Author's Note:

This fic uses a pre-existing self-insert character! Some information, like how her powers work and what she looks like, isn't present in this fic. I recommend that you check out the link left on my profile before reading.

It is possible to read this work without seeing the above link, it just won't make as much sense.

Also, this is based off of the Underfell AU. You can find out more information about it on the official Underfell Tumblr blog. (Be sure to check out some of the side links for more details.)

The site keeps deleting my paragraph spacing, so here's how it'll work: one line is a time skip, one line with xs on either side is a perspective switch.

(Except for in the case of the Author's Notes.)

Thank you, and enjoy this fancy piece of garbage!

The white, tree-lined path was both very familiar and very foreign.

That was a worrying sign.

Auvie looked around, blade still in hand. Everything seemed pretty much the same. The door was right behind her; the bushes were off to the left, though there weren't any leaves on the branches…

She recalled how, a year ago, she had walked down a similar snowy path, shivering in fear and anticipation. How every shadow had made her jump. How, at any moment, she had expected something nasty and terrifying to attack her.

That, of course, is when she had met Sans and Papyrus, who were anything but nasty.

It had been an accident. Early on, as she was just learning to use her powers, something went wrong and she was flung into their dimension. When they saw that she was essentially homeless, they had taken her under their wing and let her stay at their house until she was finally able to leave.

If it hadn't been for their help, she would be a frozen corpse right now.

Auvie walked down the path, snow crunching under her feet. She came here to visit them again, like she promised she would. She was certain that she had gotten the correct dimension, having practiced her technique ever since that incident, but… this didn't seem right. She'd probably travelled to one of the neighboring dimensions instead.

This was alarming, but not a huge problem. She was usually able to find a way back home within a few days or so, depending on the dimension she was in. Dimensional travel was… complicated, to say the least, but if she poked around enough, she could find a shortcut.

When she was with Sans and Papyrus, however, the process had taken three months. And that was with Sans's help.

If this dimension was similar to Sans and Papyrus's, then there might be an issue.

I really need to stop trying to traverse dimensions like this, she thought grimly to herself. They're really not worth the trouble. It's only a matter of time before I end up in a dimension that I won't be able to escape from, and then what'll I do?

That's what she always told herself.

But she had a promise to fulfill.

As she walked, she realized what was so different about this place. Everything seemed sharper than before. The trees were all dead, and long icicles hung from their spiky branches. Even the snow seemed a little crunchier than she remembered. It might just be my imagination. It's been a long time.

She stood still for a second and let the silence wash over her. It was eerie. She wasn't sure if it had always been this quiet or not. Maybe this IS the same dimension, and all of the monsters escaped, she thought with a pang of hope. Maybe they managed to break the barrier, and they're living on the surface now.

She dwelled in the silence for a few moments, then kept walking. Either way, I guess I'll soon find out.

It was only about a minute or so before Auvie found something else different. She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening.

It was Papyrus's bridge, except it wasn't. What once had been wood was now twisted, uneven metal. Where there should have been a railing, there was barbed wire. The bars were now covered in spikes.

They… were still too wide to stop anyone, though.

Well, either I'm in a separate dimension, or the monsters have decided to up their game. Auvie took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"well, what do we have here?"

A chill ran down Auvie's spine. She spun around, bringing her blade in front of her.

The strangest sight met her eyes.

A skeleton of about Auvie's height stood a few yards away from her. He wore a black jacket with a yellow fur trim and a red turtleneck. His eyes glowed crimson, and a golden tooth glinted in his menacing, razor-sharp grin.

Auvie lowered her blade. "Sans?" A smile played at the edge of her mouth.

The skeleton seemed startled by the name. "y-yeah?"

An awkward silence stretched between them.

Auvie just kept staring. This must be a separate dimension then; he doesn't recognize me. God, he looked so weird. It was strange seeing someone so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, and Auvie had seen a lot of strange things.

His personality seemed pretty different, too, from what she could tell. There was a lot more uncertainty in his eyes.

The skeleton seemed to regain his composure. "…okay, so you know my name. that's pretty fucking creepy." He paused. "you gonna keep staring at me?"

This Sans cusses more. Auvie remembered herself and looked away. "Sorry," she muttered, feeling sheepish.

"snow big deal, heh. guess you've never seen a talking skeleton like me before, huh?" His grin widened. "that said, you're a human, so I have to kill you now."

His hand glimmered with red magic.

Oh.

Auvie took a step back, a dull clank sounding as she stepped onto the bridge. "Actually, I'd, uh… prefer not to. Die. Thanks."

"Sans" advanced, his left eye getting brighter. "sorry, I don't make the rules. if you hold still, though, I'll make it quick." His grin was downright malicious now.

Auvie kept backing up. Shit, this is pretty bad. She hadn't been anywhere near the other Sans in terms of power. If this Sans was just as powerful…

Her foot met the ground on the other side of the bridge. She brought her blade up in front of her. She tested the dimensional fabric; much to her relief, it was actually pretty thick. Good, there's less likely to be repercussions if I use my powers here. She might have a chance to get away, then.

Sans regarded the blade with curiosity. "that's a neat sword. what, did you humans figure out how to make weapons out of energy or something?"

"Something like that, yeah," Auvie replied. She prepared to cross the fabric.

"sweet. you might actually pose a challenge to me, then." He raised his hand above his head, and a glowing red bone appeared above him. "let's go."

"SANS!"

The grating voice startled the both of them. Auvie stumbled back a few steps. She looked up to see the magic bone gone, and Sans tucking his hands into his jacket pockets, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

She heard footsteps behind her. She turned around.

Whatever strange feelings she had felt upon seeing Sans had just been topped tenfold.

Before her, hands on his hips, was Papyrus. Or rather, what Papyrus would look like if he dressed up as a villain for Halloween. His armor was black and his cape was tattered. He had narrow eyes and jagged teeth. There were spikes everywhere.

He didn't look happy.

This is just too weird, Auvie thought. She stepped to the side and watched as Papyrus approach Sans. Sans seemed roughly just as happy to see him.

"SANS, YOU LEFT YOUR DIRTY SOCKS ALL OVER THE COUCH. AGAIN! WHY MUST I CLEAN UP AFTER ALL OF YOUR MESSES?" Papyrus tapped a bony finger on one of his belt spikes.

"bro, I'm a little busy here," Sans replied through gritted teeth. "why don't you yell at me later?"

"BUSY? SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BUSY? ALL YOU DO IS SLACK ABOUT ALL DAY, AVOIDING WORK! IT'S A MIRACLE YOU'RE EVEN A SENTRY! IF I WERE UNDYNE, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED BY NOW!" Papyrus's belt tapping intensified.

"yeah, well, I just became employee of the month. check out what I found." Sans nodded in Auvie's direction.

Papyrus turned towards Auvie, squinting at her fiercely.

Auvie waved. "Hey, Papyrus."

Papyrus furrowed his skull in confusion. He returned his gaze to Sans. "SANS, WHY IS THAT STRANGE BLUE ROCK FORMATION TALKING? FURTHERMORE, WHY DOES IT KNOW MY NAME?"

Sans smirked. "it's not a rock formation, you numbskull, it's a human."

Papyrus shot upright. "A HU-" He whirled around and looked at Auvie a second time. "I SEE! EXCELLENT WORK, BROTHER! YOU HAVE CLEARLY DONE YOUR DUTY."

It was brief, but Auvie thought she caught a glimpse of some other emotion on Sans's face. He turned his face away before she could identify it, though.

Papyrus straightened his back and put a gloved hand on his chest. "SO, THE HUMANS HAVE FINALLY DECIDED TO INVADE AND SENT YOU IN ADVANCE! WELL, YOU SHALL GET NO FURTHER! I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE INSTRUMENT OF YOUR DEMISE!" Papyrus raised his hand to the sky.

Glowing bones with jagged edges erupted from the ground around Auvie. She started and moved to hold her blade at the ready, only to realize that it was no longer in her hand. Dammit! I must have dismissed it earlier when I lost my focus. She might be able to cross the fabric in time to get away, but-

"ANY LAST WORDS BEFORE YOUR DEATH, HUMAN?" Papyrus held a triumphant pose, prepared to deal the deathblow at any moment.

Sans stood off to the side, his expression smug. His eyes kept darting away as Auvie tried to meet them, though.

Auvie struggled to think. These two were clearly more aggressive than the other Sans and Papyrus. And because of the way monsters and their magical energy worked, that would mean that they were probably stronger, too. It wouldn't be wise to go up against them in an actual fight.

But I'm not sure I'd have much luck running away, either. The two of them probably knew the terrain much better than her. Plus, she was sure that they weren't the only enemies she'd encounter.

It didn't seem as if she had many options.

Then she had an idea. Maybe…

"VERY WELL!" Papyrus brought his hand down. "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR-"

"Actually, I'm kind of disappointed."

Papyrus halted mid-attack. "I BEG YOUR PARDON?"

Auvie shrugged, trying not to look as fearful as she felt. "I only just got here, and it's obvious that your power is really impressive. I would have loved to see what other defenses you had set up, because I'm… sure they would have been great." It took a very conscious effort not to stumble over the last few words. Please work, please work, please work…

Papyrus seemed to contemplate these words.

The seconds ticked by.

"AS YOU WISH!" Papyrus waved his hand, and the bones disappeared. "I WILL HONOR YOUR FINAL REQUEST."

Auvie let out a slow sigh of relief.

Sans looked exasperated.

"HOWEVER, DO NOT RELAX, HUMAN! THE GAUNTLET IS ONLY SLIGHTLY LESS DEADLY AND TERRIFYING! YOU WILL MOST CERTAINLY DIE! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL DELIVER YOUR SOUL TO THE CAPITAL AND BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD! CONTINUE FORWARD ONLY WHEN YOU ARE READY TO MEET YOUR FATE!" Papyrus let out a shrill, evil cackle, then scurried away.

Okay, at least I've bought myself some time. Auvie inhaled deeply and smiled. Papyrus might have had a change in wardrobe and attitude, but he was still Papyrus. She turned to look at Sans, only to see that he was gone. Yeah, typical Sans. Guess neither of them are really all that different from their other selves.

She started to follow Papyrus.

"think you're clever, huh?"

The voice came from behind her. Auvie's muscles froze.

"my bro's right, the gauntlet's no playground. you aren't really in a much better situation."

Auvie tried to tell her muscles to move. It didn't work.

"don't think you can weasel out of this, either. I'll be watching."

Her muscles finally loosened. She turned around.

There was nobody there.

She could here a faint chuckle in the distance.

She took a deep breath.

Well.

This was going to be fun.

A few minutes later, after a couple of encounters with some "emodrakes" and a blind wolf sentry, Auvie walked past the line of snowy trees and out onto the rocky outcropping where Sans and Papyrus waited.

Papyrus was tapping his foot impatiently. He looked up as Auvie approached. "AT LAST YOU HAVE ARRIVED, HUMAN! BEHOLD, OUR DASTARDLY TRAP!" Papyrus spread his arms wide.

Auvie looked around the outcropping. "Okay, what is it?"

"'NOTHING', EH? THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE-" Papyrus blinked. His expression changed to a perplexed one. "WAIT, WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Sans sleepily opened one eye and gave Auvie a nonchalant look.

She stood a few seconds in confused silence before she realized that she might have missed a cue. She cleared her throat. "I mean, what are you talking about? There's nothing there."

Papyrus brightened up considerably, in his own malicious way. "THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK! WHAT YOU ARE GAZING UPON IS THE INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS MINEFIELD MAZE! ONE WRONG STEP, AND YOU'LL BE BLOWN SKY HIGH! YOU SURELY WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT PAST THIS!"

A row of jagged bones shot up from the ground behind Auvie.

"AND DON'T EVEN THINK OF ESCAPING! IF YOU TRY, MY BROTHER AND I WILL DECIMATE YOU INSTANTLY! YOU MUST FACE YOUR DEATH WITH COURAGE, HUMAN!"

"it was nice meeting you," Sans added, smirking.

Auvie carefully considered the trap before her. This was definitely more hazardous than the electricity maze from the other dimension. She might have been willing to go through the gauntlet the normal way if it had been easier, but she would probably die if she attempted that here. Better not risk it, she thought.

Papyrus wore a sneer. "TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED TO, HUMAN. THE DECISION TO DIE IS NOT-"

"Done."

Surprised, Papyrus and Sans searched around before they saw her standing near the exit to the rest of the woods.

Oh, god, their faces were glorious. Auvie had a really hard time suppressing the urge to laugh at their utterly bewildered expressions. Even Sans, who just a few moments ago had been as smug as possible, looked like he had swallowed an entire lemon.

Auvie bit her lip in an attempt to disguise her amusement. "That was pretty tricky. What's the next one?"

Papyrus was the first to emerge from his stupor. "Y-YES! THE NEXT TRAP! YOU SURELY WON'T SURVIVE!" He ran ahead.

Auvie watched him go. You know, she thought, I might actually live through this.

"nice trick."

Auvie turned in the direction of the voice.

Sans was still there. He was wearing a bored expression, but there was something in his eyes that suggested otherwise. "where'd you pick up something like that? thought humans couldn't do magic."

"They can't," Auvie replied.

There was a long silence.

Finally, Sans's face twitched in agitation. "okay, don't tell me. don't know why I even asked." His malevolent grin returned. "point is, you can't keep doing it forever. you're gonna crack eventually. and I'm gonna enjoy it." He started walking away. "see ya."

She blinked and he was gone.

Yeah, we'll see, she thought. She shivered; her outfit wasn't doing a lot to protect her from the cold. She danced around a bit, steeled her nerves, then walked on into the woods. As she did so, she couldn't help but smile.

This might actually be fun.

xxx

xxx

Sans had to admit, he was mystified.

He had no idea who the hell this lady was or how she had accomplished what she did. He didn't know where she came from, he didn't know her name, and he didn't know how she knew theirs.

The way she had appeared and disappeared reminded him of his own powers, but it was different. The process was completely unrecognizable to him.

There were too many things he didn't know about her.

It pissed him off.

He looked over at her as she walked up to the hot chocolate vendor. She seemed to be shivering, which didn't surprise him. Her clothes were abysmal for this cold. A tank top, in the snow? He was impressed she'd made it this far, actually.

more like amused, he corrected himself.

The vendor spoke to her, and she reached into her pants pockets, searching for something.

Sans's grin widened.

A few moments later, she straightened up and shook her head. The hot chocolate vendor shrugged. She waved to him and walked away.

Well. Wasn't that convenient.

He looked down at his own steaming cup of hot cocoa. guess I can use this.

The thought filled him with a sadistic satisfaction.

She was coming this way.

"heya," he said as she walked up to him. "couldn't help but notice you trying to buy hot chocolate over there. what, you got no money?"

"Looks like it," she stated. She rubbed her shoulders.

"that's a shame," he replied. He took a long, luxurious swig from his cup, exaggerating his gulping noises at he did so. He finished, glancing at her face to see her reaction.

She looked mildly irritated, but not terribly surprised.

guess she's not a total idiot, Sans thought. He took another sip.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

He raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "beats me. can you?"

She ignored his comment. "Why is everyone like this? All the people I've met down here have acted really aggressive. What happened to make everyone act this way?"

what the fu- He nearly choked on the air laughing. "what made everyone this way? what made- how about years of fucking oppression by humans? seriously, the hell kind of question is that?"

"Well, yeah, but even this seems…" She shook her head. "Never mind. I guess that was a stupid question."

"yeah."

There was yet another silence.

Sans was getting tired of the silences. "maybe you're right, though," he said. "maybe we could be less aggressive." He looked at his cup, which still had some hot chocolate in it. "you know, I'm done with this. do you want it?"

Her eyebrows went up. "Really?"

"yeah, sure." He extended the cup out to her.

She lifted her hand, then hesitated.

Sans shook the cup. "c'mon. I'm not gonna hold it out forever."

Slowly, she reached out for it.

Her fingers touched the cup's surface. She almost had it-

He dropped the cup.

The chocolaty contents spilled out across the snow. Steam rose from where it fell. The snow melted to create a sweet, watery mess.

"oops," Sans said.

Her expression was pure ambrosia. That was the most withering glare he had ever seen. She was not amused.

It was incredible.

Sans shrugged, a snigger escaping from between his teeth. "you better get used to aggression, lady, because that's all you're getting down here. later." He turned around and walked away.

He tried not to think about how much her question bothered him.

It was about fifteen minutes before he reached the clearing where the next trap awaited.

Papyrus was waiting for him, tapping his belt.

Sans took his time making his way over. "sup."

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG, BROTHER?" Papyrus was irritated as always. "THE HUMAN COULD ARRIVE AT ANY SECOND!"

Sans grimaced. happy to see you too, bro. "yeah, I know. I was keeping an eye on her." He'd been trying to figure out her "disappearing trick", but she hadn't done it since the last trap. does she know I'm watching? nah, couldn't be. He shook his head. "she's on her way. should be here soon."

Papyrus glared into the distance. "SHE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN HERE FIVE MINUTES AGO! WHY IS SHE SO LATE? IS SHE WOUNDED?"

"not that I could tell. last time I saw her, she was still petting Lesser Dog. heard her say something about wanting to give both heads 'equal attention.'" Sans made a disgusted noise at the back of his lack-of-a-throat.

"LESSER DOG? BUT LESSER DOG NEVER ACCEPTS ATTENTION, ESPECIALLY NOT FROM OUTSIDERS." Papyrus's sockets narrowed. "THIS HUMAN IS CUNNING."

Sans wasn't sure he'd call it that, but whatever. "she's just lucky. she's not gonna last much longer."

The sound of feet attracted their attention. They looked up.

There she was. Wearing clothes that were terrible for the climate, walking up to a deadly trap designed to kill any human who came through, being watched by monsters who had every intent of destroying her.

She looked up at them, and smiled.

she's gotta be faking it, Sans thought. she's gotta be terrified. She'd been scared earlier, when Sans had first met her.

Had that fear gone away? Or had she just learned to hide it?

She gave no indication either way. "Hi. Is this the next trap?"

"YES." Papyrus gestured forward. "BEFORE YOU LIES THE…" He turned to Sans. "WHAT DID WE CALL THIS TRAP, SANS? I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME."

"the 'snaptrap,' or something stupid like that," Sans replied. He really wished he'd thought of a better name.

"RIGHT, THE SNAPTRAP." Papyrus returned his gaze to the human. "THIS TRAP IS MUCH MORE CHALLENGING THAN THE LAST ONE, HUMAN! FOR YOU SEE, IN ORDER TO PASS THIS TRIAL-"

wait. "pap, don't-"

"-YOU WILL NEED TO PRESS ONE OF THESE SWITCHES THAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU. HOWEVER, IF YOU PRESS THE WRONG SWITCH, YOU WILL RECEIVE A NASTY SURPRISE! CHOOSE CAREFULLY IF YOU WISH TO SUCCEED!" He paused. "WHICH YOU WON'T. BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO DIE."

Sans sighed. well, at least he didn't specify the surprise. That would have been really fucking stupid.

The human looked a bit concerned- good, Sans thought- as she looked over the switches. She bit their lip contemplatively.

she's screwed. A satisfied smirk settled on his face. even I don't know the right switch to solve the puzzle. mainly because I just take a shortcut past it. The smirk faded. though, come to think of it, she could probably just pull off the same trick she did earlier. but if she could… she'd have done it by now, wouldn't she?

Why wouldn't she?

The human still stood there, lost in thought. Finally, the human nodded, as if deciding upon something, and stooped down to the ground. She began to pick up snow.

what's she planning now? Sans looked over at Papyrus.

Papyrus seemed just as puzzled as Sans. "HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT IS THAT SNOW FOR?"

"I'm testing something." She was now bouncing the snow back and forth between her hands, slowly forming it into a ball. There was something weird about the way she was doing it; the air shimmered around the ball, and the snow never touched her gloved fingers. Once she had finished, she tossed the ball in the air once and threw it.

It smashed into the ground a couple of yards away from her.

The air was still.

A small wheeze exited Sans's mouth. He clamped his teeth together, shoulders shaking with laughter. wow. what a shot. What the hell was this lady doing?

The lady was equally unimpressed by her throw, judging by the expression on her face. She closed her eyes, inhaled, then bent down and started making another one.

"HUMAN, IF YOU WISH TO GIVE UP AND JUST LET US KILL YOU, THAT IS STILL AN OPTION." Papyrus crossed his arms. "DO NOT FEEL THE NEED TO HUMILIATE YOURSELF LIKE THIS."

She gave Papyrus a taste of that withering glare, then raised an eyebrow. "I'm not giving up." She eyed the switches as she continued to make the snowball.

A light bulb went off over Sans's head. oh, so THAT's what she's doing. Sans chuckled. this oughta be good. She was going to try to trigger the switches remotely. Smart idea. It wouldn't work, though; if he knew Papyrus at all, then he had some countermeasures installed for this very reason.

Except… Papyrus looked oddly stiff. His hands were clenched, and his jaw was set. His eyes also looked shifty, which was really impressive considering his eyeballs weren't visible.

don't tell me… Sans turned back towards the human.

She had finished making her second snowball. She squinted at the switches, angled her arm, and lobbed it.

It flew high through the air and landed with a splat on one of the middle switches.

Nothing happened.

"WELL, HUMAN," Papyrus said after a while, "I WILL IGNORE THE FACT THAT YOU JUST ATTEMPTED TO CHEAT MY-"

Suddenly, the switch compressed with a click, and the spikes behind the two brothers lowered.

This silence was the longest by far.

The human, trembling with suppressed laughter, was the first to break it. "So, I think you have a design flaw in your puzzle-"

Papyrus threw up his hands. "GAH! FORGET ABOUT IT! THE NEXT TRAP WILL BE YOUR DEMISE FOR CERTAIN!" He stomped off.

Belatedly, Sans realized that he had been laughing, as well. He covered his mouth with his hand. Seeing Papyrus so frustrated… Sans had to admit, it was pretty funny. He swallowed a gulp of air to steady himself, then turned to face the human.

She was standing a few feet away from him, looking at him.

He hadn't seen her walk up to him. His face started to sweat. "what?"

The human quickly looked away. "I dunno."

Sans stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "I'll be honest, that was pretty funny. I didn't expect to see pap taken off-guard like that. doesn't happen very often."

The human wore a small, sheepish smile. "Yeah. I almost felt a little bad, not going through the puzzle as I was supposed to."

"you felt bad?" Sans snorted derisively. "why? you're still alive."

"Not about that part. It just seemed like he put a lot of time and energy into it." The human glanced back at the puzzle.

Sans stared at her for a second. wow. this lady. He grinned in a way that he hoped was ominous. "well, he's not gonna be disappointed for much longer. you survived on a fluke." He started walking away. "It's only a matter of time before you fail."

He took a shortcut to a nearby vantage point. He glanced back at the clearing, scoping out her reaction.

She just stood there for a few moments. Then she adjusted her hat and kept moving.

still not deterred, huh? well, that's fine.

It just meant that he'd get to watch her die.

Twenty minutes had passed, and Sans's amusement had turned into frustration.

The human had gotten through every obstacle so far.

She'd gotten past all of the traps, all of the barriers, and nearly all of the sentries in one piece. She'd used her "trick" to get past some of them, which would've made Sans feel better if it weren't for the fact that he still had no idea how she did it. He'd seen it multiple times, and he just couldn't get it.

this human's wearing out her welcome. Sans gritted his teeth and took a shortcut to the rock bridge.

Papyrus was tapping his foot. This time, however, his face wore an expression of unease.

guess the human's been getting to him, too. "something wrong, bro? you look rattled." He braced himself for the usual backlash.

To his surprise, however, Papyrus ignored his pun. "SANS, I'M… CONCERNED. THIS HUMAN HAS SUCCESSFULLY AVOIDED DEATH AT THE HANDS OF MY TRAPS. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT THE INVASION FORCE MUST BE LIKE IF THIS IS JUST THEIR SCOUT."

Oh, right. He still thought that the humans were invading. "pretty sure there isn't an invasion force, pap. just her."

"IF THAT IS TRUE, THEN THAT'S A RELIEF." Papyrus face grew solemn. "STILL, EVEN JUST ONE HUMAN IS A HUGE PROBLEM."

Sans didn't know what to say to that. "yeah," he replied.

Papyrus tapped his chin thoughtfully. "YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING HER, HAVEN'T YOU, SANS? HOW DOES SHE DO IT? THAT TRICK. IT LOOKS SIMILAR TO YOUR MAGIC."

"beats me." He ground his teeth together. "I can't figure it out, no matter how many times I watch it happen."

Papyrus seemed disturbed by this. He was quiet for a while. When he spoke again, it was in a lower voice – a lower voice for Papyrus, anyway. "WHAT IF SHE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES THE GAUNTLET, BROTHER? WHAT SHALL WE DO THEN?"

yeah, well, maybe you should have thought of that earlier, before you agreed to show her our defenses. Sans didn't voice his thoughts. "relax, bro. this last trap is pretty much foolproof, even with her ability." well, not foolproof, but…

Papyrus didn't seem comforted by this.

Sans tried a slightly different tack. "besides, she said to me earlier that she regretted not going through your other puzzle the way she was meant to."

Papyrus looked astonished. "SHE DID?"

Sans cracked a wide grin. "yup. we can take advantage of that guilt, and her confidence." she might not fall for it, but it's worth a shot. "and even if none of that works, we can just kill her. that's never stopped being an option."

Papyrus mulled over these words. When he spoke, it was with finality. "IF IT COMES TO THAT, THEN I WILL GLADLY FIGHT HER."

Sans nodded, closing his eyes. not much can get past pap. he's one tough skeleton.

"AT WHICH POINT, YOU MUST LEAVE, BROTHER."

Sans started. "huh?"

Papyrus stared straight ahead. "YOU ARE WEAK, SANS. YOU CANNOT ENGAGE HER. YOU MUST BE READY TO WARN THE VILLAGERS, JUST IN CASE."

oh, not this bullshit again. Sans scowled at his brother. "like hell."

Papyrus turned and gave him a mighty glare.

dammit. "okay, fine, but it won't matter anyway. she's not gonna get past you."

Papyrus returned his gaze to the bridge, where a blue shape was approaching.

The human stopped when she reached the edge of the bridge. "Hey."

right on cue. Sans briefly wondered if that was one of her abilities, too.

"HELLO, HUMAN." Papyrus's stance was rigid. "IT SEEMS WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE GAUNTLET."

"Really?" She looked down at the bridge. "What is it?"

"THIS TRAP," Papyrus responded, "IS CALLED 'THE CRUSHER.' "

The human looked at Papyrus expectantly.

Papyrus merely smirked. "THAT'S ALL I SHALL TELL YOU. THE REST IS FOR YOU TO FIND OUT."

looks like paps learned his lesson from last time, Sans thought. that's good.

The human seemed unnerved by his words. She examined the bridge carefully, then looked back up at the two brothers.

"GO FORTH, HUMAN." Papyrus tilted his head ever so slightly. "I WOULD BE MOST DISAPPOINTED IF YOU DIDN'T AT LEAST ATTEMPT THIS… PUZZLE."

She frowned. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward. She waited.

Nothing happened.

She exhaled, and kept walking across the narrow walkway.

Still smiling, Papyrus pressed the first button on the remote in his hand.

The axes swung around from underneath the bridge. She started and began dodging them as well as she could. There were clearly a few times where she used her ability, but she seemed to make do without it, for the most part.

She had gotten past the axes.

Papyrus pressed the second button.

Now the saw blades were activated. They spun toward her. She managed to see them in time, and jumped over them.

that's two down, Sans thought.

Papyrus pressed the third button.

The spears shot up from the stone.

Sans remembered Papyrus telling him about how this last one was inspired by Undyne. He was very proud of it.

Still, the human seemed to dance around them. There were tiny ripples in the air where she pushed herself away from them.

she's doing well, Sans thought. she might make it. His sweating started. fuck. He wiped his skull with his sleeve. Stupid sweating problem. He was a skeleton, he shouldn't have to put up with this.

She was almost at the end of the spears. She hopped past the last one.

It shot up, catching her pants leg.

She tripped.

Sans's sockets widened.

She was teetering on the edge of the bridge. For a few long moments, she was suspended there, caught between life and death.

He stopped breathing.

The air shimmered around her flailing arms. She pushed herself forward, regaining her footing.

Sans let out the air he had been holding. He wasn't sure whether he was disappointed or not.

Papyrus didn't seem at all affected by the incident. He was still staring straight ahead.

The human put her hands on her knees, catching her breath.

well, she did it, Sans thought.

She'd gotten through the entire Gauntlet.

Papyrus didn't move from where he was standing.

She straightened up and slowly walked forward, smiling. "Well, that was-"

Suddenly, there was a loud snap, and Sans barely caught a glimpse of the human's frightened face before she was slammed between two walls of spikes.

He flinched back.

holy fuck.

A set of whirrs and clicks sounded as various other weapons activated, penetrating through the stone walls and cementing her death.

Then the air filled with an unsettling quiet.

Sans stared in disbelief at the device. He hadn't known about that last one. when did pap add that? He looked over at his brother.

At first, Papyrus was completely motionless. Then, gradually, he relaxed, like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He turned to face Sans with a tentative smile.

Sans returned it, then looked back at the Crusher.

Wow.

It had been… so quick.

He could hardly believe it had happened.

The image of her frightened face flashed in his mind. He shuddered. well. add that to the list of things I need to forget. He had already accumulated plenty of memories to smother in the back of his skull; what was one more?

And yet, he couldn't really bring himself to look away.

Papyrus seemed to have the same issue. His eyes were stuck on the device, his mouth frowning.

They both stared at it in silence.

Sans couldn't bear looking at it anymore. we need to tell the villagers, or something. He hated being the one who had to run errands, but he'd do it if he had to.

"As I was saying…"

The voice sent a tremor through his entire body.

No.

It was impossible.

Sans whirled around.

Standing right there, just a short distance away, was the human. Her scarf was tattered, her hat had a hole in it, and there were red pinpricks on her arms; other than that, however, she seemed no worse for wear.

"…that was pretty tricky," she finished.

Sans just gaped at her. she should be dead. I saw her die. He closed his eyes. No, he was an idiot. She had gotten away at the last second due to her ability. of course she did. why wouldn't she? He'd thought she didn't have time to get away, but obviously, she'd managed it.

Papyrus, on the other hand, seemed absolutely flabbergasted. He kept sputtering. "HOW- YOU- BUT-"

She just stood there, shit-eating grin plastered on her face, acting like she had just performed the world's greatest magic trick.

Sans half expected her to bow.

wow. He clenched his fists, chuckling. she really got us, didn't she. she made us look like total boneheads.

He could feel the power building behind his left eye.

I can't wait to beat the shit out of her.

"Was that the last one?" She picked up a handful of snow, pressing it to her right shoulder. She winced. "If so, I have to get going. Your trap kind of got me."

Papyrus's hands fell to his sides. "…YES. THAT WAS THE LAST SECTION. YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THE GAUNTLET."

Sans shot Papyrus a look.

The human smiled, clearly relieved. "Great. Well, it was nice meeting you two. Guess I'll see you later." She began to walk away.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

With a jolt, the human was yanked backwards onto the snowy ground. Her entire body was enveloped in a red glow.

Papyrus strode over to her. "BEFORE, I SAID THAT I WOULD SHOW YOU OUR DEFENSES. I NEVER SAID THAT I WOULD LET YOU LIVE IF YOU GOT PAST THEM."

The human wasn't moving. Her eyes were wide.

oh. Sans's was filled with a cruel glee. things are going to get interesting.

Papyrus turned his face upwards to look at Sans. "BROTHER. LEAVE."

The smile left his face. dammit. "bro-"

"NOW."

Sans glowered. "I'm going." He walked a short distance away, glancing back at his brother.

Papyrus had returned his attention to the human. He had his arm raised, bones emerging from the ground around him.

Sans took the opportunity to teleport just out of sight to a place where he could watch. there's no chance in hell that I'm missing this.

The bones floated above Papyrus's head. "YOU WERE A WORTHY ADVERSARY, HUMAN." His gaze was steely. "GOODBYE."

The human wasn't even attempting to struggle.

Papyrus threw his arm down.

The bones pierced empty air.

Papyrus quickly stood up and scanned his surroundings.

The human was on her feet. She was holding that glowing sword from earlier, the one that Sans had initially seen her with.

There was an expression on her face that was unlike any of the others.

The air felt chillier.

Sans was suddenly afraid.

The sweating and shaking started up. damn. it. Sans buried his face into the fur lining his hood and tried to make himself still. Papyrus would be fine. He was a very skilled fighter. And even if the human somehow defeated him, Sans would step in and take care of things.

Nothing would happen to either of them.

xxx

xxx

Auvie wasn't really looking forward to this fight.

She had been wandering around a frozen forest for at least an hour, avoiding traps and enemy attacks. If she hadn't found that licorice lollipop earlier, she would probably be dead now.

She was in no place to duel with Papyrus- or anyone, for that matter.

But I'll be damned if I don't give it my best attempt, she thought.

Quite literally, in this case.

She held her sword at the ready.

Papyrus eyed her blade. "I SEE THAT YOU ARE BETTER EQUIPPED THAN I THOUGHT."

Auvie didn't say anything.

Papyrus was silent for a moment. Then, in a flash, bones were flying.

Reflexively, Auvie crossed over.

The gray space was quiet. She could hear muffled sounds from the other side of the fabric from whence she came. She traveled to Papyrus's approximate location.

As if breaking the surface of a pond, she reemerged and brought her blade down.

The energy from the swing sent snow flying up into Papyrus's face. He stumbled back, wiping it away.

Auvie remembered what happened when she first met the original Papyrus and Sans. She smiled.

Papyrus glared at Auvie.

Uh oh.

She barely managed to jump back before rows and rows of bones jutted out of the ground.

One of them grazed her shin.

It hurt like hell.

She winced and staggered to the side. Thinking quickly, she swung her blade diagonally.

A wavelike-ripple was sent from her blade, deflecting the bones away.

She took a few seconds to test out her leg. It still worked fine. That attack hurt a lot more than the other Papyrus's. It had felt like her leg was on fire.

This Papyrus wasn't to be taken lightly, it seemed.

Auvie looked up just in time to see Papyrus launch another attack. She quickly got out of the way.

The fight continued.

As they fought, Auvie noticed that she was finding it easier and easier to sidestep his attacks. Have I memorized his attack patterns? She evaded a passing bone.

Each time she dodged, Papyrus seemed to grow more and more angry.

Right now, he looked angrier than ever. He sent out a flurry of bones that brightly gleamed.

Auvie found it easy to avoid them. No, that's not it, she realized. This Papyrus has more powerful attacks, but he has less control. In addition, he was wearing out very quickly; it looked like he couldn't keep up his aggressive behavior.

Papyrus was furious. He sent out another flurry of bones.

Auvie didn't have to go anywhere; the bones missed her by a long shot.

Papyrus stomped his foot. "STOP EVADING MY ATTACKS LIKE A COWARD AND FACE ME, HUMAN!"

Auvie smiled darkly. "Okay." She charged straight for him, weaving in and out of the fabric as she did so.

Papyrus stood, waiting for her attack.

She kept running.

At the last second, he brought up a wall of bones in front of him. Spines extended along the length of them.

Auvie skipped through the fabric to his right side and swung her blade at him.

He turned to counter her, but it was too late. The force from the blow sent him flying. He landed upside down in a pile of snow, legs twitching.

She stared after him for a moment, waiting for him to spring up from the snow.

He didn't.

That was it?

Auvie snorted. That had been easy. She couldn't count on one hand the times that Papyrus had beaten her through sheer technique alone. This Papyrus was nowhere near that level.

She didn't know why she had been so afraid.

"you piece of fucking shit."

Auvie was slammed into the ground. She twisted through the fabric and held her sword in front of her, scouring the landscape for her assailant.

Sans was back. His left eye shined a steady red.

She rubbed her arm, still sore from the traps. That had hurt.

He only winked at her. "hurting? good." He shot his bone attacks at her.

Auvie twirled her blade, deflecting the bones to each side of her. She really didn't have the time and energy for this. She was done fighting. How can I end this battle quickly?

Then she remembered.

When you're trying to end a fight quickly…

She reached out her hand and pulled on the fabric hard.

Sans lazily waved his hand, and another wave of bones came towards her. He didn't look like he was trying to defeat her; he seemed curious about what she was doing.

He's in for a surprise. She blocked them and kept pulling. She backed up until she could feel the tension behind her. Her whole body felt strained. There's a reason I never use this attack.

The red energy surrounded her, trying to drag her down.

She held her ground.

Then, all of a sudden, she let go.

The red magic vanished, swept up in the energy release behind her. She faced her blade outwards as she rushed toward Sans.

Sans smirked, and disappeared.

But she had accounted for that.

She quickly located the spot he had teleported to and transferred herself through the fabric.

He barely had time to register his shock before she crashed into him.

They plowed through the snow, sending it streaming out from behind them. There were no rocks in their path, thankfully, but it was still a bumpy ride.

They came to a halt.

When you want to end a battle quickly, try using your strongest attack first.

Auvie had followed his advice.

Silently, she pressed the blade to Sans neck.

At first, there was no response from him; his eyes were wide with shock.

Then he started shaking. He quivered like a leaf; his face turned red.

Auvie recoiled in surprise.

His head ducked into his jacket. Sweat crawled down his face like bugs.

I… hope I didn't hurt him. She slowly stood up, then extended a hand out to him. "Are… you-"

He feebly smacked her hand away, retreating further into his jacket.

Okay, I guess he doesn't want any help. She glanced over at Papyrus.

Papyrus burst out of the snow pile that he had been stuck in. He moved towards Auvie with an unsteady gait. He raised his hand, trying to summon one of his attacks, only for his hand to fall limply to his side. He swayed, appearing on the verge of falling over.

Wow. Guess I really did a number on them. She awkwardly waved to them, then turned to leave.

Something stopped her.

Words rose to her tongue.

I really shouldn't do this.

But she was going to do it anyway.

She turned back around.

"You know," she said. "I've fought your alternate selves multiple times."

Papyrus gave her a look of exhausted incredulity.

She could see Sans's skull slightly peeking out from under his hood.

"They were some of the nicest people I ever met," she continued. "They were thoughtful, caring, and charming." She paused. "They could also hand my ass to me any day of the week. Wanna know why?"

Neither of them responded.

She hadn't really expected them to.

"It was because they knew the importance of restraint." She turned away. "Bye."

She didn't see either of their reactions to what she had said. She heard the sound of shifting snow behind her. She was pretty sure that both of them were too spent to attempt a counter attack. She didn't want to risk it, though; she quickened her pace.

Something occurred to her as she walked. I have no idea where to go now. She could go to Snowdin, for food and supplies, but she had a feeling that the locals wouldn't be too friendly to her. Plus, she doubted that the "skelebros" would be too happy about their defeat, and if she stopped in Snowdin, they probably wouldn't be far behind.

She needed to find a place with less people.

Come to think of it, every area so far has had roughly the same layout and population as the other dimension.

That narrowed her best choice down to one location.

She set a course for Waterfall.