The Definition of Insanity
--is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.
Up until that moment in time, the Amalgamates had been enjoying their new and unexpected company, even helping them gather up old equipment from True Lab in an attempt to get the old devices up and running again. There had been variable success rates, but Frisk didn’t seem too put out by their ‘failures’, as they were far more focused on making sure the fused Monsters were safe and comfortable in the abandoned building. Every surface had been cleaned and dusted, armfuls of non-perishable food had been procured from a supermarket in the capital, and the teenager had even helped to wash and groom the Amalgamates for the first time in ages.
Yes, it had been quite a good day, up until Frisk suddenly screamed in horror and frustration and slammed their fists on the monitor’s console hard enough to crack the plastic.
“ Jesus fucking Christ, why the fuck do these Sanses always lie to me?!”
Lemon Bread--who had been taking a nap on the couch while Memoryhead, Endogeny, and Snowy had settled themselves in front of the television to watch pirated human cable--squawked into wakefulness and tumbled onto the ground. The other three Amalgamates looked more frightened than annoyed, and Endogeny ended up padding over to Frisk to lap at their arm with their gelatinous tongue, whimpering and whining at the sudden change in their new friend.
“ DeAr, aRe YoU aLlRiGhT?”
Snowy’s wavering question and Endogeny’s whimpers brought the teenager back to reality, and after patting the dog Amalgamate reassuringly on the head, they slammed their fist on the “off” button and dashed towards the door.
“ I’ll be back when I can, guys! Don’t be afraid to go outside and visit your families! The door’s unlocked and always will be!”
Frisk wasn’t sure what kind of shape Sans was in, so instead of heading through the CORE to get to the palace, they strained their powers to the breaking point and teleported directly to the Last Corridor. Their sides burned and their face was already dripping with sweat, but their discomfort and split sides were the least of their worries, and their pain and exhaustion didn’t stop them from sprinting through the golden hallway and sliding through the door and around the corner onto the palace overlook.
“ Sans, are you--?!” The ambassador’s words died in their throat the moment they saw the skeleton slumped against the wall. Their heart jumped and jammed itself into the bottom of their throat, and Frisk wasted no time in sprinting over to their alternate friend and falling to their knees.
“ Sans, you fucking idiot!” Their voice was shaking as much as the arms that reached out to pick up the smaller being. “ You said you’d be okay! You said I didn’t have to worry!” Sans’ blue sweatshirt was dripping with vomited blood, and the hood couldn’t cover up the blood dripping steadily from his eye sockets onto his shorts. “ Fuck, fuck, do you guys think doing shit like this is gonna solve anything?! Don’t you realize that this is just your same goddamn death wish in different clothing?!”
It was obvious that they weren’t just talking about Tater Tot.
Frisk wanted to cry, they were close to crying in frustration and despair because they had no healing magic and no one was around in this world that could heal him, but the faint sensation of the stitches marching up the mending wound on their back told them what to do.
“ Hold on, Tater Tot, we’re getting the fuck outta here.”
The teenager cradled Sans to their chest, stood up, and punched a set of familiar coordinates into their ‘timeline tracker’.
