Chapter Text
Neither skeleton was thrilled to be on the ass-end of the Underground during another anomaly, but Blue wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to patrol like he used to. He wasn’t sure if Edge felt the same, given that he hadn’t rejoined the Guard after the Merge, but if he wasn’t happy with the arrangement he hadn’t vocalized it. Instead, the taller skeleton paced the hallway almost anxiously, and if Blue was being honest, it was freaking him out.
"SERIOUSLY, WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU?? YOU'RE GONNA WEAR A HOLE THROUGH THE STONE." Blue grabbed Edge's arm firmly, and the taller skeleton stopped, eyelights small inside the dark sockets. He straightened, schooling his expression into something more neutral before answering.
“HAVE YOU EVER FELT THIS…ODD SENSE OF DEJA VU? LIKE…” Edge trails off, gesturing to the hallway, and Blue wants to shake his head ‘no’, but stops himself. He’ll admit, things felt off today, but he’d attributed it to the anomaly, not the situation itself. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”
Edge brings a gloved hand up to rub at the back of his skull, face tilted toward the ceiling like it would help him answer the question. “I CAN’T SHAKE THIS FEELING THAT WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE. AND YES, I KNOW WE’VE LITERALLY BEEN HERE BEFORE, SO DON’T EVEN START.”
Blue snorts, but refrains from picking at his wording, instead focusing on what was actually being said. He knows from his talks with Classic that the Papyrus’ tend not to remember RESETs, which would explain the feeling, but…there haven’t been any, right? He always remembered them. This had to be something else! He’d read online that sometimes humans have prophetic dreams, so maybe Edge had one? It didn’t explain why he felt that way, though. Has Fang ever talked to Edge about that? …Would it be safe to bring up?
Blue takes a deep breath. “WHAT, UH…WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT RESETS?” Edge turned his skull so fast he felt a small rush of air, and Blue winced. Shit.
“THAT THEY DON’T HAPPEN ANYMORE.” His voice is sharp, like an accusation, and he glowers at the smaller monster. Blue holds up his hands placatingly, resisting the urge to take a step back. “YOU’RE RIGHT, BUT…”
“BUT…THAT WOULD…EXPLAIN SOME THINGS…” Edge trails off, frowning. “CLASSIC ISN’T GOING TO HAPPY. NONE OF THE OTHER SANS’ ARE.” He rubs at his face with a sigh. “DO YOU THINK IT’S THE ANOMALY?”
Blue nods. “IT HAS TO BE! THE KIDS CAN’T…DO THAT ANYMORE. WHATEVER HAPPENED WITH THE BARRIER AND THE MERGE…”
“TOOK AWAY THAT POWER.” Edge finishes for him, giving him an unreadable look, and Blue nods before the two fall silent again.
–
[RESET?]
[YES]
You wake up with a harsh gasp, orange points of fading light still obscuring your vision as you struggle to sit up. Your head swims with the motion, and it takes a moment for you to recognize your surroundings. The Ruins, right? But that couldn’t be right, you were just on the couch with…someone. A sharp pain stabs through your skull, and you wince. Have you ever been inside any ruins? Where the hell is this? The cold, white stone doesn’t seem familiar in the slightest, but it has a name in your head, and the confusion just makes it hurt more.
You struggle to your feet, your hip locking up in the process, and cry out in pain a little louder than you’d intended. The sound of booted heels on stone has you frozen like a deer in headlights, and the sight of a living skeleton does nothing to ease the anxiety building in your chest. Tall, darkly dressed and overall intimidating. The skeleton wastes no time summoning a…a cutlass made of bone from thin air, but there’s no hostility in its stance. If anything, curiosity hangs in the air between the two of you, and you raise your hand in a silent greeting. Another skeleton, much shorter than the first, slides through the doorway to a halt next to the first, eyesockets wide. “HOLY SHIT, A HUMAN?”
The volume of their voice startles you, and you tumble backwards, closing your eyes while you brace for the impact that doesn’t come. Instead, a bony set of arms catches you, scooping you into a bridal carry. “ARE YOU INJURED?”
You open your eyes with a wince at the volume, finding yourself face-to-chest with the tall skeleton. He murmurs an apology, and you shake your head to answer his question. “Are You Certain? We Will Need To Take You To Our Doctor, Regardless.”
His bony brow is set with worry, and you shake your head again. “It’s uh…chronic. I’m fine, aside from a headache.” This scene seems painfully familiar, tugging at your brain in an unsettling way. You cling to the skeleton’s torn scarf, holding back a whine threatening to climb its way out of your throat, and the smaller skeleton places a gentle hand on your arm comfortingly. "We're Here To Help, Human. Do You Know Where You Are? Where You Came From?"
You glance down at him, taking in the fact that he dresses like a dad, and it almost makes you want to laugh. "Uhm, no…to both? Definitely not from…" You look around pointedly before continuing. "...here. I guess." The brain tugging resumes, and you let your head thump against the scary skeleton’s chest. Scary skeleton hums, an amused smirk tugging at his sharp teeth. “I Would Hope Not! The Ruins Are No Place For An Unarmed Human. The Great And Terrible Edge Will Safeguard You To The Surface.”
The smaller skeleton poses next to the two of you, his own faded blue scarf fluttering in a non-existent breeze. “AND THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE WILL HELP! BY CALLING CLASSIC!” A smartphone appears in his hands with a quiet ‘pop!’, and he’s quick to scroll through his contacts and hit the call button. It only rings once before a slower, deeper voice comes through on a video call. “CLASSIC! WE’VE FOUND THEM! WE’RE AT THE FAR ENTRANCE TO THE RUINS. UH HUH, EDGE IS RIGHT HERE. OH–”
The volume is low enough that you can’t hear what’s being said, but the call ends abruptly, much to Blue’s annoyance, and the air feels charged for a moment before yet another skeleton appears, almost identical to Blue. He takes in his surroundings with a furrowed brow before his eyelights land on you, confusion clear on his face as your world goes dark.
[RESET?]
[YES]
–
A soft tickle on your face is what wakes you up, and you stir with a groan, ribs aching from laying on your chest. Your vision is filled with a soft green, motes of dust riding soft beams of light floating past your head. You’re on a patch of sun-warmed grass, and while it wouldn’t be the first time you’d fallen asleep outside, this definitely wasn’t your backyard. The grass around you fades out into worn, stone blocks, and sitting up reveals that the source of light is dozens of meters above you, trickling through a small hole in the cave ceiling. You blink blearily, the situation setting in. Cave ceiling? Your head snaps around frantically, focusing on the details of the area. It’s small, for what it’s worth, and the stone walls have obviously been intentionally smoothed out before they blend seamlessly into masonry. There’s a dark entryway to your far right; simple stone pillars scored with gouges and claw marks mark it clearly. You push yourself to your feet, feeling drawn to that darkness, and the moment you enter it you’re falling.
[RESET?]
[NO]
[NO]
[N0]
[NO]
[YE0098909588604956045]]
[Y89840699456–]
[YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE INEVITABLE. WE WILL TAKE IT.]
[L0AD SAV3333333333333333333333333333333333333]