Pursuit of Happiness

by MorseCode312

Summary:

She's doomed to marry the Prince of her parent's dreams. With the wedding coming up fast and nobody willing to listen to her, she builds a portal to a new world.

Sans has been dealt a bad hand too many times in life, and his sour attitude has been affecting his little brother. So he builds a machine to find Papyrus' mother to give him the good parental figure they lost a few years ago. But somehow, instead of his mother, he pulls a Princess out of the portal. One with a mind of her own and an ego to boot.

All it takes is a little thunderstorm, some magic, and maybe a few songs. We all know this will have a happy ending somehow.

Notes:

This story has been in my draft ideas for a while. It's not too long of a story, but I'm indulgent enough to want to get this published in full as soon as possible. And as I'm a sucker for romance and cheesy cliche's, this story will likely be full of them. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do.

**Published early so I don't lose it in my drafts**

Chapter 1: Prologue

It was a dark and stormy night...

Sans shrugged off the cliche, ignoring the heavy rumbling outside. The air was tense with energy from the lightning. Every few minutes a bolt would strike from the sky, filling the room with a bright flash of light. The lights were already dim. He was regretting setting this thing up in an abandoned warehouse, but he couldn't risk Papyrus walking in on this thing. Knowing him, he'd be curious enough to mess with it and end up being teleported to who knows where. It was hard enough trying to get the machine working, he didn't need the added stress of trying to find his baby brother in the infinite universe.

Which was ironic, because he was looking for someone. And that was going to be a difficult task. He didn't have a lot to off when it came to her...

Another crash of lightning illuminated the building, making the lights flicker. Sans cursed under his breath. He hadn't expected the storm to be this strong. At this rate, he'd definitely have to rewire the lights, and this building was so old that he really didn't want to spend all that effort just so he could work on this machine. It was hard enough to get this machine in a spot where the roof wasn't threatening to collapse, and the floor was moderately clean. Not that Sans was particularly worried of getting dirty, but nobody really enjoyed rolling around in the dirt. And it would really suck if anything got caught up in the mechanics of this machine. He's already spent so much time on it. 

The last few tests hadn't been successful in powering up the machine. The old building didn't have enough electric capacity, so he rigged a system on top of the building to draw electricity from the storm. At first, he was hesitant to do so - this much energy could easily blow the whole system. And by the looks of it, the storm wasn't letting up anytime soon. He'd have to act fast and start up the machine. 

The skeleton, who had been kneeling, rose to his feet, sighing and brushing himself off. The machine was bigger than he expected - the platform used to open the portal was wide, and the control unit itself was a bit taller than him. Of course, the plans had laid out all the dimensions, but the translation from paper to reality was almost fascinating. And the instructions weren't too hard to follow either. It was just a matter of finding all the right parts, which took him the longest to do. And now, there was one last step he needed to be able to turn it on. 

The instructions said he had to give the machine a bit of himself, or his magic, for it to work. The magic in the machine would then search for whatever it was you were looking for, and draw it through the portal. It seemed pretty straightforward, and all the math and physics checked out. So Sans approached the control panel and focused his energy into the machine. A well-timed lighting strike had it humming to life, with all the lights dimming around him to give its power to the portal. 

Sure enough, this attempt looked like it would be successful. The platform began to glow, emitting a light than rivaled the thunderous storm's outside. Sans had to turn away from it to avoid being blinded. 

A powerful force was expelled as a portal was opened up. Sans was thrown back, shielding his sockets as his Soul thumped wildly in his chest. He hoped this attempt would be successful. 

Then, the machine began to wind down. It seemed all the energy had indeed blown some sort of fuse, for the entire building went dark as well. Silence filled the air, with Sans holding his breath in waiting. 

Another bolt flashed outside, briefly illuminating the area. A figure stood on the platform. His Soul lodged itself in his throat. 

"mom...?"

The figure let out a tiny gasp, followed by a grunt of pain as they fell against the machine. Their silhouette was slouched and unmoving, causing Sans to panic. He slowly made his way through the dark towards the figure, using the brief periods of light to maneuver his way over to them. Finally, he was within arm's length of the figure. Over the harsh patter of the rain, he could still hear them breathing gently. Relieved, Sans reached for them, his hand shaking as he rested a hand on their shoulder. 

The warm flesh he touched briefly made him stagger back a few paces. Lightning flashed once again and Sans knew for sure. 

It wasn't his mother he had pulled from the portal. 

 

Chapter 2: Chapter 1

Once upon a time, as all stories begin, there was a beautiful kingdom that had been given the name Illaria. It was a very prosperous and well-loved kingdom, with a vast record of noble and kind rulers. Currently, Illaria was being ruled by their beloved king and queen, along with their two precious children. 

The elder child had recently been given her duty to look for a suitable marriage partner, one that would support her when she eventually would inherit the throne from her parents. The young lady was not concerned with this responsibility, however, shrugging off her duties in favor of extending her personal studies. 

Eventually, her parents grew concerned for their kingdom. The eldest had always been given the choice to marry someone of their choosing, and were given a suitable time to do so. But after a few years of watching their daughter only invest her time in her studies, with her deadline growing near, the Queen decided it was time for them to intervene...

---

 

Your mother's cheerful disposition was your first indication that something was wrong. Recently, it seemed like your parents had been avoiding you. Whenever you just so happened to be in the same room as them, their glances were always careful and considerate. Which was an upgrade from the disappointed and worried looks they had been giving you before this period, so you never thought to confront their change of spirit. 

When you entered your parents' chamber at their request, you regretted not speaking up sooner. 

As you had noticed earlier, your mother had been grinning widely, something you rarely ever saw. Even your father seemed to be more joyful. 

Your mother invited you to sit at the end of her side of the bed, easing her smile to try to calm your puzzlement. 

That was when you found out your parents had decided on your future husband. 

That was about a week ago now, and the shock still has not worn off. 

You were fully aware you were due to chose your marriage partner soon according to your parents. You, however, had no interest in rushing your decision. Marriage proposals from all over the land had been sent in for the last couple of years, but none of them suited your interest. Each of those offers came from princes and princesses that had no interest in you as a person, but rather your kingdom and all it could offer. You were just the means to getting what they wanted, and you had no interest in indulging anyone with that attitude. 

You hadn't expected your parents to take matters into their own hands.

This particular prince that was supposedly your betrothed was no different than the rest. You had already seen his proposal, and it was one of the first you opted to toss. You had already met this prince before.

He was surprisingly sweet when he initially introduced himself, seeming to come straight out of one of your novels. He had captivated your parents and those around you with his charming presence, and you hadn't minded spending some time with him. 

But you couldn't help but feel off about him. hen you mentioned your studies, he didn't seem interested, although he allowed you to talk freely about all you were learning about. 

Overall, your interaction with him weren't too favorable.  A potential future with him was enough to make you uncomfortable. But your parents were not budging from their decision. Unless you found another suitable husband, the Prince would make his way to Illaria within a week's time. Your wedding and coronation would take place not too long after that.

Which was why you were here now, in the very depths of your castle's dungeon. Far away from the prying eyes of the servants and your parents, you were free to study and experiment as you pleased. 

Over the past few years, you had expanded your interests from reading about other worlds to learning about them. The resources were slim, and it was hard to make sense of some of the writings. 

Years ago, you had found fictional writings of a portal that could allow travel between different universes by infusing it with your spiritual force and intention. It had sounded impossible at first, but the more you looked into it, the more plausible it was. And at this point, you were looking for a miracle.

If your parents were going to make you chose between marrying that prince and marrying someone who wanted your throne, you intended to take yourself out of the equation altogether. 

It took several days to scrape together enough resources. With your brother's help, it took a few days to piece everything together according to your notes. 

With only one day before the Prince's arrival, you and your brother stood before the finished portal. It wasn't as nice and neat as you'd hoped, but it somewhat resembled the original artist's sketch. All that was left to do was to infuse it. Apparently, by using your own spiritual force and intent, you'd be able to use it to find a world that would be compatible with you. 

Your younger brother stood back as you approached the strange machine. He rarely understood your interest in these matters, but he was supportive nonetheless, and you were grateful for his help. He was more than happy to marry and receive the throne in your place. 

Even so, he was still concerned for you. 

Infusing your force within the machine was much easier than you had hoped. And with it being late into the night, no one noticed the power being diverted to your machine. 

When the portal powered up, a strange energy filled the room. Despite the new fear and hesitancy that began to fill you, a strong pull from deep inside had drawn you forward. You clutched your bag tighter to you, giving one last look to your brother before stepping through the portal. 

 

There was a thunderous roar that announced your arrival on the other side. You were dizzy and weak, your body feeling like it had been squashed and stretched like clay, even though your journey had only taken a few seconds at most. To make matters worse, you weren't even sure of where you are. The darkness surrounding you did nothing to help you with your disoriented state. 

A flash of lightning outside had caused you to see your surroundings briefly, and allowed you to catch sight of the dark figure standing across from you. 

The shock, compared with your exhausted state, was too much for you to handle. With a small gasp, you felt yourself fall over, the darkness somehow growing even darker as you fell unconscious. 

 

---

 

Sans stared at the small human before him. His eye lights, now adjusted to the dark warehouse, narrowed at her. 

A million questions ran through his mind, along with a ting of anger and disappointment. Had he really failed? Why was this human brought through the portal instead of his mother? Where did she even come from?

The human coughed and groaned, drawing him out of his thoughts. 

With the machine fried like this, it would be impossible to get it started up again. And he couldn't just leave her here like this. As much as it frustrated him, he'd have to take her with him until he could have a moment to process this situation. And figure out how to fix the machine. 

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sans took off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl before taking her up in his arms. She didn't stir in the slightest. 

He'd have to call Alphys later, and hope that this was going to be an easy fix...