It's The End of The World As We Know It

"Uhhh? Sans? Hello?" Papyrus yawned from his room. "Yes, Brother? Is it my shift already?" 

"We need to talk," Sans said. "Let's go for a walk." 

"What about the prisoners?" 

"A walk with me, Papyrus." Ooh, his tone was serious. Sans was mostly laid back, whether he was feeling happy, sad, or sad pretending to be happy. "Oh. Okay, brother. I shall come for a walk with you. Nyeh he he?" 

As they walked, Papyrus stared at his brother. "Sans? What's wrong? You've been very strange since you came home with the human boy. You haven't even said one annoying pun to me. It's like you've been avoiding me." 

Sans dug the strange device of the human's out of his pocket. It was the one that seemed to win her the battle with the evil human. But, Undyne was supposed to have had that? It was also a different shade. The other one was more of a dusty black and the one Sans had was all red. So, it was a different device. 

Sans pushed some buttons on it while they walked through the snow. "I'm just playing a game. That's what this thing is for. It's called a Multiplayer and it likes to play games. You want it? You can take real souls and make their lives complete disasters in the name of science. Cool, huh?" 

"Um, huh?" Papyrus didn't understand. What was his brother trying to tell him? 

"Really in this game right here, Paps." Sans continued to press buttons on it. "I-I couldn't be more father along if I tried." 

"Hm?" Papyrus heard his brother's usual slowdown for a pun, but didn't understand it. Father wasn't a pun to anything that he could understand. "You are confusing me, Sans." 

Sans didn't pull his face away from the Multiplayer. "Nothing to get confused about. My life's a game, daddy's the reason for the season." 

"Dat is? Uh, Sans?" That pun was now daddy. Off the word daddy. What? "You're kind of scaring me, brother." 

Sans chuckled. "Funny. These puns are not helping me at all. Neither is this, it's just blank now. Just filled with others that don't exist. Pap. I'm a pop." 

Hmmm. "What do you mean? You must mean soda? You can't turn into soda, but you just couldn't mean the other?" Father pun. Daddy pun. Pops. Pun? "Sans?" 

Sans shrugged. "I guess I was the conveniently shaped guinea pig to some humans." 

Papyrus felt like his head wanted to explode as his poor brother just came gushing out with so much. Picking the MP out of the snow, he showed him all the saved pictures of Skeleteons. Yes, Skeletons, that they had been related to. He didn't know which was which. He told him about the Forgotten Creatures, and about the strange being named Gaster. 

Then, he backtracked and explained their first human friend was actually a combination of different souls, with the boy being the body and his mother being the one he actually knew. He talked about what he called resets and about Judgment Hall. He explained about the intense magic power that he actually had was way more powerful than he let on.. He tried to go back into history and talk about Prince Asriel and Princess Chara, and then said Alphys was responsible for turning Asriel into a flower and . . . and . . . 

And his head was swimming. Papyrus tried to keep up. He was trying to hold at least the basics because his brother apparently really needed him. That was very clear. "Okay. So our first human friend is actually the prisoners themselves." Okay, he seemed to have that one. "You were forced to fight them in a repeating timeline, just to hit the little one?" He seemed to have that one too. Papyrus shook his head. "Sans, that sounds incredible! But, I haven't looked at the machine in some time. It's always just down there." 

"Yeah. Always is. Don't know where it came from. Where we come from. We don't remember anyone but us. None of those. None of them." 

"Yes, okay," Papyrus said sadly. "This is all very . . . tough, but. But, uh. The pop thing you said?" 

"They tried with others. You know, the strange forgotten creatures. Strange Monsters that kind of appear randomly. Weird phrases. Always seem lonely?" Sans reminded him. "I think . . . our family was involved with it. I think, I was one too. I guess . . . I was the strongest winner." 

Papyrus whined softly. "Sans? Really? The pop thing?" 

"I don't know for sure. I mean, I don't! That stupid thing will only tell me so much. It's all just information. Information." Sans tried to toss the MP to the ground, but Papyrus stopped him. Feelings or not, there were Skeletons out there with no sign of their existence except a picture or two, and he still wanted that. Even if he didn't remember them, at least he'd know they were never alone. It wasn't just them two in the Underground. 

Sans seemed to bend to his will as he continued. "These conduit humans like FRISK. According to that thing, they are only stoppable with another conduit. And I can believe that. I've seen firsthand what it does. But, the only way they could beat all the other conduits was to get magic and it's too hard to combine it all. Look." Sans pulled up the players saved files. "I didn't save much. I didn't want to, but here." 

Eww. Papyrus read the data. A conduit with magic literally exploded before birth, killing their own mothers. Only one survived after birth for about three days before blowing up itself. Papyrus covered his face. "That's horrible." He scrawled down the page and read about the one successful piece that they pinched the magic on. "What is pinched?" 

Sans just looked toward the top of the cavern. "We have sky too. Boy, how did I forget that one for you?" He pointed up. "You'll see it soon." Sans just seemed to fade away as he stared upward. "I don't know, but I think I can guess. They made it unable to access it's own magic." 

Sans took his bony fingers and made a pinching motion. "A conduit Monster human with no magic. It could survive." 

"That . . . seems ridiculous." Papyrus didn't get what good that would do. "Why bother then?" 

"Probably because they could 'light it up' later. Strike it like a match when it got older. More able to handle it." Sans rubbed his shoulder bone. "It couldn't just be anyone though, and it had to be a really strong blast to light it. Really strong, but not kill it, which is impossible for a human. So, that meant it had to be . . ." 

"Sans?" 

"The right pattern of magic. A paternal pattern so it would absorb and have less chance of . . . " Sans was slowing down again, but it was clear Sans couldn't go on much longer. His poor brother was breaking down. "The kid is mine, Papyrus," he blurted out as he started to tick off his fingers. "All the hate and death and genocide and the trip to the surface and the resets and the whole journey, it was all just nothing! The only goal was just to make me smack him as hard as possible!" Sans stumbled back. "They just wanted him to get magic, so he'd be unstoppable. The humans . . . could take out the Monsters once and for all with . . . my kid." 

Papyrus just stared at his brother. Just. Just. He could not even say anything. It was . . . Sans had a son that he was never supposed to know about, that served no purpose except to kill off all Monsters. "Oh yes, Monsters of the surface now," he said weakly. That wasn't the right response? What was the right response? 

What was someone supposed to say to an older brother about having a child that let other souls control him so that he could eventually commit genocide across all monsters everywhere? 

This. Was. Big. This was big on two levels, and Papyrus understood that much. For one, if the humans got it, that was the end of everything. The monsters on the surface, and probably them too. Then there was the more personal level. 

Sans was a father. Sans. His Sans. His lazy, annoying, pun-making, fast food eating, brother . . . was a father. That wasn't a good thing in the Underground. 

"I went up, Pap," Sans said, taking over again. "I found their power, and I took it out. Everything. No more resets, no more soul gaming, no more teleporting, nothing! Alphys and I even made a barrier to keep humans out for good," Sans admitted as he kicked his slippered foot against the snow. "Afterwards, I did this thing where I wiped everyone's memory, but my own and Alphys." He stroked his jaw bone. "I put souls back though, and I brought us back a few days. Everything's how it's supposed to be. But, there are humans here too." 

"What? How many?" 

"Six kids, and probably some others that snuck through. Ten. Fifty. I don't know." 

Papyrus looked around, like maybe there was an answer somewhere outside that would help him deal with this situation. "The big human?" 

"She doesn't know." Sans wiped the front of his skull. "Frisky thinks the whole thing was to expose Monsters to the truth. To 'reach the surface'. That the stupid imbalance really was an accident." 

"Oh." Papyrus fidgeted with his thumby bones. "But . . . well, information is just information. It could be theoretical too, maybe?" 

"I know." His brother gulped. "Um. In the other timeline. I don't even know if that's the word anymore. Before I brought us back to this point." Sans seemed to be losing it a bit again. "The kid was dying. I couldn't help him, I just, kept him close and it eased the pain. I meant that alone wasn't enough but . . ." Sans took a couple step backwards. "I tested it, Papyrus. I did the only real test that counted. The only one that couldn't be faked between Monsters, you know?" 

Papyrus shook his head. His mind was in a tizzy, he just couldn't think of such little details. Test for Monsters? 

"I had to know, and if it was, then he needed healed anyway. So, I took him to a healer." 

Ooh. "Did your soul?" 

"Yep." 

"Ooh." There was no faking that. Okay, so, it was true. Sans was a dad. "You . . . um, you said you got rid of the barrier? Then why can't we see the sky, Sans?" That wasn't the right thing to ask either, but Papyrus was just trying to sort it out. 

"I can't reveal it yet, but soon. Okay? We'll all see the stars soon. Together." 

"Sans?" 

"Yeah?" 

"You have not been lazy at all these past few days," Papyrus admitted. Sans seemed to have tried to chuckle at that. "Um, okay, are you positive that there was just him?" Papyrus whined. "As hard as that is. Maybe there's been more?" That wasn't right either, but it was a good question. 

"Naw, I looked hard at it," Sans said confidently. "No one else." He shoved his hands in his coat. "That's why they tried so hard for so long. 892 goes. 892 . . ." 

"Well. Well!" Papyrus shook his hand to the ceiling. Oh, he didn't know what he was supposed to say, and he just couldn't take it anymore! "Surface dwellers! They shall not do anything else, nothing else! I, The Great Papyrus, will never let them! Because!" His bravado started to fade. "Because that was a horrible thing to do! Sans? I'm. Uuhhh . . . Saaaaans!" He bent down and pulled his brother into a desperate hug. "What a horrible, horrible, horrible thing!" 

"Hey, you know, it's okay." Sans patted his brother's arm. "Calm down. I'm fine, everyone's fine. We'll make do." When Papyrus finally let go of him, Sans held his bony finger in front of his mouth. "Not a word, okay? I don't want anyone else knowing yet. We're cool. Okay?" 

Papyrus tried to cheer up. "This is okay. Alright! Um, at least there is someone still existing. That's great news, you are right! I'm an Uncle now. That's exciting news." He tapped his chinbone. "So? What's next?" 

Sans shoved his foot in the snow, digging a hole with his foot. "I think if we're careful about it, I think . . . a committing. But, if anybody finds out the truth." He shrugged. "Well, you know the only option from there." 

"Ooh, yes, having a family without marriage is illegal. So, then I wouldn't just have a nephew. I'd have a sister. And, because Skeleton Monsters are such a low Monster count. As in two in the entire Underground, a uh . . . another niece or nephew within a certain amount of . . . Oohh . . . Nyeh he he, that's . . . hmm." Papyrus joined his brother in one big sigh. "I'll be absolutely careful, Sans. You're right. But, what about the other humans, will they know the truth too? Would they be after your, um, boy?" 

"The Underground's secure, and those other ships were taken out. But, considering what they put into getting Chance ready, I'm sure they'll try to come up with something. You know humans." 

"Well. I don't know humans, but, commit sounds good. Do humans have a committing process?" Papyrus asked. 

"I don't think so. And, I don't think Frisky's going to be thrilled about it." 

"Well, I'm sure of that too. But, what option is there? It's dangerous up there, and now they are going to want my nephew! Funny word. Nephew." Papyrus sounded it out. "Neeepheeeewwww. Nephew." 

"Yeah, but you don't know human DETERMINATION like I do," Sans added. "She's going to try and convince me there's some other ally ship or a Balancer ship that she can trust. I mean . . ." Sans shrugged. "I really doubt she wants to spend her entire life trapped Underground." 

"Uh, yes. It's . . . but she'll get to see the sky? We all get to see the sky soon! So it won't be the same." 

"Not for human eyes," Sans said. "The barrier we made is a flip of the first one holding us. The illusion will be for human eyes instead of Monster eyes. She'll literally feel trapped. Stuck in Snowdin. Forever. With us." 

"Oh. I see. So, a hostile committing?" Papyrus moaned. "We really will have prisoners forever, won't we?" 

"No, I mean. I'm pretty sure Chance won't need secured. He didn't before." Still. Geez. "I can't stand to talk about this much more, Papyrus." 

"It's. It's okay, Sans." Papyrus patted his shoulder. "It will be okay. You will be a good dad. You've uh . . . you've got the back-bone for it!" He tried to make a joke, tried to pull Sans into a better mood. Into feeling some relief that he didn't have to hold it all alone. 

"I don't even have the spine for it," Sans answered back. "I mean, I like kids. I would make a dang good Uncle, I think. But. But there's no way I'm going to be a good dad." 

"You're wrong! You will be an excellent dad, I'm sure of it." Papyrus patted his shoulder harder. 

"Are you kidding?" Sans gestured to himself. "No one looks at me and says 'hey, that guy would make good dad material'. No way." He waggled his coat. "I'm just the ridiculously short and lazy funny guy who barely manages to keep a job." He stumbled back some. "It should have been you, Pap. You would have made a much better father." 

"Don't say that! I know you, Sans. You are an excellent brother, and you can be a good father!" Papyrus bent down and gave him another hug. "You'll see. We'll be fine." He stood up proudly. "You'll raise a fine Skeleton boy, and I will be the proud Uncle. I promise." 

"Yeah. Because it'll be a barrel of laughs while Frisky is chained on shackles." Sans shook his head. Cruel. Too cruel. The Underground had different rules than humanity. They had their own laws, and Sans wasn't above them, nor was anyone else. The law was the law. 

"Maybe she'd warm up to the idea of never seeing the sky again and being trapped in the same . . . town forever . . . with umm . . ." Papyrus couldn't finish easily. "She might get along with us one day?" 

"Sure, because that's the only thing she'll be upset about." 

"Oh, yes. The human ship thing. Your activity probably attracted those surface monsters and . . . if they find out the truth about Chance . . . they could be wiping out humanity." Papyrus stopped talking again. "Well, the only other option was to let them take them, Brother! You should not feel bad. You just freed the Underground, you didn't actually do any of the . . . you know, the murdering part." 

 Sans shoved his hands in his pockets quickly. "We don't have too long. We've got to get things ready to pass a committing. Just make sure no one knows the truth," Sans warned him. "If anyone spills the truth, then I really don't get a choice. And as bad as Frisky's going to hate this . . . it's nothing compared to if anyone finds out." 

"Yes, and that would be very bad," Papyrus agreed. "But, we can't keep it a secret from everyone. Someone will have to know, otherwise they'll be asking why." 

"Yeah, I know." Sans looked at his fingers. "There are a couple who'll know, including . . ." Undyne. There was no dodging that one. "One day at a time though. They are still prisoners, and we aren't ready for it yet." He looked toward Papyrus, almost desperately. "I mean, I know I didn't ask, but-" 

"Of couse, you don't have to!" Papyrus insisted. "You can't carry everything alone! I will commit to them too. Um. Frisky, and Chance." Sans finally had a semi-smile kind of look. 

"Thanks for not just calling them human." 

"No, no, no, from this day forward. Frisky and Chance! I promise. We will all be the best roommates ever." Papyrus tried to hide his slight whine. "But, you know? You are going to tell them, right?" 

"Yeah. Day of. Frisky. It's only right." 

"Right! Good. Okay. Okay! I will start looking into the preparations." 

"Great, but we can't do anything around Frisky. Even the day we get this done, she can't know. She'd bolt. She's going to bolt," Sans warned him, remembering all the times he tried to get FRISK to do something. Whether it was staying away from the surface or to stop killing dang Monsters. No matter what it wanted. It always won. Extra careful. Extra careful. "And whatever you do." 

"I know, Sans, I promise! No one will know that you are the father. I shall breathe not one word." 

Then, Sans heard a familiar little laughter from the ground as Flowey popped out. He was never defined in the program so his mind was never wiped.

"It was worth the cold to hear it!" Flowey laughed at Sans. "I knew you'd do it." His face turned evil as he cackled. "I knew that anger would be so great inside of you that you'd get rid of them once and for all." Then his face turned pleasant again. "Say howdy to the new fam for me."

Sans was far from in the mood to deal with him, but he couldn't just walk back inside and ignore it. Not after what it did. "What do you want?" 

"How about a thank you for letting you know? How about a thank you for not letting you lose the only other family you have that's still existing besides Papyrus?" Flowey tilted his head. "I want to hear it. I want to hear a thank you." 

"Thank you." 

"For what?" Flowey tilted his head in the other direction. 

"For not letting me lose him, Asriel." 

Flowey wiggled his head from the left to the right and back again. "Toriel's got a ton of mismatched shoes and striped T-shirts. More than you think. The humans still have some protection, but it will be gone soon, so better get prepared." He sunk back into the ground, but then popped back up, letting his petals hang upside down. "By the way, for being sooooo smart . . . you're still soooo stupid. You only think you know everything." This time, he sunk back into the ground and stayed gone. 

"That flower was really Prince Asriel?" Papyrus asked again. "It was so much information you said. So confusing. It used to give me advice." He scratched his skull. "What was that last part?" He approached the hole. "Hey, what did you mean by the last part?" 

"Don't trust him," Sans warned him. "He twists the truth, and he loves to hide things. When he does tell the truth, he draws it out, so just let me deal with it if you ever see it. If he has something else, I'll figure it out," he yawned. Toriel though. Maybe she could help watch the new little conduit humans too? She liked kids a lot. He would try and get some more rest, but he'd have to get up earlier than work to reach her. He was going to have to confide in her too. 

Because . . . he was going to need those dead kids' clothes. 

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Idiot. Hello, what an idiot. Flowey thought he was smarter than that. Sans used to be smarter than that. Maybe he hadn't used his brain in so long some of those smarts had faded away? Didn't he notice? Didn't he figure it out yet? 

Oh well. It's not like I care. I don't care. I'm a flower, I have no feelings. Nothing but DETERMINATION. I win. I won! So . . . why am I still hanging around, teasing him? I should go experience something new. Make something new happen.  

Still. How could the smiley trashbag really think that humans were actually that cunning? They weren't. Most of the technology was just the Balancers. Humans ran things for the Balancers. 

Humans were responsible for trying to turn San's son into a weapon. That was very, very true. For that, they were going to be very, very sorry. 

But honestly? To think that humans had those kinds of brains was very, very wrong. Oh, well. He'll figure it out later. Maybe. But, I don't care. I'm a flower. I. Don't. Care. 

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"It starts with an Earthquake." 

"Don't," Friskay growled as she looked over the cliff from the Dog Marriage area. No. No. 

"Lenny Bruce is not afraid." 

"No." No. If they could have ran into any other FRISK. Any other FRISK. "HONESTY, I swear, don't do it." 

"Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn." 

"Oh gaw, no." Friskay covered her ears as Farrisk and Friskarino both just sunk their heads. HONESTY. She used to have a little harder of a mind, but, Chara's influence upon the body sometimes hit the lesser used pieces more. And Friskeye honestly didn't do as much, so . . . 

"It's the end of the world as we know it!" Friskeye started to sing as she hopped onto the top of the dog stations. "It's the end of the world as we know it!" 

"HONESTY!" Friskay shouted, but it didn't do much. 

"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fiiiiiiiiine!" Friskeye chuckled loudly. "It's the HONEST truth you guys! I was there!" She giggled as she ran around the dog's stations. "He came in all like fire burning blue and whooooah! And then, he said really cool things and then before you know it . . . it's the end of the world as we know it!!!!" Honesty sang. "And you know it's got to be the honest truuuuuuth." 

"Why. Why. Why." Friskay covered her head but looked down at Snowdin. "I thought losing Frisky to the same guy who pretty much made it so that all humanity is going to get wiped out was bad enough! But, oh no! We just had to find HONESTY to top it off!" 

"Friskay." Farrisk came over to her. "Calm down. I know. She's unbalanced, but we can't just ignore Friskeye. She can't take care of herself no more. It's a risk when were all in a conduit for so long. It just gets . . ." He looked back toward HONESTY, still singing an old ancient apocalypse song. "At least we all broke apart." 

"Yeah, that's great. We could live the rest of our lives in the Underground until we die, because Sans made it that way." Friskay glared at Farrisk. "And you and Friskarino just pretended it would never happen." 

"I never said that it wouldn't. I said I didn't know what he was going to do. That's why we left to get help." Farrisk held the MP up. "Okay. We're not really trapped. We made actual teleportation spots to cause less distraction, remember? It was in during the takedown. Right before, so it's still there." 

"She's just getting to you," Friskarino agreed. "HONESTY hasn't been herself in some time. We're still here. It won't be that bad." 

"Yeah, and we still have our plan. We made contact before that outburst," Farrisk reminded her. "We can still turn this around." 

"No," Friskarino still couldn't agree.

"Friskarino, don't even. Not with me right now!" Friskay stood up. "Think of all the people lost on the ships! You think he really saved them all? He probably saved the kids, and he might, might, have saved PACIFISTS. But everyone else? He didn't have time. You know it. I know it. Once those alarms go off, there is like five minutes! Even if he had time, there's a pretty fair chance he wouldn't have saved them either." 

"Don't yell at me," Friskarino answered back. "I don't know who he saved or what he did. That's besides the point. What you two are planning is still wrong." 

"Wrong?" Farrisk groaned. "How is it really wrong?" 

"Are you kidding me?" Friskarino looked away. "Humans took everything away from him. You've seen the reports. Damn. Just . . . let him have his kid. It's his." 

"It's Friskys," Friskay reminded him. "Okay, so I don't know scientific stuff, but it's just . . . biological!" 

"And, we can't really even say that," Farrisk backed her up. "It's just information. Information can and has been bogus before. We won't know until we get Frisk to safety. Then the Balancers can confirm or deny this stuff." 

"By then, the Balancers won't give him back." 

"Look, were lucky we even found our way to the peaceful ally ships of Balancers." Friskay sat back down. "Protected by treaties. They guarantee he'll be safe. We would not put him in any danger." 

Friskarino still didn't answer back right away. "It's still Sans'." 

"JUSTICE!" Friskay confronted Friskarino. "Life doesn't always get happy endings. We'll be lucky if we can even turn this around to save the human race because, his little hissy fit? Oh I guarantee it caused some big boys to take some vengeance." 

"We can't think small. This is too big. If the wrong people get a hold of Frisk, he's going to be used to wipe out Balancers and Monsters alike." Farrisk stepped away toward the cliff. "And, Frisky doesn't deserve to be stuck in the Underground forever. Besides, you guys know what's going to be coming up next. We have to work fast." 

"Umm . . ." Friskay looked toward Farrisk. "What do you mean what's next?" 

"Monster relationship? Underground?" Farrisk hit his head. "Seriously, Friskay? Were you asleep during that class?" 

"Ugh, it's been so long since I had the dang historic classes. Don't judge." Friskay groaned. "But what do you mean by what's coming up next?" 

"Sans has to marry Frisky, and then they have to have another baby eventually." 

"What?" Friskay looked between both of them. "Wait, what?" 

"Monsters have a different rationality to things. They don't have the same . . . instincts as Balancers tend to follow," Farrisk said softly. "How often have you seen anything really bad down here? I mean, they do kind of get in fights, and sometimes a life is lost every now and then. Sometimes, it can even get really bad. But overall? No one cusses. No one vandalizes. No one even really steals. It's the human side of Balancers that make them so terrible, you know?" 

"Uh huh. That didn't help at all, quit stalling. Why does Frisky have to marry that weirdo?" 

"Because Monsters hold more respect for that kind of thing. When someone finds out about Frisk's magic, and if the mission really was supposed to trigger it . . . well, then, if Sans' doesn't marry her. Someone else will." 

"Oh, shit." Friskay rolled her eyes. "Because Frisk is the unfunny skelly guy's, then Frisky is automatically his too? Or she gets thrown to another Monster?" 

"Yeah, and he'd be ridiculed and untrusted. You really need to remember more." 

"There was no need. I bring weapons and ammo to FRISK, others supply the book stuff." Still. "That sucks. That totally sucks. Like oh my gaw, that . . . fucking . . . sucks." 

"Yeah, but when Monsters aren't plentiful. You know, like Froggits and stuff? Then, it becomes even stricter. King Asgore will have to decide how long before . . . oh, shoot, what are they called? Well, basically another Skeleton is born. Because there's only two down here in the Underground now." 

"Ugh! That's barbaric!" 

"There's limited Monsters down here. They do what they do to keep going. And it's not really more barbaric than what happens to us, is it?" Farrisk challenged her. "Now, we all can tell Sans put this into motion shift one more time. He probably needs a couple days for something. So, that should give us ample time to figure out a strategy to rescue Frisky and Frisk before the marriage, and get them to the Balancers ship to end all this before things go any more sour." 

"Agreed," Friskay nodded. "Gotta get her out of that situation." 

"Yep." Farrisk looked back toward Friskarino. "Come on. We're going to need you on this too." 

Friskarino just continued to look away while Friskeye found her way over toward them. 

"Does it really matter? Because . . . it's the end of the world as we know it!" She started to sing again.