On that day, monsterkind received a grim reminder: humanity still feared the differences between us and them.
Sans Serif had expected such a reaction since his days in the Underground.
Levels of concern propelled to new heights when the news of Mettaton’s studio reached Ebott Town. It’s the second extremist incident within twenty-four hours.
The vandalism was a warning for what’s to come.
Under Toriel’s orders, Undyne summoned an emergency meeting with all the former members of the Royal Guard. By permission of the local police, the team got reinstated effective immediately.
Since Papyrus was technically still a member of the Royal Guard, he had to join the patrols as well. The little brother promised that he’ll be back about five in the evening. Provided there were no further incidents.
The big brother’s been preparing since the failed seal-breaking attempt. Snuck to the general store to buy a bag, notebooks, and more stationery.
Now he had to think of how he’ll collect data.
Things aren’t looking good.
I need to break that butterfly before relations worsen. Find out what happened in the past timeline.
…Since I’m unable to teleport, I will need to take travelling time into account.
I should first talk to Alphys. She manned the Dt-Extraction Machine and has scientific training. Other than Gaster, she would know what really happened in Frisk’s exorcism.
He slung the bag over his shoulder and slipped out of the house. Tried his best to avoid meeting anyone… or else they’ll notice his lack of powers.
Sans rang the doorbell of Alphys’ lab.
She answered.
If there’s a face of a person who had a rough start of the day, that’s Alphys. Her glasses were slanted and her coat unstraightened.
“Hey, you okay?” Sans asked.
“W-well…” Alphys glanced around, trying to find clarity. “I’m better now. Mettaton told me that he’s under Magi protection. So. He’s safe.”
“I’d like to ask some questions, if you don’t mind.”
“About?”
“Frisk’s ritual.”
“Oh. Okay, p-please come in.” The lizard straightened her glasses and tidied her collar. Consciously or otherwise, she prepared herself for business.
They settled down on the couch. Sans asked the questions, Alphys answered the best she could. He wrote down anything of interest in his notebook.
Mezil’s interception caught his attention.
“Whoa, really?” said Sans. “He used his own blood? That’s hardcore.”
Alphys nodded. “It’s quite freaky too. He mentioned it as ‘Determination in liquid form’. Humans don’t have a DT-Extraction machine. So, their own blood is the next best thing they have.”
“That’s really interesting. Mezil’s actions confirm that the human body stores Determination. I’ve considered it before, but I didn’t have the means or motivation to study deep.”
How am I even going to get his blood for experiments? Should I ask Frisk to donate some?
That’s gonna be awkward. Maybe I should let the kid know that I got sabotaged. Yeah. Otherwise they’ll think I’m abandoning them at their greatest need.
“Sans?”
Alphys interrupted his thoughts.
Oh uh, she’s me giving that deeply concerned stare.
He grinned back and said, “‘Sup? Never seen me hitting the books before?”
“No.”
“Welp. I used to do this all the time.”
Back to scribbling he goes.
“Have you always known about Chara? And Flowey?” Alphys asked.
Here comes the complicated questions. Sans replied, “Both yes and no. I don’t remember them from past timelines unless something triggers a link of sorts.”
“Is… is there a reason why you kept behaving the same?”
Of course she knew. Or rather, Papyrus told everything to the gang. From A to Z. Left no detail out.
Sans was there. Had to endure through the whole thing. He had predicted it ever since Papyrus broke his Seal. Told himself to just be himself and stay calm.
He managed to do so until King Asgore tried to apologize. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
In the most frank, nonchalant manner he answered: “That’s my best bet. And I really didn’t want to break my promise to Toriel.”
“When you fought to the death, you used the same patterns too?” There was a quiver in Alphys’ voice.
“…Yeah,” answered Sans. “That was my best defense against Chara. If I tried to change, I would have opened myself up for an early finishing blow. Can’t have that.”
“I don’t think I understand. Why didn’t you fight to win?”
“Like Undyne? Nah. I know I can’t win, so I did my best to stall. The longer I survive, the longer we exist, y’know.”
“It seems so futile.”
“It is.”
This is getting uncomfortable. I should finish my notes and bail as soon as possible.
But… she has something that I need.
Sans glanced at the direction of the inner lab where the Dt-Extraction Machine stood installed. With all the mayhem going on, there’s a high chance that Alphys had yet to disassemble the set and stash it back into the storeroom.
With a bit more volume, Alphys said, “I-I know you found the Chronograph in the dump!”
The skeleton finished his last stroke with a little too much force: the tip of the pen almost ripped through the paper.
“I don’t think Papyrus knew that,” Sans replied.
“No. He doesn't,” said Alphys, “But. I noticed that you used to buy very specific pieces of scrap from me. At premium price too. And. And. And how you tried to motivate me with perks.”
“Getting my phone number. Introducing me to Undyne. Giving assorted anime goods. Anything to make sure I won’t sell them to anyone else.”
He then asked, “…When did you realise this?”
“After listening to the Gaster-sensei’s testimony of the Core Incident,” she answered. “The timeframe matches up. Since nothing can cross the Barrier, well… there’s only one other outcome.”
“Also, it’s not like any other scrap. High quality steel. No rust. I’m not even sure if it’s really made out of iron. To be honest, I wanted to keep them for myself to build Mettaton’s first body.”
Heh. Just as I thought, Alphys is really smart.
Man, I was a nervous wreck when she found the pieces. If she knew anything about the Chronograph back then, I would be in quite a pickle.
Sans chuckled. “Luckily you didn’t. Because that could be pretty toxic for our pink celeb. The steel won’t degrade because it’s imbued with Determination. I have no idea how uncontrolled long-term exposure is going to affect a monster.”
Alphys gasped. “What?!”
“Yup. Long story short, if you add DT, a few other additives, and control the solidifying process, the substance binds together with the molecules. That’s how you get a time-defying piece of material.”
“Maybe you don’t remember it anymore, but we used to have a lava-refinement facility. The hot stuff in Hotland is rich in more ways than one. Especially in iron and silica. That’s where we get our high quality steel without depending on questionable junk. Gaster was reeeeal picky about his material source.”
Alphys dropped her jaw. “When did he build this facility? And what happened to it?”
“Before The Core,” Sans explained. “Heh, you think we made The Core from junk? Man, don’t let the old man hear you say that. He’s the biggest anti-junk guy in the entire nation.”
“As for what happened to that place? Well. The big quake sent it sinking back into the lava. Iron-nic, I know. There were no casualties because Gaster made sure everyone stayed home that day.”
“You’d think it’ll make headlines, but the explosion messed with a fair bit of existence. Some of the details regarding Gaster and my parents got erased from memory.”
Alphys asked, “How did you find out?”
“Welp. For a good number of weeks I couldn’t even remember Mom and Dad. Not to mention that Undyne failed to find any of our birth-related documentations. The notes she had about me? Incomplete.”
“T-that explains so much…” The lizard scientist fidgeted in her seat. “And you told no one about these?”
“Eh, too controversial.”
“Doesn’t it eat into you?”
Sans wanted to say ‘no’.
Except, he couldn’t.
Alphys furrowed her brows. She worked up the courage to speak despite the discomfort: “Sans, you can’t keep living like this. Y-you insisted that you’re a piece of trash. Well. I am a piece of trash too! And that’s why I want… I want to help you.”
“Uh, I’m fine?” he said.
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She shook her head. “No, you’re not fine. I know you’re hiding something from us. I can see it as clear as day. It’s a trash thing.”
Heh, good point.
But c’mon you’re nowhere my level, Alphys. There’s a huge difference between an insecure person and a certified killer.
“Under one condition,” she continued. “If I help you, I will not keep secrets. No more hiding. Everyone has the right to know. So. So they can help you too. You’ve acted alone long enough.”
It’s an offer that he couldn’t take. Without a second thought, Sans closed his eyes and turned away from Alphys.
“Then, don’t help me.”
“But--”
“Please.”
Before Alphys could persuade, Undyne barged into the living room with Cenna in tow.
“Al,” said the fish. “We gotta pack up ASAP! Right now!”
“Huh?! Why?” Alphys exclaimed.
Both hands in her pockets, the Magus explained: “Intel says your lab is next on the hit list, Doctor. We gotta move you to a safer place for the time being. Take only what you need.”
“I-I understand. We’ll be done soon enough.”
Undyne helped her girlfriend pack up. It would have been easier if they didn’t have so many vital documents.
Sans flipped to the back end of the book, ready to jot down more notes. He then walked right up to Cenna. “Mind if I ask a few more questions?”
“No probs,” she replied. “What do you want to know?”
It’s rather unnerving to see that teasing Magus so serious. She never dropped her cheeky flair, even in the face of death.
Now it’s all serious business.
It reached that level, huh?
Exactly within calculations. Sigh. If only I’m wrong for once.
A new piece of information caught Sans’ attention. “Interesting. None of the Gungnir are locals?”
Cenna nodded. “Ahuh. Also, I’m sure you noticed that the nearest human town is a fair distance away from the mountain. You’d expect people to settle closer after all these years. Well, they used to. Then the Great Ebott Razing happened.”
“I remember that,” he said. “The people from Chara’s village set the forest ablaze over the fear of golden flowers. I thought the humans would try to rebuild. Never did. Why?”
“It's because this land might as well be a nuclear fallout zone after that fire. It looks fine on the surface, but damn the amount of DEMONs? Up the wazoo.”
“We initially thought the mass hauntings were the result of a violent death. Anywhere with a huge catastrophe? You’ll get lots of lingering spirits. Nothing unusual. But, we dealt with more than just victims of the fire here. Some of the DEMONs date waaaaay back to medieval times. It’s weird. But thanks to Mez’s new info, we finally understood why.”
“Ebott Goldenflowers,” said Sans.
“Yup,” Cenna confirmed. “The plants themselves may get burned to ashes, but those things make a ton of seeds. Imagine millions of those little buggers hiding underground. Everywhere. Escaping the flames.”
“Truth is you never needed an actual flower: all you need is just a part of that plant. Seeds, leaves, roots, whatever. So this entire land was condemned from the very beginning.”
“Everyone who lived and died here? High chance they never moved on either. It really doesn’t help that it became our local suicide forest. It’s isolated, haunted, and lots of DEMONs doing weird shit.”
Flowey, Chara, and the Ebott Razing have more in common than I realised.
Hmm. I wonder why? What makes this plant so special?
It’s worth taking a closer look.
Hang on… we’re assuming that Chara’s people were ignorant about the true properties of these flowers.
What if it’s the reverse? If they had partial knowledge, their absurd actions would be a little less insane. It’s most likely passed down as an oral legend. Those get corrupted reeeeal quick.
Inaccurate data is just as dangerous as having none. Maybe worse. They put so much faith in whatever little knowledge they had.
“You thinking of something, Sans?”
“Too much,” he replied. “Are the kids gonna go to school tomorrow?”
“Nah. Everyone’s gotta stay home for maximum safety. Those lightning-heads may turn up at any moment. So far, we issued three days. But if another attack happens within the grace period, we’ll extend it to a week.”
“What if it gets worse?” Sans asked.
“Time to summon the cavalry, as we say up here. Don’t worry. Us Magi are gonna do everything to protect you guys.”
That’s what I’m worried about.
It’s not a matter if they ‘will’ protect us. It’s whether or not they ‘can’.
Undyne had strapped an entire cabinet on her back. Her strength knows no bounds.
Cenna was left speechless for a moment. “Yo, Captain. I thought I told you guys to only bring the essentials.”
“Like hell we’re leaving Alphys’ precious research behind!” So said the fish lady. “This is her life work right here! Plus a whole lot of details about the Core Incident. I ain’t letting some grubby punks destroy our biggest case.”
“That ain’t gonna fit into the boot.”
“Who says we’re doing that? We’re gonna strap the whole thing on the top!”
Immediate facepalm from Cenna. Sans laughed in his heart. That’s pure Underground-level logic right there.
“Where’s the good doctor anyway?” Cenna asked.
“Setting up the defenses and making some final backups,” Undyne explained.
If I stay any longer, Alphys might suspect me.
Better make my leave first.
Sans shuffled himself to the exit. “Guys, I’m gonna go home first. Good luck with the house moving. Thanks for all the info by the way.”
He could feel Undyne fixating a suspicious glare upon his back.
I don’t have a good reputation. I know that.
Undyne will message one of the Dog Clan members to keep an eye on me. Make sure I go home and not snoop around for a chance to break in.
Welp. I’m gonna be a good boy then.
He trudged all the way back home. The first thing he did upon arrival was to go toward his room.
For a moment, he stared at the spot where the trashnado used to be. It collapsed last Friday. After the date. The same time when Sans discovered he was sealed.
Papyrus? Didn’t notice the oddity, too focused on Sans’ health.
Somehow a mysterious white fluffy dog invaded his room and slept in the middle of the nest of trash.
“Sorry buddy, you can’t stay here.”
Sans reached out his arm and moved the pup elsewhere with telekinesis. Put it down safely on the couch, unwilling to wake the critter. He could sympathize: nobody likes rude awakenings.
Looks like my gravity magic isn’t affected. Phew.
Man, I remembered the day when Papyrus suddenly turned my SOUL Blue. He freaked out so hard. I almost lost it too, but I had to act calm for his sake.
Gaster was gone by then. Not that I’d ever ask for his help. So I had to hammer together whatever I knew about Sage Geneva and her magic.
Still can’t believe I managed to make an artificial version of the Blue Aspect. It’s good enough to coach Paps, but it pales compared to the real thing.
Sans then resumed his mission. He dug into his drawers and started emptying the contents.
Beneath all those trombones, scrap paper, books, brandy, and toy bones, was a box labelled ‘Alphys’.
It’s filled with lockpicking tools that would make a cat burglar proud: from the standard manual picks, to master keycards, to self-made hacking consoles.
Much of her security systems were based off Gaster’s work. Well, she pretty much just moved into his Hotland Lab. Since he was my ‘sensei’ too, I know how they’re made. Their strengths. Their weaknesses.
Usually, these are just toys. Yeah, I could just teleport in but where’s the fun in that? Whenever Alphys figures out the ‘how’, she always has the cutest face, filled with frustration.
Getting Undyne riled up? A double plus. Making sure Alphys’ place is truly secure? Now that’s the best part.
Her lab contains Ebott’s most sensitive information. If anyone broke in and discovered the Determination Projects… welp. We’re done for.
Sans started selecting the tools he might need. The most important was a cloned master keycard. Provided there were no manual locks, this should make it a breeze.
…I can’t believe I’m doing this.
Alphys. If you end up hating me, I understand. Won’t hold it against you.
After all, there's a reason why I’m a true blue piece of trash.
He positioned his stargazing telescope at the windowsill. 53 degrees to the right -- between the buildings -- existed a narrow gap where he could see Ebott’s main highway. If his speculations were correct, they’d be driving on that particular stretch.
The telescope was a little too powerful for land surveying, but it’s better than no help at all.
From the windows, he watched out for signs of the ladies’ evacuation.
And watched.
And watched.
And watched.
Then he caught a glimpse of their car. It had a cabinet strapped onto the roof. Just as Undyne wanted.
Coast is clear. Gotta finish the job before Papyrus comes home.
When he snuck out via the window, Sans found no signs of the Dog Clan members. High chance that they had to resume patrols: they had bigger things to worry about than one lone skeleton.
Without his Seer’s Eye, vigilance must be maintained at all times.
It’s exhausting.
Sans heard Papyrus from a mile away. He’s more enthusiastic about his job than ever, yelling whatever catches his attention at the top of his non-existent lungs.
Haha! Oh man, he’s a walking siren. Any troublemaker is gonna bail before he sees them.
That’s for the best too. I don’t want him to get tarnished. Papyrus makes his own ideal world without realising it.
After many detours, Sans finally reached Alphys’ lab.
A bunch of humans stalked the gates. They’re somewhere around late teens to young adults, armed with baseball bats, paints, crowbars, and goodness knows what else stashed in their pickup truck.
Cenna’s intel was spot on. Gungnir showed up.
Let’s see what’s on their mind…
A woman tried to smash the console panel with her crowbar, but it bounced off a transparent tile.
“What the heck?!” she exclaimed.
Her other lady friend was not surprised. “This IS a lab after all. You think a mad doctor won’t beef up her security to the max?”
Ah. Magical Glass. So, she managed to make them stand upright after all. That’s gonna make the perfect wall.
A guy tried to spray some paint. The glass blew the stuff right back at his face. Started to cough and hack with all sorts of expletives inserted in between.
Sans rolled his eyes. If he wanted to test it, he should have positioned the spray-can in a way where it won’t backfire in his face.
They tried a few other methods. None worked.
At least I know these kids aren’t very bright. That’s a relief.
I’d love to see them fail all day, except I don’t have that luxury.
Sans raised his hood, slipped his hands into his pockets and emerged from his hiding spot. Took heed of the camera’s field of view. He knew most of their placements, but knowing Alphys she might have them fixed in every possible location.
It’s too late to care.
“Hey,” he said.
Caught their attention right away. The skeleton continued to play casual.
“Looks like you guys are having a hard time. Why not just go home? The town’s crawling with cops and I’m sure you don’t want to get arrested.”
As expected, they’re not cooperative. The lady with the crowbar spat, “Who the fuck are you?”
“Me?” Sans replied, “Just a local passerby. Don’t worry though, missy. I won’t say anything. Nothing broke, right? Not even a single scratch on the walls or whatnot.”
He finished his statement with a stern warning: “Just don’t do anything that’ll change my mind.”
“Hey shortie,” said the guy. “How about you just fucking scram before we beat you down? You think you can just scare us away? We’re Gungnir! We fear nothing!”
The others laughed and chipped in their own insults.
“Yeah, you look weaksauce. Not like that fish monster.”
“Heh, my little brother is taller than you.”
“What’s a pile of bones gonna do to us anyway, huh?”
Sans picked up a small rock from the ground. Perhaps it’s a leftover from Undyne’s boulder workout. It’s about the size of his palm, just nice for his intended demonstration.
“Heh. You’re right. I’m just a weak short skeleton. What am I going to do, huh?”
He summoned one of his trademark weapons. It’s a bone. “Look at the ends, all roundy and cartoony. Makes you wonder how’s that gonna hurt.”
Then Sans skewered the rock. He twisted the immobile victim as if he’s making a kebab.
There was a stunned silence.
Sans darkened his sockets. “Wanna try?”
The humans lost all of their false courage posthaste. They fled into the truck and drove off without a single snarky remark.
“So much for fearing nothing.”
The master keycard did its job.
Alright. Now I really hope Alphys’ defenses aren’t going to spring up right under my feet.
Step one. Close the door.
Step two, look out for blue-and-orange sensor lasers.
Step three, find the light swi--
Five seconds after he walked into the lab, he felt a sticky squish under his slippers.
“Oh fu--”
Spider webs dragged him upside down and towards the ceiling. A swarm of arachnids then weaved their silk around their victim, encasing him in a cocoon.
“Oh you ‘scummy humans’. You think the brilliant Doctor Alphys would leave her nest unguarded? Ahuhu~~”
It’s Muffet. Turns out, part of the ‘defense systems’ involved hiring guards.
“Hi,” said Sans.
“That voice! Sans?!”
One of the spiders turned on a flashlight and shined it on him. He stayed chill and casual. Muffet knew about his involvement in Mettaton’s business, so she’s no stranger to him.
The spider lady asked, “Why’d you sneak in here like a thief in the night?”
“Thieves don’t use the front door, lady,” Sans replied. “I’m just dropping in as a normal member of society. I mean, it’s pretty boneheaded to use the most obvious and guarded path. If I’m a real thief, I’d crawl through the vents.”
Heh, maybe I should have done that.
Actually, no. It’s going to be filled with spiders and guilt. At least the front door gives me an excuse.
“Ahuhuhuhuhuhuhu… I’m not ignorant of your chronic trespassing habits, Mister Comedian. When you run a café, you hear all sorts of stories.”
Am I screwed: yes, or no?
Somehow the planets and star aligned again, because Muffet then said: “I admire your skills! Sneaking’s a niche art so few know how to appreciate. So what brings you here? Are you setting up the latest prank?”
Sans breathed a sigh of relief. “Nah. I need to use one of Alphys’ big machines. She didn’t have time to help, so I thought of helping myself. Is that alright?”
“Of course, ahuhu~! As long you don’t break anything.”
“Me? Breaking anything? Nah. I’m a careful skeleton. Mind uh, putting me down? Gently.”
Muffet lowered Sans back to the ground and cut the webs as much as she could. There will always be some stubborn bits.
“Thanks,” he said. “You keep watching the lab, alright? I’ll be done in a jiffy.”
“Okay, ahuhu~. Good luck with your experiment!”
…Yeah. I’m gonna need all the luck I can get.
Thanks Muffet. You have no idea how much of a lifesaver you really are.