Epilogue:

Sans stepped out of the front door of the house that was no longer sitting in Snowdin. It was on the surface, now, within walking distance of ''home, short for New New Home. The King never had gotten any better at naming things.

It was still kind of funny to take notice of things like the weather. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, much like it had been on their first morning of freedom, exactly one year ago to date.

A year that was filled with hope, and healing, and bittersweet memories. He sighed. Not here… not now.

There wasn't even anyone around to notice the joke, but he started walking in the wrong direction as he activated the 'shortcut' anyway. Seconds later, he was standing on the outlook again. The view wasn't quite as 'breathtaking' as it had that first day, but that was natural. They were free, and used to things like the stars, sky, and sun. Just not too used to them, because anything that they hadn't had Underground was a reminder of how lucky they were.

Even if there had been some bumps along the way.

He sighed, and sat down; leaning up against the memorial they'd built for Papyrus, not bothering to glance at it. He spoke softly. *hey, bro. the others will be here soon. i just wanted to beat the crowd.

Even if life on the surface hadn't been everything everyone had always imagined, a lot of dreams had come true. The monument he was leaning against was proof of that; proudly naming Papyrus the greatest member of the royal guards… at all the royal guards' insistence, no less. Sure, the royal guard had technically been disbanded before Papyrus became an official member, but that little detail hadn't bothered anyone after everything he'd done and risked, and… lost, to save them.

Some days he just missed that never tiring energy so much, it felt like he'd never be able to get out of bed again. But he did. And he smiled about it, for Papyrus. And, as he'd learned Underground… smiling helped. Some days it helped more than others, but it always helped.

Other dreams had come true, too. Toriel had her school, and she loved it even more than she'd ever imagined she would. They still loved their knock knock jokes, but swapping puns face to face was nice, too.

Frisk was still living with her, of course, and the kid was doing just fine without resets. Despite everything, it had been almost too easy to forgive Frisk. From time to time, he'd search himself, still expecting to discover some deep buried resentment, but it just wasn't there. The past was in the past, and it was clear just how much Frisk cared for all of them. All the monsters loved the kid right back, and he was no exception.

Flowey was... himself again. But he was trying.

Asgore had taken on a role that was more 'leader' than 'king', even though the monsters hadn't dropped the title. He and Tori were still working things out, but he'd won her forgiveness, and was slowly starting to earn her trust again, just as long as he was careful to avoid mentioning getting back together. It was still too soon for her to think about anything like that.

Alphys hadn't gotten her job back as the royal scientist. They hadn't really needed a royal scientist anymore anyway. She'd kept herself busy, engineering ways to tap into the core to bring their energy to the surface with them, at first. These days she worked mostly with machines, and she was much happier for it.

Grillby had reopened on the surface. Sans had offered to move the old place like he had the house, but Grillby had declined, and taken the opportunity to expand a bit. He hadn't changed it too much, though, so the new Grillby's still had that comfortingly familiar atmosphere.

Undyne was the same as ever, royal guard, or no. She was more of a police officer now days, or, as he liked to call her, (much to her annoyance) a peace officer. Every time she accused him of punning, he just grinned, and reminded her that it was actually a more accurate job description.

He'd been doing just great with the whole 'changing without changing' thing. An occasional nightmare still got him from time to time, but he was healing, the same as any of… well, almost any of them.

Because then there was Papyrus. No one had cared about some of the effects of the DT. While his bro hadn't exactly been ecstatic about the way his bones looked like they were melting in place, he hadn't let it get him down. At first, they'd had high hopes that there would be no other side effects, but of course there had been more. Even after Papyrus had 'recovered' there would be times when his strength would just… not even drain away… It was more like all his energy would just, flush out of him. Sans had done what he could to help, but it was hard on both of them, and they always had that grim knowledge in the back of their minds that each time could be the last.

Even though Alphys no longer worried about the levels fluctuating, it kept them aware. Refused to let them take the good things in life for granted, maybe a little more than the others.

*hard to believe so much time has passed…

He shifted his weight against the monument, and turned his head to get a better look at his brother beside him, who hadn't moved since he'd arrived.

It was a full moment before Papyrus pulled himself out of his daze, first with a slow blink, and then he sat up a little. "OH… SORRY, SANS… YOU SAID SOMETHING, BEFORE, TOO, DIDN'T YOU?"

He chuckled softly. *doesn't matter.

Paps voice went from apologetic to indignant. "OF COURSE IT MATTERS! I WAS NOT IGNORING YOU ON PURPOSE!"

His bro was just tired. No way he was gonna make him admit that out loud. *the others are on their way, and i was saying how crazy it is that's it's been a whole year.

"OH… YES.. HARD TO BELIEVE IT'S BEEN THAT LONG, ISN'T IT?"

Papyrus scooted closer to him, and hugged him around the shoulders. He didn't want to ask, but… that had been quite a laps just now, and he had to know. *so… you feelin' alright?

"YES. I MADE IT UP IN JUST THE ONE GO THIS TIME. THAT'S A MARKED IMPROVEMENT."

*sounds like you're reached the last 'leg' of your recovery, bro.

Papyrus made a halfhearted scoffing noise in the back of his throat.

Yeah, it was hard seeing him like this… barely able to stand up when he should have the energy to do the somersaults he probably felt like doing.

Why anyone would WANT to do somersaults after climbing a mountain was beyond Sans, but if Paps wanted to, it seemed like he ought to be able to.

He felt caught in the middle, sometimes. Because Papyrus was still, in his current condition, going above and beyond, each and every day. So maybe that was just doing laundry on some days. Papyrus still did it, even if it took every ounce of strength he had.

Meanwhile, he was forced to stand helplessly on the sidelines; motivated to get off his lazy butt and help, but knowing how much it grated on Pap's nerves when he was struggling to do things that didn't even make Sans break a sweat.

So he helped where he could, in ways that weren't too obvious, or better yet, when Papyrus was asleep. He never seemed to notice the extra things that had gotten done while he was sleeping. Once or twice he'd commented that he hadn't even remembered doing them, though, and that alone was enough for Sans to keep up the practice.

Maybe Papyrus knew as well as he did what was going on, but the important thing was, it let him help without rubbing it in Papyrus's face that he needed to.

And Papyrus really was gaining ground all the time. Alphys insisted that he'd never be back to normal, but she just didn't know his bro as well as he did. If ANYONE could swing back from something like that with a full recovery, it was Papyrus.

"WHEN DID YOU SAY THE OTHERS WERE COMING?"

*soon.

"OH."

On the other hand, sitting like this had become normal. At first, Papyrus had fidgeted a lot, unable to wrap his mind around that fact that he was lounging on the couch in the middle of the day like a Sans. But it wasn't as hard for him as watching Sans do more chores than he was able. He wasn't sure why…

Maybe he was able to convince himself that this was just what bro time looked like now. Maybe he considered it some sort of favor to Sans, to repay him for 'rising' to his new role. Or maybe it was just the lazy energy he tended to give off. Maybe it made it fine, and necessary, and even a bit nice, to just relax because his energy was gone, and his lazy brother loved to relax.

"YOU DIDN'T CHANGE MUCH."

*huh?

Papyrus stretched a little, getting back some of the energy he'd used up climbing the mountain. "IN THE LAST YEAR. YOU'VE CHANGED A LITTLE, BUT NOT MUCH."

It was hard to tell from his tone of voice what he meant by that. It was just so, matter of fact. Papyrus yawned. "I'M GLAD."

…

PAPYRUS'S POV

…

Sans chuckled, sliding over another inch closer to him. *i've been thinking the same thing about you.

He gave his brother a hopeful look that only had a little doubt left in it. "REALLY?"

*yeah. you might not have the energy ya used to, but, you're still the same ol', big hearted, never give up, super cool bro, that you've always been. i'm glad, too.

"THAT DESPITE EVERYTHING, IT'S STILL US?"

*heh… yeah. exactly. you get that from a greeting card or somethin'?

He shook his head. "NO… I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS CHARA LIKED TO MAKE NOTE OF. I DIDN'T GET A LOT OF THEIR THOUGHTS, BUT THAT ONE STOOD OUT, FOR SOME REASON. AT FIRST BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE A SILLY THING TO SAY. I KEPT THINKING ABOUT IT, WONDERING IF IT WAS A PUN OR SOMETHING, BUT THAT WASN'T IT."

*no?

He stood up, slowly, but surely, and, while he wasn't doing somersaults, it was reassuring to at least walk in circles. "NO. AND THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, THE MORE I REALIZED THAT IT MIGHT BE MORE OF A PUZZLE THAN A PUN. BECAUSE AT FIRST, IT SEEMS SO OBVIOUS. OF COURSE IT'S STILL ME, RIGHT? I AM PAPYRUS. BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT IT WAS DEEPER THAN THAT. WE ALL WENT THROUGH THINGS THAT COULD HAVE CHANGED US, AND THEY DID, A LITTLE. BUT… IT'S STILL US."

*yeah… that's pretty deep alright. in fact…

He sighed, and crossed his arms, but he turned around with an affectionate smile, waiting to see how badly he was going to over react.

*it's so 'deep' you probably should have gone back underground to think about it.

Eh, that one wasn't nearly clever enough for the reaction he'd been planning. He did a half eye roll, instead, and nothing more. He took a step forward, coming to sit back down, then stopped, looking up.

Sans got to his feet lazily, and strolled over to stand beside him instead.

"IT'S REALLY A VERY GOOD LIKENESS."

The stone Papyrus was larger than life, holding a stone Frisk in his arms. *heh heh… i just hope they don't take you for 'granite'.

He gave that one a smirk, but then frowned as he studied the statue, keenly aware that they'd missed one key detail, and as much as he hated to complain about a statue built in his honor… he wished they'd included the thing that was more important than his 'battle body' or scarf, both of which were meticulously carved. "I STILL SAY THAT THERE'S SOMETHING MISSING. THE OTHERS INVOLVED GOT MENTIONED IN THE PLAQUE, BUT… STILL… IT'S NOT THAT ALL THE OTHERS DON'T DESERVE STATUES, TOO. IT'S JUST… EVEN WITH FRISK, HE… HE JUST LOOKS A LITTLE LONELY. THAT'S ALL."

*yeah… i know that's been buggin' ya.

Sans looked up at him, and grinned, pulling out a red marker. He walked up to a nearby boulder, and scribbled 'sans' with a great flourish, capping the marker, and nodding his own approval. *yep. you're right. that's MUCH better.

Sans stepped back, and he reached out to put his hand on his shoulder. "WELL… THAT IS A LITTLE BETTER. AND… PERHAPS EVEN FITTING."

*pffft, fitting? how?

"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS? I MAY HAVE SAVED THE UNDERGROUND, BUT SANS… YOU WERE MY "ROCK"!"

Neither of them reacted for a moment, just letting the gloriousness of the pun sweep over them. Sans lost it first, a deep, appreciative chuckle bubbling into something more joyful.

He joined in, pulling Sans closer into a side hug. For a moment, he wished he had the strength to pick him up, because the situation seemed to call for it. But this was nice, too.

Maybe it wasn't ideal, but they were making it work, and they'd continue to make it work, not matter what the next 'it' happened to be.

So maybe he got a little tired sometime. Maybe he hadn't recovered fully after a very long year. His brother and his friends had been there for him each and every step of the way, and he, in turn, had discovered that there were always ways to be helpful and productive, energy, or no.

Echos of happy laughs mingled with theirs, as, somewhere below them, their friends started the climb.

His brother turned, pulling on him just enough to get him to stoop low enough for Sans to hug him.

He returned the hug gladly. From the way Sans's grip tightened, he was considering what this moment would be like if the determination had done what they had all feared a year ago. He snuggled his older brother, letting the hug work its healing magic. "SANS… DON'T. NO WHAT IFS… ESPECIALLY ABOUT ANYTHING THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENED. RIGHT?"

Sans nodded. He didn't exactly need to calm down or anything, but his grip loosened into something more huggy, and less clingy. *yeah, i know. i just… i'm just really glad you're here.

He chuckled mirthfully at the way his brother could say something that touched him so deeply, using such simple words, in such a nonchalant way. But then, the words had been a sort of code for them over the past year. Joyfully when times were happiest, and comfortingly when they were… less happy.

He gave a happy sigh, because, really, what did abilities, or looks, or even greatness matter? In the end, it had been revealed to him that friendship was the most important thing. And he was surrounded by so much of it, he felt it even when he was alone. "I'M GLAD THAT I'M HERE, TOO."

A voice almost as loud as his yelled from behind them, "What?! Paps, I expected YOU to be here, but how'd you get ol' lazybones up this early?!"

He stood up, patting his brother on the shoulder. "SANS ACTUALLY GOT HIMSELF UP WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM ME. I'M AS SURPRISED AS YOU ARE!"

Sans shrugged. *eh. it's a special occasion. don't count on it becoming a regular thing.

He rolled his eyes at his grinning brother. "YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME DEVELOPING ANY SUCH EXPECTATIONS."

Sans shrugged in good humor, and accepted the dig as the light hearted jest that it was. They both knew Sans had to more chores and things around the house, and that, while Sans was still very much the same dependably lazy skeleton he'd always been, things were more like they used to be. His brother had more hope these days, and that made the twinges of regret easier when he had moments when he realized that there was just no way he'd accomplished all that had been done around the house.

And just the other day he'd woken up from another nap he hadn't meant to take, only to realize Sans was sweeping the kitchen floor. At that point, the fact his older brother was doing the chore didn't surprise him nearly as much as the way he was humming while he did it. Sans had dumped the dirt and crumbs, set the broom aside, clapped off his hands like that was sanitary enough, then stepped out of the kitchen, munching on some chips like nothing was out of the ordinary at all.

And he'd realized that… it wasn't. The only change in his brother was that he was motivated again. He was happy again. They all were.

He was losing focus on his surroundings again. Thankfully, Undyne and Sans were used to it by now. They'd started a light conversation with each other while glancing calmly at him every now and again.

As soon as he really took note of that, Undyne grinned at him. "How bout you? Are you as hyped for anime night as the rest of us?"

He nodded without too much enthusiasm. They all knew that he'd never been a very avid anime fan, and that the odds of him and Sans both falling asleep were… well, it was still a toss up which of them went out first.

"Papyrus!"

He stooped down and held his arms out as Frisk pretended to barrel into him. The human was actually being as gentle as they possibly could, even though there was no need. Frisk held him tightly before letting him go. It was just their standard greeting. Just a little reminder that they still believed in each other, and that they always would.

Sans ruffled Frisk's hair fondly, but he was watching for his "punny" friend, who didn't usually get far from the human child's side. As she appeared up the path, his brother grinned, and strolled over. Thankfully they were out of earshot. Those two really could get just a BIT insufferable with the puns.

Alphys and the king were the last up the hill. He didn't see Asgore as often as he did the others, but the king was as kindly a soul as ever, who always had a smile to offer. "Ah. Papyrus… how are you doing these days?"

"BETTER THAN EVER, KING ASGORE, SIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ASKING."

Sans turned and grinned like that was a pun… as'king', right… very funny…

As the king stepped over to look at the view with Undyne, Alphys paused for a second. The last year had been as kind to her as anyone. She had confidence in herself again, and she no longer carried around the weight of all that guilt. "Hi P-Papyrus. Still no sign of a c-cure. But I'm not giving up!"

He smiled before she could assure him, yet again, that it was hard for her to advance her research into it any, because he was such an isolated case, and remind him that they still knew so little about what had saved him, it was highly dangerous to even poke around too much. "THAT'S ALRIGHT. I REALLY WISH YOU WOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT IT SO MUCH. I'M FINE."

She smiled back. "Yeah, I know you are. B-but you're also my friend. It's no trouble at all." She walked over to join the other two.

More monsters were planning on making the journey up the mountain. More friends. Even a few humans had expressed an interest in visiting the historic site today. But somehow it seemed fitting that they meet here before the others. The same little group that had stepped out into the sunlight together last year. Mettaton was going to arrive just a bit later. He wasn't a morning person, anyway. As if that were an excuse, what with Sans over there chuckling away at puns.

A flash of yellow caught his eye. "OH. HELLO FLOWEY."

The little yellow flower that had just sprouted up near him gave a pleasant nod. "Hey."

Their little flower friend still preferred to be called Flowey to Asriel, because he claimed his wasn't Asriel anymore. That concept had been difficult for the former queen, Lady Toriel, to accept, but it hardly mattered to her. He lived with her and Frisk, and Frisk sometimes carried him around in a flowerpot. Mostly, though, he came and went as he pleased through the earth, the same as he always had.

Much like Frisk, the pain and grief Flowey had caused in the past resets had been forgiven. Soul or no soul, he was part of their little group, whether he liked it or not.

Most days, he pretended to be indifferent, but Papyrus preferred to think that the little flower felt more than he wanted to admit. He seemed happy. Or at the very least, content.

Even when he was trying not to show it. He sighed, and burrowed back into the ground, sprouting back up at a spot with a better view.

The puns had to be letting up by now, so he stood up. It was such a beautiful day to be alive, and surrounded by their closest friends. The future held uncertainty, but it also held so much hope, and promise and potential for good. It was just a matter of keeping the positives in mind, that was all.

He smiled down at Frisk and, together, they walked over to join the others.

A/N: And it's not really a 'the end' as much as it's a let's fade back, and leave them to their lives.

But, yeah… that wraps it up for this story! = ) Now I guess it's onto the next one… but more on that in a sec…

Wow… who'd have thought that a simple little one shot would stretch out for 33 chapters? Thanks so much everyone! Especially Agent B Tiger, who has not only been my beta reader, but also spent many, many conversations bouncing ideas back and forth with me, giving gentle nudges about scenes that were sloppily done, and how they could be better, and just plain being a great friend! (Have I mentioned yet that I'd never even heard of Undertale until she recommended it to me?) So I think it's safe to say that this story probably wouldn't exist without her, and I know it wouldn't be where it is today, so, yeah, super special thanks to you!

And of course thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, submitted an idea, followed, or favorited this story, either now or in the future. Your support, encouragement, and words of kindness mean so much to me!

Guest: I've seen those theory's too. When I played through the game, I was CONVINCED that it was Sans and Alphys, I mean, some of the lower case notes were just very… sanslike. But then one of them talked about how much they missed Mettaton, and I doubt that was Sans. Who know? (Toby… if you're reading this, a little help? haha) And nope! Just a little shout out to sixbones. The stakes were high enough, but I'm pretty happy where this ended up. I hope it satisfies? Haha, if not my writing, then Papyrus's positivity should help, at least! Thanks for being a great reviewer! = )

I guest as much: And thank you! It's been so much fun writing this, and you've been one of my most consistent reviewers, too. Thanks so much for that! = )

Random: Aw! Thank you so much! And yay! I'm glad you feel better! I hope this chapter didn't change any of that! Yes, Sans couldn't just sit by and not be willing to try ANYTHING to help, within reason or not. Thanks so much for reviewing! = )

Alright, since this is my last chapter, I'm just gonna go on for a little bit longer, and say that I've also been working on what was SUPPOSED to be my first full length Undertale story. This one is much more Sans centered, (most, if not all is in his pov) and much less game centered. It got pushed to the back burner because I had SO much I needed to work out, and that's where Agent B Tiger came to the rescue again! She's even more involved with this one, which is a trilogy now that's getting longer by the second. This one's more of a co-write. She's graciously giving me credit because I had the main idea and came up with the first OC's, but seriously, she's given me concept art, diagrams, floor plans, and we've spent HOURS at a time, talking theories, plots, writing scenes together, and just figuring out how it all works.

That being said… I still don't feel ready to post the first chapter, and it might be a while yet. So, if you liked Papyrustale, keep a lookout, because I am going to stay determined, and start posting it just as soon as I'm sure we've got all the kinks worked out.

I hope you're having a great Memorial Day, worthy of the Great Papyrus himself!

Thanks again, to all of you!