Toriel felt her heart stop for a moment, and her head spun around to face him. Did he...? No, no, he couldn't be talking about...him. There was no way he knew...Was there?
"You...are referring to the Echo Flowers that grow in Waterfall, right?"
"well...not exactly," Sans responded. "i don't think echo flowers are supposed to be yellow...or sentient, really."
Her eyes widened in shock.
"You mean..."
"have you met him?"
"I...P-perhaps."
"well...then you know what his face looks like."
She was silent, eyes growing wider.
"after all...a mother always recognizes her child. am I right?"
"H...H-how do you-"
"i met him," he answered. "me and pap found him there in waterfall...he used to call himself 'flowey.' but don't be fooled by the cute name. 'flowey' was probably the most evil creature that ever cursed the underground."
The queen shuddered. Asriel had explained the horrible things he'd done with his powers to Save and Reset, but she didn't think it'd have been so bad for Sans to describe him in such a manner...She had no memory of it, but the soulless Flowey had to have been a remarkable menace.
"Does...Papyrus know about all of what he did?"
"no. not in the slightest...but he does know who flowey is. he thinks he was always his friend. they've already met each other a few times in this timeline...out of all the people he had to toy with in his resets, flowey liked to mess with him the most. whispered stuff to him in private. secrets, advice, encouragement...predictions. he said it himself once. 'it took me a long time to get tired of THAT one."
"And...Why is it that you ask me about all of this?"
"because...he has a SOUL now. i checked him. it's all there. his SOUL, his name, his stats, the whole package. don't ask me why or how, because i don't know myself...but flowey's gone...he's your-"
"Asriel."
His name came out in a hoarse whisper. And, in spite of the grim topic, the faintest smile appeared on Toriel's muzzle.
"I...I do know," she told him. "I do not know how it is, but..."
"yeah...he's back. for real. he might be a flower, but 'flowey' is gone."
"...But the SOUL of a Boss Monster disappears shortly after death," she acknowledged. "And as has been shown, a SOUL cannot be recreated through artificial means...Do you have any idea as to how he regained one?"
"well..." he thought, going off of what he already knew. "a monster SOUL has a particular composition...hope. love. compassion. these traits can be found in other SOULs, so in theory, if they combined, they could potentially form one...but in order to try something like that, one would need a source from which to extract the three traits."
"Like...the SOUL of a human, perhaps?" Toriel asked. "If one can extract DETERMINATION from a human SOUL, as was proven by the late Dr. Alphys, then surely other traits such as Hope, Love and Compassion could be extracted too, could they not?"
The pupils in Sans' eyes went dark, and he suddenly looked very unnerved.
"you're right...but...where would he have gotten...frisk."
Toriel gasped, horrified by what Sans was insinuating.
"but...no. he couldn't have taken her SOUL. if he had, he'd be able to save and reset again. but he says he can't...and if he did, he'd have probably done it a long time ago."
The queen finally started to breathe again.
"Oh, thank goodness...For a moment, I thought that the worst had happened."
"yeah. same...eh...and the human SOULs that asgore collected are all gone, too. he couldn't have used any of those. so then..."
"A different human?" Toriel finished for him. "One who has not traversed the Underground yet?"
"maybe."
The Boss Monster suddenly perked up in realization.
"I...I just remembered," she whispered. "The Golden Flowers that...grew just under the hole outside the Ruins. I was never able to master the art of gardening as Asgore did, but I did learn to very important things during my self exile. First I learned that the flowers are extremely hardy against trampling. Even I could not completely flatten one if I stepped right atop it. And they were very useful in breaking the otherwise deadly falls the six children I tried to save had...But their physical strength comes at the cost of their hardiness. If Golden Flowers are not diligently watered and weeded, they will start to die very quickly...And when wilted, they are useless in stopping falls. A human we do not know of could have fallen, and died upon impact with the ground...And considering that we assume Frisk is still alive and well, the odds of her telling others on the surface of what she went through down here are high. So somebody may have come to see it for themselves..."
"only to die at the hands of the hard ground."
Toriel nodded grimly.
"You said you checked Asriel...Has he a human or a monster SOUL? Do you remember?"
"yeah, it's a monster SOUL...if it'd been the former, i'd have had a lot more to question him about."
"So that confirms he is not using a human SOUL as his own...But in order to extract certain substances from a SOUL, one would need special equippment, right? Equippment that may only be found in a laboratory...Such as the one in Hotland, where...Alphys used to work at."
"alphys did create him. and he knows that she did. odds were that when he was first trying out his new save and reset powers, he used them to try and find a way to turn back to normal...wouldn't be surprised if he hung out at the lab with her a lot over the course of countless timelines and learned a few things...he knows a few things we don't."
"Like how he managed to restore a SOUL unto himself?"
"exactly. i asked him, but he said he didn't want to go into detail."
"Yes, as did I, and he said something along those lines. And I did not care at the time, I was so ecstatic to have him back, I...Do you think I should have urged him to tell me?"
"well...it's not your fault he didn't spill the beans," Sand assured her. "just wish i knew what he was hiding from us..."
"It is very strange," Toriel nodded. "...But nonetheless, the things Flowey did were not the fault of Asriel...Were they?"
"no...he wasn't all there as flowey," he agreed. "honestly, even if it's good that he is all there now, i still have more questions than answers about all this."
"I have a question regarding all of this myself, Sans."
"what's that?"
"...How is it that you are aware of the Saves and Resets when you are not the one bringing them on? None of the rest of us remember any of it...How can you?"
"have you ever have a weird feeling that you've experienced something before, even though you're pretty certain you haven't? 'deja vu,' to put it simply?"
"Why, yes. Doesn't everyone?"
"...it happened a lot to me when flowey started messing with the timeline. i remembered bits and pieces. sometimes in dreams, sometimes when i was talkin' to papyrus, sometimes when i was just mindin' my own business...i asked around a bit. papyrus, undyne...alphys. alphys more than once. but none of them had an answer for me. so i decided to do the research myself...quantum mechanics. multiverse theory. alternate timelines. manipulation of spacetime and the laws of physics through magic...the more i learned, the more i was able to piece together. the more things i pieced together, the more i was able to remember with each time loop...i never forgot everything i read in those old books...and then there was one reset...he killed everyone. everyone, toriel. you, my brother, undyne, alphys, and everyone in between...every single SOUL in the underground was murdered in cold blood...except for two."
"Which two?"
"me and asgore. that was it. i was his only line of defense...that time he'd gone too far. and i put up a hell of a fight in the judgement hall, if he ever did see one."
"Gracious..."
"he never could get past me. died to me over and over again. loaded his save file each time to try again...but he couldn't beat me. he had too much KARMA."
"Erm...'Karma?'"
"a way i figured out how to enhance my magic abilities while i was studying up on LOVE and EXP during my timeline studies," he explained. "i have really bad stats, toriel. 1 hp. 1 attack. 1 defense. one hard hit from an enemy and i'm as good as dead...the good news is that i can dodge attacks in a heartbeat through shortcutting...and then there's KARMA. it's complicated to explain, but in a nutshell, the more LOVE an enemy has, the more damage my attacks do."
"Oh...I see. So, it's like retribution for what they've done?"
"precisely...and flowey's LOVE was through the roof. eventually, he gave up. reset the timeline again. went back to doing...less violent things for a little while, since he didn't think a murder spree was worth his time if it ended the way it did...but he changed his mind again eventually. and this time, i remembered...but the strange thing is that i don't think it was just reading up on stuff like that that caused me to be able to remember everything...i felt something was wrong stronger than anyone else for what seemed like forever, and the more i uncovered, the more perceptive i became to the loops...it's weird. i feel like there's a reason i should be able to remember...but whenever i try to look back and figure it out, i just blank."
"...So at any moment, the world could just start over again?" Toriel asked, visibly shaken.
In contrast to Toriel's fear, the skeleton's smile became just a tad bigger, seemingly happy about something, and he let out a content sigh.
"...i think i can finally say that the resets are all over with."
"You do?"
"asriel told me he wasn't going to reset again...because he doesn't even have the power to. as determined as he is, frisk had more. and when she fell into the underground, she took his powers for herself...but she never reset. in fact, i don't think she even knows she can...if she did she probably would've done it already."
"True...So...No more Resets?"
"considering the circumstances, i don't think so...i hope not."
"And even if there was, I would not remember it, except, perhaps, in the form of vague memories?"
"that's the case...all i'm sure of is that frisk has that power, flowey is gone...and you have your son back."
"Has...anybody else seen him as of late?"
"yeah, actually...he stopped by to visit pap and undyne while they were on their first date. neither of them know who he really is, though; still call him 'flowey.' my bro here always thought of him as a good friend...and now, that might actually be the case."
"And when was this?"
"a week ago. they took a hike through snowdin forest and met him at the door to the ruins...have you seen him since then?"
"Just five days ago, really. He, ah...Popped up in the garden like the first time he came to see me, and I read him a few books and we had some pie. Nothing too exciting. As a matter of fact, he was very quiet; it seemed like something was on his mind...The only time he ever really said much of anything was just before he left."
"what'd he say?"
She sighed.
"He told me that he would not be back to visit for quite some time," she answered him. "...But that I would know when he came back."
"hm...papyrus did say something about him going on a trip somewhere."
"Where to?"
"no idea. he said that asriel didn't know himself."
"What do you suppose he could be up to...?" she wondered aloud. "...If it is the case that he used a human SOUL to restore his old self, could he have used the same SOUL to..."
Their eyes widened.
"cross the barrier."
"Oh, no...No, no, no, I...B-but after what happened the first time, you would think-"
"he would know better this time?"
She nodded grimly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"I...I can't lose him a second time...Not again, please not again..."
"hold on there, tori...he's had a lotta time to think this over, you know? who's to say, with all of the resets, that he could have started planning for something like this from the very beginning? granted, he had to wait a while to actually put it into action...in his perspective, he's lived a lot longer than his actual age suggests."
"You...do have a point," she nodded. "But still. If what we think is true, then...Anything could happen."
"hm...well...don't lose hope yet. i should know; when he plans things, he barely takes any detail for granted. flowey was a good strategist. and just because flowey's gone, that doesn't mean asriel hasn't retained what he learned over so many timelines...i'm sure he's thought of a survival plan...if not more than that. who knows? this time, he might actually snag the SOULs needed to break down the barrier and get us out of this dump."
She attempted a smile, but it came off as a worried grimace.
"hey...'nough of this serious talk now, 'kay? you just gotta have faith in things sometimes...i've started learning how to do that myself recently, y'know?"
Finally, she sighed lightly, then managed to pull off an actual smile.
"...Yes, I suppose you are right, Sans," she agreed. "We came here to have a good time. Heh heh..."
A wry glint suddenly entered her gaze.
"But even if I were to continue on being worried, I am sure you would not mind either way."
"why do you think that?"
"Well...Because nothing gets under your skin, that is why!"
Both of them wheezed out a laugh.
"oh, man, i just walked right into that one, didn't i...? i gotta step up my game some more."
"Ha ha...Eh...I do have just one more question, my friend."
"lay it on me."
"How exactly were you able to freeze everything here?"
"when you understand things like quantum mechanics and can figure out how to apply magic to it, a lot of things become possible. like for instance, these time bubbles...in actuality, the time outside these bubbles is normal. we're, uh...fast-forwarding, so to speak."
"Really, now?"
"yep. ready to pop this bubble and re-enter civilization?"
"Yes, I think it is time we rejoined ur friends as well...But I am very glad we had this discussion. I am...honestly glad I am not the only one who knows."
"anytime, tori. now...back to reality."
In just the time it took to snap his bony fingers, the lights brightened again, the chatter of the patrons started back up, and everything began moving normally again. Papyrus and Undyne seemed to be in the process of thinking up hobbies for the workaholic Royal Scientist.
"You know, I hear there's an art club or something like that over in Hotland."
"OOH, YES, I'VE BEEN THERE BEFORE!"
"You have?" Undyne asked him.
"OH, YES! JUST ACROSS A SECRET GLASS BRIDGE TO AN ISLAND IN THE SEA OF LAVA...I FIRST FOUND THE PLACE THE FALL BEFORE LAST WHILE LOOKING FOR CULINARY INSPIRATION! COOKING, OF COURSE, IS A FORM OF ART ITSELF...IT WASN'T LISTED AS AN ACTIVITY, THOUGH. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I...THINK THERE'S ONLY ONE MEMBER OF THE CLUB. THE FELLOW RAN INTO ME JUST WHEN I ENTERED; HE SEEMED VERY NICE, BUT ALSO A BIT APPREHENSIVE, AND...PERHAPS A BIT OVERLY-APOLOGETIC. REALLY, THERE WAS NOTHING HE HAD TO APOLOGIZE FOR...I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK HE'S A MIGHT LONELY, WITH HIM BEING THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE ART CLUB, AND ALL...WHO KNOWS? YOU MIGHT JUST MAKE HIS DAY BY SHOWING UP!"
"Interesting...I may consider it, in that case."
"Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" Undyne nearly hollered, raising her hand into the air. "Up top!"
"Um..."
Scarlett awkwardly rose her wing and clapped her feathered against Undyne's scaly hand.
"There ya go, you got it!"
"Heh heh...Yep. So, uh...Since you've apparently gotten so good at the piano here, have you ever considered, ah...branching out?"
"You mean, like, doin' gigs at different places?"
"Exactly."
"Eh...I dunno. I mean, the pay here is nothin' to sneeze at; got it bumped up from 50G to 55 a few days ago, as a matter of fact. Besides, I'm not too keen on leaving this place in the dust just like that. When I first started playing here, I was just getting over everything with Alphys and Asgore dying. Let alone losing my job...Really helped me get out of my slum. And at this point, everybody really looks forward to hearing me play. Not just the usuals here, but...well, pretty much the entire town, really. When I was still in the guard, I never thought highly of Snowdin, here...But now I can't see myself not being a part of it."
"Hm...Even if it was just for one night?"
"One night?"
"Yes. Say, for example, you go play at the resort, say, once or twice every six months, but still keep your main job here."
"Oh, I see. Huh...Now, something like that, I'd totally do. As long as it was just every so often...I'd have to qualify for something like that, though. That place has high standards...I mean, why do you think Papyrus wants to work there instead of here?"
"BECAUSE I HAVE HIGH STANDARDS!" the skeleton answered blatantly. "AND LET ME TELL YOU NOW, UNDYNE. YOU MERY MUCH MEET ALL OF MY STANDARDS!"
"Aw, come on...I'm goin' purple again."
"WELL, IT'S TRUE! AND THAT GOES FOR YOUR MUSICAL SKILLS AS WELL! YOUR MAJESTY. WOULD I BE WRONG IF I SAID THAT AFTER WHAT WE WITNESSED MY LOVELY LADY HERE ACCOMPLISH THIS EVENING, WE ALL THINK THAT THE RESORT HOTEL WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HER PERFORM THERE AT SOME POINT?"
"Why, no, Papyrus. I am in complete agreement with you. Ms. Scarlett?"
"I would think so myself."
"heck yeah. if they take a guy like me, then i haven't the foggiest idea why they wouldn't want you there at some point."
"Ha...I-I mean, I knew I was good, but I didn't think I was THAT good," the fish monster admitted. "Wow, that...That means a lot to me, right there."
"YOU MEAN A LOT TO ME, UNDYNE."
He pulled her into a side hug, and she couldn't help but chortle a bit as she returned the favor. Never in a thousand years would she ever get over how sweet he was.
"Wow..." Scarlett remarked. "So, you two are pretty close, huh?"
"OH, MOST CERTAINLY. UNDYNE AND I HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR QUITE SOME TIME! AH...IT FEELS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY I WAS KNOCKING ON HER DOOR ASKING TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD. AND THEN HAVING THE DOOR SLAMMED IN MY FACE BECAUSE IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT."
"Oh..."
"Oh my..." Toriel chuckled. "So, it was a bit of a rocky start?"
"Yeah, the way we started off was a little crazy, but you wouldn't believe how quickly we hit it off."
"Just how long did that take?" the queen asked.
"three days."
"That is all?"
"that's all it took. papyrus is just the kind o' person that the longer you know him for, the cooler he is."
"That sounds about right," Undyne nodded. "Yeah, it's been two years since the day I started training him...Now look where we are."
"I WONDER WHAT THE FUTURE HAS IN STORE?" Papyrus wondered aloud. "WHO KNOWS? THE BEST MAY BE YET TO COME!"
"'ey, here comes the grub, fellas."
They all turned their heads the same was Sans was, and surely enough, the fire elemental was on his way, a platter of food in each hand, one on each of his bent arms and one balancing on top of his head, the orange flames spurting from it licking the edges of the dish, but not the food; it was a good thing all the plates in the restaurant had been made fire-proof, or that one might have gotten overdone.
"Wow...For all of this, that was fairly quick," the Royal Scientist commented as Grillby handed their orders out across the table.
"Oh, yeah, come to mama..."
"HUH...PECULIAR. WHY DOES MY BURGER HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS GREASE THAN EITHER YOURS OR THE QUEEN'S?"
"because you have higher standards."
"Normally, I refrain from it for health reasons," Toriel told him. "But I happen to be somewhat of a fan of grease myself."
"YOU ARE?"
She flashed a cheeky smile, then picked up her burger and took an exaggeratedly large bite out of it to emphasize her point.
"NO WONDER YOU TWO ARE SUCH GOOD FRIENDS."
"'ey, what can i say? we fell from grease a long time ago."
The queen nearly spat her food right back out of her mouth as she tried to contain her laughter, and it was only after she swallowed that she finally guffawed."I REST MY CASE," the taller skeleton stated, taking the gloves off his hands and placing them aside. "BUT EITHER WAY, I'M PLEASED TO KNOW THAT THE TASTES OF NON-GREASE-LOVERS HAVE ALSO BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THIS LOOKS QUITE SATISFACTORY."
"So, how's the fish, huh, Scarlett?"
"I don't know yet," she answered plainly. "I'm about to see, though."
The macaw monster took a small bite off her fork, not seeming particularly impressed by the meal. At that point, Undyne couldn't help but roll her eye; Scarlett wasn't an offensive person in any way, but that was just the problem she had. She was extremely professional, even in a setting as informal as Grillby's, very relctant to poke fun at anything or anyone, and had all the intrigue of an unsalted cracker. She was just so BORING.
"Hm...Not bad, but I might need some tartar sauce. It's a little bland."
You are what you eat, she said to herself.
"HM! THIS IS QUITE GOOD, REALLY!" Papyrus exclaimed. "THE ACTUAL TASTE FROM MY LAST EXPERIENCE IS ABOUT THE SAME, BUT DUE TO THE LACK OF GREASE, I AM FAR LESS PUT OFF. 9.5 OUT OF 10! MY ONE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE MEAT COULD USE A TAD BIT MORE SALT, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S PRETTY MUCH PERFECT! BESIDES, I CAN JUST SALT IT MYSELF WITH THE SHAKER HERE AT THE TABLE IF I WANT...HOW'S YOUR CHICKEN SANDWICH, UNDYNE?"
She was in the middle of taking a bite out of it when Papyrus presented the question, and she simply flashed him a thumbs up and a satisfied smirk.
"I TAKE THAT AS AN 'AMAZING.' IS THAT RIGHT?"
"M-hm...!"
She swallowed.
"Yeah, that gets five stars from me...Heck, even the restaurant at the resort is only so much better than this. Grillby's really movin' up in the Underground! Next thing you know, people from Waterfall, Hotland and maybe even New Home are gonna come flockin' here. That'll really be his big break!"
"that'll be the day he might need to open up a 'grillby's 2," Sans pointed out. "a joint like this can only fit so many people, y'know."
"Would it be possible to have the site for this location expanded upon?" the Royal Scientist asked. "That way, extensions could be added onto here so the maximum capacity could be increased without needing to build a second location."
"Huh...Not a bad idea, really," Undyne nodded. Scarlett was still a bore, but at least she came up with good ideas. "...'Course, it can't be too big. If you push the back out too far, it'll start to butt into the residential area. Building off from the east flank would be better. As long as you don't cut down all the trees to the east...Most of the people here like the little pine clusters scattered around the town, and that one's no exception. And it's great cover during the Snow Wars, too! Ha!"
"Quite so," the parrot monster nodded in agreement. "...Did you take any courses in architecture?"
"What? You mean like college courses? No, I just know how building structure and aesthetics work. I can't tell ya HOW many times I needed to repair my old house every month, 'cuz it was on the brink of collapse...And I added a few modifications to the place while I was at it. It didn't always look like a giant angry fish head."
"IT DIDN'T?"
"Nope. Finished adding to the house around, say...three months before you first showed up on my doorstep? Last thing I ever installed was the sliding jaw door. After that, I was more focused on...well...the repairs."
"AH, I SEE...IT'S A SHAME IT BURNED THE WAY IT DID."
"Eh...At least it's still standing. I can always go back to visit or fetch anything salvageable from it if I want."
"That is a shame...How exactly did your house burn down?" Scarlett inquired.
"I tried to make spaghetti."
"And...?"
"Emphasis on 'tried.'"
"Oh...Ohhh, I see...Oh dear."
"She was a bit wreckless in the kitchen back then, so she claims," Toriel chimed in.
"Hey, what do you mean 'was' and 'back then?'" Undyne teased. "I'm STILL the biggest culinary screw-up in the Underground."
"can't disagree there," Sans shrugged. "you should've seen the time she and pap made a bunch of sandwiches out of raw eggs and peanut butter and stuck 'em all over my hot dog stand. smell lasted for two days."
"The Sandwich of Chaos always leaves its mark, Sans! Never underestimate it!"
"psh. even i'm a better chef than you at this point."
"Okay, yeah, he has a point. Toriel, you should've seen the pie he made. It's AWESOME."
"Ah-HA, so, you have been taking my cooking advice!" the Boss Monster beamed.
"yeah, i took a chance with a pie recipe...it was pretty nuts."
"NYEH HEH HEH! QUITE LITERALLY! THE BUTTERSCOTCH-CINNAMON MIXED NUT PIE HE CRAFTED THE DAY BEFORE OUR OUTING TO THE RUINS WAS REMARKABLE. WHY, I KNEW HE MADE AND SOLD HOT DOGS AT HIS STAND, BUT I HAD FAR UNDERESTIMATED HIS COOKING SKILLS UNTIL RECENTLY!"
"Yeah, so did I," the fish monster agreed. "And so did another friend of ours for that matter."
"AH, YES! I WONDER WHEN HE'LL BE BACK FROM HIS LITTLE TRIP...?" the skeleton wondered as he took another bite out of his not-so-greasy burger.
"Hm," Toriel grinned. "You two do not happen to be talking about a certain talking flower, do you?"
The couple looked at her, somewhat wide-eyed.
"YOU KNOW FLOWEY?"
"For how long?"
"Oh...For quite a while, really" she replied. "Flowey is a very youthful spirit, is he not? Gentle, and perhaps a bit shy, but he really is a dear."
"QUITE SO," Papyrus agreed.
"Wait...A talking flower?" Scarlett inquired, having been zoning out for a bit until she realized what the discussion was about? "Is it a Golden Flower?"
"wait, you know him, too?" Sans asked her.
"I think so...Well, I met him once, but I don't know much about him personally. He showed up at the lab just a week ago and asked me some questions."
"Really?" the queen chimed in. "What sorts of things did he ask you?"
"About what I was doing, about the late Dr. Alphys, about what you thought of her...Then he asked me where the king's ashes were scattered. I was kinda surprised he asked me something like that, but then I asked him what his name was, and...He said he couldn't say. That's weird...If his name is just 'Flowey,' I wouldn't see how introducing himself would cause an issue."
Sans and Toriel exchanged somewhat nervous glances.
"Well, as I said, he is somewhat shy," the queen reminded her.
"And am I wrong when I say that he looks exactly like Pr-"
She stopped herself, aware of her company, and she chose her next few words carefully.
"...the late heir to the throne?"
"Ah, yes...Odd, is it not? Perhaps that is one of the reasons I have grown so attached to him..."
"I'm kinda surprised it don't offend you," Undyne remarked, ripping another chunk out of her chicken sandwich. "I mean, I don't have any yet, but I'd be upset if a son of mine died tragically and someone started going around impersonating him."
"I would certainly think so. In my case, however, the thing is that...well...It is not out of spite as much as it is of respect. I should know. The one thing Flowey seeks to be is a good person...Perhaps trying to make himself more like dear Asriel is his way of appreciation for someone he...wishes to be more like."
"Hm...True. But, I mean...It's still kinda peculiar, y'know?"
"Quite, quite..."
Toriel felt slightly awkward; she and Sans knew more about the situation than any of the others could have in a thousand years unless they were told. The minute the other three monsters started moving on to other conversation topics between each other, she he looked at the small skeleton. And once he caught her staring at him from the corner of his eye socket, he turned and met her gaze right back.
"'sup?"
"Do you suppose," she rasped to him. "That we should tell them why...?"
He shook his head lightly as he continued to chow down.
"nah, they don't need to know. not yet, at least. it'll mess with their heads too much if it gets to where we end up telling them about the resets...besides, even if we did, they'd probably think we've lost it."
"True," she chortled. "That is why Asriel wanted me to keep him a secret from everyone else, so he said...But it seems part of the truth can be revealed safely, after all."
"seems so."
"SO TO SUMMARIZE," Papyrus was saying to the Royal Scientist. "THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE THE NOODLES JUST RIGHT."
"Ah, I see," the parrot nodded as she dipped a fry into her ketchup...with her fork. Undyne noticed this, and gave her a rather quizzical look.
Who? WHO eats fries with a FORK...? she thought, despite the answer staring her in the face. Jeez, man...
As though to counter her disdain, she picked up a cheese fry off her plate and shoved it in her mouth; the PROPER way to eat fries. Besides, who didn't like to lick the extra cheese and grease off their fingers?
...But, come to think of it, feathers weren't exactly a pleasant thing to put in one's mouth. And Scarlett used them for fingers, so...
Okay, I get it now, she decided.
"You know, it is a funny thing that all of us know Flowey to some extent," Toriel remarked. "Why, if only he were here right now. I would have made him the guest of honor!"
"He might as well be, we've been talkin' about him so much. Ha!" the former captain agreed, raising her iced tea in the air. "Say, how's about a toast, just for the heck of it?"
"OOH, MARVELOUS IDEA, UNDYNE!" Papyrus responded, doing the same as her.
"I will drink to that!"
"yeah, why not?"
"Certainly."
The rest of them rose their glasses.
"To Flowey?" Toriel readied.
"To Flowey!"
The rest of them all spoke in unison, and all five of them followed up with a sip from their drinks.
"Ah...It is a wonderful thing to have such close friends, is it not?"
"No joke," Undyne agreed. "If not for those, I'd be...well...Probably still in a bad spot, to put it simply."
"Yes, as would I...But as tragedy falls deeper and deeper into the past, the future looks ever brighter, does it not?"
They all let out a series of agreeing statements.
"heh...that news is music to my ears."
Papyrus had just finished his burger, and his eyes widened in realization when he processed what his brother had said.
"OH, THAT REMINDS ME!" he exclaimed. "I VERY NEARLY FORGOT. ERM, PARDON ME, M'LADY."
Undyne stood up to let him pass by, and he got up and made his way over to the corner where Undyne's piano sat.
"oh, boy...you ain't gonna try to play that thing, are ya, bro?"
"OH, NO, I'M NOT GOING TO PLAY THAT THING," Papyrus corrected him as he reached into his scarf and pulled something out. "I'M GOING TO PLAY THIS THING."
"Ooh, how lovely..." Toriel breathed when she realized what he had with him.
"Oh, wow...How'd he hide that thing in there so well?" Scarlett wondered aloud.
"wack."
"Whoa...Papyrus," Undyne breathed. "When did you manage to get your hands on a freaking violin!?"
"TO BE HONEST, I...DON'T REALLY KNOW. I DISCOVERED IT IN MY CLOSET RECENTLY, AND DECIDED TO PICK IT BACK UP...WHAT'S FUNNY IS THAT I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER HAVING ONE. OR EVER PLAYING IT, REALLY. STRANGE...BUT THAT'S CHANGED SINCE I FOUND IT!"
That was when he reached into his scarf yet again, pulled something else out and placed it atop his head.
"...AND I INTEND TO DEMONSTRATE."
"Ohhhh my gosh, he put the morion on!" Undyne beamed, nearly on the verge of ecstatic shrieking. "It's about to get serious!"
"SOME OF YOU HERE MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH THESE, I ASSUME."
Once he had a decent number of eyes on him, the skeleton drew in a deep breath, readied his instrument, then began. Undyne recognized the slow and peaceful tune as a song written for the forest in the distant past: "Snowy," it was simply called. She'd played it many a time on the piano herself; maybe he'd borrowed her sheet music on the sly in order to teach himself.
"whoa. forgot he even had that thing." Sans remarked, pointing to the red and gold-striped helmet he now wore. "he doesn't go out with it that much."
"He said he only wants to wear it for REALLY special occasions," the fish monster explained, turning puce again. "Usually, he has it displayed on the wall over his action figures. Doesn't want anything to happen to it somehow, it's that special to him."
"I thought a little something was missing from his getup," the queen remarked. "Where did he get such a dapper helmet?"
"Well...It used to be mine, actually," Undyne responded. "It was my uniform helmet when I was training for the Royal Guard. It's been almost ten years, and I can still remember Asgore presenting it to me like it all happened yesterday...That thing meant a lot to me. But up until the past month, it was just sitting around my old home collecting dust. It needed someone who'd take good care of it...And I knew he would out of anyone."
"Wow...He must mean a great deal to you, no?"
"...I don't think there's anything in this world I treasure more than him."
Toriel nodded, and a glint of proud joy entered her gaze. She knew the look in the pianist's eye all too well; she would do anything to make him happy, and she knew just as well that Papyrus would do the same for her. And knowing what she knew about them-their commitment, unwavering loyalty and genuine care for one another-she knew that this was not something that would fade away within a year's time.
This was truly something special. She knew it was...
She had experienced it herself, after all.
May their flower bloom for the rest of their days, she blessed them silently. ...And may they avoid the same fate that Asgore and I suffered.
She smiled, proud of her two friends for keeping the shattered dream of romance alive in such a dismal world, as she turned her attention back to Papyrus. He did a bit of improvising at the end of the second verse, and strung out the last note of the slow and tranquil "Snowy" song. Before she even realized it, the music had transitioned into the somewhat plucky and cheerful tune of a different piece; an ode that'd been written to the village many years ago, aptly titled "Snowdin Town."
"dang. for only a few days o' practice, he has that thing nailed like wood," his brother nodded, impressed by what he was hearing.
"Goodness me...For having only had a few days of practice, he is quite good," Toriel agreed.
"'Ey, what can I say?" Undyne smirked, biting into her chicken sandwich again. "He's a master at mastering things."
"Yes, it certainly seems that way."
When he finished, the crowd gave a hearty applause, to which Papyrus straightened his helmet, tucked the string instrument back into his scarf and bowed lightly, giving his audience a series of verbal thanks while he was at it before heading back over to the table with his friends. Undyne gave him the most passionate praise out of anyone, and was still whistling when he sat back down beside her.
"WOWIE...I WAS THAT GOOD, WAS I?"
"That was EPIC!" she barely refrained from shouting. "Ya hit every single note, and you put SO much heart into it, I just...D'oh, come here, Papy, I can't hold it in!"
The very next moment, Papyrus found himself being pulled right into one of her vice-grip holds and getting a loud, sloppy smooch planted right up against his smile. By the time she finally let go, he had turned thoroughly red in the face.
And it only got redder when he realized that his company had witnessed the whole thing right before their very eyes.
"Oh, don't mind me, I have no problem with it."
"as if you two couldn't get any more insufferable."
Toriel sighed dreamily, remembering the good old days of romance from way back when.
"Personally, I do not mind it myself...But if you two lovebirds keep it up, you will end up with a similar problem as Asgore and I used to have."
"Ha...Yeah, maybe so," Undyne nodded, somewhat sheepishly.
"UH-OH. WHAT WOULD THAT BE?"
"I saw it first hand a couple times," she explained. "Whenever they went into public, you could count on 'em either nuzzlin' noses or smooching each other, or something along those lines. People would always say 'Oh, here come the Dreemboats,' or 'Call a doctor, because those two are makin' everybody sick!' Ha! They're reactions were hilarious, really. Watched 'em gag at it sometimes, and I always pointed and laughed at them for being so easily grossed out...And I'd still be doin' it to this day!"
"Oh my. So you were on our side, were you?"
"Yep."
"Ah, ha. And you would not mind even if the ridiculing was directed at you and Papyrus here?"
"Heck no!" she insisted, squishing Papyrus even closer to her. "We're in loooove, and there's nothin' anyone can do about it! Nothin'!"
The skeleton let out a somewhat muffled, but genuine chuckle, and his eye sockets grew bright.
"WELL...EVEN IF I DOES GET TO THAT POINT, YOUR MAJESTY, DON'T WORRY!" he assured both the queen and his girlfriend, formally tipping his morion. MY ARMOR, BOTH PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL IS NOT ONLY HARD TO BREAK THROUGH, BUT LOOKS SO FINE THAT NOBODY WOULD WANT TO BREAK IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! NYEH HEH HEH!"
The entire table laughed along with him. Even Scarlett, who initially didn't see what was so funny, found herself emitting a sort of hiccuppy laugh after a few seconds.
"Ah, dear, what a night..." Toriel sighed as she got the last of the giggles out of her system. "Erm, does anybody have the time?"
"It's, ah..." the Royal Scientist began, checking her phone to see. "...7:52 p.m., your Majesty."
"Oh, my...It is later than I expected it to be."
"hate to spoil the fun, but who's footin' the bill?"
"Oh, no need to worry, friends," Toriel announced as she reached down for her purse. "I'll go ahead-"
"Hold that thought, your Majesty," Scarlett interrupted lightly, having beaten her to the task at hand.
"Why, Miss Scarlett, you needn't, really-"
"I insist. You were all kind enough to invite me here, after all...I have plenty of gold to spare, anyways."
It was only a moment later that she had the 85G to pay for the outing neatly laid out on the table.
"Nothing to worry about."
"Oh. Well...Thank you, Miss Scarlett, that was very generous of you!" the queen accepted.
"I SHOULD SAY SO INDEED! YOU HAVE OUR GREATEST GRATITUDE!"
Undyne's eye widened a bit at the Royal Scientist.
Huh...Guess she ain't such a blank slate after all, she nodded
"cool beans, doc."
"Welp, better go grab the piano," Undyne announced, both she and Papyrus being the first two to stand up. "How 'bout I meet you guys outside?"
"Certainly so," the Boss Monster agreed as the rest of them stood to their feet as well. "We will wait."
She, Scarlett and Sans approached the counter to give Grillby their thanks for the meal before heading out the door, and Papyrus followed Undyne to her piano. As always, she got beneath it and hoisted the massive instrument onto her back, then hauled it towards the door.
"NEED ANY HELP AT ALL?"
"N'aw, I..." she paused. "...Well...Actually, wouldja mind getting the door for me? Gotta weave it through the frame, you know, and I'd rather not have to put it down."
"ON IT!"
He rushed over and opened the door as wide as it would allow, and she carefully maneuvered through it, making sure not to bash the piano on the frame anywhere while she got it out of the restaurant. Finally, she stepped out onto the snow, Papyrus shutting the door right behind them, and the three other monsters just outside turned to greet the two of them. Of course, the first thing that captured their attention was Undyne baring the weight of the enormous grand piano while barely breaking a sweat.
"...Hi."
"sup, madame liftsalot?"
It took Toriel and Scarlett a moment to find any words for the situation.
"Um...Do you always transport your piano to and from Grillby's in this manner?" the former asked curiously.
"Yep. Not in the Royal Guard anymore, so it keeps me from goin' soft."
The parrot monster whistled in awe.
"Must be a workout."
"Sorta. But it ain't got nothin' on suplexing ten boulders in a ten-second time frame."
"No way...Is there?"
"YES WAY! I CAN CONFIRM THIS BECAUSE I SAW IT MANY A TIME MYSELF WHEN I WENT TO HER HOUSE TO TRAIN!"
"Gracious...It is no wonder you made it to the top of the Royal Guard," Toriel remarked.
"Yeah, those were some crazy times...At least I know my strength is still bein' put to good use, though, am I right?"
"I should say so. Ah..." she sighed contently. "Well, that was wonderful. A good time was had by all, it seems."
"yeah. i'm pooped..."
"Yes, I should be getting back to lab about now. The water purification system isn't going to build itself a prototype," Scarlett added, beating her wings a bit. "...Besides, no offense to you three, but I'm not really well-built for this weather."
"Yeah, I wasn't that keen on it either a while back," Undyne nodded in understanding. "But I've been here for quite a while, so it's grown on me, you know?"
"I should think...Well, the Riverperson awaits us."
"Yes, and there are still several documents I must tend to before it gets too late," the queen remembered. "Thank you all for the pleasant time, and I wish you all a good rest of the evening."
"no probs. come back any time."
"Say, just a thought," the Royal Scientist suddenly stated. "But would any of you be interested in coming down to the Lab in, shall we say...two weeks from now? I could show you all some of the things I'm working on."
"A TOUR, PERHAPS?" Papyrus smiled. "I'VE NEVER BEEN IN THE HOTLAND LAB BEFORE...WHAT SAY YOU TWO?"
He turned to Sans and Undyne, only to find that their smiles had vanished, and they had both become strangely silent.
"...NO?"
The two monsters exchanged contemplative glances, then turned back to the lanky skeleton.
"...you know what? i'll go. ain't got anything else on my plate then. you, undyne?"
"Well..."
She wasn't sure why she was so hesitant. Alphys rarely crossed her mind anymore, and when she did, the memories were usually only triggered by something directly related to her somehow...Like this offer for a tour of the Hotland Lab. It would likely be very odd, she realized, going into the place and seeing what it looked like now that someone else was living there...What would be different? What would be the same? Would anything be the same...?
...There was only one way to find out.
And only one way to help herself finally fully overcome the still-lingering memories of the painful past.
"...Yeah," she finally answered. "We'll be there."
"Sounds great!" the macaw monster chirped. "You, your Majesty?"
"I am afraid I will not have time; I am scheduled to meet with the rest of the New Home Council to discuss the overpopulation of the city and potential building sites in the other regions of the Underground...Trust, though, that I will bring up the matter of your progress on the water purification system, and see what they have to say about it."
"Excellent, thank you, your Majesty," she bowed, and the two of them departed for the ferry. "Thank you again for having us."
"OUR PLEASURE! TRAVEL SAFELY!"
"later, fellas."
"See ya then!"
With that, they disappeared around the corner, leaving behind them a broad paw print and four thin, forked prongs in the snow with each step they took.
"...WELL, I MUST SAY, THAT WENT JUST SWIMMINGLY," Papyrus beamed as the three of them made their way back home. "I ASSUME EVERYONE AGREES?"
"You pulling out a violin was the LAST thing I expected to happen," the fish woman replied. "And boy, did it make my night...Holy heck, we should do a duet sometime. You on the violin and me on the ivories."
"A SPECTACULAR PROPOSITION, M'LADY! COMBINED, WE'LL BE JUST AS UNSTOPPABLE IN MUSIC AS WE ARE IN COMBAT! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"
"sounds like a...violint combination."
"THAT WAS TERRIBLE."
"come on, i see you holdin' back a smile."
"HMPH...FINE. IT WAS MEDIOCRE."
It was at that moment that Papyrus heard his phone ring. His eyes widened in anticipation, and he quickly dug it out to answer it.
"Is that the hotel?"
"YES," he rasped, raising a finger to his teeth.
"bro, put it on speaker."
He did, not having the time to reconsider whether it was a good idea, and spoke.
"HELLO?"
"Yeah, hey, am I speakin' to Papyrus?"
"INDEED YOU ARE."
"It's Andrew Sarkus. Do us all a favor and show up for trainin' tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., sharp, because you're hired!"
Sans and Undyne gasped, and Papyrus' grin stretched out from earhole to earhole. But they held in their urge to celebrate for a few more moments.
"I WILL BE THERE."
"Awesome...Stay sharp!"
*click...
It was the very moment after the call ended that the joyful ruckus of cheering spread across the snowy town, and it didn't begin to quell until the three of them made it to their house and shut the door behind them, where they continued to celebrate the rest of the evening away.
It couldn't get much better than this.
.
Disheveled and drained after three nearly sleepless nights, Officer William Hoover shambled down the cobblestone road, made a right turn and entered the police station for his evening shift, looking about ready to keel over at any given moment.
His best friend and chief was the first face his blurred vision made out as he came in through the door, so despite his lethargy, he tried to muster a friendly greeting.
"...Hey, Ron."
"Hey, Billy."
He was too trained on Ron's face to notice that he was about to run head first into a wall corner, and while it was a seemingly minor collision, it made his tired brain feel like it had almost been knocked clean off its stem.
"...That hurt."
"I take it you're still out o' sorts, huh?"
"Ah...This whole thing, Ron, it's...I'm barely able to believe any of it. My son is dead. But at the same time, he's still with us, and that dragon-bird or whatever the hell it's supposed to be is housing his SOUL until...I don't know when. Maybe it'll never decide to let him go, for all I know. And then there's the business with the fact that it says it needs six more SOULS to break the Barrier in Mount Ebott and free a bunch of other monsters living under there...This has to be my craziest case yet."
"Can't say you're wrong...How's the wife takin' all this?"
"She doesn't believe either of us about any of this. Thinks that thing's out to get us," he scoffed. "Heck, it took some heavy convincing to have her let Eric sleep in his own bed at night...Let alone in the house at all."
"Damn...So...About the business with the SOULs?"
"Monster said it was only looking for people willing to donate," Billy explained. "The elderly, the terminally ill, people like that...No doubt there are some in the area, but we may need to do some searching. And then there's the issue of whether or not those people would be willing to give it their SOULs in the first place."
"What about those two flowers?"
"Oh, THOSE two..." he groaned, massaging his temples with his thumb and forefinger. "I have no idea where to even start with Asgore and Asriel."
"With what?"
"Oh. Yeah, those are their names, apparently...They're father and son, so they say."
"So then where's the mother?"
"In the Underground still, Asriel told me," Billy answered him. "...And you wanna know what's crazier?"
"What?"
"They say that they weren't always flowers."
"Then...What were they beforehand?"
"...They're talkin' about a specific monster species called a Boss Monster. That's what Toriel is, the mother. And that was when they were."
"Huh...So then why are they flowers all of a sudden?"
"...Promise you won't tell me I'm crazy?"
"At this point, I'd believe just about anything, Billy," Ron shrugged, taking a sip of his black coffee. "Spill the tea...or cup o' joe, in my case. Whatever."
"Because they died."
Ron gave him an odd look as he removed his mouth from his mug.
"Pardon...?"
"They DIED."
"...So did they possess the flowers on their graves, or what?"
"No, no, no, lemme explain. That...thing that my son's sharing a body with said that it...See, it said that monsters just sort of...disintegrate when they die. Turn to dust just like that. And it just had to sprinkle the dust over the flowers, inject them with the...what was it...'three essential traits' to recreate a monster SOUL, and then poof. They're back to life...Except they're flowers."
"So is this, like, a new, advanced science or is there magic involved?"
"A combination of both, I'm pretty sure."
"How'd they die in the first place?"
"...Ready for another shocker?"
Ron raised his eyebrows and smirked.
"Go for it."
"Asriel."
"What about him?"
"...He says he's the White Beast."
A/N: Well Snow Blizzard, when you ask me to name the cop 'Billy', you should expect me to make a reference like that.
Again, apologies for how much time these chapters took; and it isn't just Writer's Block, really; I've been having some trouble trying to figure out how the rest of the plot is gonna go, and I scrapped quite a few ideas. I wonder if this is how script writers for movies feel...? And what's weirder is that I can still think up things to draw plenty. Maybe I'm putting too much effort into that...I'll focus more on writing and see if that works.
Oh, well. Guess I better go figure out the next chapter. See you then! :D