(Prewritten way in advance. This is the author, as of 2/29/16, talking.)

(And this is the author as of 10/18/16 talking. Dang, I put in work here.)

Chapter 32: Prelude to the End

Asgore stood. The Barrier emitted a wind of sorts that pushed both of us away from it. I clenched my hand around my stick. Past him, I could see twilight shining through the barrier, ever so faintly. The end was here. Chara returned into my necklace was already warming up the defense magic. And I was filled with determination.

He turned around, and in a whisper, he said, "Human." He paused, hands trembling for a second. Then he regained his stature, after a shaky breath.

"It was nice knowing you."

He dipped his head down as his hands glowed an ominous red light. It warped, it spun, it weaved itself into a rod. Its light filled the room. Wait, another light was behind me…this one warm, and oddly familiar...

I hit the deck as a huge fireball sailed over my head and slammed into Asgore, smacking his body against the Barrier and disorienting him. I turned to meet who it was…

It was Toriel.

"Toriel!" I shouted out. She smiled and wrapped her arms around me.

"Hello again, Frisk." She smiled quietly and warmly. "Do not worry. You are safe now."

Asgore slowly got up, not believing his eyes. "Tori...is that you?"

"Do not 'Tori' me, you overgrown whelp." Toriel shot back, venom in her voice.

"Ouch, that's cold." Chara remarked in my head.

"Do not be afraid, child. At first, I thought I would leave you to make this journey to Asgore all by yourself, but I could not stop worrying. To leave, you would have to take the life of someone. In this case, it would mean Asgore. And as much of a bastard he is," Toriel gave Asgore a look, "he deserves some mercy."

A blue spear came flying into the room, making all three of us scramble. "HEY! Nobody fight!" Another familiar voice. It was Undyne, holding more spears, ready to be thrown. "Or I'll…" Undyne sighed. "I'll...I don't know."

"Oh, hello. I am Toriel." Toriel greeted. "Are you the human's friend? It is very nice to me meet you."

"Yeah, I guess I am. This kid here managed to beat me in a fight, so I guess that's what we are. I'm Undyne, by the way." She walked over to Asgore. "Hey, is that your ex? Harsh, bud."

"N-nobody fight!" Another voice. Alphys walked in, a strange looking gun in her hand. When she realized nobody was fighting, she got a bit flustered. Toriel greeted her with the same warmth as Undyne.

"YEAH! Nobody fight!" A certain enthusiastic skeleton's voice. Papyrus walked in. "If anyone fights anyone here, then I'll...ask Undyne for help!"

"Hello, another friend?" Toriel greeted.

"Hello, your majesty!" Papyrus greeted, then whispered to me, "Human, since when were there two Asgores?"

"hey guys. whaddup." Sans came in behind Papyrus, holding a cup of warm Snowdin coffee. Toriel seemed shocked by his appearance.

"That voice…" She ran over to Sans. "Oh hello, I think we may know each other?"

Everyone stared as Sans returned the favor of recognition. "oh yeah, you're that lady behind that really big door thing. i'm sans, sans the skeleton."

"And I am Toriel." She greeted. "Wait, if you are Sans, then he…" She gestured to Papyrus. "He must be your brother. Hello! Your brother has told me much about you."

Papyrus looked like he was suffering from a heart attack. "Wow...I'm so famous even Asgore's clone knows me…THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"

"Hey, I have a question for you. What do skeletons tile their roof with?" Toriel asked.

Papyrus stood up. "Um...snow proof roof tiles?"

"No. SHIN-gles!" Toriel and Sans started chuckling as Papyrus flipped out, screaming and running around the Barrier room. In the far back corner, a shadow appeared, then disappeared. Gaster was watching. I gave him a nod.

"Hey, Papyrus...I was thinking." Alphys said. "If you got here after us, how did you know to call us here?"

Papyrus regained his composure for the second time today. "Oh, that? A little flower told me."

You could feel the temperature in the room drop by ten degrees. "A little..flower?" Alphys squeaked.

SLAM. A huge vine ripped through everyone, binding them all. The thorns cut into my skin.

"Eheheheh…You are all so stupid."

"Flowey," I gasped.

"Oh hello. While all of you were having your friendly little meeting, I stole something from you all. Recognize these?" He projected out six heart shapes. The six souls.

"Yeah, I know that you recognize these. And now, not only do I have these souls...but I also have your friends', as well! And the best part is that it's all your fault. All this time, you spent making them be your friends. Without that, they would have never come running. But now, with them, I will achieve my true form."

I struggled against the vines, trying to cut at them with the knife. "Why?" I asked.

"Don't you realize 'why,' Chara? This is all just a story. If you leave, the story's over. And then, what would I do? But you know what? This story's not going to end. I'll hold defeating the big bad in front of your nose, then I'll snatch it right away. Over, and over, and over again! But listen. If you do defeat me, I'll give your your little fairy tale ending. But you won't. Even if that means I have to kill you one million times!"

Rings of bullets surrounded me as Flowey cackled. The bullets slammed again and again into me. They hurt like killer bee stings. I was at my end. I had my SAVE file prepped, ready to rewind…

"FRISK! FRISK! Hold on, we can do this! We'll have our happy ending!" Chara shouted. I lifted my head up again, holding a brave face. More bullets closed in.

A gust of flame burned the bullets away. A large figure, bleeding golden liquid, stood over me.

"Do not worry, my child. For we will always be there to protect you!" It was Toriel. She had cut through the vine with her magic.

A warmth spread through me.

Flowey shot more bullets. But they were blocked by a swing of a bone and precise thrusts of a spear. "THAT'S RIGHT! No matter what, just do what I, Papyrus would do. That's right, human! Believe in you!"

"Hey, kid! If you can defeat me, you can do anything!

The warmth spread further and further, filling me.

Flowey threw more and more pellets. But they traveled slower, as if the space was incredibly long. Before they reached us, they were burned away and blasted by a ray of light. Alphys put her back against us.

"Technically speaking, our odds of victory are zero. But I don't think zero will stop us today!" Alphys put on a brave face.

"cmon, kid. you haven't beaten this nerd yet? jeez, you're making me get off my butt for once." Sans winked at me, the wink that told me he knew more than he was letting on.

"Human. For the hopes and dreams of all humans and monsters combined, you have to stay determined!" Asgore readied himself, flames surrounding him. A single fireball lit up a torch marked "Emergency Summons." The holder refracted the torchlight to the ceiling of the cave. Far away, a horn, probably audible through the Underground, blowed.

The warmth bristled.

"Yeah! Get 'em, boss!"

"Kid, you can do it!"

"Come on! Let's get this damn weed!"

"We're going to see that surface, no matter what it takes!"

When Asgore lit the torch, the monsters all came running. Thousands of monsters filled the Barrier room, all bristling with magical energy. Their numbers were of a magnitude far greater than I ever thought.

"You against the population of the Underground. Thirty one thousand, four hundred and fifteen." Asgore growled.

I was overflowing with DETERMINATION.

"No way…" Flowey squeaked. "You are are all…"

"...such IDIOTS." Flowey's face changed, as he ripped vines through all of them, draining away their souls. "I can't believe you just gave all these souls to me! Hahahahaha!"

"No! Frisk! Frisk!" Chara cried out, being ripped away from me, out of my necklace and into Flowey.

"Chara! CHARA! Come back!" I screamed. But it was too late. She was absorbed into Flowey, as everything went dark.