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Without stars, the sun, or the moon only darkness filled the Underground. Glow from magic cut through the shadows, but the vastness of the caverns overwhelmed the small group of monsters. After almost an hour of walking down the large tunnel they came to an open cavern. With the dim glow of magic, the monsters could see large stalagmites spread across the ceiling. The cavern stretched far beyond what the exiled group could see. Down in the depths of the Underground, the monsters stopped walking and decided to rest there for the night.
“It is not much,” Asgore said, stepping out before the group. He sighed and glanced around the looming cavern. “But at least we are all alive my friends. We shall continue to search for a suitable place to build our home but we should rest for now. It has been a long day.”
Murmurs spread throughout the group. Unsure monsters glanced to one another before spreading out to examine their new surroundings. Some started to unpack and set up the tents immediately, while others decided to explore the cavern further. Sans did neither. He leaned against the wall and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if the barrier covered the entire mountain. If he could blast a hole through, would they be able to escape? With a sigh, he shook his head. The humans would not allow the barrier to be so easily escapable.
“SANS! COME HELP SET UP THE TENT!” Papyrus called, grinning. “I FOUND A GREAT SPOT. NYEH HEH HEH.”
Sans forced a smile and headed over to his brother. His chest ached. Only an hour earlier, he watched from the shadows of the cavern as the human sorcerers created the barrier. Even from a distance, he could see the tears streaming down Frisk’s face. They sobbed as the barrier came into view, obstructing Sans’ view of them. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get that image of Frisk’s trembling body out of his mind. He shouldn’t have watched. It hurt knowing that seeing Frisk cry was the last time he would ever see them.
“BROTHER HELP ME WITH THE POLES! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?”
“why don’t we just sleep on the ground? it’s not like it’s going to rain anytime soon.” Sans grabbed a blanket and spread it across the ground, lying on top of it.
“WHY NOT USE THE COTS AT LEAST?”
Sans did not reply. He rolled over and sighed. “night bro.”
“SANS, WHAT’S WRONG? YOU’RE NORMALLY NOT THIS LAZY.” Papyrus sat down beside Sans. “I MEAN, I KNOW THAT WE’RE TRAPPED UNDERGROUND FOREVER BUT AT LEAST WE HAVE ALL, WELL, MOST OF OUR FRIENDS WITH US! IT’S NOT ALL BAD.”
“i’m just tired bro,” Sans said. He glanced up at Papyrus, who looked unconvinced. “what?”
“IS IT BECAUSE YOUR HUMAN FRIEND ISN’T WITH US?”
“…you should get some rest bro.”
During the night, many monsters fell down and then burst into dust. Waking to piles of dust scattered throughout the cavern left the rest of the monsters despondent. Sans watched from afar as Asgore and Toriel spoke to one another, trying to figure out what to say to those who remained. Food supplies were beginning to run low and so far the monsters had not discovered any sources of food.
“We must continue on,” Asgore said to the crowd of worried monsters. They all looked to him with unsure expressions. “Do not give up just yet! We will be able to make this place our home!”
Quiet murmurs spread through the crowd. No one cheered. Unsure of what to do, Asgore glanced to Toriel who stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Please my friends, we can make this work. We have gone through so much already and we have persevered. Let us not give up now. Perhaps there will be some nice places for us to live.” Giving the group a heartwarming smile, Toriel continued, “All we have left is each other, but together we can make it. We can make this place our home.”
With some hesitation, the monsters followed their leaders down the tunnels. They followed them through magma filled chambers until they reached a cooler place. The moment the small group of survivors stepped into the new caverns, the mood lightened. “Look at this place!” Undyne said, racing ahead to examine all of the waterfalls. “Oh my god, it’s so freaking cool!” She leapt into a puddle, splashing some of the other monsters. “Let’s have a puddle jumping competition Papyrus!”
“YES! I WILL WIN FOR SURE!”
Sans managed to smile as he watched his brother and Undyne race off across the cavern. Soon after, several children dragged their parents and friends forward to play in the new landscape. As the monsters spread out to explore, Sans walked over to one of the waterfalls and stuck his hand in. He watched as the droplets spread across his hand, dribbling down over the sides. Turning his hand over, he let the water collect in the palm of his hand. The waterfalls would be the closest the monsters could get to rain. The last time Sans had seen rain had been only a week earlier. Staring at his reflection, Sans thought back to the moment.
The battle that day had been destructive. After hours of slaughtering the monsters, the order to retreat had finally come and the human army withdrew. Sans stood in the field staring around at the destruction. Countless piles of dust surrounded him. He felt numb. Dark grey clouds crossed the sky, filling it and darkening the surroundings. Something wet slid down Sans’ face and he reached up, surprised to find himself crying. After everything that had happened, he had managed to stay strong, but that day it had become too much. Sobbing into his hands, Sans fell to his knees.
He wasn’t sure how long had passed before he heard the quick footsteps of someone else. “Sans?” Frisk called out. Their pace increased and Sans glanced up in time to see them fall to their knees before him. “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?” They reached out and grasped his shoulders. “Sans?”
“it’s okay kiddo, don’t worry about me.” Sans forced a smile back at them, but he doubted it did much to comfort them when they could see the tears rushing down his face. Frisk frowned and slid their arms around to his back, pulling him forward into a tight hug.
“Don’t smile just for my sake.”
Their words shook Sans to the core. Trembling, he let his smile disappear as he reached up and hugged them back. He sobbed into their shoulder, holding on tight and letting them hold him. “what did we do to deserve this?” Sans whispered. “i don’t get it.” Frisk didn’t reply, but instead hugged Sans a bit tighter. After a long time, he stopped crying. Frisk had been rubbing gentle circles into his back the entire time. When he pulled away, he saw the concern shining in their eyes. “sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Frisk said softly, before smiling.
The rain had started right around that moment. Sans saw the first drop hit Frisk’s forehead and trickle down, racing across their skin. Blinking, Frisk turned their head to the sky and smiled as drop after drop hit them. Thunder crashed in the distance. Sans spotted a few bolts of lightning lighting up the night sky. As Frisk stood, they trailed their hands down Sans’ arms and took his hands. “looks like it’s going to storm.”
“It’s a good fall storm,” Frisk said, pulling Sans’ up to his feet. “Come on, let’s go play in the rain.”
Drop after drop slammed against Sans’ body, soaking his clothes to where they stuck to him. “we’re gonna get drenched.”
Frisk’s hair had become plastered to their face. “That’s the fun of it!” With their golden eyes alight, Frisk dragged Sans forward, spinning along with him. He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Frisk began to laugh as well. No more words were spoken as the two of them played in the rain as if they were children again.
Blinking, Sans stared at his reflection in the waterfall. He clenched his hand, causing the water to erupt out from in between his fingers. The lonely ache returned as Sans turned away from the flowing water and headed back to the rest of the monsters. The echo of Frisk’s laughter rang in his head. He desperately clung to that memory, knowing he would never hear it again. He would never see their smiling face again. He would never feel their warmth around him again.
Sans stumbled. Feeling dizzy, he shook his head. He pushed down all of those feelings and continued forward. In the distance Papyrus and Undyne continued to splash through the plethora of puddles. Forcing another smile, Sans sighed. He couldn’t give up. He had to keep living for his friends, for his brother, and for the monsters who were left. Most of the other monsters had continued down the corridor so Sans hurried to catch up to them. The further they travelled into the cavern, the more plant life appeared. Sans marveled at the glowing flowers that dotted the sides of trails.
“SANS! COME LOOK AT THIS!” Papyrus leapt up and down, waving his arms. “IT’S A TALKING FLOWER!”
Before Papyrus was a large flower that glowed blue. As Sans walked over, he shot a glance at Undyne, who also looked excited. “Touch it!” She said.
Sans reached out and gently tapped the flower. “IT’S A TALKING FLOWER!” The flower said back in a perfect imitation of Papyrus’ voice.
“huh. that’s neat.” Sans cocked his head to one side. “wonder if they’re edible.”
“BROTHER!” Papyrus said, stomping his foot. “THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY AND YOU JUST WONDER IF WE CAN EAT IT?!”
Undyne’s smile wavered and she sighed, glancing away from the flower. “We should keep going.” Turning sharply, the warrior continued down the cavern, following the group of monsters. Papyrus followed after her while Sans stared at the flower.
“too bad you didn’t exist up on the surface.”
The further the monsters travelled into the caverns, the colder it got. Asgore sent out groups to find suitable growing plots in the land he called “Waterfall”, while the rest of the monsters continued on to find somewhere new to live. As they left Waterfall, it began to snow. Sans raised his eyes up, shocked to see the little white flakes floating down. Toriel extended a hand out, letting the flakes land on her hand.
“How beautiful,” She said. “Perhaps it will not be so bad down here after all.”
“that’s a steep conclusion tori,” Sans said, looking up. “you sure it’s snow joke?”
Toriel laughed and smiled at Sans. “I am glad you have maintained your sense of humor in this disaster.” Sans nodded and continued forward alongside the Queen. “I hope no more monsters fall down. It is getting quite depressing.” She sighed as they trudged through the snow. “Asgore thinks we should build our new city soon. It will give everyone something to do.”
“yeah, that’s a good plan.” Kicking at the snow, Sans stared ahead. “it would be good to have something to do.” Shivering, he pulled his cloak a bit tighter around himself. “just maybe not here. it’s a bit chilly.” As Sans looked around, he saw Asgore making some sort of gesture to Toriel. The king quickly looked embarrassed and glanced away as Toriel coughed and shook her head. “something up?”
“It is not anything that is too important,” Toriel said, speaking more softly than before. “But Asgore and I have noticed, well, you do not seem too happy.”
“none of us are tori,” Sans said with a shrug.
“Yes, but you especially have seemed unhappy. It seems like more than just being trapped.” Toriel placed a gentle, but firm hand on Sans’ shoulder. “You can confide in me.” Sans glanced away. “Is it because of that sorcerer? You seemed to like them quite a bit.” Sans’ clenched his hands, holding his cloak tight. “They were kind and genuinely seemed to care about us so I understand why-”
Sans slapped Toriel’s hand away and looked up at her, pupils disappearing. “Don’t talk about them like you knew them.” Shocked, Toriel’s eyes widened and she took a step back. Sans shook his head and walked off. “sorry, can ya just leave me alone?” The ache had returned.
After passing through the snow covered part of the cavern, the monsters reached the end of the underground. “We will build our city here,” Asgore declared. “We will call it ‘Home.’ ” Sans glanced around the gloomy cavern lit by crystals they found in Waterfall. It would never be home to him. It was a prison. A pain erupted through his chest and Sans grasped there, wincing. He needed to stay strong. Even if everything seemed as though it was falling apart. He couldn’t give up hope.
The human army departed almost as fast as it came. Frisk did not follow and none of the sorcerers made an attempt to find them. Riding out into the forest, Frisk explored the abandoned monster city. There were a few shops and not too many homes beside the Royal Family’s. Frisk knew that many monsters preferred to live on the outskirts of the city. As Frisk rode through, they stopped to collect some food and stored it in their bag. Without the human army, Frisk would have to collect all their own supplies. Looking to Mt. Ebott, Frisk felt a longing in their chest. It ached day and night, but Frisk could not figure out how to get through the barrier without destroying it. If they broke it, then the war would start over again. Everything would have been for nothing. Frisk pulled the wooden chess piece from a pocket inside their cloak. “I will find a way,” They whispered, hugging the piece tight.
For the first few nights Frisk remained in and around the city, sleeping out on the grass. Then, curiosity got the better of them. “our home’s not too far from here. it’s cozy and there’s a river nearby.” Using those words echoing in their head, Frisk rode off to find where they might have lived if everything worked out the way it was supposed to.
It did not take long to find the small home tucked away in the forest. Frisk rode up to it and froze. Slowly, they slipped off of their horse and walked over to the door. Above it was carved, “THE HOME OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS and sans.” Trembling, Frisk raised their hand and pushed open the door. As they entered, they spotted a sofa and a small table. Frisk walked over and found a notebook on the table.
“Physics,” They read, opening the book. It was full of scientific drawings and writings. Smiling, Frisk took the book and tucked it into their bag. They could read it later. Walking over to the kitchen, Frisk found a boot with a scroll tacked to it.
“SANS PICK UP YOUR BOOT!” The first line said.
“okay.”
“AND TAKE IT TO YOUR ROOM! DON’T JUST MOVE IT AROUND HERE!”
“okay.”
“LEAVE IT THERE!”
“okay.”
“WHY IS THIS STILL HERE?”
“you said to leave it.”
Frisk couldn’t help but giggle. They smiled down at the boot and replaced the piece of parchment. Most of the house was very standard. There was a small fire-powered oven as well as some cupboards with monster food. Frisk ate a couple of cinnamon rolls before continuing to the other parts of the house. It was a good thing that monster food never spoiled. After all, every item was infused with magic. As Frisk explored, they soon found Sans’ room. Hesitating outside the door, Frisk found it hard to breathe. They lifted up one hand and pushed open the door. To their surprise, the room was neat. Frisk frowned and walked inside. All that was in the room was a simple bed and a desk. A string of words engraved on headrest caught Frisk’s attention. Their heart thundered in their chest as they walked over.
“frisk and sans’ bed,” The words read. The first two looked like they had been carved recently. Frisk’s breath caught in their throat and they raised a hand to their mouth as they began to cry. That was why the house was so clean. When Frisk returned to the human camp, Sans must have gone home. He wanted everything to look presentable for them. He was expecting that once the war ended, Frisk would be going with him and Papyrus back home. While Frisk had planned the creation of the barrier, Sans had planned the start of their new life.
“Why? Why did this have to happen?” Frisk gasped, wiping away their tears. They collapsed to their knees, burying their face into the soft blanket on the bed. Clutching at the blanket, Frisk continued to sob. They wanted to live there. They wanted to have a family again so badly. They wanted to be with someone who genuinely loved them. It was so unfair. They had done everything right. They had tried to save everyone. Even then, Frisk’s best effort hadn’t been enough.
Once Frisk stopped crying, they rose to their feet and decided to eat something. They felt sick though they were unsure if it was because of their hunger. Whatever happened next, Frisk decided to stay in the skeleton brother’s home. It was cozy and warm. Most of the leaves had fallen, which meant winter would be upon them soon. Frisk couldn’t keep sleeping outside in the cold. As the sun began to set that night, Frisk walked back to the room and curled up inside the bed that was meant to be theirs and Sans’. They cried themselves to sleep, clutching a pillow tight to their chest.
Weeks passed by and the first snow fell. Frisk busied themselves with collecting food and exploring the area. As they trudged through the snow, they stared up at the mountain. If only they could find a breach in the barrier, then they could get in. Frisk was sure that the seven sorcerers couldn’t have covered the entire mountain. Even their magic had limits, and none of them had ever created something like the barrier before. So when they could, Frisk searched for another way into the mountain. In the meantime, they returned to their new home and sat before a fire, warming their hands.
“I like it here,” Frisk said, smiling at the Physics book in their lap. “But I can’t wait to see you again and I will see you again. I promise.” Frisk refused to give up hope. They were determined.
Home was mostly built within a few weeks. The monsters salvaged stones from various parts of the cavern and transformed them into wood for building. Farms sprung up in Waterfall and soon enough even food was being grown. Children played and everyone began to accept their new existence.
“UNDYNE IS GOING TO HELP TRAIN ME SOME MORE TODAY!” Papyrus proudly said as he walked around the living room. Sans lounged on of the cots being used as a temporary couch. “SOON I WILL BE A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD! MY BATTLE EXPERIENCE SURELY HELPED!” Excitement gleaming in his eyes, Papyrus whirled to grin at his brother. “AREN’T YOU EXCITED BROTHER?”
“yeah it’s really great,” Sans said, forcing a smile. “i can’t wait to see you at your post for the first time.” Papyrus nodded, but a look of concern crossed his face. “what?”
“YOU HAVE NOT BEEN UP TO MUCH SANS,” Papyrus said, walking over. “I MEAN, I THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS YOU WOULD BE HANGING OUT WITH ALPHYS AND COMING UP WITH COOL SCIENCE SOLUTIONS TO ANY PROBLEMS WE ENCOUNTER DOWN HERE.” Sighing, Papyrus shook his head. “BUT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN UP TO MUCH AT ALL. YOU JUST LOUNGE AROUND ALL DAY AND-”
“don’t worry bro,” Sans said with a shrug. “maybe i’ll go brainstorm with alphys later.” It wouldn’t matter. Alphys was doing a great job at creating new solutions for living in the underground. She managed to design an amazing irrigation system in Waterfall. It allowed them to infuse magic into the water for optimum food growing capacity. There was no need for Sans to help her. His grin wavered. He hadn’t been good for anything lately. Even Papyrus didn’t need him anymore. He was moving on to join the Royal Guard. It was his dream come true and Sans’ was proud of him, but it seemed as though he was the only unhappy one. Everyone else had adjusted well to their new situation.
“SANS?”
Getting up from the cot, Sans sighed, “i’m going to take a walk.”
“THAT IS A GREAT IDEA BROTHER! WALKS SEEM TO REALLY CHEER YOU UP!” Sans did not bother telling Papyrus that the only reason walks made him happy before was because he had someone walking alongside him. Letting his smile disappear, Sans headed out of the new house.
Time slipped by as Sans walked out. He passed monster children building forts and snowmen in Snowdin. It was winter up on the surface. At least they still had snow down in the underground. As Sans passed through Waterfall, he spotted some farmers working hard. The echo flowers hummed songs as he trailed a hand over them. No one bothered to go to Hotland. It was unbearable there. Sans continued walking and walking until he reached a glowing white wall. Staring up at the barrier, Sans’ face twisted into a scowl. The barrier looked as pristine as it did the day it was created. Sans laid a hand on it, feeling the magic of those that created it. When he closed his eyes and focused, he felt the warm spark of Frisk’s magic. The feeling caught him off guard and he laughed.
“maybe i have a little piece of you left sweetheart,” He murmured, leaning against the barrier and sliding to the ground. “have some time for a chat?”
At the top of Mt. Ebott, Frisk found a hole. It was small and at first Frisk tripped over it. When they turned and saw it, excitement filled them. Racing over, Frisk’s magic burst to life. A red glow surrounded the rock as Frisk ripped it apart. The glow spread over their arms, but they didn’t care. Once the hole widened, Frisk fell to their knees to examine the barrier. Like they suspected, it felt weak at that spot. Pressing hard, Frisk felt the barrier tremble underneath their palm.
“Please,” Frisk whispered. “Just let me through.” After a brief moment, the barrier gave in and Frisk’s hand slipped inside. Their eyes widened in excitement. Though the drop looked far, Frisk figured they could use some of their magic to slow their descent. “I did it.” Eyes widening, Frisk leapt up. “I’ll get to see him again.” Whirling around, Frisk headed back down the mountain to collect their belongings. “Wait for me Sans! I promise it won’t be long until I see you again!”
The walks to the barrier became a bad habit, but Sans longed to feel the touch of something familiar. He wasted hours sitting beside the glowing white wall, just talking. He talked about Papyrus’ success, about Asgore and Toriel’s leadership, about the blossoming relationship between Undyne and Alphys. Though the visits did not ease the pain in his chest. If anything, talking to the little piece of Frisk made everything worse.
One day the feelings burst. Sans stared up at the barrier, feeling fury radiate throughout him. “you know, we never tried to break you.” He raised his left hand, feeling the rush of magic spread through him. He summoned a blaster and fired. The act did not even scratch the barrier. “huh? how about this?” A series of bones crashed against the barrier. Frustrated, Sans blasted and attacked the barrier over and over again. “why won’t you break?!” Infuriated by his failure, Sans’ slammed his hand against the barrier. “just break damn it! just break.” His hand slid down the glowing surface until it fell to his side. “please, i just want to see them again. just one more time.” Out of desperation, Sans focused his magic then tried to teleport through the barrier. Magic slammed against him and threw him back. He yelped in pain as he hit the ground. “damn it.” He rose to his feet and turned away. It was pointless. He would never see Frisk again.
Imagining the soft touch of Frisk’s skin, Sans shook his head. He thought of the way their lips felt against his mouth. The feeling of warmth from their body crept up from his memories. Everything about them was beautiful and gentle. Sans had never felt that way about anyone and he doubted he ever would. Clenching his hand, Sans turn and started to walk away from the barrier. There was no point. Stumbling, Sans raised a hand and clenched at his cloak. The life he wanted was gone. Everything had been ruined. Sans gasped and tried to shake the thoughts from his head, but it was no use. He had been fighting it off for too long already.
All of the monsters were trapped underground forever. It was over, yet everyone else was making do. They were happy. It wasn’t enough for Sans to be happy for them. Even Papyrus didn’t need him anymore. He was alive and safe. He was moving on to greater things. He didn’t need his older brother looking out for him anymore. Again, Sans stumbled, but this time he fell to the ground. Trembling, he rolled to one side and closed his eyes. Letting out a shaky breath, Sans gave in. There was no point in trying anymore. He had given up hope. At least, it would be a while before he would be missed.