The shower was nice and certainly what you needed to clear your thoughts. The steady spray of the water and the warm thrumming on your skin helped to slowly the melt the initial panic. Seeing the document return to your files had been a shock, and there was no longer away to just brush it off, or pretend it hadn't happened, but that shock was subsiding and you find yourself more curious than anything. Yes it was creeping you out but it wasn't actually doing anything wrong, and last time you had used it had not ended in a crash. The problem was you could not work out how this was happening. You knew the basic ins and out of PCs but you would never be able to code anything unless you had a set of instructions or tutorial so it was hard to know just what was and what wasn't possible. Your brain pops up with the oh so helpful thought of 'magic' but you simply snigger at it. Sure, like that made any more sense.
You grab yourself a hot drink before you decide to sit down and find out what words of wisdom the internet collective could grant you. It was much of what you expected but there were certainly ideas you could try.
'Ehh. I think I'd probably link him to the game's TVTropes page, maybe, or copy and paste the description if he can't click links. He deserves to know'. - analytical_aerie
'I would explain everything, tell him of the game,the fandom, the art and comics inspired by it, and proof that pacifist rout is the only rout for me.' - deadlyswarm
'Uhh...dude, I'd be fangirling, then be like "Wtf. Okay. This is happening. This is really happening." before feeling like shit ad apologizing like crazy'. - MeechiesQueen
'I would totally nerd out the science. And make terrible amount of terribly terrible bad puns. And then totally fan out cause Undertale and Sans.' -Starryskys102
'I would have a pun battle with him, with the internet at my side, I think the favor is leaning towards me. ;) I would also like to see some unique jokes he could make, that not even the internet has! And take credit for it. lol. Depending on how he is contacting me, like what all does he know? If he knows everything, then I guess I would apologize, and find a way to make it up to him. Idk. :P' - Kinroth
There were a few longer, more indepth replies to.
'If Sans could contact me through my computer... I'd probably tell him about how amazing he and his friends were and how much they meant to me but I think anyone who could get the chance to talk to him would do that. Outside of that... maybe talk about my life and his. There are so many questions I would love to have answered such as how is Gaster to him? Does he even remember Gaster? How does magic work and how does the underground have food when they don't really have the means to access a lot of the food we have today. I'm a bit of an inquisitive mind so for me I'd want answers to all those questions.
I'd probably also apologize for playing with the lives of his family, even if the game doesn't directly connect to his world I would eventually have to admit that I'm literally toying with their lives. We look at Chara as evil but even in the pacifist run we're not innocent. We're keeping them trapped by playing the same moments over and over and while the rest of them don't know about it, Sans does and I imagine that would be painfully annoying at the best. Sans entire life is like a super long version of Groundhog day.
I guess what I'm saying is that if I could talk to him, I'd promise to never play the game again (I'd just write or do some sort of crafts so I could still be a part of it, don't tell him that though. I'm not sure if he'd be flattered or not).' - Princess Kassie
You stop for a moment. You had never really thought about how the characters would feel about you 'playing their game' but you could understand that they might not be in the best of moods about it. It was odd. When did you start thinking of the Sans in the letter as the actual Sans from the game, and not just some security easter egg?
'Honestly, if it were real, not just Toby Fox, I would feel so guilty. I played a second pacifist run just to get into Sans' room and workshop and to talk with Asriel in the ruins... Imagine realiving that much of your life just because some teenager wanted to see a few things?
But its not real, so all that I have to deal with is the guilt trip Flowey/Asriel gave when I reset...
A game that doesn't want you to play it a third time, but I guess that is what we love about it.' - CoolSkeleGirl
You nod along with the sentiment about Flowey's speech. It had really hurt to have him ask you to wipe his memory along with everyone else's. It would be selfish for you to want to take everything back simply to re-live a few moments.
There were more posts, excited sentiments, questions that could be asked, as well as ways to troll Sans. There were also posts from people that had realized just how scary this sort of situation would be.
'Id be scared as hell!
Sans is creepy when he wants to be.
I would probably freak out, then try to find out what he wants to talk about, considering he took his time to contact you.' - Fern of the Clouds
You don't actually remember asking 'Sans' why he was typing to you and yet that seems like the most obvious thing right now. Undertale had taught you the power of simply talking and trying to understand your enemy but you had completely thrown that out of the window when you had been thrust into the situation just outside of the game.
Minimizing your browser you open up the word document. This time you didn't feel angry, you felt curious and maybe just a little humbled. This might just be a script, or a joke or some hidden little easter egg but...maybe...again you stumble as you try and finish that thought. You're not a little kid anymore. You can't just start believing in cartoon characters and magical worlds...no matter how much you might want to.
The document sits waiting in front of you but instead of jumping right into typing you re-read the 'conversation'. You had been right. At no point had you asked 'why', you had just made a load of jokes and then blown up about getting your PC crashed. Wow you sounded childish when you threatened to delete Undertale. You realize you kinda deserved the talk down from Sans at that point. Your fingers reach for the keys.
'Sans?'
*you expectin' some-bony else?
'No...I um. Why are you getting in contact with me?'
*i could ask you the same question. you did write the stuff in the notebook right?
'Yes but I never expected a reply. Honestly I don't even know how I'm talking to you.'
*good to know you don't know everything.
You were having a really hard time trying to convince yourself this was some sort of coded chatbot and not simply Sans. What was it that Sherlock Holmes would say? When you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. So was this an impossibility or an improbability? Did it really matter at this point?
'I wanted to say I'm sorry'
*you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that.
'I'm sorry I shouted and threatened to delete Undertale. Honestly as much as I might have meant it in that moment I would never want to hurt you guys. Everything I went through, saw and felt while I was in the Underground was beyond anything I would have expected and, while it was not for very long, I consider you all good friends.'
There was quite a long pause while you waited for a reply but you didn't try to rush anything, it would be...rude. Besides, this felt like an actual conversation for a change.
*i got a question for ya. how much of it was you down there, and how much was it frisk?
OK that threw you off guard. Technically it had been Frisk that had done everything. You had just guided them, but since you could have guided them to such extremes then how much control did you really have?
'I'm not sure. It was not till the very end that I found out about Frisk. I think I had pretty much full control from the moment they fell into the Underground up until everyone headed down from the mountain. Though I don't think I had much control on what they said, I could just push them to one topic or another. I really am sorry what I put them through. I just thought they were a stand in for me.'
*what do you mean 'stand in'?
Oh boy. How were you meant to explain this? You could just lay it out that Undertale was a computer game but you were reluctant. It seemed cruel.
'Well I can't actually come to your world so I needed an...avatar. It's hard to explain.'
*you make it a habit of body snatching?
'What! NO. I didn't know the body had an owner, normally…' Your mind goes blank. What were you meant to say? Normally there is a body waiting for you? How were you meant to explain what you had done to Frisk? Thinking back at other games you wonder if 'technically' you had done the same there, inserted yourself into another person's skin. It gave you the creeps thinking about it. But they were just games. Right? You weren't supposed to think too deeply about the mechanics like that. It was just how things were.
*you just going to keep me hanging here or what?
'Sorry, I'm just trying to work out how to explain this in a way you will understand'
*try me.
Your fingers drum on the table. You knew you could explain everything pretty simply...the problem was explaining it in a way that would not leave Sans really REALLY angry. Despite everything you knew and believed in you could not stop yourself from also believing that you really were talking to Sans, that somehow Undertale was real. But what did that mean for other games? Was Undertale the only one?
'Sans your world is' You quickly delete what you wrote. Unsure if he would have seen it. Why was this so hard? You wanted to tell him, to make him understand that 'playing' in his world had not been done to hurt anyone, it had just been a game. A bit of fun to pass the time. But...you didn't want to hurt him.
*my world is what? OK so he had seen it, well at least you now knew that whatever you type appeared instantly.
'You have computer games in your world right? I remember Alphys talking about one at some point. Well it's just that for me, your world is a computer game. It was all just a game. I didn't know.' You stop yourself from writing any more as your hands are shaking. It was just a game right? Games aren't real. They can't be real!
*so this really is just a game to you? Playing with people's lives?
'NO! I don't know I was playing with anyones life! I thought it was just a story, that you were all just characters playing your parts. I didn't know you were... I didn't think that what I did mattered.' God what was going on? Were you losing your mind?
*heh, nice try. you really expect me to believe that after what you wrote in the notebook? you knew we were real. maybe you were just lonely and wanted to make some new friends. i can understand that. but what gives you the right to manipulate us and our world like you did? and what's to say you won't get bored and want to 'play' with us again?
That was it wasn't it. Sans was scared of another reset! Finally you knew what to say.
'Sans, I promise there will never be another reset. I wrote that letter to say goodbye because, even though I thought everyone was just part of a game I still loved you all. I don't know. Maybe in my heart I did know you were more than just a game. Maybe that's why you and your world stayed in my thoughts for months after I closed your game for good. I'm telling the truth. For me your world is a game. I don't know how this is even possible but if I am willing to believe you are real then I think you can at least try to believe me. Even though I thought your world was nothing more than code I still tried to do my best for everyone. Can you honestly say that Frisk would have been able to break the barrier without me? I did everything I could to give everyone a happy ending. Shouldn't that count for something?' You wait for what feels like eternity as your heart pounds in your chest.
'Please Sans, say something.'
*this is...a lot to take in
'I know. It's not really that easy for me either. I didn't want to tell you but, you should know.
*i think i'm going to need to take some time to think on this. you going to be around later, i would like some questions answered.
'Sure, but... I'm not really sure how our times sink up. The first time you messaged me with this was about three months ago, is that about right?'
*yup, that sounds right. it's about midday for me at the moment. last time we 'talked' was yesterday, a bit later then it is now.
'It's night for me at the moment, coming up to about 10:30pm. But the time spans seem to be about right as it was a few hours later when I finished talking yesterday. If that's the case I should be around a bit earlier then I was today. So, about mid morning for you tomorrow?'
*sounds good. i'm sure we will have LOTS to talk about.
'Well see you then' You're about to close the document down when you see the cursor move again.
*WAIT
'What is it?' You do as you were asked and hold off from exiting as you try to think what must be going through Sans's head. A minute passes and yet still nothing more is typed. Was Sans OK?
'Sans?'
*nothing, it's ok. later.
OK that was a little odd but you couldn't blame him after dropping that bombshell. It was a little early but after the late night you had before, and the night you had just had, you could do with some extra hours. Tomorrow would be a new day where you could try to make sense of all of this. Together.
Well there was the big talk you guys have been waiting for. The truth comes out ^.^ Hopefully it didn't disapoint too much. Thank you to everyone who helped me with 'replys'
