In the end, Frisk won the bet. Apparently Sans had gotten so used to going to sleep whenever Papyrus picked him up, he was out like a light the instant the roller coaster started moving, loop-de-loops and all. Frisk's prize was a triple-scoop of chocolate ice cream, with Undyne and Alphys splitting a cake batter ice cream while they waited for the sun to finally set after the long, hectic day.

"We should go now," Alphys judged, studying the horizon and stuffing the last spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. "I-If we get on in three minutes we'll be at the very top of the rotation when the sun sets."

"Well, what are you punks waiting for then?! Let's go!" Undyne bellowed, jumping up from the bench.

Frisk tossed the remnants of their ice cream, dashing forwards excitedly and overtaking Undyne as the blue monster raced towards the attraction. Arriving first, they bounced in place impatiently in the line, the monsters following Frisk to stand and wait for a seat. It was several moments, but finally the four got a small compartment and sat down, Alphys and Undyne facing Frisk and Sans in a small glass compartment.

The ferris wheel lurched to a start, the ground slowly dropping away from the group's feet in the vehicle. Undyne, startled, pressed her face against the glass, eyes sparkling. "Whoah!" She enthused, tugging at Alphys. "Look at this, Alphys! This is almost as good a view as we saw when we first left Mt. Ebott! Look at all those punks down there, they look like ants!"

Frisk grinned, turning to watch as the sun sank lower, creeping towards the horizon. Vibrant shades of violet, pink, and orange bled across the sky, a messy watercolor painting for the world to see.

"whoah kid," Sans breathed. "good call."

The ferris wheel suddenly lurched to a stop, Frisk glancing down to see the people walking around on the ground far below. They glanced around, surprised to see the wheel had paused when they had barely reached the top and the sunset reached its full glory.

They could see, over the treetops, the city in the dim light. Lights in houses, cars traveling between the buildings, people going about their daily lives. People just trying to get through the day. The sun glowed pink for a moment longer, Alphys snapping a picture of it with her phone, before it finished sinking below the horizon.

"heh," Sans breathed, shifting as Frisk laid their head against his shoulder. "too bad paps was busy. he would've loved this." He waited for the kid to reply, but there was only silence as the ferris wheel kept turning on into the night. He looked down, raising an eyebrow and grinning as he looked back up across to Alphys and Undyne.

"shhh," he said, holding his free hand in front of his teeth. "they must be trying to catch some sleep. it must have gotten away from them last night, huh?"

.

Gaster watched on the cameras as Chara turned and slipped off, Flowey glaring after them.

He had warned the flower, he supposed. But there was very little he could do to dissuade the King's other child from misbehaving. It was unfortunate that he was here to deal with anomalies; as of late, 'dealing with anomalies' and 'babysitting' seemed to be too close for his liking. What a conundrum.

Gaster pulled up the Code, studying the numbers with narrowed eyes as he checked for the zeroes which indicated a RESET. Nothing. It was highly likely that he would retain memory of any RESETS, but he could never be too careful. Although, he wouldn't have to be double checking data like that if he could simply use Frisk to-

No. That was not the solution. Gaster cut himself off from that line of theorizing, rubbing his face with one of his hands as he turned away from the video's image. Remaining in the Underground with boredom as the main companion was apparently not only dangerous to the King's children, but to Gaster as well. Was he becoming compromised? It couldn't be. It was a mere three months since he had been contained here. Gaster wouldn't loose the fortitude of his his mind so quickly.

And yet. How had it gone for Gaster originally, before Sans and Frisk intervened? Gaster wanted to know. He wanted to know so badly. Had he found the Code before or after he mentally gave into the darkness? How long had he lasted? He could look, if he wanted. Gaster had the power to see all possible timelines, past, present, and future. But that was risky; gazing too closely at what Gaster had become was an invitation to speed up his own loss of control. When one gazes into the void, the void gazes back.

Was Gaster's desire for knowledge worth that risk? Would knowing help anything other than Gaster's own satisfaction? Chances were high that it would not. If Gaster was as intelligent as he believed, he wouldn't tempt this hypothetical situation. He should focus on protecting this reality instead.

But Gaster was a scientist, and scientists did whatever it took to obtain knowledge. So, against Gaster's better judgment, he opened the Code again. He turned his gaze into the void…

And the void gazed back.

.

Frisk blinked, studying the ceiling. It was a Monday, they dimly recalled, sitting up and scratching their head. Sans must have dropped them off at Toriel's house when they had fallen asleep. What time was it? The sun wasn't up yet, but it was unusual that Frisk had woken up on their own this early. They quickly got dressed, pulling on their ambassador sweater and a pair of shorts. The scent of eggs and bacon was wafting through the air, and Frisk hurried to the kitchen.

Toriel was standing with her back to them, humming as she cooked with her fire magic. Why she cooked with her own magic, when she had even bought a new human stove just last month, Frisk would never know.

The floorboards creaked under Frisk's weight and Toriel glanced back, expression lighting up as soon as she spotted the human. "Good morning, my child," she greeted them. "I trust you slept well?"

(Yes,) Frisk agreed. They scratched their head and silently giggled. (Did Sans have to carry me home again?)

"Oh no, Undyne helped him," Toriel laughed, patting Frisk on the head. "He said you had gotten so good at sleeping you were able to do it with both of your eyes closed!"

Frisk laughed. (That does sound like him,) they agreed, slipping into one their seat around the table.

Toriel chuckled again, checking the clock. "We have to leave earlier today, I'm afraid," she told Frisk, placing a plate of food in front of them. "It's a good thing you woke up early, as I have to drop you off at your new school before heading to mine today."

Seeing Frisk's expression fall, Toriel frowned. "Oh, dear! Sans did tell you, right?"

Frisk nodded. (Well- yes, but this soon?)

"No time like the present," Toriel told them gently. "I'm sure you'll be fine. You'll make a lot of new friends."

(But I can't talk! What do I do, carry a pad of paper around to talk to everyone with?) Frisk protested.

Toriel crossed her arms, giving them a stern stare. "Frisk Dreemurr, I know for a fact that you will get through this. We're talking about you, the child that left me in the Ruins to unite the entire Underground and free all monsters, accomplishing something monsters couldn't accomplish during centuries of trying in a single day. Don't look at me and tell me you can't survive a school," her gaze softened, and she gently smiled. "I'm sure you'll be very popular among your classmates."

(...) Frisk pouted, spooning the breakfast into their mouth. The magic food tickled as it vanished, Frisk's body immediately absorbing the nutrients. (Maybe.)

"That's my child. Now, come on, we can't have you be late on your first day!" Toriel hummed, grabbing her keys.

Frisk placed the dish in the sink and grabbed their backpack, hurrying after their mother. They strapped into the passenger's seat and tapped their fingers as they stared out the window, the sun barely in the sky as the scenery sped past. The shopping areas and wealthier suburbs whirled past, and Frisk blinked in surprise.

(Isn't this right around where Sans works during the day?) They signed curiously, seeing the sign "Nice Burgers- OPEN" fly past just as the car started to slow down for a few more blocks.

"Why, yes!" Toriel said cheerfully. "Sans might actually pick you up for school most mornings now since it's within walking distance. We thought we'd pick a school were someone could still get you if you needed anything."

(Oh,) Frisk blinked, ducking their head. (Thank you. That makes me happy.)

"I'm glad we chose it then, my child." Toriel slowed the car to a crawl, coming to a halt. "Well, we're here. I didn't know humans started school a month before summer ended, unlike the year-round monster schools, so I know this start might feel sudden but it really is a good moment for you to enter this school! You can come visit your friends in my class at other times, Frisk."

(Okay. Have a nice day, mom.) Frisk tried to smile, but it ended up being a nervous grimace before they turned and headed for the front office, hoping that this day wouldn't be as bad as they suspected it might be.

.

"This is Frisk, new to our school," the teacher said, a tall man with black hair and narrow eyes. He had a soft smile though, so Frisk thought he seemed nice enough. "They weren't here for introduction day due to bit of a late scheduling, but I trust all of you will be welcoming and show them around. Also, their… guardian told me they can't speak, so please be patient with them."

There was giggling and whispers from the right corner of the class, and a girl with bright red hair muttered loudly. "Isn't that the kid always on TV with the monsters?"

"Robin," the teacher, Mr. Greene, asked sternly. "Do you have something to share with the class?"

"No sir!" The girl immediately said, flushing an unhappy shade of pink.

Frisk shifted in place, uncomfortable, and Mr. Greene nodded. "Right then. Frisk, you can sit next to Emily? She's on the left. Emily, please wave."

Emily, a dark-skinned girl with pigtails, enthusiastically waved both hands at Frisk, grinning at them shyly. Frisk picked their way between the desks, avoiding the other children's feet and books before sitting down.

"Hi!" Emily whispered eagerly, leaning over. "Hey, do you like the color red? Red's my favorite!"

Frisk blinked once, then, under the child's curious gaze, opened their backpack and pulled out a piece of paper.

Yes. I do like the color red.

"Oh wow, really?! I think we'll get along just fine then! I have some red crayons with me, if you want some!" Emily noisily whispered, eyes shining. She started to rummage through her bag, but Mr. Greene cleared his throat.

"Thank you Emily, but we do need to get class started. Now, this year we're going to be starting on ancient histories…"

Frisk leaned back, starting to copy down notes as Mr. Greene started the lesson on Greek mythology. They snuck a glance to their right, and Emily giggled and held up a picture. Was that- Frisk? In red crayon? They couldn't help but grin back at her, her enthusiasm contagious.

Maybe human school wouldn't be that bad after all.

.

.

.

((There's not too long until the daily life arc ends~!
By that I mean the plot kicks up and we take off. Expect some major events starting to landslide in the next few chapters, hehehe. Finally.

Over and Over, by the way, had two arcs in my mind- the Chara and the Gaster arcs. So far, I have three arcs planned for By and By, but they might vary in length so it doesn't mean too much.

Thanks for reading~))