Sans is still running from the guard station when his foot lands on a sheet of ice. He chokes out a breath as his feet fly out from beneath him, and he lands hard on his stomach. The Monster slides around on the ice until slowly coming to a stop.

     Papyrus is giggling slightly at his brother's expression. "Are you okay, Sans? Nyeh heh, you've never been on ice before! Let me help". The Human is more graceful on the ice. He keeps his balance well and shuffles forwards until he gets to the Monster.

     "Ice? It's so slippery! How can you even walk!?", Sans squawks, nearly losing his balance again. He has to lean on Papyrus a lot, and watch his feet to figure out how his brother is walking. The two use each other as a crutch to get to the middle of the field. There's a patch of snow in the middle with a sign sitting in the middle.

Sans is pleased that he can read it, and does so out loud. "North, ice. South, ice. West, ice. East, Snowdin......... and ice".

"That sounds like a town name. Snowdin! We should go, Sans. Someone there might know where the Barrier is", Papyrus says.

"Heh, snowed in I like that".

"Sans!"

"Sounds like a pretty cool place".

"Oh my God, STOP!"

Sans makes it across the ice easier this time. He and Papyrus soon leave the sign behind. Firm ground is much more preferable. Sans is still enjoying the sound he creates with each step. Usually, he lets his voice and hearing fizzle out at different times during the day. It takes a conscious effort to keep his magic up. Now, he's getting tired again. Sans hates it, but he knows it's necessary.

Papyrus stops when his older brother lets his backpack drop to the ground. The uncomfortable look on the Monster's face says it all. They both sit down in the snow while Sans unzips his backpack. He smiles when he sees the butterscotch cinnamon pie still resting safely in its container.

"Do you think all Monsters have to do this, Pappy?", Sans asks, procrastinating. He's just looking at the magic injection in his hand.

"No! That can't be right. Gaster said that your soul needs to be fed magic, but the Monsters down here can't get it from him. Besides, Miss Toriel baked you some pie", Papyrus says.

"I don't think the pie is the same as my injections". Sans doesn't like the idea of putting the needle close to his mouth.

"No, but I bet they do the same thing! Humans need to eat food, and Monster need to eat magic. All the food down here probably has magic in it". Papyrus has been in enough hospitals to make this connection. No normal kid his age would think of it.

     Sans looks back over at the pie sitting in his open backpack. He likes the idea of eating a bunch of yummy food instead of doing injections, but right now, all he has is the one slice. He wants to save it for later. The skeleton looks up and down the snow packed road before bringing out his soul. Anyone who sees it will know he's different. The two colors just aren't normal.

Later when the path bends around a group of trees, Papyrus stops. He's gone when Sans turns around to look at him. That can only mean one thing. Sans spins back around to look for the Monster that he knows is there. He flinches when one comes running and shrieking across the path. Sans quickly realizes that there's another large patch of ice up ahead. More Monsters are sliding around on it and laughing. The first one slows down at the edge of the ice when they see the skeleton.

     "Hey, Hey! Come play with us! We need another kid to make the teams even!". They run off the ice to get to Sans. The Monster kid has tall rabbit eats and white fur all over. She's dressed in a purple coat thicker then Sans's.

    "W-What? Play with you?". Sans is a little scared of the bunny girl even though she's shorter. He flinches when she takes his bony hand ans begins to pull him towards the ice.

     "Yeah! Come on! My name's Tilley. What's your's? We're playing Ice Ball. You'll be on my team, and all you have to do is try to get the ball into the other team's hole", she keeps talking quickly, ignoring her new friend's strange reactions.

     "My name is Sans". Tilley reminds him of his brother, but Papyrus is gentler and less demanding.

     All the Monster kids on the ice cheer with another friend and even teams. Sans can't believe how different that all look. Some have fur, others have horns, and one Monster kid has small wings. All of them are wearing a small scrap of either blue or red cloth around their wrists. Tilley brings a blue one for Sans and ties it on for him. He's still confused as to what's going on.

     There's a large ball on the middle of the ice sheet. As soon as the kids settle down, the game begins again. A kid rushes forward and kicks the ball as hard as they can. Sans watches Tilley run forwards and kick it back the other way. He's never played anything like this before, but he's getting excited. Pappy's seen other kids play games like these before. Sans can't access those memories, not exactly, but it helps him understand what he's suppose to do.

     Tilley losses control of the ball when the winged Monster sends it flying back to the middle. It comes right at Sans. He panics for a moment before lifting up his leg and catching it on his knee. The ball bounces off and lands on the ice just in time for Sans to kick it back over. The ice makes it a challenge. It's hard to run without slipping and falling. It's fun. Sans has never had fun besides drawing. A sport like this is much more appropriate to his age. It challenges him in more ways then his combat training ever did. Sans doesn't know how long he played with the other kids, but he's quickly laughing, tired and happy. The game must have lasted hours.

     "It's getting late. I have to go home soon, guys", Tilley pouts, picking up her ball. She doesn't want to go, and the other kids echo her with sad grumbles of agreement. Even Sans's permanent smile seems suddenly forlorn.

     "Yeah, Mom wants me home for supper. Let's all go together", a kid with twisted horns agrees with her.

     All the Monster kids walk together in a group. They chat and laugh and shove each other around as they go. Sans trails uncertainly at the back. He enjoyed playing with them all, but during the game, everyone was having too much fun to stop playing and talk. Sans doesn't know what to say. He's surprised when Tilley hangs back to walk beside him.

     "Hey Sans! Thanks for playing. I'm sorry if you actually didn't want to. Baxter says I can be really bossy sometimes". Tilley looks at her feet in embarrassment.

     "It's ok! I had fun", Sans replies.

     "Where are you from anyways? Why haven't I seen you before? I know all the kids in Snowdin", Tilley perks up after hearing he's not mad.

    "Uh..... no- I-, um, I came out of the Ruins", Sans struggles to reply. It's not a total lie. He did come out of the Ruins that morning.

    "The Ruins? That's soooooooo cool! Those doors can't open from the outside. Hardly anyone ever goes in or out", Tilley gasps in awe.

     Sans wasn't paying much attention to where the group was walking, so when he looks up, he's surprised to see something other then snow and trees. The forest abruptly gives way to a small town. The warm glow of fires and lanterns make the entire area look more inviting then the forest.

     "See you later, Sans I gotta go home", Tilley smiles and waves before dashing off.

    "Yeah, see you around, pale dude!". Another kid also says goodbye to him and the group before leaving.

    One by one, the kids disperse. They all have parents or family that wait for their return. Sans is left standing alone at the town's entrance. Worse, he knows that Papyrus can't come out since there's still a lot of Monsters around. The skeleton feels a little less scared around all of them since the kids all accepted him so easily. Sans stands up a little straighter, pulls his backpack up higher, and marches into town.