25. Success Part 2
A/N I had planned there to be four chapters between "Puzzle" and "Success Part 2"; there were not even drafts written for these moments.
Material I planned to write within this chapter is described in parentheses.
"Sans, you haven't happened to see Gaster this afternoon, have you?"
Rain poked his head into Sans' office. At least, he tried, best as he could. With the extraordinary volume of papers and textbooks crammed into the quarters, Rain could barely find room for his forehead, much less his entire face.
Sans barely found room to rotate himself in his office chair toward the door. "naw, haven't seen 'im all day."
"Strange. His office door's locked, and he always leaves it open when he's around… and no one else in the laboratory has heard word of him…"
"maybe check the office anyway?"
"Just… barge on in? Uhhh… you're coming with me if you try that."
[Sans and Rain step in and realize that all the shots have disappeared and there's a note to his ex-wife on the desk]
"shit!" In the time it took him to shout that one expletive, Sans had launched himself out the door and halfway down the hall. "he's gonna do it! idiot's going back five hundred years today!"
[they try to reason with Gaster but he just shuts them off]
He raced ahead of them.
"gaster, no! gaster, don't do it! gaster, pay attention to me!"
He could feel the power of godlike magic sucking him into the center of a vortex.
It was Gaster. Gaster melting. Gaster melting on the floor.
He had to reach him.
Had to –
A/N: There was going to be lots more material in here I unfortunately never wrote. It would start with a more typical narrative structure. Different moments across different timelines would be flashing through this scene, showing Gaster shattering across all points of time and space. Sans would be trying to rush out to save Gaster. Things would become increasingly weirder, both in what was being described, and how the prose described said material. Eventually the scene and writing would completely break down, leading to:
[[File]]
Blue. Red. Gold. Blue. Red. Gold. 11 Everywhere run, blue and red and gold, and the blue dying to the red, and the gold rushing up, and then bl…
[[File]]
Charging, charging forward, charging forward 44 another step –
[[File]]
Tangles of vines, 222 tangles of vines reaching out. Red-tipped thorns reaching like constrictors – a noose – a noose tightening %5555%55 – fight, fight, fight – one step forward – forward another 222 step –
[[File]]
Gaster! Gaster melting!
Alarms blaring.
Run, run forw–
[[File]]
Blue Red Go-ld&.
[[File]]
Had to ,#ke3ep running. Had to keep[{P moving. Gaster, Gaster, he was gfggoing to –
[[File]]
Tor44rents to# rr-ents# a torrent of dddust a ==+sandsstststorm a storm of
[[File]]
M33eltinngngg, mel33tyyiunghh gg-g-g-ga ste3r4 w-was m-ellttti- - -
[[File]]
S33erggnpetnt 4rrmmms ser44pennt a rms c00mInGngg outtt
[[File]]
A scream through the clarity. Scream of dying –
[[File]]
rush rush race race…
[[File]]
blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red gold blue red!
[[File]]
You cannot give up you must save him there's still a chance so long as you reach out your hand! blue… you've finally made it to the center of the room you have no idea what's going on you don't understand the flashing images you don't understand anything red… but you know you've reached the center of the room and that's all that matters because here in the center of the room is the machine here in the center of the room is Gaster and whatever's happened you've made it you're finally here you've reached the end of the chaos gold… so it's time to stop the machine it's time to pull him out from the vortex it's time to save his life blue… red… gold.
But for all you've run this far you're not sure what to do you're not sure what comes next is it safe to turn off the machine blue he's being wrenched apart you can see it you can see it through his screaming eyes the terror the pain he's being wrenched apart red you can hear the shrieks of his voice he can't hear them but you can hear them and it's wrenching you apart the pain the magic it's wrenching you apart gold but you've come so far! blue you must be able to save him it's not like anything can get worse anything you do will at least be SOME way to try red it will give him some chance to be saved gold some possibility you can save him blue you can save him red you can save him gold just reach out your hand and reach for the machine and reach for him blue and you red can save him gold.
but turning off the machine does nothing.
blue
he's still being sucked in.
red.
you can see his face cracking, the skull cracking in two.
gold.
you can see the timelines pulling him into the center of the maw blue and the timelines are what's pulling him apart red the only way to save him is to grab his hand gold and pull him blue pull him red pull him gold pull him out of the center of the void blue and back red into the safety gold of this room blue red gold of this dimension blue red gold that is how you can save him.
reach – out – your – hand!
blue red gold
it's his only chance…
blue plunging out a hand red reaching out and screaming gold even though he can't blue hear red but he can see gold he can see your face as you're reaching out blue and then red eyesocket meets eyesocket blue you can see him crumbling red you can see him crumbling there before you gold you can't reach him he's too far away he's being pulled away by the vacuum blue fingertips apart red fingertips not touching gold he's going to fly away blue he's being red pulled gold pulled away from you you're going to lose him…
you must save blue him red you must reach gold him you must blue stop red the machine it's going to gold kill him blue it's already red killing him gold no but it can't be too late it can't blue be too late to red save him you must reach him gold you must you must blue it's his only chance red it's the only gold way he blue might survive red you refuse gold you refuse to admit blue that it's too late red it's too late gold too late to save blue too late to save him red but you're reaching out blue you're reaching out your hand red you don't know where blue you don't know why red you don't know how gold and magic blue magic flows red magic flows through you gold magic blue of greater power red than any gold you've blue ever carried red it's your SOUL blue it's your SOUL and its passion red the SOUL acts gold as blue it wills red and the SOUL blue wills red his life gold the SOUL wants him blue alive red the SOUL gold needs blue him red alive gold you cannot blue cannot imagine red image a life gold without blue red blue red him gold he's your mentor he's your mentor he's your oldest friend dammit dammit you have to hold on you have to hold on you have to hold onto him you've got to try!
reach blue out red a gold hand blue try red to gold reach blue try red to gold save blue must red save gold him blue red gold must blue save red must gold reach blue but red can't red can't blue reach red all blue bright red world red reels black world red fades red world black dies black hand black gone black melts black hand black melts black the black hand black melts gold shatters black all gold shatters black scream red of blue the red dying red he black bursts red in black shards gold burst gold then black all black the black world black goes black dark black and black turns blue red gold blue red gold blue red blue red blue red black…
[[File]]
black…
[[File]]
black…
[[File]]
bbrrffllllaacckkk…
[[File]]
bb 44llllaacc444#kkk...
[[File]]
bbbb 233#35lllllaaavvddccckkk##3222 2
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bbb 4443321aagggeecc#bbbbllllaa#cckkkkkkkhh#553
[[File]]
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