Fourth: Story Challenge/Idea: Make a short/long story from "Rise from Dust, Fall in Ashes" or "Fall in Ashes, Rise from Dust" or "Rise from Ashes, Fall in Dust" or "Fall in Dust, Rise from Ashes" I just want to see what these writers could make from a six word prompt. TL;DR Create a short story featuring falling and rising as well as ashes and dust.

I want y'all to know, I kinda diverge from the idea, come back to it, and then diverge from it again slightly? The original version completely went off the rails, went on it's own direction. So, if y'all have questions after this chapter, I'll gladly try to explain what the hell I was thinking, but be aware I may not remember exactly what my plans were if I am asked about the plot a week or month from now.

Error was tired. So tired he didn't even make a pun about his exhaustion.

Error is currently bleeding out in the anti-void, waiting for the blood to cease so he can wrap up his wounds.

He has gathered scars like women gather fine china or shoes or clothes. Every single one uglier than the last.

Error shakes his head to be rid of that thought. Blue told him he needed to look at the good and pretty parts of himself.

Error slowly sits up, summoning bandages and wrapping up his wounds, wincing as some chips crumble away, dust in the empty anti-void.

The black boned skeleton slowly gets to his feet, rising yet again for the start of yet another horrible day in his life.

But he wouldn't wish this hell on anyone else. At least he deserves his treatment.

Error opens his portal to the newest AU, stepping into the empty plane of existence.

"0h, thi5 i5 g0nn4 b3 fun." (Oh, this is gonna be fun.) Error looks around, noticing the AU is empty of life forms.

"0h? Thi5 i5 g0nn4 b3 345i3r th4n I 3xp3ct3d." (Oh? This is gonna be easier than I expected.) Error blinks, dodging to the right, a huge bone wave rushing right past him on his left. He turns around, seeing a strange skeleton. This skeleton is almost as tall as G Sans, but is missing the Gaster cracks. This skeletons' eyelights are only target symbols, but unlike Inks, they are white not red. The skeleton is wearing sized up versions of Classic's clothing. Error sighs, summoning his strings.

"I didn't f331 y0u h3r3. I 5upp053 y0u'r3 Inky'5 14t35t p14n t0 d35tr0y m3? Hi14ri0u5. Cr34ting 4 10w3r r4nk d35tr0y3r t0 d35tr0y m3. H3'11 turn 4g4in5t y0u 0nc3 I'm g0n3. B35id35...It'5 n0t 1ik3 y0u c4n ki11 m3 f0r3v3r. F4t3 wi11 ju5t f0rc3 m3 t0 c0m3 b4ck." (I didn't feel you here. I suppose you're Ink's latest plan to destroy me? Hilarious. Creating a lower rank destroyer to destroy me. He'll turn against you once I'm gone. Besides...It's not like you can kill me forever. Fate will just force me to come back.) The abnormal Sans just tilts his head, launching another bone attack at Error. Error reflexively dodges, sighing softly in thinly veiled exhaustion.

"I b3t thi5 4U h45 50m3 kind 0f ki11 c0d3 t0 ki11 which3v3r 0n3 0f u5 5urviv35." (I bet this AU has some kind of kill code to kill whichever one of us survives.) The Sans summons a bone sword, lunging at Error who dodges, trying to grab the Sans' soul only to feel the same emptiness he feels with Ink.

"Wh4t th3 h311?" (What the hell?)

Oh? A soulless one? I would take this one, but a soul allows me to properly control you, Error. Without your soul, you'd mindlessly kill far too much, like your insanity filled killing from the early days. Now you are perfect. Only killing if my child creates. I could give this one a brain and keep it somewhere safe. Lock my child out of an AU, but I enjoy tormenting you, Error. The voice coldly speaks, only gaining a higher tone at the end, on tormenting Error.

An AU pops open, startling Error slightly. He blinks, not knowing when he curled up on the ground.

"ERROR! ARE YOU OKAY?!" That sounds like Blue, Error faintly thinks, still trying to figure out when he laid down. Blue comes into his vision, as does Ink and Dream, who both seem worried. Are they worried about the soulless Sans?

"Blue, is Error okay?" Ah, they're worried about their prisoner.

"No."

"Blue, what the hell was that voice?!" That's Ink.

"I'm fairly certain that was someone Error's only stated as Fate. He has said that Fate was to blame for his current job and form." Blue helps Error to sit up, and Error can see Ink is catching the Sans' attention, rapidly saying something, but the Sans doesn't understand. It looks towards Error, and finally opens its mouth.

"Could you hear that voice too?" Error nods.

"Y34h. Th4t w45 F4t3. 10ng 5t0ry 5h0rt, F4t3 i5 th3 bigg35t bitch t0 run 4 mu1tiv3r53." (Yeah. That was Fate. Long story short, Fate is the biggest bitch to run a multiverse.) Error yelps, wincing in pain as a massive crack forms across his chest, reminscent of Geno's slash mark. He blinks as he feels his body begin to dust, and everyone begins panicking. He doesn't though. Darkness begins to take his vision and he smiles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Error jolts awake, looking around to see he's in Nightmare's castle, and he can faintly hear the guys arguing with someone. He yawns, getting up, and then screams, scrambling away from the mirror, panting.

Who the hell was that in the mirror?

Error lifts his skull up, looking at the mirror to see the unknown skeleotn copying his movements. The door is broken down, Nightmare running in.

"WHO DO I NEED TO MURDER?!" Nightmare blinks when he sees Error, who is shaking and stumbling over his words.

"N-n!gh7m4r3, !-! Kn0w 7-7h!5 5-50und5 5-5k37chy 4-45 fuck, b-bu7 !-! 5w34r !-! 4m 3-3rr0r!" (N-nightmare, I-i know t-this s-sounds s-sketchy a-as fuck, b-but I-i swear I-i am E-error!)

"Oh, I thought you were getting attacked. You realize Blue called me screaming you dusted and when I got there, you were Erroring it up but looked like Geno. Had to knock your ass out a second time, thankfully you weren't fully aware, just mumbling incoherently for a minute."

"G3n0?" (Geno?)

"Oh right. You never went to Aftertale, since it didn't have copies, supposedly. Well. Yeah. Aftertale Sans is waiting downstairs with his Reaper as well as Reaper's Sansy Friend named Death. Ink contacted all the Good and Neutral Sanses, and those three insisted upon meeting you first. To check something apparently." Error slowly gets to his feet, looking at the unrecognizable skeleton in the mirror. Porcelain bones, white shirt, red scar, red scarf, white glitches covering one eye, the other eyelight white with a purple center.

"0-0k4y...I-i'm r34dy." (O-okay...I-i'm ready.) Nightmare nods, and leads Error down to the living room, where a nearly identical skeleton to Error's new form stands, held by Reaper, a skeleton that Error actually knows. There is a second, older, more tired looking Reaper sitting with his back turned to Error.

"Uh...Hi?" The identical skeleton tears up, hugging into Reaper closer. Reaper looks shell-shocked.

"Oh god..." Reaper whispers out. Error's speech causes the other Death to stand up, breath in, and turn around, his gaze softening, tears welling up as he reaches hesitantly, hovering past the couch and slowly touching the scarf.

"It's really you...Geno...God...you don't know how much I've missed you." Error refrains from stepping away, but white glitches act up, telling his discomfort.

"He probably doesn't remember his past with you, Death. Hell, none of us are even sure why this change happened." The Reaper clone, dubbed Death, nods slowly, tears streaming.

"I just...never thought I'd ever see him again...so I'm processing this the best I can..." Blue walks in from the kitchen, holding a letter in his hands.

"I think this can explain our current situation." He clears his throat and begins reading.

"You may not remember immediately, Error, but Fate took you from my favored timeline, Aftertale, a few centuries ago. She put you in the Anti-Void and broke your mind. Aftertale created a copy timeline to act as the OG, and Reapertale responded by creating a new Reaper Sans, since the first Aftertale Sans and the first Reapertale Sans were in a committed relationship, and neither AU could handle the fallout of losing either or both Sanses. After you were corrupted, you changed completely, losing your mind on the AUs. When Blue was first in the Anti-Void, he accidentally saw Death, the first Reaper Sans, looking around, and so Fate wiped Error from Death's memory and Death from Blue's memory. She didn't want anyone to interrupt her fun game. Anyways, Long story short, I've restored things back to as original as possible. You've changed more than anticipated, so you look slightly different than Geno.

As for how I pulled this off, you were dying. Falling in Dust, I suppose. So I figured I could use that as my way in, and allowed you to Rise From Ash. Since you were rising anew, I figured a new look could be paired with your new chance at life. I've allowed both Aftertale Sanses, Error and Geno, to remain immune to the death touch of Reaper and Death, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I've also amended the Balance, the Multiverse, and Ink and your roles, Error. But you can worry about that later. The Multiverse will do what it wants." Blue looks at the group, mainly focusing on Error.

"Does that story ring a bell?" Error looks down at the ground, unconsciously gripping the scarf around his neck.

"It...d035 ring 4 f3w b3115..." (It...does ring a few bells...) Everyone seems to all at once relax in a way they weren't before.

"But...I think I...n33d 4 minut3...t0 ju5t...pr0c355 thi5 inf0rm4ti0n..." (But...I think I...need a minute...to just...process this information...) Everyone nods and Error slowly makes his way to the front door, walking around the AU for a minute and remembering stuff in short spurts.

"So...I'm the OG Aftertale Sans. Does that mean that when I died, Geno also died? Or did that nice voice catch me in time?" Error pauses in his walk, his face shadowing.

"What do I owe that voice for all these favors? Will it be as bad as Fate?" Error sighs, and continues walking.

"I suppose I can only wait and see."

(1735 words.

Yes. Ink was watching the fight through an invisible window, that's how he suddenly appeared when the voice spoke.

Error collapsed to the floor, gripping his head, but the voice (Fate) was overriding his ability to think or be aware of the situation until it stopped speaking, then he 'blinked' awake, able to note he was curled on the ground.

Error can control his glitches.

'Geno' is Aftertale Copy #2 while Error is Aftertale #1 (OG Geno Sans in other words)

'Reaper' is Reapertale Sans Copy #2 while Death is Reapertale Sans #1 (OG)

The idea that Error and an older form of Reaper, or an alternate like Death, being together as Geno and Death before being ripped apart isn't necessarily original to me, but the context around the reveal was very different.

Idk if you'll have any other questions unless they're about the multiverse, so I can't necessarily preemptively answer those questions.