I stare at the fried egg on my plate, barely seeing it, only hearing one name repeating in my mind.

Alphys.

She was so nice. She always had such good intentions for us. She was always trying to help us. She was so strong. The way she battled witches effortlessly, I still remembered it. But, she had just been so lonely. She had went through so much. She had so much to live for. I still remember her face. Somewhat shy, but confident all the same. That's what I loved about her. But now, there was nothing left. Just like that, our bravest friend was...

"Frisk?" I was suddenly brought out of my memories when Toriel called my name. "My child, you must hurry and eat, or else you won't make it in time for school."

"Y-yeah…" I took another forkful of breakfast, barely containing more tears.

"Are…" Asgore paused hesitantly when he saw my mood. "Child, are you alright? Is… the food bad?"

I sniffed a little, wiping my eyes. "No, it's good. It's really good." I smiled, hoping not to worry them. "Because I'm alive, I get to experience Dad's great cooking…"

"So… I um… told him…" Napstablook was talking to us on the way to school, trying to get rid of the tension. But even he himself was starting to get distant. I wasn't even following the situation, not exactly knowing the topic of the discussion. But at least Napsta was making an effort to talk to us.

Flowey was walking with us, paws moving forward at a steady pace. Sighing, I used telepathy to speak with Papyrus. "Hey Papyrus." I gulped. "About yesterday…"

"A MOMENT, HUMAN!" He replied, then hesitated before adding, "SORRY. JUST... EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NEED TIME TO THINK ABOUT THIS." He hurried to catch up to Napstablook, who was floating a little ways ahead of us now.

"It was… so weird…" He mumbled, quietly continuing with his speech.

"KIND OF." Papyrus replied, and I could tell he was trying to contribute to the conversation while putting a light tone into his voice. He was still trying his best, despite all this. If only I could do the same.

"Although spiders look like insects, they are actually arachnids." Muffet tapped the board with her stick, teaching the class about spiders. "Don't get that mixed up, dearies. Also, did you know that they live on all continents except for Antarctica? They are everywhere. Which also means we have delicious pastries on almost every continent!~"

I listened quietly, honestly not really really listening. How could we listen to this, even after all we've been through? Wondering how Papyrus was faring, I turned around to look at him. Unlike his usual happy attitude, he was now simply quiet, a neutral thinking expression on his face. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

The sun shone from above, the clouds failing to block it, but floating around it like they were trying to avoid it. We were at the top of the school building again, but this time, our moods were obviously low. Papyrus and I sat in the silence, gazing out at the sky, and watching birds chirp and fly. It was a beautiful day outside, but we were to upset to play. We were each in our own thoughts, dozing off on our own thoughts and depressions.

Only Flowey seemed unaffected. He only stared at us curiously, tail bobbing.

I decided to finally break the silence, and to voice my own thoughts. "It… kind of feels like we're in a different country now." Everything always continued normally, like nothing had happened.

"YEAH." Papyrus agreed forlornly. "SCHOOL, AND METTATON… NOTHING HAS CHANGED SINCE YESTERDAY."

"It feels like I'm surrounded by strangers." I admit quietly.

"NOBODY KNOW'S WHAT WE KNOW." Papyrus sighs. "NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT WITCHES OR ALPHYS. JUST US. IT'S LIKE… WE'RE IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD FROM EVERYONE ELSE!"

"Papyrus…"

"IT HAS ALL CHANGED A LONG TIME AGO. EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHOULD HAVE REALIZED IT SOONER." We sat in a pensive silence for a moment, until Papyrus turned to me, a questioning gaze in his eye. "HUMAN? DO YOU... STILL WANT TO BECOME A MAGICAL MONSTER?"

I gasped a little at the question before turning my head down in shame. Papyrus seemed to understand my response, and nodded a little. "THAT MAKES SENSE." He put one of his gloved hands on my shoulder to comfort me.

"I know it's not fair." I trembled. "It's really selfish for me to back out now. But… I just can't…" The tears were back again. I hiccuped a little. "Just remembering how she died, I… I can't even breathe. I-I'm so scared." I looked down into my lap, trying to ignore the pitiful gaze Papyrus was giving me. I could remember Alphys' death perfectly. The suddenness, the blood… I didn't want that. "I-I hate this." I cried, shaking my head. Papyrus moved forward to embrace me. I didn't protest.

"ALPHYS… WAS REALLY KIND. AS AN EXAMPLE OF RESOLVE THAT WE NEEDED TO FIGHT, SHE…" He took a deep breath, not continuing. I cried a little onto his shoulder.

"HEY, FLOWEY?" Papyrus turned to the flower-animal, sitting not too far away, and just watching the whole commotion like it was no one's business. "WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THIS CITY? WHO WILL PROTECT EVERYONE FROM WITCHES NOW?"

"Well…" Flowey readjusted his paws, tails swinging a bit more. "This has been Alphys' territory for a while. If there's no one here, then the other Magical Monsters will act. Others hunting for witches will come soon enough."

"BUT ARE THEY ONLY HERE FOR THE GRIEF SEEDS?" Papyrus lowered his head with sadness. "LIKE THAT TRANSFER STUDENT?" I wanted to correct Papyrus on the name of the student, but I figured there was no need to.

"True, Alphys was a rare breed. Usually, you wouldn't put yourself in danger so much if you hadn't anything to gain from it. Everyone wants to be rewarded for their hard work, after all. But hey," He wiggled his eyebrows at us. "I think only another Magical Monster can really criticize to that." We stared at him with wide, frightened eyes. It was not a funny joke. Flowey only shrugs at our expressions, a hopeless look on his face. "Hey, I understand how you two feel. It sure is unfortunate… but I can't pressure you into it." He looks to the sky, a thoughtful gaze in his eye. "So I'm guessing this is it. I need to search again for monsters that actually need my contract."

I look away in shame, realizing he was about to leave us. "I'm sorry, Flowey."

"Whatever." Flowey started to get up, moving along with his paws. "It was a short while, but I'll admit I had fun." As if it were an afterthought, he added a, "...and thanks." Then he padded away, leaving just me and Papyrus to sit alone on the cold stone seat.

I took a shaky breath, whispering, "I'm sorry…"

I walked out of Alphys' old apartment building, only to see a familiar skeleton waiting for me outside. "Sans?..." What was he doing here? I quickly wiped the wetness from my eyes, trying to hide my distress.

Sans sighs before stepping up to me. "You're blaming yourself too much for this, kiddo."

"H-huh?"

"There's no one that can criticize you for your choices. If there was someone, however…" His expression turned serious. "I'd never forgive them." Confused at his angry tone, I tilt my head at him. "So. You took my advice, huh?"

I nod a little bit. "Yeah... I guess."

"If only I had listened to you sooner…" I sigh. The two of us were walking down the long bridge alone, talking about the circumstances.

"That still wouldn't have changed Alphys' fate." Sans points out quickly. "But hey, you were still able to change your own. And I…" He looked down at the ground. "I'm happy I could save at least one person."

I tilt my head a little in curiosity. "H-hey, Sans?" I ask, remembering how he had dealt with the witch from before. "You seem like a veteran, but in a different way from Alphys." Alphys was the type that seemed to handle things expertly, but Sans just always seemed to know what he was doing. He had navigated the battle so easily. Not in a pro way, but with a certain knowingness about him that I couldn't quite place.

"Heh, that might be true." He shrugs a little. "I ain't denyin' it."

I scrunched up my face with thought. "Have you seen a lot of people… die? Like yesterday?"

Sans' expression turned dark. "...yep." He replied after a moment.

"...how many?" I dared to ask.

"'Nuff to give up counting." He answers stiffly.

I wasn't sure how to respond. So instead, I thought back to Alphy's lab-like apartment, still sitting there all alone. A mess waiting on her desk, never to be cleaned. Her books and plants, never to be touched. The whole room, never to be visited again by its now-dead owner. "I wonder if her room will stay like that forever?..."

"Alphys only had distant relatives." Sans answers dismissively. "It'll be quite a while before people realize she's gone."

"No one…" I gulped. "Will realize that she died?" It seemed like such an impossibility. Such a kind, amazing person like Alphys would surely be noticed if she had gone missing, right?

"It's just how it is." He shrugged. "If someone dies in there, there's no corpse left behind. She'll be forever missing from this world. That is what happens to Magical Monsters in the end. All of 'em."

So… that's how it was. I stopped, suddenly unsure about where and how to go along. Was it better that I hadn't become one myself? If I had, I would only have become fated to die in a witch's lair, never to be seen again… "That's horrible."

Sans seemed to notice I had stopped. He slowly turned around, giving me an uneasy stare. Like he was analyzing what was wrong with me.

"Alphys fought alone to protect everybody, but no one even realized it?... That's terrible." I repeated.

"That's the contract we made. To receive this power." Sans shrugs. "It's not just for anyone else. You gotta keep fighting for the wish you made. If no one notices, and if no one remembers you… then that's just how it is."

"I'll remember." I promised. "I won't ever forget Alphys. I'll never forget!"

"...I see." Sans turned away from me again, the edge of his grin twisting into a bitter smile. "Alphys is lucky to have someone who thinks that way. It's enough to make me jealous. Heh." A dark shadow crossed his features, and I wondered what he was worried about.

"I-I won't forget you either!" I protested. "I-I'll never forget how you saved us yesterday!" I stopped my outburst when I realized Sans wasn't reacting to my words. In fact, he only seemed more depressed. "...Sans?"

He move his face away, gaze hardened. "You're too kind."

"H-huh?"

"Kid." He moved back to face me, eye sockets dark. "Don't forget that kindness can sometimes bring forth even greater sadness." The shadows covered half of his face, making his message seem even more mysterious.

I was certainly confused, but the aura he gave off left me in wonderment. Making a half-hearted wave, he sauntered off, leaving me to my own troubled thoughts. What in the world had he meant by those words?

I walked home slowly, wondering if the whole problem was being caused by my own ignorance. "I think if we just talked, we could become friends with Sans…" I sigh, stepping down the cobblestone, putting one foot in front of the other. "I wonder why he ended up fighting with Alphys, anyway…?" I suddenly stop when I noticed someone familiar up ahead. "Huh?"

Down the street plaza, I saw Napstablook floating. He looked dazed. What was he doing here? Deciding to see what he was up to, I ran in his direction. He didn't turn to me. Trying to catch up to him and to get his attention, I yelled out, "Hey Napsta! Weren't you going to make music today or something?..." I stopped once I noticed something familiar next to his headphone. A witch's kiss.

I stopped right in my tracks, remembering the first time I had seen that mark. That had not ended up well. Feeling dread seep into me, I ran right in front of him, waving my arms frantically. "Napsta? Napstablook!" I tried to stop him, but he almost went right through me.

"Nice day…" He murmured, drifting forwards slowly.

"Napstablook?" I turned back to him, trying to get his attention. "What's wrong? W-where are you trying to go?"

"Somewhere…" He mumbled, not turning around to face me. "...better…"

"Napstablook?..."

He continued to speak, but almost in a giddy way that was unlike him. "Come with… or, you don't have to… heh." Confused, I decided I had no choice but to follow him from behind, wondering what in the world I could do to stop or save him, if he was even heading towards danger. I just couldn't leave my friend to go charging into danger alone.

Eventually, other people and monsters started to emerge, each with a witch's kiss implanted on their neck. They all seemed to be heading in the same direction, moving in little groups or parades, and sauntering forwards like they couldn't think for themselves. The whole thing screamed danger. Feeling jittery at the lack of light, I continued through the dark as I followed the crowd.

I felt uncertain. There was nothing I could do. Only a Magical Monster could solve this predicament. I wasn't one, and Alphys was gone. If only I could get ahold of Sans now… but I couldn't. I didn't know his phone number, or have any ways of contacting him. I had no choice but to keep going.

The group eventually reached a large creepy building, which they all entered. I joined them hesitantly, wondering what they were planning. The inside seemed to be some kind of old abandoned factory, shut down due to some reason I didn't know of. Listening, I heard them whispering to themselves. About how they were worthless. About how they couldn't do anything right. And about how there was no place in the world for them anymore.

Then taking turns, they each stepped up to fill buckets with a kind of clear liquid from bottles they had brought on their own. They were packaged in white plastic. I suddenly remembered what they were, from advice Toriel had given me long ago.

"Listen, my child." Toriel had said, showing me the white bottles. "You must handle these bottles of magic solution properly, or it may cause terrible things to happen." She had shaken her head, only looking very grave. "Monster magic is not to be messed with. Too much in the wrong place is incredibly dangerous. So my child, please be careful with these, yes?"

I stared at the buckets full of the dangerous substances, and I suddenly understood what they were planning. "N-no!" I gasped. "Y-you can't do that!" I ran forward, trying to reach the buckets, but someone floated in front of me to stop me.

It was Napstablook. "No… interruptions…" He informed me. "Holy… ritual…"

"B-but!" I protested. "It's dangerous! Everyone here might die!"

"That's right…" Napstablook smiled eerily, and I was suddenly scared of him. "We're all going… to another world…" He smiled, a tear glistening from under his eyes. "How wonderful…"

"Napstablook? T-this isn't like you at all!"

"No holding back… don't worry, you'll understand soon…" I could only watch in horror as the other people in the building clapped along to the speech. They all seemed to be in agreement.

But only I was in objection. Gritting my teeth, I ran through the crowd, ignoring their shocked stares. In one swift movement, I had picked up the bucket of dangerous liquid and thrown it out the window, breaking some glass in the process. The shards bounced on the floor, making clinking sounds. I had done it. I had saved all these lives. I huffed in success.

But now the life in question was mine. I heard a thud behind me, and looking back, I watched the angry crowd advance upon me. Feeling frantic, I tried to force the window open, but it didn't budge. Creeping along the edge of the wall, I bumped into a door knob. Not having any other choice, I ducked behind the door and shut it closed quickly, locking it. The angry mob continued to bang on the door, but it held.

I wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that I had survived or to start panicking over what to do next. I looked around the room, searching for an exit. I seemed to be in a simple storage room. The walls were made of wood, and a pile of crates were stacked in the corner. But there was no escapes whatsoever.

"What… what to do?..." I backed away from the door, only to stop when I heard a squeaky voice behind me. Yelping, I turned around, finding a mysterious blue cloud, whom seemed to be advancing on me. What in the world was it? It continued to speak squeakily, but in a language I couldn't comprehend. It sounded excited for something.

A witch. "N-no!" I gulped, finding myself backed up against the crates. First crazy mobs of people, and now this? "This can't be happening!"

But it was. Suddenly, rows of TV screens turned on, blared in front of me while showing hazy circles of purples and blues, like a hypnotizing design. Little monsters with wings and halos came crawling out from the TV's, latching onto me. It took me a moment to realize that I needed to struggle, but it was already too late.

There was too many of them. They were like bugs, clambering all over me and squeaking excitedly. "N-no!" I tried shaking them off my arm, but they stuck to me like glue. "Someone save me!" Blue bubbles popped out from nowhere, and then I felt myself lose form.

Literally. My body seemed to fall apart, splitting into little pieces of jello. Green and yellow sparks flew around the room, sparkling and bright. Blinking my eyes open, I realized that I was back together, and in a completely different place. I was floating in the center of a long cylindrical room, colored like the ocean. Movie stripes lined the walls, and they spun around the cylinder in dizzying circles. I tried to regain my composure, but only seemed to drift down deeper into the endless ocean-colored depths.

Two winged monsters approached, a single winged TV between them. It displayed images of angels, hearts, and little girls like me. Gasping, I watched as the movie strips around me turned to circus carousels, gliding swiftly around me. I was turned in so many directions, I could barely tell which way was up anymore. Things started to spin faster, the edges of my vision turning green. Suddenly, the angel monsters were sitting upon the carousel, riding to their hearts content. Some of them had TV heads. Some of the TV's were riding the horses.

And that's when I saw it. Upon every TV was a video of Alphys. Or at least, my memory of her. In some videos, she was smiling. In others, she was fighting. But she was always vigilant, in every single one.

I felt sad, but didn't cry. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a punishment of some sort. I was almost positive that this had happened because of my weakness… because I was a liar. I watched more video memories playing through the TV's. I watched Alphys holding my hands in delight. I watched her get eaten by the long witch again. Surely… this is why I was getting punished, right?

A screen flew down next to my face, displaying a reflection like a mirror. Except in the reflection, I had a maniacal grin. As my reflection laughed at me in hysterical giggles, a couple of angels came down to play with me. They wanted to make some fun with me before the got rid of me. The monsters tugged on my arms and legs until they stretched like rubber bands. I could be compared to a starfish now. I grimaced, pain flashing searingly through my limbs, but couldn't find myself to complain.

But then suddenly, the four angels were obliterated, each sliced through with a blue slash of light. My limbs bounced back into me, returning to their proper length. Feeling nerve-wracked and regaining my proper form, I watched as the TV in front of me blew up into pieces. My gaze felt disoriented. Confused, I tried to find my savior. My eyes widened when I saw the cape and the blue uniform.

"P-Papyrus?!"

It was Papyrus in his very own Magical Monster uniform. A wicked-looking bone sword was in his hand, its tip sharp and pointed. Rainbow tendrils waved off from his direction, and he turned, putting his focus on the enemies. Another TV popped up, shoving out more angel monsters. They giggled as they approached Papyrus, but he expertly cut them off, each of their limbs falling off as they got hit. They fell apart like toy dolls. Papyrus continued to swing his bone sword, dust swirling around him. More and more came, but he handled each with deep concentration.

All the angel monsters were gone. I turned to the TV, trying to see if it would summon more. I had barely seen it, but in the next moment, Papyrus had charged up from behind. Swinging his weapon in a well-planned maneuver, he beat down on the winged TV, sending it flying up into the blue depths of the cylinder maze.

"THIS IS THE END!" He proclaimed, making a final swing. The attack was so quick, so bright, I could barely see it. The TV was sent flying towards the ground, and hit the ground with a satisfying crunch, black ink spraying out from its back. The carousels and move scripts fell as well, landing with heavy clunks. The whole labyrinth was falling apart now, floating down like a wave about to crash.

The world wavered around us before disappearing, leaving me back in the the storage room. I stared at Papyrus in awe, watching as he grinned in satisfaction.

When he noticed my gaze, he nervously lowered his sword. "SORRY ABOUT THAT, HUMAN!" He scratched the back of his head apologetically, but was still grinning. "THAT WAS CERTAINLY A CLOSE ONE!"

"Papyrus…" I looked down at his uniform, frowning. "You're wearing…"

"NYEH?" Realization popped onto his face, and he smiled sheepishly. "LET'S JUST SAY I HAD A… CHANGE OF HEART." Seeing my worried expression, he waved it off. "IT'S FINE! I DID FINE ON MY FIRST TIME FOR THE JOB, AFTER ALL! YOU CAN'T EXPECT ANY LESS FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

I was still shocked, despite his reassurances. "But…" I stopped when I heard footsteps from behind. Turning, Papyrus and I saw him.

"You." Sans stood atop the debris, giving us a cold glare.

"NYEH." Papyrus replied defiantly. "YOU'RE PRETTY LATE, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF." I looked between the two, not sure what to say or who to side with.

Sans only continued to stare at us, a completely unreadable expression on his face.

Yeah, I combined the chapters cuz they were too short. :P