Disclaimer: So... it's safe to say a normal true-pacifist-Asriel-fight won't be happening. This chapter was one of the most difficult ones to plot, because it wasn't similar to anything that had happened in the game; probably the most difficult, out of everything else that came before it. Also might have overdone it in length, but that's fine.
TimeBlade: Never wrote an Omega Flowey fight before, so this should be interesting. Let's see how this goes.
I don't own Undertale.
"Speaking"
Thinking
Chara speaking
Chara thinking
No one moved. No one said anything. The group of eight-the captain of the Royal Guard, the Royal Scientist, two sentries, the former queen, the king, and two fallen humans-and the monstrous plant nightmare that was once a simple buttercup barely taller than her knee. Frisk's grip on the dagger shifted, and she took a small step forward. The chipped tip of the blade was held out towards the abomination, and she went to take another cautious step. The pixelated face's smile stretched at the movement, eyes locked onto her minuscule form.
It happened quickly. Too quickly. A burst of thorn covered vines rushed out of the inner mouth, and Andi shoved past Toriel to grab Frisk and pull her back, sending the two tumbling to the ground as the attack pierced the rock where she had stood. The vines yanked backwards, sending stones flying as they retracted back into Flowey and leaving deep holes behind. "Frisk!?" Had that attack struck her, the child would have had her organs splattered around them, blood staining their clothes ad bones shattered like toothpicks.
"I-I'm okay!" You're anything but okay! You almost got impaled! A flash of purple entered her vision, and Asgore stood in front of them, trident at the ready, and sunlight glinting off his armor.
"Toriel, protect the humans. We cannot let them get hurt." Toriel looked down at them, and turned her attention to the rest of the monsters. The king-Asgore was right. If Flowey got hold of their souls, it was game over, for everyone.
"Andi, you are not injured?" She shook her head, though, she wasn't sure if the goat woman could see it or not. "Get Frisk as far back as you can."
"But Toriel-" Toriel stopped her, a ball of flames appearing in an open hand as she turned to look up at the glitching, static filled screen. A human face, shifting through a cycle of undecipherable emotions, scarcely made eye contact back at them.
"Asgore cannot hold him off by himself. Hurry!" Andi scrambled to her feet, keeping a hand around Frisk's dagger-free wrist, and sprinted away from the monsters towards the exit. Her footsteps were kicking up dirt, the sound lost on the rapidly ensuing battle behind them.; distract Flowey, keep him away from them. He wouldn't have been able to go after them with six monsters, all ranging in skills and attacks, fighting him head-on. The vines that trapped them in were thick, thorns sharp enough to prick the plant material that was too close, bleeding the same sap that still clung to the weapon in the child's hand.
Frisk looked up at her, face deathly pale as they came to a stop by the blocked door. Stopping just short enough to avoid running into the thorns. Breathe, you idiot! Breathe! "A-Andi?" Her grip around her wrist was rough, and she showed no sign of letting her go.
"This never happened before, has it? Flowey doing... this!?" Her reaction, her fear... Frisk had never had that happen to her before. Flowey turning into an eldritch abomination-how was she not breaking down as bad as she should've been!?
"H-he has, but... but Asgore didn't make it out of the fight, and the others never showed up." So you're saying Flowey killed him, or... you killed him. She was scared, shying behind the older human. "I-I've dealt with Flowey before, Andi," Frisk continued. "I know how to handle his attacks, b-but..."
"But this timeline's different, which means this fight's different." Given how things just played out, that was no surprise. Andi looked down at her, tucking the pole under her arm and once she released Frisk's wrist, stroked the top of her head. Her heart was in her ears, pounding a mile a minute. Terrified, she was, but she could not afford to break down. Not right now. "We're... we're going to be okay, alright? You've done this before, and you're going to do it again."
"A-Andi, I... I..." they looked up, hearing oncoming movement. Alphys and Papyrus ran over to them, the taller skeleton throwing his hand up once he got close enough to the two humans. Bones, taller than him, were brought up out of the ground around them. A mix of blue and white, even lining the wall and exit behind them.
"H-hold on!" Alphys knelt down, entering the barricade just before it fully closed, and a small wave of yellow magic flowed out of her fingertips. The wave of magic spread around them, fading out once it reached the barricade in faint crackles. "Th-there. That sh-should do the trick."
"What did you do?" She straightened up, adjusting her lab coat and looked at the older human.
"In case F-Flowey tries to attack from underneath, I put an electrical field under the ground. Any attempts to penetrate it will, well... hurt," she explained, giving a small smile at her plan.
"Electricity powers." That makes... a lot of sense, thinking about it. The four of them kept their distance from the bone blockade, Frisk gripping her sweater once the knife was put away. It was a mess; flames and seed bullets all over the place. Toriel and Asgore stood close together, hands hurling precisely-aimed fireballs and trident slashing at any vines that got too close to them. Closer to the front, a barrage of glowing spears were hurled at Flowey's arms, sinking into the cactus skin. At the same time, she could make out two long spinning bones in front of Undyne and Sans, blocking a burst of fire from a flamethrow-wait, what? "It's insane. Th-this is insane."
"... I THOUGHT FLOWEY WAS MY FRIEND." Andi shifted her attention to Papyrus. The younger of the two skeletons watched the cursed face intensely, same as the rest, but she did not see the same fear and terror Frisk and Alphys had. Rather, it was of disappointment and confusion. He feels betrayed. "I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY HE..."
"There's a... lot we all were unaware of," she said slowly. "Secrets mostly, or common facts that we never saw." Papyrus looked down at her, offering a weak smile. Guess I look just as distressed as he feels. Andi returned it, and the two looked back out onto the battlefield. "... we have to do something though."
"Wh-what? F-Flowey, h-he won't let us leave." He would not. They had their one entrance blocked off, and an energy draining wall on the other end. She had no idea about any other monsters, as there were none that she was aware of in the castle. No matter how strong the others were-and she had seen almost all of them in action-there was no way they could rival six human souls. They're... they're gonna get slaughtered out there. Asgore, Undyne... Toriel, Sans... murdered. D... dusted.
"I know. I know, we just-we need a plan. Anything." Backing away from the bones, Andi turned around and began to pace. Her head hurt, pounding with each shout as her friends fought for their lives. How was she supposed to plan? How was she supposed to even think!? Come on! Think! THINK!
"... h-hey, Andi...?" Hmm? Andi glanced at Alphys, paused mid-step. "I-if we can weaken Flowey, w-we might be able to retract the souls from him. Cripple him, y-you know?"
"So not to the point of complete knock out, but enough to hold him down... maybe return him to normal." How do you weaken the combined strength of six souls? "Alphys, they're-human strength is going to be needed to combat human defense. Do you have anything that could help with that?"
"Um... well, maybe." Alphys reached into her coat's pockets, and handed her, to the other's surprise, six tiny Mettaton robots. The same from the fight. "Individually, I-I'm afraid their blast wouldn't do much. However, if you set them off close together, i-it could form a chain reaction."
"Kaboom." Andi smiled at Frisk's input, seeing a spark beginning to form in her eyes. Yeah. Kaboom.
"B-but you'd only have one shot, a-and it'd be crazy to e-even try," Alphys continued, voice rising in pitch and stutter worsening. "I-I mean, y-you'd have to avoid all of those attacks, and the o-others' too." They would have to avoid the onslaught from both sides, just to get near Flowey to place the bombs. Everyone right now was serving as a distraction, but the moment one of them got close, all of his attention would be on them.
"We'd have to split up," Andi muttered, gears spinning in her head. "One of us sets the bombs, the other takes on Flowey, head-on with the rest."
"Th-that's crazy! N-neither of you two are capable to deflecting all of those attacks! E-even with Undyne, A-Asgore, and the others, it'd b-be impossible." No... not impossible. Frisk had done it. How she had done it, Andi had no idea, but it was enough to prove the girl was quick on her feet. Andi was too, but not in the same way as the younger human. Frisk has a better chance of dodging everything than me. I should drop the bombs. However, Frisk fought Flowey in the past. That meant in terms of weak spots, she might be more aware of them than herself.
... Frisk. Both humans tilted their heads to the side, forcing back the act of turning to Chara's voice. Whatever small power you have left, won't be enough to take on six souls at once. She drifted in front of them, narrowly missing the bones behind her, hands gripping the sides of her green and yellow sweater. But... but I want this to end. I want to rest, Frisk.
"... then I'll do it." The four's heads snapped to Frisk. "I'll plant the bombs." She looked to Andi. "But I-we both know... I can't do it alone." Is... is she really hinting at... Chara?
You don't want to get impaled or roasted, right? It's the only way. It... was. Oh, she was going to feel awful at the end of it. "HUMANS?" She ignored Papyrus, her full attention on the deceased girl. Are you absolutely sure? She had to know, if what they were thinking was going to be safe. She had to have some inkling that things would work in their favor.
Positive. Now... let me show you what it means to be in control. Andi nodded, and looked to Papyrus and Alphys. Chara's wording could have been better, but she was right. For this to work, the woman had to not be in control. The two monsters were quiet, watching the strange silence that fell between the humans. "Papyrus," she said at last. "Lower one of the bones."
"ARE YOU SURE?" A chill swept over her, and she looked at Chara's hand resting on her shoulder before returning to his concerned-filled sockets.
"Heh... completely sure, Papyrus."Let's do it, Chara.
Gladly. Possession. It was... odd. One second, Andi was in the front. The next, she felt herself getting shoved backwards, hurled into a darkness with only a window of the outside world to provide light. She could still hear, and feel, and see, but the movements of her body were no longer her own. The older human closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself... and opened them, revealing the same red eyes from her memories. "A-Andi...?"
She... she wasn't Andi. Not right now. "Frisk, switch with me." Frisk stuttered, but hurried to take the hiking pole from Chara, handing her the dagger in its place. Smiling at the familiar feel of her weapon in her hand, back where it rightfully belonged, she turned back to the ongoing brawl outside of the protective cage. "Lower it, Papyrus."
It wasn't her voice. It was her mouth, speaking the command, but she wasn't the one saying it. Papyrus... could he tell it was someone else? Did he see the change in eye color, and hear the voice alter? He didn't answer, but after a few seconds, one of the blue bones vanished, leaving a small gap that they could squeeze through. "Ready?"
Frisk adjusted the pole, shrinking it down to her size and adjusting the strap to her wrist. "Ready." Let's do this, Chara. Her mouth's corners went up, and she jumped out of the opening. Frisk followed, and giving a final look at Papyrus and Alphys, they took off into the fray, taking a few extra seconds for her to throw the bag off to the side. It's not like constant healing will help us now.
Running across the cavern floor was far more difficult than running around the judgment hall. There were dips and curves to the ground, and at some places, the dirt would give under Chara's boot, sliding her foot backwards. Frisk was right behind her, both hands gripping the pole to avoid tripping on it. "Wait for the distraction. Move along the side of the wall."
"Good luck." Frisk kept her eyes on her guardian, before splitting off towards the right side of the cave. Flowey's six eyes did not pick up on her, too preoccupied with the four monsters in front of him. That'll change in an instant. The moment he sees that we aren't kept at the back, he's going to change his attacks. Chara nodded at her input, adjusting her grip on the dagger. You fast?
Very. A shadow swept over her, and she looked up. A cactus arm had shifted, and began its descent towards the ground. "Heh." She pivoted on the spot, twisting herself around and rushed towards her adoptive parents. The limb hit the ground, sending a shock wave that forced her to jump over, narrowly having the ground give out underneath her feet. Toriel turned in her direction, amber eyes wide in horror.
"My child!" Chara's confident smile almost slipped at the words. "I told you to stay back!"
"You did." She slid to a stop beside her, watching as Asgore knocked back a bomb and sent it spiraling towards Flowey's screen face. The plant monster pulled himself to the side, the attack soaring past and striking the ground behind him. "Keep distracting Omega Flowey. Don't let him spot Frisk."
"Frisk?" Asgore glanced at the two, still keeping himself prepared for the next attack. "Where's-?"
"Just follow my lead, and don't let him catch on." Chara had to admit, it was rather difficult to keep up the mask. When she was with Frisk, she never spoke. It helped that the child wasn't the talkative type. "Just get ready to attack when I need you to." Andi though, she did speak, and right now, she had to share some of the plan with the others. Come on, Flowey. Any second now.
Any second until what? The blaring of a siren pierced the air, and the boss monsters and human looked to the TV face in alert. A heart took the screen, replacing the twisted black and white face from before. The patient soul. At once, the vines, bombs, and other attacks retracted, and Chara adjusted her footing. "Incoming!" White knives flew towards them, and she could hear Undyne give a curse from where they stood. Spinning around with enough speed to make dodging possible, Chara abandoned her spot by Toriel's side and ran-twirled her way to the front.
Tips of sharpened blades nipped at her sweater, grazing the already-scarred skin underneath from Flowey's previous attack in Waterfall. Better time this right, Frisk. Andi shifted in the back of her mind, and she had to force herself not to focus on it. Chara, are all the souls going to do this? This, meaning the unique attack. "Grrr." Yes. Each soul will attack with its specific form of offence. We can't take down Flowey until every one of them has a go.
What makes you think that will happen? She had a right to be concerned. Nothing was going to what any of them was used to. True, the patience soul was right on track. She couldn't predict the other five, whether or not they would attack in order. I just-look, do you have any other ideas or not? No? That shut up and let me do my thing.
... snappy. The knives disappeared, and at once, a barrage of missiles were fired from the plant monster's back. Step backwards, side-step, and rush forwards once again. The same sort of movement the woman had seen when she possessed Frisk, playing out through her own body. The wailing siren ripped through the cavern, and Chara looked up long enough to see the orange glow on the television. Magic gloves. Once we get past this, we should be up with the others. I hope Frisk's having more luck than we are. That... probably not. Still, it was a nice thought. "Heh... you and me both, Andi."
The barrier hurt. True, she did not come close enough to the exit of the cave for its energy-draining powers to affect her, but her head did feel off. Woozy. Okay, Frisk. You just need to... to get on top of Flowey. Get on top of him, find the souls, and plant the bombs. Easy... i-it was going to be easy.
Juggling the tiny Metattons in her arms, she ran through the trench, ducking each time she saw the beast turn in her direction. As far as Flowey knew, she was back hiding with Alphys and Papyus, while Andi was being an idiot and running out there to try and help the others. They had the element of surprise with them. Now I have to use it... somehow.
"How do I get up there?" She tilted her head to the side, staring up at Flowey. There were no vines, no legs. There was nothing to easily grab hold of, and climbing would take far too long. The hiking pole dangled from her wrist, dragging on the ground, the metal spike leaving a tiny rut in the dirt. Helpful, but still useless at that point. Chara's up next. She looked over at Undyne and Sans, still taking the brunt of the attacks. You have one HP, Sans. Wouldn't it be better to keep a distance? Perhaps it was a range matter? No matter. She had to wait, wait for Chara to act. Hurry, guys.
Sans hated this.
He had been through a lot, since the kid had fallen down there. He'd said puns, joked with friends. He'd cope with what he'd seen; sometimes too well for his taste. Assisting the kid, and taking on what was the abomination combination of a soulless flower and six human souls... that was a new one, and he hated it. He hated it with his entire being.
"Move!" He teleported to the side, avoiding the oncoming lines of white ballet slippers. Large slippers, almost as tall as him, rising and falling as they approached them. Abandoning her spears, Undyne took a running start and slid under the rows, their hardened toes stabbing the ground and narrowly missing her head.
The attacks having passed, circular bursts of bullets appeared around them, and zoomed in to meet them. Dodging and teleporting; he was glad to have both. Undyne was showing her years of Royal Guard training, flipping and ducking around the bullets as they got closer. With each ring, once it got close enough, erupted in a loud snap akin to a firecracker.
"Heads up!" The vines shot from his mouth, dozens of them, and tore into the ground in front of his feet. The rocks that burst outward as they retreated back, readying for another launch. "Sans!" The movement sent the skeleton tumbling backwards, and the vines returned again. "Sans!"
so much for loading. He scrunched his sockets closed, ready for the plant to rip through his torso, and spread his dust around the cavern's floor. ... i'm not... what? He wasn't dead. Why wasn't he dead? why aren't i... huh? He opened a socket, not caring which one it was, and the other popped open in surprise. "andi?"
"Wow, comedian. And here I thought that you wanted us to do whatever it took to break the barrier." no... Andi looked over her shoulder, and red eyes flashed back at him. The ghost-Andi... what the hell were they doing? "Lift her onto his back."
"lift h-the k-?" She was in front of him, holding her weaponless hand over his teeth.
"If I were you, I'd be smarter on what I say when we're trying to live. Gravity magic. Lift her onto his back." He pulled her hand away, the words repeating in his head. Frisk... onto Flowey's back. what are you planning? "Any time now, skeleton."
"mm." Holding back a remark, his eye lights flickered from the woman... child? "oh cr-move!" Sans grabbed her wrist, pulling her down the ground with him. A torrent of large houseflies buzzed past, just where her head was, directly into an awaiting Venus flytrap near Undyne. The monster was plastered to the dirt, same as them, avoiding the loud buzzing wings and beady black eyes.
"Guess we're even," Chara quipped. "Now, do you mind?"
"right or left side?" He'd have to put up a front. If the murdercup saw that he was using his powers, but nothing was visibly happening, he'd get suspicious. He'd have to be able to spot the kid, and perhaps use a blaster to provide cover. A blaster required almost the same amount of magic power, so seeing his socket glowing wouldn't generate any questions.
"Right." Sans and Andi-Chara stood up, and he flashed her a wink. Letting his magic kick in, he summoned two blasters on either side of them. The hum of energy was already there, their eyes locked onto Flowey with low, angry growls.
"Whoa..." he dismissed Undyne's awe. To be honest, he should have expected that. Besides Papyrus and the humans, no one else ever saw them. He had an image to keep, and right now, he was putting in a lot more effort than he usually a doubt, he had taken them by surprise when he stayed at the front, helping keep Flowey away from the others. Out of the corner of his socket, poking out of the rut where Flowey had ripped one of the cactus-like arms free, he could make out the wispy brown of Frisk's short hair. three... two... one.
He fired, one blaster ripping through the newly summoned purple soul's attacks and striking just below the beast's two mouths. A pained shriek left Flowey, fresh sap spilling out onto the rocks below, and Sans hurried to fire again, this time, at the ground just in front of them. A massive cloud of pebbles and dirt sprang into the air, and he could hear the girls' ragged coughing. "D-Dang it, Sans!" Undyne shouted between coughs. "Why'd you miss!?" With a smirk, eye still bathed in blue, he flicked two fingers upwards, and watched Frisk soar out of the pit and up towards the cavern's ceiling, disappearing over Flowey. go get em', bud.
Landing onto the large metal platform atop Flowey's back... could've been a bit more graceful. Sans dropped her on the early side, not waiting long enough for her to be directly over the top. Flowey's entire back was composed of organic material, save for the hexagonal plate, and she managed to land at the edge of it. Had she missed, and touched the fleshy surface, he would have sensed her presence.
The hexagonal plate, where six capsules were set up at each corner. Where the fallen human souls were trapped for the past few decades. The glass was lit up in each souls' respective trait, shining much more than when Asgore had displayed them minutes ago. He's abusing their... essence? She wasn't sure what the correct word was. They were all in pain, that was clear. Acting almost like batteries to power Flowey's transformation. She had to act quickly.
"Don't worry, guys." She ran towards the dark blue soul, taking one of the robots and carefully placing it beside the container. Tugging at the arms, she spun the bomb around to face the glass, and positioned it in a hug. Won't stick otherwise. "We'll get you out of there."
The soul's color flickered, and through its pain, drifted closer to the wall. They didn't remember. They couldn't recall how many times Flowey had subjected them to that terrible procedure. But they knew who was on the side of good. Who wanted to stop him, and free them from their suffering. In this case, with Undyne and Asgore helping us... do they hate them?
She attached the bombs to the orange and green souls, patting the top of the latter's capsule before proceeding to the yellow heart. The justice trait. The soul stayed at the back, more cautious around the child than the others. "We're going to win," she whispered, throwing a look at the back of Flowey's head. "I know you don't trust us." It spun around, and she could only imagine the deceased child turning his head and scoffing. "But we're going to end this. And... we need your help to do so." Frisk finished with the bomb, and shuffled over to the purple soul, having moved closer to watch the interaction. "Help me break the barrier, and then... you can finally rest." Them, and Chara. All of them could finally rest.
"...!" She glanced at the final soul. The other half of Andi's. Patience. The youngest of the fallen children. It was one of the... true pacifist endings, and she had a long discussion with Toriel about the ones who came before her. It had taken some motivation to finally ask, but she was curious about the fates of the children who she knew only through the fights with Flowey and Asriel. Beverly, a little seven year old girl with curly dark brown hair and tanned skin, and a smile filled with wonder that only a child could hold. The ribbon was always worn on the right side of her in a neat bow, and had fallen out when she fell into one of the pit traps in the Ruins during one of her final days. The ribbon, was currently holding Andi's hair back in the ponytail she wore throughout her own journey.
How Beverly died... she didn't know. Sans probably didn't either. He knew about the green soul, but Beverly was the first one to fall into the Underground. He might not have even been alive then. "Please... I just want this to end. I just... want to save my friends."
The arms clicked into place, and the soul, through the charges still shooting through it, softened its glow. "Heh... thank you, Beverly." The glow flickered brightly at the mention of its name, and she smiled. It's up to them now. "Okay... so." She glanced around at the six souls, her smile a little more mischievous "Here's the plan..."
Jaws mashed together, as the boggling eyes continued to roll in their sockets, never fully straying from her form as she danced around the floor. Asgore and Toriel had gotten closer to them, launching fireball after fireball to deflect the massive infernos raining down around them from summoned frying pans.
"Keep moving, punk!" Undyne barked, grabbing Chara's collar and tugging to the side. Sans' teleportation skills proved highly effective, any missed attacks missing him by inches with a smile on his face. Come on! Where's the-?
The nerve-wracking siren blared out, and the final soul made its appearance across the screen. Yellow soul. Finally. She could hear Andi sigh in relief, and her own mouth grew into a confident grin. Bring it. A massive gun was brought out from behind the television screen, a vine wrapped securely around the handle, and pointed it down at them. "Here it comes!"
Bullets, almost as big as Frisk, shot out in bursts of two and three at a time. "Get back!" The fallen child would have ignored Toriel's alarmed shout, and continued to focus on the attacks. However, that was before the vine began to move side to side, up and down, and attempted shooting at them from different angles. In addition to Andi's already worn out body, not completely healed from Flowey's earlier attack in Waterfall, she rushed to the former queen and took refuge behind her. Sans warped next to her, and Undyne slid to a stop behind Asgore. "Stay behind me, my child."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Chara muttered. Deflecting them was difficult. Summoned spears, bones, and fireballs were hurled at the massive bullets, causing them to explode mid-air. Any that missed struck the ground nearby, making small craters in the ground. Could she have dodged them by herself? Of course. She and Frisk had faced Flowey's six-soul form many times. She knew all of the attacks off by heart. Just don't want to take the risk, huh?
Yeah. The black and white face flicked off, and the disturbing face from before, same red eyes and same blocky toothed mouth, returned. The tiny pupils stared down at them, the smile widening to an impossible size. What are you planning? "Hee hee!" The large vine readjusted itself, hoisting the muzzle upwards, and fired.
The three bullets whizzed past, and a spear ripped through one of them, sending the severed pieces falling to the ground in an explosion. Several fireballs took down the second one, and a bone embedded itself in the third. The ensuing blasts left a thin veil of smoke in the air, the smell of gunpowder hitting Chara's nose. Hearing was muffled, a common action with the last attack, and she squinted upwards at the gun. It's still pointed upwards. Wh-? "Oh!"
Chara spun around, and behind her, flying free from the smoke cloud, was a fourth bullet. Crap! Andi's reaction was exactly as she herself was feeling. A bullet, using the smoke as a cover to fly across them, headed straight to the other side of the cavern, and right to the blockade that the younger skeleton had made.
"papyrus!" The brawl was happening around the midway point of the cavern, Flowey taking up the upper half; he kept himself just far enough away from the edge of the barrier to avoid its curse. As much as the human knew Sans wanted to run to him, to try and get Papyrus out of there, there was no way he would reach them in time. Running, or teleporting.
It was hard, to tell exactly what was happening to the other two monsters. From their distance, they couldn't make out their exact features. Their expressions as the bullet reached them. What she could see, though, was rather surprising. And, for one such as Chara, it was hard to surprise her.
A flash of movement flying upwards, up over the blockade of bones, missing the bullet by seconds. An explosion that scorched the vines barricading the door, and setting fire to the foliage around them. Papyrus landed on the ground with Alphys on his back, arms wrapped around his neck, and a long blue bone held in one hand, the other keeping the Royal Scientist in place. He vaulted. How did-how much strength and speed did that even require?
She didn't have an answer for that. Chara had never seen Papyrus show his complete strength. Perhaps that was because, when Frisk was battling him in Snowdin, he was already hesitant in his attacks. When her HP got low enough, he would take her to their shed and leave her there. Undyne was right. He is tough. The two of them rushed towards the rest of the group, and Sans almost melted in relief. "Alphys!" Undyne plucked her off his back once they were close enough. "You okay?"
"I-I'm fine." Her lab coat was burnt at the ends, and she smelled of ash, as did Papyrus. But they weren't injured. "P-Papyrus?"
"I AM FINE," the usual pep was gone, and he was clearly on edge. Edge... he-Flowey wasn't attacking. Why wasn't he attacking? Char-!
Thorn arms smashed the ground, sending a shock wave through the cavern as all six eyes stared down at them. Drool trailed from the mouths, dripping from its wheezing maw onto the dirt. The quake sent the human to her knees, scraping the fabric open, and she bit her lip to hold back a shout. Her legs hurt, and rocks and dirt entering the bloody wounds. The red and blue soul pulsed in sync with her heartbeat, and through it all, Chara kept a neutral look. Brows narrowed, and the corners of her mouth dropping to a slight frown. Two sets of hands grabbed each of her arms, and Papyrus and Undyne hoisted her back up. Dang it. She was limping; the right leg buckled under her weight.
"Hee hee! Great job, friend." The red eyes stared at Papyrus, smile twitching as much as his pupils. "I always had a feeling you'd be Royal Guard material. You're much stronger than I'd taken you for. Now then... where is she?" Frisk. He was looking for Frisk. Why doesn't he just focus on our soul? Chara's grip on the dagger tightened, and her frown deepened. He wants revenge against Frisk. He's furious with her. "Well? I'm waiting."
"Hiding," she replied. "Out of sight, and away from you." Lies. Absolute lies, but she had to keep leading him on.
"Sure. Whatever you say. But do you really think you can defeat ME!? I am the god of this world! I know everything that will happen. All of your pitiful attempts at trying to have your 'happy ending'. You... are pathetic." Her breathing was off, and she reached up to her mouth to swipe at the blood forming in the corner. "Golly! That's right, isn't it?" The screen changed, and she stared up into Flowey's true face. "You wouldn't have even gotten this far had it not been for Frisk."
The hand free of the dagger shook in a fist, nails digging into her skin. Chara... she was not Andi. She was not Frisk. She wanted to shout at Flowey. To defend herself, call him out on his words. She... she wanted to cry out for her brother, who had been trapped in that horrible nightmare for decades. ... Andrea?
Chara, I... "without her help... you're useless." The image changed, and she heard Toriel gasp. His features were Frisk's, and even with the dull smile, the eyes held emotions that Frisk would never display. As quickly as it appeared, his facial features returned to normal. "Useless, and alone."
Alone.
Alone; she... she was-you're not alone. You, are not alone, Chara. In her mind's eye, she could see the woman staring back at her. You don't have to suffer anymore. Was... who was... holding her hand?
"we're right behind ya, ands." Ands, she... was Sans talking to Andi, or to her? "we're not goin' anywhere." You are not alone, Chara. We're all right here, ready to help. They... they were there for her. That was... nice. It's... nice. The perfect ending... y-yeah. Yeah, she was going to get them their ending. Chara-she... she was going to finish what she started.
For good this time.
She let Sans' hand fall from her own, and she stepped forward. Would he fire vines, rip her chest open in a bloody spray? Fire that cursed giant laser from his massive mouth? She was worried, but scared? No, she was not. "That's the thing, isn't it, Flowey? No matter what happens, it's impossible to get a perfect ending. Nothing's perfect... I would know. But that doesn't mean that I won't try to achieve it. To make everyone happy, to break the barrier, to have monsters live on the surface where they belong."
Flowey's twisted face returned with a low hiss; an attempt to scare her, no doubt. I am not alone. I am not alone. I am not. Alone. "And you should know this very well, Flowey... that I always like to go out with a bang." That did the trick. The red eyes and large mouth vanished, and the flower's face returned as quickly as it disappeared, giving her a confused look. "Heh. Ready, Frisk!?"
"Ready!" Flowey's head filled most of the screen, the closeness of the fallen child's voice alarming him.
"Asgore, fire at his back, now!" The mighty king nodded at Chara's command, recalling her earlier orders. A burst of fire appeared in his paw, and he hurled it towards the abomination with his full strength. Had it been any other monster, no way would they be able to get the height and speed to reach up to Flowey's height. The faint sound of footsteps squishing into flesh and metal from above got closer, and the brown, blue, and purple blur that was Frisk appeared at the top of his head. The attack soared over her head, and she threw a look over her shoulder as it came crashing down... and into space where the six human souls were stored.
The ensuing explosion behind Frisk nearly knocked her off the television's top, a blast of heat that continued to scorch the plant and tissue. A shard fell from the glass screen, followed by several others, crashing and splintering on the ground below. Hairline fractures spread across the screen line a spiderweb, and Flowey's eyes widened in horrified disbelief as Frisk, with a small shout, jumped off his head and flew past his face, with six balls of colorful light following right behind her. The souls. Got that right.
Chara shoved past Sans, not letting him get a chance to activate his magic and bring her down safely. Frisk, sailing to the ground below, twisted herself around mid-air. The pole was free from her wrist, and held it in the middle with the point aimed at Flowey. The souls swirled around Frisk, and with determination that had carried the young girl through countless of timelines, hurled the hiking pole at Flowey's face. The souls chased after it, spinning around the middle and creating a whirlwind of blue, green, purple, yellow, and orange.
Atta, girl. The soul-fueled attack ripped through the glass, shards dropping to the ground, and bursts of white shone out from the television. His face was no longer distinguishable, but the enraged and terrified shriek was not lost on them. Frisk fell, and Chara skid to a stop right below her arms outstretched. "Aah!" She dropped into her arms, and the humans tumbling to the ground from the momentum. The detonation's noise increased, and Chara tucked Frisk's head into the crook of her shoulder, holding onto her and closing her own eyes.
White. The final discharge ripped through the cavern, and she felt her entire body heat up. The smell of burnt flesh and ash met her nose, and Chara forced herself not to hurl. They had to move. They had to get out of there, but she was so sore. "Ch-Chara..." Frisk whimpered, and her grip on the child increased. Any second now. Any second, and it'll be all over.
A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders, and Chara gave a startled cry as she was pulled backwards into a pair of awaiting arms. Warm, but cooler than the inferno Frisk and her had unleashed. "I got you, my children." Of course you do, mom. Another pair of arms wrapped around them, and she smelled flowers. Dad. Behind her eyelids, the world was white for several more seconds. White, and then dark, and then... quiet. It was... quiet. "... Toriel?" The arms on either side of them shifted, and relaxed to let Chara bring her head up. In front of her, Toriel and Asgore blocked the explosion, parts of their robes scorched black. Toriel smiled down at her, but the relieved look flickered slightly. What is she-oh. Her eyes. They were still red. Andi, do you want to-?
Yes, please. It was a slingshot moment. Her face scrunched up, and the woman was yanked forwards back into the metaphorical driver's seat. She blinked, adjusting to the light again. Toriel was focused on Frisk, the younger human bringing her face up from the elder's sweater. "Are you alright, my child?"
"Y-yeah, I'm... I'm fine. A-Andi?" The former queen and king looked to her, and she took note of Toriel's confusion at the change in eye color.
"I'm fine." She looked over her shoulder behind her. The others-Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, and Sans-were on the ground, same as them. Low and close together to avoid the blast. Undyne was gripping Alphys to her side, flattening them to the dirt as the brothers laid together, one arm over each other's back. Their heads slowly lifted up, and Andi grinned back at them. Andi. Flowey, remember? Flow-oh, right. Asgore and Toriel shuffled around, and the four stared at the wreckage Frisk had unleashed. Still smoldering plant matter was scattered about, as well as the human-like flesh. Metal was strewn over the room too, broken in large pieces. Cables still hung from the ceiling, swinging back and forth dangerously. "... huh."
"You two okay?" Andi turned back around, seeing the others finally walk over to them. Clothing blackened in spots just like the rest of them, covered in scratches and dirt and smoke. Undyne flashed her a fanged smile, and laughed. "Never knew you had that much guts, punk. That was some show."
"Yeah, I... didn't know what came over me." Frisk giggled, and Sans' grin twisted slightly at the indirect joke. "So, is it over?"
"... over?" Andi's head snapped back towards the exit of the Underground. Surrounded by glass, and the broken remains of the television that made up his monstrous head, Flowey stood, head bowed and petals torn at the edges. "No... it's not over."
"Flowey..." Frisk pulled herself to her feet, same as the others, watching the plant warily.
"Why...? Why won't you... just give up already?" A petal lifted, and the girls could see the beaten white face that hid underneath. His glare was weak, exhausted just like the rest of them. "Why...?"
"... because we won't. We can't." Andi stepped forward, one cautious step at a time. "Everyone deserves the chance to see sunlight. To feel... the warmth of their skin, and the wind in their... petals." Flowey scoffed, but his head wasn't drooping as much as it was before. "Flowey." She stopped a foot away from him, and knelt down. "... Asriel."
The name was whispered, low so that Asgore and Toriel wouldn't hear it. Flowey did though. His head snapped up, staring at her with an expression she couldn't place. "Please... let us use the souls to break the barrier. Let us end this nightmare for good." Where were the souls, now that she thought about it? She didn't see them anywhere, but knowing Frisk, they must still be around somewhere, ready to help free their friends.
"... you really think that this will work, don't you?" Flowey averted his eyes, uncomfortable with the attention from the group. "... Frisk, you know what I have to do for... you to see me properly, right?" Hearing her name, Frisk wandered up to them. What he has to do? It took six souls for Flowey to turn into... that. What was he missing? "I need more than just the six human souls."
"... you... need one more," Andi murmured. "And if it's not Frisk and me, then..." she knew what he was hinting at. The plaques in Waterfall, saying how it took almost every monster soul to equal the power of a single human's. He... has to... "Sans?"
"... no other way to do it, right?" The same look from the memory, where Frisk had requested him to kill her in order for her to reset, returned to his face.
"Do what?" Frisk and Andi exchanged a short look, and the younger of the humans answered Toriel.
"To break the barrier, we need to another soul. Enough monster souls equals the power of a human's." She paused, and watched as the realization came to the monster's eyes. "Yeah..."
"You want that weed to absorb our souls?" Undyne exclaimed, voice sore from barking orders. "How hard did you hit your head!?"
"My child, are you... certain, that this is the only way to break the barrier?" Certain? Toriel, if anyone knows how to take it down, it's Frisk.
"... you want to free the monsters?" The question wasn't directed at her, or Asgore. Frisk was addressing all six of them. "You want to... to bring everyone to the Surface? Then this... is the only way. P... Please, mom. Just trust me."
It was once-just once-that Andi had seen Toriel get addressed to as mom. Before, they were all emotional wrecks, hating how they had to leave the Ruins to go on their journey, and leave her behind. Back then, she had thought it was just a spur of the moment, due to how close they had all gotten. Now though... even that word, mom, could be viewed under a new light.
Toriel's face melted at Frisk's words, and she looked to Asgore. The king appeared on the fence, but after a second, slowly nodded. Toriel? "... alright. I-I am still unsure of this," she began, looking past them to give an unsavory look at Flowey. "But if you two believe that this will work... we will help in any way we can."
"... I want to help too." Undyne looked at Alphys in surprise, not expecting the Royal Scientist to agree so quickly. "I-if... if it sets everyone free, I-I want to try it."
"Well, heh, guess I got to give it a go, too." Undyne. "What about you, dorks?"
"well... it's all up to you, pap. you think it's a good idea?" So whatever Papyrus says, will affect what Sans will do. "uh... papyrus?"
"I..." Papyrus's eyes darted to him for a moment, but continued to center on Flowey. The flower shifted a little, uncomfortable with the attention. Come on, Papyrus. We need you for this. Empty sockets shifted to Frisk, and the girl stuck her lip out in a pout. "... NYEH," Papyrus sighed, before giving her friend a confident smile. "I BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMANS."
"... you're all idiots," the plant grumbled, earning their attention again. "Idiots. All of you, especially Smiley Trashbag." Sans shrugged off the insult. "Fine. Let's get it over with."
"We'll... see you soon, I guess," Andi smiled nervously. a small hand landed on top of her own, giving a squeeze. I would close your eyes, if I were you. She kept smiling, taking in the sight of her friends for one more second, and did as Chara advised. A growing, shrill sound came from behind her, and from in front of her eyelids, rainbow colors blended to white, and enveloped her, Frisk, and their friends. The noise continued in volume until her head was ringing. Just like before, just like when they took down Flowey; white, then dropping into darkness, and then, from out of the pitch black...
"... Chara... wh-where... are you...?"
Hope this was an interesting fight. We're approaching the end now. Maybe three or four more chapters left.
Until next time!
Angel
