Confidence Defeated: An Undertale Short Story

Half The Truth

It was another snowy day in Snowdin, of course, and Sans was getting tired of it. Of all the days he actually decides to start working outside, it had to be the day when it snowed.

"I don't ever know how you'll be able to stand this cold, Sans." Undyne muttered, her arms held close together as a way to warm up.

"Honestly I find this weather pretty ice." Sans laughed as he made the pun, which caused a smile and laugh from the human child.

"Always with the puns, Sans"! Undyne yelled, slightly frustrated.

"Aww, Undyne, just chill out for a moment." The human started laughing even harder, their bubbly laugh contagious to the other monsters.

"Sans, I swear I will cut you down right now."

"Undyne, that's snow way to ask me to stop." Sans turned around to wink at the human, but found that they were already a few yards ahead of the two, standing completely still. "Kid?"

Sans and Undyne approached the human and found that they had now kneeled on the ground, hands over their face and sobbing.

"Kid, whats the matter?"Sans kneeled down to their level. All he got as a response was a finger pointing ahead. Sans followed the trace and felt his face grow as pale as it could become.

Laying on the ground, brighter than ever before, was a tattered red scarf.

"Gu-" Undyne started, but she stopped, most likely catching eye of the scarf.

Slowly, as if not being able to believe it, Sans walked ahead and reached down to the ground, picking up the scarf. There was no doubt now that he held it in his hand; the scarf had belonged to Papyrus. It wasn't covered in dust or near in a pile, but the winds were strong today and Sans made sure not to rule out the idea that Papyrus was dead.

It's okay. He's out there somewhere. Sans repeated those words inside his head, but then suddenly he was interrupted as the human let out a small yell. Looking around, the only thing in sight was a small, yellow flower. It had a mad grin on it's face.

"Howdy! So, you're Papyrus's family, huh? I didn't think the human would be here." The flower glared at the human, causing Sans to step backwards protectively.

"I'll ask you once, and only once. Where. Is. My. Brother?"

Sans felt his left eye start to glow blue, something it often did when he was mad about something.

"Oh, that idiot?" Sans tensed as the flower used that way to describe Papyrus. "Easy. He fell for my tricks."

The human let out a choked-up gasp, and looked down.

*Flowey, please don't tell me you killed him

The human's voice was barely audible, but it was enough for the three to hear.

"Oh, it's not my place to clorophyll you in on whether hes alive or not. In fact, I don't even think he'd want to see you all after what that one-" A leaf extended from the flowers stem, pointing at Undyne. "said about him. You're such a dream crusher, you know? Never letting Papyrus in the Royal Guard? At least keep it to yourself."

Before they could do anything about it, the flower had burrowed its way back underground.

"You didn't answer any of our questions, you stupid plant!" Undyne yelled. "Come back here before I find you myself!"

"Undyne." Sans asked, his voice unusually calm.

"Yeah?" She responded, slightly confused.

"When did you tell Papyrus that you would never let him become a Royal Guardsmen?" He asked, his eyes growing dark. The shock caused Undyne to take a step back.

"I never told him! I told the kid here that but.." Undyne stopped, making a strange face of shock. "I never closed the window. He must have heard all of that. Sans, this is all my fault. I am so sorr-"

"You're right it is!" Sans yelled, his eye erupting into blue flames. "Papyrus works harder than anyone in the whole Underground! Everything he's done, all the skill he's shown and you never had any intention of ever letting him in?!" He held his hand straight out, surrounding Undyne with a blue telekinesis.

"Sans, you know your brother better than anyone else, and that means you know he'd die fighting before he killed anyone to save anyone! How could I let such an innocent person get put into such a dangerous line of work?"

"Undyne, I don't care how unqualified my brother is. All you need to know is that he was willing to do anything to join the Royal Guard, if that wasn't apparent enough! You could at least have given him a formal tryout!" Sans rose his hand and then quickly slammed it down, knocking Undyne into the ground.

Undyne pulled herself up. "So you wanna fight? Well, you'll have to try a little harder than THAT." She rose her hand in retaliation, sending spears flying at Sans.

Quickly, he took a shortcut and landed behind Undyne, raising a few blue bones through her chest. "Say one more thing about Papyrus. I dare you."

Undyne opened her mouth, but a different voice came out.

*STOP!

The human held their hand out in front of Sans's face, a look of disapproval on their face.

*If there's any time to not be fighting, it's now. Flowey lies a lot. I know that from personal experience. Theres no way he would have killed Papyrus, not after what you told me at Grillby's a few days back, Sans. I have a feeling Flowey was the echo flower you were talking about. If everything you said was true, then its likely Flowey is going to use Papyrus to his advantage. So he needs us. And fighting isn't the way to do it.

Sans looked down at the ground, lowering his attack. "The kid's right."

Without another word, Sans wrapped the scarf around his neck. He turned around, a strange feeling, one of DETERMINATION, rising in his chest. "Let's get going. If what the kid says is right, then I'm not letting Paps suffer any longer than he needs to."

Sans didn't turn around, but he heard footsteps crunching in the snow behind him.

They'd find Papyrus.

They had to.

Right?

1,000 words is long for part of a short story, right? I made a few miscalculations, so last part will probably be Friday or Saturday instead of Wednesday like I had earlier said. This is the last part tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow!