Chapter 1: The Forming of a Soul
Chapter Text
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*****
No experiment had succeeded in the last few years. In fact, as Sans helped his father day after day, he firmly believed that the formation of his brother was the last experiment that would succeed. Trying to create a SOUL that would be able to destroy the barrier of its own strength was a ridiculous endeavor. All they were working with was their own magic! Not only did it not make sense, but Gaster was firm in his misguided resolve. Still, Sans listened to his father and did his bidding without the slightest verbal complaint. He knew that this experiment would fail every time they did it, and that was enough for his apathy to kick in.
“Sans, grab the concentrated magic for me.”
“yessir,” the beast responded, plodding over and slipping the syringe syringe from its case with the utmost care.
“It is time, Sans. We have made great progress. This will prove to be an experiment worthy of our genius.”
“yessir,” Sans repeated, eying the machine with a tired gaze. It hummed to life at Gaster's prodding, its whirring filling the room. Soon enough, the magic was injected and it began to swirl inside. Over and over it spun, consolidating into one small area.
With a flash of white light, a creature fell from the tube. Horrid screeches escaped it, the melting and cracking SOUL floating above it. As the light finally faded, they could see the skeleton with its missing bones, clean breaks, and fractures. It shivered, whines escaping as it tried to crawl toward them.
Sans turned his gaze to the side, holding back the urge to vomit. While this was the most successful experiment yet, they had created a true monstrosity. What they had done should never be done again.
“A disappointment,” Gaster sighed, shaking his head. “I had hoped that this would be even a bit better. It is truly upsetting. Very well. Sans, dust the failure.”
The smaller skeleton sighed, summoning a few bones. He did not have any other choice since Gaster would probably punish Papyrus, so he resigned himself to his fate. Just as he lined the summoned bones up to the creature's heart, another flash of light blinded both him and Gaster. A sliver of pure darkness joined the light, completely blinding the duo.
As the light and darkness faded to something bearable, Sans and Gaster were treated to a completely new sight. The monstrosity that had been broken, melting, and falling apart had formed into a true entity. It was a bit smaller than Sans, with a sharper jaw and horns. On its back, two bony wings spread out and laid on the floor to its sides. A tail nearly the length of its body spread out behind it, ending in a sharp point. It was naked aside from a strangely shaped pendant, occasionally dripping with an odd black substance.
“What...?” Gaster managed, eyelights locked onto your form.
Shivering like a newborn, you moved your legs underneath you and tried to stand. It took a few tries, but you finally managed to stand up on your four limbs. There was an odd aching in your chest, but you had no idea what could be causing that. In fact, there were a lot of things you simply didn't know. It was strange to honestly consider, that so many things were unknown to you while some things were obvious.
“holy shit, gaster.”
You raised your gaze to the creature that had spoken. He was a good head or two taller than you, though his slouching made him seem a bit shorter. A quick glance over your own body revealed that he was pretty similar in appearance. Though he didn't have the wings, which confused you. Who was this monster?
“Holy shit, indeed,” Gaster hummed, forcing your gaze to him. “This beast is quite the anomaly.”
The taller skeleton stepped closer, his cold gaze making you take a step back. Whatever this man did, you didn't want him near you. Your wings raised of their own accord, trying to make you seem even bigger than you already were. When you tried to tell him to step back, all that escaped was an angry hiss. The man's eyelights became slits, his posture going rigid.
“Fine. It has just formed. Sans, you are in charge of them. Bring them to the room across from yours. They are your responsibility, so keep them safe.”
“yessir,” Sans responded, gesturing for you to follow him.
Feeling much more relaxed around the smaller of the two, you did as you were asked. Sans led you through a set of heavy metal doors. The hallway behind smelled of chemicals, your claws clicking against the shiny white tiles. The walls were painted the same white as the floors. Seeing the same thing over and over made your chest tighten in an almost painful manner. It was a feeling you could not quite place.
“so, kid, any idea what just happened?”
A low purr escaped your throat in lieu of a response. As he cast you a strange glance, you huffed in annoyance. You tried a few more times, only managing to make a few different noises instead of words. Sans eyed you as you continued to try, merely raising an eyebrow ridge at the sounds escaping you.
“oh. you, uh, can't talk, then?”
You growled, the sound reverberating low in your chest, in agreement.
“huh. well, pap and i couldn't talk at first, either.”
At that, you tilted your head to the side. It was your best attempt to get your question across.
“pap is my little bro. our dad, gaster, created me first. then pap. he created you using a lot of different monster's magic, though, so you're not related to him in the same way we are,” he explained, tail swishing back and forth rapidly. “i'd stay away from pap, if i were you.”
You slowed to a stop as Sans placed a claw on a door handle. A soft purr of confusion escaped, curious as to his sudden mood shift.
“he's a good kid.”
Sans stopped at that, opening the door and gesturing for you to go through. Without any other real option, you made your way into the room and looked around. There were no windows, and the walls and floors were the same as in the hallway. In one corner, there was a pile of sterile white pillows. Aside from the door that led into the hallway, there was only one other door. A quick check revealed it to be an empty closet.
“this is your room, kid,” Sans said from the doorway. “my room is across the hall. see me if you need anything. for now, stay in here while i go find you some clothes.”
With that, the taller skeleton pressed the button to shut the door to your new room. You let out a soft sigh, walking over to the pillows to move them into a more comfortable bed. It took a while to get them just right, but when you laid down, it was perfect. Your eye sockets drifted closed, sleep threatening to overtake you.
Just as you were about to fall asleep, the door to your opened again. A skeleton half your size came in backwards, dragging a wheelbarrow with him. Bolts of fabrics, some sort of fluff, needles, thread, and a sewing machine sat in the cart. The skeleton himself was wearing a white shirt with 'COOL DUDE' written across the front in black marker, a pair of blue pants, and a bright red scarf. Tight gloves adorned his front feet, though there were holes for his dew claws.
“HELLO, NEW MONSTER!” the skeleton yelled, turning to you with a happy grin on his face. “MY NAME IS PAPYRUS. MY BROTHER WAS ASKING ABOUT CLOTHES FOR A BEAST LIKE HIM BUT A BIT SMALLER, AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, QUICKLY REALIZED WHAT THAT MEANT! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?”
You tilted your head to the side, letting loose an uneasy purr. It wasn't like you could answer him, for two reasons. The first was, of course, that you simply couldn't talk. That fact was something you were hoping Sans or, stars forbid, Gaster would help you with. And then..., you didn't have one. Perhaps it was because you were just created, but you didn't have a name yet.
“NEW MONSTER?”
You used your tail to tap your neck, following it up with a soft purr.
“OH. YOU CAN'T TALK?” At your resulting nod, Papyrus merely grinned. “NOT A PROBLEM, FRIEND! I CAN CALL YOU BY THAT TITLE FOR NOW! IN THE MEANTIME, I WANT TO MAKE YOU SOME CLOTHES! IT IS HARDLY RIGHT TO WANDER AROUND NAKED.” Orange light surrounded the bolts of fabric, a similar orange light shining from his right eye socket. “PLEASE PICK YOUR FAVORITE COLOR, AND I WILL MAKE YOU YOUR OWN SWEATSHIRT! I MAKE ALL OF MY OWN CLOTHES, SO I PROMISE IT WILL BE NEARLY AS GREAT AS I AM.”
Shifting your position on the pillows, you reached forward and tapped one of the bolts.
“GREAT CHOICE, FRIEND! THIS COLOR WILL LOOK GREAT ON YOU!” With that out of the way, needles, thread, and scissors were soon surrounded by the same orange light. Papyrus cut and tied together fabric with expert precision. “IT WILL PROBABLY BE A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE DAD COMES TO GET YOU FOR YOUR FIRST TEST. HE IGNORED ME FOR A FULL WEEK SO I COULD GET A HOLD OF MY MAGIC. I REMEMBER SANS TEACHING ME EVERYTHING I KNOW. THERE'S A LOT YOU WILL HAVE TO LEARN, BUT MY BROTHER IS THE BEST TEACHER!”
You lowered your head, resting in on the pillows as you purred.
“DO NOT LET HIM KNOW I WAS HERE, THOUGH. WHILE I DO LOVE MY BROTHER, HE CAN BE INCREDIBLY PROTECTIVE! I AM NO LONGER A BABY BONES, EVEN IF THAT IS HOW HE WISHES TO TREAT ME.”
A chuckle escaped you at the smaller skeleton's insistence.
“BUT MY POINT HOLDS. AND YOU CAN COME SEE ME ANYTIME SANS IN BUSY! I AM IN THE ROOM TO THE LEFT OF HIS. IT WILL BE NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE ELSE TO HANG OUT WITH! MOST OF DAD'S ASSISTANTS ARE AFRAID TO BE AROUND ME AND SANS. THEY ARE AFRAID OF MY DAD.”
You tilted your head to the side, doing your best to give a comforting purr.
“OH, IT IS OKAY, FRIEND,” Papyrus called, grinning at you as he lifted the white fluff from his cart. “I AM USED TO IT. BESIDES, I ALWAYS HAD SANS. SANS DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE.” As he finished speaking, the skeleton snipped the last thread and tied a knot. “HERE YOU GO, FRIEND. THIS IS A SWEATSHIRT! IT CAN GET COLD HERE, SO THIS SHOULD KEEP YOU WARM WHILE ALSO COVERING YOU UP!”
The article of clothing was surrounded by the same orange light as it floated over to you. It took some input from Papyrus to get it on since you'd never worn anything before, but the fabric was soft against your bones. In fact, you hadn't even realized you were chilly until the warmth from the sweatshirt seeped into you. You stood fully, stretching and appreciating the flexibility of the fabric. Your tail swished back and force, knocking pillows around. As you were bouncing about, the door to your room opened again. Papyrus shrunk in on himself as Sans walked in.
“i think i found a shirt that might fit, kid,” he said, studying the clothing on his back. “you'll have to try them-,” Sans cut himself off as he looked up, spotting the younger skeleton in the room. His eyelights vanished, forcing his eye sockets to become pitch black holes. “pap. what are you doing here.”
The smaller skeleton trembled under the glare of his brother. “I... I WANTED TO HELP MY NEW FRIEND.”
“pap, go back to your room.”
“BUT, SANS-”
“n o w, papyrus.”
Noticing the younger skeleton flinch back, a growl escaped you. You jumped from your position on the pillows, landing between Papyrus and Sans. Your tail lashed back and forth, leaving marks on the tiles. Constant snarls left your chest, and you could feel a strange power surrounding you. Before you, Sans took a step back. His eyelights reappeared, and he was lowering closer to the floor.
“okay, there, kid..., calm down, will ya?”
Another snarl escaped you when he tried to move closer. You lifted your wings to block the older skeleton's view of his brother.
“F-FRIEND?” Papyrus spoke up. “THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING ME, BUT PLEASE DON'T HURT SANS. AND PUT THE PILLOWS DOWN!”
You turned in confusion, a yelp escaping when you noticed the pillows floating around you. Each one was surrounded with a light formed from a variety of colors. In fact, that same color spectrum was now forming a web between the bones of your wings. Whines began to leave you as you lowered to the floor, the sight confusing you.
“oh, crap, that's right. you don't know about your magic yet.”
“OH NO! FRIEND, PLEASE REMAIN CALM!”
You let loose another whine, clutching your skull with your claws.
“hey, kid, look at me.”
You did as Sans asked, focusing on his pin-prick eyelights.
“okay, now i want you to look straight at one of those pillows. you're controlling them, so try imagining them lowering to the ground.”
Whining low, you turned your gaze to one of the many floating pillows. It took several tries, but eventually the pillow you were looking at lost the light and fell to the ground. You perked up, moving straight onto the next pillow. Knowing what you were doing, the remaining pillows fell one by one. At the last one, you were able to make it move a bit before the pressure in your chest began to lessen. Despite not commanding it to, the pillow fell to the floor. The light from your wings faded at the same time, and you were hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion.
As if sensing what was coming, Sans hopped over and caught you as you started to fall. Behind you, Papyrus was already remaking your bed. By the time you lost your ability to stand, Sans and Papyrus had maneuvered you onto the pillows. A soft whine escaped you, worry forcing your chest to constrict.
“don't worry about it kiddo, okay?”
“MONSTERS LIKE US ARE MADE OF MAGIC. WHEN WE USE TOO MUCH, WE GET REALLY TIRED!”
You managed a single nod, allowing your eye sockets to close and sleep to finally overtake you. As you fell asleep, you could hear Sans apologizing to Papyrus for scaring him. The latter was quick to accept the apology, happy that everything had worked out.
It was nice to think you had made a difference.
Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and the months turned into a year. Though, while you did have a concept of time, not much mattered to you. After the first month where Sans and Papyrus had worked with you to harness your magic, Gaster worked with you every other day. He spent time testing your body and the color of your magic. He couldn't make sense of any of it, but he did try time and time again to pull out your SOUL to get a good look at it. Whatever it was about your creation, however, kept him from grabbing it. Against your will, your magic would lash out to protect the SOUL. The same with the pendant.
Regardless, you had ended up fitting into your role well. You got along well with the brothers, happily spending time with them outside of testing. Papyrus particularly seemed to enjoy your company since Gaster kept Sans busy often. Gaster was the real problem. He seemed to possess no emotions aside from curiosity, annoyance, and aggression. Never bothering to display any form of attachment or emotions towards you, you felt the same. Being in his presence at all made you uncomfortable, so you made sure to keep away from his as much as possible.
It didn't help that he treated his sons so terribly.
A knock at your door roused you from your reverie, confusion clouding your thoughts. As far as you could remember, today wasn't supposed to be a testing day. Yawning, you stood from your pillow bed and stretched. After working the kinks out of your wings, you curled them into your side and padded to the other side of the room and used a claw to open the door.
Papyrus jumped, his quickly growing form nearly larger than yours. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRIEND!”
You tilted your head. While most basic things had meaning to you, something rooted deep in your soul, the phrase meant nothing. It... sounded familiar, but that was it.
“don't worry, kid. let us in an' i'll explain.”
Glancing past Papyrus to give Sans a nod, you stepped back. Papyrus came in first, dragging a familiar cart with some sort of food and a few boxes. Sans followed lazily behind, seeming unconcerned with the face you now dwarfed him in size and dragging the blankets he'd been carrying off of his back and onto the floor. He and Papyrus got settled on one side of the cart, while you laid on your pillows and waited for any explanation.
“SANS, THEY DON'T LOOK HAPPY.”
As much as you hated seeing Papyrus' sad face, you wanted an explanation more. Sans turned his gaze to you.
“when we were created, we considered that the day of our... birth,” he explained slowly. “every year on that same day, we celebrate something called a birthday.”
“IT'S A CELEBRATION OF BEING CREATED! WE'RE GLAD THAT EVERYONE IS HERE, SO WE HAVE A PARTY.”
You blinked a few times, considering the implications. That meant today was the year anniversary of you bring brought into this world. To be honest, you weren't sure if you were... happy with that knowledge, but they certainly seemed to be. Using your tail, you gestured at the cart.
“IT IS CUSTOMARY TO SHARE DESSERTS ON A BIRTHDAY!” Papyrus happily explained, gently pulling bowls out with his magic.
“and give gifts,” Sans added, noticing you eying the boxes.
At that, a frown pulled at the edges of your jaw. You gestured at the two of them before pointing back the cart.
“oh. our birthdays?”
“MINE WAS THE WEEK AFTER YOU WERE CREATED, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO BOTHER YOU TOO MUCH,” Papyrus cut in, still laser focused on putting sections of dessert into the bowls. “WE CAN CELEBRATE TOGETHER THIS YEAR!”
“and i don't celebrate as much as i used to.”
“WE USUALLY JUST EXCHANGE GIFTS.”
You growled softly, narrowing your sockets at Sans.
“okay, okay. this year, deal?”
Feeling the edges of your jaw lift, you nodded. At the same time, Papyrus used his magic to set a bowl down in front of everyone. At his behest, you all dug in. You rarely had pastries since it simply wasn't made in the cafeteria. Now you knew what you'd been missing. The pastry melted on your tongue long before it evaporated into magic. You were finished long before the brothers, ignoring Sans' chuckles. Papyrus was less inclined to laugh, chiding you on your messy eating.
Once everyone was done eating, Sans' food disappearing while no one was looking as usual and Papyrus carefully cleaning his bowl with his tongue, Papyrus lit up.
“PRESENT TIME! OPEN MINE FIRST,” he cheered, grabbing the medium-sized box from the pile and handing it to you.
It was the most haphazardly wrapped of the five, using several different types of paper with skeletons drawn all over it. Bones and stars filled the extra space. Glancing at them curiously, you lifted a claw and sliced away the wrapping. Papyrus was bouncing up and down as you opened it, only stopping when you pulled out what had been inside. The gift was a scarf, helpfully labeled with a large tag that said 'SCARF' in Papyrus' handwriting, made of the same color fabric as your jacket. It lit up with Papyrus magic as he lifted it from your grip, gently wrapping it around your neck.
“IT'S TO HELP KEEP YOU WARM!” he explained, quickly grabbing another box. “OPEN THE OTHER MINE NEXT!”
You managed a grin before opening this one. It was the smallest of the five, wrapped with one of the colors from his other gift. A drawing in orange paint covered the top. At your best guess, it was supposed to be you, a large skeletal beast with huge, rainbow-colored wings. You did your best to not rip the drawing while you opened the box. The object inside was some sort of... ring... made of leather and studded with metal spikes.
“oh. that's a pretty cool bracelet you made, bro.”
You tilted your head, lifting it with the sharpened tip of your tail.
“YOU CAN WEAR IT ON YOUR WRIST OR TAIL!” Papyrus explained, getting up and walking over to your side. “DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE?”
Considering your tail was plenty sharp on its own, you raised a front leg. Papyrus happily unclasped the blue and orange bracelet before wrapping it around your leg. He slid back onto his blanket after that, grinning.
“NOW YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE A PART OF US! OR, AT LEAST SOMETHING TO HELP YOU THINK ABOUT US.”
You gave your best purr, wishing you could speak to give him a proper thank-you. At his somehow widened grin, you figured you got your point across. Sans finally raised his tail, nudging a box over the tip of the cart and onto your pillows.
“my turn, i guess.”
Despite his rather laid back attitude, the box was wrapped neatly with bright blue paper. You tore it open without much preamble, blinking in surprise at the book inside.
“uh, yeah...,” he mumbled, glancing to the side and trying to cover his growing blush with a claw “since we've been workin' on your reading, i thought a joke book might be good.”
You grinned, opening the book with the utmost care. To be fair, few of the words made sense considering you had only recently started with letters, but the excitement of one day being able to read it filled you with... something. You couldn't place it, but it was definitely a strong feeling. With a loud purr you pulled the book close and smiled. Sans seemed to smile back, hiding the action by handing you the other box.
Wasting no time, you tore the matching wrapping paper off and peered inside. It was the second largest box of the five, and it was filled with... another box. With a confused look, you took the new one out and opened it. Among the tissue paper, you found another box. Papyrus was beginning to give his brother a concerned look, but you delved deeper and found, unsurprisingly, another box. At the fifth and final box, you finally found the gift inside. Gingerly taking it out, you studied the gift. A small, shell-shaped pendant stared back at you. As pretty as it was..., you weren't sure what to do with it.
“it's to cover that necklace.”
You raised your gaze, tilting your head.
“i noticed you seemed upset about it, uh, dripping everywhere,” he told you, using his magic to lift the shell and clamp it over the pendant. “that should keep the... liquid contained so it doesn't get on your jacket or the floor anymore.”
You cooed happily using your tail to play with the newly covered pendent.
“it's magic, actually. so the goop that drips into it is sent to inter-dimensional storage. i'll handle getting it emptied every once in a while.”
Purring, you nestled the covered necklace into your jacket where it could now sit without ruining Papyrus' head work. Feeling happy and comfortable, you raised your gaze to the largest package, wondering where it had come from. It certainly wasn't Gaster.
Seeing where you were looking, Sans lightly tossed the box to you. “this is actually from one of the scientists on the higher levels, alphys. when she heard the, uh, third assistant had a birthday comin' up, she asked us if she could send somethin'. apparently, a bunch of staff pitched in.”
Curiosity firmly piqued, you lifted the lid off the box and peered inside. The first thing you pulled out was a large pillow, somehow large enough for your whole skull. It was made with dark blues, a shimmering, light blue used for the echo flowers on the bottom and a bright yellow for something on the top.
“oh. echo flowers.”
“AND STARS!”
It felt soft on your face, too, so that was a huge bonus. The next thing from the box was a large backpack. Judging by the way the straps were made, it seemed to be created specifically for you. The straps would latch around the base of your wings, leaving room for them to stretch without letting the pack flap around too much. Curious about the size, you opened it and tried to stuff the new pillow inside. It took a lot of pushing, but you managed to get it to fit, if just barely. Papyrus and Sans watched with interest as you strapped it to your wings, using your teeth to tighten it properly. Once it was firmly attached, you stood and stretched, showing it off while also testing it. You could barely tell is was there.
“WOWIE. I WISH I HAD A BACKPACK THAT COOL.”
“maybe on your birthday, bro.”
“MAYBE!”
You smiled softly, peering back into the box and pulling out two stuffed... soft... things?
“PLUSHIES!”
With a tilt of your head you nuzzled them. They certainly felt soft. At closer glance, they appeared to be based of off Sans and Papyrus. You grinned, surprised at having another thing to be able to think of them by when they were busy and you were alone. Stuffing them carefully in the second pocket of the backpack, you turned your attention back to the box. The last object inside was wrapped with tissue paper, which you slipped off before taking it out.
“a phone?” Sans asked, getting up to look at it with you.
The whole object rested in your palm, with the screen taking up about one third of its size. The rest had twelve buttons, with the first three rows numbered one through nine with letters underneath. A box symbol, for storage Sans told you, was on the bottom left button and the bottom right one was colored green. Sans said that was for pulling up the screen to make phone calls. The number zero was on the middle bottom.
Sans huffed out a laugh. “wow. they really went all out. look at the buttons. they're made with holes in the middle for your claw to slide into. ours don't even have those.”
“LET ME PUT OUR NUMBERS IN!” Papyrus cheered, grabbing it and clicking buttons.
“he means he's putting it a specific set of numbers that'll let you call our phones,” Sans explained, slipping his out of his pocket. “if you choose the ones with our names, it'll call ours. do you remember what our names look like?”
You nodded after a moment, tracing out the letters to their names in your head to make sure. Just as you finished, Papyrus handed you your phone back.
“THERE! THAT SHOULD-”
A huge CRACK followed by the world shaking and a loud rumbling assaulted you. Your phone tumbled from your grip and fell onto the pillows, you following soon after. Papyrus leaned against you, doing his best to stay upright. Sans was the most stable, though he had his tail wrapped around a door. When the shaking subsided to a reasonable level, an alarm blasted through the facility.
“that's... that's the core alarm!”
Papyrus shivered, looking around. “B-BUT.... DAD!” He turned, running from the room.
“pap! wait!” Sans shouted, following.
You stood up as quick as you could on your slowly stabilizing legs. Just before running to follow, you grabbed the phone and slipped it into one of the zipper pockets on your sweatshirt. The few scientists that were allowed down here were running for the elevator to the upper levels, the only means of getting away from the core. Despite their fear, they made room for you as you barreled down the hallway. Despite not being able to see Sans or Papryus, you'd been here long enough to recognize the door to the CORE.
You pushed through that, skidding to a halt on the metal walkway and taking in the sight before you. Part of the walkway had crumbled, leaving a clear divide between the brothers and Gaster. It was large enough that no one would be able to jump it, but Papyrus was standing at the edge anyway. Gaster was working at a panel furiously, likely trying to fix the meltdown. Sans, meanwhile, stood several feet behind Papyrus, clearly afraid to step forward and risk plunging his brother into the core.
“FATHER!”
“Get out of here!” Gaster shouted back. “I won't let my experiments be destroyed.”
“c'mon, pap! listen to him!”
“WHAT IF HE GETS HURT AND NO ONE CAN HELP HIM?” Papyrus shouted back. He stood straighter, turning his head to get a good look behind him. As he pressed a claw down, a creak sounded. Papyrus hesitated glancing down just as the platform's back-ups failed and disconnected.
“PAP!”
“My experiment!”
As Sans tried to catch him with his magic, you roared at Gaster in the hopes of conveying how angry you were at his own caring for his experiments. When Sans cursed, his magic failing him, you acted on instinct. Leaping over Sans, you unfurled your wings and dived, catching Papyrus with a combination of your magic and your powerful jaw. He scrambled for a purchase, trying to grab onto anything as he wailed. You flapped your wings as hard as you could, crying out when you realized it wouldn't be enough. Using as much of your magic as you could, you propelled Papyrus up and back onto the safety of the walkway with his brother.
“FRIEND!” he yelled, leaning his head over with Sans to see if you were okay.
You flapped your wings as best you could, but couldn't make any headway. A glance back at them revealed the rainbow magic to be flickering in and out. The realization that you wouldn't make it came at the same time Gaster's platform was destroyed, sending him plunging into the core. You tried regardless, trying to make just enough altitude to grab onto something. Anything. But you could feel the magic falter, making you drop a few more feet.
“whoa, whoa! we'll go get help, okay? just stay up!”
The CORE was failing. If they went to get help and come back, they might die in the melt down. Besides, with your magic faltering, there was no promise you were making it out even if they did get help. So, you did the one think you knew would keep them alive.
You dropped your wings. They called out as you dropped, and you did your best to give a hopeful croon. You really did want them to be okay. The closer you dropped to the magma of the CORE, the hotter it got. Your tail lashed back and forth, betraying your fear.
You didn't want to die.
Just as you were about to hit the surface, you felt your tail rip through something, combined with the feeling of the last of your magic draining.
The world went black.
Chapter 2: A Plan Denied
Summary:
This was never what you wanted.
Notes:
I'd really like a better upload schedule than "once every month or so", but I'm working on it. All of your comments really helped me write! Thanks for all the support!
As always, please let me know if you find any mistakes or if you have any questions! I love interacting with all of you!
Chapter Text
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You jumped through the portal, landing carefully on the snowy ground. While you weren't sure where you were, which was, quite honestly, the norm, a quick sniff revealed that the scent of dust wasn't prevalent. If you could avoid the aggressive worlds, you would be fine. Still, after traveling the alternate universes for a couple years, you thought chance would have you come across your home universe. Concern for the well being of the brothers was still rooted deep in your SOUL, and it was hard to ignore.
Regardless, you had gotten used to this new life. Spending time hopping between universes wasn't so bad. You'd long since learned to avoid the inhabitants, and that meant you were hardly ever bothered. With your control of your magic and being able to tear a hole between universes with your tail, you were never in any real danger. A cry sounded nearby, interrupting your thoughts. Despite your decision to stay away, the owner of the cry had seemed terrified. At the very least, you should see if there was anything you could do to help. Even if you didn't know which universe you were in.
After winding through Snowdin's trees, you arrived at the scene of a confrontation. A small human was dodging and weaving to the best of their ability, trying to avoid a monster that kept grabbing for them. They were trying to reason with the creature, trying to make it back off and leave, but to no avail. The monster seemed... unhinged? Something about its movements was unnatural... wrong. You sniffed the air, a very particular scent assaulting your nostrils.
Oh. You've been to this world before. It wasn't your favorite by far, but you've been here a few times. The monsters had been infected with... something that changed them. Instead of fighting or having a royal guard they had increased sex drives and a royal harem. Still, that human clearly needed your help. While you weren't one for getting involved, you weren't going to let someone hurt the human.
You leaped forward, landing between the 'attacking' monster and the human. Both parties froze, trying to size you up and figure out what was going on. It wasn't quite right to interrupt a confrontation, but you didn't care. Wasn't like this was your universe anyway. When the monster moved to step towards the human again, you roared, snapping at them with your powerful jaws. If you could make the monster flee, the human would be safe for now. Despite your aggressive nature, the monster lunged forward, hoping to grab the human.
Snarling, you raised your pointed tail and swatted the monster away as gently as you could. By the small scar appearing on its body, you figured you'd accidentally done a small amount of damage. Seeming to realize the same thing, the monster turned heel and ran, fleeing and ending the confrontation. Sighing, you turned your attention to the human. They were on the small size for a human, at least from the few you'd seen, though you guessed that they were an adult. You tilted your head, purring softly.
The human took a step back, eying you cautiously as you stood there. They seemed to calm when you didn't move towards them in any way, biting their lip in thought.
“Um..., thank you? I'm Frisk. Who... who are you?”
With a small huff, you laid down, purring softly. When they only got more confused, you tapped your neck and shook your head.
“Oh! You can't talk?”
You nodded, curling in your tail and wings to seem as nonthreatening as possible. You lowered your head, trying to seem smaller. With a soft purr, you tilted your head.
“Well, um... I'm Frisk but... you already knew that. You're... you're not like the others?”
Glancing where the monster from before had run off, you shook your head. You didn't know what had caused the change in these monsters, but you were fairly certain it hadn't affected you.
“That's great!” The human, Frisk, looked around for a bit, apparently spotting what they were looking for in the tree line. “Rosie! Look, a friend!” Frisk ran over, leaning down and letting a small flower climb up their arm and settle at their shoulder. “This is Rosie!” they explained, grinning at you as the flower stared at you with visible concern.
The crunching of snow some ways away caught your attention, and you raised your head to try and get a clearer sound. Whatever was causing it seemed to be heading in your direction, and you wanted nothing more to avoid another confrontation. Worried about the human getting hurt, you stood and picked them up by the back of their striped shirt. They shouted in surprise, their flowery companion sending out their own concerns. Both went silent as a monster turned the corner. You nearly dropped them when you realized it was a skeleton, albeit one who walked on two legs and had no tail. Still, an possible threat was a possible threat, and considering this clearly wasn't any of the skeletons you knew, you weren't going to take any chances.
Ignoring the shock evident on the face of the approaching skeleton, you spread your wings, activated their magic, and jumped. Using your wings as an extra boost, you climbed to the tops of the trees. In a relatively safer location being so high up, you curled your neck so you could set Frisk on your back between your wings. Giving what you hoped was a calming coo, you jumped into the air, gliding across the tree tops and into a clearing some ways away.
Frisk clambered off your back when you landed, eyes practically sparkling as they stared up at you. “Whoa! You can really fly!”
You snorted, shaking your wings out and letting the magic fade. You still weren't great at flying, considering practicing could make you get seen, but you were decent enough to glide like earlier. The strain on your wings would take some getting used to, however, and you could tell by the soreness that not stretching them beforehand was already starting to bite you in the tail. You wouldn't be flying for the next couple of days.
“Thank you for saving us!”
The sound of crunching snow was still invading your senses, and you knew the thanks was premature. It sounded just like the skeleton from before, and you wouldn't be able to make another escape like before. And you certainly wouldn't be able to jump to another universe with the human and their flower in tow. No, you weren't going to mess with the universes that much. Still, you felt a need to protect this human, at least for the time being. You pulled them close, wrapping your tail around their stomach and standing between them and the approaching skeleton. The trick here was to appear as threatening as possible to keep the monster from getting to close. To do that, you brought your front legs forward, lowering the front half of your body slightly. Each wing splayed out to your side, raising high and flickering with your magic. You dropped your jaw, growling low in your chest. The skeleton emerged from the tree line, stopping dead at the sight of you.
A pun your Sans would have appreciated.
“uh..., hey...?”
You snarled louder, leaning forward and snapping.
“whoa, hey. no need to get snappy, not that i'd mind a bite or two,” the skeleton purred, his grin becoming slightly less strained. “never met a monster so, uh, violent, though.”
Frisk peeked out from behind you, eyebrows drawn in as they stared at the other monster. Both hands raised to wrap around your ulna. While not exactly comfortable, you had bigger things to worry about right now.
“don't talk much? i bet ya still howl,” he continued, grinning as he leaned against a tree.
Was... was he hitting on you? Huffing in annoyance, and guessing that he wasn't about to jump Frisk or Rosie, you straightened your stance and lowered your wings somewhat. With your tail still wrapped around Frisk just in case, you sat down.
“They can't talk,” Frisk called out, arms moved to hold onto the vertebrae of your tail.
The skeleton raised an eye ridge. “huh.” He shrugged, brushing some snow off his highly inefficient jacket. Seriously, with a crop top that showed off the top of his pelvis and part of his spine, one would think he'd wear a jacket that did anything. Instead, it seemed to have no zipper on top of no sleeves. The only thing that seemed warm were the puffs of fluff on the bottom and around the neck. Even the gloves he wore were fingerless. Combined with leather tight pants and a pair of boots, he looked more suited to a Hotland environment. You hoped that some monsters in this universe dressed normally. At least Frisk had a sweatshirt.
“so, i didn't realize there were more skeleton monsters,” he finally said. “can't say i'm not intrigued with one so... big.”
You snorted, rolling your eye lights. Though you had grown somewhat in the last couple years, you doubted that you were even close to Papyrus' size. Sans had stopped growing shortly before you left, and you'd left with a head or so on him.
Frisk took a deep breath, stepping away from you a bit to talk to him properly. “Do... do you know where we can get food?”
“food, huh?” he murmured, the edges of his smile dipping down. “i wouldn't suggest you go get it yourselves. how 'bout i go get some and bring it back, hm?”
“Really?” the human asked, lighting up. “I can give you some gold!”
“nah, don't worry about it. grillbs and i go way back. stay here, all right?”
Once you couldn't hear the skeleton's footsteps, you slowly unwound your tail from Frisk's stomach. They smiled up happily at you, the grin stretching ear to ear. Rosie seemed a bit happier as well, though it was hard to tell considering how concerned the flower was. Regardless, you still weren't sure about trusting anyone. As hard as it was, you'd spent so long knowing you could trust no one. The two you could trust were in a universe you'd been having trouble finding your way back to. So, as a distraction, you nudged Frisk and then gesturing in the direction the skeleton had gone.
“Hm? Oh. Are you asking if I trust him?”
The edges of your jaw quirked up. The kid was smart. You nodded.
“Well, if he brings back more monsters, you'll hear it, right? We can make a run for it then, but he didn't seem to mean us any harm.” The human smiled up at you. “Besides, I've barely eaten since I fell, and if I don't eat soon, I'll run out of energy.”
You nodded. Generally, you stole food, hunted, or foraged in whatever universe you were in. While magic food had a larger impact on your health, eating anything prolonged the starvation. And you'd been in enough tight spots to know what it's like to need food. Nudging Frisk, you purred out an understanding.
They giggled, smiling at the flower on their shoulder. “Luckily for us, Rosie doesn't need to eat.”
“It doesn't help that you need to, though,” the flower responded, concern leaking into its voice.
As Frisk and Rosie started chatting amongst themselves, you stood up and glanced around. It was starting to snow again, and you could already feel the chill setting in. Frisk had been shivering a little, but if they got wet it would get worse. You needed to do something. After looking around some more, you decided on a small lean-to to protect the three of you from the elements would suffice. You started by pulling several trees out of the ground with your jaw, using a mix of your claws and sharpened tail tip to cut off the lower branches. Once you had eight of those prepared, you tore some more trees out, taking off all of the branches on those. With that done, you brushed a section of snow away with your tail. On two opposite sides of the cleared space, you dug four holes each, just large enough for the eight trees to fit into it.
Around this point, as you fitted in the trees, you noticed that Frisk and Rosie had stopped talking and starting watching what you were doing. Working slowly and concisely, you stacked some trees on one of the empty sides, brushing piles of snow on the outside to keep them in place. With the last of the trees, you made a roof for the structure. It would be just big enough for you to lay in the back with your head to stick out and Frisk to sit between your stomach and the opening. Gathering the branches in a near the opening, you started on a fire. While most of the branches were somewhat damp, thanks to the sheer number and the fact the snow here didn't melt, you managed to find a few dry ones.
Setting the wet ones aside inside the structure to dry, you reached into the third and smallest pocket of your backpack. The other two were full still from the birthday presents years ago, but you used the smallest for basic supplies. One in particular was flint and a piece of stone. Frisk came over as you pulled out the objects, sitting down so you could focus your front legs on holding them and starting the fire. Within minutes, a nice flame licked at the branches and you had a relatively safe place to rest. Frisk sat beside the fire, under the roof of the lean-to.
“You're really good at this! It's like you've done it before.”
You shrugged. To be honest, you'd lost count of how many times you'd done this. Between makeshift structures and caves, you had a pretty good system going. Living like this was wasn't the easiest, especially compared to the controlled environment of the lab, but it wasn't like you had a choice. Until you found your way back to your home, this was your life.
“Oh,” Frisk mumbled as they set Rosie down. “I didn't get that monster's name.” They held their hands out to fire, frowning as they turned their eyes to you. “I don't know your name either.”
You shook your head, considering the odd thought. Despite the year you'd spent in your home, they'd never given you a name. Gaster referred to you as the 'success', while the boys avoided it or simply called you their friend. Sans had mentioned offhand once that you could always name yourself, but lacking the knowledge of letters and being unable to speak made that hard.
“Do you... want a name?” Frisk finally asked, hugging a leg to their chest.
It was a good question, but not one you had an answer to. You'd certainly tried to name yourself in the past, at least coming up with options, but you'd never found one that was quite right. None of them sounded like it belonged to you. Something nagged in the back of your mind, always on the tip of your tongue but never making its way out.
“Maybe a temporary name?” Rosie said, peering up at you. “Like a nickname you could use in the meantime!”
That... was a good idea, actually. You turned to the two, nodding with conviction. Having a name of any kind would be nice. It wasn't like these strangers could call you 'friend'. Not that you wanted them to. That was what Papyrus and Sans called you.
And so Frisk started listing off names, ranging from simple ones you'd heard when eavesdropping to words that seemed to have nothing to do with you. Some time into the nicknaming session, you heard a single set of steps approaching. You stood up, shaking some snow off your bones and preparing for the other skeleton's arrival.
He emerged from the tree line, carrying two large bags that smelled of grease and food. It'd been years since you'd eaten food not roasted over a fire, and it took nearly all of your willpower to not start salivating then and there. The skeleton had his usual grin, and it seemed to widen at the sight before him.
“i see you're settling in nicely,” he said, making his way over to the shelter. Before you could stop him from getting too close, he set the bags down, reaching in and pulling out a smaller one. He walked back to the tree line, sitting against a tree there. “i'll be over here. you go ahead and eat.”
Frisk looked up at you as you brought the bags close enough for them to reach into. “Can't he eat by the fire? He'll be freezing.”
You glanced over, watching him eat a fry from his bag. With a sigh, you nodded. If worst came to worst, you could easily stop him from getting too close to the human. With your long neck, it would be easy enough to pick him up in your jaw. Frisk went ahead and called him over, the skeleton joining you and not even bothering to hide his surprise.
“figured you'd want to keep me away.”
“You kept your promise,” Frisk said with a smile. “The least we can do is let you keep warm, especially after you fed us.”
“eh. i had grillbs add it to my tab.”
With that, you all settled down to eat. The skeleton let you know that one bag was entirely yours, since you'd clearly need to eat more due to your size. You nodded a thanks and set to carefully taking out the burgers and fries. Everything you grabbed could be eaten in one bite, but you did your best to savor the taste of greasy, cooked foods. You didn't know when you'd be able to enjoy it again.
Partway into their second burger, Frisk gasped, quickly swallowing the bite in their mouth. “We still don't know your name!”
The skeleton paused, blinking in surprise. “oh, yeah. i'm sans. sans the skeleton.”
You gaped at the monster. He... he was Sans?! You'd listened to your Sans talk about the theory of alternate universes before, which is why you knew you'd been visiting different versions of your home, but you'd never considered the implication of meeting another version of your friends. It also implied that there was a Papyrus wandering around somewhere, and, frankly, you weren't sure what to think about that.
“Nice to meet you Sans,” Frisk said, clearly unaware of your inner turmoil. “I'm Frisk. My flowery friend here is Rosie. And our large skeleton friend doesn't actually have a name.”
Sans raised an eyebrow ridge, looking up. “no one named you?”
You shook your head, trying to distract yourself with your remaining food. It was hard to look at him knowing he was a Sans that looked so different from the one you knew.
“We were trying to find them a nickname when you showed up!”
“huh.” The edges of Sans' smile quirked up a little higher. “well, most skeletons have a font as their names. i've known a papyrus and a wing ding. why not a font?”
“A font...? All right! Let's do this!” Frisk cheered, turning to you with a smile. “What about Roman? For Times New Roman?”
You snorted.
“Verdana?”
Hm... that didn't sound right either.
“Segoe?” Rosie suggested.
You shook your head.
“Cambira?”
Nope.
“Cordia?”
“Andalus?”
“Calibri?”
They continued to list off fonts, you giving a denial of some sort every time. Something just... didn't sound right. Sure, this was just a nickname and not a real name, but you felt it needed to fit you in some way. None of these did.
Sans coughed into his hand, gathering everyone's attention as he leaned back. “what about vagabond?”
Frisk frowned. “Isn't that a type of person?”
“it's also a font. besides, i don't know of any other skeleton families, so they're a traveler, right? for a nickname, it fits.”
“How's that sound?” Frisk asked, turning to look up at you.
You had been traveling a lot, and, at this point at least, there wasn't much of a home to go back to. Not until you found the right path, anyway. Vagabond fit, in a sad sorta way. You finally nodded, the edges of your jaw quirking up. It would work, though you weren't sure how you'd introduce yourself without a voice.
“Well then, nice to meet you, Vagabond!” Frisk said, grinning. They turned back to Sans. “I, um, don't suppose you're just going to let us be?”
Yawning, you laid your head down near the fire, still in an easy enough place to protect Frisk if the need arose.
“you'll freeze out here.”
“We have this shelter! And a fire!”
“not to mention you'd be an easy target.”
You snorted raising your tail and stabbing into the snow to prove a point.
“we, uh, don't normally resort to violence here,” Sans mumbled, seeming a little nervous.
“Even so, we don't exactly have anywhere else to go.”
“And an inn would be too dangerous,” Rosie added.
“Actually,” Frisk said, “you don't seem to be acting quite like the others.”
Sans snorted. “i'm just better at self control.”
“Hey, Vagabond... would it be okay to stay with Sans for a while? I haven't slept in a house for so long.”
You glanced back at the smaller skeleton. He didn't seem to be lying when he said he had decent self control, but the idea of spending the night did make you a little nervous. Not necessarily for yourself, but more for Frisk, who clearly did have the physical strength to fight if they had to. Still, as long as the three of you could stay in the same room, you could keep Frisk and Rosie safe. Turning your head to Frisk, you nodded.
“cool, but we'll have to take a back path.”
“A back path?”
Sans grinned lazily, standing up. “your friend there isn't wearing any pants.”
You tilted your head curiously, glancing back at your rear. It was true that you weren't wearing any, but that was mainly because the brothers said you didn't have to. Not every monster covered their whole body, and, to be fair, clothes weren't really required at all. Not wearing clothes wasn't a bad thing. Though, now that you were looking, you could see the top of Sans' pelvis and a good portion of his spine. Huffing, you raised your tail and poked into his abdominal cavity.
A blush lit up his cheekbones as he leaned back, pushing your tail away. “fair enough, i guess,” he squeaked out, “but not everyone is as thoughtful.” He stood from his seat on the snow, swiping off the snow on his butt in the weirdest way you'd ever seen. “let's get going, then. i'll need to let my brother know you're coming.”
You stretched, slinking out from underneath the shelter and stretching. Ready to walk around again, you lowered to the ground and stretched out your neck so Frisk could climb on.
“You have a brother?” Frisk asked, kicking snow on the fire and putting it out before grabbing Rosie. “You didn't mention him.”
“he's pretty awesome, trying to get into the royal harem.”
Frisk raised an eyebrow as they climbed onto the spot just behind your wings. “Royal Harem?”
“used to be the royal guard,” Sans explained. “at least until the change. why don't'cha follow me?”
Sans started on his way, gesturing for you to follow him. Carefully, you stood and shifted your wings so they wouldn't make the human on your back uncomfortable. Keeping an eye out for danger, you followed the smaller skeleton through the woods. Frisk gripped the base of your neck tightly, making you shift a bit uncomfortably as you walked. Sans, or at the very least this Sans, stayed decently quiet. Your mind wandered despite your best efforts, wondering how your Sans was doing.
As you crossed a small bridge, the sounds and scents of a town assaulted your senses. Sans led you far from any buildings, though a part of you was curious since you'd never let yourself get close enough before. In that same vein, your Sans had always warned you against interfering with alternate universes, a rule you'd clearly broken. It was worth it to save the human, though.
“okay, you'll probably need to squeeze through the door,” Sans said, breaking the silence as he led you out of the tree line and to a... small house... relatively speaking. “but we should be able to get you in.”
You snorted, especially after you saw the door. What was with the size of that thing? In fact, what was with the size of that house in general? The entire building was smaller than your, Papyrus, and Sans' old rooms in your home universe combined! Fitting through the doorway would be difficult, but nothing you couldn't handle.
Chuckling at your reaction, Sans opened up the door and gestured for you to squeeze in. You did just that, keeping your tail primed in case he tried to touch you on your way in. Luckily enough, the living room was two stories high, meaning you had enough room to stretch vertically. There wasn't a lot of room to lay out, though, and you had a feeling it wouldn't take long to start feeling claustrophobic in the small space. Regardless, you picked Frisk up by the collar of their sweater and set them down on the couch so they could settle in. Sans lazily started up the stairs, mumbling something about finding some blankets and pillows for you. In the meantime, you pulled the couch away from the wall a bit and squeezed your back half behind it, effectively keeping your lengthy body out of the way.
Sans returned after only a few minutes, dropping the pillows and blankets and letting you know he was going to go find his brother and let him know of the situation before he disappeared. Frisk settled into the couch, happily turning on the TV and watching some comedy show where a robot of some sort was being treated... pretty awfully. As it stood, that robot seemed to be the only monster in this universe not acting over sexualized. And, to be fair, his show was pretty good. You, Frisk, and even Rosie got in a few laughs over the course of the reruns.
It was the most fun you'd had in a long time.
It had been an hour or so since arriving at the house when Sans and another skeleton, you assumed this universe's Papyrus, burst through the door. Sweat was beading on the smaller one's skull, though the taller one seemed completely fine. A grin split his face as he took in the sight.
“WHY, HELLO! WELCOME TO SCENIC MY HOUSE!”
Frisk smiled, happily waving. “Hello! I'm Frisk. You must be Papyrus,” they called, wincing when Rosie tightened around their arm.
“WOWIE! YOU ALL READY KNOW WHO I AM? I DIDN'T REALIZE MY INFLUENCE HAD SPREAD SO MUCH!”
You glanced away, having trouble looking at this Papyrus. You missed yours. Keeping on eye on this Sans to protect Frisk had been hard enough.... Was your Papyrus an adult now? You wondered how much bigger he'd gotten.
“We've heard how awesome you are,” Frisk replied, grinning.
Papyrus laughed, the sound of something akin to an explosion cutting him off mid 'heh'. The house shook from the force of whatever had happened, and you slid from your spot behind the couch to cover Frisk from things falling off the walls. When the shaking subsided, you stood, unfurling to your full height. You gently pushed Papyrus closer to Frisk and Rosie, huffing.
“H-HUH? WHAT ARE YOU...?”
“what the human and flower, bro,” Sans cut in, nodding gratefully at you.
You ignored him, pushing the front door open and wiggling outside with Sans at your heels. A skeleton covered in black goo flew by, a tentacle coming out and taking out five trees as he went by. Moments later, a skeleton with black bones and words flickering around him followed, dragging a monster by their SOUL. Both of these... attackers were similar to the Sans from this universe Behind you, having followed you into the doorway, Frisk gasped.
The noise drew the attention of the two new skeletons. One of them frowned, his tentacles tightening around him. The one with words around him grinned wider.
“Oh... how did you get here?” he gritted out, his voice making your head hurt.
You turned to this universe's Sans, trying to get a read on this situation. The horror in his expression told you all you needed to know. These other skeletons weren't supposed to be here. They were like you. Visitors from somewhere else.
“Who cares?” the dripping skeleton growled. “Just get rid of it, Error.”
Error grinned. “If you say so, Nightmare.” Blue strings appeared from his hands, launching towards you seconds later. They bounced off your chest, though their touch sent waves of pains through your bones. “Huh?”
Nightmare sighed, turning towards his companion. “What? They have no SOUL?”
“No, their SOUL is locked away,” he snarled.
When the other skeleton moved to get a good look at you, you decided you'd have enough. These two had been perfectly willing to kill you, and you were hardly going to let them get away with it, especially considering the damage around. Downed trees were one thing, but a single glance had you seeing fired and too much dust.
You lunged forward, grabbing the more colorful skeleton in your jaws and tossing him into the nearest tree that was still standing. When goop covered tentacles flung at you in retaliation, you lifted the downed trees with your magic and tossed them in that direction to keep him away. Behind you, you heard Sans force Frisk back inside before slamming the door. Within moments he was by your side, just in time for the attackers to start recovering. Nightmare chuckled as he took place beside Error, a menacing grin splitting his face. Error was wincing, strings appearing around him as he took a fighting stance.
“You're asking for it now,” Error growled. “I'm happy to destroy you, abomination!”
Huh. Only Gaster had ever called you that before. For some reason, it made you angrier coming from the skeleton in front of you. Snarling, you lunged once more, barreling straight into the offender. A tentacle gripped one of your back ankles, digging in until a bone pierced it. You glanced back, seeing Sans give you a wink as he summoned more bones. In your moment of distraction, Error wrapped his strings around your leg, tugging hard enough to dislocate it. A yelp escaped you as you closed your jaw around the skeleton, slamming him into the ground. In your peripheral vision, you saw Nightmare advancing on Sans. Growling, you lifted Error from the ground and threw him straight at Nightmare. They both called out in pain when they hit, you using the distraction to limp over to Sans. He eyed you in concern, and reached out to wipe something red off your cheek. You weren't sure exactly what it was, but the side of your face hurt. If you had to guess, you'd say it was caused by splinters.
When the two finally untangled and managed to stand again, a familiar crack sounded throughout the town. In front of you, a rainbow portal appeared. A skeleton in bright yellow clothing flew through it, his cape fluttering behind him as he kicked Error straight in the face. Another skeleton followed just behind him, wielding a paintbrush as if it were a weapon of some sort.
“ink!” the Sans beside you yelled.
The skeleton with the paintbrush spun on his heel, giving you a good look at his full attire. He wore a lot of brown, primarily in his scarf and his shorts. A short jacket covered his top half, but you could see the ends of some sort of undersuit peeking out on his arms and legs. Fingerless gloves covered his hands, and he wore a simple pair of boots on his feet. A sash covered in colored vials was splayed across his chest and you wondered what they were for. The lights in his eye sockets changed every time he blinked, switching between a myriad of colors and shapes. His eyes never matched.
“Lust!” Ink greeted, a grin spreading across his features. It halted when he spotted you, eyes widening. “And... the anomaly...?”
The first skeleton flew back in your direction, running into you in his efforts to slow down. You winced as he bumped the dislocated leg, but took the opportunity to study him. His outfit seemed to consist entirely of blues and golds. He had a bright gold cape clasped in the front. He wore a blue tunic with white seams and a golden belt. His blue pants were tucked into his golden boots. Just like Ink, he wore a pair of fingerless gloves, though his were bright gold. Matching his whole scheme, he had a set of bright golden eye lights. A circlet rested on the top of his skull.
“Whoops, sorry!” he called out cheerfully, grinning up at you. His eyes widened at he realized who he'd bumped into. “Hey! You're from one of the Beast universes! Name's Dream, nice to meet ya!”
You tilted your head in confusion. For obvious reasons, you didn't know the names of any universes. And what exactly did it mean for these two skeletons if they not only knew the names, but how to travel between them? The implications were staggering, and you wished you could talk about it with your Sans. He loved this crazy science stuff.
Error growled from his spot with Nightmare. “Dammit! We could have finished if it wasn't for that damn abomination!”
Nightmare grabbed his shoulder, lifting his free hand to create a portal out of his own goop. “Let's go. We can always come back to this monstrosity.” He dragged his glitchy companion through, the goop that made up the portal falling to the ground and disappearing into the snow without a trace.
Dream huffed in annoyance, puffing out his cheeks. “They got away again!”
“They always seem to be one step ahead,” Ink agreed with a sigh. “They must have help.”
“Whatever freed them, maybe?”
“Possibly.” Ink shrugged, finally turning his attention to you and... Lust. “I guess it's good we were tracking that anomaly, though. Led us right to them, whether it meant to or not.”
The door to the house slammed open, Frisk, Rosie, and Papyrus running out. “Vagabond!” Frisk yelled, running straight to you. They wrapped themselves around your good leg, tears pouring from their eyes. “We were so worried!” Even Rosie wrapped a vine around one of your bones.
Papyrus set a small box on the ground, pulling out a roll of bandages. “YOU'RE BLEEDING! LET ME WRAP THIS AROUND YOUR JAW, PLEASE. IT WILL BE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT IT SHOULD HELP YOU HEAL!”
You nodded, moving your head closer to him so he could reach you properly. In your peripheral, you could see Dream and Ink talking quietly to each other. Lust came around your other side, wincing at the state your leg was in.
“this is gonna hurt,” he muttered, drawing your full attention. “i need to get this to connect back to your socket.”
You nodded. To be honest, a lot of Gaster's tests had been incredibly painful. You doubted it could get much worse. Before you could brace yourself, however, Lust grabbed the limb and pushed it straight into the socket. A strangled cry of pain escaped you, magic surging through your wings. Lust lifted the limb, testing its movement.
“you should be okay. try to stay off it for a bit, though.”
Papyrus leaned back, putting away the remaining bandages and pulling out a small, wrapped ball. “OPEN WIDE!”
You took a step back, sockets narrowing in suspicion.
“IT'S MONSTER CANDY! IT SHOULD RAISE YOUR HP AND HELP YOU HEAL!”
Somewhere, deep in your mind, a voice warned you against taking candy from strangers, but you felt so hungry and weak that you paid it no heed. Papyrus happily unwrapped the candy and tossed it into the air for you to catch. The moment it touched your tongue, numbing relief filled your body. You sagged, taking a deep breath. That was much better.
“I, uh, hate to interrupt?” Dream called, walking right up to you with Ink at his heels. “But, uh... Frisky? You'll need to-”
“I know,” Frisk mumbled against your leg, finally letting go. “I need to reset to repair the damage.”
Ink nodded, stepping forward and grabbing your good front leg. “And you'll need to come with us so we can return you.”
Wait... Reset? Repair? Did... did that mean Gaster would be waiting for you in your universe? What if they brought you to him instead of Sans and Papyrus? What would Gaster even do to you now that you had some more control over your magic? It was terrifying to think of, and fear was settling deep into your bones. You didn't want to go back. You couldn't go back to him.
“No!”
Ink let go in surprise, you using the momentary distraction to jump back. Was that...?
“You spoke!” Frisk gasped.
Lust jumped forward, summoning bones and a few skulls that looked sort of like decapitated versions of your Gaster, which was just raising more questions. Frisk, or Frisky as Ink had called them, stood to his side, taking some sort of fighting stance.
“vagabond, go!” Lust yelled, firmly planting his feet. “get out of here before they take you to wherever it is you don't want to go!”
He... was protecting you?
“go!”
You flinched back, glancing at the confused Dream and Ink. He had a point. This might be your only chance to stay away from Gaster. Whining, you used your tail to tear a hole to whatever universe it would be this time. You whimpered a farewell, jumping through. You only hoped that this next one would be safe to recover in.
Chapter 3: Fire and Dust
Notes:
Did this take forever? Yes. Are the characterizations probably going to be off for the rest of the series? Yes.
In all honesty, I've been having computer problems for forever, and to write for even half an hour a day risks my computer overheating to the point it'll melt itself. Dangerous stuff, but I want to finish this story. The Spectrum Soul series is my baby, and, even if it takes years, it will be finished.
Chapter Text
Sometimes, you found your mind wandering away from the Sans and Papyrus from your universe. More often than not, you did your best to avoid thinking about that stuff, but it always crept up on you. That... reset Frisky had to do. Did it hurt the... people you had met? You hesitated to call them friends, having known them less than a day, but that was the closest you'd gotten to anyone in months. Regardless of what they were to you or you to them, you still found yourself worrying. Lust had risked himself against the two universe travelers to protect you, and now you couldn't even go check on him. Same for Frisky. It hurt almost as much as not being able to find a path to your home.
You stretched your wings, shaking yourself to push those thoughts from your mind. Taking a break in Waterfall instead of the cave you'd chosen in Hotland had been dangerous enough. Letting your mind wander was practically asking to be dusted. The scent of dust assaulted your senses when you sniffed the air, but you instead focused on trying to sniff out any nearby monsters. When you were certain it was just you, you slipped from the inlet and continued your search for food in the waters.
After two months of recovery, your leg was finally working properly again. It still got tired a bit before the others, but that would go away in another month or so. At any point, you could have left this universe, violent as it was. To be honest, you probably should have. In the end, you decided that sticking to the shadows and keeping your magic inside to properly recover was more important. As it stood, you'd avoiding running into any monsters.
Your eyes glittered with happiness as you spotted an ice cooler. You pried it open, practically purring as you pulled out a wrapped bar of protein goodness. It was human food, obviously, but it was still decently effective at keeping you alive and well. Monster food was better since it was infused with magic and didn't require magic to digest, but you'd take what you could get. Especially in such a violent world.
Having eaten everything in the cooler but still feeling hungry, you climbed out of the dump and continued on your way. At one point, you had to climb onto the ceiling, narrowly avoiding an armless monster as it ran by. Once it was gone, you dropped to the ground and continued, pausing as you realized you were at the border between Snowdin and Waterfall. Another thought flashed through your mind, your curiosity practically begging you to check for a Sans or Papyrus, but you fought it back. It was too dangerous.
Still, you clearly weren't going to find anymore food in Waterfall today, and you'd checked near your cave in Hotland just yesterday. You hated having to venture out so far from the base you'd chosen, but you'd have to if you wanted to eat. Sighing, you slipped out of the caves and ran over the snow bridge and into the nearest trees. A quick glance revealed that you hadn't been seen by the few monsters milling about, though you found yourself distracted by a familiar, greasy scent. It smelled just like the food Lust had bought you and Frisky while you were there. You poked your snout into your backpack, pulling out the gold you'd been systematically stealing ever since you first left your home universe. It was a... big stack?
Stars, you wished you'd learned to count higher than twenty.
Oh! You could count stacks of twenty! That could give you a good idea. Each stack of twenty was slipped back into your backpack until you were left with a partial stack of eleven. Seventeen stacks of twenty and eleven left over. You hoped that would be enough to get something, even if it did mean getting seen. Still, it might be better to wait for the crowds to thin out a bit more before trying to go into the store where the smell was coming from. These buildings weren't exactly you-sized, after all. In the mean time, you knew the wall between Snowdin and the Ruins had a decent cave system that you could rest in for an hour or so while you waited.
You slipped deeper into the trees, making your way towards the great wall between the zones. Using your magic, you were able to fly over the chasm separating the two sections of Snowdin, narrowly avoiding a skeleton monster standing at one end of the suspension bridge there. As you neared the wall, you passed several groups of monsters arguing among themselves, a few in confrontations. You weren't close enough to hear what they were saying, but you honestly didn't want to know. Harder to get involved that way. At the end of the path, a familiar cry made you stop dead in your tracks. It sounded almost like Frisky's. The voice was higher in pitch, though, making you hesitate. Was it... a different version of 'Frisk'? The cry of pain sounded again, and this time you decided it didn't matter. If you could help, you would. You leapt from the trees in one large bound, startling a group of Ice Caps that had been showing off their caps. Snow blew into the air around you, your own personal snowfall as you neared the source of the scream.
Spotting a confrontation ahead, you skidded to a halt. A Snowdrake peered up at you, sneering. A few feet away, a younger version of Frisky, this universe's Frisk you supposed, was gripping a bleeding arm. A yellow flower was watching from the tree line, vines raised to cover its petals. Huffing, you stepped forward and placed yourself between the combatants, raising your tail as the primary defensive weapon. At the same time, you flared your wings, letting your rainbow magic flicker to life.
The Snowdrake took a step back, sizing you up. The next moment, with the same sneer as before, it lunged for you, hissing in anger. With a solid swipe of your tail, you sent it barreling into the trees lining the pathway. Frisk ran forward, stepping in front of you and raising their good arm. Frowning, you stood down. If the human wanted you to stop attacking you would. It was their confrontation, after all. You watched with thinly veiled interest as they walked toward the Snowdrake, offering their good arm. Glancing at you, the monster accepted the offer of mercy, waiting for the confrontation to officially end before running off.
Frisk sighed, gripping their injured arm closer to their body as they turned to you. At their feet, the yellow flower you had noticed earlier sprouted, watching you though narrowed eyes.
“Thank you,” they finally said, though their dull eyes betrayed the strong front they were trying to present.
You laid on the ground, lowering your wings and tail to try and appear less threatening. The duo watched, confused, as you inched your way closer. Once you were a few feet away, you reached into your bag and took out three stacks of twenty to hand over. If they had some gold, they could eat, right? You set it on the ground, using your muzzle to inch it closer. Glancing at the flower, Frisk knelt down to pick up your offering. Their eyes widened as they counted it out.
“60 gold?! You're just going to give me that much?”
You nodded, though you had no idea if that number actually meant a lot. They sounded happy, at least, so you assumed it was a good amount.
“Frisk,” the flower said from beside their leg. “Where are we even supposed to spend it?”
“There was that cart on the way here!” the human cheered, excitedly running to the side to grab a discarded boot. They held it out to the flower, waiting patiently for it to climb inside. “If we go back, we could buy some!”
Cart? Would that cart have food? You could feel your bones shiver, your magic wavering at your lack of sustenance. Well, the least you could do was follow them that far to make sure they made it, especially with that injured arm. Besides, if you followed you could use your own gold to buy some food, too! You stood from your spot in the snow, shaking off what clung to your bones and jacket before stretching. That grabbed the human's attention, and they went silent as they watched you prepare yourself for a walk.
“Um, excuse me?”
You paused in the middle of working out a crick at the base of your skull, turning to the human and tilting your head to the side.
“I wanted to say thank you. That battle was going really badly, and I wasn't sure I was going to get them to accept my mercy.”
You nodded, understanding but unable to say 'you're welcome'. Instead, you knelt down beside them and gestured to your back. It would be quicker and safer if you carried them that way. They eyed you for a moment before shrugging, placing the boot flower on top and clambering up your side. You took a kick to the ribs as they struggled, but you doubted they meant it. Once they were situated on top, you stood and spun your neck around so you could see them.
“Is something wrong?”
You brought your tail around, tapping the pocket they'd put the gold in. They blinked at the pocket, frowning. As they reached inside and grazed the money, their face lit up.
“Oh! You don't know where the cart is!” At your nod, they grinned. “Well, let me lead the way! You won't be disappointed!”
Getting to the cart was easy, especially since Frisk knew exactly where it was. The few monsters you passed were afraid to attack since they didn't know how strong you were, on top of having a human on your back. Even the monster at the cart looked afraid of the three of you, flinching away when Frisk walked up.
“How much for an ice cream?”
“It's ice scream,” he hissed out, wincing at your resulting glare. “20g.”
Frisk reached up, setting down all of the gold you had given them. “I'll take three please!”
The bunny monster grabbed three packaged goodies from inside his cart, practically tossing them at Frisk. “There you go. Now leave.”
The human nodded happily, running back to you. They unwrapped one right away, handing it over to the flower that was still sulking on your back. Once the flower had taken it, Frisk unwrapped another and handed it to you, grinning all the while. The color was an unsettling red, reminding you of what had oozed from your jaw while you fought Nightmare and Error. Still, food was food, and you were happy that they were willing to spend the gold you had given them on you. You used your magic to lift it from their hands, conjuring a rainbow tongue to lick it. Frisk stared at the appendage for a moment before starting to eat the remaining ice scream.
“It tastes like fruit punch!”
You finished your treat first, unsurprising considering your large size. Frisk followed you, with the flower finishing theirs soon after. The human's arm seemed better, though they still winced when they moved it. It would probably be another day or so before they could use it properly again. In the mean time, they would be a prime target. They seemed to realize that, their face falling as they glanced around.
“Oh, I, um...,” they mumbled. “Thanks for your help, um, skeleton friend.” They walked back over to you, jumping up to grab the flower.
You moved to the side, making the human narrowly miss their flowery friend. It sounded like they were going to leave, which meant they would probably get killed. Huffing out a sigh, you gestured for the kid to get on your back again. If you remembered this area well enough – and this universe was close enough to the ones you had been in before – then there should be a cave nearby. It was pretty hard to get to, considering it couldn't be seen from the ground and you needed to fly to reach it. That would make it the perfect location.
Frisk seemed to hesitate a moment, glancing between you and the flower. “Do you... want to bring us somewhere?”
You nodded, doing your best to act out a sleeping motion.
The kid's eyes lit up. “You have a place we can rest?!”
“Seriously?” the flower on your back mumbled.
You nodded once more, lowering yourself so Frisk would have an easier time climbing up. Once they were situated, you turned your head around and nudged the hood of your jacket at them. Smiling, they grabbed on with one hand and used the other to get a good grip on the boot the flower was in. After making sure they were stable, you backed up to the edge of the clearing and ran, jumping into the air at the end and fully unfurling your wings. The rainbow magic shimmered to life, starting from your shoulders and branching out to the tips. Frisk gasped softly, muttering something you couldn't quite hear. You couldn't hold it for long since you still wanted to focus on your own recovery, but it would be the fastest way to get there.
Luckily, you could see the familiar cave in the distance. It took some careful adjustments, but you were able to line yourself up perfectly to land in the mouth of the cave. It was dark, and unsurprisingly cold, but it definitely looked like no one had been here in a long time, if ever. You would need to go out again to get some wood for a fire. Frisk gently tapped your back, so you laid on the ground, patiently waiting for them to climb down and grab the boot flower. They looked around, eyes wide.
“This is amazing,” they murmured, before suddenly gasping and turning back to you. “But you're even more amazing! The cool magic thing you did with your wings?! It was just so pretty. I've never seen anything like it!” Giggling at your surprised expression, they sat the flower down and looked around again. “Do you live here?”
You shrugged. In some ways you had lived here, but you weren't sure if you'd been to this particular dimension before. There were a surprising number of dimensions that just smelled like dust.
Shivering, Frisk slid down next to where they'd put the boot. “See, Flowey? We can rest here safely tonight. It doesn't seem like anyone can reach us here.”
“You're still going to freeze,” Flowey shot back, still casting you glances.
Ah, right. You should probably get going on that fire. You crooned to get their attention and then gestured to the entrance. Something akin to fear – you guessed at the idea of being left in a place they couldn't leave – crossed Frisk's face, but you were quick to use the sharp point of your tail to carve a basic image of fire into the wall of the cave.
Frisk sighed in relief. “You're going to get firewood?”
You nodded, glancing at their shivering form. It might take a bit, especially since you might need to rest a bit once on the ground to prepare for the trek to the cave with logs, but they were looking worse for wear. Their injured arm certainly wasn't doing them any favors. With a decent bit of shifting and struggling, you slipped out of the sweatshirt Papyrus had made for you and pulled it away from the backpack. It would have been easier if you'd just fully taken off the bag, but that was something you refused to do. Regardless, you brought the sweatshirt over and draped it over the kid and the flower.
Frisk immediately moved Flowey into their lap, wrapping your jacket around their shoulders and just taking in the warmth. “Won't you get cold, though?”
You just shook your head, though you could, theoretically, get cold if you completely ran out of usable magic. You were running low sure, but that monster food had given you enough to last for a while. Regardless, you had work to do, and considering you were going to want that sweatshirt back, it was time to do it. Nodding a farewell, you turned to the mouth of the cave and leaped. You waited to open your wings and activate your magic until you were low enough, slowing your descent and landing gently on the snowy ground. You ventured some way away from the cave before gathering your firewood. It wasn't really much of a safety concern, since it wasn't like anyone would be able to get up there anyway, but you would need to be far enough away to properly aim at the cave mouth. There was no point in being that close when you would need to get further away anyway.
You did sit in the snow for a while, letting the magic flow through you and checking your levels. All of this was easily pushing your recovery back by several days, but you couldn't regret it when you were helping someone like this. Your Papyrus would have been so proud of you. Besides, the ice treat Frisk had bought for you kept it from putting you back a month. Sighing softly, you got up and looked around for a few good trees. Two logs, along with their branches, should easily give you enough wood for the rest of the night and the morning. It was already clear that you would need to go out again for more after sleeping, and the idea of trying to carry more than that back just sounded uncomfortable. Besides, you were pretty tired as is, and didn't want to make Frisk or Flowey wait too long given the chill in the air. Without much preamble, you went ahead and pulled out the first tree, roots and all. It took a bit of work to clear the leaves and gently pull off the branches, but soon enough you had a good pile of starter and a clean log. You'd chop it to smaller pieces once you got back. Carrying the branches with magic was already going to be a bit taxing. There was no reason to add more burden when you could just carry it in your claws. Once those were set aside, on the leaves to hopefully keep them as dry as possible, you went ahead and did the same with another tree. The work was long, and boring, but you eventually had two logs and a nice stack of branches.
You figured at this point you'd had enough time to rest. Plus, you were getting worried about Frisk. Snowdin was freezing, especially in those little caves. You carefully maneuvered the logs, making sure you had them securely held by your claws. After lifting the pile of branches with some simple magic, you spread out your wings and began the slow ascent. The weight of the logs and not being able to get a running start was really slowing you down. You'd certainly made more progress since your first real attempt at flight when saving your Papyrus in the CORE, but carrying anything heavier than, well, a small child was still really difficult. Especially when you were trying to conserve magic. Even so, you made your way into the air and began gliding back to the cave.
As you approached the mouth of the cave this time, you slowed down to a standstill just outside it. From inside, you could see Frisk and Flowey watching you, both barely peeking out from under the warmth of your jacket. You did feel a little bad your wings were inevitably making the wind pick up, but you did your best to be quick. With the help of your magic, the pile of branches was tossed to the side of the cave. The next part was a bit trickier. You had to carefully slide the logs in without dropping them or accidentally crushing Frisk in the process. It was... slow. One wrong move or a little slip up could be a problem, so you instead took your time. Once both logs were securely against the cave wall, you grasped the floor with your feet and dragged yourself in. The sharp points of your claws dug grooves into the ground as you pulled, slowly wiggling your body inside. Eventually, with the help of your tail and flapping wings, you managed to get yourself on solid ground.
For several moments, there was near silence in the cave. Your heavy pants echoed. After a solid minute, Frisk slid out from underneath your jacket and inched over. They gently placed a hand on your skull, watching as your glowing eyelights slid over to them.
“Are... are you all right?”
You managed a weak purr. Honestly, it would have been better if you had just backed off and flew in again. The pain from your dislocated leg was intense. It was silly to choose saving magic over risking a worsening leg injury. Even so, it was useless at this point. The damage was already done. Weakly, you lifted your leg and whined at the pain in your shoulder.
Frisk's eyes widened, realization flashing across their expression. “You're injured?”
From your jacket, you could see Flowey poke further out. “Were you hurt this whole time?”
You just turned your gaze away. Even if you could answer, which you hadn't been able to since you'd done it that one time, it was clear they wouldn't be happy with your answer.
“So that's a yes, then,” Frisk said softly, digging around in their pockets. “Where is it...?” Suddenly, they cheered, pulling a small wrapped candy out of their pocket. “Here!”
It took a few moments for the item to register in your mind. Oh. It was a monster candy. The Papyrus you'd met in that other world had given you one when you got the injuries. But if it could heal, this child could likely need it. Slowly, you brought yourself back your feet and turned your head away. It was the perfect time to cut the wood anyway.
“Hey!” Frisk grabbed your collarbone, gently tugging. “If you're hurt, you should have this. It will make you feel better.”
You lifted your tail, pushing Frisk's hand back toward themselves, watching them from the corner of your eye socket. They puffed out their cheeks, moving away from your tail and holding out the candy again.
“Please take it,” they said after a moment. “You've done so much for us already.”
Flowey sighed, crossing his leaves as if he had arms. “Just take it. They won't give up.”
Staring at the child for several, long moments, you eventually turned your head properly toward Frisk. Smiling brightly, they unwrapped the candy and tossed it for you. Your shimmering rainbow tongue flicked out, wrapping around it and pulling it into your skull to properly dissolve. It felt... warm. The time you spent in the previous dimension was the first time you'd been shown kindness since leaving your home. And now, someone else was being so kind to you once more.
Frisk's hand grazed the side of your skull, pulling you from your thoughts. They were frowning, gently bringing their hand back and showing the shimmering glob of rainbow-colored liquid. Ah. You were crying. Had you ever cried before? To be perfectly honest, it wasn't something you had a memory of doing. Was this good crying? Was it even a good thing? You missed your Sans and Papyrus. They would know.
Slowly, Frisk wrapped their arms around your skull. “It's okay. Cry it out.”
You could feel a slight pressure on your leg, and glanced down to see a small vine wrapping around it. By your jacket, you could see Flowey frowning gently.
When was the last time you'd had a hug?
It was nice.
*****
You awoke the next morning slowly. A chill was in the air once more, and you sighed softly to yourself. It was important for Frisk and Flowey that it remain warm, but getting up every hour or less to toss another piece of wood on was exhausting. As you contemplated how much energy it would take to get up and grab another chunk of firewood, you could hear the fire crackle back to life along with a sudden surge of warmth. Confused, you lifted your head and looked over to the fire pit. Flowey was settled nearby, using a longer branch to poke the embers and holding some firewood near the fire with a vine. After a few more prods, he tossed it in and finally seemed to notice your presence. He nodded a greeting, then went back to tending the fire.
“You should get some more sleep,” he said. “You've barely slept.”
Yawning, you shrugged gently then turned your attention to the sleeping child curled up in your jacket next to your rib cage. They seemed to be sleeping pretty soundly, which was a good thing since it was best for their recovery. You turned your attention to the cave and the world outside. The snow seemed to have subsided for the most part, along with any wind. The firewood pile on the side of the cave was dwindling, only a few chopped pieces left. It wouldn't last past another hour. Even the branch pile was starting to look a little barren. Sleep would have to wait. Keeping the fire going for Frisk was more important. It would be dangerous if you slept too long and the lack of heat got them sick.
You gently shifted out from under Frisk, making sure they stayed asleep before heading over to the mouth of the cave to properly survey the area. Flowey watched you curiously, only nodding when you used your tail to point out the tiny firewood pile. The air was pretty still, easy enough to fly in. You could also probably get away with only one log, since you guessed Frisk would want to get back to whatever they were doing after a rest.
With that thought in mind, you tested your leg and shoulder. It felt better than ever. A good night's sleep and that monster candy had really helped. It had been awhile since you felt little to no pain, and it left you raring to go. You excitedly got to your feet, your butt wagging back and forth as you launched from the cave. Your wings flared out, the rainbow magic flowing out to the tips and letting you properly glide. A grin lifted the corners of your jaw, and you happily spun a few times in the air. The freedom was amazing, and the lack of pain made it feel like you could just enjoy the feeling of your magic.
Slowly, you did eventually land. Being on the land was exciting in its own right, though. You could prance and skip about with no pain, leaping over chasms and trees. To be fair, you may have gone a bit overboard. It was all just so exciting. Eventually, you decided that getting the firewood was important and started searching for a good tree. Most of the ones you saw were a little too small, and it wouldn't really be worth it to pull them up. After a bit of searching, you found a pretty large tree and went to work. It was a bit closer to town than you would have liked, but you could move quickly.
Once the tree was ready, you lifted the branches with your magic, grabbed the log, and lifted yourself into the air. It was a bit of a longer trip than before since you were further from the cave, but you were back in what felt like to time at all. Having a good rest and full use of your magic definitely helped with that. Flowey watched silently as you hovered just outside, doing your best to quietly slide in the log. You could see Frisk still sleeping near the back, so you made the choice to back off and fly in like the first time since it would be quieter overall.
Once back in the cave, you got to work quietly cutting up the log into chunks of firewood. Frisk occasionally shifted, finally yawning and sitting up by the time you were done. They wiped the sleep from their eyes, looking around. Flowey waved with a vine, wishing them a good morning as you placed a piece of firewood onto the fire.
“How long have you been awake?” Frisk asked, shifting closer to the fire.
“Not long,” Flowey said, setting down his poking stick.
You nodded an agreement, about to give a purr in response when the familiar smell of ozone assaulted your senses. The feeling of nearby magic coursed through you. Your head shot to the mouth of the cave. A somewhat familiar skeleton appeared on the edge. The realization made ice settle in your bones. There was no doubt. He was a Sans.
Well, regardless of whether he was a Sans or not, you had no way of knowing if he was aggressive. You had a flower and a human to protect, and you'd be damned if you let them get hurt because this skeleton looked like someone you cared about. Snarling, you raised your wings and tail while moving to be between them and the Sans. He merely blinked at you for a while, slowly roving his eyelights over your form before looking passed you toward Frisk. A quick glance on your end revealed that Frisk was once again holding Flowey and moved so the fire separated them and the intruder.
Within no warning, red flared in one of the skeleton's eye sockets and he raised a hand. Sharpened bones appeared around him, undoubtedly pointing at Frisk. A snarl erupted from your throat, causing his eye light to shift over to you. You wasted no time, leaping forward and grabbing him in your jaw before tossing him into the cave wall. He shouted in surprise, and you could see Frisk rush to the other side of the cave. When he went to raise a hand again, you slammed your claws on him to keep him still. Slowly, you lowered your skull and growled.
Frisk gently tugged your tail. “Please don't hurt him!”
You flicked your eyelights back, seeing the concern on their face. Puffing out a sigh, you lifted your head. The skeleton watched, red-tinted sweat beading on his skull. Eventually, after snarling one more warning, you stepped back. You wrapped your tail around Frisk, tugging them closer to your body where you could best protect them. Sans sat up, leaning against the wall the cave. This time, his eye lights didn't leave you. It was clear now, you supposed. If he wanted to hurt Frisk, or even moved an inch, you would end him. Though you had never dusted anyone, you knew you were certainly capable.
“so,” Sans said.
“I just want to get safely out of the Underground,” Frisk said softly. “And they've helped me.”
His eyelights finally flickered over to Frisk. After several moments of silence, he said, “yeah... boss was upset when he heard of a human being spotted with an aggressive monster.”
You nearly snorted at the thought. Could you really be considered aggressive compared to all the monsters dusting others with little to no concern?
Frisk shook their head. “They were just trying to protect me. I made sure to give mercy.”
“all right. but boss'll need to let your friend by.” Sans slowly stood up. “no way he'd let them wander around. he already has the whole guard lookin' for 'em.”
You turned to Frisk. In the end, you would let them make the decision. If they wanted to separate from you for their safety, that would be fine. The amount you'd already messed with this dimension was huge. You would continue to protect Frisk if it was what they wanted, but you really shouldn't interfere too much.
“Then let's go see him. I'm sure we can make him understand.”
Sans snorted, shaking his head. “sure, whatever you say.” He turned to look outside the cave. “so, how you gettin' down?”
Frisk just smiled, setting Flowey down to start helping you get your jacket back on. “Our friend will help!”
It took some shifting and struggling, but eventually you had the jacket fully back on. Frisk grabbed Flowey and climbed onto your back.
“See you at the bottom!”
You grinned, feeling Frisk tighten their grip in the fluff of your hoodie. After angling yourself toward the mouth of the cave, you wiggled your butt and ran. You leapt into the air, flinging out your wings and allowing the magic to flow through and catch the air. A quick glance back showed Sans staring with widened sockets before looking down and disappearing. It took some searching, but you found him in a clearing closer to the ground.
As you landed, you curled your wings in and laid down so Frisk could climb off. They did just that, holding Flowey close to their chest. Once you stood up again, you looked to Sans and gestured for him to lead the way.
He was sweating again, but brought you all to the main road and started in the direction of Snowdin. It was interesting just to watch him move. Red eye lights and a golden tooth. An aggressive personality. He definitely wasn't anything like your Sans. But he wasn't anything like Lust either. You wondered if, deep down, there was something all of them shared. It was hard to consider, especially given how different each Sans was.
As you neared the town, you made sure to stand taller and raise your wings to deter anyone from considering an attack. Frisk stepped a little closer to you, their free hand grabbing onto your jacket. The only thing that distracted you from your mission was that familiar greasy scent. A strange longing filled your rib cage, and you had to force yourself to look away from the building when Sans started to stare.
Their house was familiar, aside from some minor decoration differences. Perhaps the most shocking thing was the skeleton outside that took too long for you to place. Tall, red armor, pointy teeth... He was a Papyrus. It felt like something in you shattered. This... this world didn't deserve a Papyrus.
“SANS! IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE FINALLY DONE SOMETHING GOOD FOR ONCE.”
“that's right, boss. they, uh, wanted to talk to you.” The weird sweat was pouring down his skull again.
The Papyrus stepped closer to you, a gloved hand rubbing his chin as he looked you over. “INTERESTING. I HAD HEARD THAT THE AGGRESSIVE MONSTER WAS A SKELETON, BUT I HADN'T QUITE BELIEVED IT.” He leaned back, looking at your skull. “NOR HAVE I EVER SEEN ONE LIKE YOU. WELL,” he said, finally stepping back and raising his hand. Red bones flitted into existence around him. “LET'S SEE WHAT YOU'RE CAPABLE OF.”
“b-boss! maybe that's not the best idea in the-”
“I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING, SANS!”
You used your tail to move Frisk and Flowey away. They'd already made it clear that you shouldn't hurt anyone – and you honestly didn't have it in you to hurt a Papyrus – so this was going to be a bit difficult. Even so, you moved into a battle stance, lowering yourself and flaring the magic in your wings. Papyrus' eye sockets widened minutely, but he still sent the bones forward. You wasted no time in jumping up, avoiding the bones as you flapped your wings and prepared to dodge more. And more certainly came. It was almost a game, in a way, especially considering that you were having no trouble dodging. You wondered if he were actually trying. Something in his expression seemed to say he enjoyed having someone keep pace with him.
At the very least, it seemed like a game until you saw a bone go at a weird angle and heard a shout. Sans and Papyrus looked just as shocked as you supposed you did when you spun. One of the bones, likely intended to try and control your movements, was flying straight toward Frisk. You didn't have much time to act, and you honestly had no idea if it would work, but you did your best to surround Frisk and Flowey with your magic, pulling them toward you. They shouted again, Frisk visibly trembling as you grabbed them with your claws. As you situated them on your back, you lowered back to the ground and turned your attention to Papyrus and Sans. Whether they were alternate versions of your old companions or not, some things were too far. You leaned closer, snarling despite Frisk gripping you tighter.
After a moment of clear panic, Papyrus cleared his throat and put on his best nonchalant expression. “IT APPEARS THAT, SOMEHOW, YOU HAVE MANAGED TO BEST ME IN A TEST OF CONTROL.”
Even Sans looked surprised, and you stopped snarling out of pure shock.
“VERY WELL, YOU MAY STAY FOR NOW, BUT IT MUST BE UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS!”
You blinked, trying to wrap you head around whatever leaps in logic he'd just made before giving up. He was definitely a Papyrus after all. If you had been able to properly follow his train of thought, he wouldn't have really been a Papyrus.
“WELL, THEN. COME INSIDE. THERE ARE TOO MANY PRYING EYES OUT HERE.”
It had never occurred to you to pay attention to the gathering monsters, and you felt fear flash through your bones at the thought of something having happened to Frisk while you were distracted. It wasn't a pleasant train of thought, so you did your best to shake it clear as you followed Sans and Papyrus into their home. Papyrus complained about how he should have expected to house larger guests and it was a severe oversight that you nearly had to break the door frame to get in. He muttered to himself about needing to get that fixed before ordering Sans to get some work done and disappearing into the kitchen.
Left alone now, Frisk slipped off your back with Flowey and curled up on the couch. They were still trembling a little, so you turned your attention to finding a blanket or something that might comfort them. The living room was incredibly barren, and you were so focused on your task that you didn't notice the skeleton approaching until he was right next to you.
“AS I, THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, AM YOUR HOST, I SHOULD PROVIDE WHATEVER YOU NEED! WHAT IS IT?”
You stared, trying to figure out how he'd snuck up on you like that before just pointing your tail at Frisk.
Papyrus' eyes only narrowed. “WELL, WHAT IS IT?!”
Before you could try to explain yourself, you heard Frisk speak up from the couch, “they can't talk.”
“OH. THAT WAS AN OVERSIGHT.” He frowned, tapping his skull before finally looking at Frisk. “YOU ARE SHIVERING. SANS! FIND A CLEAN BLANKET!”
You heard what you assumed was an affirmation from the second floor. Seemingly pleased, Papyrus turned and walked back into the kitchen. Curious, you somewhat followed, only sticking your head in to watch. Most of the food you'd eaten had either been bought or, before your dimension hopping journey, given to you by the cafeteria. It was fascinating. Out of the corner of one of your sockets, you saw Sans briefly appear, handing Frisk a nice blanket before disappearing again.
“SANS!” Papyrus shouted, making you jump from surprise again. “WHERE DID YOU PUT MY SEASONING?” Silence. “SANS?!”
You glanced around the room, eventually spotting what you guessed her was looking for on top of the fridge at the very back. You almost didn't spot it given all the stuff in front of it. A part of you wondered if it had been hidden there for a reason before deciding that it didn't matter. As you reached for it, Papyrus turned to you and raised the spatula he'd been using to mix his concoction at you threateningly.
“I NEED NO ASSISTANCE FROM GUESTS!”
Ignoring him, you gently grabbed the seasoning container with your teeth and lowered your skull to his level. His eye sockets widened slightly before suddenly narrowing.
“OH! THAT SANS HID IT AGAIN!”
You tilted your skull, dropping the container next to his bowl.
“HM. DO YOU PERHAPS WANT TO LEARN TO COOK FROM THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS?” Before you could even answer, he puffed out his chest. “OF COURSE YOU DO! NO NEED TO ANSWER. WELL, WATCH CLOSELY BECAUSE I WON'T EXPLAIN THIS TWICE.”
*****
Cooking with Papyryus was... interesting. He had a bad habit of accidentally breaking things. Luckily you were able to pick out any glass pieces or anything else that could have hurt Frisk when his back was turned using your magic. And, surprisingly enough, it turned out pretty delicious. Homemade meatloaf had a pleasant feel to it, though you wondered if everything homemade did. Even Frisk liked it, though Sans seemed annoyed about the spice. Eating with everyone at the table brought back memories of your home dimension, and it took everything in you not to cry. If you hadn't cried with Frisk and Flowey the night before, you probably would have.
After helping Papyrus to clean up, despite his request that you rest and him forcing Frisk to rest, the group of you convened in the living room. Papyrus, despite his boisterous tendencies, listened intently to Frisk's story. After a lot of deliberation and discussion, he agreed to allow them to continue on to Waterfall, so long as they continued to solve confrontations with only mercy. First, however, he demanded that you all allow him to be a good host and house you for the night. Between the fight and everything happening right after you'd woken up, the lot of you were exhausted and happy to accept his offer.
The real problem came knocking literally at the door while Papyrus tried to make a bed he considered worthy enough for you on the living room floor.
“PAPYRUS! I heard you managed to capture a human!”
Everyone froze for a solid few seconds, unable to move or consider what to do. Papyrus was the first to spring into action, lamenting his poor hospitality as he ordered you to crouch in the corner and be covered with blankets to avoid detection. Once you were fully hidden, Frisk tried to climb in with Flowey, but it was already pretty cramped. You eventually angled yourself so they could climb into your ribcage, which they did after only momentary hesitation.
With everything in place, Papyrus opened the door.
“TOOK you long enough!” the woman shouted, her footsteps stomping on the floor as she came inside. “Now where's this HUMAN I've been hearing so much about?! And that huge monster, too!”
“WE TALKED WITH THE HUMAN, UNDYNE. THE RUMORS OF THEM HURTING MONSTERS WERE ENTIRELY FALSE!”
There were several moments of silence, and you could feel your bones tensing in case you needed to bolt.
“Well, did you PUNISH whoever LIED?!”
“OF COURSE! THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER MISS SOMETHING SO CLEAR AS PUNISHING SOMEONE WHO LIED TO THE ROYAL GUARD!”
“Huh, well at least you did that right!” More stomping around. “I can't even leave a SIMPLE task like capturing one measly HUMAN to you. I'll take care of that MYSELF. Well, what about that HUGE MONSTER? I heard it was a SKELETON!”
At this point, you could only hear stuttering. This wasn't something easily lied about. Nearly all of Snowdin had seen you two earlier. You shifted slightly, glancing back to make sure that Frisk was firmly in your rib cage. If you played this right...
You sat up, the blankets falling off as you faked a long yawn. You made sure to blink a couple times before looking around and finding the new monster. It seemed to be some sort of fish, to the best of your knowledge.
She gaped up at you, before grinning. “AWESOME! What, you thought you could hide this from me, PUNK?!”
Sans stepped forward. “s-sorry, they don't like it when their sleep is interrupted...?”
Faking another yawn, you lowered your head next to Papyrus and glared at the fish. You made sure to puff out an annoyed sigh next.
“WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE, UNDYNE, THERE IS NO HUMAN HERE AND WE HAVE THE MONSTER SITUATION UNDER CONTROL.”
Undyne frowned, glancing between the three of you before shaking her head. “Travel from the CAPITAL is strictly MONITORED. Inform us next time.” She turned to Papyrus. “A FULL report, and I expect a SPAR with your FRIEND here.”
And just like that, she stomped out of house. Once she was long gone, the door was surrounded with red and slammed shut. Everyone collectively let loose a breath.
“IMPRESSIVE PLAN,” Papyrus said after a moment. “I WAS THINKING OF THE SAME THING BUT HAD NO WAY TO TELL YOU. YOU MUST HAVE HEARD MY THOUGHTS BECAUSE OF HOW GREAT THEY WERE!”
“but, uh, where's the human?”
You sat down, curling your spine and stretching your legs out so Frisk could easily crawl out from the hiding pace you'd given them. When you glanced back up, Papyrus looked horrified and you were genuinely concerned that Sans was going to barf. Could skeletons even do that?
Huh. So apparently putting things in your rib cage was weird. Noted.
*****
The next day, Frisk set off to continue their journey to find a way out of the Underground. You followed at a distance. To their credit, you never had to intervene, though you almost had when they were being chased by Undyne at one point. Otherwise, you just offered safety to rest and recuperate. It was interesting to watch them go. They were incredibly smart, especially with Flowey's help. It was amazing how many monsters were willing to accept their mercy when given a real opportunity for it. They'd even made friends with the small armless monster you'd seen running around. Frisk was definitely leaving this version of the Underground a better place than it had been when they arrived.
Based on what you knew of this area, they should have been nearing the final stretch. You saw Undyne in the distance, but something else had made you hesitate. The taste of ozone and... wrongness. You couldn't describe it aside from something just being off and oddly familiar. Moments later, fear latched into your chest as a portal you remembered all too clearly opened up in the middle of Frisk's path. Two skeletons jumped out, the one with words around his head grinning wide when he saw you.
Without wasting a second, you grabbed Frisk and Flowey and bolted. You could hear both skeletons shout after you, no doubt wanting revenge for the earlier fight. Even so, you knew the terrain well after living here for awhile and you gained ground easily enough. Soon, the air chilled and you burst through the cave opening into Snowdin. A single roar was all it took for Papyrus and Sans to rush from their home.
“WHAT IS GOING ON?”
Frisk fell to the ground as you let them go, clutching Flowey close. “A... a portal opened up!” They turned to Sans. “It was Nightmare and Error!”
Sans' eyelights disappeared. “what are those assholes-? damn it, where?”
“At the end of Waterfall!”
As Frisk tried to properly convey what was going on, you were filled with memories of what had happened the last time those two showed up. This was dangerous, and the companions you had made in this world could easily get hurt. No, you couldn't let that happen. Glancing at the others discussing what had happened, you took the opportunity and rushed back toward Waterfall. Several shouts followed you, but you ignored them in favor of continuing your run. Unfortunately, you found them just at the entrance to Waterfall, and narrowly avoided an attack launched from inside the cave. You leapt back, lowering and snarling at they emerged.
“Hello there, little abomination. We've been looking for you,” Error said. At his side, Nightmare seemed to be watching you curiously.
You wasted no time, using your magic to pull trees from the ground and throw them at the attackers. They both dodged, Error recovering first with a grin.
“Getting right down to it this time, aren't we?!” he shouted, his voice almost... glitching as he spoke.
Shaking your head clear, you leapt out of the way of an incoming string attack, spreading your wings and using your magic to send the trees they'd dodged toward the backs of their heads. Nightmare wasn't able to move in time and sent face first into the snow. The resulting growl didn't say good things for his mood, but it did give you an idea. Error nimbly dodged your attack, grabbing the tree with his strings and shaking it free of your magic before sending it back at you.
You flew up, letting it soar passed you. As it slammed into the ground, you heard a shout. A quick glance revealed that the others had shown up. You were going to need to make this quick. Flapping your wings harder, you flew toward them, dragging your tail against the ground behind them.
“What use is a dive bomb is you freakin' miss?!” Error was grinning again, and you could see that Nightmare had tried to grab you with his tentacles.
Grabbing more trees, you threw them at their feet. Just as you'd expected, they dodged by jumping backward, straight into the portal you'd created with your tail. Each grabbed onto the trees in an attempt to avoid being pulled through, but you were ready for that. You launched forward, landing sharply on Nightmare's tentacles. The pressure made him let go, and off he went. Error's strings were easily enough cut with your tail, and, as he fell through, the portal you'd made slowly closed.
There was silence until Frisk cheered, rushing forward and wrapping their arms around one of your legs. “That was amazing!”
“EVEN THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS CAN ADMIT THAT WHAT YOU DID WAS MILDLY IMPRESSIVE. I, OF COURSE, WOULD HAVE HAD THEN FINISHED MUCH FASTER.”
“wow, big compliment coming from you boss.”
You grinned at them, glad that you'd managed to protect them. Though, you may have thought too soon as another portal opened, and the familiar Ink and Dream hopped through. They looked around in confusion at the mild damage before their gazes finally landed on you.
“What happened here?” Ink asked, walking up to your group.
Frisk smiled brightly. “They sent Nightmare and Error away! They protected us.”
“That's very impressive,” Dream said with a small smile, though it was visibly pained.
Ink considered everything around him, and lingered on the death glare he was receiving from Papyrus before turning to Frisk. “Please listen to me, Mercy. I understand that it's probably not what you want to hear, but you should probably reset this timeline.”
Ah, so like the other Frisk was Frisky, the Frisk from this dimension was referred to as Mercy. It was nice for them to have something to differentiate them.
“It's not what I want to hear,” they deadpanned.
“We understand that,” Dream said, glancing at Ink, “but it's what would be best for this timeline. Vagabond is effectively a rogue element and we don't know what damage them being here would have caused.”
Mercy glanced up at you, hugging your leg tighter. “It's not fair. I even just learned your name.”
You leaned down, nuzzling Mercy and feeling a small vine from Flowey join their arms around your leg. The least you could do was try to provide some form of comfort. If you being here damaged the world, you wanted that to be fixed.
“Okay.” Mercy leaned back, giving you a smile despite the tears welling in their eyes. “I'll... I'll reset.”
“whoa, now wait a minute,” Sans said, crossing his arms. “if you do that, there's a good chance we're gonna forget about, uh, vagabond.”
“WHAT?! THEN I REFUSE! THERE WILL BE NONE OF THIS... RESETTING!” Papyrus stepped forward, making sure he was between you and the two newcomers.
Ink cleared his throat. “I understand that it's concerning to think about, but it's safer for this world if you reset.”
“SAFER? WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING? THIS VAGABOND IS A COMPANION OF THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS. I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO TAKE THAT AWAY!”
“Edge, please,” Ink managed.
It was Mercy who stepped forward and gently grabbed his glove. “It's okay. There's still a chance we can meet them again. And we can tell you all about the memories we shared.”
Sans looked away while Papyrus – or Edge, which was surprisingly fitting – seemed to consider it. “WELL. YOU ALL SEEM TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.” He turned his glare on Ink and Dream. “I DEMAND A PROMISE THAT YOU MAKE SURE WE CAN MEET VAGABOND AGAIN!”
Dream glanced to the side and, before Ink could answer, “we can definitely arrange that!” Ignoring the look he was receiving from his friend, he turned to Sans. “Fell, is... is this all right?”
Sans, or more accurately Fell, sighed before nodding. “best to keep the timeline good.”
“Now that that's settled,” Dream said happily, turning back to you. “Let's get you back safely back to Beasttale!”
Dread at seeing Gaster again filled your bones and made your chest clench. You could feel your eyelights turn to pinpricks as you lowered and backed away. Hearing you whimper, Fell and Edge immediately made sure they were in battle stances between you and the others to keep you safe. Several bones appeared in the air.
Ink sighed. “Please not this again. They need to go back to their home dimension.” He started stepping forward slowly, keeping on eye on the attacks pointed in his direction. “It's where they belong!”
Glancing between you and Ink, Mercy nodded resolutely. They set Flowey down and raised their hand. Just barely, you could see the shimmer of something glowing near it.
“One more step and I'll reset with all of you here!”
Ink froze where he stood, a horrified expression crossing his face. He glanced back at Dream, only to see the same face. “You can't do that! There's no telling what would happen to us! You could kill Vagabond!”
“Vagabond clearly doesn't want to go wherever you want them to! I'm not going to let that happen!” Slowly, Mercy turned to you and smiled. Tears slipped down their face. “Go, please. While we have them still.”
You could feel tears of your own welling up in your sockets and dripping down your skull. Despite the pain clear in your chest, you raised your tail and ripped a hole in the fabric between dimensions. Just before you went through, you glanced back at all the faces watching you expectantly.
“Thanks.”
The last you saw of them was their shocked expressions as you jumped.
Chapter 4: Never Stop Running
Notes:
Finally got access to a computer so I could finish this chapter! It's a short one, but a good one! Unedited for now, but I hope everyone enjoys.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hey! Want to talk about this story with me or just hang out? Find me on Tumblr here !
The moment your claws hit the ground, you knew something was wrong. The world around you was broken, and you could feel it almost preparing to take you with it. Running only on instinct, you bolted. Just as you expected, the world began folding and changing behind you, the carnage almost tracking you. A small pain in your chest blossomed, and, though you had no idea why, you suddenly knew which way you should be going.
Sure enough, you leapt into a clearing that seemed safe, if only for a moment. Two figures were asleep there. One of them was oddly reminiscent of Frisky. An adult Frisk, at the very least, you assumed. The other was uncomfortably familiar to Gaster with the scar marks on this face. Though his jacket reminded you more of a Sans.
Unfortunately, you didn't have the time to properly survey them, as the clearing itself started to shift. With no time to properly think, you wrapped your tail around Frisk's middle and lifted the skeleton by the scruff of his jacket before bolting away from the dangerous area. Another pain bloomed, and you let whatever it meant to lead you somewhere safe. You could feel minor movements as those you were carrying woke up, but thankfully they didn't struggle. There was, however, a definite “what the fuck” from the skeleton you were carrying.
Just barely, you managed to jump into a new area that seemed stable, banging one of your wings against something as you did so. Exhausted, you dropped the two you were carrying and collapsed to the ground. Between fighting Error and Nightmare and now all of this, you were getting dangerously close to running on fumes. As the other two readjusted and watched you, you tested your wing and whimpered. Now was probably the worst time to have hurt yourself. And you'd just recovered from the last injury, too.
“Are you hurt?”
You turned to the Frisk, their head tilted curiously. After hesitating for a moment, you nodded. They stood up, beginning to walk over to you. The skeleton launched to his feet, grabbing their hand.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute, what the hell even are you? Not to be ungrateful, but seriously.”
Frisk pulled out of his grip. “It just saved us. The least we can do is repay it.”
“For all we know, it's what made that area destabilize!”
“And it could have left us there,” Frisk argued back, grabbing some excess fabric. “Sorry I don't have much. I can try to tie it so it doesn't move too much.”
You nodded gratefully, resting your head on the ground and just letting Frisk work. Once they were done, under the skeleton's watchful eye, you purred in thanks. They nodded and walked back over to their companion.
“So,” the skeleton said, rolling his head to stretch his neck. “Any idea what they are?”
“I was going to ask you that.”
“Heh. Fair enough.” He turned back to you, eyeing you with an uncomfortable about of scrutiny. “Though I've got no idea. Wonder how it got here.”
You shifted, feeling the adrenaline ebb, though the anxiety worming its way through you kept you from outright collapsing and falling asleep. The uncomfortable resemblance to Gaster was doing little to calm your nerves, and you started to shift into a more battle ready stance just in case.
The skeleton's eyes widened, “whoa, wait!”
With a confused purr, you looked back to where he was looking. A section of the area behind you was clearly unstable, though it seemed to be smoothing out as your back claws approached. When you turned back around to try and make sense of it, both were even more shocked than before. Curious, you fully turned to the unstable area and took a full step into it. Despite the protests and confusion of the others behind you, the world smoothed out in the area immediate around your foot. As you took more steps, it continued.
You glanced back to see the skeleton warily eyeing the first spot you'd stepped on. He slowly reached out a hand, though the second the tips of his fingers cross the threshold, the world started to shift. He flinched back, and it luckily returned to normal. While they watched, you slowly came back and just... laid down. What else were you supposed to do? You were exhausted anyway.
It was Frisk who came over to you and sat down. “Hey. So, you're a monster, right?”
You nodded.
“You've clearly got magic.”
You nodded again, tilting your head.
“So, like, can you feel where the CORE is?”
The skeleton huffed loudly. “Just gonna tell 'em everything?”
Frisk glanced back, sighing and shaking their head. “Maybe they can help.” They turned their attention back to you. “We're looking for a place called the CORE. It's gonna be the source of what's happening here. A lot of magic.”
Immediately, you understood what that tugging feeling in your chest was earlier. It made sense. Perhaps the strange magic you possessed was also why the world was oddly accommodating to you. After focusing for only a moment, you turned your head in the direction of the pull, and growled softly.
Frisk grinned, turning to their companion. “See?”
He just huffed again, crossing his arms. “And what about it?”
“Maybe they can help us get closer.”
“We're at the mercy of it all anyway,” he mumbled. “But I suppose it's worth a shot. We'll certainly be traveling faster, though I'm not positive that's a good thing.”
You were still pretty exhausted, but you got the distinct impression your recently awoken companions weren't in the mood to go back to bed. With that in mind, your turned and moved your wings so they could have an easier time climbing onto your back. It took them only a moment to realize what you wanted and, with some trepidation on the skeleton's part, you all were ready to go. Unfortunately, you did have to tuck your wings in. They'd already gotten hurt once, and, despite the added maneuverability, it would be too dangerous to use them. After a moment to calm yourself, you leapt.
The world around you immediately started shifting, clearly upset with the intrusion of those on your back. Still, the location of the pull was clear. Leaping and running was easy to you. In a way, this was like the trials your Gaster had forced you to perform in shortly after your creation. Puzzles and obstacle courses. This was clearly different, but at least you knew where you were going.
At least, until you didn't. You slid to a halt, feeling the pull suddenly change direction. With a disgruntled growl, you spun to your right and charged again. Frisk, even though they were holding on for dear life, did their best to say some words of assurance. You appreciated the effort, but you were so tired only the adrenaline was keeping you going.
And then there was a wall. The ground itself seemed to rise up and block your path. You could hear the skeleton curse and yell at you to find a stable area. But how were you even supposed to do that? They only taught you what the pull meant!
You felt a small hand touch your jaw, though when you turned there was nothing. It slowly reoriented you, and you finally saw a path. It would take a quick leap through the void, but it would get you somewhere safe. You still weren't very good at that, but it almost felt like you were surrounded by others, carefully guiding you. It was strange. Certainly not the first time it had happened, and you were sure it wouldn't be the last.
So, you jumped, managing to land straight into a stable area. You immediately collapsed, Frisk and the skeleton tumbling off of you and onto the ground. Almost immediately, the skeleton was on his feet, rushing over to you and grabbing your jaw so he was looking into your eyes.
“Do you even know how dangerous that was?! You could have easily gotten us killed!”
“How could they know? We didn't tell them,” Frisk said, shaking their head and dusting off their clothes. “And it's too late to be worried about it now.”
He snarled, shoving your head to the side and starting to pace.
“Are we closer to the CORE?”
Even though the question was clearly directed at the skeleton, you nodded your head. The pull was stronger here.
“Not that it really matters with how messed up this place is,” he sighed, finally sitting down. After a moment, his sockets narrowed and he turned to you. “Hey. How did you get here anyway? There's no way you've been here this whole time.”
Tiredly, you lifted a claw and sketched out the basics of you jumping through a portal. Frisk just looked confused, but the skeleton shook his head.
“Some sort of short cut? I guess that makes sense. Can't consider anything else.” He raised an eyebrow ridge. “Could you do it again?”
You lifted your tail before nodding. You probably had enough energy for one quick jump, but you wouldn't have any magic left to deal with whatever was on the other side.
“Can you control where you go?”
At that, you shook your head. Despite how long it had been, this was how it was. The specifics of how it all worked were still completely strange to you. You'd never been with anyone who knew about it long enough to get an explanation.
“Damn.”
Frisk frowned, walking over and resting a hand on your skull. “You should go.”
Both you and the skeleton turned to them in surprise.
“You're clearly exhausted, and you've already been a huge help. It would be safer for you to be somewhere else.”
To some extent, that was pretty relative, but you saw where they were coming from. At least humans and monsters were, at the very least, predictable. The same couldn't be said for whatever this world was doing.
The skeleton cursed before nodding. “They're right. You should go.”
Frisk gently rubbed your skull. “Thank you for everything. Make sure to stay safe, okay? We will be too.”
You slowly stood up, making sure to give each of them a small nuzzle. Frisk was, unsurprisingly more receptive. You... did enjoy helping others. Probably too much, to be honest. But they were right. It was too dangerous when you were already in such rough shape. Purring your goodbyes, you swiped your tail through the air, feeling it tear through the barrier between worlds. With their bewildered stares following you, you jumped.
You could only hope that the next world was more accommodating.
Notes:
I did do a lot of research for this story (I've got a whole, huge planning document!) and my research did say that there had never been any mentions of Echotales creator not wanting mentions in fanfictions.
However, if this was NOT the case and they don't was this chapter here for whatever reason, I'd be fine with them (or someone who can point me in their direction) reaching out to me so I can make it right. Thank you :)
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