Sans, who was still having trouble holding on to consciousness, thought he heard screaming and laughter in the distance.

He groaned. His head had hit the wall pretty hard, and he was a weak monster. Thankfully, it hadn't killed him.

Sans blinked. The vine that had kept him down was now loose. He shrugged it off and stumbled towards the noise.

What Sans saw was so unspeakable he wasn't sure it was really happening.

Flowey was forcing thorned vines into Frisk, which was where the screaming was coming from.

Sans narrowed his eyes and called on a Gaster Blaster.

"Release her, or I'll kill you." Flowey stopped thrusting his vines and turned in surprise. He'd forgotten about the Smiley Trashbag.

"Oh hey, glad to see you could join the party."

Sans glared back with a murderous glint in his eye. "I mean it."

"But you can't kill me." Flowey replied cheerfully. My vine is way too deep in her right now, and if you killed me, you'd have to tear it out, thorn by thorn, from her. You need me alive to retract the thorns."

Sans hesitated, caught between the desperation to save Frisk and the rage to kill Flowey.

But then, he looked closely at Flowey. He wasn't going to release Frisk, no matter what, Sans realised. Flowey didn't care about anything.

Sans leveled his Blaster at Flowey. "Goodbye, weed." The Blaster fired a stream of pure white magic, incinerating the flower on the spot.

Sans rushed over to Frisk, who had collapsed onto the floor now that the vines holding her up had slackened. "Frisk?" Sans called desperately. "Wake up!"

Frisk blinked blearily up at Sans. "Ow.." She murmured, her eyes fluttering. Sans swallowed, his eye-sockets brimming with tears. She looked pretty bad; she probably wouldn't even make it. "I'm so sorry, I didn't protect you."

Sans tried to remove the vines still wrapped around Frisk, but she cried out in pain when he moved them. "Ju-just le-leave them." She gasped.

Sans looked down at Frisk. He could tell she was dying. "Stay with me.. next time.. please..?" Frisk whispered, her breathing shallow. "Yes, of course." Sans promised, a tear tracing his cheekbone. He had failed her this time, but he'd make sure not to do the same in the next run.

Frisk sighed one final breath, and then stilled. Sans stared down at her peaceful face. His tear fell onto her cheek. Sans closed her eyes. "See you in the next timeline." He whispered.

And the world RESET..