Waken (UT×MLP) [STC]

Soul

There were two chairs and a table.

Alphys grabbed one for herself and swept another underneath Sans, knowing full well he'd probably have forgotten how to grab things.

At least, she couldn't take chances.

Sans looked at Alphys, then looked around.

"So..." begun Alphys. "I-I've brought you here to answer a survey."

She gave Sans a glass of water to clear his throat, which he quickly drank.

Thankfully, it worked.

Sans sighed. "about what?"

Alphys shook her head. "U-Uh, I can't tell you that, i-it'd only confuse you if... y-you..."

She trailed off, before replying with an "It's to e-evaluate whether it's s-safe to tell y-you what h-happened. I-If you know too l-little a-about the subject, the information m-might damage you g-greatly..."

Sans tilted back on his chair slightly at the answer. He narrowed his eyebrows.

"N-No extra questions... I-I'll begin now." Alphys grabbed the papers. "Firstly, today is the 15th of August, 2021. What is the last date you remember before today?"

"my birthday, 27th of May, 2016..." Sans replied, with no second thought.

Alphys continued. "Secondly, what do you think you're d-doing here, in the Lab?"

Sans paused. "weren't you sending me to the..?" He thought for a bit. "the details are a bit fuzzy now, but yeah, i think i know why i'm here."

Alphys nodded. "Third question, w-what do you think happened f-for me to call y-you out here? B-Be... specific."

"something b-bad, like a-a problem with t-the core?" Sans sounded and looked unsure of himself, second-guessing his own words.

"Fourth question, why do you t-think you were i-in there?"

"amalgamate containment, perhaps? i was given DT, so i was probably contained in there, not to mention how i screamed at you like that. sorry al.
i just..." Sans fiddled with his fingers. "don't feel like i'm myself."

"Fifth and final question..." Alphys was worried about his reaction. She made full eye-contact. "...would you r-remember if you d-died?"

Sans stopped moving completely, his mouth moving in an attempt to form words.

She was right to be worried.

"al..?" His voice was distant and quiet.
"al, my head's r-ringing... i c-can't... remember w-when..."

"When... w-when what?"

He responded with a shaky mumble of "m-m-my sou..."

"H-Huh?"

Sans moved a hand over his chest several times, as if to pat something. "my... m-my..." Sans was trembling. "where's my soul?" His hand reached upwards to his head, his other hand following suit, both running down his face. He panicked, strings of no's leaking out of his mouth breathlessly. He felt his face rip open once more, rows of drooling teeth revealing themselves, each mouth screaming words over eachother, piling higher and higher like a wonky stack of bricks.

"what did you do to my soul, alphys?! my soul, my soul, what did you do to my soul, alphys? my head my soul my teeth my mouth breathing breathing breATHING SOULLL-"

Alphys tried to calm him down, each of his words more anguished than the last.

"WHY SOUL WAKE GONE BROKEN MIND HELP HELP GET HELP MIND GONE BROKEN BROKEN BROKEN-"

Not again, not now, she was so, so close!

Sans squirmed, a roaring mess in the seat.

He tried to flee, kicking her away, slapping her pinning hands, when Alphys grabbed him by the neck.

She squeezed it firmly, Sans wriggling in her grasp.

Choking him, sadly, was probably the only way he'd calm down. It would occupy him, being the only sign he even was a living thing at all at this point.

"STOP STOP STOP IT STOP HURTS BAD BAD BAD YOU'RE YOU DID THIS I'M BROKEN BROKEN BROKEN BROKEN-"

She winced. She really had messed up.

Sans' entire body shook unnaturally, jolting and jittering like a twitching corpse.

She tightened her grip.

Sans let out strangled gurgles, choking from the pressure. His flesh screeched with a burning hiss, mouths snapping closed with muffled cries as he slowly ran out of air.

The screaming faded into silent contemplation as the world blurred softly back into view, Alphys' purely terrified face coming into focus as he held his head, trying to stop whatever had happened from rushing back in.

"Y-You alright?"

Sans didn't respond. He only looked down at his hands, breathlessly.

Did he-

"Maybe it's best i-if you don't remember." Alphys said, cutting through his thoughts.

Alphys walked him back, shut the door, and Sans was on his own again.

Again.

...What just happened?