"Come on, I didn't hit you that hard!"
Alphys wavered back into consciousness. Her nose and forehead hurt. The calming sound of flowing water echoed nearby, and she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.
Cold water was suddenly splashed in her face, and she inhaled sharply from shock. She sputtered from the water and blinked her eyes open. She tried to wipe away the droplets on her glasses, only to be greeted by another splash of water.
"Woops," a snide voice grumbled. "Good, you're awake. Finally!"
Alphys could barely make out her captor through her water blurred glasses. He seemed to be... standing on the side of the wall? No, he was stuck in the wall. She could make out what appeared to be a tall green body, and he seemed to have a yellow head. Alphys couldn't tell what kind of monster he was.
She tried to move forward for a closer look, but found she was stuck against the wall. She looked down, now noticing that something green was wrapped around her waist. That was also when she took notice of just how thin the ledge she was standing on was, and just how wild the rapids of the river were below.
She squeaked, curling her toes around the edge of the ledge as she made flailing attempts to find something to hold onto. Her hands and tail ran over nothing but smooth blue rock. It seemed the green thing was the only thing keeping her from falling.
She gingerly ran a hand over it, keeping the other pinned to the wall. It had a fairly smooth, almost waxy texture. Though it was cold, it still seemed embedded with some form of life.
"Ahem!" the high-pitched voice of her captor demanded her attention. "If you are quite done freaking out, I don't have much time to waste." He tapped his chin with a green limb. "Or maybe I do? That's the thing, I don't know anymore!"
Alphys rubbed a sleeve over her glasses. She was starting to make out the details of her captor. His 'body' was actually just one long green segment, and his head seemed to be made of… petals?
Oh no.
"What's the matter Doctor." the flower sneered. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"You're the... you're…" Alphys stuttered.
"Flowey the flower! Your wonderful creation!" Flowey dipped his head down, as if bowing. "At your service." he added sarcastically.
"What do you want?" Alphys asked, removing her hand from what she now knew was Flowey's stem.
"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. Can't an old creation say 'hi' to it's creator?" He asked with a smirk. His expression turned sour. "Where are they?"
"W-what?" Alphys stuttered, gasping as Flowey tightened his grip.
"You heard me, where are they?" Flowey demanded.
"Who?!" Alphys wheezed.
"Chara! Where are they?" The edges of Flowey's mouth split open as he pressed his face towards Alphys', baring his sharp, jagged smile.
"You mean, from the story?" Alphys pulled away as best she could. "Aren't they dead?"
Flowey's voice doubled over. "No, they were just here! The human! I saw you and your singing tin can carry them into the lab about a month or so ago!"
"They're dead too!" Alphys cried. She let out a small scream as Flowey's grip suddenly loosened, causing her to fall a few inches forward. Her claws dug into his stem, scratching oozing gashes. He recovered from his shock and tightened his grip once again.
"No, no, they're not dead!" he denied. "If they were, I would be the most determined thing down here, but I can't save or reset. They must be waiting for me to do something."
"What?" Alphys felt lost. What was this flower going on about?
"That's just it! I have no idea!" Flowey snapped, misinterpreting Alphys' question. He turned his face away while he was thinking. "Maybe… no… or perhaps… nah." His head dipped down. "We never were very good at coordinating our plans."
He glanced around for a bit, his eyes once again settling on Alphys. Suddenly they widened. "Of course! I'm such an idiot!" He bobbed his head toward Alphys, his petals fluttering excitedly. "Doctor, do I have a proposition for you!"
"I'm not interested." Alphys protested, and was met with a rough squeeze from Flowey's stem. She gasped to recover her lost breath, instinctively clawing more cuts into the stem. Flowey continued as if nothing had happened.
"You see doctor, there's a few little trinkets lying about somewhere in the castle. I want them."
"What?" Alphys was getting sick of asking the same question.
"Oh, you know, a few little…" Flowey stretched his jaw into a grin. "Souls."
Alphys froze, or at least, became more still than she already was. "W-what do you want with those?"
"That is not, and never will be, any of your concern, doctor!" Flowey spat. "What is of your concern is that you are going to get them for me."
"D-do it yourself!" Alphys stammered her response, her claws tightening into the scratches she had caused.
Flowey's eyes widened in amusement. "Aren't you the bold one! This is almost too bad; I would have liked to see how far this new attitude would take you. Ah, well, the time for things like that have passed, I suppose." He sighed. "I'm afraid I can't do it myself, dear Doctor. I've tried, oh believe me, I've tried."
He turned and looked into the distance. "I've tried being good, and I've tried being bad. I've laughed, cried, yelled, to try and get my da- the king to give up those souls. I've given him tea, advice, his family back. I've dragged every monster in the underground, from Whimsun to Undyne, to his door, beaten and bloodied, and he still refused to even show them to me." Flowey didn't look even a little fazed by the horror story he was telling Alphys, in fact, he looked almost reminiscent. As if he was telling her about a trip to the beach and not slowly changing everything she knew about the world.
Alphys' courage evaporated. "Is that what you're going to do to me?" She feared she already knew the answer, but she had to be sure.
"No, he won't trade them for your life, trust me, I tried." His face split again into the crooked, pointy smile. "But don't feel too down about it. Like I said, he wouldn't do it for any other monster either."
Alphys gulped. So, she was right. He had done this kind of thing before. Many, many times.
"But you're smart, Alphys, perhaps you can see a way through this problem?" he asked eagerly.
She lied and shook her head. She could see a solution, but she didn't want to do it. She didn't want Flowey to get his greasy vines on the souls.
Flowey pouted. "That's too bad, doctor. I had such high hopes!" He sounded insincere. His face lit up again, and he gasped so dramatically he could have given Mettaton a run for his money. "I know, why don't I let you go back to your lab for a little! Maybe you can work something out there?"
Alphys nodded enthusiastically at the chance for an escape.
"Perfect!" Flowey clapped his vines. He grinned broadly. "You have 24 hours."
Alphys tensed up. "What?" She asked once again.
"24 hours!" he repeated jubilantly. "Or else, well…"
Alphys let out a full scream as Flowey pulled back into the ground, unwrapping from her completely. She flailed her arms, legs, and tail as the white water rushed up to meet her. Her eyes snapped shut as she prepared for impact.
She landed on a large vine instead. She rolled off it like a raindrop onto the riverbank. She sat for a few moments, waiting for her heart rate to go down. A few tears had formed in her eyes, and she tried to wipe them off, only succeeding in getting her cheeks covered in the sap like liquid that covered her hands from her 'attacks' on Flowey. It coated her fingers and smelled wretched. She timidly approached the river to wash it off.
"24 hours!" Flowey literally popped out from the ground beside her. She cried out once again, falling forwards towards the water. A vine wrapped around her waist and flung her back. She recovered quickly and struck the ground where Flowey had been, her reflexes heightened from Undyne's training. Her claws struck nothing but a pile of dirt. She could hear Flowey cackling in the distance.
She approached the river again. Dirt now caked her hands, sticking to the vile sap. She didn't want to touch the water, in fear that Flowey might actually decide to dunk her in this time. She reached her hands in, the current enveloping them and pulling off the dirt and sap with ease. She kept herself tense, waiting to strike if the flower tried to surprise her again, but it seemed like this time he was gone. Finally, she relaxed with a nervous, shuttering sigh. She splashed some of the cold water on her face to clean off the sap. It felt less jarring and more refreshing now that she was doing it herself, and her thoughts cleared just a little bit.
Her phone beeped. She was late for dinner.
She hugged her shoulders and began searching for the way home.