Sans stared up at the Lab, a dread dripping down his spine. He tried to recall the reflection from his dream and recreate the smirk on the other him. The sadistic smile felt wrong on his face, but he only had to keep it for a little while.

He knocked on the door, curling his grin into something even more feral. A voice called through the lab and footsteps make their way to the door. Expecting Alphys, Sans held his sneer. It was not Alphys that open the door though.

In his shock, Sans dropped the sneer. Standing before him was a robot, similar to Mettaton's build before the modifications, except with a blue and silver color scheme. His hair was silver rather than Mettaton's black, and his eyes were scared rather than prideful. The robot took one look at Sans and began shaking.

Sans was expecting to enter into a battle, but saw the robot in front of him was in no state to fight.

"Y-your Majesty! I w-was not a-aware you would be s-stopping by!" He squeaked, almost in tears. Sans felt the urge to wrap the robot in a hug, but remembered his mission.

"Where's Alphys?" He tried making his voice deeper, and it must have been close because the robot let out a squeak and a spark flew from his head.

"In her l-lab, sir." Sans took another look at the robot as he walked through the door frame. He was shorter than Mettaton, but had the same basic structure. One thing he noticed was the lack of a heart on the abdomen of the body. The feeling of dread returned as he made connections in his head. He stopped and turned to the robot.

"Who are you again?" Sans knew he was treading on thin ice, but the nagging in the back of his head wouldn't let him walk past without asking.

"Napstablook, sir. We've met o-once before." Sans felt a cold sensation and knew it was Gaster trying to tell him something. He took a deep breath and fit that awful sneer back on his face.

"Come with me, robot." He walked back out the door and waited for Napstablook to follow. As soon as they were clear of the lab's immediate cameras, Sans grabbed the robot's wrist and teleported away.

They landed in a clearing back in Snowdin, a clearing that Sans hoped was still unknown to most monsters. He knew he blew his cover, but he couldn't leave Napstablook in that hellhole. The robot in question had backed away in fear.

"W-who are you?"

"My name is Sans, but I'm not the Sans you know. I'm going to try to get you out of that body and-"

"No!" Napstablook cried out, starling Sans.

"No? Don't you want to…?"

"N-no. I went to Alphys to get this body. I just didn't expect her to…" He flinched.

"What did she do to you?" Sans took a step forward and Napstablook sighed, wrapping his metal arms around his torso in an attempt to comfort himself.

"She… she trapped me. She put in a sensor that would shock me if I ever walked over the property line of the lab. She made me her servant… but I guess I deserved it. I didn't get there in time to save my cousin, and I wasn't strong enough to escape myself…"

"Since I teleported, the sensor didn't shock you, right?" Sans wanted to make sure he was alright. Napstablook nodded and smiled shakily.

"T-thank you for rescuing me. I thought I would be her test dummy until I was dusted…"

Despite the relief rushing through Sans, he knew he compromised the mission. He clenched his hands and opened them over and over.

"Listen to me carefully. Go to the fish shaped house. Knock twice loudly, twice quietly and one more time loudly. When someone opens the door ask for Papyrus. Tell him I sent you. You'll be safe with them." Sans was startled by the sudden appearance of tears in the robot's icy blue eyes.

"T-thank you… thank you so much."

"Don't mention it. Literally. Don't mention I saved you to anyone but Pap because it could put you in danger again." Sans pointed the direction Napstablook should start in and teleported back to the lab. He heard muffled alarms and wished he had given Napstablook a message for him brother, but it was too late to turn around now.

He took a step forward and opened the door. Steeling his nerves, he walked into the blackness. Something hit him upside the head, knocking him unconscious.

Napstablook stood nervously in front of the door. He tried to remember what the knock was, but in his nervousness, he managed to mix it all up.

"Was it two soft, a loud and a soft? No… it was two loud and a soft and… another soft? Oh dear I knew I would mess this up. I mess everything up." He was muttering to himself, his fist hovering three inches from the door.

He knocked twice loudly. He remembered that much. Then it was… two soft? He knocked hesitantly twice. He heard rustling from behind the door and felt his nerves shoot through the roof of the cave. He began muttering to himself again, frantically trying to recall the last thing. His mind was a fuzzy mess. His circuits jumped from his nerves and his fist smacked the door loudly.

"Oh dear… oh dear what if that was wrong? Oh no they won't let me in… Alphys will find me again! Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

But he was worrying for nothing, because the door opened to reveal a small monster with huge ears and a large scarf wrapped around her neck.

"That was the right code. What is your business here?"

"I-I'm here to see, um… P-papyrus?" Napstablook's voice trembled. The monster eyed him suspiciously for a moment before ushering him in the house. The house itself was a single room, with a big kitchen, a piano and a door going to another room. She led Napstablook over to the piano and used her magic to pull it to the side. Under the rug that was under the piano was a trap door. Under the trap door was a set of stairs, cares from the rock.

Napstablook followed the monster down the stairs, only squeaking a little when the trapdoor swung shut behind them. The only sounds were the piano scraping back into place, and the only lighting came from small balls of magic floating along the top of the hallway.

They came to a door at the end of the stairs. The monster pushed it open and Napstablook felt his jaw drop. It was like a catacomb, he thought. Three levels of rooms circled a large open area at the bottom of the room. There were monsters of all shapes and sized scurrying and flying and jumping about, some sparring on the field, some carrying boxes, others just moving from one room to another. He had never seem anything like this.

Napstablook was led to a door a few down from the staircase. The little monster knocked twice and a voice from inside called for them to enter. She opened the door and gestured for Napstablook to enter first. She followed in after, closing the door almost all the way.

"Someone here to see you Papyrus." She bowed a little and slipped through the crack left in the door. The click of the door seemed to echo though the large room. Napstablook gulped and wanted to turn tail and run right there.

"H-hello-"

"Who are you?" Papyrus wasted no time with strangers. "You obviously knew the code. Who told you?"

"Um…" Napstablook remembered what Sans had told him, but Papyrus was just so intimidating. "I um… the p-person who told me… um… My name is N-nap-"

"B-blooky?" Napstablook had noticed a second figure in the room with Papyrus. This second figure was tall, with shaped hair and four arms. They stepped into the magic fire light and Napstablook felt tears in his eyes.

"M-mettaton?" The taller robot threw himself at his cousin, almost knocking the smaller off his feet. Mettaton began sobbing into Napstablook's shoulder, wrapping all four arms around him.

"Oh Blooky I'm so sorry! I never should have left you… I should have looked for you. I'm so sorry… I've failed you!" Papyrus stood awkwardly by the table as Mettaton apologized again and again.

"N-no, I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough to rescue you…" Napstablook wiped the tears from Mettaton's face.

"What do you mean Blooky dear?"

"I um… I went to Alphys to get this body so I could save you. But by the time she put me in it, you were gone from the lab… and I was trapped there."

"Erm, Napstablook, was it?" Papyrus interjected. He could see Mettaton about to explode and wanted to avoid that. Poor Napstablook would be getting an earful soon anyway. "Yes, well… if you were at Alphys lab, did you happen to see a short skeleton? With a blue jacket?" He almost didn't want to get his hope up, but he needed to know.

Napstablook removed himself from his cousin's arms and went over to the tall skeleton. He placed a metal hand on his bone arm.

"Yes. He said his name was Sans…"

"Y-you! That means he's safe?" Papyrus saw Napstablook's face fall.

"He was muttering under his breath. He said the mission was compromised?"

"He was going to trap Alphys by pretending to be his other self…" Papyrus was talking more to himself, his words soft.

"Oh dear… oh dear, oh dear."

"What's the matter Blooky?" Mettaton didn't like the tone in Napstablook's voice.

"Alphys must have been alerted when he helped me escape… She would have been waiting for him." Papyrus froze. Not again…

"Mettaton, can you take Napstablook to find an empty room. The one next to ours should be vacant. It was meant to be for... He's probably very tired from today. He deserves someplace safe to rest."

"But darling-"

"Trust me on this Mettaton." Papyrus sat at the head of the table, his back to the door and the two robots. He heard some whisperings and a door opening. Then the door closed and he was left in silence.

He had been toying with the idea of going after his brother, but now…

Now his brother needed him more than ever. But how was he going to make it out of the tunnels without anyone spotting him or trying to follow him? Sighing, Papyrus wracked his skull for an idea, something… anything.

Suddenly, something popped into his mind. He stood and stared at the spot at the farthest end of the table. Concentrating, he envisioned himself in that spot. He felt his magic swirling around in him, almost bubbling up. He remembered the trouble his Sans had controlling this power, and for a brief moment was afraid of it overpowering him also.

Papyrus shook the thought from his head and forced the magic to obey him. He summoned the swirling magic and focused on the spot just next to the chair. Suddenly, he felt as though he had been rocketed though the air.

Just as suddenly, he was standing upright again, except now he was on the opposite end of the long table. Papyrus let a grim grin of satisfaction light up his face. He did it again, and again for hours until he was confident in his ability. He was unsure still if he would be able to teleport all the way to Hotlands, but he had to.

Papyrus adjusted his cape and left the conference room. He went to his own room. Opening the door, he found a piece of paper and jotted down a quick note in his scrawling handwriting.

Dearest Mettaton, please know I'm not doing this to spite you. Farthest from it actually. I must follow Sans and fix this timeline in order to give you the life you deserve. Please do not hate me for this. I do not think I would be able to live with you hating me. It's just so unfair… I just got you back and now I may never see you again. I love you dearly Mettaton. Take care of everyone for me. You were always so much better with others… With all the love a skeleton can hold, Papyrus.

Dark blue spotted the page in certain places, but Papyrus just blotted the tears away. He folded the note and looked around. Spotting his sword, he clipped it to his belt and left, not needing anything else. He went one door over, to the room Sans stayed in when he passed out.

His fist clenched, remembering how he felt a few days ago. He was ecstatic that his brother would be one room away from him, but now… Papyrus pushed the door open gently and saw Mettaton and Napstablook on the bed, hands entwined. Napstablook was quietly snoring, a faint smile on his face. Mettaton was breathing heavily, a slight line of drool coming from his open mouth.

Papyrus smiled fondly at the robot and felt his soul contract. He almost doubled over in pain, and he remembered the cracks in Sans' soul. With cold dread running down his spine, Papyrus went over to Mettaton and placed the note in his open hand. His fingers automatically clenched around and he snorted in his sleep. Papyrus leaned down and placed a kiss on Mettaton's forehead, almost certain this would be the last time he would see the pink robot.

"I l-love you Mettaton." He whispered, his voice cracking painfully. Mettaton stirred slightly and rolled over. He smiled and through sleep bleared eyes saw Papyrus.

"Love you too darling." He slurred before turning back over and falling back to sleep. Papyrus straightened and took one last look at Mettaton's still form before turning on his heel and going back to his own room. He wrote anther note, this time to Undyne. It was maybe three sentences long. It simply told her that he left to help Sans, and to make sure Mettaton stays safe.

He left it on his pillow, knowing it would be found sooner rather than later. He sat on the edge of his bed and let his mind clear. He focused on the swirling magic within him and pictured the labs. He imagined the heat and the beeping that always came from that damned building.

With a lurch, Papyrus' magic catapulted him through space. He landed in front of the labs, stumbling a little as his feet hit solid ground. He immediately doubled over and retched, the toll on his magic too much. He heard a cry from inside the lab, and felt ice strike his soul.

He would know that cry anywhere.

"Brother!"

Sans found himself strapped down, and faintly recalled how Mettaton explained being held down. A small part of him appreciated the irony, but the bigger part was trying to wake up entirely. With his 1 hp, he thought that hit would have dusted him for sure, but he seemed fine other than the faint throbbing in his skull. He was reminded of the onetime Grillby challenged him to a drinking contest… He learned quickly not to accept a challenge to drink from a fire being.

Sans heard shuffling from his left side. He tried turning his head, but his forehead had a strap across it, keeping him looking straight up. The light above him would have blinded him, if he had actual eyeballs to be blinded.

The table started vibrating as what sounded like gears began turning. The table lifted and Sans found himself looking in a mirror, like in his dream. Except this wasn't a dream, and that wasn't a mirror. The other Sans chuckled at the scared look on his face.

"Aw, you look confused. What did you expect? Did you really think I wouldn't find out about another version of myself in the Underground? You'd be surprised how many spies I have throughout these shitty caves."

Sans didn't know what to say, so he did the next best thing. He spit right in the other Sans' face. With an infuriatingly calm face, the other Sans wiped the blue tinted spit from his skull and looked at it, the blue standing out against his black gloves.

"Blue, huh? You really are too good for this world."

"Why did you hurt Papyrus?" Sans managed to growl out. The other Sans raised his brow bones, almost surprised at the question.

"That useless bag of bones?" Sans felt his soul boiling in rage. "He got what he deserved."

"How dare you! How fucking dare you treat Papyrus like that!" Sans pulled against his restraints as he screamed at himself. Alphys squeaked from the other side of him as the seams of the restraints began to pull apart from the strain.

"Now, why would you be getting all worked up over my brother?" The other Sans seemed to be getting a kick out of teasing Sans.

"You have no right to call him your brother! I've heard what you called him, and I'd bet any amount that you're the one that cracked his skull."

"So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?" The other Sans' eye glowed blood red. Sans summoned his magic, only to find it had been blocked somehow. He frantically reached for his magic, but there was nothing there for him to grab. The other Sans laughed darkly. "Oh, I see you've noticed the magic blocking binding we used. My dear, dear Doctor Alphys here invented them herself. I'm oh so proud of what she has accomplished."

A light whimper came from Sans' left and he felt a cold sensation wash through him. He could tell something was wrong, but he wouldn't be able to help anyone being strapped down. He struggles against the bindings, hoping to pull the seams enough for them to snap, but it was useless. Whatever the straps were made out of, they were a hell of a lot stronger than him.

The other Sans walked over to where Sans assumed Alphys was and picked something up. By the sound of it, it was something metal. The other Sans walked into view again, this time holding what looked like a double pronged fork. It was larger than a dinner fork, almost the size of his hand, and the handle had blinking lights on it. The other Sans came closer to the table and with his free hand, ripped the front of Sans' jacket off, his claws catching on Sans' ribs.

"Now, tell me a story, will ya Sansy? How did someone like you end up in my world, huh?" The other Sans grinned sadistically as the silence that followed his question. Hitting a button on the handle of the device, he place the prongs delicately on the bottom left rib of Sans' torso.

Immediate pain flooded Sans. His back arched as much as the straps would allow him and he couldn't stop the cry that ripped it's was from his mouth.

"Now, now, now. No need to be so unreasonable. Just tell me what I want to know… Alright, how about this one? Where is Undyne's rebellion?" Silence. Another button push and another placement on the rib, this time one above the last.

Sans had never felt such pain before. He writhed on the table, pulling against his restraints with as much force as possible. This scream went past inhuman. Sans wished he could just be killed. Anything would be better than this.

"Alphys, the little dear, invented this especially for you. It's designed to force electricity laced magic through your bones and eat away at the magic lingering in you. Each time I press this nifty little button here, the power goes up and it eats away more and more of your magic. Eventually, it'll eat up all your magic and attack your soul."

"You sick bastard." Sans ground out through the pain.

"I knew you'd understand." The other Sans gave a sickly sweet smile and pressed the button a third time threateningly. Suddenly a crash sounded through the lab. The other Sans fell back with fear in his eyes before barking some orders at Alphys.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sans saw the little yellow monster scurry out of the lab and into the main section of the building. The two Sans stood in silence, listening to the crashing and banging from above them.

An earth shaking explosion sent Alphys back down the stairs, crashing into the hard ground and denting the rock. As the dust cleared, Sans saw a tall figure walking down the steps.

"B-bro?" Sans couldn't believe his eyes. Papyrus was standing there, a dark blue bone clenched painfully in one fist. His left eyes was glowing a dangerous dark blue and his grin was almost as sadistic as the other Sans.

"You took Mettaton. You took Napstablook. You killed so many… and now you've taken my brother from me. Now, you are going to pay."

"I took your brother? Are you as dumb as you are useless? I'm your brother, not this sniveling mess." The other Sans pointed his device at Sans, causing the skeleton to shrink in fear. Papyrus saw Sans' reaction and cried out in rage.

He charged at the Other Sans, his dark blue magic sparking and flaring up. The Other Sans grinned at his brother and shoved the device right into the middle of Papyrus' ribcage. The initial impact was silent, but the howls of agony coming from his brother's mouth made Sans see red. Papyrus collapsed into a motionless heap.

"No… no… not again… no, no, NO, NO NONONONO!" Sans heard nothing but the roaring in his skull. He saw nothing but the red covering his vision. He felt nothing but the throbbing rage coursing through his body.

His magic swirled to the surface, despite the magic restricting straps holding him down. The straps burst, the enchanted fabric shredding and fluttering to the ground. Sans slid to the floor, his feet hitting the ground with a muffled thump. The Other Sans still had his back to the lab table, and he didn't notice the crackling magic from behind him.

The Other Sans was kneeling at Papyrus' side, muttering something and holding a gloved hand. If Sans had been in his right mind he would have noticed the shaking in the other's shoulders, or listened to the trembling whispers of oh god no not again, but he noticed none of this.

Sans' magic flared to life, engulfing his whole body in flickering fire. Alphys cried out, hiding behind the lab table and watching from around the corner. The Other Sans felt himself lifted away from his brother and dangling in the air on front of Sans. The Other Sans shuddered at the feral look n his double's eye. He had never been this afraid of another monster before, expect for himself when his magic went out of control. Ironic how it was himself scaring him now too.

Sans' mouth curled up into a grin and he let out a dark chuckle. He brought the Other Sans close to his face and used his free hand to grasp the other's collar.

"You're going to have one hell of a bad time."

Oh wow alright definitely not a short chapter.

The whole thing was just supposed to be the confrontation between the Sanses, but someone asked where Blooky was, and my heart reached out. Napstablook is one of the characters I connect most with, and I almost forgot about him!

Looking ahead, I'm thinking one or two more chapters and a conclusion. I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's stuck with this and given it so much love!

Until next time!

~Starlight