Story: Error Wasn’t Foiled
Writing Prompt: When visiting an AU, Error meets character A. What is it about character A that makes them see the AU or the multiverse differently? Is this change in perspective positive or negative?
Error created by @loverofpiggies
He had found another one, another filthy “Alternate Universe” that had to be destroyed. The creator didn’t even look like they put any effort into this one; it was just a more washed-out version of the Original! Underfell had more effort put into its aesthetic, whereas this one was just… foggy and dreary. Was this scenery the creator’s lame attempt at angst?
What was this place called again? Foiltale? Whatever, the name didn’t matter when it was going to be gone soon.
Error made his way through the dense mist of this AU’s Snowdin Forest, his red eyes squinting as he tried to find his way to the cleared path leading into town. He grumbled a bit, pulling his cloak closer around him as the cold wind brushed against his cheekbones. A few beats passed and it wasn’t long before he found the main trail, his feet instinctively marching him down the familiar road. A majority of AUs had the same layout, most of them mirroring the original Undertale’s Underground, so he doubted he’d get lost. In fact, he would have given this place points for originality if he had been caught off-guard by some new event, but alas. There was that same-old barrier with the same-old bars wide enough to walk through.
But he paused mid-step as something occurred to him: if he had just come across the barrier over the bridge, then that meant—
“this timeline sure is full of interesting characters. first a floating ghost ‘kid’ passes through, and now this?”
Error sighed, annoyed. Of course this AU had a Sans, and of course he’d be the first person Error met. Oh well, if he took care of this nuisance now, then he wouldn’t have to deal with it later. Time to start the clean up!
Error quickly turned and shot out blue strings to where the voice had came from, looking back just in time to see the other figure teleport away in a blur. Anticipating a reactionary attack, the out-code jumped and landed in the snow a ways away. His eyes glowered as he scanned the area around him, getting more and more irritated at the hazy surroundings. How was anyone supposed to see anything around here?
“whoa, bud. howsabout we talk this out at grillby’s instead? cuz i really don’t feel like getting tangled up in any trouble right now,” the voice called out, disturbingly calm even after having an attack launched at him.
“Nah, I’m a busy guy. I’ve got places to be, things to see, glitches to erase.” Error emphasized his point by blindly shooting into the fog where he guessed the other Sans was hiding, growling when all his strings latched onto was a tree branch.
“pity. grillby rolls a mean bloody mary.”
No longer amused by their bantering, Error summoned a Gaster Blaster and shot it toward the voice. “Stay still so I can erase you!” he yelled, his body and his voice both glitching out more and more as his anger mounted. What transpired next was what could be boiled down to a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, with trees and puzzles getting caught in the crossfire. Twenty straight minutes passed before Error paused to take a well-needed break. He panted, his gaze darting this way and that for any signed of his mark. Suddenly, he stiffened as he felt a presence teleport right behind him.
“wow. you sure did a number on this pla—”
Gotcha! Error’s blaster fired point-blank at the other Sans, finishing him off for good. “Did he think I’d let my guard down?” The out-code laughed. “How stupid do you have to be to teleport right behind your enemy?”
“i’m guessing almost as stupid as someone who celebrates before confirming they won.”
Alarmed, Error jumped a good foot in the air before scrambling to get away from the apparently not dead Sans. “How are you not dead!?” Error had fired point-blank for a good minute or so! Even if this Sans had more than 1HP, the continuous damage should have killed him regardless (and he was taking damage; Error saw the damage counters ticking off during the blast)! “Just how much HP do you have!” the out-code grunted as he readied a few more blasters, charging them all and taking aim at the all-too-calm AU resident.
“…” There was a lull in the battle as Error tried to make sense of this new information. This gray-boned Sans didn’t seem like they were lying, but that means the blasters clearly wouldn’t work. Were the strings the way to go after all? There was only one way to find out.
In a flash, Foiltale’s Sans was strung up in a web of blue strings, dangling from a high branch and unable to break free. His weighted iron ball and a few links from his chains connected with the ground in a heavy thud, crushing the snow beneath it. “really, bud?”
“Quiet! I can’t find your soul to kill you if you keep distracting me!” Error tightened the blue strings, the force threatening to crush Sans’ body. From experience, he knew Sanses usually housed in their soul in their ribcage, and even though this Sans had their orange hoodie unzipped with ribcage exposed, Error just could not find it.
“hey, weird me: try looking inside the weight.”
“Oh, I see. Thank y—” Error caught himself and frowned. “What part of 'kill you’ do you not seem to understand?” This Sans acted dismissive, like this had nothing to do with him, or like he was above death— no, that wasn’t quite right. It was more like the Sans of Foiltale just didn’t care whether or not he died, as if he had long given up hope and had simply accepted defeat. “Before I finish you off, I gotta ask: what’s your deal? How are you still alive after being blasted?” Error peered up inquisitively at the Sans as he wrapped his blue strings around the large weight that was indeed housing the monster’s soul.
Sans was just hanging around with nothing else better to do, so he figured why not answer the freaky newcomer? “i’m not really a monster in the normal sense. i’m more of a personification of hopelessne—”
“Nevermind, you took too long and I don’t care anymore. Bye!” The strings around the solid metal ball tightened, easily crushing the soul’s protective outer shell. Finally the threads wrapped around the white soul itself and…
