Grillby's was the best (and only) restaurant in Snowdin, as well as Sans's home away from home. It was a place where everyone knew him and said hello when he entered, where Grillby himself and sometimes his daughter Fuku would greet him personally and set out a container of ketchup for the friendly skeleton the moment he stepped through the door. While he had work ahead, Sans's little flight and fight with NegaSans left him hungry, so he decided to stop in for a bite.
He could tell something was wrong the moment he opened the door. For one, there were only a few people there; usually the place was packed. It was the only restaurant in town, after all.
It wasn't just the lack of clientele, however; the bar was, to put it bluntly, a bit of a dump: dirty dishes lay on tables, the floor was badly in need of a good sweeping (or perhaps liberal application of fire magic), and the chairs looked one sit away from becoming firewood. This surprised Sans, as his Grillby was always clean to the point of meticulous. Then again, the Grillby of that universe didn't even look the same; his flame was a deep purple, and a twisted wide smile spread what passed as his face.
The moment Sans stepped into the main room, all conversation stopped. Grillby continued polishing a glass with a bit of flame-retardant cloth as though nothing had happened, but everyone else turned to look at Sans.
Sans approached the bar with the intention of taking his usual seat, but froze as Grillby met his gaze, the glass in Grillby's hand partially molten. Deciding that perhaps caution would be better, Sans took a seat at the cleanest booth.
This whole dimension was wrong. Sans never thought he'd prefer his own doomed reality, yet even a life alone seemed worse than the thick air of oppression that seemed to permeate everything. It was so close to the Snowdin he was used to, yet so different that it felt alien to him.
He told himself that it wasn't his problem; his goal was to get out of this place, not fix its problems.
"Um ... g-good day, M-m-mister Sans ..."
Sans glanced up into the nervous eyes of Fuku, Grillby's daughter. Her flame was a light blue instead of soft green, but other than that, she was identical to the fire girl Grillby raised from an ember.
"Hey, Fuku." Sans said, giving her a smile. "I'm kinda in a hurry, so I'll just take some ketchup."
"K-ketchup?" Fuku said, sounding surprised. "B-but I thought m-mustard ..."
"Fuku." Grillby said sharply.
"No, it's all right, Grillby." Sans said, a little alarmed at the stern look he shot his daughter. To Fuku, he said, "I'm tryin' to liven up my culinary pallet. Y'know, a little ketchup today, some horseradish tomorrow, maybe even moving on to a nice hollandaise one day."
"W-we do have some Worcestershire sauce, if you want to try it." She said.
"Worcestershire sauce? Are you crazy?"
She immediately blushed and lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry ... p-please don't be mad."
Sighing, Sans said, "Relax, Fuku; I'm just kiddin' with ya."
Her eyes opened wide. "Oh. Oh! R-right. Sorry."
"That's all right." he said, giving her a kind smile. "Ketchup will be fine; maybe an order of fries for dessert?"808Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZG4fm6gNG
"Of course!" She said, bobbing her head at him with the ghost of a smile on her face. "I'll have it out immediately!"
"Eh, I'm in no rush." Sans said, leaning back in the booth. "Take your time. I got some thinkin' to do."
He watched her hurry off, feeling a little sad. She was terrified, and not just of him. Was Grillby not the loving father he was in Sans's world? Just what the hell was wrong with this place?
The other patrons were whispering amongst themselves now. There was a definite note of accusation to their murmurings that left Sans feeling uneasy. He thought to the words of the other NegaPapyrus, specifically the part about them needing the protection brought by being associated with the Royal Guard.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Fuku's return until she set a red ketchup container and a small basket of greasy fries on the table in front of him.
"Thanks." He said, fishing in the pocket of his track pants for some money.
"No charge." She said, waving her hands and backing away.
"You sure?" Sans said, "I know my tab's gotta be somethin' crazy by now."
"D-don't worry about it." She said before hurrying back to the bar.
Shrugging, Sans turned his attention to his food. The fries were only half-cooked, making them both soggy and incredibly greasy. Fortunately, he was more interested in the ketchup.
His thoughts turned to the machine hidden beneath the house he shared with his brother. He'd stopped by the house on his way to Grillby's just to make sure the hidden door was there and that his key worked. He'd only taken a quick glance inside, and sure enough, the giant machine still lay in the corner, hidden under a large sheet.
The machine never worked properly; the rune fragment Glen identified as the 'Inverse Harmonius' vanished before he'd managed to turn it on, making the whole machine useless. If enough of a trace remained, however, perhaps Sans could alter Glen's dimensional analyzer to find it. From there ... well, he didn't know. Glen said it had the power to allow the user to shift between dimensions, but would a fragment of it be enough?
When the ketchup bottle was empty and a polite amount of fries were gone, Sans glanced around for Fuku for a moment. The other patrons were staring at him now, anger in more than one monster's face ... but not Grillby. While his expression was never easy to divine given he was living flame, Sans knew him well enough to realize that the fiery bartender had a calculating expression.
"Yeah, probably time to go." He said, rising from his seat. He dug in his pockets and eventually found a few gold coins to leave Fuku as a tip. Flipping one final coin to Grillby, Sans said, "Thanks for the grub."
Grillby caught the coin and stared at it, his face registering shock. Figuring NegaSans had an even bigger tab than Sans had at his Grillby's, NegaSans smiled and waved at the other patrons before leaving the restaurant.
Walking through Snowdin was an uncomfortable experience. Sans could feel the hateful glances of others following him as he made his way back to his house. Even the rabbit-people, normally the friendliest folk in town, looked at him with utter disdain. More angry muttering followed him. When turning to face the speakers, Sans was surprised to see looks of fear mingled with loathing on the faces of people that had been friends in his world. Unsure how to respond to this, he simple focused on his path and ignored the other townsfolk.
No one came close to the skeleton brother's house, likely due to the large ash pile where their mailboxes stood in Sans's home dimension. Sans was pretty sure he knew the source, though he allowed himself the delusion that the ash was from a bonfire and wasn't in fact the remains of his fellow monsters. Fortunately, the lack of people even remotely nearby made it easy for him to slip behind the house and through the hidden door.
Locking the door behind him, Sans quickly pulled off NegaSans's coat and tossed it on the floor before approaching the machine. He grabbed the sheet and pulled it off with a single tug.
There it was: the machine. It's purpose was simple; bypass the barrier via teleportation. In theory, it was simple; the machine created a hole in reality that bridged a point inside the Underground to a point on the surface. The technology was viable; they'd created smaller holes successfully. Unfortunately, creating a portal big enough for even a small monster needed a massive amount of power.
That's when they discovered the rune. Frozen in crystal deep in the Underground, the simple lines resonated incredible power, far more than even the Core. It seemed to be the answer to all their prayers ... until ...
Sans shook his head. Despite the inevitable guilt, it hadn't been his fault. Unfortunately, when he tried to use the machine to rectify the situation, the rune mysteriously vanished, leaving it essentially broken. Only an echo remained, but any magic powerful enough to tear through dimensions must leave an imprint on reality; he just needed to provide the power.
He opened the housing that still held the chunk of crystal, the lines of the former rune still visible within the transparent mineral. The rune was gone, but the imprint was still there; perhaps that would be enough.
Sans took the crystal in both hand and channeled his magical energy into the recesses formerly occupied by the rune. After a few moments, the lines glowed faintly with his power. Unfortunately, when he stopped concentrating, the light faded within seconds. He tried again, focusing as much energy as he could muster into the gem. As the light of the rune grew brighter, Sans felt something ... a strange awareness that he couldn't put into words. He was still in the laboratory, yet he could feel other laboratories occupying the same place. Some were identical, others were different, and yet all occupied places that were both there and anywhere but there at the same time.
"Other realities." He breathed, his eyes seeing beyond his current dimension. "Glen wasn't kidding. There must be millions of them!"
His concentration slipped a little, the rune dimming and with it his awareness. He gripped the crystal with both hands, sweat sliding down his skull as he tried to focus more magical energy into the rune. It worked ... for a few moments. He felt the walls between realities growing thinner, not thin enough to travel, but definitely growing closer.
Then he felt her; Glen's aura, buried deep within the limitless dimensions. He could almost make out her face as she walked beside a tall figure that looked like Papyrus. Seeing his brother, still different but not as different as the horror of his current dimension, made him reach out to desperately claw at the thinning boundary between the dimensions.
Unfortunately, Sans's stamina was already at its limit; so much magic use left him dizzy, and in moments he fell to the floor gasping for breath. The rune faded in a matter of moments, leaving him once again stuck where he was.
"D-damn." He said, struggling to stop himself from passing out. His theory had been correct, but he needed far more power to strengthen the rune enough to travel between realities.
He felt a little discouraged, but he quickly swept the feeling aside. He felt confident he had a way out now; perhaps he could hook the rune into the Core, or get something from Alphys's Lab.
The sounds of muffled shouting pulled him from his thoughts. There was a crowd somewhere not far from the house, and they did not sound happy. Sans quickly slipped the crystal into the pocket of his blue coat before slipping back into the heavy black coat of NegaSans.
He cracked the door open to see a crowd massing beside his and Papyrus's house. No one was looking his way, so he quickly slipped out of his secret workshop and locked the door behind him before approaching the crowd to see what the fuss was about.
NegaPapyrus was standing beside the ash pile, peering out amongst the crowd.
"Hurry up!" He snapped as more monsters joined the throng. "I called this meeting an hour ago, and you're just showing up now? You're all worse than my lazy excuse for a brother!"
Feeling a bit annoyed at his alternate version's brother's attitude, Sans called out, "Hey, we all got things to do, bro. Why not throw us a bone?"
All talking stopped. Everyone turned and stared at Sans, who suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious.
"What?" NegaPapyrus said, eyes flaring orange. "What did you say?"
Monsters were looking at him; most still gave him looks of hate, but there was a strange hope in some of their eyes. Feeling bolstered by this, Sans said, "I'm just sayin' we're all here. You don't have tibia jerk about it, y'know."
A few titters ran through the crowd as NegaPapyrus's eye sockets narrowed.
"Very well." NegaPapyrus said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Then we'll begin ... unless my brother has any more 'hilarious' jokes to inflict upon us."
"Sorry, bro." Sans said, grinning widely. "Didn't mean to rattle your bones."
A few monsters laughed at that one, only to fall silent as NegaPapyrus glared at them. He slowly paced around the pile of ash, as everyone stared in silence. They knew what it meant to be called to the ash pile, where so many of their own had been executed.
"I've called this meeting because someone in Snowdin is not who they appear to be." NegaPapyrus paused a moment to glare at Sans. Sans stared right back at him, not letting his smile slide a single inch.
"Someone here is a thief and a traitor." NegaPapyrus continued, resuming his pacing. "Our king has labored for ages, yet even now as we stand on the brink of freedom, there are still those who would spit on his efforts. We owe our king everything! Our allegiance, our obedience, even our very souls should it become necessary ... and yet I have discovered that there are some here who have lied to Undyne and myself. Lying to a member of the Royal Guard is as bad as lying to the King himself, and will not go unpunished!"
The crowd was silent as NegaPapyrus slowly came to a halt and stared again at Sans. Sans was careful not to give anything away with his expression even as he channeled his magic. If his cover was blown, he'd have to make every shot count. Hopefully, the crowd wouldn't side with the tyrant who was NegaPapyrus.
Just as he prepared to release a barrage of bones, NegaPapyrus spun about and grabbed Fuku's arm. Flames danced across NegaPapyrus's gauntlet as Fuku fought to free herself, but NegaPapyrus hurled her onto the pile of ash.
"W-what have I done?" She asked, trying desperately to get off the pile of ash only to be blocked by a fence of blue bones that rose from the ground around her.
NegaPapyrus held up a golden coin. "All citizens were required to exchange their gold for Liberation Bonds in preparation of the upcoming war with the surface. Gold is a perfect material for the magical augmentation gear necessary for us to match the strength of human souls, yet you were discovered attempting to purchase ... a dress." He said the last words with a sneer of pure contempt. "Not only did you disobey the king, but you did so for a luxury item."
"But ... but I-I didn't-"
Fuku gasped as NegaPapyrus lifted her from the ground by her throat. "Don't lie to me, girl! You are going to die, but test my patience again, and I will guarantee your death will be slow and painful!"
"Don't touch her, you bastard!" Grillby, apparantly just as protective as his daughter as his counterpart in Sans's home dimension, rushed at NegaPapyrusm only to be slammed to the ground. NegaPapyrus's eyes flared as a long blade made of bone appeared in his hand.
"Assaulting a member of the Royal Guard is an act of treason!" He snarled before raising his blade.
Sans shouldn't get involved. Even admitting that it was his fault, the gold in question no doubt being that which he'd given, not realizing what would happen. He needed to keep a low profile so he could get to the Core or to Alphys's lab and power up the crystal. Causing a scene here would just complicate matters.
As he watched Grillby's eyes widen, as Fuku screamed for her father and the rest of the crowd shouted in rage, Sans finally accepted the truth. His friends were dead. His brother was dead. Everything he knew was dead and gone; even if he found another reality where everyone was alive, it would never be truly the same. It wasn't the kid's fault, be they Frisk, Chara, or even Asriel Dremurr. It was his; he knew what they were the moment they left the Ruins, the dust on the kid's clothes no doubt that of his mysterious joke-loving friend. He knew, and even though he had the power to stop them then and there, he did nothing. He let her kill Papyrus, Undyne, and everyone else he ever knew, allowing the kid to grow stronger to the point that they were unstoppable. After so many resets, he'd just stopped caring.
He couldn't afford not to care anymore.
Sans raised his hand, blue light flaring from his eye as his telekinesis tore the bone blade from NegaPapyrus's grasp and threw it against the nearest tree with enough force to crack the bark.
NegaPapyrus rounded on Sans, eyes flaring. "Sans!" He barked. "This is no time for your stupid jokes!"
"The only joke here is you, Pap." Sans stepping forward as the crowd parted before him. "I gave them the gold."
NegaPapyrus's eyes widened as a gasp ran through the crowd. "You? But where did you come by gold?"
"Mostly from Waterfall." Sans said truthfully. "People dropped all kinds of stuff in the water there. I picked it up, gave it to Grillby and Fuku to pay for lunch, end of story."
Stopping a few feet from NegaPapyrus, Sans held his arms out to either side. "So you gonna try and punish me?"
There was a definite change in the crowd. NegaPapyrus was speechless; it was clear to Sans that his double had never dared try standing up to him.
"Brother." NegaPapyrus said in a low tone. "If you're just trying to protect Grillby-"
"You're damn right I'm trying to protect him. I'm trying to protect everyone; that's what we're supposed to be doin', Pap." Sans said, taking a shot in the dark. "That's why you wanted to be a Royal Guard. So what the hell happened? When did we go from protecting Snowdin to terrorizing it?"
For a few moments, Sans thought he'd been wrong about NegaPapyrus. Despite their differences, maybe there was something of his Papyrus in the twisted monster standing before him. He realized he was wrong as an ugly look fell over NegaPapyrus's skull.
"How dare you." He said softly. "How dare you undermine my authority, you useless sack of bones!"
He remanifested his bone blade, the original vanishing from the tree. He turned back to Grillby only for Sans to knock the blade out of his hands with a well-aimed bone.
There was fury in NegaPapyrus's eyes now as the crowd fanned out away from the ensuing fight. "You dare stand against me?"
"I won't let you kill innocent people." Sans said, more bones manifesting around him in case he needed to defend himself.
"Innocent? No one here is innocent! This is a town of traitors, liars, and enemies of the state, and I will do what is necessary to follow my orders ... through you if need be."
"Then you'd better get ready to have a bad time." Sans said, tensing in anticipation of the coming fight.
For a moment, it looked like a battle was inevitable. NegaPapyrus drew his energy back from the field surrounding Fuku, allowing her to rejoin her father and quickly lead him into the waiting crowd.
Sans and NegaPapyrus circled around each other, NegaPapyrus brandishing his bone blade and a circle of bones slowly spinning around Sans.
Just as NegaPapyrus tensed and Sans prepared to let loose with a barrage of magical bones, a faintly familiar voice shouted, "Papyrus! Sans!"
The skeleton brothers turned to see Mettaton approaching from the direction of Waterfall. Unlike Sans's Mettaton, this version had four arms and an extra set of eyes, and seemed a lot more suited to combat.
"Papyrus!" Mettaton said, saluting as he drew near. "Urgent message from Alphys!"
Sans tensed; Alphys had eyes everywhere. Did she know about Sans? For that matter, had the other Sans awoken? Fortunately, the message had nothing to do with him.
"She's picked up signs of a human escaping the ruins!" Mettaton said.
"A human?" NegaPapyrus said eagerly, lowering his blade. "She is certain?"
"Yes! They're heading this way!" Mettaton told him.
"Excellent!" NegaPapyrus said, bone blade vanishing. "Send word to Undyne that we'll have the human within the hour, robot!"
Mettaton didn't seem happy about being referred to so dismissively, but departed without another word.
"The rest of you wretches prepare to capture the human should it pass my brother and myself!" NegaPapyrus said. "Now get out of here!"
The crowd needed no further urging. Soon, Sans and NegaPapyrus were alone beside their house. Sans continued to watch his brother cautiously, uncertain and definitely not willing to turn his back to him.
"This matter is not closed, Sans." NegaPapyrus said, not looking at his brother. "But for now, I expect you to use your newfound spine to find and capture this human. Perhaps if you can secure it before me, I will be willing to forgive your recent transgression ... but if you get in my way, don't think for a moment that I will hesitate to kill you."
NegaPapyrus strode toward the Ruins without waiting for a reply, leaving Sans alone by the pile of ash.
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