Toriel: In order to prove yourself, you must-
Me: *hug*
Toriel: You must...um...
Me: *hug*
Toriel: *Sweatdrop* You're not going to let go of me, are you?
Me: Nope. :D
Frisk runs up to Toriel and also hugs her. Small child hugged her leg.
Toriel: *sigh* Not you too, my child...okay then. *scoops both of us and returns our hugs. We're both happy about this*
Sans: you're soft, ya know that?
Me: She is! She's also cute and cuddly! Unlike you...
Sans: oof! my heart! it hurts from indirect insult!
Me: W-wait! Sans I'm sorry, I just...*realization* Wait just a darn diddly minute...
Sans: hehehehehe...
Chapter Start!
"Well then, I guess you were right after all, Frisk. It isn't as cold as I thought it would be." Toriel observed, still carrying the small human in her arms. With a small amount of difficulty, 'Flowey' managed to catch up with the both of them, and informed them that Sans had something not do and he said that he would return soon. Toriel was a bit visibly upset by this because she was beginning to enjoy his company and his rather bad puns. Frisk was just glad that Sans was still aware of their mission. 'Flowey' was glad that Toriel didn't burn him alive. That not only would have hurt horribly, but it might have caused many unnecessary problems to crop up.
"Great going, you were able to somehow make this work. Wonder how long that charade is going to last?" Flowey taunted quietly from within his mind. "While you're wondering, can you do something about this scenery already. I don't want to be constantly surrounded by buttercups, regardless of how...good-looking they all MAY look...nope, don't want this. Change it!"
Hmmm...no thanks. That's my place, you're going to learn to like it..and you're going to be mostly calm and understanding. That'll probably take a while...so you'll be there for a whole too." Asriel responded quietly, ignoring Flowey's protests afterwards. Then he flinched and cut off their mental connection when the plant began getting a bit aggressive with his words. Sheesh. That wasn't very nice or clean at all.
"yo." Sans appeared from behind a tree and waved nonchantly. "hey there. you lot seem to be making your ways around just fine."
"Sans? Where were you? You just up and vanished for a couple moments, like what Flowey told me. And without warning." Toriel asked.
"sorry about that. i just had to get things arranged with my bro."
"Oh! You told me about your brother at one time. You told me his name was Papyrus?"
"that's the guy. awesome guy, totally silly, light of my life, stuck like that." Sans shrugged. Though both Frisk and 'Flowey' couldn't help but flinch slightly at the 'light of my life' part. Toriel, at the moment, had no idea just how serious he was about that due to him saying it so casually. "and he's...well...he's a human-hunting fanatic. hey...frisk is a human, isn't he...?"
Toriel instinctively hugged Frisk tightly as a response. "Surely you don't mean to...?"
"woah woah, tori. chillax. cool down the fiery flames that is your 'protective mother' mode." Sans' puns did help her relax a little, evident by her soft laughter. "i did say that my bro is a human-hunter. buuuuut...well...uh...he doesn't really have the nature for it. you see, he's been down in the dumps for some time, and i'm hoping that seeing frisk will be just the thing he needs to lift his spirits. you don't have to worry about him. he's not dangerous, no matter how hard he tries to be. in fact, he's relatively harmless." Sans looked on ahead of them. "he should be up ahead, i think. it'd make him pretty happy if he sees a human for the first time. who knows, maybe you lot can be friends by the end of it." He turned back around. "welp, i'll be up ahead." he walked past them, in the opposote direction.
"But Sans, isn't it...?" Toriel started, turning around. The skeleton was nowhere to be seen, and it surprised her. "Where did he go...? How does he do that? Teleportation magic, maybe?"
"Somewhere along those lines." 'Flowey' said. "Anyway, let's not waste too much time. Let's go meet this Papyrus fellow."
Truth be told, Asriel was more than just interested in meeting Frisk's friends personally for the first time, even if he's not in his own form right now. He wanted to see just how closely Frisk had bonded with each and every one of them for himself, no matter how different it was for this time. He had felt how deeply they cared about him when he absorbed their souls in a previous timeline...now he has a chance to see how those emotions came about.
He had a feeling that witnessing things like this would be very important later on.
The trio moved onward along the path that Sans pointed out to them. Frisk spotted a very familiar figure on the side of the road. Snowdrake. Frisk felt compelled to help. He lightly pulled on Toriel's robe and pointed at Snowdrake. She sees the bird for herself, and worry graced her features. But nonetheless, she set Frisk down so he could approach the avian directly.
"Gotta work on my material...gotta work on my material..." Snowdrake said to himself, oacing the snowy ground back and forth. When he spotted Frisk, one of his thoughts were, 'Human! That's a human! Don't were need a human soul?!' But his priorities, as a teen, were elsewhere. "Hey buddy! Do yah mind if I get your take my jokes? I just...I mean...look, can yah just do this for me?" Frisk nodded wholeheartedly, and he motioned for Toriel and Flowey to come closer. "R-Really? Okay! U-um...well..."
Frisk tells Snowdrake to calm down and take his time. He nods as he noticed his constant sweating fron the nervousness building within him.
"Ah geez...this isn't the time for me to be getting the cold shoulder." To his surprise, Toriel was the first to laugh softly, while Flowey and Frisk joined in afterwards. "H-Hey! I got your attention! I hope you don't 'snow' flake out on me."
"Snrk! Oh my goodness..." Toriel covered her mouth as her laughter gets louder. Frisk was very glad he managed to get her out here. Helping Snowdrake was much easier now. He could tell because the bird was beaming with growing confidence, complete with a smile.
"Are you alright, lady? Chill out, okay?" He sees his puns having the most effect on her. "Hey, you guys hungry? I'll share one of my favorite meals with ya!"
"And what...meal...would that be...?"
"Macaroni and freeze!"
"Pfffffft hahahahaha!" At this point, Toriel was having a difficult time breathing with how hard she was laughing, holding her sides and all. The entire time, Snowdrake was beaming, on the outside, and inside.
They...they like them! They really like my jokes! Especially the tall lady! Haha, take that, Dad! People DO think I'm funny!
"D...dear me...you are an absolute master in the art of cold-based puns...that's amazing." Toriel spoke after finally catching her breath.
Snowdrake grinned proudly. "Thanks, lady! You're all a pretty cool audience!"
"Oh please stop...I...just recovered from laughing so hard...I need a break for a second..."
"You really are something, you know that? Very few people can create a mountain of puns from one single aspect of something." 'Flowey' added onto the praise. Snowdrake was highly pleased by this.
"You guys...you're a fantastic audience! I gotta tell my friends about this!" Snowdrake ran off, a cheerful kick in his steps to represent his happiness. Frisk was just glad he could help.
"It looks like we've really made him happy, Frisk." Toriel smiled, petting his head affectionately. "Making friends might be easier than I thought."
"Hahaha...ice-based puns. They're awesome." 'Flowey' chuckled. Frisk picked up the potted plant and placed him on his head, carefully balancing him. "Hey, thanks Frisk! This hopping thing gets a bit hard after a while."
It didn't take long for them to catch up to Sans and Papyrus, who were in the middle of discussing something related to a certain fish friend that Frisk was dying to reunite with.
"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDINE..." Papyrus turned to see Frisk standing in front, waving happily. He suddenly turned towards Sans, who turned towards Papyrus, who turned towards the human, then back to Sans...this pattern repeated multiple times, until they were literally spinning around in circles for no reason. Toriel and Frisk chuckled at the sight, while Flowey shook a little, getting slightly nauseous from the spinning. They finally stopped spinning, and looked away for a moment. "SANS...OH MY GOD. IS...IS THAT A HUMAN?"
"hmm...nope. that's just a rock." Check it out, a conviently placed rock righr behind Frisk, the thing Papyrus was just pointing at.
"OH..."
"...but hey, what's in front of the rock?"
"...OH...OH MY GOD! IS...IS THAT A HUMAN?"
"i can say with about...something percent certainty that's a human we're looking at."
"OH MY GOD! SANS, I FINALLY DID IT! I...I...WAIT A MOMENT." he turned towards Frisk. "HUMAN! SOMETHING SEEMS...FAMILIAR ABOUT YOU...EVEN THOUGH WE JUST MET...DID WE MEET SOMEWHERE AND I JUST DON'T REMEMBER? IF THAT'S THE CASE, I'M DREADFULLY SORRY!" Frisk shrugged. Technically that wasn't correct, but it wasn't wrong either. Time-travel is complicated. "AND...YOU'VE BROUGHT FRIENDS? IS THAT A FLOWER ON YOUR HEAD?"
"Hi! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" 'Flowey' tilted and pulled off an incredibly cute face, while the actual Flowey within the mind resisted the urge to vomit.
"WELL...HELLO THERE, FLOWEY! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND...WHO MIGHT YOU BE, MA'AM?" Eyesockets were on Toriel now, and for the first time since she's exited the Ruinsc she was stumped.
Frisk ran by her side and she leaned down so she could hear him whisper a suggestion. An amused smile graced her features, nodding in agreement. She then stepped forward and bowed. "Why, I'm the friendly neighborhood Goat-Mom! It's very nice to meet you, Papyrus."
Papyrus looked absolutely stunned for a moment. Then he turned to Sans. "SANS...DID YOU KNOW THAT WE HAD A FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GOAT-MOTHER IN THIS VICINITY?"
"it must be her first day." Sans winked towards the others. Again, that aspect wasn't completely incorrect. "goat-moms are considered the best moms in many places, bro."
"WOWIE! I'VE NEVER HAD A GOAT MOTHER BEFORE! THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR ME! BUT ALAS...I MUST REMAIN FOCUSED!" Pause. "*AHEM.* HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!...THIS AREA!"
"nice work, bro. ya almost referenced something."
"SANS! I'M TRYING TO DRAMATICALLY DIALOUGE HERE!" Frisk snickered at this. "AS I WAS SAYING...I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! YOU SHALL THEN BE CAPTURED, AND DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN! THEN...THEN...UH...I'M NOT TOTALLY SURE WHAT COMES AFTER THAT. NEVERTHELESS! PROGRESS IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HE HEH HEH HEH!"
I've seen this multiple times...STILL don't know what I'm supposed to make of that. 'Flowey' thought while laughing to himself. Papyrus is so cool.
"Alright, are we to move on now, Sans?" Toriel asked.
"shouldn't be long, now. seems like he's having a lot of fun already. i really appreciate it. be a group of pals and keep playing along. you'll become friends in no time." he winked secretly towards Frisk and 'Flowey', which was a slight message that said 'nothing major to change here, but play along anyway'. Something Frisk had little to no problem with. With that in mind, Sans moved onward again, disappearing the moment Toriel turned her head to follow his movement.
"You know...I think Sans was telling the truth about Papyrus not being very dangerous." Toriel stated as she picked up Frisk and followed the path again. "Despite the threats he seemed to be making, I sensed no hostile intent from him in any way. Plus he was being surprisingly polite."
"I don't think Papyrus has what it takes to be intentionally dangerous. Maybe that's why Sans said that he was so harmless. He could, but he really doesn't wish harm upon Frisk. That's just my take on it." 'Flowey' stated, slightly tilted to the side.
"Well...I suppose if that's the case...then I can feel somewhat reassured that no harm comes to Frisk, not from his hands at least." Toriel nods, feeling more comfortable with their interactions for the moment. Before long, they came across a rather familiar looking sign. It said something about not moving. "Wha...?"
"What! What was that! Did something move?!" Doggo appeared from behind the stand, shifting eyes back and forth. "I can only see moving things...and if something DID move...for example, a HUMAN...I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!"
Frisk didn't think he would ever see the day that Toriel would react as violently as she did. One moment her eyes were shadowed from that statement. The next, Doggo was lying against a tree with a smoking, stinging mark on his cheek that resembled a punch. Probably because she DID punch him, while lighting the hand she used on fire. Alongside that, was a dark look on her face that definitely made Frisk and 'Flowey' cower.
"You shall not touch my child." She glared darkly at the one she struck. Frisk pouted at her, which made her give up on her anger fir the moment, and sighed apologetically. "Okay...I may have reacted a bit too strongly."
"A bit? You basically sucker punched him!" 'Flowey' said, very clearly startled. Mom...is scary...
"Now then, I believe we should move on from this point. That dog is rude enough to try and attack a child." Toriel huffed as she walked past the currently unconscious Doggo. 'Flowey' nervously followed after her. Hopefully he won't remember that he got sucker punched...however the pain will probably still be there. However...Frisk refused. He went back and softly petted the poor dog that unintentionally ignited Toriel's fury. He seemed content with this, along with the way that snow was put on the cheek were Toriel sucker punched him, so that he could cool down. She sees Frisk do all of this for the downed canine, and was suddenly feeling guilty for acting too hastily. Nonetheless, he didn't hold it against her. He showed this by grabbing her hand and moving along with the others.
The rest of the path...'Flowey' had absolutely no idea what was going on for the remainder of their path. The very first puzzle for them involved an invisible shock field with only one safe path to travel through. Toriel was worried at first...until Frisk stepped forward and Papyrus got shocked instead, and realized that FRISK was supposed to be holding the orb. He gave him the orb...but at the same time he gave away the safe path for Frisk to cross. Amazingly, Papyrus didn't realize this. And of course, Sans had to say something:
"what a shocking development." And of course, Toriel laughed.
"SANS! DON'T EMBARRASS ME LIKE THIS!"
"That was quite a flawless electrocution, if I do say so myself." Tori couldn't help but giggle. Papyrus glared at Sans as a response.
"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, SANS! YOU'VE CONTAMINATED OUR GOAT-MOTHER WITH YOUR TASTE OF HORRIBLE PUNS!"
"i don't think she has a problem with that. hehehe..."
The very next puzzle...not really the puzzle they expected. Sans literally left a crossword on the ground for Frisk to solve. To be sporty, Frisk actually tried solving it...it took a while to do so. And the only result was Sans and Papyrus having a playful disagreement on whether crosswords or junior jumble was more difficult. Frisk took the latter option, and it clearly made Papyrus happy. And once again, Sans had something to say about it.
"oh. you chose him over me? did i just got double crossed...?"
"Tch!~" Toriel laughed again, heartily. "Have some faith in the skull and crossbones, Sans!"
"ha! so good."
"STOP IT SANS!"
'Flowey'...honestly had no idea what was going on right now. But if there was one thing he was sure of...was that he was definitely enjoying the skeleton bros and their company. He could also tell that Frisk still greatly enjoyed their company. The heavy, burdening knowledge that Sans carried with him, and the despair that he feels most of the time do the countless resets that was his own fault as well as Chara's...none of that ever appears when Papyrus was around. Did...did his younger brother really cheer Sans up that much?
Puzzle after puzzle, Asriel could see just how much Frisk enjoyed their company regardless of how many times he must have done so already. He never got tired of it.
"How can he...?" Asriel heard Flowey whisper from within, which made him lower his eyes slightly. Them he shook out of it, not wanting to dwell on it any longer than necessary. He was having too much of a good time to have Flowey's nihilism to bring down his mood. How can one be depressed when they constantly pet a dog with a forever growing neck like Lesser Dog...it's quite possible that Frisk has a problem when it came to that. As well as the highly affectionate Greater Dog. Reluctantly, Toriel shooed them away, as they were busy.
...then it came to a head.
"What the flipping flippity flip?!" 'Flowey' gasped at the sight of Papyrus's latest puzzle. But was it really a puzzle...? It looked more like an excessive deathtrap...with a dog attached to it.
...wha...?
"Okay, no! No! AND NO AGAIN!" Toriel shouted in protest. "This is just far too much for a child to walk through! I downright REFUSE to allow Frisk to challenge that monstrosity!"
Papyrus raised a hand to make a comment...lowered it slowly...then he turned to Sans and pouted. "SANS. GOAT-MOTHER IS CORRECT. THIS PARTICULAR PUZZLE IS HIGHLY UNFAIR. I DESIGN ALL OF MY PUZZLES TO BE FAIR! IT'S FAR, FAAAR TO CHALLENGING FOR THE SMALL HUMAN TO GO THROUGH! IT HAS NO CLASS, NO ORGANIZATION, AND IT DOESN'T MEET MY STANDARDS AT ALL! THE HUMAN DESERVES A FIGHTING CHANCE!"
"huh. it does look a bit overkill. guess you better put it away then, huh?"
"INDEED I SHOULD! AWAY IT GOES!" Papyrus waved his hand dramitcally, amd the trap immedistely vanished by his whim. He sighed in relief and it was caught by Frisk. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?! THIS IS YET ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEH! HEH! HEH!" And then he quickly left, leaving them behind. Sans chuckled a bit, before he was face to face with a not-amused-at-all Toriel. He resisted the urge to look afraid. Which he totally wasn't. Probably.
"Sans..."
"what? the kid didn't have go through it after all. i honestly don't see the problem." Toriel just sighed as Frisk merely placed Flowey on his head, grabbed Toriel's hand, and lead them along. For the moment, danger was not a concern for them. They crossed the bridge with no more problems, and made their way to their destination.
They noticed how significantly calmer the place was compared to the semi-chaotic Snowdin Forest. It was actually a lot more peaceful than Snowdin Forest. And much, much more noticable by Frisk, is that the citizens were very, very nice. At worst, a couple of them were indifferent to everyone's problems but their own. At best, hospitality was very well-distributed. There was also an inn for them to stay in, so that's pretty neat.
And a big prop for Toriel. No one seemed to recognize her as the former Queen of the Underground. Granted, no one has seen her for so many years, and all of their attention was on her ex-husband. But still, she would try and not to do something that would attract unwanted attention. To further her luck and relief, no one seemed too overly excited to see a human here, so she didn't need to raise her guard...too much. There's always a chance that things can turn on it's head. With these reassurances in mind, this was a perfect place to rest. Nothing too serious to worry about here.
Except when 'Flowey' said something unexpected.
"I'm so hungry..."
"Are you serious? You're HUNGRY? You're a flower!" Flowey mentally berated Asriel.
Flowers can get hungry too, Flowey! YOU never got hungry because you're busy murdering everything! Not to mention these things can heal! But considering your LOVE was like freakishly high in your runs, you didn't have much use for healing until Sans had you cornered! As for ME, I haven't gotten a nibble of anything for centuries! I think I earned my right to complain about it!
"Alright fine! But you're still just a flower, they don't have stomachs!" Logic defied Flowey with a passion, as the middle of Asriel's flower form began grumbling in protest. Flowey was legitimately surprised by this. "...I keep forgetting that logic can't explain all anomalies..."
Ha! Looks like you're not as knowledgeable about magic plants as you thought you were, considering that you are one. I'm hungry, so that's that!
"I can't believe that I'm arguing about how plants eat with a seven-year old..."
This 'seven-year old' has you on mental lockdown.
"...well-played."
'Flowey' was slightly nudged by Frisk as the latter was looking at him in question. He snickered in embarrassment. "Sorry, Frisk. It's weird, isn't it? Somehow a plant can get hungry like everyone else. But then again...normal doesn't really exist here, does it?" He looked upwards. "Sorry if I get a bit deep about this, but there's so many different perceptions of 'normality' that...I really don't think such a thing exists anymore. I mean...look at me. Normal doesn't describe me...or you for that matter." Frisk pointed at himself in confusion. "Yeah you. No matter how many times you get your butt kicked, fighting back just doesn't appeal to you." Frisk chuckled and shook his head. Then he gasped and reached into his bag, and pulled out a Cinnamon Bunny, then handed it to the flower. He had bought it from the Snowdin Shopkeeper and as expected, it was a cinnamon roll shaped like a bunny. "Huh? Frisk, you bought this for me?" He nodded. Figuring that Asriel hasn't really eaten much since he was Flowey, and he was kinda focused on death and destruction...stuff like that.
Hesitantly, 'Flowey' took the cinnamon bun in his small leaves. He wondered if he could taste still...only one way to know for sure. He takes the sweet and gently bites into it.
To try and picture Asriel's feelings that moment, his mindscape has started raining cinnamon buns, much to Flowey's utter confusion and comical rage. "HEY! IF YOU'RE KEEPING ME HERE, STOP MAKING THE PLACE UNBELIEVABLY STUPID!"
This was it. This was totally it. Asriel gave no care in the world that he was a flower right now. He gave no care that the arrangement may or may not have any logic to it. It really doesn't matter to him. He solemnly swore that he would start eating again for the time being while he waits to get his body back again. Because he can still taste in this form...and the taste of the cinnamon bun has awoken the hunger within. In almost no time at all, he began biting into his treat some more, nibbling happily. The face he was making was cheerful and super adorable.
To recap, there was a very significant difference between Flowey and Chara, to Asriel and Frisk. The former duo eat just for the healing. The latter duo actually ENJOY the foods they get. And considering Asriel's plight, and realizing he had all of his emotions and senses intact this time around, including taste, he was not gonna take this for granted, no freaking way. He was grateful, and he was going to enjoy it. The tiny crumbs stuck to his petals a bit as he stared at Frisk with a pleading face.
"Please dear friend...may I have some more?"
"You're pathetic."
If pathetic means I get more sweets, then I sure am~
Frisk chuckled slightly as he handed him yet another cinnamon bun, then picked up the potted plant and petted his petals lightly.
"huh. never seen a flower so intent on having snacks." Sans appearee beside them with an amused grin. "guess the kid is taking advantage of the fact that he has the emotions to actually enjoy food now."
"Mmm~" 'Flowey' mumbled through his nibbling, most of his focus on his treat.
"wow, he really likes his cinnamon, doesn't he?"
Frisk guessed that Asriel had quite a thing for cinnamon. Considering Toriel makes pretty amazing cinnamon pie. Butterscotch-cinnamon pie was definitely a favorite of his, mostly for the cinnamon. Not that he didn't like butterscotch. But...buttercups have...not been a nice symbol for his family. Like...at all. Not even a little bit. Especially to him and Chara.
'Flowey' finished his second cinnamon bun in record time...and promptly burped. "Ha, excuse me~"
"You think you're SO cute, don't you?"
"anyway, you might as well take a load off for the day. tori is hanging with paps over at my place, but she's kinda wanting to cuddle the frisk here." Sans nudged Frisk, and the boy blushed lightly. "but for real, we're just taking a little break, ya know?"
'Flowey' looked concerned while Frisk began petting his petals again to relax him somewhat. "Don't we have to get things in order as soon as possible? None of us can fully predict Chara's movements. What if he does something...?"
Sans sighed, scratching the back of his skull. "listen kid, I know you're worried. but don't let it cross into paranoia. trust me when i say i'm all for making progress as soon as possible. but at the same time, rushing things won't do us very well either. because if we slip up because we're in such a hurry, the consequences might be a bit too severe for our liking because we didn't take the time to slow down and take in important deails." He shrugged. "long story short, we find a middle ground when it comes to pacing. for example, once you two and tori leave, i'll spend some time training with paps. whether we actually need to fight or not, it doesn't hurt to be cautious."
Frisk nodded to Sans, and then stared at Asriel for his input. The flower was most definitely still concerned about the entire thing, and rightfully so. But...he agreed to the reset because he trusted that Frisk and Sans knew what they were doing. So he nodded softly as well.
"good. now you best soothr tori's worry by meeting her at my place. as for me...eh. i'm going to grillby's."
"Grillby's tends to be your favorite spot, huh?"
"it's where i got to relax and think. and i got plenty to think about."
"Like ketchup?"
"...heh. boy, asriel. mustard be so rude?"
"You're not even TRYING to make it good! You're just flat-out horrible!" This aroused a laugh in all three of them, soothing their nerves for the time being. It was good to know they could still relax a little when they needed to.
(Dreamscape)
It was another seemingly normal day at the castle. Toriel was gently making up the bed that she and Asgore shared together, since he wasn't beside her when she woke up. It was awfully strange, but she wasn't too worried about it. Though she'll have to find him at some point and remind him to water the flowers, since she had no idea what she was doing when it came to gardening. It was embarrassing.
What was she going to do with that fluffy pushover?
Nonetheless, she finished making up the bed and went to other important matters. Those important matters are her two sons. Asriel and Chara Dreemurr.
The latter of the two was a human Asriel brought in when he foumd him unconscious on the ground, abandoned and alone. Their kindness being well-known throughout the kingdom, they were more than happy to take the child in, regardless of the conflict between humans and monsters. This child has not wronged them, there was no reason to abandon him. And as such, they loved him just as much as they did Asriel.
Toriel walked through the bedroom they shared, ready to smother them with motherly hugs and kisses...
They weren't in their beds.
"Asriel...? Chara...?" Now she was beginning to worry. She searched through the entire room. Under their beds, in their closet, in their clothes bins, the toy box...anything to reassure her that they're just pulling off a childish prank, they did tend to be little tricksters every now and them. So far...nothing. Her heart began beating faster during her increasing panic, and she rushed out of the room down the hallways.
"Asriel...! Chara...!"
She tried calling out to them, yet for some reason her shouts were reduced to mere whispers. Her breathing became frantic as she could not sense them anywhere within the castle. She was greatly fearing for their safety, wherever they were. She couldn't look for them on their own, so she had to get Asgore and have the Royal Guard search for-
"...Asgore...?"
Her breathing stopped the second she reached the throne room. Her eyes were glued on the floor, as her paws reached up to cover her muzzle, shsking her head in adamant denial. She saw her husband's robes, his trident, his armor, and his crown...
As well as dust.
"No...nonononono..." she softly repeated herself as she backed away from the sight. This was horrible...who or what could have done this? Especially since she didn't hear, see, nor sense any sort or conflict within the castle. She almost jumped out of her fur when she heard something on her right, when she ran outside to get help.
She was once again met with unknowing shock as she saw that the entire area had changed. One side of the kingdom was shrouded in a sea of buttercups and vines. The other was engulfed in flames, buildings were crushed, and there was dust swirling around with the constant wind that was now ruffling her fur. She had to cover her eyes before her vision could get impaired by all of the sudden changes in environment.
When she opened her eyes again, there was nothingness. A pure black void with almost nothing in it, and the howling of the wind made everything seem ominous, aside from the fact that she could barely understand what's happening. What she DID see...was her two sons standing far in front of her, their backs turned. Her discomfort didn't decrease at all. Because Asriel was covered in vines that sprouted from the ground and was blooming buttercups, and Chara was covered in dust, blood, and there was a knife in his hand.
She hesitantly reached her hand forward towards them, though her steps grew heavier each time. "...boys...?"
Suddenly, they turned around, their eyes closed for a couple seconds. Then she almost screamed when she saw Asriel's face turn into Flowey's demonic fanged smile and the vines began growing faster, while Chara's face was leaking a black liquid from his eyes and mouth. To further her growing fear, they both said the same thing at the same time:
"We messed up bad, Mom...
(Reality)
Toriel suddenly woke up with a start, her breathing fast and heavy. Her paw was swift to tightly grip her chest where her heart was, and her eyes were closed tightly as she hung her hesd, her ears drooping and also shadowing her eyes. Her rapid breathing didn't cease until she gazed at Frisk, who was currently asleep, his head on her lap. 'Flowey' was sitting on a table across from them, also sleeping peacefully. Both were unaware of her nightmare, along with her short snd sudden panic attack resulting from it. It would stay that way for their sake. Realizing it was useless to try and immediately go back to sleep, she just began petting Frisk's hair as she pondered what she had just seen.
She's had nightmares about losing both of her sons before. But...they were never to that kind of extent. That was something else entirely, and she had no idea where it came from or why it happened. Her mind tried to shrug it off by telling her it was just a dream. But deep within her her heart and soul, she knew that wasn't the case. What she saw, she saw for a reason. And they had something to do with it. And something compelled her to find out what it was. But right now, she would try to calm herself into going back to sleep. Which she managed to succeed in doing, albeit reluctantly.
Unknown to her, Sans was standing in the doorway. He had finally gotten back from Grillby's, and he was just in time to witness her short moments of panic. It was enough for him to guess what happened. He passed them by and headed up to his room.
"huh. that expression. that was the expression of someone who's seen something they don't understand. for now, it might be better that she didn't." He said quietly as he closed the door behind him...
Sans: who feels like trash after putting tori through a nightmare? *points to me* this guyyyyyyy!
Me: Sans. Stop saying things.
Sans: ok.
Me: Sans! What did I just say?!
Sans: what? I didn't say 'things' that time, like you asked me to.
Me. Ugh...
Next chapter will have more Papyrus. Whether that's good or something else, we'll see...