cap's eyes chapter 31
The round plush dog with the many legs and wings and snow drake crest was an enigma. A conundrum. A puzzle. It stared, because it could do nothing else, shiny, beaded black eyes relinquishing not an ounce of a clue.
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Papyrus had hunkered down to its level on his desk, chin on his mousepad, staring back at it. His brow was heavily furrowed. How could this have happened?
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He sat up and sighed, resting his cheek on his fist. He was still incredulous. Still puzzled beyond belief. If Sans hadn't been so upset, he would have thought this to be some elaborate ruse to tell him they were adopting another kid or something.
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A little guilt pinged in his soul. He let himself think, for a second, that maybe he hadn't handled his brother so well. He couldn't get the expression Sans made when he couldn't remember the name of the mysterious sister out of his mind. That wasn't something he ever wanted to see again. He wanted to help. More than anything else in the world, he wanted to help.
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He sighed again, more dramatically this time. There was a knock at his door and Toriel slid in behind him, carrying a plate with an overstuffed cheese sandwich on it.
"How are you feeling, hun? I brought you some food," she said. "What are you looking at?"
"This confounding dog. Monster. Thing," he said. "It… It belongs to my sister. I think."
"Do you remember her?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. She placed the food down in front of him and gently took the plush. She looked it in the eye. "I'm sorry, this must be so frustrating."
"The thing is, I… I don't really, but I know… there's something." His soul flickered through his COOL DUDE tee and he put a hand over it, frowning.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, absolutely, it just keeps doing that when I… I don't know. I really don't like not knowing. I feel like I should be able to figure this out," he said. "I feel like… Nyehhh, I feel like I'm missing something very obvious." He drummed his fingers on the hard desk top. "Some piece. Somewhere." He straightened up and shot her a worried look. "You don't remember either, do you? Do you think this is all crazy? It's not crazy, right?" He groaned and held the side of his skull. "Uuuuugh, I feel so bad that I didn't just go with what Sans was saying but I really honestly can't… I can't…" His soul flickered again. "Nyooo, what a pain."
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Toriel patted his skull reassuringly, though she grimaced softly. "There is something wrong. It feels… I'm not sure. Like a noise just at the edge of my hearing register. Something uncomfortable. Maybe an… old scar, acting up. I…" She cautiously moved aside the collar of her sweater and looked at her collarbone with confusion. "But I can't imagine…" She straightened up. "I can't imagine these time children, and I can't imagine what Sans must be going through."
Papyrus tilted his head. "Has he said anything to you?"
"He's so private," she said, folding her arms. "Though… I did find him upstairs, the other day. He was looking at that odd light."
The skeleton tilted his head. He jumped to his feet and dashed for the door, only to double back for the sandwich and shove it in his mouth as he left, sticking his thumb up. "Fank you for th'food!"
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He remembered that light. It'd slipped his mind. Something about it being important. About it somehow being a passageway.
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He clambered up into what used to be a storage attic and saw the light at the far end of the not-quite complete second bedroom, through the doorless doorframe. When he approached it, he thought he might have heard a sound. He listened closely, but couldn't pick it up again. He folded his arms and tapped his foot.
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"You're too fast, hun," Toriel said, laughing quietly as she followed behind him. "What're you thinking?"
"I am thinking maybe this light has something to do with something else," he said. "I feel like…" He reached out his hand towards it. He recalled doing this before, a while ago. "I feel like maybe it… knows something?"
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His fingertips brushed the light. A note of magic rattled his skull and a smattering of emotions from beyond him slammed into his soul so hard he gasped and saw red flicker before him for an instant. Toriel rushed to his side and held him as he backed away, tears streaming down his face. His soul ached. Lonesome, hopeful, worried. Terrified. A deep, panicked pain.
"What's wrong?! Did it hurt you?!" she demanded.
"E… Emotionally!" he squeaked. He choked and she hugged him tight "I… I miss Sans."
"Oh, honey, it's okay. He's just at the lab," Toriel cooed.
"I know! I know, it's just… I don't understand, why d-does it hurt s-so much?!" He clenched a hand over his soul. "Why…? Why do I miss him so much? Th-This makes n-no sense, I…" He had to pause, cough, and choke in a rasping breath. "Uuuughh, why am I crying?! I shouldn't be c-crying, I… Why do I miss myself?!"
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Toriel tilted her head. She rubbed the skeleton's back as he fought to get ahold of himself. "Breathe, hun. Breathe."
"I am doing my b-best!" Papyrus took a deep breath, but he started rattling. His knees were weak and he began to sink. "Nyeeeehh…"
Toriel went down to the floor with him and held him close to keep him steady. "It's okay, it's okay. Deep breaths."
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He forced his eyes closed, but all he could see was red. Very bright. Very saturated. The colour of… What was it…? It was full of nostalgia and the smell of hot chocolate and a song that left his mind the second it began to form. There was a word. It struck him hard in the soul.
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He sniffled and wiped his eyes, though they kept leaking. He put a hand over his soul— pictured it turning orange. "I… I think it's… determination?" He looked at his mom through shocked, tear-blurred eyes. "Oh! I know! I know what to do."
"But you're still crying," she said gently.
"Yes, but I c-can't exactly help that," he said, taking in a deep breath and jumping to his feet, pulling her up with him. He whirled and headed back downstairs. "I'm going out of town for a minute!"
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The red and the strange dog had filled him with an idea. He grabbed it to bring it along. Sniffling, he pulled on his jacket and headed straight outside. The cold instantly chilled his damp bones, and he still couldn't stop the tears from running down his face. He pulled his scarf up higher than usual to cover a bit of his face and hurried onwards.
xXxXx
On the cliffs outside Snowdin to the west, there was an oversized doghouse sitting in the snow between two pine trees that were about the same height. It had a lot of dangling name-signs hanging above the door and nailed to the sides— "Big Dog", "the Borkers", "Grand-Dogs", "Endogeny", "Tonsoffluff"; "woof". Papyrus sniffled and knocked, hard.
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There was some barking from inside and the door seemed to suction inwards, replaced by the massive, white, faceless form of Big Dog, panting and oozing and wagging their tail with enough intensity to whip up a little snow squall as they hopped outside. Papyrus waved, but before he could say a word, he was twisted up in their big wiggly dog body and subjected to a tongue of the void lulling out of the hole and licking his tears.
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"Nyeeehh, stop, stop, I'm okay!" he insisted.
They barked their disapproval. He laughed tiredly.
"Okay, okay, maybe I am having a little trouble," he admitted. "Do you think you can help me? I can repay you in pasta. Or maybe…" He conjured a fancy bone in the air and plunked it down out of magic and into his hands. "How about this?"
Big Dog instantly sat at attention, the deep shadows pooling beneath them writhing with excitement. Papyrus managed a grin.
"Nyeh heh! I thought you'd like that! I had an idea about determination. Do you remember any of that?" he asked.
They didn't answer with any woof, only tilting their head and leaning closer to him. Their tail wagged heavily in the snow. Papyrus showed them the plush that looked a lot like them and their tail went even faster.
"Do you think you could maybe find whoever this belonged to?" he asked. "Or maybe something that smells like this? I'm looking for my missing sister and brother who I can't remember even that they exist. Really, anything would help at this point."
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Big Dog crept in closer. The deep blackness in their face hole dripped out. They made a deep, heavy sniffing and, to Papyrus's shock, a weird snout pushed its way out of the void, wiggling up and down with pointed smelling. When their jaws parted to pant out that weird tongue, they had way too many, pitch black teeth— more than any dog could ever want. For a second, Big Dog looked like a slightly less big shadow dog in a Big Dog hoodie before the snout retracted into the blackness and they let out a deafening bork.
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Stealing the bone from Papyrus's hand, they inhaled it with one gulp and then ducked under his legs, putting him on their back. He yelped with surprise and they howled loud into the frosty wind and then sprinted off to the west.
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Papyrus clung tight to the putty-like fur, but somehow, he didn't feel like he was going to fall off. He wiped his eyes again. He wasn't sure that the tears were going to abate any time soon, but at least he didn't feel quite as choked up anymore. Still, that intense loneliness weighed in him like a bag of bricks in his ribcage. He hid his face against the dogs and closed his eyes, hoping the chill wouldn't turn his tears to ice cubes.
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Big Dog charged like a barking storm down into the Ruins as fast as they could. Deeper and deeper; as far as they could, until they reached a patch of golden flowers. They sniffed long and hard there, fluffing up sparkling pollen, barked loud into the echoing cave, and then ran off again as fast and their many, many legs could take them.
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Back out in the snow, they sprinted for Snowdin, passing a very befuddled Toriel on the cliffs. Papyrus waved at her, and she shouted something at him, but he couldn't catch it above the wind.
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To his surprise, Big Dog brought him right back to his house. They squeezed all of them inside and went right back up to that starlight upstairs, somehow fitting through any opening they intended to. Papyrus patted their back and gave them another bone, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"I just touched this a little while ago and I am still sniffling, so please be careful," he said.
Big Dog twisted their entire head around like an owl to, presumably, stare right at him. He sighed and, for the umpteenth time, wiped his eyes. The long, weird tongue flicked out again and licked his face. He laughed tiredly.
"I just… don't like not knowing what to do," he admitted. "I am the great Papyrus, after all! My family relies on me. But now… something's missing and I'm still not sure how to find it. I r-really appreciate your help though."
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Big Dog tilted their head back and forth. They got up and plodded back downstairs, but then took Papyrus up to his room. They circled the place and then picked up the puzzle cube with a red heart formed in its squares on his desk and passed it back to him. He looked at it with confusion, but didn't have much time for anything else before Big Dog barked so loud the house shook and they took off at a sprint again, all the way outside and down the road to the east.
xXxXx
Upon crashing through the door to the lab with Papyrus still clutching tight to their shoulders, Big Dog beelined for Gaster, snuffling up and down all over him.
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The lab was abuzz with workings and strange mechanical sounds. Alphys could be heard upstairs talking math jargon, and Undyne was conspiring with Asgore, who looked to have just arrived from the elevator, as the door was still open and one of his paws was inside. Gaster had been standing near the computer desk he'd been working from, but now the old skeleton was recoiled against it with a great white Big Dog pressed up against him, wide-eyed, unsure of what to.
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Papyrus wiped his watery eye sockets and hopped to the ground. He circled Big Dog and gestured to his father. "Is he what smells the most like it?" he asked.
"Papyrus, what…? Who is this?" Gaster rasped out.
"Oh! They have about f-fourteen names. I mostly call them Big Dog because… Well, they are really several big dogs, but it's close enough," Papyrus said. He patted the amalgam of dogs on their neck and gently heaved them backwards, away from his father. "Is it him, or not?"
The dogs barked loudly, but then stuck their hole face to the ground and snorted loudly.
"O-Oh! Hey! Good to see you!" Alphys called to them, waving from above them, over the railing. "Ooh, I think I might still have s-some kibble laying around here s-somewhere."
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As the huge monstermash bounded away to see the lizard, Gaster turned on his son and held his shoulders.
"Paps, are you crying?" he asked worriedly.
"Kind of?" He wiped his face for the umpteenth time. "I don't mean to! It's been… Wait, were YOU crying?!" He leaned in closer to his dad with a curious expression.
"Never mind me, what happened?" Gaster asked.
"Well, it's just… Nyeh, ever since I touched that weird light back home, I haven't been able to stop."
"The light…?" Gaster's eyes went wide. "You felt something when you touched it?"
"Wuh-oh, not this again." Sans had sluggishly approached so quietly neither of the other skeletons had noticed. He shot his brother a tired, sympathetic smile. "You remember it last time?"
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Papyrus stared at him blankly for a few seconds before he lunged for him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Nyooo, I missed youuu for some reason even though I just saw you."
Sans patted him on the shoulders. "Okay, okay. Deep breaths, bro. You're alright."
Papyrus squished him and pouted, grumbling against him. His soul still ached with his absence despite holding him as close as he could. Sans sighed and, with a grimace, flared his magic up blue, cool and reassuring, and let their souls connect despite the pain in his own. Papyrus's shoulders sagged and he took a deep breath as his tears finally abated.
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"Whew! Thank you, brother," he said. He straightened up and put a hand to his chest. "And just like that, I am as good as new! What a weird thing to happen!"
"Welp. You're real sensitive," Sans said thoughtfully. He tilted his head back to look at Gaster. "You did the same, right? In one of those tears?"
"I did," he said, putting a hand on Papyrus's shoulder. "Interesting that you can, as well. I'm glad you're feeling better now, though."
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"He did it before, too," Sans said. "Few months ago. Actually." He waved Papyrus closer. "Lemme hear ya."
"Uh. Okay." He put his hand over his chest and let his soul flare up and its song play faintly.
Sans tapped his foot along with the rhythm for a moment, and then, just like he'd thought, a tiny note of different complexity made itself heard where it had never been before.
"NYEH! Hey, it evolved!"
"Thought so," Sans said.
"Determination," Gaster concluded. "Be careful with that, alright?"
"Of course I will!" he assured them. He cupped his hand over his soul spot. "This does feel familiar."
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There was a little sparkle in Sans's eye, a light of uncommon hopefulness. He leaned back against the desk and folded his arms. "So, uh, what were you and Amalgamutt up to?"
"NyeeeeEEEHH, don't let them hear you say that or they'll want another sign on their house," Papyrus hissed. "And I was trying to track what smelled the most like this." He showed him the plush. "We went to the Ruins, to the upstairs of our house, to my puzzle cube, and then to dad. So. There has to be some connection."
"Hm. Why'd you go to them for that?" Sans asked curiously.
"Well, it's just…" Papyrus scratched his head and he frowned. "I… I remember… that time things, that's related to that determination stuff, right? And the colour red. And that all those monsters that are made of a bunch of monsters, they were really sensitive to that."
Though Gaster stared blankly, Sans nodded.
"Ah. Good thinkin' bro. Clever," he said.
"I thought it was quite good, if I do say so myself," he said proudly. "What are you all up to?"
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With a massive woof, Big Dog vaulted, sniffing loudly, over the railing above, accompanied by a squeak from Alphys. They left a trail of kibbles in their wake, and instantly pushed into Sans. Gaster recoiled with alarm and Papyrus yelped and grabbed the massive dogs around their neck, and tried to pull them back.
"AAAAH, BE CAREFUL! HE'S FRAGILE!"
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Big Dog drew away with Sans's entire right arm in their facehole, and then promptly plopped it into Papyrus's hands. They dropped onto their rump, wagging their tail furiously.
"Hey, looks like they thought you needed a hand, huh?" Sans joked.
"Ugh." Papyrus rolled his eyes and conjured a non-limb bone for the giant monster and tossed it over his shoulder for them; they gave chase happily. "Honestly."
"Wait, what's…?" Gaster took Sans's arm and peered at it closely.
"Uh, gonna need that back," Sans said. He winced as his father peeled away the white bandage on the side of the hand. "Careful, huh?"
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The red gouge was apparent right away. Papyrus's jaw dropped. Gaster whirled on Sans swiftly.
"When were you going to mention this?!"
"Uh. Wasn't," he said.
"Give it to me!" Papyrus snatched the arm back and held it carefully, activating a warm glow of healing magic against the gash. "I've got you, brother. Honestly."
"What happened?" Gaster asked.
Sans shrugged. "Clumsy."
"Ah. Yes. He has been falling down all over the place, unfortunately," Papyrus said, brow furrowed. "Ugh. Tell me next time, you hardheaded Sans! It's not closing up."
"Whoops."
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Gaster looked down at him skeptically. He merely returned a tired smile devoid of answers.
"Why did that, uh…? Why did Big Dog single that out?" he wondered.
Sans looked thoughtful. He tilted his head slightly, but then, his grin widened a bit and his eyes took on a starry sheen. "Oh. That's good, actually."
"It is?!" Papyrus asked shrilly.
"The energy you told 'em to track. I wasn't sure, but I thought I caught a spark of it in the Ruins," Sans said. "Went into that cut. So. Confirmation. Kinda glad about that."
"Oh!" Papyrus's eyes went wide. He looked at his brother's disembodied hand and gently rubbed his thumb over the red. "Maybe… Maybe we're getting closer. Maybe there's something we can get from all of these things."
"Only if it doesn't destroy Sans's hand," Gaster said swiftly.
"Nah, wreck it if it'll help," he said.
"We are not wrecking your hand."
"I'm just sayin'. To be honest—" He winked. "—I'd give an arm and a leg to get those kids back."
"NyeeeeEEEEH, SANS." Papyrus squawked loudly.
Gaster couldn't help but crack a smile despite his disapproving frown. "Well. I've got to hand it to you, that's pretty com-hand-able. But it's not going to happen."
Sans shot a finger gun his way, and Papyrus threw his arms in the air and stormed off upstairs.
"I NEED NO MORE HAND AND OR ARM JOKES SO I CAN WORK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
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Sans snickered quietly and Gaster snorted; pushed up his glasses carefully. He sighed and put a hand on the short skeleton's head.
"Your health is still dropping, you know," he said quietly.
"For sure," Sans said.
"Don't overexert yourself."
"Pffft. As if," he said. He stretched his arm out and then took his hoodie off and draped it over the back of the chair. "So, uh. This give you any ideas?"
"Some. We can analyze those objects, for one. It may give us a hint. My problem is, if the kids are where we think they are… Or, I suppose, outside of where they should be, the distance is unfathomable. I just…" He grimaced. "Boosting the NOCTURNE will, perhaps, find them, if Papyrus's items result in trackable data. But that is useless if we can't contact them." He put a hand against the side of his skull. "Sans, I… I'm not sure how, but it seems like… Something I've done… I think I'm the cause of this. Coming back from the void. My data seems to indicate it. I broke something."
"Oh. Well." Sans tapped his teeth for a second and then shrugged again. "Eh, kid'll say it was worth it. True, probably."
"Not if you die," he said.
"Experiment's gotta end sometime, I guess," he said.
Gaster's soul stuttered painfully. "Sans, don't…"
The short skeleton's brow tilted apologetically at the look on his father's face. "Ah. Sorry. Bad joke. Look, it's gonna be fine. Whatever dumb crap happens. Got any ideas 'bout the contact thing? I was hopin' dreams might work like normal, but I got no luck."
"I… I've had very little luck, myself. I could have sworn there was something about dreams in our book of Dirges, but… it's lost, and my memory past the first few pages is…"
"Patchy?" Sans suggested. "Hm. One of the kids mightta been involved in that bit, then. He beckoned his father closer and reached out his hand, letting a tinge of blue, memory magic flow between his bones. "Lemme try somethin'. Might work better on you than it did on Paps."
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Eagerly, Gaster let Sans rest his hand against his head. The blue magic filtered in, shining faintly through the cracks in his skull. Though Sans had no memory of what he wanted his father to see, he had an idea of when it may have been. He let his magic tap little points in his thoughts.
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When he pulled back, Gaster blinked and his eyes both flared in blue for a moment. "You're a genius."
"Nah," he said. "You got it?"
"There was a dream spell. And an astral projection spell," he said. "I… I can't recall the notes, but… But if I could find that book…" He growled at himself and paced. "Bloody idiot. I should never have put it…! I should have looked for it sooner, I should have never… Bain mo cloigeann."
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"Yo, what's the deal, Doc? You okay?" Undyne asked, strolling up as she munched on a bag of chips. "Sans, where the hell is your arm?"
"Upstairs," he said.
"Don't you need that?"
"Not, uh, handily," he said.
She cringed. He shrugged and smiled sideways. Big Dog snuck up on them and Undyne patted their neck and tossed the entire bag of chips into their face hole.
"Anything I can do?" she asked. "Doc, you look like you're gonna be sick."
"Hopefully I will only be slightly sick," he said.
"Hmmmm?" Asgore, now, had crept up behind him, putting a great paw on his back. "Oh, no, old friend, why don't you take a rest for a little while?"
"I can't," he confessed. "How was the surface?"
"Wonderful. Though I… slightly remember it. Everything is so odd. Sans, have you lost you arm? Do you need help finding it?"
Sans pointed upstairs. Asgore smiled fondly, but then turned back on Gaster.
"So? What's the trouble?"
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"Our… book of Dirges," he said dismally, his shoulders sagging. "It's in my phone. And my phone is not on the planet."
"You shot it into space?!" Undyne demanded.
"I think it's in the void," he confessed. "Must be. Right?" He rubbed his chin. "It's important. Should I risk—?"
"No. You were with the kid last time and you almost died like a second in," Sans said.
"You did what?! Gaster!" Asgore said, alarmed.
Gaster waved it off. "It's not important. But the book—"
"Chances are you'll get dusted before you can even look." Sans frowned.
"But if we have any chance of reaching the kids…" He rubbed his skull and heaved out a sigh. "Without it, I don't know—"
"But, hold on a moment. I thought they were all lost," Asgore admitted.
"I got it from you," the skeleton said. "You said a human brought it from…" He froze and his eyes flickered worriedly. "Did that… not happen?"
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All eyes turned on the King, even Papyrus and Alphys, listening in from above. He stared back at them and then stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Was it… a blue book? Dark blue?" he asked. "No title. But runes around the edges?"
"That's it," Gaster said.
"I've never… I had it, but I didn't. No humans came through, and yet I remember…" He folded his arms. "What on earth has happened?"
"What if you never got it?" Sans suggested.
"Oh man, like the Temmies never moving out," Undyne said. "Yeah! Doc, maybe if no humans came through now, you guys never actually got the book. So it doesn't matter if you lost it."
"Wh…? Um! It might be possible," he said. He had to cough. "Maybe?"
"You remember where the human said he got it?" Sans asked.
Asgore tilted his head. He squinted at nothing. "I… I think… I think he said the University of… Oh, darn, what was it?" He clenched his hands tight together and frowned at the floor. "It's…" His ears perked slightly and he looked up, wide-eyed. "Anthelion. Yes. I'm sure that's it."
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Sans started to grin. "Wasn't that glasses guy that came in with his wife and kid, was it?"
"Yes, a young family," Asgore agreed. "Young to me, anyway! Does that help?"
Sans's smile only widened. "What d'ya know, we actually got a little lucky this time."
"Did we?" Gaster asked.
"Sure. Taught a couple workshops there about science junk."
"Huh-what?" Undyne said. "You did what? How?!"
"Undone timeline junk, no big deal." He shrugged when the other monsters stared at him in a way that begged for more information.
"You can't just drop that on us and not say any more, dude," Undyne prodded.
"A little more detail might be helpful," Gaster said.
"Or maybe much more detail!" Papyrus suggested.
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Sans sighed. "Okay, so, timeline that doesn't exist anymore, we were up top for like a year, I guess. I taught science junk in Gullport, which is, uh, near the ocean? Southwest. Little under an hour away. Anthelion's school is kinda partnered with theirs, so I did some stuff over there every once in a while. It's like four hours west, though, if you're takin' a car. And, uh, I've seen that guy before, actually. Went back and forth between schools but was based at the Anthelion one, I think," he said. "Sorta know my way around the city, too. It's the one with that big castle-lookin' stuff on another mountain. That enough detail?" He winked. "I can go into the commute and the dumb bureaucratic stuff we had to deal with, too, if you want? I remember the humans bein' real jealous when I told them that crap didn't happen on our end. Their bosses really make a ton of stuff for them to complain about; I think it's a hobby of theirs."
"Alright, I'm sure that's enough," Gaster said with a laugh. "Though, that is good news if you've ever been somewhat acquainted with this human and that place before. Even if he doesn't recall, I feel like this may make things easier."
"But… I'm sorry, but I have no idea how to contact him," Asgore said apologetically.
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"What about the human Ambassador?" Undyne suggested. "She's been here; she dug our style enough to wanna move in for her job, right? Sans, you got her number? Maybe she can help us out."
"She's not from there," he said.
"Ooh, does she have a car?!" Papyrus demanded. "Maybe she can drive us there?!"
"That'll go over real well," Sans said quietly.
"Of course it will! We'll just explain everything, it'll be fine!" Papyrus insisted.
"D-Does anyone have her number?" Alphys asked.
Sans passed his phone to Undyne, who tossed it to Alphys for him. The lizard squeaked and fumbled with it, and then clutched it close.
"O-Okay, I'll…! Give me a few minutes, I'll… Okay, maybe an hour. I just need to program a way to call out."
"Try usin' the radio, I got a signal back to her with it. She's projectin' it at us," he said.
"Ah! G-Good work! Thank you!" She smiled and disappeared back towards her work table. "Take a b-break, guys, I got this."
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"Oh my, I hope this won't be too dangerous," Asgore said quietly. "While Alphys works, I… I think I'm going to head into the city. I know of a few others that the sun might do a little good."
"Are we holding back an announcement?" Undyne asked.
Asgore flinched, his ears drooping a little. Reluctantly, he nodded. "If the humans aren't aware we're free, but somehow some of them remember us… The last thing I want is for someone to get lost, or stray too far, and catch a human off guard. We'll go slowly for now. Do any of you know someone in Waterfall or Snowdin who might need some time above?"
"I can check," Undyne suggested.
Asgore smiled. "Thank you. I'll meet you at my place or, if not there, on the surface." He stuck his hand up to wave as he headed out. "Good luck, everyone!"
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Gaster blew out a sigh and slumped down into a chair. He rubbed his forehead with both hands before turning back to the computer and opening up his composition program. He drummed his fingers on the mouse.
"…This is a lot," he said quietly. "I hope this is worth it."
"If it's there, it's worth it," Sans said. "Unless you can come up with somethin' else to reach the kids."
"With enough time, but…" He shook his head. "I… don't have that." He laced his fingers together to crack his knuckles, and then summoned extra hands in bristling black magic. "Papyrus? Once you're done with that hand—"
"Yes, yes, I will give you one, don't you dare say it!" Papyrus shouted.
Gaster cracked a smile and Sans snickered.
"Can you bring me what you've collected?" he continued. "I'm going to run things through a DT-scanner downstairs."
"Yes, of course! Not a problem!"
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Gaster sighed with relief and he began to run a pre-configuration program on the big desktop while his magic hands opened up his laptop to keep working on the NOCTURNE's new tune. Sans watched with heavy eyes for a few seconds, then rubbed his hand over his empty shoulder socket. He used his distant arm to wave at Papyrus.
"Yes, Sans?" he called.
"Nothin', just sayin' hi."
"Uuugghh, hello Sans; let me work!"
"Seems like you got it handled."
"NYEEEH. I'M JUST GOING TO TAKE LONGER THE MORE YOU DO THAT."
.
Sans smirked and he caught Undyne trying not to laugh. He leaned back on the desk tiredly. The sound of several skeleton hands clicking keyboard keys filled his skull and he took a moment to rest. He'd done more walking today than he probably should have.
.
Big Dog had finished with their snacks and was prancing around Undyne now. She grabbed a wadded up piece of paper and chucked it across the lab for them, and they were off, racing and drooling. Their paws left big, black smears on the floor. Sans tilted his head. Hadn't seen that before. After a moment, they began to bubble, but as the huge monster barrelled back, leaving more streaks, nobody seemed to notice.
.
Sans blinked. He felt cold around his feet and looked down to see void black water seeping in from between the floor tiles. He stumbled back a step into Gaster's chair, and his father's phantom hands steadied him at the shoulders. No reaction otherwise. The water was up around his ankles. Undyne kept playing fetch. The water didn't splash. It was silent.
.
Wasn't real. Couldn't be. Sans put his hand against his forehead. He leaned up off the desk and a note of magic began to hum inside his skull. His vision swam and chunks of the wrong colours cut themselves into the air.
"Hey, uh… If I faint, someone try to catch me, alright?" he said quietly.
"Why, what's wrong?" Gaster asked.
"Vision's, uh… goin' somewhere," he said.
The water was around his knees, now. Cold.
.
He blanked for a second and came back to Undyne holding his shoulders, sound pounding his head so loud he couldn't hear what she was saying. Didn't matter in the moment, though. Her eyepatch was on the wrong side. So was the scar.
.
Sans put his hand to the side of his head. Vertigo rocked him as the world listed to the side. He thumped Undyne on the shoulder and nodded as she seemed to ask him if he was okay. She looked relieved and moved away. The room was filling up. He turned and scanned the other monsters' reactions. There wasn't one.
.
The water crept up his neck then, all of a sudden, engulfed him in darkness. He blinked at nothing.
"Ah, shit," he muttered.
.
He was afraid to move. Fragments of grey spiked the dark just like the colours had done, then left him in pitch black. The pounding in his head cleared, but he still couldn't hear anything but a note droning so slowly and quietly it might as well have been wind.
.
He'd seen plenty of stuff that wasn't there before. Not like this, though. Maybe he was dying right now. Wasn't out of the question. He kind of hated that. Hadn't helped the kids yet. Hadn't done much of anything useful at all. Not like that was unusual, but… He gripped his hand into his shirt as a cool ache hurt his soul.
.
Something in the tune around him shifted. He sensed a glint of silver far off and turned. Nice to see that his eyes were still working despite all this. There were shapes moving, slowly, as if through true water. With cautious steps, he moved closer. He began to see red. Twin lights, shining in the silvery outline of someone small. Was that her?
.
Closing in, he could see it was a battle. Someone big, and a small kid pulling through water to evade. Cautiously, he reached out and, at his touch, a blue light flared in the silver and the kid sidestepped some slim line of attack. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Didn't want this, though.
.
He grabbed the kid by the arm and pulled her back and away from her pursuer. It felt, maybe not solid, but like something was in his grip. The silver faded away, drifting on the current, but the red stayed. Eyes, boring into him. He could just hardly make out the shape of a shadowed form in the void.
"That you? Kiddo?" he asked. He winced as his skull was overcome with sound again. If she answered, he couldn't hear it.
He felt a soft grip on his arm and a careful touch on his empty shoulder.
"Oh, ah… That's fine," he said— couldn't hear himself, either. "It's fine."
The shadowy kid hugged him, arms warm and strong in this frozen place. He wilted and held her. For just a moment, the tune in his head subsided and his soul felt whole and relieved. It didn't last, and she shattered in his grip, breaking his heart to pieces again with her.
.
All of a sudden, his eyes worked. He stared vacantly at a rock wall across vibrant, glowing waters. He was sitting with his bare feet dangling in the river. He wondered where his slippers went. He was chilly and damp.
.
There was an unfamiliar face at his side: a kid, a small purple crocodino monster with freckles on her cheeks, shaggy, wine-coloured hair and big, pointy teeth. She was in blue overalls and a purple and white striped shirt. Weird to see a monster he didn't recognize. Downright unheard of, actually. She was talking: he still couldn't hear over the droning in his head. He smiled apologetically and tapped the side of his skull.
"Sorry, kid, can't hear a thing," he said. "Gimme a sec?"
The little monster paused, clearly startled. She nodded and patted his shoulder, then held up a claw to ask him to wait and then got up.
.
Sans turned to watch curiously. They were on a small island shoved up against a cave wall with three sides exposed to the water. Off the main road. Somewhere near what little was left of the burbs that weren't underwater. There was one of the kid's rips in time sitting back there in the corner.
.
The small monster went around behind him and hopped into the water that was about up to her shoulders. She waded off to the path on the other side where she seemed to have left a backpack. She called to him and gestured that she was going to throw it. He smiled sideways and, instead, grabbed her soul lightly in blue and lifted her up. She felt kinda weird, though. Something off in her energy.
.
When he plunked her back down beside him, she laughed. She sat down with him and rummaged in her backpack. She pulled out two blue snack cakes and offered him one.
"You sure?" he asked.
She nodded and grinned, and then pointed to the side of her head and gave him a thumbs up.
"If you think so," he said. "Thanks, kid."
.
He ate the cake slowly as the kid munched hers voraciously. It did seem to help, actually, as the droning in his mind soon faded down to just a soft, livable hum.
"You were right. Thanks," he said.
"No problem," she said. "You're that skeleton, right?"
"Yep, that one," he said with a wink.
She laughed. "Noo, come on, you know the one. The one that helped save everything, right? Brought the barrier down and everything?"
Sans raised his brows. Random kid he'd never met remembering something like that? Definitely interesting. "I was there. Didn't do it. That'd be my kid siblings." He shot her a wink. "I'm the weakest monster in the world. So."
.
The kid nodded thoughtfully. She stared at him through her mop of bangs. "So, you sick or something?"
"Yeah," he said. "Why?"
"When I found you, you were all stumbling around and you fell in the water," she said. "And your eyes were leaking some black stuff, it was super gross and creepy."
"Oh." He laughed. "Sorry. Thanks for draggin' me out." He stretched. "Lucky. You live around here?"
The kid's cheeks flushed. She grimaced and looked down. "Um. N-No, I, um…" She huffed. "I'm actually kinda… not supposed to be here?"
Sans raised his brows. "Oh yeah? Why?"
She shrugged. "Supposed to be in class. In New Home. But it's so boring." She winced. "You won't tell anyone, will ya?"
He laughed tiredly and shook his head. "Why come here?"
"I like the water," she said. "My mom moved us out when I was a baby, I think, but I never felt like I belonged in New Home. It's weird, right? I been there my whole life, but I feel like… I haven't really, I dunno." She laughed at herself and leaned back. "I dunno why I'm telling you this. You don't care. And, I mean. It's not like anyone'll notice I'm gone."
"C'mon, kid, don't be so hard on yourself," he said.
"You wouldn't understand," she grumbled.
.
She started to get up, but Sans raised his hand slightly and beckoned her back.
"Maybe not, but I don't mind bein' a ventin' spot," he said. "Do that for my little sis all the time."
The little croc looked unsure. After a moment, she cautiously sat down again. She clasped her hands together tight.
"How old is she?" she asked. "Your sister?"
"Ten and a bit," he said. "Bout your age, right?"
"Eleven," she muttered. "Is… she really popular? Ugh, what am I saying? Of course she is, right? She saved the world."
.
Sans tilted his head. This kid he didn't know seemed to know a whole lot. So much so, he wondered if her soul might even be red. He put that aside for a moment. The kid looked strangely hurt.
"Listen, don't compare yourself to other kids, alright?" Sans said. "Even someone who, uh, saved the world might have a ton of troubles on their own, y'know? And none of that means what's upsettin' you doesn't mean something."
"I… I guess? I dunno. I just…" She shook her head. "None of the other kids like me. They act like they didn't even notice I existed until this week." She growled. "I just…" Her energy bristled. "I don't understand why, so… So why bother going there?"
.
Her hum was faint, but it spiked. Sans saw chunks of colours going wrong again. He took a deep breath.
"Sorry, kid. I gotcha," he said. "Uh. You mentioned the barrier, huh? You been up top, yet?"
"Ugh. No," she pouted. "I was really excited about it and my big sister went, but now whenever I ask, she just tells me we can't. And my neighbour said the same thing, and my teacher, and everyone. I don't get why I can't go."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Welp. Maybe I can repay ya, then," he said.
"What?! Y-You'll take me?" she asked.
"And. So long as I don't catch ya skippin' class down here too often," he said with a wink, "I'll introduce you to Captain Undyne, too. What d'ya think?"
The girl's snout flushed and she began to smile. "W-Wow, really? I should pull skeletons outta rivers more often!"
"Just don't push 'em in first," he joked.
She snorted loudly.
.
"Sans? Saaaaans? Honey, are you down here?" Toriel's voice bounced distantly off the cavern, taking the monsters by surprise.
Sans flinched. Right. He must've disappeared from the lab or something. He got up and slid into the water, then picked up the kid by the soul and whisked her over to the path with her bag again as he waded across.
"Yup," he said, raising his voice slightly.
The girl grabbed his hand and helped pull him back up onto solid ground and squinted into the darkness. "Who's that?"
.
The huge shape or Toriel loomed from the shadows and she closed in on them quickly. She smiled warmly.
"I thought I smelled you down here," she said.
"Whoops," he said. "Should I dunk myself in the river again?"
"No, no, hun, just…" She laughed and put a hand to her snout. "Just normal smell, you silly boy. And maybe a little ketchup. And…! Oh my, who is this?" She smiled fondly and knelt down. "Hello, dear one. I am Toriel. Principal and head teacher of the school in Snowdin. I don't believe we've met."
"Oh! Uh. I'm, uh, Suzy," she said sheepishly.
"I sorta had an episode. Kid dragged me outta the drink," he said.
"Well! Suzy." Toriel shook the little crocodino's hand. "Thank you very much for helping out, that was very kind of you. Now, Sans, have you seen your brother? I swear, that boy can't sit still for a minute."
"Lab," he said.
"Ah! Good. Also, where on earth is your arm?"
"Same place."
"Well, that's a little disarming!" she said.
He snorted and grinned, but vertigo took him again and swayed him sideways. His vision scrambled into a mess of light and shadows. He grabbed for Toriel's shoulder. "Uh… Sorry. Down again." He heard her alarmed voice, but not what she said, and he was gone again.
xXxXx
The gash in Sans's right hand wasn't closing. Though Papyrus had pumped in healing magic intensely through it, all he'd managed was to fade down the red to a small streak. Better than nothing, but the bone was scarred now.
.
Clutching the arm close, he peeked over at Alphys, who looked like she was turning an old laptop into a giant phone.
"How is it going?" he asked.
"Good! I'm picking up some signals from, um, h-human cell phone stuff, I think I just have to bypass their security and bring this to the, um, surface, w-we're good to go," she said. "How about you?"
"It went about as well as could be expected. Which is, in fact, quite well, though he will have a scar," Papyrus said. "My lazy brother waited too long. Though. I'm not sure I blame him, to a point. He's been through so many medical things the last few days, he probably figured this was not a big deal. Which, I guess, it isn't, but still."
Alphys nodded, though her brow furrowed with worry. The skeleton patted her on the shoulder.
.
Big Dog had fallen asleep on their back across the floor in front of the escalator and on top of a pair of fuzzy pink slippers. Papyrus stepped over them and caught sight of Undyne reading her phone near the computer desk. She was squinting.
"What is up?" he asked.
"Just chekin' the forums and UnderNet stuff, see if anyone's mentioned being low. Figure it'll save some time," she said. She blinked hard. "Hm."
"What?" he asked.
"Oh. Uh. Nothing," she said.
Papyrus looked around. "Where's Sans? Did he go downstairs, too?"
"He was just here, I… Uh…" Undyne frowned and closed her phone. She straightened up and almost tripped over the garbage can on her right. As she tried to correct, she stumbled and bonked her head on the wall. "Ow, shit."
"Are you okay?" Papyrus asked.
She nodded and frowned. She held out both hands and stared at them, and then covered her eye with one and reached under her eyepatch with the other. "What the hell?"
"What? What is it?" he asked.
.
Undyne grimaced. "Ah. I dunno, something's… Something's wrong, I…" She froze. "Where's Sans?"
"I just asked you that," Papyrus said.
The big monster straightened up, growling under her breath, and put a hand to her brow. Papyrus put a gentle, healing hand against the side of her head. She squinted at him and then nodded.
"I'm gonna go look," she said.
"What? Where?!" he asked.
.
She rushed for the door but whiffed the handle and ran into it instead. "NgaaaAAAH what's wrong with me?!"
"I don't know, what is wrong with you?" Papyrus asked in alarm. "Why not downstairs, first, doesn't that make more…"
Suddenly, Sans's arm moved in his grip. It waved at him, pointed at Undyne, and then beckoned backwards. The skeleton grabbed her shoulder and then pulled her away from the door, just in time as Toriel burst in, carrying Sans in one arm and a little purple crocodino in the other.
.
"Oh! Mom! Sans! And a small child! What's going on?" Papyrus squeaked. "Sans, are you okay?"
"Fainted again, whoops," he said, wobbling a little as Toriel let him down. "I'm fine."
Papyrus sighed and rolled his eyes, and then bent down to gently click Sans's arm back into place for them. "You're all wet."
"Yeah," he said, checking out the mostly repaired, red scar. Didn't hurt much at all anymore. "Hey, nice work."
"When did you leave?!" Undyne demanded.
"Not sure," Sans said.
"Something's wrong," she said.
"Tell me about it," he said.
"Do you want me to get a change of clothes?" Toriel asked.
"I have some for him, don't you worry," Papyrus said, taking out his phone and whisking out a new set of things for Sans. He pushed the small pile into his brother's arms. "He spills things on himself enough."
"Thanks, bro," Sans said as he wandered off.
.
"This is the lab?" The little purple monster spoke up tentatively. "It's big."
"Oh yes, and it's much bigger even than it looks, it goes far below ground, even," Papyrus said. Something clicked in his head and he whirled around, a hand on his chest. "Oh! How rude of me! I am the great Papyrus! It's good to meet you, small crocodile girl!" He gestured around the room. "This is my mom, Toriel; you've met my lazy brother, Sans, this here is Guard Captain Undyne, and up there somewhere is Doctor Alphys, the Royal Scientist!"
The small monster's face flushed. She looked up at Toriel, and then her gaze focussed on Undyne. "Y-You're… Captain Undyne? Your arms are huge!"
Undyne snorted and cracked a big, sharp-toothed grin. She flexed and, quietly, Papyrus did the same behind her. "Gotta be, punk! Hey, you look kinda familiar, but you're not a Waterfall kid, right?"
She shook her head quickly.
.
"She's from New Home," Sans said as he rejoined them from wherever he'd been. He was in some dry clothes: typical shorts and some grey t-shirt with the design so faded it was incoherent. "Name's Suzy, by the way. Told her we'd take her up top. Sounds like she might need it."
"Pfff, doin' my job for me?" Undyne joked. "The timeline really is messed up, huh?"
He shrugged. Toriel smiled fondly at the little monster.
"You'll love it, little one," she said. "The sun is…" She froze. Her eyes glazed for a moment. "Um. It'll really be a bright spot in your day! Hah. Papyrus, hun, will you take her? I just need to check, um… Something here, first."
"Oh! Yes, of course!" He offered a hand to the small monster as Toriel put her on the floor. "We have a shortcut to the King's house! So this shouldn't take long. But, oooh, let me show you around this floor first, it's really pretty neat if you like weird scraps of junk and computer things."
"Oh, yeah? C-Cool!" She cautiously took his hand, but then looked at Sans. "Are you, uh…? Are you coming, too? To the surface?"
"Me? Sure," he said.
.
As Papyrus began to lead the kid across the lab, Toriel grabbed Sans and held him back for a moment.
"The surface," she said, lowering her voice. "It's… My memory, it's…"
"I know," he said apologetically. "You have a version where we're up but one where we're not, right?"
"Yes, exactly," she said. She put a paw against the side of her head. "Oh, goodness…"
"This is getting really frickin' weird," Undyne grumbled. "You vanished and you didn't."
"I figured, since Paps didn't start screamin' when we came in," he said. "And, uh… Your eye, huh?"
"What about my eye?" she asked.
"Swapped the bad one," he said.
Her eyebrows just about shot off her head. "Was THAT what it was?!"
"Oh. Undyne…" Toriel held the other monster's face gently. "Now that you mention it…"
"Guuuuhhh, no wonder!" she growled. "This is because those kids are missing?!"
"…Yeah," Sans said reluctantly. The dimming in his eyes betrayed him again.
Toriel cooed sympathetically and bent down to hold him close. "It's going to be okay. Sans. You're brilliant—"
"Not really," he said.
"Yes. You are. And you're going to figure this out. You always do," she assured him.
.
Sans flinched. He could hardly even keep his own bones together this time. He patted her shoulders appreciatively.
"Hope you're right," he said.
"Of course I am," she assured him. "…I have to confess, though, I might need a little of that sunlight, myself."
"Good timing, then," he said.
.
At the other end of the room, Papyrus and Suzy were abruptly halted at the elevator door as Gaster burst out of it, stumbling to a halt as he almost ran into them.
"Ah! Papyrus! Good, I finished with the DT machines, we should be able to start, but I just sensed something very strange up he…" His eyes locked on the little kid. "Oh! Excuse me, little one, that was rude of me. I…" He froze as his soul flickered through his shirt. He cupped a hand over it.
.
Suzy stared up at him, bemused. However, her soul let out a sound in response. It was unusually discordant. Gaster stared in bafflement.
"Um, dad, this is Suzy," Papyrus said. "I was going to show her the surface."
"Oh! Of course, but…" He moved the two of them aside and then knelt down to the kid. "Suzy? My name is Gaster. I'm a doctor. I'm sorry to ask, but may I take a look at your soul?"
"Why?" she asked worriedly.
"…It feels… unusual, doesn't it?" he asked gently.
The kid froze. She put a hand to her chest.
.
Sans crept up behind and put a hand on the kid's shoulder. She jumped.
"Oops. Didn't mean to spook ya," he said. "All you gotta do is hold a phone. If that's okay with you."
"Oh, um. Okay."
"Right now? Really?" Papyrus asked.
"It'll only take a few seconds," Gaster said. He straightened up quickly and a magic hand of his flew up to the second level. "Alphys, your phone?"
.
After a moment, the hands retrieved it and booted up SOULSCN, before passing it to Gaster's proper hands. He checked it quickly. His own soul, Alphys's, Sans's, and Flora's were all recorded. He told the program to run and passed it to the little monster.
"Just hold it against your soul for a few seconds," he said.
Suzy hesitated, but she did as he asked.
"Thank you so much. Suzy, right? I know it may seem odd, but this is very important," he said.
"Important?" She perked up. "O-Okay. Cool."
.
The phone soon let out a pleasant beep. When she pulled the it back away from herself, Sans was the first to see the data. His eyes went wide. She wasn't a red soul, but something else entirely. Her colour was a bright, pinkish purple, but the whole soul was riddled with spikes of black. Gaster took the phone back with a grateful smile, but his expression shifted to mirror Sans's the moment he looked at the screen.
.
Suzy drooped. "It's… It really is weird, isn't it?" She asked quietly, her fists clenching. "I am a freak, aren't I?"
"Oh! Little one, it's not like that," Gaster said swiftly. He quickly showed her his own soul's recording. "This is mine, see?" He flipped to Flora's. "And this is a girl in Snowdin. There are a few monsters showing this sort of thing. See?"
Suzy's jaw dropped. She shuddered. "I… I just noticed it this week," she said quietly.
"…She said the other kids treated her like she didn't exist until this week," Sans said. He raised his brows. "She's eleven."
.
Papyrus looked between the three of them, baffled. Gaster took the meaning, though. He gritted his teeth and his eyes flared with colour.
"It's… It's going to be alright, from now on, little one," he assured her. "I'm… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry this happened."
"So a-am I sick, or what?" she squeaked. She clenched her fists tighter and a tear dripped down her cheek. "What's wrong with me?"
Sans grimaced. Gaster didn't know what to say. Cautiously, he put a hand on her shoulder, and when she didn't recoil, he pulled her in to hug her tight.
"You're alright," he cooed. "You're okay." He straightened up with her in his arms and he rubbed her hair gently. "Some sunlight will do you good. I promise. Is it alright if I carry you?"
"S-Sure?" she said shrilly.
.
As Undyne excused herself to go check Waterfall and Snowdin, the monsters (except for Alphys) piled into the elevator and took a ride up to the shortcut that went to Asgore's house. Though Gaster rushed on his way, carrying Suzy close, and Papyrus kept up easily, Sans needed another breather. Toriel waited with him as he supported the wall and massaged his temples.
"You need to take a break," she said. "A real one."
"Wish I could," he said.
"I know." She sighed and folded her arms. "…I wish I could remember. Wouldn't that help you?"
"I dunno, to be honest," he said. "Wanna try?" He held out a hand and blue glittered around his fingers.
She knelt down right away and he touched her temple and her soul spot. She closed her eyes but, after a few second, she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "Didn't work on Paps, either."
.
Toriel grimaced. She rubbed her head and snorted in annoyance. "If these two… These time children. They're your siblings. They must be my children, right? I was their mother."
"…Yeeeah," he said.
"And my mind is… betraying me." She growled. "What a nightmare."
"Sorry," he said.
"No, don't be," she said. "When…? When did I take them in? The same time as you and Papyrus?"
"One at the same time," he said. "Other one was before."
She folded her arms; frowned in thought for a few, long moments. She sighed and shook her head at herself. "Are you alright to move on?"
He nodded and they slowly headed up the path after the others.
.
"Your father certainly seemed interested in that purple child," she said. "What happened, exactly?"
"Ah. Um. D'you, uh, remember the void stuff?" he asked. "That he was missin' for ten years?"
Toriel's brow furrowed. She folded her arms again. "I… Yes. Yes. I do."
"Happened to that kid, too," Sans said. "But she can't remember the void. And she's only eleven so—"
"Oh. My god. So her whole life was…?"
"Her memories gotta be fill-ins," he said quietly. "Poor kid. Same thing to a lesser extent with, uh, Kid's oldest sister, Flora. Haven't found more yet, but now I'm pretty sure a bunch of people near the CORE when it went up must've been… gone."
"A caretaker or relative of hers, as well, then," Toriel said, her voice cracking. "There's no reason a one year old would have been near there on her own."
Sans nodded thoughtfully. He grimaced. "CORE'd been actin' up for a bit. Alph and I closed off all the nearby paths but I guess it… wasn't enough."
"Don't even go there," Toriel said sternly. "You have enough on your plate."
Sans shrugged. Toriel plucked him up under his arms and stared him in the face.
"Promise me," she said.
"Not sure that I can," he said.
"If they're back already, they're safe," she said. "I'll give it a look, alright? Please don't take this on now."
He wasn't sure he had a choice. But, maybe he was getting ahead of himself. These people weren't in danger, as far as he knew. "…I'll try to chill."
She pulled him in and kissed his forehead, before hefting him up in the crook of her arm and starting on their way again. "And now we can pick up the pace." She winked.
"Could always do with a pick-me-up," Sans joked.
She snorted and smiled wide. "That's my boy."
xXxXx
The surface was still bright and clear. Excited voices echoed from elsewhere out there, with Asgore's deep laugh punctuating it every once in a while. Suzy was checking the whole plateau curiously, with Papyrus close on her metaphorical tail.
.
When Toriel and Sans emerged from the stairway, Gaster was leaning on the mountain at its side, smiling faintly, tears dribbling down his face. Toriel had to stop as well, a breath caught in her throat. She let Sans down and then held Gaster's hand for just a moment before pulling him fully into a hug. He held her, too, and let out a raspy laugh.
"I'd… forgotten how warm it was," he said.
.
For the second time that day, Sans went back to his rock. He watched the croc kid for a moment before turning his gaze out on the horizon. He clenched his hands together and breathed in the fresh air. He still felt empty.
.
"Hey, skeleton guy." Suzy bounced up beside him and plunked down. "This is pretty cool."
"Glad you like it," he said. "The old guy didn't freak you out too bad, did he?"
She shook her head. "It was k-kinda… Kinda nice. To see a grown-up with the same weird thing."
"Don't worry about that at all, little friend!" Papyrus said, bouncing up behind them. "As long as it doesn't hurt… It doesn't, does it?!"
"No," the little monster said. She looked between them curiously. "So, um, where's your sister?"
.
Sans wasn't sure what to say. Thankfully, he didn't have to bother, as Alphys's voice bounced up from the stairwell.
"H-Hey, guys? You're u-up here, right?" The lizard emerged, her modified computer tucked under her arm. "Oh! Y-You are." She cracked a smile. "O-Okay, who wants to talk?"
"I WILL!" Papyrus called.
"I'm assuming we'll all at least sit around," Toriel said.
"Who do you think she has the best chance of remembering?" Gaster wondered. "Probably Sans. Asgore, maybe?"
"We'll see, I guess," Alphys said. She wandered to the rocks to join Sans and shot him a smile.
Suzy scooted aside slightly, but she stayed close, watching curiously. Placing the laptop beside the skeleton, Alphys opened it up and pulled up a big antennae; the screen lit up soft pink with the symbol of a ringing cellphone that looked a lot like Mettaton on it.
"Ready?"
"Guess so," he said.
The others crowded around and Alphys hit a couple keys on the keyboard. Numbers ran along the bottom of the screen, the computer let out a weird squeal, then the sound of digital keys dialling out. Finally, it began to ring like a phone.
.
Alphys started to sweat. She grabbed tight to Sans's arm. Suzy looked between the others with confusion and scooted off to chase bugs. Suddenly, there was a click.
"H… Hello?" June's voice.
The monsters relaxed. Sans picked up the laptop and sat it on his leg.
"Hey, can you hear me?" he asked.
"Ah! Yes! Yes, hello again! That's much better," she said. "Sans, right?"
"Yep," he said.
"Oh thank god. I thought I was going crazy," she muttered.
"Same," Sans said.
"So, what's going on? Did I do something wrong? What was it the King said about time magic?"
.
"May I answer that?" Gaster said. "Hello, we met only briefly. My name is Gaster. I'm a scientist."
"Oh! You were… I remember you were the father of… Of…" June let out a ponderous hmmm.
"Yes, that's exactly the issue," he said. "We've lost… two very important children. Both of which are strongly connected to time itself. We are working to repair the problem, but it's effected us as well. Our memories are also wrong."
"Time…?" June sounded baffled. "How?"
Gaster opened his mouth, but Sans put up a hand to pause him.
"It's pretty complicated and, uh, not really worth the explanation," Sans said. "But, uh… Basically. They're lost. Outside of time. We gotta get 'em back to fix this stuff. Once we do, things'll go back to normal. Your memories, job, and all that stuff, will be back like it's supposed to be. But we, uh… We were hopin' for… maybe a little help. If you can."
"H-Help? Well, I mean. Yes. Of course! How can I help?"
"Can you drive us to the city?!" Papyrus asked loudly.
"Wh…?! What? Who…?"
.
Sans couldn't help a laugh. "Heh. Uh. Actually, kinda that. There's a book we're lookin' for. Should help us get farther with trackin' the kids. Magic stuff. But it's in Anthelion."
"Do you know where?" she asked worriedly. "It's a big city."
"University, last we know of," he said.
"…Hm. Well. I mean…" She took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how well… I mean, can some of you disguise yourselves? Is that possible?"
"I'm sure we can!" Papyrus said. "Well, some of us, not so much all of us, because I'm fairly sure you humans are not very tall and furry with horns, right?"
.
June mumbled something they couldn't discern. She laughed; sounded like she didn't quite believe what was happening. "Okay. Yes. If… If we can figure this out. Yes."
Toriel squeezed Sans's shoulder.
"What, really?" he asked. "Just like that?"
"This is too bizarre," she said. "If this'll fix things, I… I'll take you. To Anthelion," she said. "…I'm supposed to be the Ambassador, after all. I… I was supposed to live in your town, wasn't I?"
"You're still welcome to," Gaster said.
"And I want to," June said. "And if there's kids missing; if this helps, I want to help."
"Aah! This is exciting! Thank you so much!" Papyrus said brightly.
"Just, um…" The woman laughed at herself quietly. "Oh my god. Okay. It's going to be a long trip. Tell me… Tell me where to pick you up."