Silence.
There was silence, save for my slight gasps, which reverberated around me. It took a while to catch my breath after that impressive scream. The pain had long since faded. It was bearable. The silence stretched on for a minute more, until—
"h… heh."
My own chuckle startled me; it sounded so loud in the silence. But even as I thought about it, I couldn't help it. I grinned, then chuckled some more, then laughed, then laughed harder, until tears slipped down my face. I couldn't help it!
"ha! yes! haha! he fell for it!" And I burst into laughter once more. My throat was still a bit raw, so it hurt… but it was so worth it.
The scream hadn't been entirely fake; the experience had still been painful. The only way to get the fake paint wings to respond to my wishes was to actually attach them to the sides of my shoulder blades; but the real ones were safely tucked away. Apparently, though, the code was still open back there. I wasn't expecting to be able to feel them, but the pain just added to my convincing act.
oh my goodness, it worked! ha! ink snapped his fingers with perfect timing! I shifted, trying to loosen the strings a bit. i can't wait to tell him how peeved error looked when i started flapping them around. Pulling hard at the arm restraints, I managed to get a finger under the string around my neck. but, that musta been really harsh to watch. glad he stayed hidden. also glad he couldn't follow me in here. I stopped pushing the threads down to think for a moment. he doesn't know if I'm alive. there's no distinguishing between those fake scraps and the real wings. I let out a long, semi-sad sigh as I realized this. It wasn't over for either of us.
Finally assured I'd been untangled from most of the dangerous bonds, I shut my eyes and focused. A second later, I felt my body go from physical to photon and back again. I phased through the strings. Thankfully, I wasn't too far off the ground.
Getting up, I straightened my bunched jacket and reached for the hidden cord around my neck. Dangling just inside my ribs, the portal pendant had remained undamaged. Good. It was essential to the plan. Carefully, I unfurled my wings—my real wings—and tentatively stretched them out. I frowned, cringing. The back of my shoulders ached terribly. Hopefully, I'd not need to fly for long. After testing my strength with a few flaps, I took to the sky.
The clock was ticking. Ink had insisted that, if I didn't find Blueberry in time, I'd come back without him. But I'd do no such thing. If he was here, I would find him. Coasting between the draping blue vines, I searched the muted white expanse. I flew in widening circles so as not to miss anything.
After about six and a quarter minutes, my nerves started fraying again. I didn't know how vast Error's space in the Anti-void was. Blueberry could be anywhere! Tilting my wings, I went higher, hoping to get a better vantage point. As I went further up, I noticed something strange. the ceiling looks really weird. It appeared like the surface of a lake: vaguely reflective with a warped view of the sand bed below. Except, there were no strings on the other side. And it was a lot whiter than it was here. Curious, I flew straight up.
Just as I reached out to touch the weird barrier—gravity flipped. Suddenly, instead of flying, I was falling. Initially, I was so surprised that I didn't react. Then my mind clicked back on. Snapping out my wings, I managed to pull up; the silver charm on my jacket sang as it clipped the floor.
Fluttering to a stop, I landed unsteadily. Flinging my wings out at such high speeds did not feel good. Pulling them in, I looked up. Gaping, I stared at the ceiling. Beyond it, I could see the cluttered, upside-down string zone, yet also my own dim reflection. It was some sort of trick mirror. Disoriented by this bizarre view, I returned my attention to my surroundings and glanced around.
Nothing but blinding white could be seen. Slowly, I turned a full 360 degrees. Just as the loop was complete—there. There was a dot on the horizon. I started running.
As I neared the dot, I glimpsed a tiny speck of color on the ground as it flew beneath my feet. I couldn't be sure, but it looked like… yarn. I ran harder. The closer I got, the more clutter I found. Tiny bits of colorful string—not Error's—littered the floor, along with pages, both blank and used. I even glimpsed a few candy wrappers and small toys.
Then, the dot became clearer. Grey, light and dark, and blue, sky and azure. Hope burst to the brim of my soul, as, I managed to make out the form. It was a Sans. blueberry. it's got to be blueberry!
Slowing as I approached, I walked cautiously, careful not to step on the colorful drawings. I was about to call out when I noticed… Blue wasn't moving. He wasn't even breathing. He sat frozen amidst a pile of papers; many were ripped to shreds. He should have heard me by now. Making my way in front of him, I caught glimpse of his face. My soul stumbled.
Bright turquoise tears flowed silently from his unblinking eyes, which were nothing but black voids. A blank expression painted his features as he stared down at his baby blue boots. His hands, gloved in similar color, were clenched at his sides, supporting him. Dark grey pants, from boots to his blue belt—with a white star clasp—and light grey shirt. Most notable, though, and the final confirmation for me, was his big, bright blue scarf. It was tied in such a way that, if viewed head on, it looked like a bow. I had found him.
But was I too late?
"blueberry?" I asked. No response. "blueberry, can you hear me?" Nothing.
I tried calling louder, waving my hand in front of his face, even shaking him. Nothing. he's just a shell. At this horrifying realization, I felt something within me break. I couldn't let him slip over the edge! I had to save him! Kneeling before Blue and holding my hand out, I pinged his soul forward. Changing the magic from teal to gold, I watched the pale soul mirror the colors. It turned pure gold, faded though it may be.
I could tell by looking at it. Glowing faintly, weakly, pulsating sluggishly... he would soon fall down.
"no…" I whispered, fighting the sudden welling of sorrow in me. "you can't die…" The gold encasing me slowly seeped into Blue as I wrapped my arms around him, willing him to live. "please," I beseeched, "people need you. everywhere i've gone—in almost every au—you're known and loved. cherry, melon, raven, jazzy, sugar, dream, and ink… carrot. they all need you. please, come back…"
I hugged tighter, sensing his soul wavering even now. please, come back, come back… come on blue… I knelt there for minutes on end, fighting tears over someone I'd never even met before, yet felt nearly tethered to. Like the rhythm of the tide, his soul would tremble in fragility, then settle, then tremble, then settle. One of these times, it might shatter. My mind fell into the same tempo; fear, hope, fear, hope… Until…
I felt the slightest change. There was a heartbeat in time. Then, Blueberry slumped down. Despair spiked into my soul—then he inhaled. He was breathing. I barely dared to hope. His chest rose and fell a few more times, then—
"Oh. Hello." I jerked back, gaping at Blue. Curious, bright blue star-circle eyes gazed at me inquisitively. "Who are you?" he asked.
"blueberry!" I exclaimed joyfully. Blue appeared surprised.
"How cool! We're name twins! Magnificent!" And then he made… a noise. "Mweh!" I gawked at him. It sounded a bit like what Papyrus said: "Nyeh!" that, I decided, was absolutely adorable.
"no-no-no," I insisted, remembering his comment. "my name's serif. i'm friends with dream and ink. i'm here to rescue you!" I checked my internal clock. Horrified, I gasped—"there's not much time! we gotta get out of here!" grabbed his hand, hauled him up—
"Wait!" Blue exclaimed. I turned to him.
"what is it?" I asked skittishly; Error could return any minute.
"He will worry!"
"who?"
"Error." what? "I don't want to scare him. I will… I shall… mweh! I shall leave him a letter!"
Blueberry scrambled to find a blank piece of paper. I stared at him, completely dumbfounded. is he actually serious? Finding a page and grabbing a nearby navy crayon, he sat and started writing. he's serious, I realized. Glancing over his shoulder as he scribbled away, I read the note.
Dear Error,
Please don't worry when you find this. I am being rescued! But do not fear! I shall visit often, so long as I can return home in the end. Have a lovely day!
~Blueberry
I could hardly believe it. Blueberry cared that Error would miss him? Didn't he realize this whole fiasco was Error's fault?! But then, right as Blue was about to fold the page up, he stopped and added—
PS: about the whole holding me captive thing, I forgive you. Despite everything, I'll always be your friend.
And I felt shamed by the endless kindness of a Papyrus-spirited Sans. Blueberry cleared a wide space in the paper-shreds. Standing, he scanned his letter, then gazed out over the white expanse.
"I don't think I'll miss this place. It's too quiet, and a little freaky…"
I zoned out a bit as Blue murmured about the lack-of-need for things like food and sleep, then frowned to myself. Standing up straight, I secretly traced my hand from the top of my head to his. My fingers passed right over. Silently, I smiled and gave a fist pump of triumph. I was taller than him! heh, he really is the smolest sans!
"… finally going home," Blue concluded wistfully a second later. I promptly hid my elated grin as he put the note in the clearing and turned to me. "I am ready to go home." Nodding, I reached for the portal pendant—it wasn't glowing.
"what?!" I quietly gasped, horrified.
"What's that?" Blue asked, oblivious to the plan-wrecking problem.
"it's supposed to be our ticket home…" I murmured, desperately shaking it like a glow stick.
"Oh, you can't teleport or make gateways in here, if that's what you're trying to do," Blue explained. "It's a portal dead zone." I nodded nervously.
"if we go to the other side, will it work?" Blueberry appeared confused.
"What do you mean, 'other side'?"
"ah, on the other side of the ceiling. the mirror overhead." Blue glanced up, then back at me, puzzled.
"You mean the illusion?"
"wait…" I said, eyes narrowing a bit. "error told you that's an illusion?" Blueberry nodded. "and… you've never seen beyond this place?" Blueberry shook his head. I glanced up, then back at him. "well… it's not an illusion. and it's not a nice place." The color in his blue eye lights paled.
"That must be where the frightening noises come from…" he murmured. I almost gulped. my scream musta scared him half to death. and seeing all that blood and dust might push him over the edge…
"thought i should warn you," I said. "might wanna shut your eyes when we get up there, k? and keep em' shut till i say otherwise." Blue thought about this, then nodded bravely. Assured he'd be alright, I nodded, too. "good. hold on tight."
With that, I stepped forward, scooped Blue up, unfurled my wings—which surprised a delighted gasp from him—and shot into the air. I'd not pushed the importance of time, afraid it'd stress him out, but now I realized that the precious time was almost gone. We couldn't afford any more holdups.
Reaching the barrier, I tightened my grip on Blue and took the plunge. When gravity flipped this time, I was prepared. Tucking my wings in for a split second, I summersaulted mid-air, righted myself, and spread my wings once more. I caught glimpse of Blue's face; his eyes were shut. Good. Dodging the last of the draping strings, I landed. Slipping my arm from beneath Blue's knees, I put him on his feet, reached for the glowing pendant—
"Serif?" he asked.
"don't open your eyes yet," I answered.
"No, I… I don't feel so good…"
And suddenly, he collapsed. I sprang to catch him. He was completely limp. My eyes widened in horror as his HP started to creep down. i gotta get him outta here, now! Lowering Blue to the ground and gathering him into my arms once more, I wrapped my wings around us, formed the golden bubble, and shattered the pendant. Stealing a last glimpse at the Anti-Void between my feathers, I watched from behind golden walls as my vision was tinted teal, a flash of light—the emptiness faded away.