The Joy of Creation (an Ink Sans Story)

5) A Misunderstanding

        There was nothing but black. I was floating in a dark, endless sea much like the white void I first appeared in. Staring upwards while negative gravity carried me, I felt empty and numb, not able to move. It felt like I was torn away from my body and thrown into an endless rest, not able to pass on, but in purgatory. Though, that would be impossible. I have no soul and, for that, I cannot pass on as a spirit of any form. It's a sad thought to know... That once I fall, it will be like I never existed... Once my creator forgets about me, I'll only have the smallest chance of surviving and living on.

But am I alive...? Is this what it's like not to exist, trapped in a black void for eternity? I tried to feel for anything and take in a breath of warm air. Curling my phalanges, I feel a soft fabric and weight comes back to my body. In fact, I was not floating, I was laying on something soft and warm. All my lost senses start rushing back to me and I could smell oil and grease along with the sound of a crackling fire. Opening my eyes, my blurred vision slowly clears and I could make out a ceiling fan, shiny and clean.

Blinking a few times, I sit up and take in more of my surroundings. I was laying up on a green couch, accompanied by a side table holding a lamp. There's a small coffee table and a big TV resting on a long self. The room seemed very homey and comforting with one sock laying on the floor. I feel my head, brushing my distal phalanges across something like cloth. I pull at it a bit but then yank my hand away once I feel a stabbing pain run through my skull. I grimace and remember the fight I had with that glitch. But he wasn't the one who gave me this injury...

I attempt to stand with no prevail, dizziness taking over me, causing me to plop back down on the plush cushions. It wasn't long after my attempt to escape the house, that I heard foot falls heading in my direction.From the kitchen doorway, stands swap Sans, only a few feet in front of me. He holds a platter with two tacos upon it. He beams with joy, so much I can feel it radiating off him. "OH! I'M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE AWAKE!" I cringe, his booming voice making my headache worse.

"HERE! I MADE YOU SOME TACOS AS AN APOLOGY FOR MY BROTHERS RECKLESSNESS! ENJOY AND FEEL BETTER!" swap Sans sets the plate on the coffee table in front of me and runs back to the kitchen with a skip in his step. After he disappears behind the corner, I return my attention to the tacos. They looked good and... Sparkly... But knowing swap Sans, Just like Undertale Papyrus, the food isn't completely edible. But..... It would help... I lift up a taco and bite into it. It wasn't that bad, just a weird aftertaste from the glitter. Regardless, I started to feel better, so that's good.

Though, thinking about the past event with swap Papyrus makes me shutter. The fiery in his eye sockets and the anger radiating off him. I'm surprised he didn't kill me. If swap Sans weren't there... I close my eyes and sigh. ...Things could be a lot worse. More foot falls near me and I turn to the staircase to see swap Papyrus staring at me with his signature lazy but calm expression. "Hey bud. Sorry about your skull. Thought you were a threat, that's all.", he said, nonchalantly. Do I blame him for his behavior? No. Especially after what happened to his brother. I manage to smile through the thrumming pain in my skull and with all my remaining strength, I stand and face him.

"It's no big deal. I completely understand why you did what you did. I'd probably do the same if I were in your shoes." He eyes me for a moment before stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. He slouches, his shoulders sagging slightly more as his lazy gaze turns to the kitchen. "My bro means the world to me. He's the only thing I have. If anything were to happen to him, I don't know what I'd do." I look at the floor as he finishes his sentence. "So.... You sure look an awfully like my bro. Who exactly are you?", he asks. If I had a heart, it would have stopped on a dime. What do I say? Oh, I'm Ink Sans, the maker and protector of the AUs. No, I can't let any AU know of my existence...

He raises a nonexistent brow at me as he waited for my response. "Uuuuummm... M-my name is Ink." Smooth... "Uh huh... Then tell me Ink... Why is it, that I see you watching us from afar every so often, observing us?" I expected no less from Papyrus. He's always paranoid, even though he looks to have no care in the world. I start to run out of ideas and take consideration into running. I slowly reach behind me to grab my brush only to grab air. "....?" I slowly glance back to see it's not there. I start to panic and look back at Papyrus, adrenaline rushing through me. "Where's my paintbrush?!", I yell.

Papyrus shrugs. "Dunno. Must have been left where I knocked you out." Thanks for the reminder... I hold a hand to my head at the thought of it. "HEY PAPY! YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE! I ASSUME YOU BOTH ARE HAVING A NICE CONVERSATION?" "Yeah bro. Of course... A nice conversation.", Papyrus glares darkly at me as he says his final sentence. "THAT'S GREAT!!!" Sans turns to me. "GLAD TO SEE YOUR FEELING BETTER! THE MAGNIFICENT SANS CAN ONLY PROVIDE THE BEST DISH FOR HEALAGE!" I chuckle at this. "Yeah, thanks again. But I really must get going..." "Oh...", His voice lowered momentarily, to my relief, but...

"Buuuuuuut... I'm missing something VERY important to me, and I think it's somewhere near the place we met. Maybe the magnificent Sans could assist me in finding it?" Right as I said that, the stars in Sans's eyes increased in size. "OF COURSE! THE MAGNIFICENT SANS WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP!" I grin at this, but Papyrus seemed to disapprove. Before Papyrus could say anything, however, Sans grabs my hand and drags me out the front door. "NO TIME TO WASTE! LET'S GO!" "Whoa! O-okay!" Sans dragged me all through Sunedout, some of the slushy snow left splashing into my shoes. Not long after, we were already in sunny forest.

Sans let go of my wrist and looks around, as did I. The place was still banged up with trees missing, but nothing too serious. We searched high and low, but my paintbrush was still nowhere to be seen. Chills craw up my spine and I turn hesitantly. "LoOkiNG fOr SOmeTHinG?" I see the glitch sitting in a tree, grinning grimly. In his right hand was my brush. "I HonEstLY dIdN'T exPeCT yOu To sURviVe. WhEn i Saw yOu FaLL, I thOugHT yoU dIED. buuUUt sAdlY...", he trails off as if in deep thought. I unconsciously let out a low growl and he glances to me with interest. "WeLl I dOn'T thInK you'LL be needInG thIS, sO..." My eyes widen as his grip on my brush tightens, "Tootles." I see a white mass appear behind him. "EnJOy yoUR sTAy, gLiTCh." Just as I run towards him, he jumps backwards into the glitching mass and disappears. I stop, sliding a bit and stare in the glitches previous perch. I hear someone who I assumed was Sans, but I could care less at the moment. That glitch has my only way of transportation....... I'm trapped...