a real heroic spearpoint wedding chapter 71
A typhoon of blue and red bore down upon Hotland, a bluster of raging scales and steam that slammed into the lab so hard that even its locked, reinforced door couldn't withstand her. The metal buckled at the impact of her foot and, panting, yellow eye gleaming, Undyne crashed inside, scaring the shadowcat sitting at Alphys's computer into a puddle of himself.
.
"Where is Gaster?" she growled.
"Wh…?" The shadowy mass quickly shot up in his seat again into a form more resembling himself. "What's going on? Wait, is that…?" His dark eyes glistened like polished glass. "Sans?"
"Where's Gaster?!" Undyne demanded again.
"Wait, wait wait, what's going on?" Scathkath rushed over. A second to process had his ears drooping low. "Oh no."
"Is he here?!" she pressed. "YO?! GASTER?!"
"Wait, relax, okay, hang on," the shadowcat said quickly. "H-He's… He's not here, he's at the CORE."
"Get him. Get him, now," Undyne said.
"But what happened, I…? H-Here, I can take him." He held out his arms. "It's alright. I'm his uncle."
Undyne reflexively drew the skeleton back into her chest. The shadow cat smiled sympathetically.
"Okay, you wanna hold him, that's fine, too. Let me at least…" He put his hand on Sans's head and his entire body rippled with a shiver, his whiskers bending at jagged, sharp angles. "H-He's so c-cold! Are you healing him?"
"Of course I am!" Her voice cracked a little. "It's just not really my thing, okay?!" She leaned towards him. "Are you a doctor?"
Scathkath smiled nervously. "Nnnnot a medical one." He patted her on the shoulder. "Listen, how's about you go on downstairs? We got stuff to help down there. And I'll get G for you, okay?"
"…Fine. Fine. Okay." Undyne stormed to the elevator. "Hurry up!"
The shadowcat pulled out his phone. "Already on it!"
.
The ride down in the elevator was the longest one Undyne had ever taken. She clutched the icy skeleton close, gritting her teeth; cursing herself to the ground.
.
Undyne was out and running the second the doors gave way. She brought Sans to a large room where there was already a bed waiting and some medical equipment scattered around. The déjà vu came with an intense agita, too.
.
Gripping Sans tight, Undyne stood beside a bed with pink blankets for a few long seconds. The thought of laying the skeleton down made her nauseous. What if she stopped healing and he just crumbled to dust?
.
She lugged her charge around in one arm as she dragged a loose magic drip close to the bed and shoved a capsule of green liquid into its stand. Nervous sweat beaded at her brow as she opened Sans's hoodie to expose bare bone and his blue soul glowing faintly inside his ribcage. She gritted her teeth as she forced her hand steady and drew the tube of the drip up through his bones and stuck the end of it into his soul. She stared down at him nervously. When he didn't fall apart, she blew out a long, heavy sigh.
"You stupid asshole," she growled under her breath. "I can't believe it. Why did you leave?!" She pressed the heel of her hand hard against her brow and snarled. "Idiot."
.
Though she still couldn't bring herself to release him completely, she settled him onto the bed. With one hand clamped solidly onto his wrist, she used the other to check his vitals again. SOULSCN hardly knew what to make of him. Under his dismal number was a warning— the app thought that either it was broken or that funeral arrangements were in order.
"Don't you dare," she growled at him. "Do you hear me?! Don't. You. Dare."
.
The distant ding of the elevator was the sweetest sound in the world. Undyne's shoulders sagged as another monster rushed in. She could tell from the heaviness of the footfalls that it wasn't Gaster, but Toriel was more than welcome, too. She checked back over her shoulder in time to see the huge, white monster rush into the room. Toriel put her hand to her mouth, eyes wide, and raced to Undyne's side. She reached down for Sans, putting her huge paw against his frosty forehead.
"What on earth happened?" she asked.
"I dunno, he was like this when I got to him," Undyne said. "Where's Papyrus, is he okay?"
"He's… acting very unlike himself. But he's on his way." Toriel grimaced. Her fingers glowed with lavender, her magic seeping gentle healing across the skeleton's bones. "Oh dear…" Her ears pinned back and she turned sympathetic eyes on Undyne. "You can take a break if you need to. I have him."
Undyne gulped. She unhooked her fingers from their stiff, vice grip around Sans's wrist. He stayed right where he was. A small sigh slipped from her and her shoulders sagged.
.
"Sans? Honey?" Toriel leaned close to the skeleton. "Can you hear me? It's mom. Stay with me, alright? Papyrus will be here soon."
At the sound of his brother's name, the glow in Sans's chest brightened just a tiny bit. Toriel's eyes widened and Undyne's ears perked up.
"That's gotta be better than nothing, right?" the fish monster said. "He's not totally gone, right?!"
Toriel looked up at her. "Do you know where his father is?"
"That cat was gonna get him." Undyne folded her arms tight and growled, pacing the length of the bed quickly. "Shit. Shit shit shit."
"Deep breaths, hun."
Undyne stomped to a halt. "How are you so calm?!"
"I'm not." Toriel smiled ruefully. "But if I do not keep everything stable…"
"Right." Undyne ran her fingers through her hair. "Right. Yeah. Shit." She drew in a long, deep breath. "You're right. Sorry, I—"
"Set up a second one of these, will you?" Toriel nodded her head at the magic drip. "Just in case."
.
Undyne swallowed her words and got to work as fast as she could. She had just barely finished by the time the elevator chimed again. Papyrus came in, walking with stiff legs; Suzy hanging onto his arm. His gaze was distant and hollow.
"Paps," Undyne said worriedly. She shook her head and stormed up to him; Suzy slipped out of the way. "Paps, snap outta it, okay?! You alright?!"
"I… I just can't believe… I didn't notice," he said softly.
"I can!" Undyne grabbed his shoulder. "Look at you, you're outta your head." She pointed towards Toriel and Sans. "Go see him, okay?"
Papyrus perked. "Is he up?"
"Uh. Not exactly, but—"
The skeleton wilted so dramatically Undyne thought he might fall over. She grabbed him and hugged him tight. His soul warbled against her; it didn't feel good at all.
.
Suzy, standing alone in the middle of the room, was a bristling little mess. She snuck over to the bedside and sunk her claws into the blankets. She cautiously stood on her toes to look over at the heap of skeleton. Toriel placed a gentle hand on her head and rubbed her hair. Suzy looked up at her, then back at Sans. She gritted her teeth and carefully reached out and touched his hand. A chill rippled all through her scales, from snout to tail. Her lip curled and she let out a loud growl, whipping around and racing from the room.
.
"Little one?" Toriel asked worriedly.
"H-Hey, squirt!" Undyne called after her.
Papyrus's eyes went wide. "What happened?"
"Ugh." Undyne went to follow her, but doubled back, putting her hand on Papyrus's shoulder. "Go sit with your mom, okay?" She gave him a squeeze. "Sans is… gonna be okay. We'll… We'll think of something, right?"
"R… Right. Right!" His face brightened and he looked a little more like himself. "We will! You're right."
She nodded with a very steady, serious frown, and then took off down the hall after the small crocodaur.
.
Suzy hadn't gone far. She was back down the hallway where the elevator doors were, but she was sitting curled up with her face hidden in her arms. Undyne slowed. A tiny crater cracked into part of the wall near the little monster. She cringed.
"Hey, uh… Kid?"
Suzy growled something, but it was lost in the folds of her sleeves. Undyne sighed. She rubbed her claws through her hair and then plodded over to sit beside the kid.
"…You okay?" she asked.
"Do I look okay?" Suzy grumbled.
Undyne cursed herself. "Heh. You're right. Stupid question," she said. "Hey. He's gonna be fine."
"I can't believe this," the kid growled. She looked up with wet streaks running down her face. "I-I screwed up."
Undyne blinked. "What?!"
"I-I was s'posed t'watch him and I g-guess I just did a really bad job?" Suzy said shrilly.
"Wait, wh…?! Nooo, no no no, squirt, no way, I was the one who was watching him; it wouldn't have mattered if you were or not, he wouldda fallen anyway."
"S-So everything I did was useless?" she looked up at Undyne with big, watery eyes.
"Aaah! Shit, no! Suz, that's not what I meant! Guuhhhh…" Undyne leaned her head back and rubbed her hair. "Ugh. Sorry. I'm so bad at this. What I mean was… You didn't do anything wrong. This had nothin' to do with you, okay?"
"B-But Miss Toriel said it was my job to—"
Undyne sighed. "Look. Squirt. We just… We wanted you to feel useful, y'know? And we know you definitely helped Sans out, yeah? But… Listen, you're just a kid. This ain't on you. Okay? You did a good job but this going wrong isn't your responsibility."
.
Suzy drew in a loud, rough sniffle. She growled and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I hate this. Why'd he have to go and… Ugh." She folded her arms and pouted. "D-Do you think he's gonna be okay?"
"I… I mean. Yeah. He's… gotta be." Undyne flinched at her own words, hoping the kid wouldn't notice. She didn't know how'd they'd get through this without him, but if Sans had fallen down… She gulped and let out a long, deep breath. "We'll figure something out."
"We better," the kid grumbled.
Undyne couldn't help a small smile. "You're real attached to 'im, huh? That's… kinda nice."
"It's just…!" Suzy gestured in exasperation. She huffed. "This… Ugh. This is lame, but it's like… He was… He was the first person who saw me, you know?! I know it was 'cause all of this dumb time void stuff that I felt so weird, but he treated me like… I dunno. Like I was… normal? But I guess I needed that?! I know it's stupid but—"
"No it's not."
Suzy's scales flushed. "A-Anyway. Without him almost walking into the river I never wouldda met any of you guys and I… I know I'm just some kid, but I—"
For some reason, this was very familiar to Undyne, but the voice that accompanied the words in her memory was missing.
"Hey. Knock it off. You're too hard on yourself," she said. She reached out and ruffled the kid's scruffy mop of hair. "You're real stubborn, y'know?"
Suzy sniffled. She wiped the end of her snout on the back of her hand and then slumped miserably.
"…Want a hug?" Undyne asked.
The kid barely nodded, so Undyne pulled her up onto her lap and let her huddle close.
.
The next time the elevator's arrival sounded, Gaster was out and sprinting down the hall before the door had even fully opened or Undyne could say a word to him. Alphys scrambled out, too, wide-eyed and hands shaking as she clutched tight to a laptop.
"Gaster! Ah…" She looked at Undyne. "Wh-What's going o-on, is everything o-okay?!"
"Uhhhh…" Undyne glanced down at Suzy. "Nnnnno?" She leaned forward a little. "Hey, I know the stuff with Sans is urgent, but can you check on Papyrus for me, too? He's been acting weird."
"Papyrus? B-But he's so strong, why would…?" Alphys's jaw dropped. "O-Oh my g-god." She took off like her tail was on fire.
Undyne and Suzy shared a look.
.
By the time they got back, the room Sans rested in was swarming with flocks of dark, magic hands, pulling equipment around and getting computers up and running. Gaster cradled his son in his real arms, his face blank except for the softest furrow in his brow. Toriel had her hand on his back reassuringly and a soft aura of healing magic warmed the air like the scent of fresh baking. Wires already trailed from the short skeleton, putting his abysmal health rating on display for all to see.
.
Alphys grabbed onto Papyrus moved him to sit on one of the chairs, which he did not resist in the slightest.
"Papyrus, t-take off your shirt," she ordered, pulling the magic drip up to him. "Right n-now."
He did, and she instantly started hooking him up to the magic capsule. As soon as she finished, Gaster's magic hands dragged one of the computers on a rolling table over to them.
"O-Oh crap, n-not you, too!" Suzy squeaked, racing up to him.
"Aw, little friend, don't worry about me," he said.
"But you're not allowed to be sick!"
"He's… H-He's going to be fine," Alphys assured them as she hooked a node up to his bones and connected it to the computer.
Undyne raised her brow. "…You sure?"
Alphys nodded. "Y-Yeah. It's… It's his soulbond. With h-his brother. It's… drained him a lot. Like how some people get really c-cold or shaky after a b-big injury?" She looked at Papyrus. "It's m-making your mind feel kind of foggy, right? Like it's a dream?"
"…I think so?" he said, tilting his head to the side. "Ugh. We need to hurry, though, I have to help."
"O-Okay, you, um…" Alphys checked the screen: Papyrus's health looked perfectly fine— robust, even— but a confused warning wondered if overworksies were imminent. She took a deep breath. "Just… wait. Okay? You should feel m-more like yourself in a few minutes. Just stay put." She patted him on the leg and then looked back at Gaster. "Gaster? How's Sans?"
.
Gaster jolted at the sound of his name. Toriel rubbed his back. He sighed quietly.
"Not good, I'm afraid," he said. "If I'm right, this is worse than he was before the kids left."
"But he… sounded so much better, though," Papyrus said quietly.
"Is it because of that… phantom? Or whatever it was?" Toriel asked.
"With the way the world is shifting, it could be any number of variables," Gaster said. "But I have to admit, I would be pretty shocked if that attack had nothing to do with this." He carefully passed Sans into Toriel's waiting arms and straightened up. "I don't have time to figure out the exact cause. And I'm not sure it matters. We have to get him and Papyrus stable, first."
"And then we gotta get him up, right? What's the plan?" Undyne asked, though the reply was a stiff, uncomfortable silence. "What?! Come on, it can't be nothing!"
.
Alphys grimaced. She reached out and touched Undyne's hand and lowered her voice. "Captain, he… h-he's…" Her eyes welled up and she gulped. "He f-fell d-d-down."
"Yeah, I know that," Undyne said quickly. "But this is Sans we're talking about; he's built super weird. And he needs to get those kids, right?! Or, we do?!" She growled. "There has to be something." She whirled on Papyrus. "Hey!"
The skeleton jolted. "Yes, Captain?"
She strode over to him and held his face. "What did I tell you about waking up?!"
"I-I'm trying!" he protested. "I…" His fingers touched on the cable that flowed magic into his soul and he blinked. "Oh. I aaaaaam not well, am I?"
"You're going to be okay, Paps," Gaster said quickly, keeping his voice low and gentle. "Give yourself a minute. It's a big shock to your system."
"Is it?! I…" He looked at Sans and winced. His eyes roamed the screens around them and his soul pulsed in his ribcage. He jumped up so quickly that the capsule of magic attached to him yanked from its stand and Undyne had to stumble to catch it. "There's no way! I can't just keep sitting around like this!"
"Whoa, dude, relax!" Undyne said.
"Sweetheart!" Toriel said shrilly. "Please, we can't have anything happen to you, too."
"Don't worry, mom, I… Nyehhh…" He knocked on the side of his skull and straightened up, puffing his chest out. "I am the great Papyrus, after all, nothing is going to happen to me!" He carefully took his brother from her and held him close. "If I can just…"
.
Papyrus's magic bristled around his shoulders like unruly static. "Come on. Coooome on."
Undyne hurriedly grabbed him and pressed her soul close, gritting her teeth and channeling her magic through his, the same as she'd done with Sans before. Her cyan flared in Papyrus's eyes for just an instant before his whole being beamed with gold, save for a spot of white shining on his brow, to the audible alarm of everyone else. The readings on his soul glitched the equipment, shifted to nines in yellow, repeating indefinitely. Sans's all-but-nought gained back a tiny decimal point, the buffer marked in as simply unusual.
"Is it working?!" he demanded.
"Uhh… Uuuuuuhhhhhh…" Alphys raced to the computer and expanded the data. She frowned with confusion as she read it all. "It's…! H-He's draining but whatever you're doing is a-at least keeping it within a point or two?"
"Nyeh heh! Then…! Then! I will just keep going!" Papyrus said.
"You can't sustain that indefinitely," Gaster said quickly.
Toriel got to her feet and threw her arms around the other monsters, her own magic commingling with theirs. The boost to Sans became a little more stable.
"My goodness, do you two feel that?" Toriel said.
"Feel what?" Undyne asked.
"It's… like there's a boulder on him." Her magic flared, twisting into Papyrus's glow like streaks of early evening. "What else can we do?"
"What's the point?" Suzy asked dismally. Her eyes were watering again. "I-Isn't he… just gonna turn to dust anyway?"
"He may not," Gaster said. "If we just had a little more time, then…" He froze and stiffly looked at his blackened hand. "Oh."
"Oh?!" Papyrus repeated.
.
Gaster rushed to Suzy and bent down, gently holding her shoulders. "Little one. When that… thing. Came into our world. And he spoke to you. May I…? May I attempt to see it?"
"See it?" Suzy repeated, brow raising. She quickly wiped her eyes. "How?"
"If you allow it, I can view a memory of yours," he said. "It will not hurt, but I will experience everything you did, so it can be very invasive. However. Something that was described… That greyness…"
The kid's eyes grew wide. "Yeah! Yeah, do it."
Gaster cracked a smile. "Thank you." His magic let out a low hum and he gently touched against her soul spot with one hand and her temple with another as he bent and touched his brow against her head.
.
Suzy went stiff. Gaster did, too. The light around them looked as if it dimmed, distorting the air. After a long, deep breath, the skeleton yanked back, eyes wide.
"Bain mo cloigeann," he muttered.
"You saw him?" Suzy asked.
"I did. Thank you." Gaster got to his feet and stared at his dark hand. "I wonder…"
"D-Did you find something?" Alphys asked.
"Maybe. He… performed stasis, didn't he?"
"I… think that's what he said," Suzy said, nodding quickly. "Yeah! That jerk asked me why I could move in it when—"
"When Sans could not." the skeleton's eyes brightened. "I have it."
.
Gaster reached out and held Sans's soul in deep indigo. "You can let him go."
"Are you sure?!" Papyrus asked.
"I am. Don't worry."
Papyrus flinched. His arms were stiff and his withdrawal was cautious, but he released his brother, who stayed floating solidly in the air. Toriel gently pulled him back and Undyne finally let go of him. Papyrus's glow shimmered and dimmed down until his bones looked normal. He wiped his brow. Gaster shot him a reassuring smile.
"You did wonderfully. All of you. Thank you."
Dark magic swirled in the gap of his right hand and he drew a circle of grey in the air around his son. Repositioning, he traced another to intersect with it. He rested his hand in the air above Sans's chest and let the colour seep from the world within.
"Sans. If you can hear me. We have you," he said quietly. "You will be safe. I will wake you as soon as I can."
The grey void filled the space as if pouring from the hole in Gaster's hand. He drew it back slowly until a glassy, timeless orb hovered effortlessly in the air. Sans's health, stuck in time, stayed exactly where it was.
.
The relief in the room was palpable. Papyrus darted forward, pressing his hands up against the orb.
"Eeeee, c-careful, those things are r-really cold!" Alphys said.
"Yeeessss, it's pretty much freezing," he said, though he didn't budge, his eyes fixed on his brother.
Gaster rubbed his eye sockets. Worriedly, Toriel held his shoulders and planted a gentle kiss on the top of his head.
"Would you like me to get Asgore?" she asked quietly.
"…Not yet. Thank you," he said.
Undyne cautiously touched the orb with her fingertips, only to draw back instantly, shaking her hand out. "Jeez, Alph, you weren't kidding."
"Hah, n-nooope," the lizard said quietly.
"So what now?" Undyne asked.
"I… I need a little time," Gaster said quietly. "Even with the preparations he made, I'm… not sure if the time machine is viable without him."
"W-What?!" Alphys squeaked. "B-But we put all that time—! All those r-resources into it; we can't just—"
"Can I go? I'm smaller than him, so I'd be small enough to fit, right?" Suzy asked.
.
Alphys unconsciously shook her head, while the others turned their gazes worriedly on Gaster.
"Sweetheart, I'm… not sure if that's possible," Toriel said softly.
"What's the problem? I-I'm strong," Suzy said.
Gaster cracked a smile. He bent down and the kid let him embrace her.
"You are so brave. Thank you," he said. "I am too afraid to allow you to go. For the same reason I can't go myself, yet. The void in our souls. We have no idea how the machine will react to that."
"O-Oh," she said, drooping. "So, what, we're…? We're just stuck?"
"What about me?" Papyrus turned to them. "Sans lost some red magic ooze when he got hit in the hallway and I think I absorbed it?! Maybe?! So, could it be…?" He froze, wide-eyed. "O-Oh no, is that why he fell so fast?! Because I—?!"
"It wouldn't be that, Paps," Gaster assured him, straightening up. "The way the DT exists in him, it's like any other magic. If the same thing happened to you or to… anyone, really, the absorption of your magic would not result in you having less down the line. You would simply regenerate back to normal."
"…M-Maybe he was too weak to?" Alphys wondered. "Or… Or it happened too slowly?"
"That's… a little more likely," the old skeleton admitted.
"So, what, does that mean we just get more DT and shoot it into him?" Undyne asked.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Gaster said. "He needs… more than just that. And I doubt his bones will be able to handle the human kind we have."
"Monster determination, then," Undyne said. "Or from the CORE?"
"D-Drawing from the CORE is… g-going to take some time," Alphys said. "But that might be the m-most viable…?" She looked at Gaster questioningly.
.
Gaster cupped his chin, his mismatched eyes staring off as if to read something written in the air that the others couldn't see.
"I'm afraid I don't completely follow," Toriel said apologetically, "but… I… do have a little extra myself. Perhaps that could be given to him?"
"Same," Undyne said. "A lot, right?"
"Oh! Me too!" Papyrus said. "Could we do that?"
"You are both extremely kind," Gaster said. "It isn't just that, however. The determination itself is just part of it. His form is not able to hold HP properly right now. It hasn't since the kids left. He would need a stronger infusion of power than I have safe access to just to keep him upright. Distilled magic and DT from the CORE was a large part of how he came into being, though. And… for you three, I'm afraid drawing from you may also do you harm. It's not an easy or pleasant process, and it's very, very fickle. So, Alphys, I think you're right. I do believe that could revive him, at least long enough to finish this."
"That sounds amazing! How long would it take?" Papyrus asked.
"Weeks," Alphys said sheepishly.
"Weeks?!" Papyrus barked.
"Uuuhh, sorry, Doc, do we have that much time?!" Undyne demanded. "I had two shifts drop on me today already, and that's just the crap that I remember!"
"If the world is deteriorating as it is," Toriel said, "is there any other option but to send Sans out? In other words, must it be him? If someone else could use his machine, could this not be avoided?"
"I don't know of anyone who could withstand it but him," Gaster said. "And, maybe, myself, if I had any certainty about how it would react to the void in my soul. To be clear, throwing myself to the void is not my concern, but tearing the machine apart with me is."
"And also you're too big," Suzy said.
The skeleton let out a hoarse chuckle. "That, too. Plus, almost anyone else compromises its use as a beacon for the kids. It's…" He sighed. "It's a tough situation."
"We have been in tough situations before," Toriel said. "We will figure this out."
"Oh! Could we make the pod thingy bigger?" Suzy said.
"That'd compromise hull integrity," Gaster said
The kid stared back blankly. The skeleton smiled apologetically.
"The metal plates are made from things found down here underground but also some things from the human world. Making the machine bigger would make some of it too thin to be stable. For example, a t-shirt versus a coat when you need to keep warm."
"Oh."
.
Undyne rubbed her temples. She looked over the skeleton suspended in grey. He looked like he was having a decent nap, despite everything.
"Great," she grumbled. Her frown twisted into a sardonic grin. "At least he gets to rest for a bit, huh?"
"I would prefer if he were resting in a bed instead of outside the confines of time and space," Papyrus said. "But if this is what we have to do…" He sighed. "Is it bad that I miss him already? He has to be okay after all of this, or I'm going to be extremely grouchy with him."
Toriel reached out and wrapped him in her arms. "You did wonderfully, hun," she assured him. "I'm sure that, when he wakes up, he will feel warm and refreshed, thanks to you."
.
"S-So. Um." Alphys stared up at Sans and gulped heavily. "Should I… st-start the prep?"
"That would be perfect," Gaster said. "Oh. And. If Scath's done with the evacuation—"
"What evacuation?" Undyne asked quickly.
"W-With the CORE a-as it is right now, we're a-asking the people closest t-to it to, um, move t-to another region f-for a little while," Alphys said. "Just to be safe."
"Oh my goodness." Toriel's ears drooped.
"What the hell? Do you need any help?" Undyne demanded.
"We have it handled for the time being," Gaster assured her. "In any case, Alph, he can probably help you out if you need an extra set of paws."
"G-Got it," she said. She began to leave, but then doubled back and took Papyrus's hands. "H-Hey. He's going to be fine. I… I know h-he will. It's… I-It's all gonna be okay."
"I know." He bent and gave her a hug. "Thanks."
The lizard blushed. She lingered for just a moment more before raising her hand and heading for the elevator. "G-Ganbattene."
.
"Sorry to go above your head, Captain," Gaster said.
"Just gimme a call next time, alright?!" Undyne said. "I can move guards faster than you guys can."
"Fair enough." He folded his arms, his finger bones rattling audibly against them. He let out a deep sigh and gritted his teeth as he stared deep into the timeless orb. "Papyrus, how do you feel now?"
"A lot better on one hand and pretty awful on the other one," he said. He snuck a little closer to his father. "Dad, I'm… so sorry I didn't act quickly, I—"
"What?" Gaster's eyes widened. "Don't apologize, that was in no way your fault."
"But if Undyne hadn't showed, up, he…" Papyrus's breath hitched. "H-He would have…" He coughed and cleared his throat, straightening up as fast as he could, and he turned on Undyne with bright eyes. "Thank you so much."
Undyne waved her hand at him. "That's my job, Paps." She rubbed her hair. "Man, what a mess. Suz, how you doin'?"
"Bad," Suzy said.
"Ah."
.
"Little ones. I'm sorry to interject," Toriel said. "But, it's been such a rough little while. Why don't you take a short walk around. Get some air. Especially you, Papyrus— find something to nourish yourself, after all that. I think it'd do you some good."
"I'm okay, mom, I promise!" Papyrus assured her. "Besides! I—"
"She's right," Undyne said, catching Toriel's eye. "A-Actually!" She grinned bashfully. "Since I kinda got warped to wherever-the-hell, I kinda forgot some stuff at your house. What d'ya think, go grab some spaghet and my stuff, then come right back?"
"Oh! You can just go right into the house if you want! Weeeee do not have a door any more," he said.
Undyne frowned. "Papyrus. C'mon. Suz, what about you?"
Suzy shrugged. Undyne scooped her up, and then seized Papyrus's hand and pulled him towards the upstairs. "Lessgo. Won't be long."
"If you could bring my notebook as well, I would be very grateful," Toriel called.
"On it!"
.
Papyrus called a goodbye back to them, but the second they were out of view, Toriel's attention rested squarely on Gaster. The rattling of his bones had only grown louder.
"Gaster," she said gently.
The skeleton's eyes stayed firmly locked ahead, but they began to glisten. He ground his teeth together and put a shaking hand to his brow. He rested the other against the glassy, grey orb. His voice could raise to no more than a whisper. "Tá brón orm. Tá brón orm."
"Gaster," Toriel said again, gently holding his shoulder.
He buckled and she caught him, wrapping him in her arms as they sunk to the floor.
"It's alright," she cooed. "It's going to be alright."
"I failed them," he muttered.
"You have not."
.
The skeleton huffed out a rough, ragged breath. Toriel could feel his tears wetting the fur of her neck. She shushed him gently and snuggled him up, cradling his skull.
"Would you like me to call Asgore now?" she asked.
"I c-can't burden him with this," he said softly.
"Why not?" she asked. "You're family. Of course you can."
Gaster shook his head. "I… am sorry to put this on your shoulders, as well."
"Shush, you silly creature," she said. "…Honestly. I believe he'd like to know."
"I just n-need…" He took a deep breath. "Just a little more time."
"What can I do?"
"I don't know." He finally— reluctantly— pulled himself from her and got back to his feet, taking her hand to pull her up as well. He wiped his face on his hand. "This is… pathetic. I… I can't become useless."
"You won't." Toriel frowned at him. "Gaster. Come now. This is too much. As Sans would say, he's just… hanging around right now." She traced a circle in the air and Gaster couldn't help an amused snort. "He's not in pain. We know that. So. Let's just… calm down. As much as we can. And take our time."
.
The skeleton winced. He gripped one hand tight with the other, his fingers tracing the empty space in his left hand. He shook his head and hurried to the nearest table and grabbed some paper and began to write. "I hope we have the time to take." He frowned. "I… have to make this up to him. To you. Everyone."
"Gaster, please. It's not your fault."
"It is. But. That doesn't help us now."
Toriel frowned deeply. She snuck up behind him and peered over his shoulder— he was already writing down some notes about the time machine from the discussion they'd had. He was emphasizing the sizing issue of the machine.
"We are not sending in just your torso," she warned.
Gaster put his hands up. "I— I didn't even suggest—"
"Do not."
"…Though." The skeleton looked thoughtful. "I could theoretically replace my legs if—"
"Do. Not."
xXxXx
The first order of business back in Snowdin was to heave the solid door from the snow across the road from the house and plunk it back into its frame at the top of the steps. Part of the living room was already coated in a thin sprinkling of white that didn't quite want to melt.
.
Beside the steps. Sans's mailbox looked fit to burst. Not unusual on its face, but what was unusual was there was a package sticking halfway out of it. Undyne grabbed it and found it addressed to Suzy. Squished inside was a round, rainbow lizard stuffy, sent by Opurl. The kid blushed at the sight of it, but surreptitiously stashed it inside her slightly-too-big hoodie.
.
Papyrus was quiet. Too much so for Undyne's liking. Still a little slower than usual; still lost in his own world. It wasn't nearly as bad as before, but she still didn't like seeing him like this. He'd hardly said a word on the way there, and all he'd done since they got in was politely excuse himself to check Toriel's room for her notebook.
.
As Undyne grabbed the soup from the fridge and began to transfer it to a thermos, that feeling of déjà vu came at her again.
"Hey, um, Undyne?" Suzy peeked into the kitchen and held up a little handheld game system. "Do you think it's okay if I keep borrowing this?"
"Uh. Sure? Just don't save over anyone's game, I guess."
"Kay."
The big monster paused and frowned slightly. "Hey. Suz. This, uh… All this stuff, it's gonna… probably get really boring. So. Don't feel bad if you change your mind and wanna go to Opurl's, even for a day, okay?"
"Kay," she said again. "I… dunno. Think I wanna stay with Papyrus. He… I mean. Who's he gonna run around with him while Sans is, y'know… in a bubble?"
Undyne smirked. "Nice of you, kid."
Suzy nodded and leaned against the doorframe, looking up the stairs curiously.
"What d'you think your mom was looking for?"
"My…?" She snickered. "Toriel's not my mom."
"What?! She's not?! I thought she was everyone's mom?!" She squinted at her. "Are you sure you didn't forget?"
"Pretty sure, squirt."
"Then… where is your mom?" she asked.
"Ah. Gone. Long time ago," Undyne said.
"Ugh. Me too. Sorry," Suzy said. "I don't remember. D'you remember yours?"
"Yeah."
"…Nice."
"Yeah."
.
Undyne finished up with the soup, then started a kettle of water boiling. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the metal and winced. She brushed her claws through her bangs and then gently touched her eyepatch. Still the wrong eye. Still felt weird.
"Hey, Paps?" she called. Her ears lifted, but there was no answer.
"He's taking kinda a long time," Suzy said. "Must be an important book."
"Hm? Oh. Nah. Probably not," Undyne said, leaning back on the counter.
The kid cocked her head to the side. "I don't get it."
"I think Toriel just wanted a bit of space for the Doc," she said, and she laughed quietly. "I… didn't really need anything but a walk, either."
"You guys are sneaky," Suzy said.
The big monster snickered. "Sorry. It wasn't a terrible plan to come back, though. You got your frog."
"He's a lizard."
"Heh. Okay. Lizard." She stretched. "Eh, I'll go check on him. Lemme know anything shifts, yeah?"
Suzy stuck her thumb up. Undyne mussed up the kid's hair as she passed.
.
Papyrus was still upstairs, laying on the bed in Toriel's room, staring at a crack in the ceiling as he clutched a notebook close to his chest. He scrambled upright quickly as Undyne entered, his cheekbones flushing.
"Hello, Undyne! Sorry, I—"
"Needed a nap?" she teased.
"Nyeh heh… Ah. No. Not exactly." He rubbed the back of his skull. "Never mind, it's—"
"This used to be Sans's room," she said.
Papyrus froze. The colour on his cheeks darkened. "Yooou see right through me, don't you?"
"Hey, you're a skeleton, it ain't hard," she said.
"…Nyeeeeehhhh I CAN'T BELIEVE…!" He rubbed his face, but couldn't help a quiet laugh and a grin. "Thank you, Captain. I think I needed that."
Undyne smirked and patted him on the shoulder. "I know. Anyway. You good here? Want a drink before we go?"
"I… I think I'm alright." He put his hand over his soul spot. "It's very strange, though. I think I still feel sick? It's a weird sensation, because I'm preeettyy sure I've never felt like this before." He sighed. "Then again, Sans has never fallen down before, even in all those other…" His eyes went wide and flashed with gold.
"What?" Undyne said.
"I… Hm. HMMM." Papyrus scratched his chin. "That's… unusual."
"What is?"
"Ah! Just. My memories. I think I have more of them."
"Oh. Yeah. That is weird at a time like this." Undyne scoffed and gently nudged him with her elbow. "Leave it to you to actually get something out of this mess."
"I'll have to ask Sans about it when he wakes up," he said.
"Good plan," she said. She tilted her head and pointed at the notebook. "Hey. You think your mom'd mind me stealin' a blank page out of there?"
He shook his head and tore one out from near the back and handed it over. He flinched suddenly and rubbed his head. "Oh."
"What?"
"Do you see… parts of the room that look like a different version of the room?"
"Uh. Nnnnno."
.
"Hey guys?" Suzy poked her head into the room. "Things shifted."
"Oh crap, what did?"
"Couch. It's plaid."
"Oh. That's not so bad," Papyrus said. "My pyjamas are plaid."
"You sleep?" Undyne teased, pulling out her phone to add it to the tracker app.
"Every once in a while!" He squinted at a corner of the room and then reached out a hand and brushed through nothing. "Hm. That's. Very. Weird."
"Can I have a snack?" Suzy asked. She pointed to the paper in Undyne's hand. "You gonna finish that?"
"Uh." Undyne smiled sideways. "Kinda need it, squirt. Lemme make you a cocoa or something."
"Oh," The crocodaur's tail wagged. "Cool, thanks."
xXxXx
When the monsters returned to the lab, Suzy and Papyrus made their way back downstairs while Undyne lingered on the ground floor. She twirled her paper, now folded sharply with a simple drawing of a shark on the outside of it. Poking around, she headed for Alphys's desk and opened the top drawer to slide it inside.
.
"Lookin' for something, Guard Captain?" Scathkath appeared nearby as if from nowhere, a teasing grin on his face. "Alphys is still out."
"Oh yeah?" Undyne hurried to close the drawer and stood before it. "Just, uh, tryin' to find some paperclips."
"Paperclips?" he repeated. He fished inside his pockets. "Uhh… I have. One." He put it in her hand.
"Uh. Thanks." She squished it out of shape out of reflex. "You happen to go downstairs?"
"Just for a minute." His ears drooped. "Poor kid. Lucky about G's void stuff, for once." He looked her up and down. "Hey. Not to pry. But. Are you doing any better? You looked about ready to bite my head off before."
"Oh. Heh. Sorry," she said. "I guess the whole situation kinda threw me off."
"I don't blame you. All this moving back and forth. And this… soul stuff." He put his hand to his chest and drew out the orange and black shine of his soul. "It's been. Whew. More than I expected. And, hell, I was a researcher on the monster soul for decades. Never expected to become an experiment myself. Oooor to have my wife become one, either."
"Mhm." Undyne folded her arms. "Sans really believed… Believes. In his sister. Her coming back and fixing stuff." Her brow furrowed. "We might have to do more of that on our own, but… I trust him."
"I'd like to meet this mysterious niece of mine," Scathkath admitted. "I hope I remember. Oof. I hope I'll exist. That'd be a pain if I didn't, huh?"
"Uh."
He winked and chuckled. "That was a joke. Mostly. Anyway, I—"
.
A faint rumble rattled the pens in a cup on Alphys's desk. Undyne jolted and some of the light in the lab shifted to red as large, crimson text appeared on the large screen.
.
CORE ALERT - MINOR SEISMIC ACTIVITY - RANK 3/10 - BE CAUTIOUS
.
"Oh, damn it, now what?" Scathkath said under his breath.
"Alphys is down there?" Undyne asked.
"Well, yeah, but—"
She took off at a sprint, bursting from the lab's eastern door in a blast of intense, orange heat.
.
Blazing through the heat, zooming past some worried guards, and slamming through the doors of the unusually empty MTT resort like a wrecking ball, Undyne arrived at the CORE tower, steaming and panting. She ran down the stairs until she came to the elevator; only then was she forced to stop. There were a lot of buttons, but the ones to push to get to Alphys were unclear.
.
"H-Hey!" Scathkath caught up to her, breathing hard as he prowled in in his four-legged form. "Damn, Captain, you can r-really take off when you want to, huh?"
"Gotta get to Alphys," she said.
The shadowcat reared back and his form rearranged. He straightened out his white hoodie and brushed his hands over his ears as he regained his regular shape and hurried in to join her. "So do I. Okay." He pushed a couple buttons and the elevator's doors slid shut and the whole thing dropped quickly.
Undyne growled and shoved herself against the wall. The metal floor rumbled uncomfortably beneath their feet. It sounded like thunder. Scathkath winced.
"Not ideal," he said quietly.
"What the hell's going on?" Undyne asked.
"Unusual seismic activity due to… whatever the hell's going on, sorry to say," he said. "I just got recruited today because I stuck my nose in it, so I'm also sorry to say I'm not a hundred percent up to date on everything."
.
Another unusual rattle made the elevator swing just enough to put the old cat off balance. Undyne grabbed his shoulders and held him steady until they clunked to the floor. The door opened onto an unassuming hallway of white and teal tiles and a couple fake, potted houseplants.
"Come on," the shadowcat said, jogging down the hall.
Undyne began to follow but a flicker in her vision stalled her. Her head hurt. What was she doing here again? Where the hell was this? She'd never seen a place like— The sound of her phone cut through her thoughts. She raised it up and checked the screen. It was a text from Papyrus.
.
"HELLO UNDYNE I WAS THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE AND IT STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN! I CANT BELIEVE IT?! YOU DONT THINK ITS ME, DO YOU?"
.
Undyne squinted. "What the hell?"
Another message.
.
"I SEE YOU ON ONE OF DADS SCREENS AND IM WAVING, I KNOW YOU CANT SEE ME BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW!"
.
Undyne squinted curiously. She looked around. There was a dark, glassy orb in the corner. She stuck her hand up and got another text.
.
"WAVE RECEIVED! NYEH HEH HEH!" A second's pause, then: "IS EVERYTHING OKAY THERE? I ASSUME YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ALPHYS?"
.
"Al…?" Undyne's mind ached. She blinked and her soul sunk in her chest— Alphys, and that earthquake, that's why she was here. She snarled at herself and took off at a run. "Alphys!"
Her phone buzzed again but she had to ignore it, apologizing to Papyrus in her head.
.
Still a little dizzy, she burst into a control room filled with computer stuff, none of which looked too happy with the rumbling in to CORE. Alphys was pacing, a weepy-eyed mess. Scathkath's ears were pinned back, his hands out as if he were begging.
"Hun, it's not…! Look, I'm sure we can—"
"N-No, no no no, i-it's not stable enough, i-it's…? I don't know h-how… We'd have to st-stabilize each i-individual—"
"There has to be a way," he said. "Maybe we could take turns. Draw some manually."
"To get e-enough would take even longer, I…" She gulped. "A-And I'm n-n-not anywhere n-near strong enough to go d-down into the chamber wh-when it's r-reactive, I—"
"What's going on here?" Undyne asked. "You guys okay?"
.
Alphys whirled around to face her, eyes wide and terrified. "G-Guard Captain? Oh no. Oh no no no, I—! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I…!" She dropped to her knees and bowed all the way down until her snout was almost touching the floor. "I didn't mean for—! I'm… It's very important but I'd never…!"
"Whoa, Alph, what the hell?" Undyne bent to one knee and gently sat the lizard back up. "What you doin'?"
"I didn't m-m-mean to make things shake, I swear," Alphys said shrilly, her glasses misting up.
"You didn't make it shake, what are you talking about?" Undyne said. "It's all this time crap going nuts, right?"
The lizard stared at her, her jaw falling open. "It's… Oh… Oh my god."
"Tell me what's wrong," she said.
"It's the extractors," Scathkath said, ears drooping.
Tears began to pour down beneath Alphys's glasses. "…I need t-to… To help my friend. But… B-But the extractors, they w-won't…"
"Relax. Relax. Hey." Undyne dragged the lizard into a hug. "S'gonna be okay. Deep breaths, y'nerd."
.
Alphys squeaked. Her scales flushed hot. But, she took some deep breaths as the blue monster squished her and, finally, stopped shaking. "I'm s-sorry," she muttered.
"Chill out. You're okay," Undyne said. She drew back. "Tell me again. This about Sans?"
"I n-need to get magic and D-DT for him distilled from the CORE," Alphys said slowly, trying very deliberately to steady her words. "B-But as long as things are sh-shaking like this, they… They won't start p-properly."
"We can try shoring it up with indigo magic," Scathkath suggested. "Or… even black magic might be possible, but as it is now…" His ears drooped. "It's… kind of all up in the air?"
Alphys shook her head miserably. "I-If it keeps getting worse, it just… i-it definitely won't be possible until the earthquakes st-stop, a-a-and…" She put her hands to her cheeks. "Wh-What am I gonna t-tell Gaster? What am I gonna t-t-tell Papyrus?"
.
Undyne's ears drooped. She got to her feet and gently helped Alphys up with her. Her eyes fixed on the screens of the CORE. On the darkest one, her reflection glared back at her. She was exhausted all of a sudden. She rested her fingers above her soul spot and she grimaced.
"I… I might know what to do," she said.
"Y-You do?!" Alphys squeaked.
"I know that look in your eye," Scathkath said. "You look like you just had a good idea"
"Either that or a real stupid one," she said. "Goin' back to the lab."
"…I'll come, t-too," Alphys said. "I-I'll… have to break the news."
xXxXx
By the time the monsters returned to the floor beneath the lab, Gaster had regained enough composure that he seemed frosty and mechanical. He and his phantom hands kept monitor over Sans's condition and a feed of what was going on in the CORE as well. Papyrus had taken up a vigil near the timeless space that held his dozing brother, while Toriel lingered with Suzy on the bed, reading her a book.
.
As soon as the three incomers drew close, Gaster whirled from his post and rushed over to meet them.
"Trouble?"
"I'm s-so sorry," Alphys said softly. "Everything i-is—"
"It's a mess, G, whatever's going on is screwing with the instruments," Scathkath said.
"Then…" The old skeleton grimaced. "We… We will just have to find some solution. I can—"
Alphys squeaked. "B-But it's n-not pos—"
"I think I got somethin', Doc," Undyne said. Her eye darted over to the grey orb, and to Papyrus, who got up and shot her a welcome smile as he headed to join them. Her shoulders relaxed. "So, this crap, it's gonna be undone, right? After this is all over?"
"It will. The world's been off for too long; my daughter will set it back when we ask her," Gaster said. "I'm afraid it's the only way to fix a lot of the damage at this point. Why?"
"Right." She clenched her fists. "So. How 'bout." She nodded her head towards Sans. "Instead of him stuck in there. Put me in."
.
"What?!" Papyrus yelped.
"You're joking?!" Scathkath yelped.
"Wh…?!" Gaster looked equally alarmed. "You can't be serious."
"I'm a hundred percent serious," she said with a steady frown. "Let me do that soul-link crap with him. I'll give him everything I got, then stick me in the stupid bubble."
"B-But, Captain Undyne…!" Alphys squeaked, face flushing. "That's so… brave. And dangerous!"
Undyne stared down at her, a fond, sad smile crossing her face. "Dude, I said you don't gotta call me Captain, okay? And I'm already falling apart, here. My mind's been slipping for days. S'not comfortable, you know? I could use a little rest." She shrugged. "Besides. He's the only one who can use his weird time machine. You need him to solve this. So." She turned her resolute gaze on Gaster. "Let me give him back to you."
.
Gaster grimaced. "I can't—"
"As Captain of the Guard and Heir to the Throne of Monsters, I order you to let me help you." She folded her arms and glowered, despite the hint of a toothy grin on her lips. "Man, c'mon, don't make me try to do it myself, 'cause I'm just gonna screw it up, and then you'll be stuck with two knocked-out weirdos, right? I got the magic. I got the determination. I got literally everything you need to bring him back inside me."
Gaster stared, considering his words. His brow furrowed slightly. "Due to his nature, I… don't know if the soul-link will ever reverse."
"Then, oops, I'm super-married to Sans in the normal timeline, it's not the end of the damn world," Undyne said. "Unlike right now, by the way."
"She's… kind of right," Scathkath said reluctantly
Gaster frowned. "I… have to admit, it's… It's not a bad idea."
.
"Undyne…" Papyrus grabbed her hand. "You're sure?"
"Positive," she said. "I think… I think this is the best thing I can do right now."
"…He's going to be so mad at himself," he said softly.
"Oh. Right. Yeah, he's kinda a freak like that, huh?" She grinned. She glanced around, then snatched up a scrap of paper from a nearby table and scribbled on it before folding it and handing it to Papyrus. "Give him that when he wakes up, okay?"
Papyrus nodded. His gaze shifted away and he grimaced for just a moment before throwing his arms around her and squeezing her with all his strength. "Love you, Captain."
She barked out a loud laugh and patted his head. "Love you, too, punk. It's gonna be fine."
"I knooow. Just… thank you." He brushed a finger under his eye sockets when he pulled back and shot her a big smile. "You're the coolest monster I've ever met. And! I do hope it's a nice rest."
"Same," she said with a laugh. "Hell, I need it." She put her hands on her hips and turned her gaze on Gaster. "C'mon, Doctor G, before I change my mind."
.
"You kids…" Gaster let out a sigh and he nodded. "What do I tell Asgore?"
Undyne flinched for a moment. "Eh. Don't, maybe."
He clapped a hand onto her shoulder. "If it were me, I'd want to know."
Her brow furrowed. She nodded. "Tell 'im… Tell him, it's for the good of the world, and I'll be back up in a few days." She smiled sideways. "True, right?"
The old skeleton cracked a smile. He nodded and thumped her shoulder affectionately. "Shall we?"
She nodded. A small, warm hand grabbed her wrist and she whirled with her brows raised. Alphys smiled up at her sheepishly.
"Um. M-Maybe, uh… this isn't the time? And… A-And maybe I'll forget, but if I don't… Let me take you o-out for a coffee after all this is d-done?" Her scales flushed bright. "I-If you want!"
A big grin crept over the blue monster. "Yeah, you better not forget!"
The lizard grinned despite her eyes taking a glossy sheen. "O-Okay!"
Undyne glowed. "Great! Now, uh… How the hell do I do it?"
.
A big, white hand closed around her shoulder, solid and reassuring.
"If you're sure," Toriel said quietly. "I can help. I've done it before."
"Oh yeah?!" Undyne grinned. "Hey, perfect! Thanks, your H—"
Toriel crushed Undyne into a hug, cradling her head and pushing her snout into her hair. "No. Thank you, dear one."
"Aah! Th-Thank me when everything's back to normal!" Undyne grunted.
xXxXx
The world was heavy— a weighted blanket. It felt unmovable though it rumbled deep below, causing metal to rattle and distant things to clink together gently. A soft bit of orchestral music drifted around, and voices kept low added to the ambience.
.
After a long while, snug in some covers, a lethargic skeleton opened his eyes and stared at the bones above him holding a curtain in place. He blinked. Confusion. The lab, he was sure. It had that vibe in the air. The lights were turned low. Monitors dim, but running— he could hear them from here.
.
Was he supposed to be here? Maybe. Where was anyone else? He caught the time on a phone left on the sheets. Ten o'clock in the evening. Where had the day gone?
.
It was a lot. Maybe he should just go back to sleep. His eyelids drooped closed.
.
Another rumble, louder and sudden, and his mind snapped awake and he sat up straight in the bed, magic flaring from his bones and puncturing up from the floor, forming a protective fence of spears around him. He stared at them blankly.
"…What the hell?" he muttered. He reached out a hand and dissolved them quickly.
Almost as soon as the spears vanished, the curtains ripped back, letting in only a little more ambient light, but quite a bit more from his beaming brother. Before he knew it, he was crushed tight in a brilliantly warm hug. Something bad must've happened. He gripped Papyrus tight.
"You okay?" he asked.
.
"Me?! Sans, you… Oh my god." Papyrus cackled and pressed his brow against his brother's. "I'm so glad you're up. Ugh, unbelievable; of course you get up the second I leave."
"…Oh. Uh. Passed out again, huh?" Sans smiled bashfully. "Sorry, bro."
"Passed out?! Sans! Oh my god, you—!" The skeleton blinked. "Oh! You… just don't know. You. Um. How to say this?" Papyrus took a deep breath and tented his fingers. "You fell down."
Sans frowned. "…Like. A real fall down and not—"
"Yes, a real, for real, extremely real, you-had-basically-no-health-points-at-all fall down."
"Oh." Sans's eyes went wide. He rubbed his head. "Shit. I'm sorry. I thought I had more time, I—" He perked up. "Wait, does that mean the k…?" He already knew the answer the second the words left him: of course the kids weren't back, he still didn't remember his sister's name. "Ah. Never mind."
"It's okay. Don't worry," Papyrus said quickly. "How…? How do you feel?"
"Good." Sans paused. That wasn't right. "Really… good." He frowned. "…How'd you guys get me up?"
.
Papyrus's face flushed. His brows bent apologetically. He handed Sans a folded piece of paper. "Undyne did it."
"…Cap did?" Sans felt a chill run all up and down his spine. He opened the letter.
.
Good morning, knucklehead! So I'm doing a soul-link with you, you're welcome. You better save the kids and the world and my girlfriend, or I'm gonna kick your ass! Good luck!
P.S. this was all my idea so if you feel guilty i'm gonna throw you in the lake next timeline
.
"What the h…?" Sans put his hand against his soul. "She…? Where is she?"
"Just in the next bed," Papyrus said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
.
Sans was out of bed in an instant, the monitoring wires attached to him popping out. Papyrus yelped and tried to catch the mess, but the short skeleton was already pulling the curtain back. There was indeed another bed in a similar, cozy, curtained-off spot just next to them. Undyne was snug in it, and appeared to be sleeping soundly, but the sheets and her body were completely grey. Sans cautiously reached out, but his hand stalled against a frozen bit of timeless space above her.
"Oh shit," he said quietly.
.
"She's okay," Papyrus said. "Dad made sure. She just pretty much gave you everything she had. So. She's in the weird void space to keep her safe."
"You guys actually let her…?" Sans put a hand against his brow. "Holy shit."
"The CORE started being weird again," he said quietly. "W-We… didn't have a choice. It was her idea and I think—"
"I know. I know. She said. But…" Sans's mind raced with about a million and one protests. He held them back. "How long's it been?"
"Just a couple hours," Papyrus assured him. "Please don't worry. Let me do the worrying."
"And… me?" He grimaced. "Hasn't been a few days again, has it? You been eatin'?"
"Oh! Don't worry about that at all!" Papyrus waved his hands at him. "You've only been out a few hours more than she has. There hasn't even really been time for a break! Or, I guess, maybe a small one, that's where the others went. I only left to convince Suzy and dad to leave."
Sans rubbed his temples. He took a deep breath to try to settle. His eyes turned onto the dozing Captain and he cracked a smile. "She's… crazy, huh?"
"A hundred percent," Papyrus agreed. "I love her."
Sans snickered. "Guess I'm buyin' her dinner for at least a week after this crap."
"Yes. Me too," he said. "Speaking of, you should have something. Come on." He grinned. "Everyone's going to be so glad to see you up."
.
Sans almost wasn't ready. He felt strange. Light. Good? He didn't like that he felt as good as he did. It was unnerving. He only remembered to zip up his hoodie right before they got to the top floor. Didn't need anyone who hadn't seen his scar to freak about that on top of everything else.
.
When the elevator's door cracked open, Papyrus rushed out first.
"EVERYONE!" he said loudly. "PLEASE DON'T BE FREAKED OUT, BUT! IT. WORKED."
The five monsters gathered near Alphys's desk and hodgepodge hotplate set up on her relocated worktable froze. Sans slid up beside his brother and stuck his hand up.
"Sup. Uh. Sorry to fr—"
His sentence stalled as Alphys, the closest to them, all but crushed the life out of him and an eruption of his name being shouted blasted all thoughts from his head.
"Aaaaaah, I c-c-can't believe it!" she wailed. "Oh thank god."
"Kid?" Scathkath beamed, rushing in to affectionately thump Sans on the back. "Welcome back! You remember your old uncle, dontcha?"
"I just saw you," Sans teased. He patted Alphys's shoulders. "Alph, I'm alright."
.
Both cat and lizard were moved aside with one arm motion from Toriel, who embraced the short skeleton with a strength and warmth that were unusual, even for her. She said nothing, but she kissed him on the head before dragging Gaster in close. The old skeleton's eyes were leaking profusely. He grabbed his son's face gently and pressed their foreheads together.
"You scared me half to death," he joked weakly.
"Figured. Sorry," Sans said.
Gaster drew back, wiping his eyes, and Toriel held him steady. "W-We… We need to get you caught up."
"Eat first," Toriel said.
.
"Uh…" Suzy peeked in past the adults. She stuck her hand up.
Sans grinned.
"Hey, kid, doin' okay?" he asked. "Hope these guys've been feedin' ya junk while I was takin' a nap."
The little monster gritted her big, pointy teeth. She walked up to him, punched him lightly in the arm, and then hugged onto his middle. "You're a big stupid idiot," she growled.
Sans burst out laughing. He mussed up her hair and gave her a hug, too. "Thanks, y'little nerd."
.
Once everyone had regained themselves and settled into seats with some ramen and donuts, Gaster and Alphys began on the explanations. The time machine was in the lab now, now, parked upstairs where Alphys's work table used to be. The CORE was acting strangely, Gaster explained. It seemed safer here, until they had to use it. Better that than some errant rock falling on it.
.
As they told him what had been happening with the strange rumbling and everything that had occurred with him and Undyne, Sans's mind raced a mile a minute. Everything felt like too much. He couldn't help but think it shouldn't be him sitting there. He smiled ruefully to himself. He guessed he'd end up in the lake sooner or later.
.
"Sans."
Gaster's voice cut through Sans's thoughts. The old skeleton stood in front of the large monitor near Alphys's desk, gesturing to a set of numbers with the Sans's name above it.
"Are you alright? Are you listening?"
"Oh. Uh. Yeah," Sans said. He readjusted himself on his chair. "Sorry, just… y'know." He tapped the side of his head.
"I understand," Gaster assured him. "One thing. You have to be aware. Your health is still draining, despite everything. But. We do have a bit more time now."
"Hm. Few days, looks like," Sans said. He rubbed his skull. "Pretty sure we got it. Not gonna let the Cap knock herself out for no reason."
"You're going to do fine," Toriel assured him. "We were almost there, were we not?"
Gaster nodded. "Thanks to her, even… Even if you take a large hit like today, I think you can withstand it. She bought us a few days. That should be enough."
Sans nodded. He slumped his elbow onto Alphys's desk and she patted him on the shoulder.
.
From her spot with Papyrus, Suzy yawned loudly. Toriel smiled and drew closer to Gaster.
"I think it's about time you head home for a little while," she said.
"I don't know if I have t—"
"Gaster," Toriel said sternly. "Go home. Take the boys. Put Suzy to bed. We'll start again tomorrow." She turned her gaze on Alphys and Scathkath. "That goes for you two as well. Today was… Well. Frankly. Horrific."
"That's… extremely true," Papyrus said sheepishly. "I think she's right. What about you, Suzy?"
Suzy answered with a groggy snort.
.
Gaster rubbed his hand over his skull. "What about Asgore? And... all of this."
"I'll talk to him," Toriel assured him.
"And I don't mind doing another run on the CORE to look at the seismic zones," Scathkath said. His whiskers twisted under Toriel's scolding glance. "And then I! Will! Head! Right! Home!" He rushed for the door, only stopping to pat Sans on the back along the way. "Good luck!"
.
Gaster folded his arms, frowning with worry. Toriel mimicked his stance. He let out a long sigh.
"Fine."
She smiled. "I'll see you there later." She, too, took her leave.
.
The lab felt oddly quiet and exhausted the second the eastern door closed. Alphys slid out of her seat and took some sodas out of the fridge, passing one to each skeleton.
"Before you go."
"…Thank you," Gaster said quietly. He popped the tab and took a swig. "Horrific. Hm."
"Good word," Sans said. "I'm, uh… Sorry. 'Bout all this."
"Don't be."
"Things are going to be fine," Papyrus assured them. "I trust Undyne. She knew what she was doing."
"Hope so," Sans said quietly.
"Don't w-worry about the Captain," Alphys said. "I'll check on her every hour. A-And, I a-also think I have some, um, e-energy sens…" She opened her desk drawer and blinked with confusion. "Wait, what's…?" She pulled a folded paper out and looked at it, cocking her head. "I don't…" She unfolded it, but after just a moment's worth of skimming its contents, she froze, face flushing. "Uhhhhhh…"
"…Alphys, are you alright?" Gaster asked.
"Fine! F-Fine!" she spluttered. She hurriedly smushed the letter closed, though her glasses misted up and her throat caught. "I'm, um… I'm j-just gonna…!" She backed towards the elevator. "I'll s-see you guys t-tomorrow?!"
"Uh. Yeah. That's the plan," Sans said.
"Good! G-Good! Ooookay!" Alphys, too, disappeared behind a door and sped away.
.
The skeletons looked at each other. Papyrus shrugged. Sans mimicked him. Gaster stared after the lizard for a moment, then his shoulders sagged.
"…Alright. Home," he said.