The curse wasn't gone.

That horrifying fact made Sans and Kitty's happy attitude from simply being in Wonderland simply vanish into the usual despair the siblings often held. They couldn't see it through the forest, but once they stepped outside, they saw the true extent of the curse.

Dark purple clouds strained above, distant sparks of magic and lighting flashing throughout the ever growing curse. The sky was practically consumed by the curse, acting as a constant, looming threat over the poor Wonderland population.

One of the key factors Kitty and Sans forgot about their hometown was that they lived under the Queen of Hearts rule. And by that, in turn, meant that her land was constantly guarded by her cards, giving people outside no chance to enter or leave without meeting one. Sans and Kitty only went to the Giggling Forest once when they were younger, their Mom took them for a little camping trip. Both times they had to teleport past the guards.

Kitty and Sans could still teleport out no problem, but they couldn't teleport out their friends. They complied with the card guards, letting themselves get loaded into a truck without much fight. Undyne was ready to fight them head on, but Sans and Kitty were quick to help her back down.

Wonderland was different in many areas, and that included the army.

The Hearts army wasn't made of real people. No, instead it was made by one card, that could duplicate an infinite amount of times. The original card was likely long past dead, but the Queen only ever would need to send one of her many cards out for them to duplicate. Basically, her army consisted of a never ending stream of soldiers, who couldn't do anything but serve the Heart family.

The curse wasn't gone.

So how did they even get into Wonderland?

That was the most troubling aspect of this whole situation, the thing Sans found himself pondering over, time and time again. They all went down a well and ended up here. The curse should have cut off all modes of transportation, right?

Why were they there? It wasn't any part of their destinies, only Kitty's, and she had yet to sign the book. That only brought the situation closer to confusion after Undyne told them the rope had caught fire. Something that shouldn't have happened. They weren't even Grillby's flames, apparently they had been purple. He did say he had a cousin with purple flames, but she had been on vacation. And why would she try to kill Sans and Grillby?

Sans didn't expect his hood to last, and naturally it didn't. It was only a plan his Mother made for their time on earth, not for Wonderland. In Wonderland, a lot of people knew who he was. Being a skeleton wasn't something people often forgot, especially with his destiny in mind.

"They're not going to behead us or anything, right?" Alphys asked. Noticing the lack of response, her tail moved worriedly behind her. "Right?"

They had been hauled off from the truck at this point, brought before the vast castle before them. It easily rivaled Alphys' and the schools, as the Queen of Hearts always went out with her interior design. Hearts littered every surface, the theme of the heart suit from a deck of cards glaringly obvious.

Sans twisted at the bonds behind his back. It's been awhile since he's seen the Queen. And since he's seen... her child. The next Ruler of Hearts.

"You okay?" Kitty asked him.

"Fine," Sans muttered.

Behind them, the truck was continuously unloaded, the cages of captured snails slowly being carried towards a different door, no doubt intended to lead to the kitchen.

"We probably won't be beheaded," Kitty finally answered Alphys, "Probably."

He dragged his gaze around the fancy interior. Just like before. Nothings changed since he last was here. He could even see the place where him and his old friend once played tag.

One of the guards pulled at Alphys a little too roughly, causing the small lizard to cry out from pain at her rope scraping against her wrists.

"Watch it!" Undyne snarled to the card, giving the meanest look she could muster.

"Where are you guys taking us?" Sans directed towards his own three cards, hunching his shoulders forward to help the burden of walking them forward. 

"To an audience with her Majesty. She's finished up with a curious intruder awhile go, so she wants to deal with you."

Sans sighed. "Great."

He and the Queen knew each other, and when they last left off, they didn't end on a good note. Basically, she threatened to hang his skull on her wall if he ever stepped foot on her castle grounds again. She then promptly ordered her card guards to throw him into the moat. Sans had spent the rest of the day, as a little boy, crying his eye sockets out while trying to get the green goo out of his clothes. Safe to say his Mother was p*ssed.

The two Cheshire siblings winced when the throne door came into view. This wasn't going to go well, at all.

"Here we go," Kitty mumbled under her breath.

The doors peeled open in front of them.

~~~~~~

Long and firm tears gently trailed under his eye socket, catching the shed tears and wiping them away. Sans choked on a sob, sniffling as he went to push away his Mothers hands.

"'M fine," Sans muttered, voice weakened from his sobbing. "I'm really fine, Mommy."

The woman crouched down in front of him, looking down at her son worriedly. Large, green blobs of goo coated his outfit, some of it dripping from his bones and onto the toilet.

"No, you're not." Her fingers continued, prodding underneath his eye socket. "You don't have to lie about your feelings to me, it's okay, sweetie. You're hurt. You don't have to act tough."

"But I don' wanna be a burden, I don' wanna make you work for me." Sans sniffed again, shoulders heaving from the pain of being ruthlessly thrown into a river.

"And you aren't one. You never will be." Mrs. Cheshire drew him in for a hug, ignoring how his dirtier outfit stained her own. She ran a hand down his skull, tender and careful. "I'm sorry, this is my fault. I should have seen this coming. I failed to warn you about your friend."

"I thought we... we..." Sans leaned forward on a sob again, bones rattling.

"Aw, come here sweetie." His Mother gently lifted him from the toilet lid, pulling him against her chest. The child curled against her, crying into her shoulder. "I'm sorry about your friend. I'll protect you and your sister, I promise."

~~~~~~

"All bow for the Queen of Hearts, Queen Toriel, and her husband, King Asgore." The frog monster in front of them croaked, extending an arm towards the King and Queen.

One of the few similarities Wonderland had with earth was that the status of Royalty stayed about the same. The child that held the destiny of royalty would become ruler, and whoever they married wouldn't hold any power. It was how Snow White ruled everything on earth, and it was why Queen Toriel was the ruler of Wonderland, despite the two having Kings by their sides.

She sat in front of them, one leg crossed over the other with a look of stern detachment emanating across her face. Her gown was thick and bustling with ruffles, heels long and her curvy form tightly wrapped under layers and layers of eloquent red and black. Asgore sat besides her, forehead leaned forward towards his lap. Even the King was terrified of the Queen, and rightfully so. Only the Queen of Hearts could give an order for someone's head, either her or the eldest child. No one else had any hint of authority within the land. She'd never kill him, of course, but she was stern and ruthless at times. She had to be, for Wonderland. The world required a stern leader, it was her destiny.

"Ah, Sans, Kitty. Hello." Her fingers stretched, the woman turning her claws towards her to observe the red nail polish.

"The Queen of Hearts, it's an honor to see you again," Kitty forced out.

Sans, finally mustering up some courage, tore his gaze to the third throne for the child of Toriel and Asgore, the next Ruler of Hearts.

Empty.

"Hi," Sans finally spoke.

"If you're wondering, they aren't here. They've been busy with their studies," Asgore said when he noticed Sans' gaze. "Both of them."

Right, they had a younger brother. Sans forgot about that. He only met Asriel once, so he hadn't really gotten the chance to properly get used to them before he was immediately thrown out and forbidden from ever being their siblings friend again.

Sans wasn't exactly sure if he was happy they were gone or not. Did they even have the guts to face him after they joined their Mother in casting him out? Or was he simply not worth the breath? Then again, he was also kind of glad they weren't there. It wouldn't be awkward.

What would he even say to them, if he saw them again? Honestly, ever since Sans found his new friends, he realized... he didn't need to worry about them anymore. He used to cry nightly over them, and thought they would be his only ever friend. That's why he was so scared about being close to Alphys. He was the son of the Evil King. Friends wasn't an option.

That's what he assumed before. But now, surrounded by his friends, all supportive of him, he knew that to be false.

"I guess you managed to find a way to bypass the curse," Toriel said, "Tell me how."

"I... um..." Sans said. He didn't find a way, he fell into it.

"Ma'am, if I may say -"

"Silence." Toriel was ruthless to Grillby, sticking out a hand and waving it towards him. "You aren't my people, so I couldn't care less about you. What I want is how to break the curse. Tell me how."

"We fell into a well," Sans said.

He knew the Queen of Hearts, while she had some personal history with him, never meant harm for earth or any other dimension. There was no need to lie to her. If it wasn't for his destiny, he knew she probably would have treated him better.

She wasn't a perfect Queen, but she did rule Wonderland pretty decently. He just wished he wasn't marked as evil just because of his species.

Toriel chuckled at his response, leaning against her hand. "Of course. Why did I expect anything different from the son of the Evil King. Guards." She snapped her fingers. "Put them into the dungeon. If he doesn't tell the truth to how he managed to bypass his Father's curse, it's off with his head."

Sans felt his soul drop.

"Wait, I'm telling the truth!" Sans said.

"He is you furry a*shole!" Undye shouted, struggling against the guards hold.

Toriel didn't care, waving them off. Of course she didn't believe him. Of course. Because Sans' life naturally had to make things difficult.

Without given a chance, the group of people were dragged away, most of them arguing with her and trying to understand they were, in fact, telling the truth. Yet she remained indifferent, and allowed them to disappear down the hall.

~~~~~~

Scribbling echoed throughout the library. A person, wearing a red and black gown, was bent over a desk, writing down silently in the company of no one. Moments later, the entrance to the library creaked open, a card leaning inside.

"Madam," They spoke.

"Not right now," They said, pencil not stopping in its journey, "I'm not feeling any specific gender."

"My mistake, I apologize," The guard went to bow. "But there's been new arrivals within the castle."

"Is it Frisk again?" They tapped a finger against the desk, unimpressed. "You and I know Frisk loves to explore. I assumed they came earlier today, I heard my Mother yelling."

"My ruler, they did arrive earlier today. It's not Frisk who's here then. It's people from earth."

Earth, huh? The next destined Ruler waved their hand. "That doesn't interest me. I've never had any intentions of going to earth, my future is here."

"No, your Majesty... it's the son of the Evil King."

The pencil finally stopped it's scribbling, dropping flatly against the paper. The next Ruler of Wonderland turned, looking at the card soldier with wide red eyes.

"Sans?" They whispered. "He's here?"