Anomalies

Moving On

Sans tried to adjust to this new life. One where he was forgotten. His birthday came and went, and he became a sentry, selling hotdogs at his posts on the side. Sometimes, he brought Papyrus with to play in the snow. When he slept, he would get glimpses into the future. A human with a stick, petting the dog Sentries. A human with a knife slashing into his chest, red eyes gleaming with malace. When Sans wasn't seeing glimpses via his determination, he was having nightmares. Sometimes, it was of Gaster, of if he succeeded in his little 'project' and slaughtered the entire Underground. Sometimes, he dreamt of a dark place where the wind howled, no echo. It was just vast darkness all around. When Sans was 19, he looked for Dr. Felidae and the others. They didn't even remember being scientists. It was for the best, really. When he was 21, he started standup comedy as a gig at a resort. Mettaton was a monster he was unfamiliar with who took the Underground by storm when he was 18, practically overnight. Paps absolutely adored him, and Sans gave his bro what he wanted, even if he couldn't remember what Sans put him through with Gaster.

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Some friendships survived through the scar. Namely, Papyrus and Undyne. Undyne was still a good three years older than Papyrus, but they still got along swimmingly. They were going to the same elementary school, with Undyne keeping him safe when Sans couldn't, which gave him peace of mind. Instead, he kept a close eye on Alphys in case she... took a wrong turn. Alphys knew it, too. Was the only one who would listen when Sans finally admitted to what happened and how he came from another timeline. It was with Alphys that he discovered he still had access to the dead timeline. Alphys insisted on checking his soul to make sure the C.O.R.E. or determination wasn't destabilizing him, and when Alphys tried to tap into and maybe even extract the C.O.R.E element, he kinda just. Disappeared. He was literally in his dreams of darkness, only it was reality. The Dead Timeline still existed, only as a Void compared to what it was before. It took Sans a few tries to get back. He didn't even land back in the lab, but in his basement where the Reset machine sat covered.

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Sans continued to practice his shortcuts from then on. Another human fell when he was 25. The type that was just as scared of monsters as monsters were of them. That brat killed many souls, causing havoc in Snowdin before Sans helped to put the kid down with Greatest Dog and some of the other Sentries. Alphys tried to get a handle on the situation as the Sentries that had been in the battle and the monsters who were hurt but left alive started to fall down. Sans tried to help with the determination and how they had to be cautious with it. The amalgamates that came of their help became their personal secret. Three years later, the six soul fell. Sans personally helped them all the way to the king. They were so kind. Reminded him of his bro. Papyrus had loved them... but even when Sans tried to plead their case in why they needed to be let through, the King was ruthless. Sans had let them down when they died with a smile on their face. It had been the worst feeling. It was the first time Sans had ever seen the good in humans, and Asgore had snuffed out Kolton, just like that. That was the year Undyne also became a cadet at 16. It was a little hope Papyrus could cling to, as well as Sans little white lie that they made it home.

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When Papyrus was 18 and graduated, he tried to become a member of the guard to. Within those two years, Undyne had shot up the ranks to Captain, and she and Sans both knew Papyrus couldn't do it. Well. Not couldn't, Sans believed Papyrus was very capable, but he was terrified he couldn't help Papyrus like he couldn't help the amalgamates if he got hurt. So he and Undyne agreed to make him a sentry and even try to give him something new to look forward to. Cooking. Paps became particularly obsessed with spaghetti, and Sans couldn't say no, even if his first three years of attempts were... less than ok by eatable standards. Regardless, he got there. It hit Sans when he was 30, that it had been over ten years since the incident with Gaster. They made lives for themselves without him. Sans knew he was still out there... he saw traces on occasion. But they would be ok.

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The seventh human, Frisk, fell down into the Underground six months later. Sans was weary, but Kolton had showed him kindness. He wouldn't judge this human by its cover. He tested them. Scared them, tried to gauge their reaction before he introduced himself. Frisk was an enigma, an anomaly that he was both familiar with and not. Sometimes they reminded him of Gaster with their boundless curiosity. Yet they were also their own person with their own thoughts and feelings. When Sans found out they could access reset without a device of some kind, he was horrified, to put it lightly. It took many many resets for him to start remembering events. Some good. Some bad. But he promised himself, swore to himself that he would do better this time. He didn't want to destroy an entire timeline again. This time, he would be the mentor that he couldn't with Gaster. He would be the guide that a kid with great power like them could. And I they took the wrong turn, if they went too far. Sans would deal with it personally and make them reset again. Because he knew. He knew what that power did to people. He wouldn't live through it again.

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