Dying Light of a Super Nova (UT Sans)
(You all can blame “Please Don't Go” by Joel Adams and “Dad's Song” by Set if Off for this one. Instead of part two of Chasing Comets, you get this. Warning: slightly graphic. There are tissues on the side table.)
The ringer that started blaring the male love theme from Mew Mew Kissy Cutie pulled you from the readings of the barrier you were poking around with. Grumbling in good humor about getting Alphys back for changing Sans' ring tone again, you fumbled for the phone. A quick glance at the tiny clock on the phone had you feeling guilty. Papyrus should have dinner on the table in about five minutes. You really needed AL to fix the alarm feature so you wouldn't end up missing dinner at home.
“Hey, sorry. I'm saving now then....”
“Birdie....” The breathlessness in Sans' voice stilled any further words you had. Sans had been having nightmares lately, about a human child covered in dust. He always sounded like this whenever he woke, so devastated that tore an aching hole in your soul.
“Sans, easy now. I'm here. Where are you? I'll stay on the line until I get to you but you have to...”
“No! Stay there. Are you at where the barrier and your ship are?” His tone was sharp and panicked. It set you on edge. After your little confession you had shown him where you had entered the underground. A small cavern with an even smaller tunnel was were you landed so very long ago. Your ship was just on the other side of the barrier. It was hard to see past the barrier but somehow your hand held tech still connected with your ship. You and Sans had been taking readings from the barrier for the last few years in the hopes that maybe it would help.
“Yes, Sans what is going on?” He was starting to frighten you. Sans never told you to stay in small spaces. In fact he hated it when you came to the cavern by yourself. Birdies should fly free not be buried. He'd said that so many times it was hard to remember that such a number was real.
“Just....just stay there. It's safe there, okay? I'll come get you in a little while.” Your feathers fluffed in shock. Sans never asked you to stay in the cavern and he never failed to give a numerical amount of time before he would be there.
“Sans... you're scaring me. What happened?” Your clutching at the phone so hard it was a little surprising the screen wasn't cracking.
“Just stay there, Birdie. Please. I'll be there soon.” The line disconnected before you try asking him again. Your heart was racing behind your ribs from the whole thing. Forgoing even saving the new data, you spun towards the tunnel. It took a few minutes to crawl your way to the other side. Your wings twitched and stretched once on the side. With a running jump you took to the air, gliding around the trees. It was hard flying around Snowdin but something in your soul was screaming at you that you needed the extra speed. Had somewhere in the underground suddenly become unstable?
You made it to the main path from the ruins to the town in short order; gliding along the open stretch of ground. There was no one out in the forest like there normally was at this time of day. The forest was so still and empty. It was wrong. Just as wrong as seeing Snowdin empty. Where was everyone?
Eventually you came a crossed someone. Papyrus was standing in the middle of the path, just past Snowdin. There was someone you didn't know standing a few yards in front of him. You'd never seen that monster before. It was hard to hear even Papyrus with all the wind around you as you started to circle pair but you were sure he had said the word human. So that was a human. Kinda small looking. Perhaps an adolescent? The scientist in you was carefully taking mental notes as you observed the pair. It was only because of your careful observation that you even saw the light off the knife.
You didn't think, just threw yourself into a dive as the human stepped even closer to Papyrus. None of the post war monsters knew how deceitful and cruel some people could be. But you did. It was constant even among the stars. People could be petty and vengeful; something this little human was very much appearing to be.
Instead of pulling up just a little to slow down, you tackled Papyrus; wrapping body and wings around him to cushion his fall. You were counting on the friction from the two of you sliding and the snow that would pile up around you to keep from falling off the cliff about a meter away. What you weren't counting on was the stinging bite of the knife across your back and loss of feeling in your lower half.
Pain blossomed in so many places you could only scream from it. How could something so small cause so much damage? There was no doubt that your spine was severed since you couldn't even twitch your foot. Your wing felt broken from how Papyrus had landed on it but you had planned for that. As long as he wasn't hurt it was worth it. Apparently Papyrus dd not agree.
“SNOWBIRD! OH NO, I LANDED ON YOUR WING.” He was quick to try and get off you, human seemingly forgotten for a moment. You could feel him shaking as he got up, hands trying to pull you up. The gasping groan of pain that escaped you nearly covered the crunch of snow. Behind Papyrus the human was coming closer; covered in, to your horrified realization, monster dust.
“Paps, run!” The strength you used to push him aside was perhaps more then he had thought you possessed at the moment because wonder of wonders he actually moved. Which meant you took the incoming knife to the chest instead of him. One hand came up out of reflex to dig your claws into the human's arm. They let go of the knife before they could pull it free, their blood dripping into the snow next to yours. It was a stunning contrast to yours. Their red to your blue.
“SNOWBIRD!” Papyrus' voice hit levels you hadn't thought he could reach.
“Ru-run...got get....Sans....” You gurgled out the words, the truth of matter sinking in fast. This was the end of your road. When Papyrus looked like he was going to stay, you glared, “GO!”
Your short seemed to startle him and he glanced at the human before doing as you said. There was no missing the tears in his eyes. The human started approaching again, going for the knife once more. Good. You fumbled to pull free a small white orb from your belt. It was suppose to be a defensive survival shield; build to keep just about anything out. But now, it was going to be this beasts prison. The shinning dome that surrounded you was not overly big; allowing passage on the rest of the path.
“Enjoy....your new....cell....beast...” You managed to hiss out before they ripped the knife from you.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sans came up the path slowly, unwilling to see what he knew would be there. How many times did this make it? How many times had he come up this path just to find his brother's scarf and dust? Stars, he wished this would end. A knocking sound pulled his sight off the path well before he normally came upon the objects he was looking for. There was the murder child slamming a broken half of the knife against something that shimmered with every hit. There was snow drifts all around the inside circumference of the shimmering dome. That was new. What could have changed the pattern?
He walked closer, a sneering grin starting to form on his face. Looked like the brat couldn't get out. Good. Maybe now things would go back to normal and no one would be dusted anymore. Whatever scathing comment he was going to spit out at them froze when he spotted the body. Your body lay broken and half buried under snow. He ignored the brat, bones rattling softly as he stumbled his way closer to your still form.
Oh stars, no. He'd been very careful to keep you out of all this as much as he could. It was bad enough that he'd seen Papyrus die several times already but this...
“B-birdie....?” he whispered, somehow kneeling in the snow now. Your empty eyes gazed up at him while he knelt there, soul twisting within him as he spied the stab wounds that littered your body. No, no, no, no, no. Why were you here? He told you to stay in that cavern where it was safe. Somewhere in that moment he started just repeating the word no. This was just as bad as finding Pap's scarf the first time. It took him far to long to notice that the knocking had stopped. He looked up, one eye going out while the other burst in a blaze of his magic; his rage and sorrow breaking free. First Papyrus and now his Songbird. The brat was going to die.
The murder child was just looking at him, eyes closed as they always were. Then something changed. They smiled, eyes opening slowly to reveal bright red orbs.
“Them too huh, comedian?” It suddenly felt like he was falling. The brat was using magic.
Sans jerked up, bones rattling loudly as a scream clawed it's way out of him. Normally he managed to keep from screaming after the brat rewound time, though you always woke anyway. There was no keeping this one hidden though. The brat knew now; knew just where to hit him. Stars, how long could he keep going like this?
“Sans....Sans!” He turned, magic blazing wildly in his eye as he looked at you. Perhaps he was a bit rough when he grabbed you but he hadn't meant it. You held him gently as he just clung to you, rattling even harder. He pressed his face against your shoulder, sobs taring their way out. His door opened and he could feel Papyrus come into the room; nervous energy coming to sit on the bed. You and Papyrus started talking lowly, while the younger brother pulled Sans and yourself close. Sans couldn't focus right on what you both were talking about; he could barely focus on just clinging to the two of you. Neither of you would remember come the next time loop but right now he just needed this. He was going to break this cycle, he had to. If only to get his brother and little Songbird out this mess.
