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ichiwashername-o · 5 years ago

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What Are Friends For Ch. 22

An Undertale fan fiction

Written by Ichiwashername-o

Summary: Papyrus begins to have strange dreams . . .

Rating: Viewer discretion advised. Contains swearing, trauma, and psychological horror

Cast: Undyne, Papyrus, Sans, W.D. Gaster, Grillby and others

[CH.1] [CH.2] [Ch.3] [CH.4] [CH.5] [CH.6] [CH.7] [CH.8] [CH. 9] [CH.10] [CH. 11] [CH.12] [CH. 13] [CH. 14] [CH.15] [CH.16] [CH. 17] [CH.18] [CH. 19] [CH. 20] [CH. 21] [CH. 22] [CH. 23] [CH. 24]

AO3

CHAPTER 22: A Dream of Beyond

Sans and Alphys sat back heavy in their chairs, staring up at the screen, faces slack as the realization set in.

No more resets. No more do-overs.

This was it.

They sat there for several minutes, just gaping, their minds reeling and whirling with the implications. Alphys was the first to speak, her voice very quiet and her stutter even worse than usual.

“S-s-s-so that’s it? Th-th-th-this is it?” she said. She chewed on a claw. “This . . . could be good, r-r-right? No m-m-m-more human m-m-m-messing with the timeline, heh.”

“It didn’t have to end like this,” Sans replied distantly. “I’ve seen the end, Al, I’ve seen a good end. I know there’s an ending where we all get out, and we’re happy. We’d all be on the surface, happy and free and living peacefully. And the kid was the key. ”

“A-a-a-and the next human can’t do the same?”

“I have no clue,” Sans breathed, running a hand over his head. “We have no idea what kind of human will fall down next, or even when or if a human will fall down. Hell, it could be decades. Centuries. This has never happened before. I . . . I don’t know what’s next.”

“But you s-s-s-said there could be a happy ending, r-r-right? S-s-so why can’t the next human also do that?” Alphys reasoned desperately.

“Or they could be mean and kill more monsters,” Sans countered. Alphys recoiled, folding in on herself at the grim possibility.

She was right, there was a possible happy ending. Correction: there had been a possibility of a happy ending. But now that ending wasn’t possible. Now everything was up in the air. Now Sans didn’t know what would happen.

For the first time in a very long time, their future was absolutely uncertain. And that made Sans very, very nervous.

He wasn’t sure what was worse; the infinite possible futures, or being stuck in the endless time loop. There was another hard realization; after this, monsters would show humans no mercy. The next kid that fell down would have their soul taken, no questions asked. Why would they trust a human when the last one nearly wiped out all of Snowdin and the Ruins-

Sans’s eyes shot wide.

The Ruins.

Old lady.

He bolted up from his chair and without a word he was gone. Alphys yelped in surprise, but Sans didn’t even hear it. He was already very far away, just at the end of Snowdin, right in front of the great purple stone door that sealed the Ruins. He jumped through the door, sprinting down the long dark hallway connecting the two areas-

There was nothing. No noise, no sounds, absolutely nothing.

Save for a pile of dust right beyond the hallway. On top the pile of dust was a dress of silver and purple, bearing the Delta Rune.

Sans stared at it. He felt his legs give beneath him and he fell to his knees as the world fell around him. There was nothing. Just him. And the pile of dust before him.

Toriel.

She was gone.

She was gone forever.

A deep pit of despair clawed and ached at Sans’s heart.

No more resets. No more do-overs.

The people that were gone were gone for good.

There was no going back.

Undyne visited Papyrus regularly, sometimes just to sit next to him and keep him company, other times to goad him into going outside and getting some fresh air. Depressed or not, it was no use sulking around all day inside, so she’d help get him out and about, stretching his legs, getting him dressed and out of bed and doing something.

She hated how cold Snowdin was, but she hated seeing how miserable Papyrus was even more.

One day, she was sitting cross-legged in Papyrus’s bedroom as they were piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Undyne looked at the box, then back at the puzzle pieces, then back to the box.

“Dude, I don’t think this box goes with this puzzle,” Undyne said with a small laugh. The box had a picture of an underwater ocean, but she could distinctly make out leaves and flowers on the pieces scattered across the floor.

“I think that makes it even more challenging,” Papyrus countered. “You don’t know what it’s going to look like, so when it’s complete, it’ll be a nice pleasant surprise.”

“Huh, never thought of it like that. Ha! Then let’s unravel this mystery together!” she said eagerly as she smashed two pieces together. They didn’t fit, but she’d make them fit!

They kept at it for a few hours, their massive puzzle coming together little by little. But soon it was time for a break, Undyne stretching and yawning. She stood, cracking her stiff back. Man, she’d been hunched over for way too long.

“Hey, I’m starving, let’s grab a bite,” she suggested.

Papyrus paused as he was about to snap a few more pieces together. “Oh! Uh . . .” He stood, he too stretching and his bones popping. “I . . . I haven’t gone shopping in a while, I . . . gee, I don’t know if I have any food in the kitchen-“

“Then we’ll grab something at Grillby’s! I’m sure he’ll make you something not totally covered in grease just for you! And then we can snag some groceries on the way back!”

Papyrus smiled. “Um . . . ok, sure, that sounds like a good idea. Let me get my boots on.”

He had been wearing more casual clothes lately, like sweaters and jeans. It had been a long time since Papyrus wore his battle armor, which was funny because Undyne swore she’d never live to see him take it off. And he hadn’t worn his real Royal Guard armor since . . . well . . .

That was easy enough to understand. Undyne waited by the door as Papyrus laced up his boots, his scarf thrown across his shoulders, gloves over his hands—he never stopped wearing his gloves, Undyne noticed—and they stepped out into the cold.

Undyne shuddered. Despite wearing an actual winter coat and getting herself some thick winter boots, it did little to abate the cold. Her feet crunched through the snow, hands stuffed deep into her pockets as she trudged on. Grillby’s wasn’t far, just right down the road-!

She stopped when she realized Papyrus wasn’t at her side any longer. She stopped, twisting around. Man, she had been powerwalking so fast she had left him in the dust! She gave him a sheepish apologetic grin as she waited for him to catch up. But she couldn’t help but remember how she and him used to race everywhere. Man, he could move so fast! But he was walking so slowly now. He did everything so much slower now. He took his time tying his boots when he usually just jumped right into them. Getting dressed took him minutes instead of the typical bombastic few seconds (he was an accomplished quick-changer, Undyne swore. In and out in different outfits in seconds, it was impressive.) And now he walked with such lethargy it was very nearly aggravating.

But Undyne forced herself to be patient. She kept pace with him, stepping with his own slow, careful footfalls.

It was maddening. Ugh, she felt so slow!

No, be patient with him, she reminded herself harshly. He’s still seriously depressed. And this was how depressed people acted sometimes.

It took them ten, fifteen, twenty minutes to reach Grillby’s, and by then, Undyne’s teeth were chattering up a storm. She happily rushed inside where it was much warmer, shaking the snow from her coat and boots.

“Undyne, are you alright?” Papyrus asked.

“Y-y-yeah! Just great!” Undyne said, flashing her teeth in a wide smile and trying not to wince from her numb cheeks getting all scrunched up. “I c-c-c-can handle a lil’ bit of cold!”

Papyrus smiled, took off his scarf, and draped it across her own shoulders. Undyne took it gratefully. They headed up to the bar, seating themselves as Grillby nodded in their direction.

The little restaurant was quiet today. Only a handful of people were sitting in the booths, and all of them turned to look at Papyrus, whispering lowly to each other. Undyne glared at them, and they quickly looked away.

Grillby gave them an expectant, but patient look.

“I’ll take a burger and fries,” Undyne said.

“Do you have any oatmeal? With the little dinosaur eggs? And, uh, a glass of milk. Please,” Papyrus said.

Grillby gave a nod and disappeared into the back room.

There was a brief awkward lull of silence between the two. Undyne struggled to think of something safe to talk about, anything that didn’t inevitably circle back around to The Incident, as she was beginning to call it. But man, was that hard.

“Hey, you wanna know something we haven’t done in a while?” she said with a grin. “We haven’t gone dumpster diving in ages! I need to find myself some new animes to watch and mangas to read! And who knows what other cool stuff might have washed up since the last time we’ve been there!”

Papyrus cracked a small smile. “Yeah, that sounds fun.”

“That’s something we can do later this weekend, if you want.”

“Sure.”

“I’m just gonna be busy for the rest of the week. You know, work and everything.”

“Ok.”

Undyne clicked her teeth. Well, this conversation was going nowhere. Thankfully, their food had just arrived, so now they had an excuse to not talk so much. Papyrus quietly thanked Grillby as he delivered their food, and he just as quietly began to eat. He even ate slow! It was starting to drive Undyne crazy!!! She wanted to just grab him by the shoulders and shake him so hard his teeth rattled! Stop being so slow! Put more energy into it! God, why are you so sluggish all the time now?!?

It wasn’t fair, she knew that. She knew why, she understood why, but damn it, that didn’t make it easier! She just wanted to punch the depression right out of him! Shake him so hard she’d rattle the depression right off of him!

That wasn��t possible, she knew, but just imagining beating the snot out of the huge grey cloud looming over Papyrus’s head brought her some brief satisfaction.

Not enough, though, and she could feel her anger and frustration boiling up inside her.

Entirely too aggressively, her hand shot out and snagged a ketchup bottle, turning it over and shaking it vigorously all over her fries.

Her strength and vigor were massively impressive, seeing as she managed to get ketchup absolutely everywhere. It was splattered all over her food, all over herself, even onto poor Papyrus!

There was a brief pause as everyone was frozen in mute shock, Undyne just staring at the profuse amount of red paste that managed to get in all of the worst places. Was that a little bit right underneath Papyrus’s jawbone? There was even some on the ceiling! It was all so absurd, so unexpected that she threw back her head in raucous laughter.

“Ha! Did you see that?!” she said, slapping Papyrus on the shoulder. He hadn’t so much as twitched, just staring straight down at the red plastered all over Undyne’s shirt. “Oh my god, Grillby, you gotta warn me the next time you have a hazardous explosive right here in your own bar! Oh, man, dude, I got it all over you, I’m so sorry! Haha! Ha!” She reached over to snag a few napkins, but paused. “Dude . . .? Papyrus?”

He was very still. His eye sockets were wide and black, as if stunned. Or paralyzed.

Undyne felt her humor evaporate, instantly replaced with worry. “Yo, Paps, are you ok?” She placed a hand on his shoulder. And very faintly, she could feel Papyrus shaking. That got her even more concerned. Was he freaking out? What for? What-

Undyne looked down at herself, at all the red liquid splashed everywhere. It was a lot like-

Oh god.

She worked quickly, grabbing as many napkins as she could, and furiously began to mop everything up. She cleaned off her shirt, the bar, even reaching over to clean off whatever managed to land on him. “Hey, hey, it’s alright, we’ll get this all cleaned off, now, no need to worry, see? It’s coming right off. Hey, you want me to wash your clothes? I know, the smell kinda lingers, just gotta throw it in some hot water and lots of soap, it’ll come right off-“

She was talking very quickly, on the brink of rambling, really. But she was desperate to distract him. Just get his mind off of it, do anything to distract him. Do anything to keep him from having a full-blown mental breakdown.

He was still shaking, Undyne could feel him tremble underneath her hand. But slowly, slowly, he nodded.

“Y-yeah,” he sputtered weakly. “It . . . does kinda smell . . . doesn’t it? Heh heh hehe . . .”

Undyne flashed him a reassuring grin. “I got the perfect thing, vanilla laundry detergent! It’ll be gone in a flash!” She balled up the napkins and chucked them, still grasping for any within reach to mop up any red specks that lingered. Even Grillby quietly came by with a whole armful, which she was happy to take.

But now that Papyrus was settling down (thank god) Undyne was aware of a rising chatter from the other patrons. She spared a glance over her shoulder. The few that remained were all staring at her in muted horror—no, not staring at her, staring at him. Papyrus. All staring at him, all sitting at the edge of their seats, all ready to bolt at the drop of a hat. All absolutely terrified. Of him.

Undyne snapped.

She jumped to her feet, charging at the nearest customer. “And what the hell are you staring at?! Huh?!” she thundered. “What, you need a better look?! Want a closer look?!” Her arm thrust out, gripping the collar of their shirt. The monster squeaked in alarm. “Come on, then! Step right up! Get a nice big look at the hero of Snowdin!”

“Undyne-!” Papyrus exclaimed.

“No, it’s fine, I’m handling this!” she seethed. “That’s right, you heard me! All you ungrateful louts should be singing his praise! Because he’s the only reason your sorry asses are even alive! He saved all you ungrateful meat heads, so how about showing him some respect?! Huh?!”

She began to shake the monster. It wasn’t fair, it just wasn’t fair, how dare they be afraid of him, he did nothing wrong-

“He saved this whole goddamn town from a murderous human and you guys can’t even be grateful for that! Instead of praising him as the hero he is, here you all are cowering like a bunch of wussies!”

“Undyne, please stop!”

“So how about you all start treating him like the hero he is, god damn it?!”

“I-I’m sorry!” the monster sputtered. “I’m sorry! You’re right! He’s a hero! Please let me go!”

Undyne felt a hand land heavy on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the bartender Grillby himself standing behind her. There were no words, there was barely an expression to read, but she felt his disapproving stare. His flames were low and cold in his silent demand that she had overstayed her welcome and should leave.

She snarled, dropping the monster. “Come on, Paps, let’s get the hell out of this dump.” Scooping up her coat, wrapping her arms around Papyrus, she guided the skeleton out of the bar, shooting murderous looks at anyone who dared to question her. The monster she hassled all too happily scrambled back to their spot and hunkered down, not daring to look back at her.

“What a bunch of jerks,” she snarled. “Forget them, Paps. They don’t deserve someone as cool as you.”

Papyrus remained absolutely silent. Undyne paused, faltering for words. Time to change the subject, perhaps.

“Hey, let’s run and get those groceries, huh?” she said, nudging him. “Come on, maybe some shopping will cheer you up.”

“. . . I think I’m ok,” Papyrus said, his voice very low and quiet. “I’ll go shopping later.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, you were just saying-“

“I just want to go home.”

Undyne blinked. There was a sharpness to his voice that caught her off guard. And maybe it was best she didn’t push him. “Um, alright, Paps, whatever you say.” She walked him home, their pace slow, so agonizingly slow, Papyrus’s footsteps trailing in the snow. Oh, Undyne thought she’d grind her teeth flat with frustration! But she stayed silent. And Papyrus didn’t say a word.

He didn’t even look at her.

“Look, Papyrus, you shouldn’t let people treat you like crap!” Undyne blurted. “Those creeps had no reason to talk behind your back like that-!”

“I wish you hadn’t talked to them like that,” Papyrus said. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“No, I did,” Undyne said stubbornly. “Because people shouldn’t be afraid of you! You saved the town!”

Papyrus looked at her, really looked at her for the first time in what felt a very long time. And the look he was giving her was something that chilled her, like he was looking right through her. It felt familiar. It was just like the look Sans had given her when he saw right through her lies.

“Did I?”

Undyne swallowed. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. “Well, you stopped that crazy human-“

“That’s not the same thing.”

Undyne snarled. “Ugh, what difference does it make?! You stopped the human! Ergo, you saved the town!”

“I didn’t stop the human to save the town and you know that.”

Silence hung between them. They looked at each other. Undyne struggled for something to say, anything to say. Anything to reassure him, anything to convince him-

“What do you want from me?” Undyne whispered.

“Don’t lie,” Papyrus said. His shoulders slumped, his gaze turned from stern and piercing to soft and pleading. “Please stop lying to me, to everyone, to yourself. Please stop telling people I’m a hero. I’m not a hero, I didn’t do it to save the town, I didn’t stop the human for any noble reason and you know that, so please, please, stop lying. Please.”

Undyne gaped. She stared at him, hardly believing what he was asking him of her. “So . . . what? What do you want me to do?! Tell people you’re some crazy blood-thirsty killing machine?! You’re not that!”

“Yes I am.”

“You’re more than that.”

“I’m not a hero.”

Undyne hesitated. She wanted to say something. Anything to cheer him up, anything to convince him he wasn’t the monster he thought he was.

“Good night, Undyne,” Papyrus said quietly as he opened the door to his house.

“Wait.” Papyrus paused at the threshold. “Are you going to be there tomorrow? For the memorial?” Papyrus hesitated. “Asgore would want you there. To, you know, say good-bye to all the dogs. They really liked you. It would mean a lot to their families.”

He thought about it. “I’ll be there.”

“Ok,” Undyne nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.” And he closed the door, leaving Undyne out in the cold, lonely little town.

There was nothing but black.

An endless void was before him. Above him. Under him. Surrounding him.

Nothing but pure, unending black.

No sound, no sight, nothing.

Papyrus called out but his voice was stolen from him by the emptiness that suffocated him.

Nothing, nothing, nothing all around him.

It was enough to drive one mad.

He brought his hands up to his head, wanting to scream, but no sound escaped from him.

And then

Something.

Something loomed before him. Something broke the black monotony. Ad like a man lost at sea, he desperately raced to it, stretched his hand out to it, madly clawing it and beckoning it to within his reach.

It was a door.

A plain, silver door.

He reached for the handle.

C̻̰o̱͊m̬̖̀e̜̮͉̒͗ͥ C̍oͨͨme̛ ̯̜̜͗̀̊fi̯ͤn̖d͟ ̂ͩ̉͏̪̗͕m̭͙̘͆̿ͤe̹͓͆̔. Ĉ̰o̰̝͔m̞̰̼ͅẽ̳͚̰̟̟̳͎̀̓͋̈͂̅ ͥ̊ͧͪ̾f̬͕͇͌ͤ͑in̠̟͍̭̤ͮ̍̏̾̽d̗̠̻͉̥̳̆̏̈́̄̐ͮ ̦͙͙̼ͯ̈́ͩ̚m̯̎e͙̗̤̼̭̯ ̇̔̿be̾ͤ͂ͯ͗́y͒o͖̜n͔͍͚̗̠͈d̜̺̻ ͥͨ̈ͤ̓th̞̮͗̀i̍̏̋s̑ͩ̿ͤͤ̓ ̗͇̫̞͍wo̼̲̎ͯr̤ld.͊ͥ

Papyrus felt his hand grab the handle-

He woke with a start.

He sat up, taking in his bedroom. His bookshelf, his flag hanging on the wall, the nightstand lined with action figures. Everything was as it should be. He was in his home.

He was safe.

He closed his eyes, shaking himself from the dream. What had all that been about? And why was that voice so familiar?

He got up, began to dress, getting ready for the day. Today was a very important day, a very solemn day. Asgore would be hosting a memorial service for all the victims of the human’s rampage. There would be a lot of people there. And . . . as a Royal Guard, Papyrus should be there, too.

His armor was laid out on the floor before him. It had been a long time since he had worn it. He took a breath.

And piece by piece, he put it on. Buckled the leather straps tight, slip on the metal pieces over his arms and legs, clipped the chest piece into place.

It felt heavy and cold. Papyrus shuddered.

Sans was waiting for him downstairs. Neither said much as they walked to the docks together. The ferry was waiting for them. And soon enough, they were on their way to Hotland.

“Tra la la,” the river person said, though their voice was much more reserved than normal. “Redemption lies beyond the silver door.”

Papyrus spun, staring at the river person. “What was that?”

“Tra la la, today’s Wednesday is yesterday’s Tuesday.”

Papyrus blinked. “Wait, what-?”

Sans shook his head, patting his brother’s shoulder. “Don’t mind them. They’re just, uh, being quirky.”

“Right,” Papyrus said slowly. “Quirky . . .”

They walked up to the palace, where already throngs of monster citizens began to flock. The procession was a slow and solemn one, monsters wearing dark garments of mourning. Papyrus couldn’t remember the last time the place had looked so . . . sad.

On the way, they met up with Undyne, also dressed in her armor. She was talking to Alphys, who had emerged from her lab for the first time in what felt like ages. The scientist was wearing a black coat and dark pants, a white ill-fitting blouse buttoned up as best as she could manage. The two looked over and waved as they approached.

“Hey, Paps, I’m glad you’re here,” Undyne said, pulling him in for a one-armed hug.

“Good to see you, Al,” Sans said.

“Y-you, too,” she said, smiling weakly. “Oh, I-I’m going to cry l-like such a baby.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Let’s get this over with.”

Together, the four walked up to the palace, followed closely by the other Hotland guards as well as dozens and dozens of citizens. They filed into the golden halls, but the once brightly-lit corridors were now cast into shadow as the massive stained-glass windows were covered with dark banners. Portraits of the sixteen victims lined the walls, most notably the guard dogs who had perished. Doggo, Dogamy, Dogaressa, Lesser Dog, Greater Dog. And just below the portraits stood small stands, about waist-high, where small urns were placed, containing the dust of the fallen monsters. Personal possessions and gifts were placed before the pedestals, many taking the time to say their well-wishes and thoughts, crying into each other’s arms as they remembered the fallen.

The atmosphere was suffocating in misery. Undyne gripped Papyrus’s hand tightly, and the two walked to the front, heads held high, putting forth a brave face for all the monsters here.

And at the back of the hall, overseeing all of this, was Asgore. He stood straight and tall, his golden armor gleaming in whatever light there was left, ushering words of assurance to the passing monsters. He took their hands, he patted their shoulders, he brought them in for a hug. And he was doing his damnedest to maintain his composure. Because he too had lost someone.

Behind him, the throne, the queen’s throne which had been covered by a white sheet since her disappearance, was covered in golden flowers.

“Hey, Asgore,” Undyne said carefully. “How are you holding up?”

“Captain Undyne, Papyrus, I’m so glad you could be here,” Asgore said warmly. He was barely fighting back tears at this point. “It’s . . . a most difficult day. Many good monsters lost. Such sorrow . . .” He brought a hand to his mouth, clutching it into his fist as he bit down to fight back the tears. He shook, a tear or two leaking from his tightly shut eyes, but with a breath, with a shudder, he stood back up. “It’s never easy. I am so sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Undyne said, glancing back to the flower-covered chair.

Asgore followed her gaze, letting out a sad, weak croak of laughter. “Heh. It’s funny, isn’t it? I never thought the pain of losing my wife could be matched. But now . . .” Again, he choked back his sobs. He fought through his misery. “I’ve lost her again. I’ve lost her twice. And I never got to tell her how sorry I am. How much of a miserable, horrible monster I am. How much I wish I could take it all back-“

“Hey, hey, don’t be like that,” Undyne said quickly, pressing a hand to his shoulder in reassurance. “Don’t say stuff like that, you’re a great king-“

Papyrus came forward and without a word, wrapped Asgore in a massive hug. And Asgore clung to him, clutched him with all his strength, like a child clinging to a stuffed toy. He shuddered and shook, he let out a pained sob. He buried his head into Papyrus’s shoulder as the skeleton hugged him.

“My Tori, my dear, sweet Tori, I’m so sorry . . .”

Papyrus held him like that for a while, until Asgore managed to pull himself together, enough to stand back up, straight and tall, wiping the tears from his eyes and taking a long, deep breath to calm his shattered nerves. He gave Papyrus a nod of thanks, bowing his head.

“We’ll be starting soon,” Asgore informed them. “Go ahead and take your seats.”

Undyne and Papyrus joined the other guards, sitting towards the front. Others quietly followed suit, taking their place among the massive rows of chairs set up in the halls. Asgore took center stage, and all fell silent.

“Today, we are joined here to honor the memories of the fallen,” Asgore said. “Today, we honor those who fell, taken from us far before their time. Some taken in the heroic line of duty, some taken mercilessly and cruelly. We mourn their loss, but we must also celebrate their memory. Celebrate the joy they brought into our lives, and remember them in only the best of ways.”

The ceremony was beautiful. It was serene, full of quiet somberness, but Undyne held fast through it all. She wouldn’t cry. She would be strong for Papyrus. She gripped his hand, and he gripped it back.

Family members came forward, and one by one, they took the urns of dust and scattered them over the possessions laid before their altars. With many tears and many prayers, they wished their spirit and essence to live on in the things they most treasured in life. Some chose to keep a tiny amount of dust in a small glass vial, which they hung from their neck.

Slowly, monsters began to file out, sharing their sympathies for one another, until only Undyne, Papyrus, and Asgore remained. Undyne headed to the door, her emotions shot after the whole ordeal, and she was happy to be out of here. But Papyrus wasn’t following her.

“You coming?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I’ll be just a moment. I need to speak to Asgore. Privately, please.”

“Um, alright, sure, see you soon.”

Once alone, Asgore gave the young skeleton monster a curious, but sympathetic look. “Is something on your mind?” the king asked him.

Papyrus inhaled. “King Asgore, I’d like to formally ask to remove myself from the Royal Guard.”

Asgore blinked, taken aback. “Oh, is that right? But you were always so eager to join the guard-“

“I know it was my dream for a very long time,” Papyrus said slowly. “But . . . I don’t think I’m worthy for it. I don’t want to be a guard anymore.”

Asgore patted a seat, silently inviting him to sit down. Papyrus did, and Asgore took another chair, facing him. “And you are certain of this? Is this what you truly want?”

“I’ve given it some thought,” Papyrus nodded. “I do.”

“I understand. I won’t lie, it saddens me to hear that. You’ve worked very hard to get that armor. But, if it is truly what you wish . . . then so be it. You are dismissed from the Royal Guards with my blessing.”

Papyrus began to take off his armor, removing his boots, his gauntlets, his chest piece, and piece by piece, he laid it before Asgore. “Thank you.”

“Papyrus,” Asgore said. He stood, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Please, take care of yourself. There’s a lot of monsters out there who love you very much. If you need to speak with anyone, well . . . I am here.”

Papyrus nodded. “I appreciate it, Your Majesty.”

Asgore gave him a comforting pat, and Papyrus left. He went home without another word, without any explanation to Undyne as to what had happened, or why he was no longer wearing his armor.

He walked back towards Snowdin, taking the long route instead of by boat. He needed time to himself to think. There was a lot to think about.

“Hee hee hee.”

Papyrus stopped. He knew that laugh. He sighed, turning around towards the source of the noise.

“What is it, Flowey?”

The little yellow flower was to his right, swaying side to side in a playful manner, his face twisted into a harmless little smile.

“Why, Papyrus, I was just checking in on my best friend ever!” he said with a wink. “Golly, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? You’ve just been so cooped up in your house being all whiny and mopey like a big ol’ baby-bones crybaby!”

Flowey’s smile twisted into a much more sinister, evil grin.

“I was getting so bored of all your crying and moping! So here I am to have a bit of FUN!”

Suddenly, without warning, vines exploded from the earth, wrapping around Papyrus and lashing at his limbs. Papyrus tried to dodge, but his feet were tripped up, sending him sprawling to the ground. Thorns cut across his face and arms.

Papyrus felt his soul pulse with energy. Already a surge of magic flooded across his bones and he could feel them begin to change in self-defense—

“NO!” Papyrus screamed. Not again! Never again!!!

He saw a vine descend upon him. Papyrus closed his eyes. He lowered all his defenses. He let the attack come. He let it strike true.

His body crumpled to dust beneath the blow.

Flowey roared in rage. He wouldn’t let Papyrus get off that easy!

RESET

“We’re going to have a little bit of fun!”

Flowey reached out, grabbing Papyrus by the foot. With one swift motion, Flowey hung the skeleton upside-down, dangling him in the air. He unceremoniously dropped him to the ground. Papyrus let out a gasp as he hit the ground hard and he feebly struggled back up to his feet.

Flowey snickered, wrapping him up in his vines, constricting him like a snake.

Papyrus was tougher now, with all that extra LV! He could take more damage, he could torture him all that much more-!

And with horror, Flowey watched as Papyrus simply dissolved into dust before him.

He stared. He gaped.

That little cheater! He wasn’t going to be cheated of his fun!

RESET

Flowey wrapped a vine around each limb, hoisting the skeleton into the air in a spread-eagle position. The vines were firm enough to keep him still, but not strong enough to do any damage. There would be time for that soon enough!

A vine began to slowly crush Papyrus’s arm. Bones crunched and cracked beneath his strength, and Papyrus roared in pain.

“Yes! YES!” Flowey cheered gleefully. “Let me see it! Let me see what you can really do, you monster!”

Papyrus winced, and with a pained look, he turned to dust.

“WHAT?! NO!!!”

RESET

“Let me see what you’re capable of!!!”

RESET

“Stop dying, you piece of trash!”

RESET

“LET ME HAVE MY FUN!!!

RESET

“STOP. DYING!!!!”

RESET

Flowey loomed before Papyrus, absolutely furious. He just . . . he kept giving up! Whenever he inflicted even the slightest bit of harm, Papyrus refused to fight back! If there was even a hint of him turning, he would just give up and die! And he just stood there! He just stood there and did. NOTHING!

“Ugh! I hate you! I HATE YOU! YOU’RE. SO. BORING!!!”

And with a fit of rage, Flowey fled.

He burrowed away, fuming, seething with anger and hatred. And . . . and panic.

“I want to take it back,” he whispered to himself. “I want to go back to before. This was a mistake. Take it back, take it all back, this isn’t what I wanted, this was a mistake, I hate this! I hate this! I hate . . . I hate it!”

Flowey stared down at himself, filled with loathing. There was no one else to blame but himself, now that stupid brat was dead and gone.

And they weren’t ever coming back.

There was nothing but darkness around him.

Nothing but blackness, nothing but emptiness.

An ever-eternal abyss.

Papyrus looked around. All he saw was black.

Above.

Below.

Before.

All was dark. All was nothing.

He blinked.

There.

In front of him. Something. A door. A silver door.

He reached for it.

Redemption lies beyond the silver door.

It opened.

C̭̯͈ó̼m̯̒e C͓̃o̭̼̩m̯̙̮e̦͂ ̣̭̹fͤin̰̪̜͐̎̑́d ̦̆m͖̳̬ḙ̇́.҉ Ĉ̰o̰̝͔m̞̰̼ͅẽ̳͚̰̟̟̳͎̀̓͋̈͂̅ ͥ̊ͧͪ̾f̬͕͇͌ͤ͑in̠̟͍̭̤ͮ̍̏̾̽d̗̠̻͉̥̳̆̏̈́̄̐ͮ ̦͙͙̼ͯ̈́ͩ̚m̯̎e͙̗̤̼̭̯ ̇̔̿be̾ͤ͂ͯ͗́y͒o͖̜n͔͍͚̗̠͈d̜̺̻ ͥͨ̈ͤ̓th̞̮͗̀i̍̏̋s̑ͩ̿ͤͤ̓ ̗͇̫̞͍wo̼̲̎ͯr̤ld.͊ͥ

Papyrus stepped through the door. I͉̰̓̈́͟ ̡̮̋a̻̟̝mͬͪ ̵̣̠͈ͬ̉͑h͉ͪe̡r̓̇̽é̱̜͑.̲ I̫̠̩̔̅͆ w̖͇̙̑͂ͨil̄̉l͜ ̞̍h̘̹e̝̻ͅlp̮̺̓ͪ.̺͙͋̆͡ Ļetͬ̾҉ ̮̓me̯̚ ̛͐ͭh͑ͧͧ̕el̮̘̝̇ͮ̄p.͡

“Who are you?” Papyrus said. His voice had no sound. “Where can I find you?”

I̯̟̪͑͗ͮ am n͙͈o͚͋t͌ ̀̌̏h̖̰̼̓͆̑er͐ͭe͓̭̩͛ͧ̎ I͙̽̊ͅ ͙ͮa̐mͥ b̜͙̲ͩ̔̚ey̞̏ȏͨ̀nͫ̒ͦd.͓͉̥ͧ̑̚ I ̩̔am̯̳̤̔̈́͋ f̲͙̝̈̆̆o̗͛r͎̼̹ev̲̝͐̾e͑r.͖̘̉͑ ͚̯ I ̲̰͈͆ͯ̎a̪͎͖ͥͩ̀m ͇͙̉ͫeͯ̌̑tern̥̩͕al.

“I don’t understand.”

F͜i̥̦͉ͯ̊̆n̼̹͑ͫ͞d ͗̉͛m̧͛ͬe̙̻ͣ̒.̗ͮ ̵̜ͬ ̷F̮ͥIŃD̶ ̬͈̠̓̑͆M̳E̐ͭ.̳̦

F̝in̩̮̙ͭ͛̍͟d͔̰̥͞ ̘̪̥̈̎ͮm͕̔e̔ͤ̐ b̞ͮ͟e̼͋yo͚̦̗̔̅̈n̶d͕̮̈́͛ ̛̼t͔̖̃ͩ͜he͉ͦ ̩̗͚̿ͣ̇sil̓ve͂͝r ̗͎d̺̻͂ͩo̲̯̥ͫ͐̅o͍̞͎r̡̲̺̲ͪ̒͐.̤̪

Papyrus felt the dream slip away from him. He scrambled, desperate to hold on to the fragmenting dream-

Ỉͅ ͛̈ͦA̢ͬ́ͧM ̶͓́HE̩R̪̗̦ͣ̾͂E̵̺̙̻.̡

I̢͓̣̐̐ ̨͈A̶M ̀Ẃ̤ĀͫT̵͈̥̮͑̍ͮC̜̪̲ĤI͆͛NG.̧̖͙̮̓̎̌ ̫͎̊̋

Ì͎͜ ̏ͧH̰̬͈͋̓ͪA͠V̧̂ͦͧEͨ͋ͬ ̷͙̦̫̑͒͑AͤL͏W̯A͌̑ͥY̪̣̋ͥS̤͎͍̿̍̋ B͎̖̑̚È̛͙͙͍ͧ̒É̖̱͇N̸̑̄̃ WAT̸CH̛I̦̩͊̏N̸͕̠̍̚G̪̗

L͋ͪĔ͚͠T ̵̙̲̹M̜̼̺͒͐ͬ͠Ẹ̬̰ ̰͖ͧ̅MAKĔ̹̳͈̔̔ I͔ͮT R̆ͬİ̃͛͘GH̅͊͐T̲̿.̼̥̐̀ L̩̭̲̰Ȅ̦͚̲͉͍̍͌ͧ̐T̢̫̳͚̆̔͑ ̡̝̹̠̯̞̪̤̦̭̳̾ͮ̑͋͋͋̃̃͆ͭM̈́̃̿ͫ͌̉̂ͯ̾͗̉̆̀ͬ͢͏̷͖̳̭͔͉̣͖͇͕̙̪̠͔̥E̶̫̫͉͓̰̦͆́ͩ̌̈ͥ̆́͢ͅ ̰͖͉̣̖͎M̨̫͔̝͍̹̯̩̦͓̮͚̩̈́̂̉͊̾ͤ́͌̌͒̀̿͢Aͦ͡͏̺K̵̖̼̣͔̤̼̰̳͎̹̹̹̋̎ͦͫ̉͆̒̊͒ͪ͆̚͝Ë̪͇͓̣͙͍̘́ͫ͗̎̆̏̓ ̺͖̣̺̗͓̜͕̝̮̗̊͊ͮ͊̃̈͛̾͛͑ͦ͝͝Ỉ̢̉̎͌ͥ͒̈́̑ͯ̇ͫ̕͏̘̝̞̟͎̪̙͈̣͍̰T͚͚̤͙̼̞̮̱͚̤̑̋͂͋̓ͬ͑̄̀ͧ ̆̏̐̉̒ͤ̀R̴̹̥͈̗͖Į͋̾̽ͨ̎ͥ͡͡G͚̮͕̦̙̱̙̝̅ͧ̐̄͛͛̊̌H̵͝T̶̡̺̭͎̲̖̘͙̻̘̹͡

Papyrus awoke with a start.

It was still late. Everyone else was surely still fast asleep.

Papyrus dressed. He dawned his boots. He opened the door to his house.

And he disappeared into the night.

#what are friends for #waff #papyrus #undyne #asgore #alphys #flowey #gasterblaster au #gb au #gasterblaster papyrus #gaster #sans

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