Author's notes: Posting this chapter on my birthday, as a gift to both me and you! Sorry for the delay; the anxiety was hitting hard with this chapter. I know better than to give an overly optimistic guess for when I'll finish the next one. But I'm gonna do my best to keep on going.
Sans had been hoping. Hoping that with his rudimentary manipulation of time, they could escape this snowy cave without Chara killing them again. But that hope was worth nothing. Chara stood before them, and he didn't think they could avoid this fight any longer.
"I DID LIKE YOUR OTHER PUZZLES, YOU KNOW," Papyrus informed Chara. "SOME OF THEM WERE QUITE CHALLENGING!"
"Really?" they asked. "You seemed to solve them quickly enough." They sent out a wave of bones, which Sans dodged; a bone clipped Papyrus.
"WELL!" He grinned, nervously. "THAT IS. THEY WERE CHALLENGING IN COMPARISON TO OTHER PUZZLES I'VE SOLVED. I AM A PUZZLE-MASTER EXTRAORDINAIRE!"
"Is that so?" They seemed less than impressed.
Papyrus was not particularly good at lying; this Sans knew well. Boasting, on the other hand, his brother had no problem with, perhaps because he did not perceive himself to be speaking falsely.
"IT IS INDEED! YOU SHOULD BE FLATTERED THAT A PUZZLE CONNOISSEUR SUCH AS MYSELF FOUND YOUR PUZZLES SO STIMULATING!"
"They did not stop you from making it this far," they said flatly. "Or even noticeably slow you down. Useless." Another series of bones.
Papyrus, once the onslaught had passed, faltered. "IS THAT ALL YOU THINK PUZZLES ARE GOOD FOR?" he asked, quieter than before. "TRAPPING PEOPLE?"
"Trapping humans," Chara corrected. "Like you."
Papyrus looked crestfallen. "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MENTAL EXERTION? THE CHALLENGE? THE FUN?"
Personally, Sans hadn't found many of the puzzles in the snowy woods fun, being rather focused on trying to escape the very skeleton they were now fighting. But Papyrus held a certain affection for puzzles of all kinds.
Chara stared at him. "Their purpose was to stop you. They didn't." Then they smiled. "But I knew any human would be headed this way, and all I had to do was get here first. And I was right." With a wave of their hand, they sent out a flurry of bones.
"how did you know," Sans challenged, "that we would come here?"
It was hard to tell, but he thought Chara sneered. "So you do speak," they said. "You're humans. You're headed for the Barrier. For the capital. And this is the only way through."
Sans' heart sank. It wouldn't matter, then, if he turned back time. This fight was unavoidable. They had no choice but figure out how to get through it.
"THE BARRIER?" Papyrus parroted.
"The seal that keeps us trapped down here. Don't pretend you don't know."
"BUT I DON'T?"
"Really? Well, here's a lesson - " Their eye flashed red, and Sans dived out of the way, yelling for Papyrus to dodge as he did so.
The knife struck Papyrus' soul, bringing him down to only 2 HP.
"THAT," he panted, "WAS NOT KIND."
"I don't intend to be." Their next attack ignored Sans entirely, focusing on battering Papyrus' soul with bones. He couldn't dodge them all.
Sans saw his brother's soul begin to fracture and, determined, he tore them away from that future, leaving the brothers back in Snowdin, in front of the store.
"WHY DON'T WE REST AT THE INN, THIS TIME AROUND," Papyrus finally suggested. Sans nodded.
The bed was somewhat cramped, but it was nothing they weren't used to; they had shared a single bed in Toriel's house, after all. Neither of them could sleep. The snoring echoing through the walls was a factor; Sans usually prided himself on being able to sleep through anything, but now he could only lie awake, listening to the snoring and thinking over everything that'd happened.
He could tell Papyrus wasn't sleeping either; whether it was due to the snoring or Papyrus' own thoughts, he couldn't tell. They laid there for some minutes, staring up at the dark ceiling, before Sans finally broke the silence.
"i keep thinking about what flowey said."
"But what will you do when you meet a relentless killer?" asked the monstrous flower, grinning all the while. "You'll die and you'll die and you'll die... until you tire of trying. What will you do then?" His grin, impossibly, grew even wider than before. "Will you kill out of frustration?"
"NEVER!" Papyrus shouted.
"Or will you give up entirely on this world, and let ME inherit the power to control it?"
"not a chance," Sans vowed.
"Oh?" Flowey snickered. "I am the prince of this world's future. Don't worry, my little monarchs, my plan isn't regicide. This is SO much more interesting." Then he laughed, a laugh which made Papyrus shrink back and Sans curl his hands into fists, before disappearing into the earth.
"DO YOU THINK HE WAS TALKING ABOUT CHARA?" Papyrus asked quietly.
"dunno, but they definitely fit the bill."
"YEAH." Papyrus frowned. Then he turned to face Sans. "BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE WAS RIGHT," he said, and his voice held conviction. "WE WON'T KILL ANYONE. AND WE WON'T GIVE UP, EITHER. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS. SOMEHOW."
Sans smiled. "yeah, bro. we will." His brother always knew how to make him feel better. Then he remembered something else, and felt uneasy again. "speaking of flowey," he said. "on our way to snowdin, i think i saw him? it was just for a moment. he disappeared into the ground right after. if it was him, i mean."
"WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?"
"i dunno, i didn't want to distract you. wasn't sure if i was just seeing things."
"HE IS VERY UNFRIENDLY," said Papyrus, master of understatement, "AND HE DOES SEEM TO LIKE SNEAKING UP ON US. I THINK YOU PROBABLY DID SEE HIM."
"oh. well. that's... not a comforting thought. we'll have to watch our backs, i guess."
"EVEN IF HE DOES SURPRISE US, YOU CAN TAKE US BACK," he pointed out.
"right, yeah. still."
"STILL." Papyrus was quiet for a moment. "THIS DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING. I HAVE TO FIND OUT WHY CHARA WANTS TO KILL US SO MUCH. THEN... THEN I CAN CONVINCE THEM NOT TO!"
If anyone could do it, it was Papyrus. "i believe in you," Sans said, closing his eyes.
"I JUST HAVE TO UNDERSTAND..."
Sans didn't manage to sleep for long, but he still felt better afterwards. They made sure their pockets were completely filled with healing foods from the store, and Papyrus bought Sans a "manly bandanna," which supposedly aided in defense. There was a brief argument over who should wear the bandanna - Papyrus arguing that Sans was smaller and more fragile, Sans arguing that Papyrus was worse at dodging and took more hits - before Sans finally gave in and wore the bandanna.
Before they left once more, Sans took in the sight of the friendly town and focused on the feeling of determination. They would get through this. They would.
When they reached Chara, Sans tensed up, ready to fight. Papyrus, however, called out, "GREETINGS! MIGHT I KNOW YOUR NAME, STRANGER?"
"It's Chara," they said. "Don't bother telling me yours. You're human; I don't care to know it. I only want your souls." A pair of bones appeared in their clenched fists, and the brothers' souls floated out from their bodies.
"OKAY," said Papyrus. "WHY IS IT THAT YOU WANT OUR SOULS, EXACTLY?"
They grinned. "To fulfill my hopes and dreams." And the battle began anew.
"QUESTION. IS THERE A WAY WE COULD HELP YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE WITHOUT YOU KILLING US?"
"Can't think of one," they said, grinning. "You see -" there was a flash of red, and this time both Sans and Papyrus avoided the knives. They scowled and continued: "Your souls themselves are an essential component. Without them, it simply wouldn't work."
"what about our dreams?" asked Sans. "shouldn't they matter as much as yours?"
"My dreams are the dreams of all monsterkind. Needs of the many, et cetera. But even if that weren't true, you're human. Preventing your dreams from coming true is a service."
Papyrus elected to ignore this. "WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS, THEN?"
"What does any monster dream of? To be free. To see the sun."
"WELL, YOU SHOULDN'T LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN FOR TOO LONG, OR THE LIGHT WILL HURT YOUR EYES!"
Chara stared at him for a long moment. "Thanks for the advice," they said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"YOU'RE WELCOME!" he replied, dodging the swipe of an excessively large bone.
"and you're trapped down here because of this... barrier, right?" asked Sans.
"That's correct."
"ok," he said, ducking under their next attack, "but what is it, exactly? how does it work?"
"The barrier," Chara said, "is a magical seal - " A flash of red, and they attacked mid-sentence. Both brothers evaded once more. "Anything can enter through it, but no one can exit... unless they possess a powerful soul." They grinned. "Like yours."
"AH..." Papyrus winced. "SO, YOU WANT OUR SOULS BECAUSE..."
"The king wants to open the barrier with soul power. Then, we will be free to return to the surface, to lands that are rightfully ours."
Their next attack held a flurry of bones, battering the brothers, who each consumed half a bisicle rather than respond.
"So you see," Chara continued, "you ought to give up now. Yield your souls to me, and monsterkind will be free. Refuse, and you stand in the way of our hopes and dreams."
"NO!" Papyrus said, dodging the swipe of a knife. "I SYMPATHIZE WITH YOUR PLIGHT, BUT THERE MUST BE ANOTHER WAY! A WAY TO FREE EVERYONE WITHOUT VIOLENCE."
"Ha. You have a lot to learn about this world."
"PERHAPS SO! BUT IT WOULD BE FOOLISH TO PRESUME YOU KNOW EVERYTHING YOURSELF!"
"I know enough," said Chara, striking at Papyrus with both knives. Papyrus' HP sank, along with Sans' heart. If Chara was focusing all of their efforts on his brother again, they were getting serious about killing him.
"c'mon, bro, eat a nice cream bar," he said; the instant Papyrus had polished off the bar, Chara attacked again, bones from every direction.
"COME ON!" Papyrus complained. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN GIVE ME TIME TO READ THE COMPLIMENT ON THE STICK!"
"How unfortunate," said Chara, dry as a desert.
They struck the killing blow only a few rounds later, and Sans rewound time.
"ALL RIGHT," said Papyrus. "THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM!"
"yeah, bro. but if we don't get it this time, that's okay too. we have all the time in the world."
"YEAH! AND WITH EVERY BATTLE, WE LEARN MORE ABOUT CHARA. THAT WILL HELP US FIGURE OUT WHAT IT TAKES TO CONVINCE THEM TO BE MERCIFUL!"
They ventured out into the snow to face Chara once more.
Sans honestly wasn't sure if Papyrus was asking Chara's name again because he didn't want to give away that he already knew it, or just out of sheer politeness. It could be either.
"I am Chara," they said. "Don't bother telling me yours. You're human; I don't care to know it. I only want your souls."
"ISN'T THERE A WAY FOR US TO HELP YOU? TO HELP MONSTERS, WITHOUT YOU TAKING OUR SOULS?"
"Don't you know that's been tried already?" They flung a knife, which Papyrus dodged. "There is no other way."
"IF WE JUST STOPPED FIGHTING AND TALKED, WE COULD FIGURE SOMETHING OUT! YOU'LL NEVER KNOW UNLESS YOU TRY!"
"Why bother? Killing you is justice, anyways, after all the monsters humankind has turned to dust."
"my brother wouldn't hurt a fly," Sans said, "and i haven't hurt any monsters either. you can't call that 'justice.'"
"Maybe not yet. It's only a matter of time." A red eye flashed, and both brothers ducked the ensuing bones. They continued, "After all, you'll have to fight back at some point. Unless you intend on surrendering your souls to me willingly?"
"NO," said Papyrus, firm. "WE WILL NOT DO EITHER OF THOSE THINGS."
"You can't dodge forever."
(ha, thought Sans. shows what they know.)
"I DON'T SEE WHY NOT!"
"Sooner or later, you will fight back. Or you will die."
"OR," said Papyrus, "WE WILL RESOLVE THIS CONFLICT PEACEFULLY, WITHOUT FURTHER VIOLENCE!"
"That's not going to happen." They sent out a wave of knives, as if to punctuate this statement.
"CHARA," he said, once the attacks had passed. "I CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE A VERY DRIVEN INDIVIDUAL. YOU ARE DETERMINED, AND I ADMIRE YOU! IF WE ONLY WORKED TOGETHER, THERE IS NO TELLING WHAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISH!"
"plus, we could always go back to fighting after, if it doesn't work out," Sans added.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you? In this world, it's kill or be killed." As they spoke, they launched twin blades; neither brother dodged until it was too late.
"actually," Sans panted, still aching from the blow his soul had just taken, "yes. a flower told us that exact phrase once. then he tried to kill us."
"HE WAS VERY MEAN!"
"A flower?" said Chara, voice carefully even.
"yep. said his name was flowey. he tried to take our souls, too. we were 'an opportunity too good to pass up,' apparently." He raised an eyebrow; Chara had yet to attack, and somehow he thought they weren't just lulling them into a false sense of complacency. Not this time. "you know him?"
Chara was silent for a long minute. "I," they finally said, "am going to uproot that lying, treacherous little weed."
"gonna take that as a yes."
"Shut up," they snapped. They stood there and glared for a moment, before speaking once more. "Where did you meet him? I'll know if you lie, so don't try it."
"IT WAS RIGHT AFTER WE FELL INTO THE UNDERGROUND," said Papyrus.
"right," said Sans, "and then he popped up again as we were leaving the ruins. and..." He hesitated.
"And what?" Chara stepped towards him, looming.
"and i spotted him once on our way to snowdin," he admitted. "at least i think i did. he kinda vanished into the ground, so..."
"Hmm." They surveyed the brothers, considering. "Don't think I'm done with you yet," they said. "I have a certain flower to find. But I'll be back." They strode past the brothers and towards Snowdin, slowly fading out of sight. The snow and wind seemed to calm down, and the cold no longer felt as biting as it did before.
"well," said Sans, "i guess that's that."
Papyrus swept Sans up in a hug, spinning around in joy. "WE DID IT, SANS!" He came to a stop. "THOUGH I AM NOT CERTAIN EXACTLY WHAT IT IS WE DID THAT MADE THEM DECIDE TO STOP FIGHTING."
Sans shrugged, or tried to. "sounds like they've got some beef with flowey."
"I SUPPOSE SO." He looked pensive for a moment longer, then grinned. "WELL! BEST NOT TO LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH! WE MUST CARRY ONWARD!"
"sounds good to me," said Sans, "but you'll have to put me down first."
"OH, RIGHT." He set Sans back down on his feet. "SHALL WE?"
Sans nodded, and they set off. As they walked, something occurred to him. "didn't frisk say that once we were out of snowdin, we were out of chara's jurisdiction? out of their reach?"
"HMM, YES, THAT DOES SOUND FAMILIAR. BUT SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT THEY WON'T LET THAT STOP THEM, IF THEY DECIDE TO COME AFTER US AGAIN."
"yeah, probably not." He frowned.
"BUT! IF THEY DO, WE WILL SIMPLY TALK TO THEM ONCE MORE! THEY AREN'T SO BAD, REALLY," Papyrus declared. "THEY CAN DO BETTER, I KNOW IT!"
Sans wished he could be surprised by the juxtaposition of "has killed us multiple times" and "aren't so bad, really," and how these apparently weren't mutually exclusive traits. But Papyrus believed in everyone, and on some days, made Sans want to believe in everyone, too.
"well, if we're lucky, we won't have to put that to the test."