N - It depends, actually! She could look more like them or look less like them! And I'm excited to add Frisk as well!

Madmalitiangamer - Thaaaaaaaaaaanks!

On the long road again, I reach another familiar part of Waterfall. There was a telescope propped up to the wall. Sans gives a slightly thoughtful look at it. My head was facing the ground. My heart was racing, and I felt like I needed to sit down. And so I did, up against a wall. Sans looks to me before looking back to where we came from. He seems unnerved, but he sits down next to me anyway.

"feeling tired, kid?" Sans asks me.

"Not so much as I'm worried sick," I answer.

"papyrus is strong," Sans counters,"he can handle himself. plus, grillby is there with him,"

"I know, but...you saw what Undyne did to Papyrus, right?"

I look to the ground again. I'll never forget that fateful moment. That moment where I looked down at the skeleton on the ground and gazed into the crack in his skull. The small abyss that I stared into made minutes seem like hours. Sans shakes me from my imagination.

"you're still shaken up about that?" Sans sighs,"geez, i said it was fine. how many times do i need to reassure you?"

I say nothing in response.

"listen, if you spend every living moment of your life worrying about the past, you won't be able to focus on your future," Sans lectures,"it's how i survived. if you think i'm letting you sulk and give up, you're stupid."

Sans can be blunt, but he's telling the truth. Maybe that's one of the quirks in this timeline. Sans has a different outlook and approach on things than the one from my home timeline. It's negative in some aspects, but positive in others. I look up to him and give a slightly more relaxed look. He smiles a bit.

"there we go,"

He stands up and offers a hand to me, that same smile on his face.

"i'm getting fond of you, kid," Sans says,"might be trouble,"

"I wouldn't be so sure," I respond,"If you're anything like the Sans from my home timeline, I'm sure you'll find your way out of any fix you get yourself into."

"i didn't say the trouble was necessarily bad." Sans looks at the road ahead.

"So, you like having me around?" I tilt my head.

"that a crime?"

"No."

"then yeah, guess so,"

"I like having you around too, Sans,"

Most of the journey from there on forward were me and Sans talking together. I'd gotten to know him a bit better, and he was comfortable enough to explain to me some of the personal things that went on in his past. That included his relationships to people around him. He talked about a woman behind a door, and I knew who he meant.

"That was Toriel, Sans," I explain,"You were speaking to Toriel,"

"you mean that old lady behind that door? yeah, i'd tell her jokes every now and then," he says,"but i'm guessing you already know this...?"

"You'd be right,"

"huh..."

"There is something that I need to know from you though,"

"yeah, kid?"

"What do you know about Asgore?"

"you mean the king? oh he used to be soft about everything, but now he's one of the most intimidating monsters out there," Sans folds his arms,"it's fitting, considering he is the king and all,"

We reached another area that strung a chord within me. It was raining...but we're underground. That must mean it's raining somewhere else. Above-ground? Could be. Maybe not. I wouldn't know from where I am currently. We passed a familiar looking statue and came across a basket of umbrellas. Sans had his hood up at this point and grabbed an umbrella for me. I immediately knew what to do. I took the umbrella he was holding and walked back to the statue, placing the umbrella in its hand. Sans looks confused for a moment before freezing at the calming sound of a music box playing a lullaby. If his jaw could drop open, I'm pretty sure it would be doing so right now.

"what the...?"

"This was one of my favorite things about my other timeline," I smile at the music,"It reminds me of a good friend,"

"who would that be?"

"Asriel,"

You know, for a person who's able to remember every RESET, you'd think he'd be less surprised about this...NOPE! He looks like his skull is about to shatter, and it probably would if things like this didn't cause skulls to shatter. This is reality after all, not a story. What would ever give you that impression? Never in my life have I wanted to giggle so much at Sans.

"you met him? isn't he dead?"

"I did meet him, but...it was pretty brief," I explain,"We had a fight and...I think I fought myself from another timeline? But that was after Asriel had the strength of nearly every monster in the underground."

"wait wait wait, start from the beginning, okay?"

We set off down the rainy trail, an umbrella in my hand. I had explained everything. My journey from start to finish, sparing everyone I came across, and managing to unite everybody and reach the surface.

"...that sounds rough...but it's hopeful in a way?" Sans thinks,"you said you saw the surface right?"

"Yeah, it was as beautiful as ever,"

"that's my brother's goal,"

"It sounds like him, like the old Papyrus,"

"anything else you wanna tell?"

"Actually, yeah," I say,"It's something personal about myself. It took some time, but my diary, it might have something to do with what I am,"

"with what you are?"

"You've never seen a SAVE device so strong, right?"

"actually, you're right," Sans confirms,"not even with all those other kids before you,"

"Well, I think the reason is because I don't exactly bend to the laws of this universe...or any, for that matter."

"what do you mean by that, kid? that you're some sort of wildcard?"

"Possibly. I wasn't...meant to exist,"

Gee, that skull shattering moment must be coming pretty soon. This is the third time today I've caused Sans to give me a look of disbelief. I must have a knack for this sort of thing. I wonder if I could use it to my advantage.

"you- wait, what? then how are you even here?"

"My timeline suffered from frequent resetting. From what I understand, it was a kid named Frisk, someone who I'd met pretty recently, actually. They were the kid you were supposedly looking for. I'd advise not to attack them,"

"alright, kid. go on,"

"So, apparently it was their resetting that caused strange things to happen in that timeline...but I don't think it was just Frisk specifically...I think it might have been...me myself,"

Sans gives a confused look. He scratches at his gold tooth as I explain.

"Remember how I said that I fought myself from another timeline? I know for a fact that the one I fought was covered in the dust of innocents. It looked positively morbid. They informed me of their motives, and I eventually prevailed against them...But...not before they destroyed every timeline they came across,"

"but wasn't the timeline you came from the only one fucked up?"

"Maybe not. Maybe Other Me came from a messed up timeline as well. Or maybe, and I can't believe I'm saying this, Other Me was me from a future point in time...Meaning I basically fought a non-glitch version of myself...and won. I feel like I cheated, but...at the same time, I feel relieved. That I won't turn out like that, even though I have that strength within me..."

Sans pats my back, smiling and chuckling.

"hey, even if you're not supposed to exist, you're here now, and you've been with me for a good time now. you haven't done anything to hurt anyone, and you've managed to work your way around every situation that's tried to mow over your face. you even sorta patched up me and my brother's horrible relationship. i owe you for that, hands down..."

And then, Sans thought.

"how old are you? i'm only asking because like you said, your timeline definitely bunged up a few things or more,"

"Eleven,"

"you sure, kid?"

"...Actually, no, I'm not," I frown,"I think I'm eleven, but I surely don't feel like an eleven-year old..."

"huh...well, we don't have time to chat about it either way. we have a job to do,"

"You're right, Sans,"

With both of us under the umbrella, staying close to each other, a new feeling awakens in both of us. Familiar, and powerful...

We both feel determination.