Wow, look at all that machinery! It’s hard to walk anywhere that’s not the entrance and the path to the kitchen. If it weren’t for the colour of the carpet, you wouldn’t believe that you’re standing in the skelebrothers’ Snowdin home.
Gaster exploited the maximum flexibility of his goop to squeeze between the narrow gaps of the machinery. You noticed that his Eyes lit up in colour whenever he tinkered with the small parts.
He seemed too absorbed in his work to notice you.
Alphys was tying some copper wires together. She had her work apron on. It’s stained with streaks of black from all the dirty secondhand or junk equipment.
“Frisk!” Her face lit up in joy. “I didn’t expect you to be here so soon.”
A Mini Box Mettaton popped out from her front pocket! They’re autonomous extensions of the glam bot, but they’re not sentient.
You waved at it. The robot responded with the same gesture.
Why is it here?
“Oh, we need to archive Papyrus’ visions for future reference. These little guys are perfect for the job.”
MTT-brand recording devices donated by the big man himself, huh?
“Yup. Data storage technology on the Surface is phenomenal! Mettaton gushed so hard over the improvements, I can’t wait to try it out!”
No kidding. She’s practically hugging it to death.
Hmm, there’s a big screen television hanging from the second floor. It’s anchored to the railings with some heavy duty cables. The display looks rather old, as expected from something picked up from the dump, yet somehow it’s not cracked or broken.
Papyrus proclaimed: “I RESTORED THE SCREEN TO ITS PROPER FORM!”
He could actually do that?!
“YES! JUST LIKE THE TIME I BROUGHT UNCLE GASTER BACK FROM THE VOID.”
That’s sooo cool! Your first instinct was to reach out your hand in an attempt to touch his handiwork.
Alphys yelped, “W-wait, Frisk! Stop!”
You drew back posthaste. Phew. Sounds like you almost broke something again.
“Yeah, you almost did. Papyrus can’t completely restore inanimate objects. He doesn’t have the ability to properly meld the atomic particles together. They will look fine on the surface, but they’ll crumble under excessive external force. Even a simple poke suffices.”
“ALPHYS ADDED SOME OF THIS ‘POLYMER CEMENT’ INTO MY MAGIC STAR AS A ‘REAGENT’,” Papyrus explained. “I AM NOT SURE HOW IT WORKS, BUT THE SCREEN ISN’T A TRANSPARENT SANDCASTLE ANYMORE. NOW, IT’S MORE LIKE A THIN COOKIE. I THINK. NO POKINGS ALLOWED.”
In other words, the objects he reconstructs will end up brittle?
The lizard scientist nodded. “Exactly! Wow, Frisk. Sounds like Sans taught you quite a lot of science.”
He sure did. But, what about Doctor Gaster? He’s certainly not crumbling. Is this why he’s such a fluid goop?
“Nope. Gaster-sensei is fine because he’s an Amalgamate. They have self-healing properties. Papyrus just needed to gather the bits of his existence close enough for them to merge on their own.”
…She’s really calling him Gaster-sensei?
You heard a loud scoff in between the tight gaps of machinery. “What’s with that mocking tone? ‘Sensei’ is an honourable title reserved for the skilled and knowledgeable! Respect is respect regardless of the language. Plus I'd say Doctor Alphys makes for a wonderful student. She's better than my last protégé at least.”
Whoa, he’s serious about this.
Alphys blushed pink in the sheer joy of approval. She then leaned closer to you and whispered: “He accepted the title the very moment I explained its true meaning. I-I think Sensei is very accepting of new ideas! I wonder if it has something to do with the colours of his SOUL.”
Huh? Why would his ‘colour’ make such a huge difference?
She seemed surprised at your confusion. “Oh? Hang on. I’ll explain, after I finish this wiring.”
You nodded and let Alphys do her job, which involved plugging the Mini MTT into the system.
Papyrus received another call in the meantime. Sounds like Cenna and Sans were ready for their pickup.
“Gaster-sensei!” said Alphys, “I’m done with my task.”
“Good, good,” the doctor replied. “Take a break for now. When Sans arrives, we’ll be busy again.”
“Okay!”
Alphys led you to the kitchen. By verdict of the skeleparents, there’s no machinery in there.
“Have you ever wondered why a monster’s SOUL is white?” she asked.
Good question. You had pondered about it, but there’s no one who could explain. Did the brilliant Doctor Alphys learn something new from the Magi?
She fidgeted at your high-flying title. “P-please don’t call me that. It feels weird if it doesn’t come from Mettaton. Uh, anyways. Back on topic. Yes, I learned a lot of new stuff from Miss Cenna.”
“The Magi refer these SOUL colours as ‘Aspects’. A Yellow SOUL contains a Yellow ‘Aspect’, for example. The reason why humans have colour is because that particular Aspect outshines all their other traits.”
The Yellow Cenna also had a mix of Purple and Green, but it’s invisible without all those science mumbo jumbo. Does that mean her Yellow is so strong it drowns out the rest from plain sight?
“That’s correct. Monsters on the other hand have all of these Aspects in perfect balance. This is the main reason why we think and act differently compared to your average human.”
…To be honest, you had never seen these ‘differences’. Alphys’ insecurities were perfectly relatable. Burgerpants was about as close to a whiny pre-college student as he could get. Undyne? There are actually humans as NGAAAH as her.
Alphys chuckled. “That’s sweet of you, Frisk. But differences do exist. It’s just very subtle.”
“If a monster’s SOUL is the result of perfect balance, then even the slightest shift can tip the scales. This is why people like Undyne and Gaster-sensei have extreme personalities despite showing up as ‘white’ on any SOUL scanners. Think of it as a ‘hidden colour’ of sorts.”
Wow. That actually made sense. So, does that make Undyne a hidden Green? A lot of Red too? So much Determination!
“Maybe! Cool, isn’t it? Though these imbalances are more obvious on a Seer due to their Eye magic. That’s why Papyrus is, um, a constant locomotive of activity.”
Showing their true colours in a literal sense, huh?
“Yep, yep. You’re catching on really well, Frisk. Anyway, there’s also another a reason why I wanted to talk to you in private.”
Huh? What’s the big hush about?
“It’s about Sans,” Alphys frowned. “He’s… he’s acting alone again.”
You reassured her that he’s being your agent and thus not going solo. Sorry if that worried her.
She’s surprised, but it didn’t set her at ease. “I-I see. But, has he ever reported the results of his research back to you?”
…You realised that you couldn’t answer.
“I figured as much.” Alphys fiddled the tips of her claws. “P-people of a certain personality tend to be chosen for certain jobs. L-like becoming an inventor requires a person with creative forethought. An entertainer such as Mettaton can’t be camera-shy.”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
You’re not sure if you’ve understood what Alphys is trying to say.
For a long while, she stayed silent. You could see her trying hard to come up with a proper explanation.
At last she took a deep breath. “If Papyrus was raised by humans, he’d more or less behave the same as his current self. He’s the kind of guy who keeps moving forward in his own unique way. E-even if he came from a harsh background.”
Uhhh... doesn’t that mean Sans’ efforts to protect his brother from a radical Doctor Gaster were all for nothing?
“N-no, not at all! Sans fought hard to protect his brother for a very good reason. See, Papyrus’ personality makes for a poor fit with Gaster-sensei’s educational philosophy; he wouldn’t have had a happy childhood. Also, his oblivious nature can be dangerous without proper guidance. Imagine what would happen he’d been successfully conditioned to kill humans.”
Oh. Right. You didn’t tell Alphys about it, but there were some timelines where Papyrus thanked you for murder because those actions made his dreams come true.
The thought of an innocently evil Papyrus filled you with some deep, dark chills.
How does this link to Sans then? All that comparison had to lead somewhere.
Alphys clenched her claws tight. “Sans was chosen to be a Tactician not only on the grounds of his genius, but also his behaviour. Testimonies from the skeleparents and Gaster-sensei revealed that Sans exhibited oddities since his toddler days.”
Like, how?
“Stealing keys and cookies, lock-picking, pranking, getting into places where he doesn't belong, just to name a few. Lots of rule-breaking.”
How is that weird? It’s normal for kids to break rules.
“That’s the thing, Frisk. Naughtiness at such a young age is normal for humans. Not monsters.”
That doesn’t make sense! What about poor Gyftrot? He’s heckled by monster teenagers all the time. Not to mention the number of times you had to stop Loox from causing trouble.
You just can’t wrap your head why a cheeky toddler Sans would be considered THAT unusual.
Alphys looked at you with concern. You could tell that she hadn’t expected this intense level of questioning.
“Frisk, a toddler is not the same as a teen. For us monsters, our time for questioning and exploration comes much later in life. Our toddlerhood is marked by docile compliance: we naturally stay within the boundaries set by our parents.
“Any ‘naughty’ behaviour starts around six years old, when a child becomes self-aware enough to make their own decisions.”
You’re starting to understand what Alphys meant with ‘differences’. A monster naturally generates less Determination than a human, hence why they’re less inclined to impose their will on others. Contrast that with humans who start pushing the envelope the moment they can walk.
In other words, Sans had the tendency to act ‘human’ from the very beginning?
Alphys shrugged. “I’m not sure. But, I’ve noticed that he shares a special bond with you. Perhaps he feels more comfortable with a real human. That is, if he could…”
Pardon? The rest of her statements were drowned in muttering.
Before Alphys could answer, you heard Papyrus’ distinctive announcement of return.
“We should get back to work,” said Alphys. She then quickly shuffled herself out of the kitchen.
You patted your cheeks and went on to initiate the greeting ceremony.
Cenna messed up your hair with a huge grin on her face, as usual. You combed it back in no time. Then the both of you laughed together.
For Sans, you asked if he wants a hug.
“Heh,” he replied. “Sure, kid.”
You squeezed him nice and tight.
Welcome back! How did the study go?
“Mind-blowing. All the way to the sky, if you get what I mean. Coincidently I need Gaster’s machine to work for the final phase of my study.”
Really?!
“Yup. Can’t wait to get it done.”
Papyrus squealed, “THAT’S THE SPIRIT, SANS! I’M ELATED THAT YOU FINALLY REALISED THE IMPORTANCE OF SPEEDY WORK! OR RATHER, REDISCOVERING IT.”
Cenna rose a brow at the machinery around her. “Dang, what’s with all the gadgets?”
Sans said, “Looks like we’re building a new Chronograph from junk.”
The sludge of blackness known as ‘Doctor Gaster’ oozed onto the floor as if he’s a creature from a horror movie. But you’re not afraid due to the familiarity.
After a brief moment of reconstruction, he corrected: “No, no! This is a ‘Chronoviewer’, people! We’re building system to project Papyrus’ visions on a screen.”
Sans raised a brow. “And how is that different compared to our old Chronograph?”
“A Chronograph concentrates on guidance and internal recording. A Chronoviewer translates a Chronographer’s vision into a readable digital format for conventional graphic modules to process. Ergo, this system would need no Determination imbued parts and that’s the most important detail for our circumstance.”
Surprisingly, you understood all of that despite the brain-melting technical talk.
“Gotcha,” Sans nodded. “So, where’s the problem?”
Doctor Gaster groaned. “Whenever we attempt to channel a vision, it lacks focus. Lots of shearing and stuttering. Which is an expected complication due to the lack of Cyan. We’re also missing some key features that tremendously helped Papyrus during his partnership with Judge Thyme.”
“Which is?”
Papyrus jumped into the conversation. “OH! OH! OH! I COULD READ YOUR MIND, SANS! THE THOUGHTS APPEARED INSIDE A FLOATING HOLOGRAPHIC TEXTBOX TABLET LIKE THING. I SAW YOUR PLANS FOR THE HOTDOG STAND TOO!”
“Whoa wait,” your short skelly friend exclaimed. “That shouldn’t be possible. You don’t have the right colour combination for that. Gotta have at least Yellow in the mix.”
“I can confirm his statements as true,” said Cenna.
Everyone immediately stared at the cool noir detective. She raised both hands and said, “Hey, hey, what’s with all the funny looks? I got a hella good intuition, but that’s more about smart guessing. Besides, I ain’t a Seer.”
The attention then shifted to Sans.
“Nope, sorry,” he shrugged. “I can’t do that either. The ideal colours for a true mind reader would be Yellow - Cyan - Green. Yellow - Cyan - Blue might work too. But I’m Cyan - Yellow - Purple, so that’s a no go.”
Alphys then asked, “W-what if you combine Yellow with Blue and Green?”
“Possible,” Sans answered, “But it’s gonna be noisy. Like trying to listen to a room full of chatty schoolchildren.”
You then crossed your arms and tossed in a casual guess: what if you add ‘Mezil Thyme’? You said Papyrus did his epic thing in The Void, right?
“As long he’s in there, Mez can double-tag with his Chronographer like a true Seer. He’s been doing that since forever. His colours are Red, Yellow, Cyan, I think? Yellow for Truesight. Cyan for focus. Add Determination. Bam! You got your mind-reading textbox.”
That explains a lot.
You then dropped your jaw and pointed a finger at yourself.
If you’re a Living Victory, does that means this ‘Void’ thing will also be yours? And you could do awesome cool Seer stuff???
“Sounds like it. Don’t ask me how it works though. Anything more than this, and it’s deep science territory for me. I ain’t good with that.”
Your blue skelly friend closed his eyes for well over three seconds. When he opened them again, he had the spark of a guy who got the full picture.
“Okay, I know what to do. Gaster, I’ll handle the planning and you'll do the implementation. Alphys is in charge of the hardware.”
The goopy doctor grumbled. “Oh, we’re already at the barking orders phase, are we?”
“Well, you technically have to take orders from Endogeny sitting at the porch, so yeah. We’re already there.”
“WHAT ABOUT ME?” Papyrus raised his hand, as enthusiastic as ever.
Sans chuckled and patted his brother on the arm. “You rest, bro. Can’t wear you out just yet. We need you in tip-top condition for the vision dive, alright?”
“ARE YOU TELLING ME TO DO NOTHING?”
“Yup.”
“BUT… BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS CANNOT JUST DO NOTHING! THAT’S SO VERY UN-PAPYRUS.”
“Sleep?”
Papyrus was semi-insulted by the suggestion. “MY NAME IS NOT SANS, SANS!”
“Why not play with Frisk or the lady noir detective here? Ask them what they wanna do.”
Your sister’s lips stretched a wide, mischievous grin. Predator mode right there.
“Did someone say ‘play’? Hell yeah, it’s been a damn long while since I get to stretch my Aspect muscles! C’mon, Cinnamon Roll. Let’s have a friendly match!”
A match?!
Hang on, doesn’t she have patrols to handle on the Surface?
“I’m sick of those, Frisky. As long I stay down here, folks are gonna assume I’m gathering intel. They’ll handle it in my stead.”
Did she just ditch all her responsibility?!?!?
“Nawh man, I’m just waiting for stuff to get ready. Why not wind down while I still can?”
That is totally absolutely definitely a ditch.
“Hah! Ya haven’t started puberty and you sound just like Mez! Good lord Frisky, don’t go grey on me now.”
Nooooooo! Your precious hair!
Touch wood on premature greying! Touch wood!
Is this what’s like to get teased by a sibling? It’s both annoying and amusing at the same time.
You followed the two outside. They occupied the main road of the abandoned Snowdin grounds. The entire town might as well be their playground.
Cenna brought out her SOUL. “Ever wondered what would have happened if I turned you into a lemon, Cinnamon Roll?”
Papyrus pondered. “NOW THAT YOU’VE MENTIONED IT, YOU DID TRY TO CONFINE ME INSIDE OF THIS WEIRD TRIANGLE. WHAT DOES IT DO?”
“That’s a Gram. Triangles are the symbol for monsters. I was trying to impose my colour on you. Dueling a human, I would’ve made a square instead.”
“OOOH! I WONDER WHAT A YELLOW ME IS LIKE!”
“Why not give it a try now?”
The tall skeleton puffed up his chest and declared: “THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS READY, NYEH HEH HEH!”
Cenna summoned her bee drones again and drew a triangle around him. Since he put up no resistance, the Aspect magic seeped straight into his bones.
A white target crosshair spawned before Papyrus. With some guidance from his hands, he could aim it in any direction.
Cenna had the same floating device too.
“HOW DO I USE THIS?” Just as he asked, he shot a bullet of magic from the crosshair. It struck the shortcut igloo and chipped off a piece upon impact.
Both you and Papyrus dropped your jaws.
“HOLY MACARONI, THIS IS AWESOME!!!!”
That’s SUPER awesome! Does that mean it’ll end up as a shooter game?
“Bingo, Frisky!” said Cenna, “I’ll definitely have the advantage if that happened. I’m a long-range specialist, ya know.”
“Obviously I ain’t gonna host a deathmatch now. So, Cinnamon Roll… can you lend me your bones? Make them like, an inch tall. About ten for starters.”
Papyrus conjured the magic bones as requested. But to your surprise, Cenna was the one who sent them floating into a pattern! How does she do that???
“It’s all the Gram’s doing, Frisky. I made it so that it links our control of magic together. This way, we get to play a shootout without anyone getting hurt.”
Next thing you know, Cenna and Papyrus took turns trying to outdo each other in a fantastical target practice. The goal was to shoot down as many bones as possible before they vanish.
Your inner child bubbled wild. You hopped up and down, begging your tall friend to let you try.
He let you move his arms around like a fancy arcade prop to control the crosshair. You aimed, he fired.
It’s sooooo much fun!
In the middle of the session, Papyrus said, “WE SHOULD STOP NOW.”
Huh? Why?
“I HAVE A FEELING THAT UNCLE GASTER NEEDS OUR HELP.”
“Is that so?” Cenna remarked, “Let’s pack up then.”
When she moved her SOUL back into her body, the enchantment on Papyrus faded away. He’s back to his usual white self.
The three of you bumped into Alphys on the way back.
“Ah!” she exclaimed. “Great timing. According to Sans’ calculations, we’ll need both Frisk’s and Cenna’s SOUL for the best effects.”
Huh?! Does he need the whole thing?
“Nope. Just a tiny piece. Come, it’ll make sense when you see it.”