13 Nights

13 Nights is the home AU of Legion!Sans, and is heavily inspired by Dusttale. Sans never kills anyone until Nightmare arrives. Nightmare gives Legion the memories of 12 dead "dust" characters before him in order to collect him and replace Murder!Sans in the Murder Time Trio.

## Story Prose

13 Nights – Page 1

“everything is gone, everyone is dead. nothing can be saved. but my thoughts are still free. my feelings are still my own. so long as i live, those can not be taken from me.”

Nothing could be recording with each reset. The only thing that survived beyond this loop of never-ending genocides was Sans's own mind. He tried to remember the number, but he'd lost track after 280.

The best he figured, he was somewhere past 600 days. Almost two years of living the same day over and over. He'd long come to accept this was simply the reality of his situation.

He memorized the place and time of each death down to the second when the human came through. The only thing different would be where he chose to die that day. He couldn't remember the last time he willingly went to sleep.

Despite the fact that no permanent records could be made, Sans made a habit of waking up each morning to write out his thoughts. How he was feeling, things he remembered accomplishing, things he might choose to do that day. Even though he could ultimately do nothing to save himself or his people, the one thing he could do was sharpen his mind and skills.

He'd especially grown talents for cooking, playing piano, and martial combat, all from distracting Undyne and hanging out at her house a majority of the time. He felt a little guilty for spending more time with Undyne than he did his own brother. But he had managed a few tricks to get Papyrus to follow him to other places in the underground when he wanted.

Otherwise, he'd spare time with other monsters, like Alphys and King Asgore, learning their stories. Though he didn't know if he would ever be free, at least he could take the memories of his people with him.

Today, however, Sans hadn't decided what he'd be doing. Lost in his thoughts, the expected knock brought him back to the exact time, 8:21 am.

“SANS!  ARE  YOU  AWAKE  YET?” called Papyrus through his door.

“five more minutes!” he called back, tapping his pen on the book in his lap.

“ALRIGHT!  IF  YOU'RE  NOT  OUT  IN  FIVE  MINUTES,  I'M  COMING  IN AFTER  YOU!  WHAT  IF  A HUMAN  COMES  TODAY?  YOU  STILL  NEED  TO RECALIBRATE  YOUR  PUZZLES!”

As Papyrus spoke, Sans grabbed his glasses and baseball cap. From the dresser he grabbed black pants, a button up shirt, and hiking boots.

13 Nights – Page 2 After dressing, he slipped on his denim jacket and was out his room in two minutes. In habit, Sans retrieved the abandoned sock and dozen notes in one swoop, tossing all into the trash. It always caught Papyrus's attention. His brother had a box of oatmeal in hand, jaw dropping. “heya, how about I make breakfast this morning? i'm thinking an eggs benedict-” Sans hummed a bit, rubbing his chin. “SANS, ARE ALRIGHT? WHY ARE YOU DRESSED NICELY?” “i'm fine. anyway, i'll be back in three minutes, don't eat without me,” he said, before short cutting away. Just like anything else, he'd perfected picking up food from the store, paying for it, and short cutting back to the house in exactly three minutes. Back in the kitchen, he set the ingredients and got to work, even as Papyrus stared at him. “IS THERE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TODAY THAT I FORGOT? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU COOKED BREAKFAST?” “it's just what i'm feeling today, no need to worry, bro.” What followed were the usual questions about when Sans learned how to cook, again noting his different style of dress and the change in his behavior, all which Sans learned to dismiss. Soon enough the both of them were eating together at the dinner table. Papyrus would be distracted by the quality of the meal while Sans picked up his psychology book, reviewing the chapters. A knock came to the door. That was different. It compelled Sans straight to his feet to answer. A vine forced it open where Flowey sprouted from the snow. “Sans! The human is heading this way! They're not killing anyone! What did you do?” Sans froze, tuning out Papyrus's reaction to the existence of a human. Flowey ignored the taller skeleton as well, looking behind him. “They're here!” he cried, and dove back into the snow. Running outside, Sans peered through the darkness. A small human form, covered in black slime, sprinted at full speed, kicking snow up behind them. “IS THAT REALLY A HUMAN!?” said Papyrus, following Sans. “papyrus, go inside, and don't come out.”

13 Nights – Page 3 “BROTHER, YOU KNOW I'VE WANTED TO CAPTURE A HUMAN-” No, he would only argue. Sans grabbed Papyrus's arm and shortcut away. All the way to the garbage dump. A distance that far with two people caused a sharp pain in Sans' soul. He gasped, grabbing his chest, holding onto Pap. “SANS! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!? WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT ARN'T YOU TELLING ME?” said Papyrus, touching his back. “ARE YOU HURT?” “no, i'm fine... i don't.... i don't know why i did that... the human is just going to kill us again anyway...” “KILL US? AGAIN? WHAT AN ASSUMPTION TO MAKE! WHAT IF THEY JUST WANT TO BE FRIENDS?” Sans shook his head, looking up with a smile. He'd heard it all before. “no, they don't. and it doesn't really matter, me trying to save you. you're going to leave and try to talk to them... and they'll kill you like they always do...” Papyrus started into his eyes. Something about this... felt different. “YOU'RE NOT SANS, ARE YOU?” The smaller skeleton blinked. Pap never said that before. He paused a moment, seriously considering the question. “... no, i'm not sans.” “THEN, WHERE IS MY BROTHER? WHO ARE YOU?” said Papyrus, letting go and pulling away. It didn't matter what Sans said. He might was well see where this line of dialogue lead. “sans is dead, i don't know who i am. i can't explain it any better. simply i'm someone different than you know...” “I DON'T UNDERSTAND...” said Papyrus, twiddling his fingers. Sans put his hands in his pockets, tilting his head. “that's okay. do whatever you want. once the human arrives, you'll forget. it will be 8 am again, and we'll have a different breakfast together...” “WE? YOU AND ME? AND NOT SANS...” Sans frowned. “... no.” Papyrus lifted his hands to his head. No wonder he felt stuck. Anyone would be confused after being told an impostor lived with them. At first, Sans was willing to give Pap the time. The human would have to deal with Undyne before getting here- distant pounding in the water caught his attention. Whipping around, Sans could see the human- racing toward them.

13 Nights – Page 4 How!? “papyrus, hide!” Sans shouted. He ran for the spot where his favorite weapon was buried. A three foot iron pipe, which only took him a few leveraged yanks to free. Turning back, the human came upon him. Their hand formed into something like a giant curved blade. Well, today was just full of surprises. They came to blows, the strange appendage clashing against the iron, sending sparks into the water around them. Sans hadn't the chance to stretch yet, as he preferred to do before getting into each day's inevitable fight. Even without the warm up, he kept pace with the human, knocking them back with bone attacks and Gaster blasters when he could. “what's with you today? you haven't gained any LV... just wanted to come see me that badly, huh?” Sans taunted. The human let out a gurgling hiss, it's mouth splitting open with uneven teeth. That was new too... what the hell was going on? It charged at him, swinging it's bladed arm. Sans blocked the attack before whipping the rod around, hitting the human hard against the head and face. The slime flew off, along with a splatter of blood. For the first time, Sans could see what human skin should look like. Brown hair and a blood shot eye. “-hel-help-” A child's voice wheezed. His eye sockets widened, “what- what did you say?” But the slime re-covered their face and they were back to swinging at the skeleton. He couldn't help but be distracted by what happened. After all this time, had he never been fighting a human? Whatever this was, it had been possessing them to do this? It had his guard down just enough that the slime blade struck him in the face and through the eye socket. “SANS!” he heard Papyrus cry out. But instead of breaking bone, San felt it crawl in and completely fill his cranium, bleeding through his nose and mouth. It felt like worms, squeezing into a tight space. Pain and pressure overtaking him. He couldn't move. It wasn't trying to kill him this time. This was something else... Thoughts and memories flooded his mind. The air filled with dust. Blood on his hands and clothes turning white as the last breath of helpless monsters faded... dying from his assault. And Papyrus... begging for mercy.

13 Nights – Page 5 Sans woke from his bed breathing heavily. He grabbed his head, fingers reaching into the sockets, clawing at the rot that wasn't there. 8 am. Sitting up, he struggled to catch his breath. His mind, his mind! Who- what the hell was he? Stumbling back to the dresser, he dug out his glasses and a mirror, as if expecting there to be something different. And to his surprise, there was. The glow of his eyes had turned to scarlet red. He tossed the mirror away, as if it might attempt to bite him, falling back to the ground. The memories, all those memories. Kill them. Kill them all. It's the only way. You have to become stronger, you have to gain LV. It's the only way to fight the human... He'd fallen back against the floor, dissociating. Years of torment. He was a murderer. A serial killer. Killing everyone in the underground to gain power. Everyone, including his brother. His soul had been racked with guilt... at least, only at first... But killing got easier. In fact, he knew exactly how to kill Papyrus while he was still in his room, seconds before he woke... Temptation. Papyrus wouldn't have to suffer- and he wouldn't have to answer the same god damn questions every- Knock knock! “SANS! ARE YOU AWAKE YET?” called Papyrus. 8:21 am. He didn't answer and he didn't move. What was this? Who was he? The psychiatrist? Or the psychopath? “GET UP YOU LAZYBONES! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES TODAY? YOU HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES! ... ALRIGHT, I'M COMING IN, READY OR NOT!” He's not real. It's not real. Papyrus is dead. The real Papyrus is dead. The door opened, the shadow of Papyrus stretching over him, hands on his hips. “SANS, WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR?” When he didn't answer, his brother came to stand over him. His expression at first annoyance, but turned to concern. “SANS, YOUR EYES... ARE YOU OKAY?” “... i don't feel so good...” Sans wheezed. Papyrus knelt down. “ARE YOU SICK? SHOULD I TAKE YOU TO DR. ALPHYS?” “... yeah... yeah i think that would be a good idea...”

13 Nights – Page 6 Papyrus got Sans slippers and jacket on him before carrying him to the River Person and making their way to Hotland. Sans barely remembered arriving in the lab, only coming back to the present as Papyrus spoke of his red eyes and unresponsiveness. “O-oh dear. T-there's a tab hanging o-over there. Pull it down and set him o-on the table. I'll grab my books on skeleton monster h-health.” she said. Papyrus did so and soon enough the doctor returned to poke and prod Sans, checking his vitals. His brother sat nearby, quiet and anxious. The good doctor combed through the medical text books, asking Sans various questions about how he was feeling. “i don't know...bad...” was all he could say to most questions. He almost laughed when she asked what he'd eaten the day before- as if he could remember that. However, he was too distracted. Staring at Alphys, all he could think about were her screams, her pleas for help each time he'd put her out of her misery... how difficult it had been at times to find her hiding places, stalking her through the lab and the core... “Well, this... this thing happening to Sans' eyes... the only thing I can find is that it can happen to skeletons w-who have experienced extreme trauma. And h-his behavior w-would match with that as well. Papyrus, d-did something happen him?” said Alphys. The tall skeleton shook his head, “NO. I JUST FOUND HIM ON THE FLOOR... BROTHER DID... DID SOMEONE HURT YOU?” “... the human... it's not... human...” Papyrus stood fast, “A HUMAN!?” A beeping came from Alphys' monitor. The large screen flashed on as the image of the slimy human moved towards the lab. Sans raised his gaze, thinking again how they managed to be here so soon. Had they gained new abilities? New magic? How was that possible? It also ground him back to reality, remembering that these homicidal thoughts had come from that abominable creature. “them...” “THAT... THAT'S A HUMAN?” said Papyrus. “T-they're the one w-who did this? I-I'm going to call Undyne,” said Alphys, reaching for her phone. don't bother. we're all going to die.

13 Nights – Page 7 The lab went dark. Red lights flashed and buzzers rang. It took a moment for Sans to figure out where he was again. Somewhere in the true labs. Papyrus carried him, trying to defend both of them with his free hand as the creature approached. “LEAVE US ALONE! WE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO YOU!” Papyrus cried in desperation. “Are you enjoying this, Sans? Do you like cowering in a corner like a frightened animal?” a voice came from the slime. “YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HURT HIM! WHY? WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Root like tentacles shot from the human form, grabbing him and Papyrus, ripping the two of them apart. “What if I tortured him, rip and crack his bones piece by piece? Would you fight then? Or have you become too numb?” said the human. Sans said nothing, even as the creature had him by the throat. What was the use in fighting? He'd seen Papyrus suffer enough. He had become numb. Even as Papyrus struggled and protested, the words fell on deaf ears to both of them. The human groaned, then chuckled. “That's alright. I'll make you do it instead.” Once again, the black slime violated his skull. A flood of new memories. This time he was a human named Chara, tired of fighting off the invading human. Tired of watching their brother Rei be killed over and over. If my brother is going to die, it will be by my hand. I'll not let another human have the satisfaction... Sans eyes shot awake. His fingers prodded his sockets yet again. 8 am. This time, he didn't leave the bed. When Papyrus came to check on him, he didn't answer. Still, his brother would carry him to the lab. “N-no P-papyrus, he hasn't fallen down. His body is f-fine. Something else is w-wrong,” Alphys' voice echoed through his thoughts as she tried to calm the tall skeleton down. Sans blacked out, sight returning as the human loomed over him, two piles of dust on the floor. “This will not do... get a hold of yourself...” the human groaned. Sans grinned out of spite, “expecting something? you know, if you just told me what you wanted, it would be easier for both of us...” “No. You have to remember. You already know what's to be done.”

13 Nights – Page 8 Another violation from the black tentacles. Another reset. 8 am. This time, Sans woke screaming. He fell out of bed, thrashing at himself and the carpet. This time the memories had come from Papyrus. Seeing through Papyrus's eyes, seeing him try to kill Papyrus, and Papyrus trying to survive. Seeing Papyrus become the mass murderer... Papyrus ran into the room, reaching to try to grab him and calm him down. But Sans didn't know who he was, where he was, or what was happening. He summoned a sharpened bone into his hand, slicing across Papyrus's arms and chest. Eye sockets wide, Papyrus stepped back, bleeding. Not severely wounded, but shocked and bewildered. “S-SANS?” Oh god, what have I done? The bone disappeared from his hand before Sans shortcut out of the house. He ran, barefoot, through freezing cold and snow, as far from the house as he could muster. i hurt him! i hurt my brother! You always do, it's not a big deal. He wouldn't get hurt if you just killed him. Collapsing, Sans curled into a fetal position, unable to stop the onslaught of voices, the visions of ghosts in his head. Fighting the human is all that matters. Gain LV. Kill them all. Defeat the human. Once again, the black form of that creature stood before him. Again came another flood of memories. Another Sans. Another Papyrus. Different worlds, different feelings, but all the same genocides. The monster he'd known himself to be fell behind the others. He'd lost control of his body and senses. Now, there were only brief glimpses of lucidity. The slaughter of his people felt no different from watching someone press ATTACK against sprites on a screen. … now it's my turn. 8 am. This time Sans rose quietly from his bed and went to dress. Glasses, black cap, black pants, button up shirt, denim jacket. He left his room before the 8:21 knock and headed outside. He'd start in the forest, then shortcut to Waterfall, sweeping through the Underground. No one saw it coming. His killing perfected to a science. He should have started with Papyrus. Stalking him through the woods was a pain in the ass... But why hadn't he?

13 Nights – Page 9 Even so, Papyrus didn't stand a chance. Sans knew everywhere he would stop, attempt to hide, and the blind spots the taller skeleton would miss. Sans hid among the trees. Soon enough Papyrus trotted by, looking all around. Bones shot from above, aiming for Papyrus's legs. Knocked over, pinned down, his screams pierced Sans's skull. Leaping down with ease, he stood over his younger brother, pinning him further like a helpless butterfly. “S-SANS- WHY? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?” Papyrus cried. WHY? Why? why? why? WHY? Why? Why? WHY? Why? WHY? Why? Why? That damn noise. He never shuts up! Before Sans knew who he was, the bones came down, further impaling Papyrus through the chest, neck and skull. The sound of cracking bone, suffering gasps and whimpers. Of all times, why now did Sans have to have a moment of clarity? Legs shaking, he stood in denial, until he heard his brother's voice. “... i'm sorry... i-i know... i know... you can do... better... next time...” “P-Papyrus... no, no, no!” Sans fell to his knees, daring not to remove the bones, despite knowing he'd made the fatal blow. “papyrus, i'm sorry-” Reaching out, Sans only reached Papyrus's scarf before he turned to dust. Hands trembling, he gripped the fabric, clutching it. Hot tears fell from his eyes sockets. He barely processed the sound of crushing snow. Three figures approaching before lifting his gaze. What looked like... three hallucinations of himself, one covered in the black slime. Once again, the roots entered his eyes, arching him back. But he didn't wake in his bed. This time... he remembered everything beyond the genocides. The existence of the multiverse. When the slime retracted, he fell forward, coughing. The dark figure knelt in front of him, lifting his chin with a skeletal hand. “Tell me my name.” “n-nightmare...” He smiled greedily. “And what do you call me?” Sans let his mind retreat to the back, too overwhelmed to deal with the realization of his situation. The manipulation. The true cause of his suffering. A sadistic grin on his face. “... Boss.” “Good,” said Nightmare, with a grin that couldn't be any more satisfied.

## Youtube Videos

13 Nights audio reading

https://youtu.be/SPhvFyHYcos

Retrograde - Legion!Sans Theme

https://youtu.be/ai1EM2c-z5w