Past the Ruins’ entrance was an elevator, with chairs inside. It would be more accurate to say that it’s a tiny train in the shape of an elevator.
Undyne stared at ‘her’ chair. With Sans, she should be suspicious of everything.
“…That’s not a trap, I hope.”
“…Same here…” Grillby nodded.
Any buttons?
No buttons.
“I guess it ain’t gonna move unless we play along.”
“…Agreed…”
Both captains sat down. When the sensors registered their actions, the elevator sounded a beep before descending.
Then they heard it: the rumbles of nearby shifting rooms.
Grillby’s brows furrowed. “…Wonder what’s going on…”
“Nothing major, I hope.” Undyne added.
What followed after were clashes of mayhem. Stone crashed. Structures shattered. Some explosions too.
“Whoa. Sounds like Sans got into a fight.”
“…With who… I wonder…”
Undyne focused on the trail of sounds. “Probably mister snakeface. You weren’t there, Grillbz, but Sans did this before.”
During that fried chicken night, Frisk had found a motorbike helmet by the window. Thinking back, she wondered if it belonged to this Gaelic fellow. He could certainly use that to hide his identity.
It wasn’t long before the elevator moved past the hot combat zone. The roars of bloodlust tapered off into the distance.
They’re alone again. The uncomfortable silence continued until the elevator came to full stop. It doesn’t look like it’ll open until they get off their seats.
“I guess… this is the moment of truth,” Undyne commented.
Grillby responded with a soft ‘mhmm’.
They stood up.
Beep.
The door opened.
And Undyne didn’t like the scenery before her one single bit.
Nudging Grillby, she asked: “Light blue flooring. Dark blue walls. I’m not seeing things, right?”
“…Yes… They’re blue…”
“Shiftable architecture?”
“…Mhmm…”
“Electronics hidden everywhere?”
“…Possible…”
“White pits of doom?”
“…The most obvious feature…”
“We’re in a mockup of the bloody Core, aren’t we?”
“…Unfortunately…”
Levels of dread, increasing.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, it vanished behind their backs. There’s only one way forward now, into the maws of the unknown.
The pervasive white aura deterred visibility. It’s hard to see much beyond that glare.
“Great. Exactly what we need. More rooms. More compulsory trappings.” Sarcasm dripped from every word. It’s not her style to stoop to this level, but she’s grown tired of Sans.
The two pressed on. Their footsteps echoed off the mechanical walls, bringing a deep chill to an otherwise warm place.
What secrets did the shadows hide?
What bigger secrets lay beyond the light?
Undyne had a feeling that every move was under the scrutiny of the dungeonmaster. It’s not beneath him to stalk his targets.
The further they walked…
…The more she noticed a familiar silhouette in the distance.
It’s an object in the shape of a car. Not just any car either. It’s…
“Pap’s bed?” she muttered to herself.
Her steps quickened. That red was unmistakable. She will recognize it from a mile away.
It really was Papyrus’ car-bed. He’s tucked in, facing away.
“Papyrus? PAPYRUS!!!”
Papyrus stirred in response to the fish-level yelling. He rolled over and started to open his sockets.
“IS SOMEONE THERE?” he asked.
It’s Papyrus. It’s really Papyrus in the bone.
“It’s me, Undyne! Are you okay???”
The tall skeleton sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’M FINE NOW. ERM. I… I NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR ALL THE YEARS OF BADGHETTI.”
“I’M… I’M REALLY GLAD I DIDN’T GIVE THAT TO MISTER MAGUS. HE WOULD HAVE SUFFERED MANY BAD TIMES IN THE TOILET. HOW DID FRISK MANAGE? I GUESS THEY HAVE A STRONGER GUT.”
“That’s the least of our concerns now!” she answered. “Did Sans do anything bad to you?”
“NO. NOT AT ALL. HE GAVE ME A NICE FLUFFY BED AND QUALITY MEDICINE. I FEEL MUCH BETTER NOW.”
“Really?” She couldn’t believe it.
“REALLY.” Papyrus replied. “I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF HE WAS VERY MEAN TO YOU.”
“No way Paps. You don’t need to apologize. HE needs to do it! Right in my damn face!”
Grillby then asked: “…Have you seen the King and Queen?…”
The tall skeleton shook his head. As it is, it appears that they’re the only one from the main team to complete the labyrinth.
But despite so, they’re farther away from Frisk than ever before.
Dammit Sans! What exactly are you planning?
Speaking of whom, Sans teleported onto a small platform. Undyne dropped her jaw. Considering his dodge rate, he always emerged from battles squeaky clean.
Now? On his right arm, half of his sleeve was ripped off by someone.
Papyrus shrieked. “SANS! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!”
The short one replied in his usual casual manner. “Eh. Nothing much. Just got pounced on by a crazed beast in a bone body.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU SHOULD BE NICE TO OTHERS! IF THE SURFACE IS AS DANGEROUS AS YOU CLAIM, WHY DID YOU GET ON THEIR BAD SIDE?!?”
“Heh. Good point. That’s all moot by now, though.”
Sans tucked his hands into his pockets. “As you can see, only you three completed the puzzle. Congrats.”
As if he knew what would be the next question, he said: “Don’t worry about Tori and Asgore. They’re fine, just resting somewhere. Not that I blame them. They got other priorities.”
“As for the two Magi reps? Welp. As you can see on my bonely self, they do things their own way. I’m not sure how they differ from the Gungnir. Maybe that’s the whole point, huh? They’ve been at each other’s necks since the dawn of time.”
“Sooner or later, you become who you fight. I’m pretty much the proof in the pudding.”
Sans winked. He always does that. Never any less punch-baiting, either. If only a hit can be landed without killing him.
If only.
“Right,” he said. “Why don’t we move on to the final puzzle? See ya there.”
Sans vanished. On cue, the walls parted away. New paths rose from the whiteness. It joined the two chambers, leading them deeper into the technological sanctum.
Papyrus wasted no time to jump off the bed.
“Wait!” Undyne rushed over to his side. She grabbed his arm out of caution. “There might be traps!”
“THERE ARE NO JAPES UP AHEAD.” Papyrus replied. “MY BROTHER WANTS HONESTY GOING FORWARD.”
How many times in the past did Undyne misunderstand Papyrus’ cryptic wisdom as naivete, she wondered? Perhaps it was more often than she realised.
Loosening her grip, the fish conceded. “If you say so…”
The three of them thus went across the steps. The pits murmured an uneasy drone: they needed no words to convey their intent of judgement.
Sans stood at the edge of a large, circular platform. Complex lines of a massive Arcanagram decorated the surface.
“Welcome,” said Sans. “To my Magnum Opus.”
“…Huh?” That’s all Undyne had to say. “It’s not the Chronograph?”
“Nah. That was just the backup plan. And this here?” Sans showed the electronic bracer. “It’s a last minute mashup. The big star you’re looking at? That’s my real dream.”
She counted the number of points. Eight. Papyrus had once described how Sans attempted to eject Gaster out of the Underground with the mother of all eight-point wormholes.
Then it hit her. “Are you fucking serious? You recreated THE device that scattered Doctor Gaster?!”
“Heh. It’s more than a rebuild. You can say this is the completed version of my theory. The Surface’s SOUL science is way ahead of the Underground, but their applied quantum mechanics lag far behind. Combine those together, and voila.”
Sans shuffled to the centre of the diagram. “In retrospect… I made a huge mistake concluding that my theories were a failure. I found the wreck in the dump. Thought it never left the Underground.”
“But, what if it succeeded? What if I really did send something beyond the Barrier? I could never know what environment surrounded my target coordinates, and if the stuff landed in the river above it’ll eventually get washed back down.”
Undyne turned to Papyrus, hoping to hear an explanation of any kind. She had no context what so ever and it’s starting to raise her blood pressure.
He remained silent.
Her attention shifted to Grillby, but he shook his head. He was as lost as her.
Great. So I have to shut up and listen to a mad scientist ramble.
…I can’t believe how much Doctor Gaster has rubbed off on him.
“I’ve already obtained enough data from several live-tests.” Sans continued, “Don’t worry, I didn’t use any unwilling participants. I’m both the creator and the tester. Not a recommended move… for obvious reasons.”
“Still, everything worked like a charm. Therefore, the next step of the plan is to add a passenger. And… this is where we have our final puzzle. I did say that all it takes is ‘one’ person. Not ‘three in one’.”
Undyne got it.
Judging from Grillby’s flickering flames, he understood the con too.
Megalovania was rigged from the very beginning.
Spear, summoned. She shall wreck this puzzle before Sans traps anyone in it.
The skeleton’s sockets darkened.
His voice deepened a notch, just enough to make her stop from the sheer chill. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Don't want to start a chain reaction. It might kill everyone in this room. Except my teleporting self.”
Believe?
Don’t believe?
Undyne doesn’t know anymore. In the end, she had to dismiss her magic on the err of caution. Can’t get too reckless now: Alphys waits for her back home.
Sans returned to his normal self. “Hey, I’m not the one making the final decision. It’s still in your hands. All you need to do is accept the challenge. Be the hero. But, if you do so… Papyrus will stay behind. One person is one person. I’m being fair here.”
“And then if you’re still unsatisfied, we’ll duke it out at the tower-top arena. Just like anime, huh?”
The fish narrowed her eye. “After I possibly kill myself first with a quantum shredder?”
“Welp,” he did his infamous shrug-wink combo. “Do you trust me?”
“Like hell I can trust you after all the shit you’ve done.”
“Stay behind then. It’s that simple.”
Sans turned his attention to Grillby. “What about you, Grillbz? We go all the way back.”
The fire captain refused. “…I trust Papyrus more…”
“Thanks. That means a lot to me.”
“Grillby, are you fucking NUTS?!” Undyne cried out. “That’s too dangerous for Papyrus! If there’s anyone’s gonna set Sans straight, it’ll be ME!”
Undyne stomped her foot forward.
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
Goddammit, why am I being such a chicken?
All I gotta do is eject myself up to the tower.
Then I’ll fight him to the death at the arena.
Another step forward. It’s heavy.
Be determined. Be! Determined!
I managed to muster all that shit up to bust down that stupid Mark!
I should be able to do this. I must!
For Papyrus!
For Alphys! Asgore! Kid!
Everyone!
Despite her bolstering mindset, her muscles shivered.
Why?
Why am I getting scared?
Uh… well... I’ve never actually landed a proper strike on Sans’ CLOTHES to begin with.
I can’t touch him.
…What if I can?
She stared at Sans’ chest, where his SOUL lies.
All it takes is a single hit. Then he’s dust. And once he’s dead… what’s gonna happen to Papyrus?
Can he live with the fact that his best friend killed his only brother?
Can he live without Sans at all?
Undyne grit her teeth.
OF COURSE HE CAN!!!
Papyrus is STRONG!
He’ll get over it. He’ll rebuild his life.
He doesn’t NEED Sans to chain him down!
Papyrus deserves to be free. FREE!
I bet the Magus Association will provide him a GREAT job! If that doesn’t work, then I’ll help him find something else. Anything!
I--
She stopped.
I lied to Paps for years.
I couldn’t tell him the real reason why he couldn’t join the Royal Guard.
I tried to keep him safe in his little bubble because I was so afraid for his life.
Now I’m trying to rationalize the murder of his family.
If I continue forward, I’ll save the world.
…But I’ll become a villain forever.
Right upon that moment…
…Her sins crawled on her back.
I’m no different from Sans.
That realisation drained Undyne’s courage dry. Her legs refused to move any further, as though they had already decayed from the touch of ‘karmic retribution’.
“That look on your face,” said Sans. “Tells me you had an epiphany.”
He didn’t need any Blue Magic.
He didn’t need to use his stolen Marks.
He didn’t need to do anything.
He just stood there as a mirror… and that was enough to break her resolve.
Undyne felt a soft fabric brush against the surface of her arm. When she turned around, the trails of a red scarf followed behind.
She grabbed the skeletal owner’s lower arm. Muttered, “Don’t go…”
In sombre sobriety Papyrus looked at her and said: “I FORGIVE YOU FOR KEEPING ME IN THE DARK. AS I HAVE FORGIVEN UNCLE GASTER, FRISK, AND MANY MORE.”
He gently pushed her hand aside. Didn’t need to pry, as her strength was already sapped and lost.
“UNDYNE,” he said, “YOU’RE ALWAYS A HERO TO ME. I BELIEVE IN YOU.”
Life had a funny way to shorten the perception of time.
One moment, Papyrus was a tiny boy who had too much energy and not enough sense. The then-reckless child Undyne had to dial back for her junior’s safety. Ever the responsible one.
In a blink, Papyrus grew up. Tall. Mighty. Great. Those seemingly immature proclamations became true.
Undyne dropped on her knees, completely overshadowed by his glory. A dull pain throbbed against her chest. She gripped it.
Papyrus continued walking until he’s face-to-face with Sans.
“Bro,” asked Sans. “You’d trust me when no else will?”
The younger brother spoke with a sense of poignant understanding.
“THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT I STILL NEED TO MONITOR, BROTHER. I’M STILL THE PRIMARY CARETAKER OF YOUR PET ROCK AFTER ALL. BUT YOU HAVE MY FULLEST ABSOLUTE TRUST IN ALL MANNERS OF MATH AND SCIENCE. ESPECIALLY WITH THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE NUANCES OF SPACETIME.”
“IT IS IN OUR BONES AFTER ALL. YOU AND I, THE DESCENDANTS OF HUMAN CONVERTS, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT DOMAIN.”
“Whoa Paps, where did you learn that?”
“IT’S MY CONCLUSION FROM ALL THE HISTORY I’VE WITNESSED.”
“You’re right. Knowledge of spacetime is exclusively a Lichborn thing. It’s a scary thought… Almost affirms that we are the abominations humanity claims us to be. Too much power in anyone’s hands, really.”
Sans summoned eight yellow femurs written in glyphs. They floated towards the points of the giant Gram and locked themselves in place.
Magic coursed through the diagram, emitting a soft glow.
The air rumbled. Flakes of cyan, yellow, and purple floated about. Grillby hurried to drag Undyne away from ground zero.
She returned no resistance.
“Sit tight, Papyrus,” said Sans. “We might encounter some turbulence along the way.”
Papyrus crossed his arms. “THAT IS OF NO ISSUE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM NOWHERE AS INFLEXIBLE AS THAT STATIC MACHINE.”
“You knew what went wrong during The Core Incident, huh?”
“IT’S JUST A HUNCH.”
At the height of power, the diagram activated its magic. A tornado of colour engulfed the brothers and ripped them away from this place.
That moment seemed to last forever. Undyne’s life and times with Papyrus echoed in a collage of memories. She wondered if it’s her own imagination, or it’s the Void creating a feedback with the wormhole.
In a flash, the display dissipated. Left behind nothing but unscathed ground, devoid of the Skelebros. Shifting tiles soon started erasing what remained of Sans’ Arcanagram handiwork.
Undyne just… stared blank. Unresponsive. Her brain had shut down, sinking into the bottomless mud of despair.
Why?
Why, Papyrus?
Why do you still believe?
I can’t be the hero anymore.
…Not after what I did to you.