing down some last bits of breakfast, I smiled as I ran down the path to the park. Today, the world was beautiful. Tall cities, chirping birds in glistening trees, and rays of sunlight shining all over the world. My eyes widened in delight when I found my two best monster friends, one a tall skeleton with a red scarf around his neck, and the other a ghost with sad eyes.

I ran down the paved stone to meet them. "Good morning!" I waved.

"Good morning…" Napstablook mumbled, floating a few centimeters above the ground.

"HUMAN, you're LATE!" Papyrus chided me loudly, wagging his finger in an act of annoyance. He was always loud, so I didn't mind. Then he paused when he noticed the heart locket I was wearing around my neck. "OH Human! THAT'S a CUTE necklace!"

"It's pretty nice..." Napstablook agreed.

"Oh." I hadn't meant for it to stand out like that. I tucked it behind my shirt. "Hey, how 'bout a run?" I suggested. Then the three of us went ahead, laughing lightly as we passed the crystal stream beside us. Then us three chatted about simple things and life in general. It really was a beautiful day outside. I told them about my morning when they questioned me, and came about the topic of Toriel's advice on impressing friends and loved ones.

"She said that?" Napsta frowned after I had explained how Toriel recommended giving snail pies as an effective gift.

"She's PRETTY COOL!" Papyrus commented, "But not as cool as the GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"I wonder if I'll ever get a gift?" Napstablook was so quiet, I could barely hear him.

"OF COURSE you will!" Papyrus encouraged, before casting a suspicious glance in my direction. "Do YOU want a GIFT too, human?"

I frowned. "I dunno." I hadn't really ever thought about it before.

Suddenly, Papyrus' eyebrows wiggled in amusement. Which was weird, since the last time I checked, skeletons didn't have eyebrows. "HUMAN… are you trying to be CUTE? Which is why you started to wear that… HEART NECKLACE?"

"W-what?"

"I bet she taught you the SECRET to being POPULAR!" Papyrus teased, wagging his finger. "DO NOT WORRY, human! Because I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, know ALL ABOUT being popular! If you ever need ANY kind of advice, you just need to ask ME!"

"Eh ha-ha…" I chuckled nervously. "Of course!"

"Guys? We should hurry..." Napsta reminded us. "I think we're gonna be late."

The bell rang.

But we were on time. Thankfully.

"I have something important to discuss with all of you today." Our monster teacher, a spider called Mrs. Muffet, brought our attention to her. "Make sure you all pay attention." Then she smiled pleasantly before continuing. "Let me ask you… should someone cease to buy a spider's pastries just because their tastebuds are apparently too refined for them? What do you think, Lansot?"

"Y-yo, me?" Monster Kid asked for clarification before answering. "Um… no?"

"That's right!" Our teacher proclaimed, bringing one of her many legs down onto her desk. "Someone should never judge another's pastries, just because they're made by spiders! I hope all you humans understand that! And be sure to check out our bake sale afterwards!" She smiled kindly at the class, expectant. "Also, I'd like to introduce all of you to a new transfer student that'll be joining us."

"Did she seriously leave that until last?" I huffed humorously.

"Okay," The teacher turned to call to the class doorway. "Sans, come in."

The new rather-short student entered. By the looks of it, he was a new monster student. At first glance, he looked like a normal being. Blue, fur-lined hoodie, with a white stripe on each side of his shorts. But at closer inspection, I found that his face was ashen white, and that his eye sockets were dark and empty except for little pinpricks of white that seemed to be his pupils. He had no hair. It took me a moment to realize that this monster was a skeleton. Carrying a pack in hand, he strode up to the board as the students commented on him.

"He looks so cool!" Someone in the front row whispered.

"And cute…" I heard some girls murmur and squeak to the side.

"WOWIE!" Papyrus turned around in his seat to speak to me. "He is a SKELETON as well! I can already tell he will be a VERY COOL DUDE!" I couldn't help stifling my amusement.

But then… I felt myself freeze at a sudden realization. His face was white. He was short. He wasn't wearing the same clothes, but I could still recognize him.

I had almost forgotten about it. "No way… He can't be…" He couldn't be the same person...

"Alright, introduce yourself." Our teacher suggested.

"Names' Sans." The skeleton grinned lazily at the class. His voice was low, not like a normal student's pitch of voice. "And let's just say… that I'm absolutely Sans-ational!" The shit-eating he grin he gave was absolutely Sans-ational indeed. I couldn't help smiling in spite of myself. The class clapped at the introduction, and the teacher could only smile apologetically.

Suddenly, the skeleton whipped his head around to give me a death stare. His eye sockets were dark now, completely unseeing. No sign of pupils anywhere. I found myself flinching from the exchange and looking away, but when I looked back again, the class was still clapping and the skeleton wasn't looking my way anymore. Like nothing had happened.

Class was over, but apparently the students' excitement was not. Humans and monsters alike, especially girls, were crowding around the new student's desk. What was his name again? Right, Sans. My mind momentarily flashed back to the stare he had given me before, and I found myself flinching again.

"He has a..." Napstablook was giving me a confused look. "A kind of… mysterious aura about him..."

"HEY, Human!" Papyrus bounded over to my desk before bending down to squint at me suspiciously. "Do you know this guy? He's going to RUIN my REPUTATION as the coolest skeleton! And he makes BAD PUNS!"

"Um…" I wasn't really sure how to comment to that.

Suddenly, the conversation at Sans' table had stopped. The crowd parted as he got up. "Nah, don't worry 'bout me. I'll just ask the person in charge." I slightly gasped when I realized that he was heading towards our direction. Napstablook and Papyrus were giving him wary looks of suspicion as he approached us, giving me an unsettling grin. "Hey kiddo," He prompts, his low gravelly voice trailing over us. "You're the health officer for this class, right?"

H-huh? How did he know? "I, uh…" Apparently I was unable to form coherent sentences in this mysterious stranger's presence.

He smiled wider. "So, hate to bother ya, but could ya take me to the nurse's office?"

"He's so cute!" A girl whispered next to us in the halls, obviously referring to Sans. Now I could see what Papyrus meant when he had said Sans was stealing his reputation. There were two skeletons at this school now… and one was obviously starting to fall behind in terms of popularity.

I sighed as I walked down the hall with the skeleton. "So… how did you know I was the health officer?" I ask him.

I waited for him to answer, and for a moment, he didn't. Just as I was beginning to think he hadn't heard me, his grin widen ridiculously and he answers, "Welp. Muffet told me." It seemed like a lie, but since I didn't see why he would feel the need to do such a thing, I brushed it off and just decided not to push it.

"Oh. I see." I commented simply, seeing a turn ahead and deciding to do my job. "The nurse's office is-" I paused as the skeleton made the correct turn on his own. "Uh…"

"This way, right?" He asked for confirmation, giving me a steely grin.

"Huh? Yeah, but… ah…" I took a deep breath to get it out right. "You just kind of seem like you already know the way. So…" Sans didn't comment, just simply continued to walk ahead of me without talking or communicating whatsoever. I awkwardly followed him. With his back turned to me, I couldn't see his face expressions anymore.

There was no one else around now. It was awkwardly quiet. Maybe I should try to create conversation? "Uh… Sans?"

"Yeah?" He sounded annoyed for some reason.

"You, uh… you have a unique name." I tried. Sans stayed silent, and I wondered if I had pissed him off somehow. "No, I didn't mean it was weird…" I quickly clarified. "I-I think it's cool!" Somehow. Like, didn't 'Sans' mean 'without' in French or something?

Suddenly, Sans whipped around to face me, beads of sweat rolling down his white skull. I wasn't sure what to say. An awkward silence later, the skeleton chose to speak. "Hey kiddo, do you value your current way of life? Food, friends, family… do you think dearly of them?"

Well. That was out of the blue. "I, uh… I guess I do." I answered truthfully. I thought of my family, Toriel, my friends, Papyrus, and all the others… "My family, my friends… I love them. They really mean a lot to me."

"Is that true?" I heard doubt in the skeleton's voice.

"It is!" I confirmed, stepping up a bit, then faltering. "Why wouldn't it be?"

A moment of silence for thought. "I see." He commented. "If that's true, then you mustn't ever think of trying to become someone else. If you do…" His pupils disappeared as he said his next words. "You'll lose everything."

"H-huh?"

The pupils were back. "You just need to stay Frisk, just like you have so far." He turned away to leave.

I didn't follow him.

He was good at everything. Everything he did in school, at least. He could define everything perfectly, and knew every word. He solved math equations like they were child's play. He read and wrote like a pro. He passed almost every physical test, setting new records for every run and jump. In his wake, he left a surprised and delighted class, teacher included. Couldn't say the same for me though. Everywhere he goes, it's just as Nasptablook said. He leaves behind this mysterious aura about him… and it's just not trustworthy.

I mean… what was there about him to trust?

"HUH? What's THAT about?"

"Doesn't make any sense, does it?" I sighed, munching on a burger. I was in the cafeteria with my friends, eating.

"I thought he was one of those COOL and AWESOME dudes who were well-read and ATHLETIC, but instead he's just a REPUTATION STEALER! Just HOW BIG of an impression do you have to MAKE on people?" Papyrus' eyes widened in almost a scary way. "And those PUNS! I just CAN'T HANDLE THEM!"

Napstablook looked nervous. "Is this really the first time... you've met Sans…"

"Well…" I shrugged. "I guess I'd have to say yes."

"You GUESS?" Papyrus' eyes were back to normal, thankfully. "Is there some WEIRD REASON why you'd say NO?"

"Uh…" Did I really want to share my dreams in this? Well, they were my friends. Telling them couldn't hurt. "I… think I saw him in a dream I had last night." A brief moment of silence before both of them started to laugh hysterically. I found myself incapable of forming a word during that.

"That's GREAT!" Papyrus congratulated me while forking some spaghetti. "THIS is the FIRST STEP to becoming POPULAR! By doing this, you can get some ATTENTION to yourself!"

I felt my face burning up at the humiliation. "I'm serious!" I protested. "I'm actually worried about this!"

Papyrus actually seemed doubtful now. Napstablook took this as his cue to ask, "What type of dream?..."

"I don't remember…" I admitted shamefully. "I just know it was really strange."

"Well…" Napsta seemed to be deep in thought. "Well maybe… you really have met him before?..."

"Huh?"

"I mean..." He proposed nervously. "You might not remember him... but subconsciously, you know him from somewhere, and that may have come out in your dream?..." I've never heard him talk so much before.

"Isn't that just a little too convenient?" Papyrus mumbled, obviously not happy. "How much of a coincidence is that?"

"I'm sorry… it was a terrible idea..." Napstablook looked ready to shrink into a puddle. Suddenly, he turned to look at the clock on the wall. "Oh… it's so late..." He turned back to us apologetically. "I'm sorry for being such a bother..."

"For what?" Papyrus asked skeptically, wondering what he was late for.

"Sorry..." Napstablook answered sullenly, making his way to leave the table and ignoring us. "I just wanted to make a good impression..."

I sighed. "Shall we go as well?" I suggested to Papyrus, starting to get up as well.

"Right. HUMAN!" He suddenly leaned closer to whisper in my ear. "Is it POSSIBLE for us to stop by that DEPOT STORE on the way BACK today?"

I smiled. "Sure. Mettaton's again?" I guessed.

Papyrus grinned sheepishly. He was nothing like Sans, and I was grateful for that. "You know how it is." He loudly whispered.

After saying goodbye to Napstablook, Papyrus and I made our way to the store. There were a couple of others milling around, but not many. It looked like we would be able to look for out items in peace. Finding an interest in some kind of mechanism laid to the side, Papyrus and I headed to opposite sides of the shelves to examine the material. The merch here was pricey, but everything was undoubtedly shiny and well-crafted. It was no wonder Mettaton liked this store so much.

Save me! I jerk my head upwards, swerving my head around the room. What… was that? From another customer, maybe? I tore my attention away from the machines to see if anyone was calling out to me. Everyone was busy finding their own things. Save me, Frisk! There it was again. Who was that? Was I the only one who could hear it? I looked around for anyone that might've noticed the voice, but everyone was oblivious to the pleading of it. IDIOT! Just save me already! Apparently, it was just in my head? Confused, I decided to try tracing the source of the sound.

After some searching, I found myself walking down the stairs of the store, heading underground. "Who's there?" I asked to the emptiness of the room. Only my voice echoed back at me. And the voice in my head. Just… save me. I kept heading onwards, hoping to find the source of the voice. It must've been close, right?

Eyes widening, I looked to the side to find a large staircase leading to another larger door. This must be the place. I ignored the nearby sign as I headed up and opened the door. I was met with a creepy dark room, with piles of stuff covered by sheets and nothing but the bleak light coming from my doorway to illuminate it. It looked like a large storage room full of dusty construction supplies. Was this a good idea?

I cautiously headed in, tip-toeing as not to make too much noise. "Where are you?" I whispered to the darkness. "Who are you?" Nothing. Just a few orange cones, red lights, and lots of pillars. Cautious, I headed forward more. Save… me. Then I finally heard it. Above me, the ceiling was moving. Before I could even do anything, it suddenly collapsed, loudly banging onto the ground and bringing down debris and a creature with it. I jumped back to avoid impact.

In front of me was a furry white creature. He looked extremely scratched up. Hurt and bruised and just… beat up. But… what was that yellow thing around his head?

I quickly crawled forward to take the creature in my arms. "Was that you?" I asked him, sitting down. Turning his head in my direction, I realized that the yellow thing around his head was petals. His face was a flower!

"Save me…" He pleaded, face scrunching up, and a petal falling off his face.

Chains clanked. Gasping, I looked up to see a familiar skeleton. And he was not Papyrus. "Sans?" What was he doing here? Boy, did he not look happy.

"Move away from that thing." He ordered. He was wearing that same clothing from the dream. I could tell he was trying to stay patient with me, but unfortunately, I had none for him.

"B-but he's hurt!" I protested. Looking down at the sorry creature, I could see him panting for breath. Looking back up at Sans, I felt determination welling up inside me. "N-no! Don't hurt him!"

The skeleton took no hesitation to step forward, bit by bit. "This has nothing to do with you, kid." His left eye was flashing blue, but I had no time to question it.

"But he called for me!" I tried to reason with him. "I heard him telling me to save him!"

A slight pause. "I see." Chains clinked more. I could only stare at him in disbelief, hoping he wouldn't do something harmful to the creature in my arms. Would he do anything to get to it? Would he hurt me? Sans only stares back, his eye sockets darker than ever. For some reason, his grin was still there. It was unnerving. More chain clinking.

Suddenly, a huge force was blasted onto the skeleton, and he disappeared in the steam.

"HUMAN! THIS WAY!"

"Papyrus!" Ever so grateful, I got up to follow him as he tossed his fire extinguisher away. Then with the two of us together, we started to run away as fast as we could.

"What is he doing THIS time?" Papyrus cried indignantly. "ATTACKING people randomly while COSPLAYING? That's MY job!" I can't help letting out a small laugh. "Actually, what is that?" He pointed to the creature in my arms. "Is it a stuffed animal?"

"I don't know." I huffed before repeating, "I don't know, but… I need to save him!" We ran and ran and ran and then suddenly… the world began to change.

Suddenly, nothing looked familiar. "HUH?" Papyrus gasped, screeching to a stop. "Where's the EMERGENCY exit? Where ARE we?"

We were in a barren land. There were butterflies, but they were huge. And the patterns on them didn't seem real. "What is this place?" I whispered, watching the world transform around me. "Everything keeps changing." Flowers, people, letters, stop-lights, angels, more butterflies… everything kept shifting. The items appearing in the sky and on the ground were completely random. There was no up or down, left or right.

"Do not worry, HUMAN! I, the GREAT PAPYRUS, shall protect you!"

I looked up. "S-something's there!" I squeaked. Behind some very weird looking bushes, there were a couple of fluffy white things with mustaches pasted onto them.

Butterflies rose. Mustaches grew. Roses bloomed. Bees flew. Everything pranced mockingly around us as they sang a little song. The cotton balls grew arms and legs. The butterflies managed to use their wings like legs to dance with the cotton balls. Everyone's heads bobbed tauntingly as Papyrus and I huddled next to each other.

"THIS…" Papyrus sounded disbelieving. "This CAN'T be happening, can it? It's just a bad DREAM, right human?"

I wasn't sure how to answer. Scissors snipped the air. Thorny vines and bristles grew on the ceiling. Indecipherable words floated around in straight, orderly lines. Suddenly, the cotton balls grew scarier. They now had pale blue lips take up the place of their mouth, and huge black scribbles for eyes. They were getting closer, and closer. I shut my eyes tight as Papyrus stood protectively in front of me.

Suddenly, chains broke and fell. Stripes were in the air. And then, a huge blast came down onto us, eradicating all nearby cotton balls and leaving a beautiful flower-covered floor. As the last beams of light died away, we could only stand and watch in amazement.

"HUH?" Papyrus squinted his eyes curiously. "WHAT WAS THAT…"

"What's going on?" I mumbled.

"T-that was pretty close," A voice said behind us. "But it's all okay now." Gasping, Papyrus and I turned around to find a new monster. She was a lizard-type, with orange spots on her tail, and big round glasses upon her head. She headed down to us, an orange gem sparkling in her hands. Seeing our inability to speak, she filled in the gap for us. "Y-you saved Flowey, didn't you?" She sighed in relief. "Thank you. H-he's an important friend of mine."

I cradled the creature closer. "He called for me." I finally managed to speak. "I heard his voice in my mind." Gee, did I totally sound sane.

"I-I see." The monster adjusted her glasses slightly. She didn't seem slightly disturbed by my preposterous claims. "I assume you're Ebbot students as well? Maybe juniors?"

"WHO ARE YOU?" Papyrus asked curiously.

"O-Oh, right! I should introduce myself." Suddenly, more thorny vines started to protrude from the ground around us, and I yelped in surprise. "But! Before that…" The lizard suddenly started to perform a little dance before throwing her gem into the air. "W-would you mind? If I took care of a little something first?"

Then right before our eyes, the gem glowed and set off huge beams of light. The clothes on her started to change into what looked more like a uniform rather than casual clothing. Her transformation caused gushes of wind to blow, and I closed my eyes and brought out my arms protectively. When they were open again, I found her standing atop a pile of stuff, looking grim and heroic as cotton balls surrounded her. Was this seriously for real?

Suddenly jumping into the air and with a swipe of her arm, hundreds… no, thousands, of remotes appeared out of thin air next to her. The amount of them was absolutely intimidating. Each of them had a single red button in its center. With another wave of her arm, the buttons were all compressed and yellow shots were fired out mercilessly. Balls of fire shot into the crowd of puff balls, each of them screeching as they were destroyed. Yellow bullets ricocheted and the place was filled with bursts of huge explosions. It was like watching fireworks. When the enemies were all obliterated, she dropped down to examine the smoke and to look for enemy survivors.

Papyrus and I could only watch in amazement. "W-wow…" I mouthed. Suddenly, the world around us started to quiver, and I found the imaginary world starting to disappear as the original landscape of the room took over. I had never been so glad to see the dark creepy room again.

"E-everything's BACK to NORMAL!" Papyrus cheered, and I sighed in relief.

But our celebration couldn't last. Suddenly, Sans was in front of us again. He was still wearing the familiar costume. Now, he was standing on top of one of the piles of planks that was covered with a sheet. The height he obtained from that standpoint was enough to make him look superior, and I had a feeling that it was what he was going for.

"The witch ran away." The monster that just saved us told the skeleton. "If you want to take it down, you'll need to chase after it quickly. I'll give the witch to you this time."

The glare that Sans gave was enough to melt metal. "The witch isn't what I'm interested in."

"You don't seem to understand what's going on here." She responded nonchalantly. "I'm saying I'll let you go." The skeleton hesitated, but didn't move. "I think we both would like to avoid any unnecessary trouble."

Sans didn't move. Papyrus moved protectively in front of me. The monster girl only smiled uneasily. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, Sans turned his back to us to jump off. A second later, he was gone.

Papyrus and I both let out a breath we hadn't known we were holding. With our savior turning to look at us, we both smiled gratefully at her.

The creature stirred awake as his wounds were healed. "Hey thanks. You saved me." I was surprised to hear this flower-animal talk, although I didn't know why. He had been calling to me the whole time, after all…

"Thank them." The monster-girl suggested, motioning to us. "I-I was just passing by."

With no hesitation, the flower-animal turned around to face Papyrus and I. "Thank you very much!" He spoke to us, and it was only then that I realized this creature was rather cute. "My name is Flowey! Flowey the-" Suddenly he stopped. "Uh… I mean, I'm just Flowey."

Not a very creative name, but I can't protest to that. "Were you the one that was calling for me?" I asked, needing to make sure.

"That's right, Papyrus and Frisk!"

"Creature," Papyrus addressed Flowey, "HOW do you know our NAMES?"

"I came here to ask you two to help." He replied simply.

"To… help?" I repeated.

Flowey bobbed his head excitedly. "I want you to form a contract with me and become Magic Monsters!"