Author's Note:

(Hey hey hey! What, surprised I've started yet another fic! Don't be! That's just how I roll honestly. My mind flits around through brief moments of obsession and inspiration. Currently, Undertale has stolen my heart just like everyone else, and for good reason! The characters are so wonderful and really connect to me!

Dark. Darker, yet dark.

Nothing matters now. Nothing exists.

They try to move their body, but without air to move against them, they are unable to tell what position they are in. There is no ground to stand on, no sky to look up to, no walls to shield them.

No light, but then again, they aren't sure there's anything left to illuminate.

They aren't quite sure how long it's been since everything went black. It seems time, too, is no longer a concept they can rely on now; numerous attempts at reloading their save file hadn't seemed to make a difference in the environment.

Now, with nothing but their own thoughts to keep them company, Frisk is afraid. Truly, completely afraid. For so long they had been the one in control, able to reset and reload at will. They never really put much thought into the consequences of all their time-hopping, and why would they? Theoretically, even the consequences could be undone with a true reset, bringing everything back to the moment she first entered the Underground. Nothing was permanent, and they could get away with anything they wanted.

Not that they really wanted to do anything bad in the first place. Things just kind of... escalated at some point. Their mind gradually shifted from mercy to violence; Frisk to Chara. They still had no clue how that idea made it into their head - when did they start thinking they were really Chara? Was it subconscious, or was someone trying to manipulate them all along? Flowey believed it too, the poor thing. He really thought his best friend had returned, that they were going to destroy everything together.

Everyone treated them as if they weren't really human, which was something that had stuck in their mind some time after the world ended.

"It would really make my brother happy... if you kept pretending to be one."

What made him think they weren't human? Was their behavior really so strange that their humanity was unrecognizable?

Chara themself was the only one that made their distinction clear in the end. It seemed impossible then that they could have been the same person... it should be impossible. Yet those bloody thoughts that flitted through their head... Asriel's smile on Flowey's little face as he recognized his long-dead companion... these memories filled them with doubt and uncertainty, anxiety threatening to bubble to the surface.

They hated the anxiety most, especially in this setting. All they wanted was to run away, find somewhere safe, someone safe, but there was nowhere to go anymore. No one to comfort them anymore. They would scream and cry into the darkness, clinging to some remaining thread of hope inside that someone made it out alive with them, someone was out there looking for them, and at any moment they would emerge from the shadows before them, eyes shining brightly as they fell upon the lost child they had been searching for.

But nobody came.

Those words would echo back at them, mocking and cruel. Voices rang out around them, laughing, taunting, singing in the lonely human's sorrow. This was what they deserved, Frisk supposed. This was all just karma finally catching up to them, now that it had the time to catch up.

Still, it was hard to hold everything in sometimes. The silence, though they were more used to it now, was all-encompassing, an unsettling ring constantly sounding in their head to make sense of it all. Anxiety only made tone louder, so terribly loud. It scared them even more, how this awful, blaring noise was still all just in their head - that in reality, there was no sound at all, and nothing to fear, and their mind still felt the need to make up imaginary threats.

There was only one way to break the stillness in this void. The single spot of life left among a sea of death; Frisk was the only color left, the only source of energy. If nobody else was here to create noise, they would just have to do so themselves.

Taking in a deep breath, they closed their eyes and screamed at the top of their little lungs - shouting, cursing, crying, letting out their frustrations without restraint. A child's weeping voice filled the nothingness, and the shadows seemed to ripple and sway as if moved by the very power of that shrill cry. They screamed and screamed till their chubby face was bright red and tingling from lack of air (was there even oxygen left to breathe anymore?), unrelenting until the final traces of anger had been drained from their system. A wave of silence once more washed over them, peace reasserting itself as the sudden outburst subsided. Everything was calm once more -

"yeesh, could you try to give a warning before you go shrieking like that next time?"

- But somebody came.

Startled, Frisk managed to spin their small body around to face the direction the voice had originated. This was new... perhaps another trick Chara set in place to mess with them. The other child didn't seem to appreciate the fact that Frisk remained here, but where else could they possibly go? To their surprise - and horror - however, it was not the image of the eerily-smiling spirit they were met with, but the grin of an all-too-familiar monster.

"though i have to say kid, this is the first time i've heard you make so much noise. those are some powerful chords you got there," he continued, casually shifting his weight to one side as he chuckled at the human in front of him. Frisk could only stare in disbelief as their old friend appeared seemingly out of thin air, still unsure if this was real or just a hallucination. Maybe they had finally lost it, floating here in the void for so long. The monster noticed their expression, and his smile shifted slightly, now more coy than before. "what? aren't you happy to see me, pal? i went through so much trouble to find you, what with our entire plane of existence being wiped out," he continued, gesturing to the vast expanses of emptiness that surrounded them on all sides. Frisk could only muster the strength to move their eyes, looking down from that cheeky face to take in his appearance. He took the hint rather quickly. "oops, sorry about that. i didn't exactly have the opportunity to clean myself up after our fight earlier, but i figured you wouldn't really mind. i mean, you're the one that did this to me, after all."

It hit them like a brick wall. Realization dawned on their face, and confusion turned to pure panic as the memories came back. Sans stood there, hands stuffed in the pockets of his signature blue hoodie, laughing to himself once more as he saw the human's emotions change so quickly. It really must have been longer than they thought; the memories of the different timelines they traversed had become jumbled and disorganized over time, events becoming blurry and distorted as everything merged together. Now, however, everything was back in its rightful place, each timeline clearly defined in chronological order.

They had killed Sans. Slashed him across the torso as he fell asleep during his "special attack". He was dead and gone and couldn't possibly be here in this nothingness anyways, and yet here he was, blood still dripping from that fatal wound as he gripped the tattered scarf around his neck. His shirt was stained deep crimson, and little spots dotted his fuzzy pink slippers. Perhaps this really was hell, and the dead were coming back to torment them for their sins in times past.

They had killed everyone. Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Sans, Asgore, Flowey... everyone that had the misfortune of crossing their path. That was why Chara came back from death; all the carnage had caught their attention, and they approached Frisk at the end of their journey. That was when... that was when Chara finally gained control. That was when the world came to a sudden, painful end. That was when Frisk was left to suffer all alone.

"you really are some kinda freak, huh? then again, seems most humans are. give em a little taste of power, and they suddenly think themselves gods. they abuse their abilities, push them to the limits, and inevitably mess with something they shouldn't, and then wonder why things didn't turn out like they planned. they only regret what they've done when they're left with nothing, expecting mercy when they gave none themselves. i'm kinda glad we never made it to the surface in this last loop - i'm not so sure i'd like to live among humans if they're all like you and that demon kid," the skeleton spoke up after a few moments of silence, no longer pretending to be friendly. His voice was deep, bitter, biting; Frisk hadn't heard the voice of another being in so long, and the hate-filled words managed to hit them deep within their soul, made all the more powerful in the silence.

"i do still feel a bit for ya, even after everything you've done. you're still just a kid, and what is a kid expected to do when given this enormous power that they couldn't possibly comprehend?" he shrugged, shaking his head softly as he did so. "but we gave you so many chances. we practically walked hand-in-hand with you to the very end, and you still weren't satisfied. why settle for a peaceful ending when you could go back and try for another? there'd be no harm in that, right?" at this, he lowered his head, eyes closing as he addressed Frisk. "but now look what you've done. you tried to have it all and now you've got nothing," he muttered, once again looking up at the child with empty eyes.

"hurts, doesn't it?"

Flowey's sad smile flashed through their mind, in a situation not so unlike this one. The deja vu was nauseating, even after experiencing the sensation so many times already. Poor, sweet Asriel...

They didn't care about this anymore. They just wanted things to go back to how they were before. Nodding their head in response, Frisk could feel tears slowly drip from their eyes and slide down their cheek, leaving shimmering trails on their skin. As if not expecting this type of response, Sans' white pupils returned once more, steely gaze faltering. He paused once more, seemingly thinking up a response to the human's admittance. The fingers wrapped tightly around the scarf twitched, and now Papyrus was the one that came to mind. Even in his final moments, he refused to give up on them. He thought they could still be a good person. Could he see the fight with his brother in the afterlife? Did he watch his brother die? After everything they've done since his death, would Papyrus have lost faith in them by now? Where did Sans disappear to after Papyrus' defeat anyways? Thinking back on it now, he never once mentioned the other skeleton until the very end of his life. He wouldn't let the human see him mourn, even in his final moments. Frisk couldn't begin to imagine how hard that must've been.

They didn't notice, but Sans was staring at them now; he'd likely noticed them deep in thought and chose to wait for them to come out of it. Now that their eyes met, his smile faltered for the first time since they'd crossed paths in the forest so long ago. "heh. i was like you once, you know? i had this knowledge that nobody else had, that i could play around with however i wanted. suddenly, it felt like the natural rules of our world just... didn't apply to me somehow, like i was above everyone else. of course, it's only a matter of time, huh? karma's a real bitch." he broke eye contact, looking down at the heart-shaped locket still dangling around Frisk's skinny neck. "we like to think we're above that kinda stuff at this point, or we can somehow bend it to act how we want it to. it's almost like there's somethin out there watching us, letting us dig ourselves deeper and deeper, until we get to the point where we realize it's all pointless, but by then it's too late. the trap snaps shut, and there's no way out."

He seemed so... sad. So sad that it was making Frisk terribly uncomfortable. They weren't used to so much change happening out of their control. Sans was supposed to be the calm and collected one, the one that just went with the flow and adapted to the situation. He was the rational voice among a sea of uncertainty. Here, now, he was different. Vulnerable. A new wave of pain rippled through their soul as they realized it was their fault he was brought so low. They were the one that broke him. "i knew someone like that other kid, too- the creepy one. they, uh, had a few screws loose, if you know what i mean. i don't think they were trying to be bad but, well... they were. really bad. really powerful, too. that's not a good combo, in my experience." the lingering hand at his neck was slowly brought back down to rest in his pocket. "anyways, they came across the whole 'time loop' thing, what with the save points and all. they were gonna try and use that power to help out us monsters, maybe find a way to bypass the barrier completely through some kinda portal. but all that knowledge really messed 'em up, and soon it wasn't about doing the right thing anymore. it was about controlling monsterkind entirely."

Looking back up at the human, Frisk could see newfound energy burning within him. "they got what was comin' to them, like everyone that plays god. ironically, it was their own invention that did them in. or, i guess it'd be more accurate to say it was the invention that killed them," he continued, smile returning in full force. "technically i was the one that - heh - gave them the 'push' they needed to meet that fate." he laughed at his little attempt at a joke. Frisk breathed in sharply, fearing for their friend's sanity (were they really considered friends anymore?), though he quickly recomposed himself. "see what i'm gettin' at, bucko? they had all that power, and all it took was one little push to overthrow them. that's how things work in this world: whoever has the most power at the time gets to rule for a while, until someone else gets even more and dominates them, or they get too strong to contain themselves and collapse altogether. Nobody's above that law, not even the crazy little brat that ended the world. It's only a matter of time until they're pushed back under, and someone else rises to take their place."

Was he really insinuating that Chara could be defeated? Look at what they did in less than a minute after gaining control- in fact, there was nothing left to see at all! "as much as i'd love to kick that spoiled shit in their scrawny, entitled ass, i'm really not in the position to be doing any fighting. or much of anything, really," he added, motioning to the wound on his stomach for emphasis. "but you... you've still got your soul, right? you're still alive, more or less. the only thing left in this wasteland. our last hope at one more chance to end this nightmare for good. unless you're comfortable with spending all eternity floating aimlessly in the void with nothing but past regrets to look back on?"

"N-no!" Frisk cried, though barely able to manage more than a whisper. "I... I know that's what I really deserve, but... I want the world back. I want the world back, Sans!" they croaked, desperation clawing at their throat as they came closer and closer to that fraying thread. "Even if I never see it again... I at least want to give you all your lives back," they trailed off then, voice becoming a tiny squeak as they pleaded for a way out. A way to make things right. That shimmering, silver string, so frail and beautiful, finally came within their sight. Tiny, chubby hands reached out to grasp it. Our last hope...

"good. you may be a freak, but at least you realize your mistakes," Sans spoke, moving closer to the quivering child. "and hopefully, you'll realize that this really is our last chance. mess it up, and that's it. i won't be able to do this for you a second time," he warned, leaning down to catch their line of sight. "but try and keep a level head, alright? you gotta stay on alert if you wanna find any means of gaining the upper hand on them. got it?" he asked quietly, tone surprisingly soft despite his anger moments earlier. Frisk honestly had no idea what was happening; what had Sans managed to do that would give them the opportunity to face Chara?

In an instant, the darkness became light. Beautiful, sparkling light. Sans took a step back, but not before offering a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "don't worry, i'll still try and help ya, but we can't be too obvious about it, alright? can't have them knowing about us before we've got our trump card ready," the skeleton chimed, bringing a single bony finger to his mouth and giving a playful wink. "but i'm sure that won't be too hard for you, since you barely talk much anyways. if you do... just try not to scream it all out in a fit of rage and i think we'll be fine."

Before Frisk could ask any further questions, the light intensified greatly, enveloping Sans completely. They shut their eyes tight, using their arms to shield themselves from the blinding rays. It felt like the entire universe was spinning rapidly, turning and rushing around them violently. All sounds ceased, and even their scream of terror was lost to space. It was similar to the moment when the world ended at Chara's hand, except this time around... something was stirring. Something was rising up out of the torrent of light, faster and faster. This time, it felt more like...

...like a world was beginning.

With a sudden jolt and a gasp for air,

Frisk woke up in bed.

End Note:

(Now what have you done this time, Sans? You've just gotta be so very cryptic about your actions, don't you?

I may or may not make this multiple chapters, depending on how well-accepted this little thing is.

Partially inspired by the fan-made comic "Aftertale" by tumblr user loverofpiggies. Seriously, go check it out if you haven't already!)