Chapter Text
“in the worst case scenario, we gotta’ make sure you can’t reset. otherwise, you could reset the timeline and go psycho-mode after a few centuries in the void.”
Sans’ words echoed in their mind.
They knew it was true.
After all, nobody could be trusted after going through what Frisk had.
Eventually, they would snap, whether it be in the darkness waiting for them at the end of every timeline, or while being driven mad by the monotony of the resets.
It was inevitable.
And yet some small part of them wanted to cling to the hope that there was more waiting for them other than madness and death.
They looked around, finding themselves walking through the damp grass of Waterfall.
Following a path they had walked hundreds of times, to the point where it was committed to memory.
Even though they hadn’t been moving with any purpose, there was nowhere else to go but forward. Towards the ending of one timeline and the beginning of the next.
Towards the oblivion in between both.
Frisk tried not to think about the daunting, terrifying prospect of spending eternity in an impenetrable, sensationless twilight.
Instead, they occupied themselves with the beautiful scenery of the Underground as they entered Waterfall. Sans’ sentry station was empty, but even without the skeleton there, the echo of his words in Frisk’s mind left a bad taste in their mouth.
‘I guess that means no Grillby’s trip like usual… I’m actually surprised Sans hasn’t taken me these past few loads. Guess everything I dropped on him must’ve really affected him if he’s not even going to Grillby’s.’
Frisk didn’t save at the entrance to Waterfall like they used to. Otherwise it would erase their save earlier that morning, which they had been using to reset the day without fully resetting the timeline. In order to preserve their temporary rest, they couldn’t make a new save file.
That stark reminder of their reality combined with Sans’ lingering words caused their shoulders to slump slightly. However, dwelling on it was useless.
Once again refocusing on the here and now, Frisk basked in the sound of trickling water and the shades of indigo rock around them. Even though they had seen it countless times, the Underground was still wondrous and delightful— unlike the people, the scenery never felt like cardboard cutouts.
Though, they pondered, eventually even the scenery would begin to feel dull and monotonous if they experienced it enough times.
That was depressing. Well, everything was depressing.
As they ambled through the Underground and reflected on their surroundings, they easily breezed past the puzzles. They had done them numerous times, more than they could count. It was routine by now.
Ahead of them, they heard faint snippets of conversation. Frisk slowed their pace to a crawl.
“...AND THEN I MADE PANCAKES FOR THEM! NYEHEHEHE!”
“THAT CONCLUDES MY DAILY REPORT! I’LL BE OFF NOW! I’VE SPAGHETTI TO SET AND TRAPS TO CANOODLE!”
In the distance, they spotted Undyne and Paps. However, since Papyrus hadn’t informed her about a human in the Underground (them), Frisk no longer needed to worry about her in this timeline, as long as they evaded her notice.
Which they really wanted to avoid. It’d be awkward if they died and reset the day; Sans would probably be surprised by the sudden save-loading.
And their last save was basically right outside his door.
That would be. Really awkward.
So that was why Frisk was on their hands and knees, crawling through a patch of sea-grass.
The ridiculousness of the situation wasn’t lost on them.
“Haaah…” they sighed, the sound barely audible over the splashing of water.
Immediately, a rough voice cut through the white noise.
“WHO’S THERE?!”
Ahead, the armored figure’s gaze swept towards the patch of sea-grass.
‘Oops.’
Frisk froze.
Undyne stared harder, her shining eyes peering intimidatingly through the darkness of her metal helm.
Frisk stayed motionless. They had lots of practice with Doggo.
The fish-woman seemed tense, but after several excruciatingly slow minutes, she seemed to relax.
“Damn, must’ve been the wind or something… ”
As the menacing aura of the captain of the Royal Guard receded, Frisk breathed a quieter sigh of relief.
‘That was too close for comfort.’
Frisk continued through Waterfall, listening to Echo Flowers and talking to locals. Waterfall had always been one of their favorite places in the Underground; the relaxing sound of water and the beautiful scenery made it a nice place to chill.
It was especially relaxing since they didn’t have to deal with Undyne hunting them down. Even the Mad Dummy was tolerable.
Altogether, they were in a good mood even as they passed the telescope.
“huh? you aren’t satisfied? don’t worry, i’ll give you a full refund.”
Sans would prank them sometimes, if they decided to backtrack after already passing through this room. They raised a hand to their eye, examining their fingers as they recalled the red dye that would cling to their face if they obliged Sans and looked through the telescope after he tampered with it.
‘Ha. Sorry Sans. I think you’re right; some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends… none of it is enough to save anyone— me, you, or everybody trapped in the Underground.’
They looked up at the cavern above, going so high that it faded into darkness.
‘In the end, we can only gamble that the world will continue… without me. Maybe the world isn’t actually ending. Maybe the only thing holding the monsters back from enjoying their freedom is me, constantly pulling everyone back into this hole in the ground because I can’t stand being alone in the dark.’
While their thoughts were depressive, they still wore a small smile on their face as they made their peace with it. There was nothing they could do. Prolonging it would only increase their fear of death, and avoiding it would lead them down a slow, spiralling path to insanity.
And if there was nothing they could do about it, that was okay.
Unfortunately, their peace couldn’t last.
As they were heading towards the craggy rocks where Undyne normally challenged them, Frisk saw a distant flash of familiar blue fabric.
‘Well… I guess I should go see what’s up.’
They slowly trudged over to Sans.
“...hello.”
“heya pal.”
Sans seemed a little nervous. Uncharacteristic of him, but that really just told Frisk how far they had gone off the rails in this reset. The anomaly revealing themselves, seeking help, and acquiescing that the only way to end this cruel cycle was self-termination; this wasn’t even something the always cool-as-a-cucumber Sans could’ve predicted.
And maybe he’s feeling guilt. Frisk always had a hard time reading him, but they knew that he felt guilty for breaking a certain promise during their first and last attempt at raising their LV. So he wasn’t totally apathetic.
It wouldn’t be good if he wanted to back out now. They smiled reassuringly at him, though they couldn’t tell if it helped at all.
“What’s the matter? Did you need something?”
“as a matter of fact... yes. alphys wants to talk to you.”
“Wow, you work quick,” Frisk grinned. “Do you want me gone that badly?”
Sans flinched. Frisk winced internally. ‘Ah. That’s a soft spot. Too soon…’
Meanwhile, he took a breath, unable to meet their eyes. “heh. normally i’m the one cracking bad jokes.”
They shrugged, trying to brush past the awkwardness. “So, why does Alphys want to meet me?”
“well, i told her the rough idea of your situation. sorry i didn’t ask first.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” Frisk waved him off. ‘Doesn’t really matter when I could erase everything that happened today with a thought.’
“uh. yeah. she wants to at least meet you before she fixes the machine that will…”
‘Kill me. I guess I’d at least be curious about who I was sending to their death too, in her position.’
Externally, Frisk just nodded.
“Sure. I don’t mind. Almost at Hotland, anyways.”
“yep. let’s speed things up, though.” He hesitantly looks up from the ground between his slippers and proffers his hand. “shortcut?”
“If you would,” Frisk nodded, grabbing his arm.
They disappeared on the spot.
In the True Lab…
The console crackled to life as she booted up the old logs.
A flicker.
Then the old font blinked into place on the screen.
…
ENTRY NUMBER 12
nothing is happening.
i don't know what to do.
i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination."
i want this to work.
…
Alphys closed her eyes.
She remembered the shlick of syringes.
The hollow clink of glass beakers against metal.
The unanswered silence.
The lab entries flickered on the screen like they were mocking her.
…
ENTRY NUMBER 13
one of the bodies opened its eyes.
…
ENTRY NUMBER 14
Everyone that had fallen down...
... has woken up.
They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong.
I thought they were goners...?
…
A nervous laugh escaped her lips. It cracked halfway out, dry and papery. That line had felt so full of relief back then.
Now it sounded like a lie someone wrote to themselves, praying the lie might become real.
She knew now that something like that was too good to be true.
The cursor blinked again.
…
ENTRY NUMBER 15
Seems like this research was a dead end...
But at least we got a happy ending out of it...?
I sent the SOULS and the vessel back to ASGORE, returned the vessel to his garden….
And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive.
I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :)
…
Tomorrow never came.
…
ENTRY NUMBER 16
no No NO NO NO NO NO
…
“…What am I doing?” she whispered to herself.
Her voice barely registered in the heavy dark of the lab.
“I said I would never touch this again. I promised them I wouldn’t.”
The words rang out into the silence. No one answered.
She reached up and dragged her claws down her face. Her glasses slipped a little, and she didn’t fix them.
“I’m not… I’m not a savior. I’m not even a good person,” she muttered.
A pause. Then, quieter:
“I can’t fix this.”
She looked at the screen again.
…
ENTRY NUMBER 19
the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home.
what am i supposed to say?
i don't even answer the phone anymore.
…
ENTRY NUMBER 21
i spend all my time at the garbage dump now
it's my element
…
Mocking.
Accusing.
True.
She turned her chair away from the console and stared at the DT Extraction Machine.
It looked like a monster waiting to wake up again.
Her hand twitched. Reached for a wrench. The feel of smooth metal against her scales made her recoil.
She stood up abruptly and shuffled out of the room like there was a fire.