Fall of the Empire [ Sans x Reader ]

/15\

"I-I failed..." you murmured as the rift closed from behind you. The memories of Blueberry attempting to rip out your throat were too fresh. With a muffled cry, you sank to your knees, wishing more than anything to be back home with Sans, your Sans. It didn't matter if the entire multiverse was coming to an end, at least you would be with him.

"[Y-Y/N]?" You felt Ink squeeze your shoulder reassuringly as you sank to your knees, sobbing lightly. It was your fault, all of it had been. Even if Frisk - or whatever their name had been - could reset and start the timeline all over again, you had still ruined what had been a perfectly stable timeline. It was your fault. You had been the one to kill Gaster, to give him the power to become the multidimensional being he now was.

You lifted your shoulder, allowing his hand to drop. You didn't care if he was some version of Sans, they were all different in their own way. The one whom you had spent years with trapped in the lab was the one you felt you belonged with. The type of relationship that existed between the two of you - that was something that couldn't just be forged in a heartbeat with another person.

"I'm done with this," you murmured, not bothering to look at the hurt look in Ink's gaze. What did it matter anyway? How could you possibly manage to defeat Gaster if you could barely stop one of his twisted creations? "I think you've known from the start that I'm not strong enough to defeat Gaster." This time you were staring him straight in the eyes. "What was the point in any of this?! Was this some twisted joke of yours to show me that there really is no hope?!"

He opened his mouth as if to reply but was cut short as you continued on with your rant. "Sure, I killed him when he was mortal, but that was when he was weaker, confined to a physical body. But now he's everywhere," you shuddered involuntarily at the thought of how quickly Gaster had been able to take over Blueberry. Years of personality and dreams erased in a heartbeat.

"I wanted you..." Ink paused, choosing his words carefully. "I wanted you to see the danger that the multiverse is in, that there are lives at stake besides yours. You know now how truly powerful Gaster is and that there is no hope of you stopping him. However..." He was refusing to look at you now. "When you cast that spell, the one that damned Gaster to that fiery inferno, that is your true power, [Y/N]. Magic without words, it derives purely out of emotion...

"I guess what I'm trying to say is... we need another spell like that. One that goes beyond your thinking and simply does. Magic like that can stop Gaster once and for all." He shifted uncomfortably before continuing. "There is one option, however, I think you will find it most unpleasant."

"Frisk," you looked up. Things once unclear were coming together now, pieces of a puzzle finally fitting. "When I was in that universe with Blueberry, there was someone who looked just like me, identical even. That has something to do with the spell you're talking about? But wouldn't that be in the future? How could they possibly be there - "

You shook your head in frustration. "The laws of time don't apply to the multiverse. You could step into a world that's twenty years in the future just as you could in a universe that's millions of years in the past. The spell has already happened. I just have to keep things moving."

Ink nodded, his face solemn. "I-I..." Your voice was quiet now. "I want to see Sans one last time, before I do... whatever it is I have to do."

He said nothing and stepped to the side, revealing a lone rift. You couldn't help but smile to yourself. He was still in the same place you had left him, sleeping and completely unaware of how long you had been gone for. Only two minutes, you thought bitterly and stepped back into your world.

"Hiya kiddo," you smiled and rubbed his skull lightly. Sans stirred in his sleep and then awoke, looking at you angrily.

"What was that for [Y/N]?!" he protested, eyeing you in mock anger.

I just wanted to hear your voice one last time, you reflected sadly and then turned to face him. "Just messing with you," you forced a smile as he assumed his original resting spot. One day you'll have a house, a real nice house. And you won't have to sleep on the ground anymore.

And with that thought in mind, you could feel the same eerie calmness washing over you, the same emotion that had overcame you during your encounter with Gaster. You allowed your consciousness to simply meld with that of the multiverse, a cleanser devoted to eradicating the virus that he was.

What is this? You could feel the intense anger that radiated off him. Stop it now! I will not have this! I will not -

And then he was gone, simply vanished off the face of existence. For a moment, you felt excitement, one that was short-lived. Slowly, your consciousness too began to fade, for when darkness is gone, so must the light. Sans, was your final thought before you gave way to oblivion.