It's been a year.
One year since Frisk freed all the monsters from MT. Ebbott and became Heir and Ambassador to all monsters.
In that time, She has made life for the monsters wonderful; They now had lands to farm, all the space they could want, and as much sunlight as they could handle.
Life is good.
Frisk now lives with her family, usually spending the weeks alternating between Toriel and Asgore, and spending the weekends with the rest.
(Frisk particularly enjoys the weekends with Undyne and Alphys – They don't make sure that she always eats her vegetables, and they don't always remember that she has a bedtime.)
Once a month, Frisk visits the underground.
Her family believes it is just to visit the few monsters who stayed, and while that is part of the reason, her main intention is... different.
~Frisk~
I whistled as I walked through the old, dried leaves.
The ruins were full of them. They crinkled as I tromped through them.
I waved hello to one of the few monsters left – A whimsun, who sheepishly waved back before darting behind a pillar.
They knew me, but were still kind of shy.
They weren't the reason I was here, however.
"Flowey?"
I called, entering the first room I had ever seen in the underground.
The ground was still littered with golden flowers, but spiny green vines lay just underneath.
"Flowey, I know you're here." I called, slipping my backpack off.
"So the stupid head comes back again, huh?"
The soulless child said, his golden crown popping up from the bed.
"i thought I had taught you that lesson last time you were here.."
He said, smiling mischievously.
I knew what he was going to do next. It always went this way.
The world went black and white as my SOUL appeared.
"Really? You sure you want to do this again?" I said. I knew what his answer would be, but I needed for him to be compliant for what I was about to do.
Flowey winked as he summoned a ring of pellets.
"Gee, you must be lost!" He said, his face turning into a snarl.
"Why don't I show you how things work around here?"
I easily dodged the Friendliness Pellets- Flowey hadn't changed his pattern in months – and quickly spared him.
He sent another round, and I missed all but one, docking my HP a few points.
After a few minutes of dodging, Flowey got bored and stopped.
Like I usually did, I sat down next to him.
Opening my backpack, I pulled out a couple of chocolate bars.
I had been hit a couple of times, and the last time I had shown up at home with scratches everyone had freaked out.
I had thought Undyne was going to kill someone.
I laid one down for Flowey, and then ate mine.
Flowey picked his up and ate it, wrapper and all.
I choked back a snicker.
"That's not how you're supposed to eat it." I said, laughter spilling out anyway.
"Shut up. I'll eat it how I feel like." he growled, petals folding back.
"M'kay." I signed, my mouth now full of dark chocolate.
"You don't have another flower pot in that bag, do you? Cause if you do, you'll end up six feet under."
*Suuuuure I will* I signed, winking.
*But, no. There's no flowerpot. Not this time.
*I'm uh. I'm trying something else this time.
"What 'else' exactly?" Flowey asked skeptically.
I had tried several times to convince Flowey to come to the surface, and he always declined.
Sometimes I told him jokes, or told him what he was missing up on the surface. About his parents.
That time... had ended in disaster.
"I'll show you in a bit, okay?" I said, rubbing a flower beside me.
We spent the next hour talking.
Well... mostly me talking, Flowey as usual was offering short non-answers to my questions, and little jabs at anything else.
"Shouldn't you be leaving soon?" Flowey asked, pointing up the the sky.
The sun had passed by the gaping hole, steadily plunging the ruins into darkness.
*...Yeah.
*I should get going. Just one thing, okay?
*Close your eyes for me.
"And why should I? You're just gonna try to put me in some flowerpot your hiding somewhere, bleh.
I'm not going to the surface. I don't belong there, Frisk."
*... maybe not. But please? Just this once?
I asked, holding my folded hands under my chin. "Pleaaaaaseeeee?" I begged, fluttering my eyelashes.
"... Bleh, fine."
Flowey begrudgingly closed his eyes, face turned down.
I summoned my SOUL, causing the world to go black and white again.
*ACT
The usual options were there, Flirt, check, and talk, as well as one newer option.
*GIVE
~?~
"Frisk... what the heck did you do?"
I picked myself back up off the ground, holding my head.
Everything felt... different.
Sunshine was filtering through the hole again, meaning that either a SAVE file had been reloaded, or the night had passed.
"Frisk?"
The kid was nowhere to be seen.
Her knapsack, however, was sitting just a few feet away, a note safety pinned to the front.
I reached a hand out to grab it, only to stop and gasp.
My hand wasn't a flower petal – it was a hand. An actual, fluffy, clawed hand.
"Wha-"
I looked over the rest of myself – I was Asriel again, not a stupid, sadistic yellow flower.
"FRISK! FRISK?!" I yelled, standing up.
I had to immediately sit back down as I felt dizzy.
I stood up slower, breathing in the sweet scent of the flowers again.
I picked up Frisk's knapsack – Maybe she had already left?
I pulled the note off, setting the pin in the bag.
*Azzy – Just head straight down the mountain.*
Below that was a drawing of everyone – Mum and Dad, Papyrus, his brother, the doctor and her wife – All sitting in front of a house.
I was walking down the mountain.
"Hm."
At least Frisk had left me a note of where to go; Just leaving still didn't seem like them though.
I looked around as I heard something rustling.
I didn't see anything, so I figured it was just a mouse.
They fell down sometimes.
I started walking through the Ruins, out to where I knew the exit lay.
Many of the houses were empty, but some places were still open or inhabited.
Grillby's and the Temmie village to name a few.
It took me while to get through all the puzzles.
For starters, walking on two legs was more difficult than sliding around on a ton of vines.
So figuring it out again was a challenge all its own.
Eventually, I did get out. The sky was high above.
I'd only seen the sun twice in my life; once when Chara died, and a few days after the barrier had been broken.
It was as pretty as I remembered it, and my heart swelled in happiness.
I stared at the trees around me, relishing the fact that I could feel happy. Not just anger at everything.
I picked up my pace, hoping to meet back up with Frisk and my family quickly.
The path down the mountain was long, but I didn't mind.
Little tiny things Frisk had once described to me as "Birds" flitted around, screaming at me.
The path flattened out into a courtyard garden, surrounded by high, pale gold walls.
I could hear someone humming, loud and happy.
I walked towards the sound, past a big delicately carved bush.
With a gasp, I stopped.
I rushed forward, not caring that he couldn't see me.
"DAD!" I bleated, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Woah there!" He said, setting his tools down to pull me off.
His face went from confused to shocked
"A...as...riel...?" He stuttered.
"I... I must have... eaten something bad. Or perhaps... had too much tea..." He said, setting a hand his chin.
"It's me, Dad! It really, really is me, Asriel!" I said, wiping my face with the back of my hand.
He hesitated before pulling me close in a bone-crushing hug.
My shoulder felt wet as his tears trickled down onto it.
I started sniffling, and was soon full on bawling on my Dad's shoulder.
After a few minutes, He picked me up, cradling me like I was made of glass.
"Tori!" He boomed, heading towards a dark gold colored building.
"Is Fri- Oh my goodness."
The smile on my face widened as I saw my Mom.
She had just come out of a doorway, holding something, which she had just dropped.
"It can not be..." She whispered, holding her hands to her face.
I slipped out of Dad's arms, and rushed over to her.
She was shaking as I hugged her.
She bent down, gently wiping one of my tears away.
Pulling me close, she looked up at Dad.
"Dreemurr... How?"
Her heart was beating frantically as she checked me over, trying to reassure herself that I was real.
Tears still running down his face, Dad shrugged. "I'm not sure. I was just out in the garden and Asriel just... came around the corner."
Mom planted a kiss on my cheek, and picked me up.
"Frisk still is not back... If you wouldn't mind, could you ask Undyne to go look for her? ...She normally does not stay out this long..." Mom asked, scowling.
She took me inside, to a quaint little kitchen.
Setting me down on a chair by the table, she sat down beside me and pulled me into another hug.
"I have missed you so much my child..." She said quietly as we hugged.
"So... Frisk isn't here?" I asked after another moment.
This was really bugging me.
What exactly had Frisk done?
A/N
(I know I have another fanfic to work on lol/
That one's just kinda slow goin', bc I don't have as much of an emotional attachment to it I guess :?
Anywho... I can't add illustrations here, but I can on A03 :V
So if you wanna see those, It's "One Year After" by Dreaming_Dragons/
Thanks for reading!)
