Undyne squints at Sans as his question hangs open in the air. "What do you mean, how's your brother? Papyrus, you mean? How am I supposed to know, he should be back at Snowdin."
"he's waiting at your house actually. i figured we needed the whole gang together to discuss this," Sans replies. "no, the brother I'm talking about is the guy you apparently ran into today."
"We… didn't…" Flowey starts.
Sans brushes him off. "the old royal scientist, where is he? where's w.d.?"
"Look, none of us know who that is," Undyne says.
Sans sighs. "i thought this might happen. well come on, i'll explain at undyne's house."
Undyne blinks. "Don't invite yourself to my house," she orders.
"ok, let's hurry and get there," Sans says impatiently.
"No, I just said not to… oh forget it!" Undyne says. "But who's this 'W.D.' guy?"
"w.d. gaster, of course," Sans says. "anyway since you all are being slow, i'll just meet you there." He steps out the door.
"Oh no you won't you little…" Undyne exits the lab after him but stops. Frisk goes out to see what's wrong. "Where'd he go? He was just here," Undyne says with annoyance.
"So, we're going to your house then?" Alphys asks, almost cheerfully.
"I guess," Undyne says. "Well back in the boat we go."
A boatride and short trek through East Waterfall later, the group arrives at the extremely fishy house. Papyrus stands outside. "GOOD, YOU ALL MADE IT!" he says excitedly.
"Yeah, so what's up with your brother?" Undyne asks him. "He's being really freaking strange."
"I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT HE TOLD ME TO STAND HERE."
Undyne sighs. "Why's he so weird? No offence." She unlocks her door to Sans, seated at the kitchen table. "AH! …How did you get in here!?" she demands.
"shortcut."
Undyne was at a loss."But… but… oh forget it. You're lucky you're a guest or I'd kick your butt." She turns to the others. "Everyone sit. No one touch my fridge. No one touch my sword. No nerds allowed in my room."
"I've been in there though," Alphys points out.
"…Some nerds are allowed in my room," Undyne amends. As everyone sits, Frisk watches Undyne take a sickly yellow soda from the fridge and place it in front of Alphys.
"Ooh, my favorite," Alphys says.
Undyne smiles widely from behind her where she can't see. "Is it? Cool," she says.
Sans straightens up a little. "well if everyone's ready we can get to the topic at hand, how to help w.d. gaster."
"But who is Gaster?" Undyne asks.
"gaster is, or was, or was once but at the same time never was… my older brother." Everyone is silent for a moment while this sinks in. Papyrus probably looks the most surprised at this revelation.
"Wait, you're saying your older brother was that terrifying... thing that chased us in the dark world?" Flowey asks skeptically.
"w.d. isn't terrifying, he's a physicist," Sans objects.
"TRULY THE MOST SINISTER OF ALL SCIENTISTS," Papyrus says.
Sans rolls his eyes. "yeah well i worked with him."
"Wait," Alphys says. "So that means… you're a physicist too?"
"TRULY THE MOST SINISTER OF ALL… BROTHERS?" Papyrus shakes his head. "AND SANS, WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER BROTHER."
"no," Sans says quietly, "not any more. and because of what happened, we never did."
"I'm so lost right now," Undyne mutters, rubbing her head.
"You're uh… not the only one," Alphys admits before sipping her soda.
Sans laughs and looks at her. "hey alphys, who was the royal scientist before you?"
"I uh… don't know," she admits, her cheeks going a little red with embarrassment.
"isn't that something you should know?" Sans asks.
"Yes," Alphys says, sounding bothered by it still. "And I don't know why I don't know, and I didn't even know that I didn't know until today."
Sans looks thoughtful. "sounds about right…" He turns to the others. "now let me ask you all, except the kid of course... how long have you had electric stoves? computers? cell phones? tv? internet?"
"Uh… always," Undyne says. "Why would you ask that?"
"because it isn't true," Sans says. "ms. royal scientist, how long has the core existed?"
Alphys blinks, confused. "The… The Core has always been there. It's converted the geothermal energy in Hotland to magical energy for as long as anyone can remember."
Sans frowns. "no. it hasn't. everything that it powers has only been in wide use since a decade and a half or so… or… that would have been the case if the time line hadn't been altered. w.d. invented and built the core. he did. it isn't ancient technology or any of what people theorize it is now. it was my brother's brilliant mind. remember that."
"Psh," Undyne rolls her eye. "This is a bunch of water sausage."
"well if that's what lets you sleep at night," Sans says, shrugging. "the truth is that this world lost my brother and forgot him."
"How?" Flowey asks. "That isn't exactly something that everyone in the whole world would forget except for you, so how on earth would no one know that?"
"because he was ripped from existence when he fell into the core," Sans says.
Alphys eyes widen. "My appointment papers did mention an incident with the core!"
"Please tell me you don't believe this nut job," Undyne says.
"MY BROTHER IS NOT A NUT JOB, HE JUST… ISN'T MAKING…ANY SENSE… AT ALL RIGHT NOW. THAT'S ALL." Papyrus says.
Undyne's gills flare slightly. "Yeah well… if any of this is true, why the heck would he remember any of it?" Everyone turns to look at Sans who smiles mysteriously at them. "Well?" Undyne asks.
Sans laughs. "it's… almost funny, actually. well, not haha funny. or even smiling funny. it's not funny at all really, but i remember because i was right there. the blast that happened when he fell knocked me back and everything… actually it knocked me right through another time line and merged me with the sans of this one. it's lucky that i don't have skin, or the entire left side of my face would be scarred pretty badly from that blast. even still, i had to wear an eyepatch for weeks. not a good look for me, no offence undyne."
"SANS, I HIT YOU WITH A SNOW BALL. THAT'S WHY YOU HAD TO WEAR AN EYE PATCH."
Sans shakes his head. "in this timeline, yeah. in the original… or… my original timeline, or part of my original timeline anyway, no."
"You can't prove any of this," Undyne says. "You can't even prove there are multiple timelines." Sans silently hands her a photo. "…What… is this? Why are we all in here with the king?"
"it's from the last timeline. i found it," Sans says. The others lean over Undyne's shoulders to look. Sure enough, everyone aside from Flowey is there. "happens sometimes. objects fall through. sometimes i'll see glimpses of other timelines too." His left eye emits a soft blue glow. "not really enough to always know exactly what'll happen, but it helps."
Undyne shakes her head. "Well… this photo at least seems real but it all sounds-"
"what? fishy?" Sans asks with a wink. Undyne clenches her fists. "if you don't believe me about w.d. i don't care, i'm telling the truth. and i don't need your belief or help. he's still around somehow and i am going to get him back."
"HOW?" Papyrus asks.
Frisk looks at Sans, as does Flowey. Sans is silent for a while, then shrugs with a smile. "no idea."
"AH! BROTHER, YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT WITHOUT HAVING A PLAN! WAS THIS OTHER TIMELINE YOU AS LAZY?"
"no, not really."
"WELL WHY ARE YOU NOW!?"
Sans casually puts his hands in his pockets. "dunno, maybe i'm trying to match how this timeline's sans was perceived to be? maybe this timeline's effect on me is making me more like him too? and its hard to care about things when i know all it takes is one jerk with the right power to rip absolutely everything away so we have to start from scratch without even knowing it and could all potentially be stuck in a loop of repeating the same daily tasks ad infinitum." Everyone stares at him. Sans keeps up a serious visage for a moment then cracks a cheesy grin. "heh… just kidding, yeah i was always lazy, definitely."
"…This is hurting my head, can we just have dinner soon?" Undyne asks.
"I WILL MAKE THE SPAGHETTI!"
"Not without me!" Undyne says, shoving him aside.
"NO, IT IS MY SPECIALTY."
"Yeah that I taught you!"
"Oh uh… guys careful," Alphys says as she fiddles with the empty bottle a bit worriedly.
Sans sighs. "doesn't really take them long to stop being serious, does it? and people say i'm too much of a clown." He shakes his head and steps outside. Just before he shuts the door, he beckons Frisk to come along. Flowey and Frisk exchange a look before Frisk grabs his flowerpot and follows after him. Sans is stretching his arms. "ah, what a load off my scapulas. don't think i can take all that madness in there after it all though, something tells me things are going to get… heated." He winks and smiles. Frisk shakes their head. "oh come on, that was hilarious."
"Was all that… true?" Flowey asks.
"yeah, things are definitely going to get heated in there, i've seen how undyne cooks," Sans jokes. "heh, sorry. but yeah. if not it'd be one heck of a story to make up."
Flowey nods, thinking. "Makes sense now… you being so… weird compared to everyone else I mean."
"ouch."
"You know what I mean, with the weird knowing things and the being everywhere… can you teleport? I seriously need to know."
"i can't tell you all my secrets, heh…"
Flowey frowns. "How are you so calm about this?"
"well, you see, i'm a skeleton. nothing gets under my skin." He winks.
Haha. *Terrible.
"geez, tough crowd," Sans mutters before looking at Flowey. "so guess you think you have me all figured out now, huh?" He smirks, and it seems obvious that he doesn't think Flowey or Frisk have him quite figured out at all.
"Mostly," Flowey admits. "I can understand where you're coming from anyway… the friend I mentioned earlier… truth was, they were much more like a sibling to me. We were raised together. My parents treated them the same as me, so even if we weren't siblings by blood like you and W.D. I can sort of… sympathize. Losing them was the hardest thing I've ever been through. I mean… I still don't think I'm even close to being over it. So… I can understand how hard it is for you to let go, too."
Sans stops smirking and looks away a little. "a soulless sunflower sympathizing with me... what has my life come to?" Flowey looks away, trying to hide his hurt over the comment about his soul, though Frisk seems to notice, hugging his pot a little. It probably just is a little too soon after what he found in the lab. "you know i kind of meant that you have all my spookiness and uncanny perception figured out," Sans eventually continues, "not how things are with my brother. …but you're right. letting go isn't easy."
"And I guess I get it now," Flowey says. "Why you pretend to think Papyrus is so cool, I mean. It's because he's your only family left."
"no," Sans replies.
"…No?" Flowey asks uncertainly.
"no," he says again firmly. "i don't pretend to think papyrus is cool. i do think he's cool. he IS cool. in fact… he might be the coolest person that i know. at least in this timeline anyway." Flowey raises an eyebrow and Sans smiles weakly. "that confuses you? how about you, frisk, you're friends with papyrus."
*He might not be the "coolest" though. Yeah he's cool.
"heh," Sans laughs. He looks away from them and frowns a little to himself. "well i'm serious, i really do think papyrus is cool. he has a kind, gentle soul at heart. being positive about things comes easily to him, or at least he makes it look like it comes easy to him. he cares a lot. and he keeps those qualities even when the world around him isn't quite as kind or gentle or caring towards him. and… more than that…" Sans paces while he speaks but smiles a little at his own words. "papyrus keeps believing in himself. he doesn't let the world get him down. he still has dreams and ambitions. high ones too. he genuinely believes that one day he will be the most famous member of the royal guard. …i can't even get myself to care about any of my jobs. monsters across the underworld get through their lives, believing in king asgore or just the idea that someday we'll all be free and we'll see the sun someday. i can't believe in any of that. but… amazingly, the one thing that i can believe in… is him."
Sans looks down sadly. "i guess you could say, deep down… i wish i was papyrus. i wish i could be like him. confident… hopeful… caring… i can't find it in myself to be any of that anymore." He glances back at them with a serious look in his eyes. "so what exactly isn't cool about my brother?"
Flowey was a little speechless. "I… guess I never thought about it like that."
Sans laughs a little. "heh… y'know, there are plenty of powerful people in the world… plenty of charismatic people, wealthy people, dangerous people, but… people like papyrus? they're more rare than you would believe. when you find one, you'd better think they're cool while you can."
"Maybe you have a point," Flowey admits.
"of course i do. but there is one thing that's not cool, and that's his cooking. i'll go rescue dinner now if you don't mind." With that, Sans saunters off into Undyne's house, leaving Flowey and Frisk to think over what he said.
I nearly walk away from the scenario playing out before me when I hear a very familiar, distorted voice. I feel the presence that calls to mind the things that Frisk, Flowey, and Undyne found in the darkness. I look and see the symbols that accompany it. Neither Frisk nor Flowey notice. Does that mean… it's directed… to me? It takes me a while to decipher the unfamiliar symbols.
"Fallen Child… are you the one who reached out to me… and found me in the darkness?" it says.
I have to think about this carefully… What I am dealing with now is so far beyond the scope of any timeline I've shaped before. Everything has been affected. Everything is out of order. A single wrench in the machine that is this world has caused it all to come crashing down around me… could this be my chance to put myself back in control of it?
"Yes," I eventually reply.
"Fallen Child… Does this mean… You intend… To right the wrongs in the foundations of this universe?" the voice continues.
I take a deep breath once I decipher it. It's quite possible that if I don't play my cards right, I might lose control of this world completely… but is that really any worse than the situation is now? Something deep inside me tells me that if I pull this off, and I do believe that's possible, the control that I had, the power that I had… will be nothing in comparison to what I'll have in due time. I swallow… and I nod my head.
"Yes." My answer seems to ring with utter finality. My path is set.
The presence all around seems to exude the feeling of dutiful understanding. It dissipates away before long, but it is clear a pact has been made between us. It's time for the real work to begin.
AN: halfway through the fic everyone. Yay.