Inside a large cathedral underground, a short skeleton in a blue winter coat was waiting. It was completely silent, so quiet that he’d hear his heartbeat, if he had one.
“Heh….” The skeleton weakly laughed at the thought, the permanent smile on his face never changing.
Flashback,Yesterday.
“ALAS, POOR PAPYRUS! WELL, AT LEAST I STILL HAVE MY HEAD!”
Crack!
A skull landed on the snow covered ground, it's bright eyes looking up at the blank-faced child in front of him. “W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED….BUT….ST….STILL!” It yelled out, obviously not hindered from being removed from the rest of it's body. “I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T! I…. I PROMISE….”It pleaded to the approaching little girl.
“Your voice is annoying…..” She whispered, before lifting her leg, and slamming it down...
And the poor skeleton was no more….
Sans was watching from the shadows, tears flowing at the loss of his brother. He slowly got up and ran towards town, intent on evacuating all the monsters and saving them all from the true monster here.
End Flashback.
All the evacuating was for naught. The demented and determined child found every monster in the Underground, causing it to go eerily silent. The only two monsters that were still alive were him and Asgore, with the goofy king staying further on with the souls of the other fallen children.
At the end of the room, footsteps echoed through the place, gaining the attention of the skeleton. The child came to a stop a few feet away from him, the same blank look on her face.
“Sans….” Her voice came as a whisper.
Sans smiled his usual permanent smile, focusing a single visible blue eye on her form. “Heya.” He looked at her monster dust stained arms. “You've been busy, huh?”
“.....”
He shrugged and looked away for a second. “So, I've got a question for ya. Do you think even the worst person can change...? That everyone can be a good person, if they try?”
He shook his head and laughed. “Heh heh heh… Here’s another good question. Do you wanna have a bad time? ‘Cause of you take another step forward.” His single visible eye glared at her. “You are really not going to like what happens next.”
The girl closed the distance and raised her knife, before being engulfed in a blue glow and lifted into the air.
“Welp. Sorry, old lady. This is why I don't make promises.” He muttered, before looking at the true monster before him. “It’s a beautiful day outside, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming…… On days like these…. Kids like you…. should be burning in hell!”
The girl deftly dodged all the bones sent her way, before getting hit with one surprise beam coming from somewhere. Sans laughed as dozens of things appeared around the room, all of them resembling skeletal faces.
“Huh, always wondered why people never used their strongest attack first.”
Frisk got up, her shirt smoking as she regarded him with sad eyes, some music starting up in the background. “I didn't know what got into. Somehow I can't go back even if I really wanted to.” She sung lowly, her gentle voice echoing throughout the room. “So what more can I really do?”
Dodging another volley of lasers, she continued. “Here at the end, it's just me and you. I never really wanted to play by the rules.” She took a swing at the skeleton, him deftly dodging the strike. “A knife in hand, here I am playing the part of the fool.”
Sans sent thousands of bones at the girl, a few ending up skewering her torso and killing her almost instantly. She faded away for a second, before the whole place reset. Frisk slowly walked back into the room, continuing her song like nothing happened.
“So here we go, you can judge me thoroughly. It's too late for apologies.” She smiled sadly, as she took five laser beams to the chest.
Her eyes had tears streaming down them as she loaded the last save and came back into the room. “Go ahead and hit me since you're able.” Frisk sung as she didn't even attempt to dodge the beams this time, causing her to drop to her knees and twitch as Chara fought for control. “We know my determination is unstable. I'm not even mad since I keep on dying. But I don't even know why I'm trying.” She got up and dodged the next wave of beams, Chara moving her. “This isn't what I want, yet it's what I asked for. Curiosity over all my morals.” She cried, Chara making her take a swing at her old friend. “I took away our perfect, happy ending. Resetting the world, despite the warnings.”
She died again, a sharpened bone piercing her heart. “Right now, I'm made of LOVE… Ahh…”
She came back, sadly smiling at her friend as she was forced to attack. “LOVE….Ahh…”
She died a few more times, Chara assuming more control each time, getting faster in her movements. “I remember who you are, you remember who I am. We knew once in a timeline, we had grown to be good friends.”
Sans dodged another knife swing, still smiling sadly the whole time. Frisk still was singing as they fought. “And yet I killed your brother without giving him a chance. Every time you throw me down, I hope you kill me once again. So go ahead and hit me since you're able. All the sin that I can feel is unbearable.”
After the twelfth death, Frisk lost most of her control over her body, but kept on singing determinedly. “If I can hit you once it would be over. But the consequences last forever.” Her shirt turned green as she lost a little more control to Chara. “The flowers are in bloom, as the birds will tell. It's a beautiful day to be burning in hell. You gave me advice, but I chose genocide. But I know how to make it right.” She used her last little bit of control to drop the knife and hold out her arms, smiling sadly as she resigned herself to her fate, the song ending.
Sans sighed, looking at the bloodied mess of a child in front of him, her eyes flickering between blue and red as the first child fought for control with no small amount of determination.
“...You're... sparing me?” Sans asked, seeing his friend try to make one last attempt to find forgiveness before she lost herself to Chara. “Finally. Buddy. Pal.” He stopped smiling and wrapped her in a hug, tears threatening to fall as he remembered all the good times he had with her. “I know how hard it must be…. To make that choice.” The skulls floated around them, taking care not to aim for their owner. “To go back on everything you've worked up to.” He stroked her hair to comfort her, smiling sadly as he backed away. “I want you to know, that I won't let it go to waste.”
Frisk welcomed what came next, billions of bones impaling her into oblivion. her last words sang out as she felt herself fade a little more. “I'll give up for you….”
Chara took full control after the reset, smiling at the skeleton and raising her knife, more music starting up again. “Here we are again, just me and you comedian, right?” She sang as she lunged at him, sidestepping a laser beam in the process. “With your blasters and your flashing eye, you should be better prepared because soon….” She smiled madly as Sans dodged the knife, the skeleton ending up behind her with a large bone in hand and impaled her. “Your last hour strikes!”
Another reset and she was faster, still singing as she kept dodging. “One step left now, it's almost time. Show you what my determination still has left for you to get back to. You should prepare to just die. Like all your friends, you'll have a really good time.”
She dodged a few bones and threw her knife, smiling widely as it almost hit its target. “But guys like you are always just fools. Come at me, try to kill me with your fancy tools. Let's go, the room gets chillier. Let's go, just another killer.”
A beam to her face shut her up nicely, causing Sans to chuckle a little. Chara growled and dashed at him. “Go ahead, kill me again I see you're able. But inside you know the end can't be evaded. I can tell that you're really tired out of fighting. But I'll even come back after dying.” She laughed as she got a little closer to hitting him.
“Why not let me win? You cannot dodge forever! Even if the pain is more fun together. You know I'll just reset and come back newer. And with every try I'm getting faster than you are!”
She sang even as she got hit. “I am made of LOVE.”
Another reset, and they were still fighting. “This is where it stops, this is where it ends. You keep telling me those words and hope I would understand. But even if I hear you, I won't give up my attack. Can you not see the truth? Or can you not see what this all meant?”
A knife swing. “Go ahead.”
Another death. “Kill me again. I see you're able.”
Another close call. “But inside you know the end can't be evaded”
A bone prison surrounded Chara, keeping her from moving. “You think I might decide to stop if you stay patient. But I am getting you with my DETERMINATION!”
Sans decided to take a nap for a little bit, having trapped Chara inside his bone cage, the determined girl still singing as she got ready to throw the knife at her best friend. “You know I made your friends all disappear. ERASING all what's left.This is why I'm here. I will keep FIGHTING. You should be DYING. That is your DESTINATION!” Her song ended out as the knife flew through the bars of her prison, hitting Sans square in the chest and causing the cage to disintegrate.
The metallic twang of a knife hitting the stone floor echoed throughout the room.
Something red dripped from the large gash in Sans' chest, his face still smiling. “....... So ….. Guess that's it, huh?” He asked the one responsible for this, draping an arm over the wound and staining the sleeve of his coat.
The girl stared at him as he limped over to her, putting a skeletal hand on her shoulder. “...Just… Don't say I didn't warn you.” He told her as he passed, his voice echoing throughout the room.
He limped a few more feet away, the girl still watching him with empty eyes. “Welp. I'm going to Grilby’s. Papyrus, do you want anything?” He asked, disappearing through the door the girl came through.
It wasn't long before he came to the place, his ‘shortcuts’ making the trip very fast as he limped, the red substance now dripping out the corner of his mouth. He took a seat at one of the stools near the counter of the empty building, grabbing one bottle of ketchup off a table before he sat down. He reached around in his pockets and pulled out the familiar red scarf, placing it on the seat next to him.
“Papyrus, are you sure you don't want anything? Not even spaghetti?” He asked out loud as he screwed off the top of the bottle, taking a sip. “I'm sure I could ask Undyne to help, she’d make her famous spearghetti! Heh heh heh…..”
His hollow laugh echoed throughout the place, the entire world going dark as the evil child erased the world……
Reset initiated….. Error! Error! Game corrupted! Fixing files…..
“What?! Who’s doing this!?”
“Hi!”
“Flowey? I thought I killed you!”
“You really think I can die? I'm flattered. I just took the souls while you weren't looking!”
“You're going to kill us both!”
“Hey, I'd rather die and take you down with me than live in a destroyed world!”
“Graaah!”
“Hey, you sack of bones! If you can hear me…. Frisk says thank you!”
Errors removed, Reset Complete.
Sans opened his eyes, the empty sockets of his skull gaining pupils in the shadows. He immediately noticed that he was still inside Grilby’s, the whole place looking far worse for wear.
“Heh…..”
He put the scarf back into one of his inner coat pockets and limped his way out of the place, the cold of Snowdin greeting him with a blizzard. With a small laugh in disbelief, he trudged onward through the bone chilling weather.
The whole town was empty and mostly destroyed, the only sound he could hear was the howling wind. He slowly trudged through the snow, only stopping when he finally left the blizzard, using his shortcuts.
“Kid, what did you do?” He asked out loud. “This doesn't feel like a reset….”
Suddenly, the sky of the Underground rippled with rainbow colored magic, a loud bang echoing throughout the place. Sans stared unblinkingly in the castle’s direction before shrugging and limping his way over, a trail of red dripping from the front of his coat.
inside the castle.
“It is done, dear sister.” Luna said, looking in the direction where the barrier used to be.
Celestia thanked her sister, she was better at removing barriers than her. “I do have to question why there was a barrier this deep underground anyways.”
Luna smiled with excitement as she walked inside, going down the large steps leading further underground. “Let's see why. It could have some treasures!”
Celestia sighed as she followed behind her sister, looking at the stone carvings engraved into the walls. “It is strange that the dragon emperor wanted us to take a look at this place…..”
It wasn't long until they came to a large room, yellow flowers growing all over the floor in front of a throne fit for a minotaur. The princess duo frowned at the streak of red staining a few of the flowers, it leading into the shadow in the corner of the room.
“Heh heh heh…..” A smooth laugh resounded throughout the room, putting the two on guard. “What are you two? One of the creatures on Alphys’ DVDs?”
“Come out, creature!” Luna demanded, taking a step forward. “Show yourself!”
It chuckled, finding something about her funny. A skeletal hand rested on Celestia's shoulders. Slowly she turned her head and came face to face with a grinning skull. “Why so serious?”
The princess screamed and backed away, horn lighting up brightly. Luna glared at the skeleton, taking a brave step forward. “Thou are no normal undead…. Who are thou? What business doth thou have here?”
He raised both hands in defence, chuckling softly. “You are definitely the serious type. Can't we all just relax?”
Celestia jumped in between the two, scolding her sister. “Can't you see that it is hurt?” She pointed out, pointing a wing at the large gash in his chest.
He laughed again, coughing up some more red goop. “What? Do you have a bone to pick with me? If you do, it's going tibia while.” He joked, falling to one knee. “This hurts a Skele-ton. Heh heh heh….. Ow…”
The solar princess giggled at his terrible jokes, before helping him back up, her sister glaring at him with obvious distrust. With a smile, Celestia looked at her sister. “Do you know how to tell if a skeleton is lying? You can see right through him!”
“Get away from the foul beast, right now!” Luna demanded, charging up a spell to vaporize the skeleton. “Anything that was dead shouldn't be trusted!”
“Wow, and I thought Undyne was bad.” He chuckled and coughed up more red goop. “Can someone please patch me up?”
“Here, I'll help.” Celestia gave her sister a disappointed glare. “Since my sister can't find it in her to help a person in need.”
“It isn't even alive!” Luna defended herself, stomping a hoof on the ground. “You can't kill what is already dead, only keep it down!”
Celestia sighed and quickly used some healing magic on the wounded skeleton, the large gash closing up and bones loudly snapping back into place. Sans kept smiling throughout the whole thing, shakily getting back onto his feet after a few moments.
“So….” He spoke out loud, looking at the two ponies in front of him. “What's your names? I don't think I could get away with calling you moon but.” He lazily asked, yawning a little as he pointed at Luna, who responded with an irritated huff.
“We are the princesses of Equestria. Thou may call me Luna.”
“And I am Celestia.”
“What's your name?” They both asked at the same time, causing the skeleton to laugh again.
“I'm Sans, nice to meet’ch ya.” He introduced with a wink, the bones of his right eye bending to perform the action. “Judging from what I saw…..” He pointed a thumb in the direction of the barrier. “You two removed the barrier?”
“Yes. Though, we do have to ask, who hurt you?”
He put a hand on his chest, right where the gash was. “It…. was an old friend.” He sighed. “Did you see a little girl, ‘bout yay high, weird shirt, and with skin?”
“No, we haven't.” Luna shared a look with her sister. “Why would you be looking for her?”
“Because… She's the friend.” His eyes went dark, the pupils disappearing into the shadows of his skull. “She's going through some rough problems.”
“She doesn't sound like a good friend. She had even left you bleeding down here.” Celestia pointed out, her eyes turning to the red stained flowers.
“Oh, that.” He laughed, tracing a finger on one of the red flowers. “Heh, it's just ketchup. Everyone knows that skeletons don’t bleed.”
“.... So what is this place?” Celestia changed the subject, feeling a little stupid.
He shifted and looked around the room. “Well, this was Asgore’s castle.” Sans said with a sigh. “I suppose I could give you the history of this place while I'm at it, not like there's anyone left to tell the tale.” He shrugged, glancing back in the direction of where the barrier used to be. “Can we do this up on the surface? It's been so long….”
Celestia shared a look with her sister, who just shook her head. Celestia turned back to him after a few minutes of deliberation, smiling gently. “Come on, we can look through this place later.”
“Sister, think about your actions! You could be releasing a great evil!” Luna growled out, glaring at the smiling skeleton.
“You really need to relax.”
“Relax? How can we relax when thou were supposed to be dead long ago!”
“Luna!” Celestia scolded. “He hasn't even threatened to hurt us. Doesn't that say anything about his character?”
“It could mean that he's biding his time!”
Sans sighed and glared at Luna. “Do I really have to spell it out to you? I don’t want to fight.” He said slowly, emphasizing his words with a serious tone. He turned back towards Celestia, suddenly cheerful. “Now, how about that surface, eh?”
Celestia blinked in surprise, before nodding. “Alright…”
As they left the room, a ghost of a little girl appeared, smiling sadly as she saw her friend leave the underground for good, before slowly fading away, leaving a small red locket on the ground, a picture of Sans and Toriel hugging a giggling Frisk.
