Chapter Text
The sun beamed on your face, the heat of the Surface clear from the sweat dripping down your scalp. You hissed and groaned, the blood seeping through your shirt as you attempted to carry Prince Asriel Dreemur further up the steep pathway up MT. Ebott. The humans screeched profanities at the two of you, remembering you as the “traitor” that betrayed humanity during the Monster and Human war. Asriel’s face cracked, the dust of his body sticking onto your skin and growing with each agonizing step forward up the mountain. When the two of you finally made it to the bottomless pit of the mountain leading Underground, you collapsed to the ground, the weight of Asriel’s godly form following you to the floor. He wheezed, grasping at his chest as his SOUL snapped slowly to pieces. Your own SOUL began to fracture while heavy pools of blood stained the earth.
Hours ago, you had witnessed the sickness take hold of the human Chara. The first ever human to fall into the Underground. The Dreemur Family welcomed them with open arms, accepting them just as the royal family accepted you after you were imprisoned alongside them. Chara ate the beautiful, yellow buttercups in the garden. They became deathly ill for the sole reason of Asriel absorbing their SOUL and breaking the barrier that holds you all captive. Asriel wanted you to come with, to bury Chara. ‘You were sworn to be our protector,’ he had said, looking strange to you from how tall he was when he absorbed the soul. ‘They would’ve wanted you to be with us on the surface…’
But the Humans in the village saw Chara in the arms of a large monster, with the traitorous human by his side. They attacked you and Asriel. You tried to fight back against them, to protect the Prince from harm, but he held you back with a smile on his face. He said nothing. He didn’t want to fight.
You hacked up droplets of blood, lungs being crushed underneath the broken bone of your ribcage. You hurled over, gritting your teeth. Asriel came to your side, large paws softly on your back. Another sharp snap of his SOUL. His dust lingered in the air, his form growing faint as he grew weaker and weaker trying to fight to stay awake, to stay alive.
“Y/N…” he weakly spoke. He was scared— no, more like terrified— of what was happening to him. You remembered now, despite the god form he has taken with half a human soul attached to his, he is still a little boy inside.
“Go.” You grunted. “You need more help than I do.”
“What!?” Asriel grabbed your shoulders. “You can barely stand! You- you’re bleeding everywhere! I- I can help just- just lean on me and I’ll get us back to the castle and-“
“You won’t make it far with me as dead weight, Asriel…” You chuckled, gently shoving his paws off your shoulders. “I’ll catch up, just go.”
“But-“
“Please, Asriel, for me. As your protector, your life comes first before my own.”
“I-“ Asriel’s darkened our eyes began to well with tears as he choked a sob, your own eyes staring to tear up as well as the sight. But you held back. You had to.
Asriel stood up slowly on shaky legs, dust growing. He took one last look at you before disappearing back into the Underground. You huffed and slumped to the side, tired. Your sore muscles twitched and tensed while your eyes grew heavy. Blood pooled around you.
It’s funny. Even through all the havoc you endured, you were enjoying the sun beating on your face. The breath of fresh air. The freedom, even for just a moment. Your lower lip trembled as you thought of your friends, waiting for you back at home. Sans. Papyrus. The two, strange skeletons that appeared in Snowdin that greeted you at your cabin door with curiosity and beaming with friendship, mostly from Papyrus. Sans was just laid back, wanting the best for his younger brother. He warmed up to you after you shared a bonding moment over the legendary joke book…
He would’ve loved the sun. Papyrus would too… They would’ve… Loved the sun. Sans more so the moon than anything. You showed him various types of consolations and things with the stars and their meaning he wouldn’t get enough, more than jokes themselves. You promised one day, all three of you would see the sun together.
Sans always did say he sucked at promises. You did too, you guessed.
The darkness blotted your vision as you held out your weak soul. The orange hue of BRAVERY mixed with KINDNESS and JUSTICE grew dim as it pulsed in your palm, you could hear the dull humming of pain in your ears. Like a sad song. It faded away, a yellow star taking its place. The old mage trick, called SAVE. It only ever happened a few times to mages, only mainly to special gifted children with determination. You swallowed as you willed yourself to SAVE, despite the pain, pushing through the drowsiness of your body.
You slacked onto the ground.
Fingers growing… numb.
It was… quiet.
Sorry Sans, sorry Papyrus…
Maybe one day when I’m better, I’ll see the sun with you…
SAVE
The Underground wasn’t kind, you knew. Especially after the loss of both highnesses, Asriel and Chara Dreemur. The Queen— Toriel, whom once was your friend— abandoned her post at the throne and resided in the now closed off Ruins. The large purple doors remained locked to all on the other side in Snowdin. You weren’t able to stop Asriel from going to the surface that night of Chara’s passing. You failed as a protector in a single night, losing both of the children. Toriel blamed you, at first, when you spoke to the two about Asriel’s escape to the Surface, returning as dust. She almost killed you, but that was one thousands years ago, but knowing her, she’ll never forgive you. You didn’t blame her, you’re sure that you hated yourself more than she hated you, but there are days where you go up to the large doors of the Ruins. You knock once, maybe twice, ever so lightly. You speak through the door quietly, talking about Snowdin and every minor thing that happens in town, no matter how uneventful they are. You sometimes tell jokes, just a bit.
“I heard this funny story about a man walking into a bar… Not sure how it goes, but he dies, I think.”
It wasn’t funny. You weren’t sure how that line was funny, but you could hear a faint chuckle on the other-side. It was soft, light, almost restrained. You smiled to yourself, thinking it HOPEful.
You’re glad to be in Snowdin with Sans and Papyrus, no matter how annoying they can be sometimes. Sans can be a weird, lovable jerk and Papyrus is a mixture of dense and prideful and you aren’t sure wether to punch him or not. But maybe that’s the change of the Underground talking. You’ve changed, you noticed. Becoming… cold. Maybe it was your self loathing or the harsh reality you had to face that kindness died in the Underground. You still managed to keep to your SOUL, despite it all. You think the two children would’ve congratulated you on it. At least you hope.
It was a dreary day, as usual. Papyrus was training to be a royal guardsman for as long as you can remember, he says today will be the day, but he says that everyday. He always second guessing himself, fearing for the worst if he failed to go up against the newly appointed captain, Undyne. He’s out back, away from prying eyes, and you sit in the living room with Sans who calmly snores next to you. You turned to him, a smile on your face. You two would be going to Waterfall to check out the “stars” again. You’d often make up constellations when you run out of others to spot. Those short, brief moments of bliss gave you HOPE for a better future.
You stood up, going to the kitchen to watch Papyrus out of the small window using a small bone attack on the poor beaten dummy. His movements were sharp, calculated. Each strike was unpredicted, even for that poor dummy. He would move so quickly that you didn’t even see him for a brief moment. It sparked something in you, an inspiration (maybe a silly one);
“I should make him a scarf.”
You’ve always seen it in hero comics, the brave heroine wearing a long red cape as it fluttered through the wind while striking a pose. It wouldn’t be a cape, of course, but a scarf that fitted his future “battle body,” as he called it. You sifted through your pockets, finding G at the bottom of the pits. Won’t come cheap from Muffet, the spider baker who basically extorted everyone in the damn Underground. You think she… likes you? You weren’t sure. She didn’t kill you the first time you bought treats from her, so that was a good sign. Feeling confident, you made your way out of the house and praying Muffet was in a charitable mood…
__
Walking through Waterfall, you grinned, the red fabric in your hands, silky and fine to the touch. You were roughed up a bit, bruises here and there from Muffet hanging you by a thread. She didn’t like the fact you were standing near her, so she tied you high on the ceiling while she worked, laughing as she did so. You didn’t mind, even with spiders crawling all over you and nipping at your skin, it was all worth it. Every speck of G. You grinned, picking up the pace and leaving Waterfall. You couldn’t wait to see his face when he…
You stopped. A group of Monsters blocking your way. They scowled at you, making you back up. A mouse Monster showed their teeth, a fox waving about his claws to intimidate you, a bear towering over you. You kept their gaze.
“I don’t have anything.” You said, clutching the scarf closer to your chest.
“But y’ do, human.” The mouse piped, taking the first step forward, you backed up more. “See… we ‘eard that the King is demanding an order of taking all Human souls and bringin’ them to ‘im.”
You swallowed.
“Yeah…” the fox grinned, showing off the sharp canines in their jaw. “A chance for us to get the hell outta here, I heard.”
“With just one human soul…” the bear grumbled lowly. “The King could break the barrier and we all can be free.”
“No… I can’t-“
The bear suddenly lunged for you, a leg brought back and hitting the side of your knee before you could even register what happened. A sickening snap rang through, a sharp gasp leaving your lips as you tumbled into the snow. You gritted your teeth, a pathetic yelp sounding when the mouse stomped on your broken leg.
“You wouldn’t deprive us of freedom, would ya’?”
“Some people deserve a chance at a second choice, right?” The fox giggled to itself manically.
“Just give us your SOUL, don’t make this hard.” The bear looked ready to break your spine.
You winced. You wanted to, god did you. You wanted to set them free, you knew this was the only way, but you couldn’t. You could hear Sans’s voice in your head, ‘don’t you dare do it, stupid.’ His grimace, his frown, the pain in his sockets, you didn’t want to, but you did. Don’t do anything stupid, he’d say, no way are you giving up your SOUL without a fight. But…
Looking in their eyes further, you could see it. The HOPE that once died a long time ago shining back to life. The chance of being free from the claustrophobic Underground, a chance of going everywhere the world had to offer. To feel the sun, to see the sea, to do… anything.
Your SOUL screamed in conflict as you lowered your head, fists clenched. Just this once, can’t you be selfish? You don’t care about the Surface anymore. You don’t care if the stars aren’t real and just crystals. You just… you just want to go back to that lumpy old couch, hear Papyrus scold his older brother about that damn sock, and eat the weird lasagna that he makes that probably has glass, to sneak out and get food at Grillby’s with Sans. The Surface can offer freedom, but it can’t offer that.
…you shook your head.
The large bear grabbed you by the shirt, tossing you a bit aways down the road. Your bad leg caught a couple of rocks in the process, making the sting even worse. You attempted to stand on the good leg, being shot down immediately by the swift fox who sliced your chest. The scarf was ripped from your hands, holes torn at the ends and landing in the piles of snow. The mouse hopped onto your body, their smaller form bringing you down somehow, throwing fist after fist down at your face. You grabbed at their wrists, shoving them off with a good kick. You felt proud for a moment until the bear came in, lifting you up over his head and slamming you down. The snow felt light rocks against your back, knocking out the air in your lungs. You gasped desperately. They all grouped around you, grabbing at your limbs and scratching at you, biting you, trying to tear you apart to get to your SOUL. You fought hard, at least, you think you did, even if it was useless against the monsters stronger than you.
Then it just… stopped.
Your nose was bloody, your eye shut forcefully from a bruise, and your body was slack. You wheezed through cracked ribs, staring at the scarf that danced softly in the wind as it laid in thick snow. The mouse lifted you up by the collar, the fox ready to use its singular claw to slit your throat.
“Humans are selfish.” They spoke with a growl. “You aren’t any different. Just because you’re trapped with us doesn’t mean shit. You’re better off dead, at least then you’ll mean something.”
You smiled, a broken toothed one. You felt bad. You felt empathy. You wanted to scream and cry, but you smiled, even still. For a moment, the mouse paused, an expression of remorse or guilt. It quickly left once your SOUL was on display. The pained hum could make anyone cry. You stared at it.
“Y/N?” You heard your name from afar, the gruff voice coming from deep within Snowdin and approaching. Sans.
The Fox looked nervous, rubbing their paws together. The mouse scowled at the voice and the bear tensed up, blocking your view from down the street.
“We should get outta here.” The Fox said. “You know what happened to the last guy that tried-“
“Shut up!” The mouse said. “We can still-“
“Let’s go.” The bear said firmly. “I’m not getting killed by that weirdo for killin’ ‘is human pet.”
The mouse growled, opening their mouth to say more, but stopped. Getting close to your ear. “You’ll die anyways. You should’ve given up while you had the chance. It might’ve been worth it.”
With that, you were shoved back into the now red stained snow and bolted. You sighed, swallowing the copper taste in your mouth. You tried moving your legs, your hands, your arms, but something was restricting you from moving. Maybe it was the pain. All you could do was stare at the empty ceiling afar, wishing there was some crystals to be like stars. Like in Waterfall. Ha, you just remembered, you’re going to miss seeing the stars with Sans.
With Sans… and Papyrus his scarf you had to…
Your lower lip trembled as you sniffled shutting your eyes tight. They were right, you were a selfish human. You didn’t want to let your family go, you couldn’t. Your family resented you as the traitor. You didn’t have a home to go back to except with the skeletons and you’ll probably be alone.
You were scared.
“Y/N? Dammit, where the hell…” Sans was getting closer. He didn’t see you yet in the snow.
You lifted up your hand, the star appearing before your eyes and flicking in and out of existence as the darkness of death slowly approached you Maybe you couldn’t do anything now, but you hoped when you’re able to come back, you can finally be more than just a human.
“Y/N!? Holy shit- Y/-“
SAVE
Frisk laid peacefully in the array of golden buttercup flowers, the sun beaming down in orange and yellow hues as it slowly descended downward for night to arrive. The now larger MK stood by your side, their gown fluttering in the wind as they looked down at their closest friend. You placed a hand on their shoulder, watching the tears leave their eyes. MK’s weird cat plush was in your other arm, called Temmie. MK was just a child, wishing for Tem to see the sun with them and Frisk. Asriel didn’t come. He… He seemed to shut down a bit and barely responded to the two of you when MK proposed going to the surface to set Frisk’s body on the garden of flowers. You didn’t blame the boy, hell, you weren’t even sure why you were even up here. MK shouldn’t be doing this, something so risky, but you gave in anyways.
Losing someone has come to you more than once, especially during the war. It wasn’t easy being reasoned with rationally. You become stupid during your grief and there is no one to blame, not even yourself, just the situation.
Your hand left their shoulder as MK sobbed quietly, leaning in closer to you and down onto your shoulder. You kept the plush close to them, bringing what little comfort you could provide. You swallowed hard, choking up on your own tears as the face of the child began to lose the warmth in their face. Grey. Lifeless. You wanted to believe they were just sleeping, would wake up and complain of a horrible stomach ache. Maybe even throw up the horrible golden flowers they ate in attempt to urge their siblings to take their SOULS, free all monsters from the surface. For them to mean something. It reminded you of yourself, just a tad, you think.
A whistle rushed past MK, slicing their cheek when they lifted their head from your shoulder. The two of you stood still.
Thousands of whistled came about. Arrows. You instantly threw yourself infront of MK, using your body as a meat shield to cover them from the line of fire. Arrows sunk in deep into your side, shoulder and leg, many whisked past your face and sliced parts of MK that couldn’t be hidden from your smaller form against his giant one.
“Highness!” You yelled, grabbing the empty sleeve of his gown and tugging him forward in urgency. Groups of humans came out from their hiding place, screaming and yelling.
“That child! They killed the child!”
“That horrible monster killed a kid!”
“The human traitor!”
“Kill them!”
“An eye for an eye!”
“Kill them! Kill them!”
“Behead the monster! Kill the traitor!”
They clamored about, surrounding the two of you. MK was frozen behind you, frozen in terror. Your hands shook as a sword form in your hand, the bustling of magic vibrating at your fingertips with what little you had. You gritted your teeth, shoving the plush in the side pocket of MK’s gown, covering them as you spoke to them above the screams and yells, the blades of the humans unsheathing and ready for blood.
“Run.” You spoke firmly. “As soon as I tell you to, you run. Don’t look back.”
“B-But- I can-“
“No. You will listen to me and run, do you understand?” Your SOUL was hurting as you swallowed your pain of the arrows inside your body. You couldn’t take them out, you’d just bleed out faster like a sliced pig.
It was like being on the battlefield agains; lunging forward and using your sword to stab at the various, faceless humans infront of you. You blocked out their faces, as you did in the war. It was better seeing them as nothing at all than people you had to kill. It was JUSTICE thumping through your veins, the need to protect the highness, to avoid any more loss tonight. MK watched as you swiftly took out a small bit of the human mob, the people cutting you as you dodged their weapons and being burned by the various burning pikes in their hands. They crowded around you, almost forgetting about MK. You gritted your teeth as more and more began to surround you, your arms burning and tensing with the heavy strokes you took at them, clashing with other swords that were more physical.
“Run!” You shouted.
MK bolted easily. A couple of humans followed, throwing spears and firing arrows to catch MK in a slip up and easily overtake their. You tried to keep their attention, sweat falling from your brows as more and more of what little magic you even had began to fade. You looked again, MK was impaled a couple of arrows in their back, sharp cuts deep enough to leave a trail of blood behind.
Dread.
You tried to scream at them, but the much larger humans trapped you down on the ground as you struggled in their grasp. You thrashed like an animal, feeling the dirt seep into your wounds and create an uncomfortable burn in your chest. You gasped, grimacing in agony, screaming as you were kicked on the ground. MK was up the mountain. You could smell the dust in the air, all too familiar.
Tears filled your eyes as you prayed for his safety. Please please please please please-
A blade was infront of you.
“Cut their head!”
“Take out the snake!”
“Take their head!”
They chanted. Almost gleeful. You forgot how cruel humanity can be to those they believe is monstrous. You swallowed, your reflection shining in the metal. You didn’t waver. You didn’t beg. You didn’t cry.
You closed your eyes and thought of home.
Sans made a journal about the various parts of the solar system. He told you so much about the things he found in Waterfall… Papyrus liked the weird Rubix cube with the chips in the paint. Papyrus loved puzzles, despite how lazy he can be sometimes. You… You wanted to make him a treasure hunt one day with a weird reward at the end. Maybe a stupid inside joke. You had plenty of those. Or maybe you’d add some planet riddles or jokes just for Sans. For both of them to enjoy.
The sword raised up as you opened your eyes back up at the mountain.
Yeah… When you get back, you’ll make the best damn puzzle ever.
SAVE
Papyrus and Sans fought today. You hated when they fight. Sans was worried about Papyrus going out so much when there have been tensions between the Royal Guard and Sans. His advances to come after Captain Alphys have been making them antsy, more bloodthirsty than usual. You understood where he was coming from, but you also felt for Papyrus. Papyrus was younger than Sans, feeling like a babybones, as he says, getting his hands slapped away trying to poke at an outlet. You’re not sure how that resemblance came up, but you agreed with him. You agreed with both of them as an outside party of the family. But you said nothing about it. It was something both of them would come to talk about sooner or later, eventually. They always did (with your urging, as usual). They both were stubborn, prideful. Couldn’t handle expressing each others feelings without a big shove in that direction. Seriously, it made you want to slap them both.
Now they were avoiding each other, which left the house quiet. You hated that. You’d much rather prefer Sans complain about Papyrus silly puns. Sans does them better, as he’s stated repeatedly. Getting your judge on it, you’d say Papyrus gets more of the lead. Or maybe you just had the same horrible humor he does.
You were on the couch, watching the two walk on glass around each other in annoyance. It wasn’t until dinner the two finally talked, but unfortunately…
“Surprised you even let me get the food, m’lord. Thought I needed supervision for that.”
That set Sans off. He slammed his hands to the table, the silverware clattering as you just sat in the middle, watching the shit show of a yelling match pop off. Sans was trying to justify his reasoning, Papyrus didn’t see the point and ‘he can take care of himself’ as he says. You don’t blame Sans for being worried about Pap, considering how clumsy that lanky skeleton can be. He always seems to find himself into trouble, especially with how short the other Monsters can be with their tempers. You tried to break them up when the yelling turned into screaming insults at one another. Your voice of reason fades into the background, causing you to start yelling at them for it to stop. Your ears were hurting.
At the end of it, Papyrus stormed off, the door slamming shut behind him and leaving you and Sans in silence. Sans huffed at the door and frowned, crossing his arms. You narrowed your eyes at him and gave a swift smack on the back of the skull.
“HEY!”
“You bonehead! What the hell was that about!?”
“HE STARTED IT!”
You made a face at him. “Seriously?? Stars above, you fight like you’re kids again.”
Sans rolled his eyes and avoided your gaze, just like a boy would do when he’s in trouble. You couldn’t get the thought out of your head that these two were seriously children with how they act during, and after, arguments. Classic brotherly love, you mused.
“Sans. I think you’re being a little much with this Alphys business.”
“OR MAYBE IM NOT BEING ENOUGH.” He argued. “PAPYRUS IS CLOSEST TO ME AND THEY KNOW IT, SO ARE YOU. THEY COULD USE YOU TWO AGAINST ME!”
“That may be true,” you cant deny it, it’s just how things are in the Underground. “But you also can’t act like he can’t handle himself. You treat him as if he’s a baby. He may be your younger brother, but you can’t look down on him. He’s stronger than you think he is, he can handle his own, y’know?”
“I KNOW-“ he cleared his throat, lowering his voice. “I know that… I’m just worried about him. Papyrus is strong but what if… what if he gets into something stupid? What if he can’t fight back? What if he needs me and I’m not there? What if you both do?”
You sighed, grabbing his arm and rubbing the upper bone gently. You smiled at him. “I know you’re trying to protect us, and I understand your worry, I am too, but if you try to do what you’re doing now, you might just push him away, Sans.”
He muttered under his breath, nodding. He knows when to admit he’s wrong… sometimes. “Alright.. Can you go talk to him? Please? I don’t think I’m the person he wants to see when he’s like this.”
“You got it, boss.”
You left through the front door, making your way through Snowdin to Grillby’s. No doubt he’d be there, probably trying to drown away in some condiment (you have no idea how he drinks that stuff). The chill of the icy wind went up your spine as various eyes glared into your SOUL, making you very… uneasy. You swallowed. A monster approached you, large in size and appearing to be a deer of some kind. You instantly tensed. You recognized this Monster, they use to be a member of the Royal guard before Alphys took the throne as Captain. They were laid off for being too weak. The deer towered over you.
“So this… is the human Sans has in his home? And he wishes to be Captain?” They laughed to themselves, a couple of the on lookers grunting in agreement.
“That’s none of your business.” You sized them up, at least attempted to. “Now move out of the way.”
The deer frowned for a moment, grabbing you by the collar harshly. “…I always knew Humans were stupid.”
You were thrown down into the snow. Your eyes widened as you felt a sharp pain in your chest. A spear lodged itself into you, the deer standing over you with the handle tight in their grip. You barley even noticed they had it on their back. You looked down at it, the blood soaking into your shirts and coat. From the other end of the puncture in your back, blood sinked into the snow, creating a crimson red in the fluffy white. The deer just stood there, twisting its spear inside you before pulling it out, proudly looking down at you.
Wow. You expected more of a heroic fight to the death or something, but this- this was quick. Maybe Sans was right. You couldn’t defend yourself without them, you guessed. Your days as a solider were seemed to fade away with years of trying to avoid conflict. You felt oddly relaxed, the pain barely even registering in your head. You could see the Grillby’s down the road, very close by, the house was a bit of distance away, but you could see it. The deer long since disappeared out of sight, the others in the town just watched your bleeding body. They didn’t seem to want to help. Even if they wanted to, they still couldn’t. That would mean they were weak and you’d probably have to deal with the dust all over your body from them being attacked by the others. That’s fine. Better you than them, right?
“Whats going on here?” You heard Papyrus ask faintly. You could barely hear him over the buzzing in your head pushing you to sleep.
More and more blood drenched the snow as you coughed. You shut your eyes, humming to yourself with a sigh. Papyrus voice turned into yelling, like an echo in a long dark tunnel.
You hope they make up, for your sake.
You don’t know how much more you can take of them being unhappy.
SAVE
Hunger twisted your stomach, the cramping growing unbearable as it growled loudly in the beat up living room. The TV was smashed up, the table leg was broken, and glass was scattered here and there in the carpet. Wood boarded up the windows, preventing anyone from peeping in. From seeing you. You weren’t sure how long you’ve been inside the house, years probably after the human Frisk entered the Underground and never returned. You aren’t suppose to be in Snowdin when everyone is around, Sans told you. They’ll lunge at you any chance you’d get. You wish it wouldn’t be this way, especially when Sans came home one day with… with the hole in his head, bleeding. His eye was large, red than the usual blue, you assumed it was the blood. Queen Undyne she… she did that to Papyrus and Sans she… you swallowed, the dryness in your throat only making the hunger worse as you salivated. If you’d know it get this bad, you would’ve given your SOUL to the deceased king while you had the chance. But now, you all were stuck. Your SOUL wasn’t good enough, now with how… old it is. An adult SOUL, especially one with thousands of years on it, is much less flexible than a SOUL of a child, much less absorbable. Waiting for another child to show up and, hopefully, setting you all free before they’re eating by the rest of the town. Or what’s left of it.
The door opened, quickly locked behind as Sans came in. Slowly. Sluggish. He hasn’t been the same since what happened, he’s starting to grow forgetful and a tad bit short. You supposed that’s just the Underground and hunger getting to him, along with the injury. You wish you could get something to heal him, but there was barely any food to be found in the Underground. The Dump in Waterfall was heavily guarded after Undyne set it all ablaze. There would be a few bits of food thrown down, but it would all be taken for the Queen before anything. You clutched your fist.
“Sans… Are you okay?”
He laughed lowly, like you told a good joke, his large form slouching next to you on the couch. It was always strange how big he’s gotten. You suppose that’s his SOUL changing the shape of him to better adapt to the new surroundings. You changed a bit too, having gotten smaller. Your old clothes felt like gowns now on you.
“fine… just peachy.” He said quietly, drumming his long fingers on the rough cushions of the couch. “papyrus is patrolling. again. don’t see the point.”
You hummed, letting him rest on your shoulder. Though, due to his size, it was mostly like resting his head on yours. He made sure not to scratch you with the sharp bone of his skull. He smelled of blood. They all did, these days. You got use to it after a while, especially with how much of it lingers in the air lately. The quiet wasn’t comfortable or welcomed, but you relished in the silence anyhow.
“Sans.” You quietly called.
He grunted in question.
“I want to try and grab some food from the dump.”
That’s when he shot up, the fastest you’ve seen him move in forever. His large red eye shrank at you, the atmosphere in the air growing heavy as he gripped your shoulders.
“no.” It was rough, strained, and spoke volumes. It was a demand. “no. are you crazy? you would be killed before you even get a chance to fight back, you understand that right.”
“Well I have to do something, right? Sans, I can’t just sit here and watch you and Pap starve.”
“you’re better off here! I can’t let you just- kill yourself like this!”
“Sans-“
“no! and that’s final! I don’t wanna hear anymore!”
“Sans please! Just- Ill be careful, I promise. Rest. I’ll be back and you won’t even know I was gone.”
Sans looked conflicted. He felt the twisting hunger inside of him, making him double over. You watch him with concern and frowned.
“Please, just trust me. Okay?” You held him close. “Please.”
He was quiet. He looked at you weakly, his head against your chest, listening to that strange heartbeat inside your ribcage. It was the only thing that put him to sleep nowadays. He nodded, slowly.
“okay…”
“Okay?”
“okay. just hurry back, alright? keep your head down and make sure… make sure Undyne doesn’t see you.”
You nodded and stood up, he almost looked ready to grab you by the arm, but he restrained himself. “I’ll be safe, okay? I’ll put my hood up and I’ll be quick. Promise.”
“if I lose you, so help me-“
“You won’t lose me, Sans. Neither of you will.”
With that, you left the house. You put up your hood and tightened it with the strings, hiding your face from the various Monsters that lurked in the darkness. You ran a bit through Waterfall, anxious. The crystals were dimmer than ever and provided little light, but it was the only light you had in the Underground since the CORE went out. The sound of rushing water was close, getting closer. There, in the pool, a small hunk of junk laid in the familiar spot of the Dump. Your stomach lurched. There wasn’t a single guard in sight. Either an unlucky bastard got here and managed to be chased by them, or you just got lucky. You immediately dived through the useless garbage, sifting through the various books, empty wrappers and bags, and old technology. And there. There it was. A large bag of various snacks. Your mouth watered at the sight. Someone must’ve accidentally dropped this down here! Who would want to waste all this food? You grabbed the bag and stuffed it underneath your jacket, turning to run away before anyone saw you. You knew it! You knew you could do it! Sans and Papyrus are going to eat well and… and…
Undyne stood a few steps away from you, spear standing high by her side.
You felt your blood turn cold. Your heart sank to your stomach. Her glare set into your SOUL as you swallowed, tightly holding the bag underneath your jacket. The crinkle of the bags gave it away you had food, but you could care less. This was for Sans and Papyrus, to hell with her.
“So this is what Sans was hiding. A human.” Undyne roughly spoke, shark teeth bared and chipped in a few placed. “A human and a thief.”
“This is for my family.”
“Your family?” Undyne laughed humorlessly. “As if they wouldn’t turn on you the second they got the chance.”
“Like you did to them.”
That shut her up. Her lips pressed together in a tight frown as her brows furrowed. Her glare was more intense than ever. You stood your ground.
“You’re coming with me, thief.”
“Like hell I will.”
Undyne gripped her spear. “Im not. Asking again.”
“This is for Sans and Papyrus, asshole. Let me pass.”
She shut her eye, lowering her head with a sigh.
Blue. Blue spear erupted from the ground, piercing your body. Your feet dangled a few inches from the ground. The bag slipped out from under your jacket, the various treats scattering on the ground. You couldn’t even scream in pain, you just dangled there like a fish out of water. Undyne approached you, ever so slowly. With an eye staring into you, she knelt down and gathered all the food and shoved it into a bag.
“I- I did it because it was for the greater good of the Underground.” She said, her voice growing foggier in your ears. But you still heard her. Stars you wanted to punch her good eye out. “I didn’t want to do that to Sans, or Papyrus, I didn’t mean to.”
“But you… did it anyways.” You coughed, hacking up droplets of blood that sprayed across her face. “I hope you know that… that we won’t ever forgive you.”
Silence. She gripped the bag and lowered her head. You could’ve sworn you heard her mutter ‘I wouldn’t either’.
“…for your sake, I’ll bring this bag to them and inform you of your passing.”
You gritted your teeth and spit in her face. She flinched and snarled at you. You smiled. Undyne walked away from you, the spear vanishing. You dropped to the ground harshly, the rushing water filling your ears as she faded from view.
You doubt she’d give the bag to Sans and Papyrus, but you could only hope there was some bit of her old self inside her cold, rock solid SOUL. You shut your eyes. Sans was right. You should’ve stayed home. You shouldn’t have been so dumb thinking it would be that easy.
You hope they will forgive you.
SAVE
Quiet.
Dark.
Painless.
Your body wasn’t existing in this plane, just your SOUL floating about in the darkness. You knew you were there, somehow, but you didn’t know how to get out. You don’t think you can. You just felt so… tired. Sleeping eternally in this empty existence with no problems to worry about. It was like being underwater, blissful and quiet. Time was endless, time was nothing, time didn’t exist here. No worry. No responsibility. No painful memories. No memories at all.
Then something shifted. Something inside you. You could feel yourself stir. The energy around you felt wrong yet so familiar to you. Your SOUL… changed. It felt like something, or many of something’s, were inside of you. They felt familiar yet so strange to you, like replicas that weren’t really you but they were! They were you but they weren’t and you- you didn’t understand. Then it stopped. You settled again. Resting peacefully with the strange sensation inside of you now. It wasn’t unwelcoming.
Years passed. Or maybe thousands of years. Maybe no time passed at all, you couldn’t be sure, but a burst of light awoken you from your slumber. It was bright, blinding to your SOUL. It was the star, the star you used many times. No it was… once. One time in multiple versions of you. Your SOUL was bustling, colorful lights combining together in whirls. You stared into the light.
It reached towards you.
You reached back.
LOAD.