Chapter 9: Truth
Mount Ebott stood just as tall as ever, peak just as intimidating and steep as you remembered it being. You drew your arms into your sleeves, crisp air chilling you down to your bones. Drawing yourself closer to Sans, you closed your eyes against the cold, glad that your skeleton friend was with you. If not for him accompanying you, you feared that you would be overcome with emotion remembering the first time you had come here, running away from your horrible parents, jumping to try and escape the overwhelming troubles and stress of daily life, Before you managed to get lost in your thoughts, Sans' grip tightened around your back and you smiled, allowing him to embrace you for a moment more before pulling away.
"Ready?" You said, determined.
"Ready." Sans responded, looking you in the eyes intensely.
You stepped forward peering down into the pit under the mountain. All you could see was darkness. Terrified, you looked back at Sans, reaching out and grabbing his hand. Giving it one last squeeze and a nod to you, he plunged into the hole, pulling you with him.
Eyes shut tight, you prepared yourself for the rough landing, cushioned only by the shallow bed of flowers at the bottom, but it never came. Instead, the sensation of falling suddenly stopped. Startled, you opened your eyes and was met by Sans' face in front of yours, hand still intertwined with yours. Looking down, the ground was near, but not yet touching your feet, who were instead covered in a bluish energy, glowing and lighting your path to the ground. You looked up at Sans, who smiled in return. As Sans floated to the ground with his magic, drifting you along with him, you breathed a sigh of relief. Before long, the soft petals of bright yellow flowers met your toes and you were grateful to have sturdy ground beneath your feet again.
"So, this is the Underground now." Sans said, releasing you and looking around. You followed his lead, glancing at the vaguely familiar area around you. The ruins seemed so lifeless compared to how you last saw them. It was somehow peaceful though, without all the small monsters scurrying about, but also slightly unnerving. The whole place seemed desolate and isolated, abandoned but not yet decayed. Both of you then unsettled, you decided to hurriedly make your way through the ruins.
Stepping quickly through the dim halls, you felt a rush of nostalgia, memories of toriel giving you hope and guiding you through the corridors and simple puzzles. It was a welcome change for someone to show that they cared and was nice to you for no reason rather than the alternative. She was the mother you had never had. Brushing away the longing for the simpler atmosphere the queen brought to you, you sighed, passing quickly through the house you once dreamed of living in, growing up alongside the friendly ruin monsters. You couldn't help but pause and run your hand along the smooth railing of her stairs before running to catch up with Sans.
Before long, you reached the door that lead out of the ruins. You paused once more at the spot where you had confronted her, motherly expression replaced by a deliberate glare. Chuckling internally, you recalled how her harsh stance softened in an instant when you made clear your choice against violence.
Lost in your thoughts, you felt a steady hand on your head. Sans, pulling you out of your moment, smiled down at you, stroking your hair lightly as a sign of affection. "C'mon, let's keep moving," he whispered. Nodding in reply, you matched his pace and stepped towards the exit, inhaling sharply before you combined your efforts and swung the heavy door wide and plodding out into the snow ahead.
"So, Sans," you said calmly, "how's it feel to be back?" Closing your eyes, you allowed yourself a smile. A small, pink tongue poked out of your mouth to be chilled by the falling flakes fluttering like dust from above. "Sans?" you called when you got no response. You turned to the door again, expecting to see him reminiscing about Toriel, one hand gently touching the door, reality escaping him. However, when you opened your eyes, you were met with an empty patch of white ground, deadly silent as the flurry turned to a blizzard.
"Sans?" You shouted, panic starting to set in. "SANS!" You ran to the door and began to pound your fists against the purple barricade, screaming the skeleton's name over and over.
"Well, look what we've got here!" You hear a high pitched voice squeak giddily.
Enraged, you turned to the sight of Flowey planted before you. "What have you done with Sans?" You demanded.
Smirking, Flowey let out a maniacal laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Tell me!" You yelled.
His evil grin spread wider across his face, but you refused to flinch or back away. "You're hardly in a position to be ordering me around. Tell you what, let's play a little game. If you can figure out how to get me past the barrier, I'll give you your little friend back alive!" Flowey seemed pleased with himself as he awaited your response.
"Threatening me won't get you anywhere."
"Oh, really?" Flowey jeered, clearly overjoyed. At what, you weren't sure you wanted to know. "I'm afraid there's not much else you can do right now except play along. Come on, you owe me, anyways." When you looked puzzled, he continued. "After all, you did kind of just, you know, abandon me here while you all pranced about on the surface without a care in the world."
"I did all I could," you protested, still alert. "There's no way I could have taken you with us. After you destroyed the barrier-"
"You at least could have tried!" Flowey shrieked.
You almost felt bad for him - almost. "When you opened the barrier, you knew you wouldn't be able to pass through. That was a choice you made for yourself. So you try to tell me you want out and in the process, kill Papyrus and then do it over and over again, even though it ends in taking the life of an innocent monster? And for what? Just because you decided to be selfish when you knew perfectly well what the consequences of your actions were?"
Flowey turned away for a moment, looking almost guilty. "I thought I would be okay with that. I thought it would be worth everyone's happiness, that I could manage to be alright down here." He turned back to you, frowning solemnly at you. "I was wrong."
"Really? You don't think it was worth it? What happened to your change of heart? 'Don't kill and don't be killed,' remember?"
He laughed dryly. "You don't know what I've been through down here. Almost a year of isolation, it messes with your head."
"Like you didn't already have experience with not knowing what you were." You muttered, biting your tongue and deciding against calling him a freak when you saw his hurt expression.
"I'm the one being selfish? Who's the one who blamed Papyrus's garbage brother for his death while he was the one putting aside his own grief and emotions to take care of you?"
Fists clenched, you glared at him. "That was low." Flowey smirked at your response. "Point taken," you replied, gritting your teeth. You wanted so badly just to punch him, reset, and then repeatedly beat him to a pulp. "Tell me then, what could be so bad that you would go back on your decisions? After all, you did seem pretty serious." Or was that just Asriel getting the best of you, you thought in your head, advising yourself against saying it aloud.
"Maybe I am selfish. But at least I really tried to follow Papyrus' advice and find happiness down here. A few monsters stayed in the Underground, not willing to give up the lives they had made for themselves. I was lonely." Flowey looked ashamed as he continued. "I tried to make friends with them, but they all blamed me for the entirety of monster kind being trapped all those years." He scowled angrily. "They hated me for trying to kill their 'savior.'" Flowey said the last word in a mocking tone, glowering directly at you as he did so. "Even though I sacrificed myself to save them in the end." He grimaced. "Haven't I been through enough already?" Flowey muttered to himself, cursing under his breath. Shaking his head, he continued to you, "It doesn't matter. You left me here on purpose. Didn't you?"
Your face changed in an instant, offended at being accused but also shocked at Flowey's jab. "No, that was never my intention."
"Funny," the flower chuckled. "I don't believe you." He advanced towards you. "So, are you gonna release the curse and get me out of here?" His gaze darkened. "Or do I have to start killing everyone you love?"
You inhaled deeply, thinking of what would be your best course of action. "Whatever happened to that whole speech about not ever wanting to go back after all this and just letting everyone have their happy ending?" You questioned, placing your hands on your hips. Maybe there was still hope for him.
"I refuse to just give up. I'm determined too, you know." Flowey said slyly. "And we both know how far determination can take you."
"If you're so determined, why didn't you just go back to after I set everyone free but before I left the underground? We could have found a way to free you without all the killing." You asked genuinely. After a pause and merely a glare from Flowey, you added sarcastically, "Or do you just hate me that much?"
"Please," Flowey scoffed, "Even if I wanted to reset the timeline, I couldn't. You wouldn't believe what it's taken for me to simply gain back the power to do what I already have. I'm powerless compared to you. But that's your fault, too, isn't it?" He neared your face intimidatingly. "Did you ever think that maybe I have a reason to hate you?" he whispered menacingly.
"Hypocrite," you spat, crossing your arms. "Look, we could insult each other all day, but if it's okay with you, I'd like to have my friends back."
"Oh no you don't," the flower teased, looking pleased with himself. "I might be more forgiving if you had thought more of me when you first had a chance to fix this. Pity for you, I've gone back to my old mentality. You couldn't have just saved everyone the first time."
"I tried to!" You cried, frustrated with the stubborn, greedy flower.
Flowey looked doubtful. "Sure you did.
Deciding that he wouldn't listen, you relented to his wished, if only for Sans and Papyrus' sake. "Fine." You muttered, blushing with anger and shame. "What do you want me to do?"
You heard a chuckle from him and your blood boiled. "Get me out of here."
You sighed. "Okay. Obviously you can't pass through the barrier since you don't have a soul." You laughed at him contemptuously. "What a shame."
"Don't remind me!" He hissed, jabbing a leaf at you. "I can still kill you. No matter where you go, I'll find you!"
"Fine, fine!" you huffed, deciding only to be as civil as he made you. You were still going to give him a hard time though. For Sans, you thought, regaining your composure.
"Have you tried growing upwards to the entrance of Mount Ebott?" you sassed.
Again Flowey grunted. "Of course I have. Trust me, I've tried everything."
"Clearly."
"Hey, watch yourself. Yes, I killed him. Get over it, you're not exactly a clean slate, you've killed a few monsters before by accident."
"I'd hardly say killing him multiple times was an 'Accident.'"
"You don't think I tried everything I could beforehand?" Flowey sighed, looking guilty for just a second. "I actually liked him. I tried to do him well and take his advice. He was the only one who was nice to me no matter what, and he always considered my feelings too." He stopped to growl at you and you rolled your eyes, waving a hand for him to continue. "It just so happens that his innocence was his downfall. I would have much rather kill you or Sans, but both of your determination is much too strong. I've never beaten either of you before, anyway." Another dirty look shot your way. "That kindness of his was always both his greatest strength and weakness."
You had never considered that Flowey actually cared that much for him. "Papyrus is not as naive as you think," you defended the younger skeleton brother. "You've shown that you weren't lying before by opening the barrier. You knew you wouldn't be able to get through, so at least some of what you told Papyrus must be true."
"I've messed with Papyrus in so many timelines before, what makes you think the last time was any different? Why do you think Sans hates me so much?"
You hadn't considered that either, but you were sure there was some truth in what Flowey had admitted. You could see it in his eyes, in addition to hearing Papyrus elude to knowing more than you had thought previously. Deep down, Flowey still carried more of Asriel than he would admit to. You were glad that he was so easy to egg on, as you might understand him better in order to get Sans and Papyrus back and maybe even awaken the good in him yet, although you weren't sure is you ever would after all that he had done. It wasn't always easy to do the right thing, you thought, but you would worry about that later. Focus on the present, you told yourself.
"You meant well at one point. I suppose Papyrus' death seemed like a necessary side effect at the time, but that doesn't make it right."
"Oh no, that wasn't a side effect." Flowey blurted.
"What do you mean?" You were shocked.
"At first, when I realized the signs weren't getting the message through to you, I tried to signal Papyrus. After all, he did still help me no matter how many times I betrayed him. Eventually, I got frustrated and killed him. I felt horrible afterwards, telling myself I only did it as a last resort to get through to you and that maybe you would realize something was wrong and try to come back, but in the end, I guess… I don't know."
You were going to yell at him, but something made you stop. Flowey seemed lost in thought, as if he was rethinking his actions. You went easy on him. "At least you tried. I suppose." Thinking of Sans and everything he had been through, you added, "But you still killed him."
He rolled his eyes. "I know. But it worked, didn't it? And I got back at you pretty good, didn't I?"
You tried to mask how upset you were, but it only worked to an extent. A few tears escaped down your cheeks, chilled by the cold, snow filled air.
He sighed upon seeing your reaction. "Why am I telling you all of this?"
"Maybe you're just that hopeless," you spat back, sniffling.
He glared and motioned harshly for you to follow him. "You better not try any funny tricks." He must have felt you roll your eyes because he turned back to you and said "Don't" harshly before trudging through the snow. You trailed behind him, pushing back the urge to question him lest he snap again, and moved on through Snowdin town.
