Work Text:
The world r e w r o t e i t s e l f
Substitute me for him
Papyrus stretched out, arms and legs splayed wide.
No up, no down, no walls, no ground, nothing except the Void.
He was vaguely aware that that didn't have to be true - Gaster had been aware of the Underground, had watched, had even been able to interact in a limited manner.
Papyrus didn't want to. This might not be the complete dissolution he'd been hoping for, but it was close. And if he found a way to die here, it would be exactly what he wanted!
...Except for the fact that Flowey was trapped here with him. But, being here meant Flowey couldn't reset, so it was for the best!
It was good that Gaster was free of the Void.
It was wonderful to be free of the role everyone's assumptions forced him into.
And until he completely believed that, Papyrus wasn't going to go looking into the Underground and see how much better it was with Gaster there instead of him.
Substitute your lies for fact
Sans lives with his brother. Sans is a tenant in Dr. Gaster's house in Snowdin.
Sans thinks he's the only one aware of resets. Sans is part of the team Dr. Gaster has gathered to work on understanding the Anomaly.
Sans has three or four jobs. Sans is officially one of Dr. Gaster's assistants. Unofficially, he wonders if this is some strange form of pity - he hasn't really done much to deserve the role, not when there are lots of eager monsters who'd fight for the chance to work with Dr. Gaster and Dr. Alphys.
(Sometimes it seems like Dr. Gaster is so invested in him from some odd sense of duty... but Sans has no idea why he would be. It sounds weird, ungrateful, even in his head, so he never brings it up.)
Undyne has a friend in Snowdin. Undyne doesn't let herself feel lonely, doesn't let herself think how much fun it would be to have a training partner. Part of her thinks she should find a student, someone to train for her position, but no one stands out as good enough. If they're too intimidated by her to ask for training, they're too wimpy to be worth it!
Snowdin is a cheerful town. Snowdin isn't a bad place to live. It's rather dull, staid - sullen, in a way - but it's not bad.
No one can explain why it seems emptier than it should.
The simple things you see are all complicated
Sans has never had a brother. P͡͡a̧̢͘͠҉p҉̷̧y̵̸̢̢̨r̶̢̡͝ų̢s̶̷̷͘͡ ̸̶̢͡l̴̡͝é̵̕͟͠f̡͡͝t͏,̸̀́͟͢ ̸̕͜҉d҉̡į̷̷͡ş̸a̴̶̷̧p̵̨̡̀p̴̡e̸̕͝a̛͢͝ŗ̷̷́͘í͟҉҉ņ́g̛̕ ͏̡͡i̴̷̢͜ń̨̧͝t̡o҉̶̨͞ ̧̧͞t̶̡͘͠h͢͝e͝͠ ̶̢V͠͠o҉̨̛͞į̵d̀͝͠҉
Dr. Gaster has always lived in Snowdin. H̡e̷ ̶̵͠ḿ̨͘͡o̵̕v́̀ȩ̡̢͠d̸̛ ̴҉͢͜f̶̢̛͜r̷̛̀ǫ̸̷ḿ̨̛ ̵̢̛͞H̸́o͝҉t҉̵ļ҉͘a̶n̷̶̸d̸̷͟ ͠͡͏̀t̕҉͏̢͜o̶̕ ̸̵̢̀ţ̶̧̛͟h҉e͢ ͘͏͘͝V̶̧͢ǫ̕í̶̛̛d̵͏́͝. H̡͘e̡͝͏̸ ́͘͜҉҉ĺ̵͏͜e̴̕͟͞f̶̧̀t̛͢ ̸̶͜t̡͠҉̴h҉e҉̡͘͟͞ ̵͡͞V̸̴o͡į̶d̶̕ ̸̴á̶̕͢n̢d̴̴̡ ͏̢̛f̵̢̛͢i̴̛͘͞҉l͠҉l̴͠ę̴̛͝͡d͏̢ ̡̧̀̕͜(̧̛̕͝ś̴̕ǫ́m̷̷̡̛͞è̵͞ ̵̴̸̨͝ò̷̕͢f̶̵̀)̧҉̴̛̕ ̕t̡́͢h̷̢̡̀é͜ ̨͏s̛͏p̷̡̡̛͘a̷̡͢͝c̛͡e͘͡͝ ͘͟i̸̢̧̧ń̨ ̛͏̨S̵̷̀n̷̴͢͢͠ơw̷͟͜d̵̶́͠í̸͜͜͞ń͝͠͝.̷̵̷̡̡
The Anomaly has only occurred when a Human is in the Underground. H̡̀̀͜͞u͘͢͟͜ņ̸͠d̵̢̀́r̵͝͝͞e̸̛͘d͟҉͜s̀͜ ̶̴̧̡ó̢͏f̴̸̶ ͏̡̨͡Ŗ̷͡u̶̕͏͞҉ņś͢͜ ͢҉̀͝͏l̴͏҉ớ̶͟͝ş̡͘͜t̨̛͜ ͏͏̢͠҉t̴͜͠o̶̷͠͡ ̛́n͠ơ̷̵̷n̵̢̡͟҉e̕͝x̨̢̧̀i͘s̸̢͟͝t͡e͡͠n̛͏̧͢c͏̧͡͝é́̀̕͝.̨ T̴̢̕͡h̢͘̕͝è̸͜ ͜͜D̶e̴̛̕͠͠a̴̸͞d̴́͘͡ ̵̴̨̛́Ṕ̷҉r̷̴͞i͘n̵͏̵̕͢c̡͜e҉̡͜͟͠ ͏҉̷̛͞w̡͞į͘͟͡l̕͞ļ̷͘ ̛́́̕҉n͘͡ę̶́҉҉v̨̨͢e͘͘̕͝r̵̵̢͝ ̸s̨͝͠͡p̀͝͏͞e̕̕͠ą̶͠k̵̢ ̨͘͟t̸̡͝͞o͢͡ ̨̧͞h̸̢̛͏͜i̴̶̛͠͠s̛͘͟͞ ̴̢̕͜p͢͏̨a͞҉r̷͜͜è̡̧͞͡n̸͢t̨͟s͢͜ ̛̀̀ą̷͜͜͢g̡̢̕̕͢a̸̵i̛̕͠n̡̛̕͞͝.̸̀͏͞
Alphys never bore the sole responsibility for the creation of the Amalgamates. A͢͞͏͟҉ļ̸̴̡͜p̨̧̀͝h́͡y͢s͠͝͡ ̀͟ń͝͏̵e̷̛͘v͏̶͜͠e̛͠r̨̛ ̢҉͠ù̷͠͏n̷͜͢͝d̀͠e͠҉͝҉r̵̵͜͠ş̵t̢̨̢̢̡a̧͜n̡̛̕͞d͞͏̧͜ş̷̡͘͞ ̀͢͏ẃ͝h́͘͟y͢͢ ͞s̷̡͘h̨͘e̸̛͢͟͞ ̸͞f̴̡̨̨͏ę̴͞͝ę̸̷̕l̶͠s͟ ̨̡́͠l͟҉ì͝͝͠҉k̀͘҉͠͏e͏͡ ̧̡͝ś̶̵̛͠h҉͟e̸͠͡'̴̷̛̕͠s̷͡ ̸̶ẃ͘͠a͡í̶̛t̕͞͝ì͜͞͏n̴̸͟҉g҉͏̧̧ ̴̡̨f̨́͢҉̶o̡̧̨͜r̸̴̕͝ ̸͟͞a̴̢͢ ̵̕̕͜n͝͏ę̴͜͟ẁ̸̛ ̧͞c̷͘͘͟͞o̴̕n̷̡͘͘t̷̕͟a̵҉̷̕c̀̕͟t̡̨̛͞ ̛͟͡͝҉t̷̷̨͢͝ǫ̕͞ ̡́͘͟͏a̕͜p̸̧͘͘p͝͏͟e͢͞҉̷a҉̛r̀͏̸̶ ̸̴̡̛ò̵̶̷͝n̴ ̶́͏t̴̷̀͟͡h̢͜͝ȩ̴̶ ̛͏̸̀U̢͏n͠͞d̴è҉̀͝r̵̷̢ń̷̴è̶̴̵t̶̴͜͡.́͟
Things are better now. ͝ ̵̢̛͏҉ ̶̡͜͟ ̸̛͟ ҉ ͠ ̷̴͠ ͜͝ ̶̧ ̸̡́ ̴̕̕ ̶͘ ̕͡͏ ̢̢̛́͘A̕͟͏͝r̴͢͏͟͡è͘ ̴͞t̴̵́͘h҉̀҉̡i̶̴͟͏҉n̷̛͟͝͠g̴͘͡͡ś̡͘ ̸̢b̕͢͡͝͏é̕͠͞t̛̕t̵̸̷͘͡e͜r͘͟ ̸̴̨ņ͟͡ò̢w̕͠?͟͝͡ ̢̨́҉̨ ̶̴̨ ̵̢̀ ͝ ̸̧̕͜ ̸̛͞ ͢͠ ̶́͘͢ ͜҉͏̧͢ ̛͟͞͠ ̀͟͞͠ ͜͝
It's a genuine problem you won't try to work it out
Four of the scientists in the True Labs refuse to meet anyone's eyes.
Things are better now.
Things... are better, now.
... Things are... better... now...?
("How can we fix this?"
"We can't.")
I'm a substitute for another guy
Gaster throws himself into bringing the barrier down.
He was brought back by someone who genuinely believed he could do more for the Underground than they could.
He has to prove them right.