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A great door stood in the middle of the vast forest in Snowdin, dividing the ruins from the quiet winter town. No one really knew what the ruins looked like, they only knew that they existed because if you listened, a lady would rattle off jokes to a passing by skeleton. Sans would typically knock on this door while he was supposed to be on his patrol for humans who fell from the forbidden surface. He practiced his knock knock jokes relentlessly, somehow the fact that no one was listening made this way of honing his craft more intimate. It was just him out in the snowy woods, him and the half written jokes he would try just to see if they would stick to an audience. Then things changed.
“Knock knock” sans said promptly as he banged his skeletal fist upon the cold stone door. Sans was about to reply to himself only until he heard a soft, distant. “Who’s there?” A feminine voice was scarcely heard through the rock eagerly awaiting the climax to his joke. A faint chuckle followed her voice, it was almost as if she was happy someone knocked. Sans looked at the door in disbelief, someone was on the other side. He couldn’t believe it but knew he had to finish what he started before asking his many questions. “Nobel.” He said a little bit self conscious and a little bit excited, after all he was practicing these and didn’t expect an audience.
“Nobel who?” She asked prompting his reply.
“Nobel, that’s why I knocked.”
A howl of laughter could be heard from the opposite end of the door, “whoever this lady is she has good taste” sans thought to himself as the woman quieted her amusement.
“I haven’t laughed like that in ages. Thank you…” Her voice trailed off into a silence until she replied with a joke of her own, it took her a moment to think of what to exactly say but she succeeded with making sans laugh. Sans isn’t used to being told jokes, so this is a new feeling for him too. This strange woman who is trapped behind a door spitting off jokes to some stranger on the other side. It’s mysterious but that’s what added the thrill for sans, talking to this woman, learning everything about her except her name. It made things more exciting.
Within a few days these two complete strangers would sit on opposite sides of the door telling life stories and jokes from sunrise to sunset. This woman in san’s opinion was sweet and the things she told him were wholesome stories from a past where she used to live among everyone else. But now she resorts to isolation in hopes of protecting humans who fall down into the ruins. Sans thought what she was doing was noble and thus made a promise to her. To watch over any human he saw as a friend from this day forward.
Later that night Sans returned back to the quaint home he shared with his brother Papyrus, he opened the door to find his brother in the kitchen cooking the same thing for the past week. Spaghetti. Sans internally dreaded eating it but if it made Paps happy that’s all that really mattered to him.
Papyrus came out of the kitchen with two plates in his hands, the childlike grin that crossed his face lit up the entire room. “Since you were out late I made dinner, I hope you’re in a pasta mood!” He said cheerfully. Sans smiled back “Lucky for you I am so hungry I could eat anything.” He replied, staring at the plate placed freshly in front of him. Sans took several bites of the burnt spaghetti to please his brother before sneaking the rest into the pocket of his blue hoodie. There was no way he was going to eat all of it.
“Wow! You sure were hungry brother.” Papyrus said as sans walked away to put his dishes in the sink. Papyrus continued “You know, I was thinking earlier about how I didn’t see you at your post calibrating your puzzles like usual.” His tone was annoyed, of course sans wasn’t doing actual work, he was as lazy as they come. “I actually went looking for you, you know. You’ve disappeared from your post for the last few days now and I got a little worried…” Papyrus sighed. “What I’m trying to say is, what are you doing by that door?”
Sans stood there, spaghetti plate in hand as a nervous expression across his face. He couldn’t just tell Papyrus about a random stranger he met in the woods, that would only worry him more. Plus for the lady’s sake sans didn’t want anyone she didn’t know approaching the door unannounced and scaring her off. It pained him to have to do this but he had to lie to get his brother off his back. “Oh, I just practice knock knock jokes there, I mean what else are you going to do with a massive door.” It appeared his lie was enough to satisfy papyrus and he decided to put away his dishes and head upstairs to go to sleep. The sooner morning came the sooner he could see her, he was looking forward to that. “I’m gonna get some shut eye paps, goodnight.”
“Yeah, goodnight.” Papyrus replied taking his dish with him to the sink, he didn’t believe what sans said about the door and decided to check it out himself. He waited a bit until sans was asleep before grabbing a jacket and sneaking out. Papyrus knew something was up, sans returning home late, not showing up for his jobs, the fact that he went to bed early. It didn’t sit right with papyrus, but it was almost okay. Sans seemed a little bit happier, but focus on his job and social life was depleted. This way he could at least see what was really happening before bringing it up with his brother, unless this was another immature action he would pull and get himself into trouble. Papyrus didn’t know, the thought that this whole thing didn’t matter crossed his mind a couple of times ultimately being dismissed. The snow was soft as he made his way to the door as it started to appear within sight.
He approached it and knocked. No answer. “Hello? Is anyone there?” He said. No reply. “Ugh, whatever, I’ll just go home then-“ his train of thought was immediately cut off as a tiny yellow flower sprung from the ground in front of the door.
“Howdy Papyrus, what are you doing out so late?” Said the flower cocking his head to the side playfully as he spoke. Papyrus was caught off guard, frankly he didn’t know how to react to a strange flower that knew his name out of nowhere but he had to try and find out.
“H-How do you know my name?” Papyrus said with a thin taste of fear coating his voice. He sat down to be more level with the flower, from the looks of it this stranger was nice but he didn’t want to trust it that quick.
“Oh! Sans told me, he tells me lots of things about you.” Upon hearing this papyrus lit up, he wanted to hear more about what sans has been telling this flower that resided by the door. “What does he say about me!! Did he tell you about how I’m going to be head of the royal guard one day!” He exclaimed, eager to hear the flower’s response.
“Actually quite the opposite.” Flowey paused, he wanted to try something new. Something he hasn’t tried in any previous timeline. “He tells me that you’re too weak to be a part of the royal guard. Sans thinks you’ll only get yourself killed because you’re far too weak to withstand any threats that the underground poses. He thinks you’re useless Papyrus.”
“…wh-what..?” Papyrus said holding back tears. He couldn’t believe this, his own brother thinks he’s…useless. There’s no way. Papyrus wouldn’t believe it but, it explains why sans has been distant from his social life, he has been talking to Papyrus less and less for the past few days. “This must be why” papyrus thought to himself.
“Does he… does he really hate me that much?” Papyrus asked the flower, his tone was shaky and lost within thought.
“He does, Sans wants nothing more than the worst to happen to you. But I disagree with him. I think you’re really cool papyrus! Sans is wrong about you.” Flowey said playing with papyrus’s feelings like clay one can shape any way he wants.
“R-really?” He says between tears looking at the flower with some for of relief.
“Yeah really! I know that the great papyrus is going to be head of the royal guard one day! You know, I’d like to be your friend papyrus. But first you have to do me a small favor.”
“What’s that?” Papyrus asked curiously.
“Well, first of all you need to hang out with me instead of Sans. Sans doesn’t deserve a brother as cool as you are, but I can fix that.” Flowery said lacing his voice with innocence and deception. His plans were sinister deep below his helpful exterior, but papyrus didn’t need to know about that just yet. This time around Flowey wanted to see how far he could get papyrus to go. Papyrus was impressionable enough to do his bidding and that was enough. “Secondly I’m going to need you to get rid of someone for me. Do that and I’ll get you a spot on the royal guard, I promise.” Flowey said with a wink.
“Uhh…get rid of someone for you? I don’t know, that sounds bad.” Papyrus was nervous, he didn’t want to hurt anyone but he for some unknown reason continued to hear flowey out.
“Don’t you trust me papyrus? We’re pals. I just need you to go through those doors and get rid of someone for me that’s not asking too much. In return I’m going to give you your dream and alongside that your brother will adore you like a big brother should. I can open the door papyrus, you just have to go inside. What do ya say friend?”
“I don’t know I- I don’t want to hurt anyone. Please don’t make me do this, isn’t there something else I can do…anything else?” He sounded desperate, flowey was tempting him with everything he’s ever wanted for a high price he couldn’t commit to.
“Well there is one thing.” Flowey said and papyrus perked up. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course!” Papyrus said excitedly.
“Then allow me to do my own bidding” Flowey said sinisterly as vines emerged from the ground below and intertwined themselves with the skeleton’s bones. Papyrus felt restricted and in pain, a loud yell escaped him as he was being overtaken by the vines consuming him whole.
“S-stop… please- I-“ Papyrus begged and screamed as Flowey slithered up his vines going through Papyrus’s bones and into his skull poking his blossom out of the papyrus’s eye socket.
Flowey was in complete control now, whatever papyrus did, wherever he went was up to him. Flowey had a puppet he could use to get whatever he wants. A puppet with a face you could trust and adore. He raised papyrus’s hand forcefully summoning a gaster blaster, shattering the door to shreds. Stone flew in every direction and the earth roared in response to the impact.
“Flowey…please stop this, I’m begging you… please.” He sobbed hopelessly and uncontrollably.
“But papyrus, I’m doing this all for YOU!” Flowey said as with a tyrannical laugh, papyrus had no idea what was about to take place as he was forced to enter the unexplored realm of the ruins.