Pre-Chapter Notes: What's this? Another chapter, so soon? Yep! So it is. We wanted to get another one out since, not only is the story picking up speed again, but the two of us have plans to go on a trip this month for Kiki's birthday. We'll still try to work on the story a little during that time whenever we aren't too busy though.
This was actually meant to be released even earlier but… something a little more pressing came up. We won't go into the details but suffice to say, we're fine now and back on track.
Anyways, please enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 16: The Echo of a Name
Lily's eyes flickered open and she stared up into the dark reaches of Waterfall. High above her head, the luminescent stones shimmered like stars in the night sky. She didn't remember dozing off, but apparently her ghostly form was a little more susceptible to exhaustion than she'd once thought. Fortunately though, it did not appear that anything had threatened them during their slumber. Even more fortunately, the awkward position hadn't left her with a stiff neck. She figured the lack of any physical bones or muscles to strain probably helped with that.
Glancing down to her lap she was met with a mop of brown hair. Frisk continued to sleep soundly, his head resting against her thigh. It might have looked odd to anyone else, her invisibility giving his head the look of being suspended in air. To her, it just looked cute. She brushed her fingers lightly against the earthy strands for a moment before reluctantly giving him a small nudge, hoping to wake him gently.
"Mmn…" He muttered, shifting himself a little and curling up slightly.
Well, it was worth a shot. Having failed at coaxing, she decided to have a little fun. Poking him in the side with a finger, she proceeded to give him a light tickle.
"Come on, time to wake up Lazy Bones." She pressed in a sing-song voice.
"Ungh…" The boy groaned, a little annoyed from being woken from a nice sleep. "Do I look like a skeleton to you?"
Lily's grin widened. "I don't know, you're doing a pretty good impression of Sans right now."
Frisk grunted and sat up, rubbing his tired eyes. Lily giggled a little at how his normally unruly hair had somehow managed to become even more of a mess, being puffed up and wild on one side where he'd used her as a pillow. He seemed to notice this as he quickly went about smoothing it down against the side of his head so it at least passingly resembled the rest. His chin lulled a little bit, heavy with his own drowsiness but he seemed to be awake for the time being.
"How long's it been?" He asked groggily.
"Not sure. Couple of hours, maybe longer?" She guessed. "It's a little hard to tell time here without a clock or something."
Frisk nodded, accepting the answer even if he would prefer to sleep a little longer. Delving into his pocket he pulled out his phone, remembering their conversation from before. Hopefully Papyrus had remembered to turn his down in case Undyne was nearby. It wouldn't be good for any of them if she saw who he was talking to. Lily helped him cycle through the contacts (of which, there were only a few) and find the number belonging to the tall skeleton.
This time an answer came almost immediately.
"AHEM… HELLO, HUMAN!" Papyrus spoke.
"Hey Papyrus. We're just calling to check in." Frisk announced, as Lily hovered over his shoulder to listen in.
"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS HAPPY TO HEAR FROM HIS FRIENDS." Papyrus answered, though Frisk could hear a slight waver in his voice."HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING WATERFALL?"
"It's really pretty… or at least, the way Lily describes it is." Frisk said, causing Lily to chuckle.
Frisk heard something on the other end that sounded a bit like a poorly hidden sigh of relief. "SO… YOU ARE NOT HURT? YOU HAVEN'T, SAY… BEEN ATTACKED BY ANY ARMORED FISH OR SHARP, POINTY THINGS?"
"Um…" Frisk's smile faded and he looked toward Lily. Her expression was a perfect match to his own.
"Let me talk to him." Lily said to Frisk.
The boy nodded, allowing her to join with his SOUL. As his right eye blazed crimson, his voice spoke once again.
"Papyrus… what is all this about? What happened?" She asked.
"OH, HELLO LILY!" Papyrus greeted. The girl decided not to question how he seemed to know it was her as he continued to speak. "NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. ALTHOUGH YOU SHOULD PROBABLY BE CAREFUL. YOU SEE, UNDYNE FINISHED SEARCHING SNOWDIN MUCH FASTER THAN I THOUGHT SHE WOULD, AND SHE MIGHT, POSSIBLY, DEFINITELY HAVE GUESSED WHERE YOU ARE."
Frisk felt his heart sink, and his nose was filled with a frigid scent. The air around them grew heavy as fog, as if the mere notion that Undyne was now closer than ever had stifled even Waterfall itself. Both of them fell silent, as if fearing that their voices might summon the dreaded captain from the shadows themselves.
"UM… H- HUMANS?" Papyrus' voice caused them both to jump. "ARE YOU STILL THERE? YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CAPTURED, HAVE YOU?"
The two of them, as one, grappled with the phone that very nearly fell from Frisk's hand and returned it to their ear. It was Frisk that spoke. "We- we're here. We haven't seen any sign of her yet so, um… what about Sans? Does he know?"
"I HAVEN'T SEEN MY BROTHER. HE LEFT SHORTLY AFTER YOU DID." Papyrus informed them. "I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS RIGHT NOW."
Unfortunate. Sans and his shortcuts would have been a welcome boon now that Undyne had their scent. There was nothing for it if they didn't even know where he was though. They'd have to make due.
"I guess all we can do is keep moving, and hope we manage to stay ahead of her." Lily said. "Thanks for warning us, Pap."
"I AM SORRY I COULD NOT GIVE YOU MORE TIME…" Papyrus spoke, his voice forlorn and so unlike his usual cheery self. "NYOO HOO HOO… IF ONLY I'D BEEN ABLE TO CONVINCE UNDYNE THAT YOU COULD BE FRIENDS…"
"It's okay." Frisk said gently, despite his own anxiety. "We'll find a way to get through this. We are friends of The Great Papyrus, aren't we?."
"THAT… IS TRUE." Papyrus agreed, the encouragement seeming to bolster his own confidence. "IT SEEMS MY LESSONS REALLY HAVE PAID OFF. VERY WELL! I SHALL FINISH HERE, AND THEN JOIN UNDYNE. MAYBE I CAN STILL GET HER TO LISTEN TO ME.
"Sounds good. We'll do our best too." Lily said, feeling a little better herself. "We'll talk again later."
After saying their goodbyes and ending the call, Frisk put the phone away and stretched his muscles. There was no telling how far behind them Undyne was or even if she'd managed to get ahead, so they had to be prepared for anything. Lily left his SOUL once more, deciding a more direct guide to be of even greater importance with what they now knew. Reaching beneath the bench, Frisk felt about for where he'd left his boots.
It was then that his hand touched something. Something decidedly neither leather nor thread. It was smooth and cool… like metal.
"Huh?" He questioned, finding his boots and slipping them on before crouching down to investigate further.
The object in question was rectangular, and seemed to have an open top, covered by some sort of wrapping. He pawed at it, eventually managing to unravel it slightly, allowing a distinct scent to tease his nostrils.
"What's that?" Lily asked, noticing what the boy was doing and returning to Frisk's side.
"I think it's…" He began, peeling back the wrapping further and taking in the smell. "A quiche?"
"First a tutu behind a waterfall, and now a quiche under a bench in the middle of nowhere?" Lily raised a brow. "I didn't expect Waterfall to be such a weird place."
"I wonder who left it here?" The boy asked, picking it up from the ground and placing it on the bench.
"I don't think we have time to wonder about that." The girl said. "Whoever left it here will probably come back for it. We need to get going if we're going to avoid Undyne."
"Yeah… okay." Frisk said reluctantly. He stood up again, looking down through his blind eyes to where the quiche sat, half opened on the bench.
Lily took his hand and began to lead him to where the bridge seeds they'd left still bloomed, creating a path leading back the way they came. Frisk glanced back, the scent of spinach, egg, and cheese fading quickly the further they grew. And yet even as they did so, his own reluctance continued to grow. He thought about the quiche, sitting alone on that bench, waiting for an owner that might never return.
Vaguely, he felt the light touch of an echo flower as they passed by…
"I just wasn't ready for the responsibility…"
He didn't recognize the voice, but its words made him halt. Lily jolted slightly as his arm went taut, stopping them from going any further. She opened her mouth, but immediately closed when she noticed the expression on his face. Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, the boy slipped his hand from hers and turned back toward the bench.
"I'll… be right back." He said, using his stick to guide him back to the bench where the quiche waited.
"What are you doing?" She asked, reaching after him. "We need to go."
"We can't just leave it here." He said, picking up the tin and carefully replacing the wrapping over the top.
"Frisk, it's a quiche." She retorted. "Undyne could be right behind us for all we know. What's gotten into you?"
"I just…" He hesitated. "I know what it's like. Just… trust me on this, please?"
Lily was about to protest again. Just how tired was he to be sympathizing with a quiche of all things? But at the same time, something about the way he was acting made her question the wisdom in that. Instead and against her better judgment, she drifted over to him, guiding his hands to help seal the quiche properly.
"Alright… I guess you kept the tutu for me, huh?" She said with a smile.
"Thanks, Lily." Frisk said, placing the container delicately into the satchel with the rest of their things. "Seriously, thanks."
The spectral girl watched him as he handled the seemingly simple custard with a care and tenderness not unlike that, which he gave his stick. Once he was finished his lips parted in a content sigh.
A familiar feeling washed over them both. There on the bench, where the quiche once sat was another golden star, shimmering faintly like a silent thank you from the dish itself. Frisk lips curled upwards in a content smile, and he touched the star lightly, taking in its soothing glow.
No one… nothing should ever be alone.
He nodded and took her hand once more. This time it was Lily that lingered, if only for a moment as she stared thoughtfully at the SAVE point. Then she turned away, leading him back toward the seeds, this time without interruption.
"It… really means a lot to you, huh?" She asked, glancing back as the bench and the star grew smaller behind them.
"Yeah."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
The blind child turned thoughtful at that. After a moment he nodded. "I do. But… not here. We need to worry about Undyne first. Later though. I promise."
That small but grim reminder of what was at stake caught her thoughts back up to speed.
"Right. Let's go then."
With no other paths to carry them from the isolated cove, the children returned the way they came. Lily glanced about, ignoring the undulating bridge seeds as she tried to decide which path to take. Should they go back the way they came to find a different path? Or did they continue forward from here, hoping that Undyne was still far behind them? The chilling memory of Papyrus' warning gave her all the answer she needed. If they went back, the risk of running right into her was too far too great.
Forward it was.
After gathering four more of the seeds to make a new path. the two continued on. They soon found themselves standing before a narrow corridor, its winding path making it impossible to know how far it stretched. Tentatively, they entered the gloom, hoping that nothing dangerous lurked within. They had only traveled a short distance before Frisk noticed his arm growing more taut as Lily's quickened pace widened the gap between them. He decided to speak up before her haste caused them to stumble.
"Lily? Is… everything alright?" The blind boy asked his spectral companion.
Lily jumped slightly, pulling her gaze away from the path. "Huh? Yeah… I think…" She mumbled the last part before giving Frisk a smile. Squeezing his hand, she continued on.
It was tighter than usual…
The walk down the hallway was quiet, the only sound was the rushing of water further ahead. The boy glanced up at Lily's face before frowning, noting her troubled expression. "Lily. Stop. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Why would you ask that?" She replied, confused.
This wasn't like her at all. While Lily wasn't a calm person by nature, right now she seemed downright anxious. Despite trying her hardest to focus on Frisk, the boy noticed her eyes flicking about the area. It almost seemed as if she expected some unseen threat to charge out at them at a moment's notice.
"Well… you keep looking around kind of fast… and-" He lifted their connected hands. "-You're clenching my hand a little tightly, and pulling me along more hurriedly than normal. Did you see Undyne or something? Is…is that why you're rushing?" His ramblings turned worried, as a faint smell of smoke and ammonia filled his nostrils.
"Oh nononono. It's not Undyne." She emended, relaxing her grip slightly while bringing her other hand around to rest on his. The scent quickly faded. "I… I… really don't know. I think it's.. not wanting to be caught where we can't escape…" She mused, looking in either direction, unable to see either end.
"I guess this wouldn't be the best place to get caught, but… there's a lot of places like that around here, and this only seems to have come up now." He lowered his chin and thought for a moment before offering a suggestion. "Claustrophobia?"
"Um… maybe? I guess that would make sense but… why?" Lily said, her face scrunching up in thought. "I don't know what would make me feel that way so… maybe it's something else I lost with my memory?"
Frisk wondered about that. While it was possible it was simply something she was born with, the idea of his friend being in a situation that resulted in a fear of close spaces was… disconcerting. He sincerely hoped it was the former, but with what he knew about her he couldn't be sure. Not knowing what else to do, he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Maybe, but… just know that what you said before works the other way. I'm here for you too.." He said sincerely. "I know how it is to be scared of something so… if it gets too hard, just tell me okay?"
Grinning the ghostly girl gave her friend a tight hug. "Of course! Let's go!"
The two of them made haste for the other end. Lily no longer seemed bothered and Frisk found no more trace of the strange smell. She seemed fine now, but he still wondered what caused the strange behavior to begin with.
The sound of water drew closer the further they walked, until finally the corridor opened up again. And again, Lily stopped in her tracks. However, this time it was not from apprehension… but rather, awe.
"Oh wow… It's…" She tapered off, eyes growing wide.
"What is it Lily? What do you see?" Frisk asked, his voice taking on a tone of excitement at her expression.
"It's beautiful Frisk. The whole area glows!" She breathed. "There's Echo Flowers all over the area! There's a bunch of large pools of water with benches beside them scattered around and I can see these glittering crystals on the ceiling and glowing moss on the walls. It's just… It's gorgeous!" She slowly looked around in a circle, taking in the kaleidoscope of blues and greens. Curiosity took hold as she approached the wall on the right, placing her hand against the climbing moss. "It's so soft too. It must get lots of water." She hummed thoughtfully. "There's so much light… I can't tell if its magic, or if the plants here are actually feeding each other."
Frisk chuckled as he tried to picture the beautiful scene she described. "Maybe its a little of both?" He offered, watching for a few more minutes while Lily continued to gaze around the room, drawn in by its beauty.
She continued to muse out loud for a few minutes, drifting steadily toward one of the flowers. Frisk following close behind, using his stick for guidance before gently brushing his fingers against any flower that Lily stopped next to.
"They're pretty, momma."
"Yes they are dear. Now make a wish."
"Huh… I wish… I wish I had candy!"
Lily giggled at the adorable exchange. Frisk touched another flower.
"The stars are shining more brightly today. I wonder if that's a good sign?"
Lily stopped her wandering and motioned for Frisk to do the same as she noticed movement up ahead. A monster slinked out from the reeds and onto the path. Its serpentine body quivered slightly as it moved forward, leaving glistening trail behind it before slipping over to the other side to enter one of the pools. The girl quickly grabbed Frisk's hand, gently pulling him to hide behind a bench off the beaten path.
"Uh… Maybe we should stay off main trail. I wouldn't want Undyne to storm down the path and see us…" Her voice held a touch of disappointment.
"That's probably a good idea. We don't know who else would be on the lookout for us, either." Frisk agreed with a nod of his head, following dutifully as she led him onward.
Leaving the trail behind, Lily headed for the right side of the cavern, weaving between the pools of water as they moved deeper in. When they were reasonably sure they'd made enough distance between themselves and the roads, Lily resumed her description of the beautiful scenery, starting with another cluster of echo flowers flanking one of the pools. Curiosity getting the better of him, Frisk tapped one of them in passing as they walked by.
"A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…"
"I feel bad for the monsters… It must be so sad to be trapped down here…." Lily mumbled, shaking her head in pity. "Maybe there's something we can do to help. I mean, it happened before right?"
"Oh yeah!" Frisk agreed before realizing how loud he got and slapping a hand over his mouth, causing Lily to chuckle.
'What did I do though…?' The boy thought, his expression soberingas he contemplated that for a moment. "If we can figure out how it happened before, maybe we can do it again. I just wish I knew what 'it' was."
"I'm sure we will." Lily encouraged. "Once we remember everything, it shouldn't be too hard, right?"
A grin spread between her rosy cheeks before they continue on, taking their time to listen to the wishes of the monsters whispered to the flowers.
"C'mon sis! Make a wish!" one said.
"I wish my sister and I could see the real stars someday…" spoke another, seemingly in response.
"Do you think another human will fall soon? I can't wait until we're free of this mountain!"
That one was different. Enough to make both children stop to consider it. What did humans have to do with the freedom of monsters? It was true that humans created the Barrier… did they also possess the means to break it? And if so… how?
They continued in this fashion for several minutes before stumbling upon a larger pool that split in two around a cluster of echo flowers that seemed to grow apart from the rest. They followed its coastline until eventually they came upon a shoal leading to the small grove. As they made their way closer Lily noticed a faded wooden sign along with a huge bench.
"Huh… A sign… it says 'Please do not disturb these flowers. Let their echoes live eternally on as a reminder to all of what has been lost.'" Lily read off the faded lettering for Frisk, running her hand over the worn wood. "They must be special…"
"Then I guess we need to be quiet. Maybe we should listen to them though… I'm kind of curious to hear what they have to say." Frisk smiled.
"Yeah… maybe we should." The spectral girl replied, leading her blind friend into the cluster.
Though this section of the chamber did not appear to be much different from the rest, the air felt somehow charged in a way neither child could adequately describe. The flowers here were slightly larger than the rest, and seemed much older. More thin leaves grew from their stems, and their strange fragrance was even more pronounced than the rest. If she had to guess, Lily figured that someone must have been paying special care to these blossoms in particular. Though if they had, it had been a long time since they'd been around to do so. Perhaps it was the same person who left the sign just outside their field.
As they walked, Lily silently directed Frisk to each of the flowers. As the boy dutifully touched the thin petals of each one, a conversation began to flow.
"So? Do you have any wishes to make?"
"…hmm, just one, but… It's kind of stupid."
"Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh."
"…hmm… If I say my wish… You really promise you won't laugh at me?"
"Of course! Didn't I just say that?" A small giggle followed the words.
"I guess. Well… Someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. I want to stand under the sky, looking at the world all around… That's my wish."
More laughter echoed from the first voice.
"Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh at it!"
"Sorry, it's just funny… That's my wish too…"
As the conversation played out, a weight began to bare upon the hearts of both of the children, though as Frisk noticed, it was heavier on Lily than himself. Each word spoken resonated upon the edge of the specter's mind, like a fruit dangling just out of her reach. A pain, soft but pronounced filled her chest and her gut. It felt like she was on the verge of tears.
'Why… does this hurt so much?' She thought, clinching a fist tightly over her heart.
Frisk wanted to ask her about it, but dared not speak lest he ruin the flowers' echo. Even if he couldn't sense Lily's sorrow permeating storm-like in his own chest, the signs were written clearly on her face. Instinctively, he reached out and took her hand in a reassuring squeeze. She'd seemed to have forgotten he was there, as she flinched slightly the moment his fingers brushed against hers. Her eyes focused on her blind friend, who gave her a calm smile in response. She smiled back, and the boy felt the sorrow and confusion ebb somewhat.
The final whisper from the flowers faded into the moist air around them. Lily drifted ahead of Frisk, grasping his hand a little tighter now as they slowly made their way from the garden. Counting his steps against the soft earth, Frisk waited patiently until he was reasonably sure they were far enough that anything they said wouldn't disturb the flowers. It was only then that he spoke.
"Are you okay?" His voice held a mixture of concern and curiosity.
Lily hastily rubbed her eyes free of the unshed tears. "I don't know."
"Did you remember something?"
It took her a few moments to respond. "It wasn't really a memory. More like a feeling. That conversation… I think I should know it."
Frisk didn't want to say anything until he knew for sure, but now there was little doubt. "One of those voices sounded a little like you…" He said, idly drawing in the sand with his stick. "It was hard to tell. The echo sounded different than the others… like it was old and faded, but I'm pretty sure that was you."
Lily fell into silent thought. Frisk was right. One of those voices, so full of hope for the future was her own. Even if she couldn't recall the memory, she knew that it was true. In a past she couldn't remember, she'd shared a wish with someone dear to her heart. But now she was like this, the monsters were still trapped underground, and her memories were but shards of a broken mirror too small to cast a true reflection. It was obvious their wish had not come true.
She didn't like to think about her circumstances… that she was, for all intents and purposes, dead. It was easier to carry on if she just ignored that fact. After all, she could still talk to people through Frisk, touch and taste things through him. It wasn't like she was some wailing phantom trapped in limbo. But times like these only served to remind her that the life she once led ended a long time ago.
She didn't even understand why something so small was making her feel this way. After all, the flowers only picked up the conversation in passing. They certainly weren't recording it for posterity… at least, she didn't think so.
A small hand resting on her shoulder brought her back to the Wishing Room. Lily gave Frisk a reassuring smile but the concerned frown he wore didn't leave his face.
"Did you… recognize the other voice?" He asked slowly. "Maybe we could find them and…"
He trailed off. And what? Even if they did, it would hardly change anything.
"I didn't…" Lily shook her head. Somehow, just saying that made her feel incredibly guilty. "Sorry…"
"Why are you sorry?" Frisk cocked his head. "This is good. We know one of the people in those echoes was you… and someone went to a lot of effort to protect these flowers. They might even be the same person. I mean, it makes sense right?"
Lily thought about that for a minute. "Yeah… you're right, it does."
The boy gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "We have something to go on now. Maybe one of the monsters around here knows something. We won't know if we don't try… right?"
Lily smiled sadly, but otherwise gave no outward response as she lead him further from the hidden memories preserved within the garden. It didn't matter. From the scent she was giving him it was clear that his words helped. At last, she opened her mouth to speak, but whatever she meant to say was cut off when Frisk's expression suddenly fell once more. The smile vanished from his lips and his brow furrowed in a most peculiar manner.
"Frisk? What's wro-"
"Shh!" He silenced her, his own voice low. "Listen."
His friend did so, focusing her ears. It took her a moment, but eventually she managed to pick up what Frisk had noticed immediately: a sound that didn't seem to belong. It was a soft rumble, not resounding and omnipresent like the water that flowed all around, but centered… focused. It wasn't there before, when they walked through the garden of echoes. If it had been, she probably would never have even noticed it. No… this sound was new.
Which mean something, or someone was making it.
"Hee hee hee…" A small voice laughed from somewhere nearby.
Lily turned to and fro, searching their surroundings for its source. However, the spectral girl saw nothing but the cavernous Wishing Room stretching outward in all directions. The rippling ponds cast coruscating reflections against the walls and rocks, disturbing her sight even further. Frisk was having no better luck discerning from whence the sound came. The voice laughed again and his head jerked instinctively in its direction only for it to call out a third time from a completely different location. And yet, one thing was clear to both of them… this was a voice they knew.
"Finally… I've been looking for you forever since you left that dump of a town." It spoke again. This time it wasn't even trying to hide its position. "But golly… I didn't expect to find you here of all places. I mean, what use is all this sentimental crap to creatures like us?"
The two children focused on the place the voice was coming from as the rumble began to grow louder. From the sandy earth before them, a figure began to rise, a blinding beacon of yellow in an ocean of blue. Flowey rose like a wilting rose from the earth, shaking free the clinging sand before unfurling his petals to reveal a deceptively innocent smile.
Frisk called forth his SOUL, causing the flower's monochrome image to spring up within the black void of his vision. From behind her friend, Lily watched as the red child faced the malevolent plant, fingers tightening around his stick in case he needed to fend off a barrage of magical bullets.
And yet, despite the boy's grim expression, the petaled creature paid absolutely no mind to the growing shroud of tension. His stem extended to its full length, twisting and bending as his 'head' swiveled about. He seemed to be ignoring Frisk completely.
"Howdy! You're here, aren'tcha?" He called loudly. Frisk winced, hoping the flower's careless shouting wouldn't disturb the echoes. "Come on out! I know you're here somewhere…"
The boy lifted a brow in confusion but still kept his guard up. This could be a trick. "Flowey, what are trying to-"
"Shut up, human! I wasn't talking to you. You aren't the one I want." He spat, stigma snapping in Frisk's direction with a venomous glare before continuing his search. "Hey! Stop hiding already. This is getting boring."
He shifted his thin body through the earth, scouring the area around them for whatever it was he was looking for. After a few moments of fruitless effort he still seemed to come up empty. Frustrated, he turned his attention back to Frisk, his large, almost cartoonish eyes narrowing.
"You. Where is she!" He demanded, pointing an accusing leaf toward the boy. "You're hiding her from me, aren't you? That's why she won't come out and talk to me, isn't it!"
Lily gasped as Flowey leveled his unfounded accusations toward the confused boy. Frisk cautiously tore his attention away from the plant to share a glance with his friend. They both had a pretty good idea who he was talking about at this point.. but the question remained: why? He barely even spared her a thought back in the Ruins, so why now? The spectral girl felt torn. It might have been safer to just run away… to put as much distance between themselves and Flowey as possible. Yet, something kept her from passing that thought on to Frisk. Was it really possible that he knew her?
Her heart, or whatever the equivalent would be for a spirit, tightened within her chest. She had to know.
"Frisk… can I…?"
Her words trailed, but Frisk didn't need anything else. He nodded. Lily placed a small hand over the boy's SOUL, and was once more drawn into its warmth. From the slit of the boy's right eye, crimson light washed outward.
"Greetings, Flowey." She said with Frisk's voice.
"It is you! I knew it!" The flower chirped happily. "I wasn't sure at first, but I guess we're still inseparable even after all these years, aren't we?"
"Y-yeah." Lily said, trying to hide her confusion. So he really did know her. "So… you've been looking for me, right? I'm sorry I didn't talk to you before now."
Flowey raised a leaf to his petals like he was embarrassed. "D-don't treat me like a little kid. I already know why you didn't want to talk to me. I really messed things up, huh?"
"What do you mean?" the girl questioned.
"The plan, duh!" Flowey said, his leaves spreading outward in what looked like a shrug. "If I'd just listened to you, everything would have been fine. Just six, right? That's all we needed and it was so simple! With our power it would have been child's play to get them… but I had to go and hold us back. And because I was so weak, well… I don't think I need to tell you."
"Right…" The girl said, debating whether she should tell him that she had no idea what he was talking about.
"But that's okay now!" The flower piped up again. "Because now we have everything we need." He looked the body of Frisk up and down before his eyes focused on the glowing red heart. "How'd you manage to find another SOUL anyway? I mean, I get it but did it really have to be this guy? Blech…"
Frisk resisted the urge to call the flower out on his insult, and allowed Lily to continue. "You said years… you've really been looking for me that long, Flowey?"
"Yup. Ever since I woke up. I knew I'd be able to find you if I looked hard enough. It wasn't always easy, getting around like this." He passed his leaves over his floral body in demonstration. "But soon, that won't matter. You see, I have a plan of my own now: a plan to become all-powerful. Even more powerful than you and your stolen SOUL."
The children did their best not to recoil at the flower's ominous declaration. He didn't seem to notice their apprehension has he continued to speak.
"It'll be so much easier with you here too. Now, we can finish what we started all those years ago. Together, nothing will be able to stop us… not that guard captain, or that grinning bone head back in Snowdin. Not even the king… ha! He probably won't even try if he sees you. Why even stop there? It's about time they all learned the rule of this world anyway, don't you think?"
Flowey began to cackle maliciously at the thought. Lily and Frisk frowned as one. What had happened to this little flower that had so blackened his heart? All the other monsters they'd met, while not without their quirks were still goodhearted people at their core. Flowey seemed to harbor such deep-seated malice and nihilism that it almost seemed alien. Neither the intelligent Frisk, nor the intuitive Lily could get a grasp on this strange creature's mind.
There was only one thing that was certain. Once upon a time Lily had known him. They'd been friends... 'inseparable', he'd said. If that was true, then she could not simply let him continue like this.
"Flowey…" She said softly, drawing the plant boy's attention to her once again. "I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you. I couldn't… I didn't wake up until recently when I met Frisk. But… whatever happened between then and now, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't care about any plans, or failures that might have happened in the past. I'm here now… I'll be a better friend, I promise. So… you don't have to do this anymore."
"W-what are you talking about? I thought you'd be happy." Flowey said, a nervous smile tugging at his stigma. "I get it now. In this world, it's kill or be killed. You're the one who taught me that."
Lily had to choke back a sob. He learned such a twisted philosophy… from her?
"Flowey, I…"
"Hey, why do you keep calling me Flowey anyway?" The petaled monster questioned, shifting eyebrows onto his face just so he could raise one. "You know my real name… why don't you say it? I don't mind, as long as it's you."
The girl froze, stunned by those words. His real… name?
Try as she might, even with him sitting there staring expectantly at her… even as she delved as far into her mind as she could go she found… nothing. The anguish that flowed through her was almost suffocating for Frisk as he remained silent. She tried to speak but no words passed their shared lips.
Flowey's inquisitive look sharpened into accusation.
"You… You do know my real name, don't you?"
Frisk's head lowered, hiding the red glow from Flowey's sight. She couldn't bring herself to say it. It felt like a betrayal, even to her. Yet her silence spoke volumes, telling the flower all he needed to know.
As realization dawned upon him, his aspect shifted once more. Disbelief became shock before at last settling on rage. His petals bristled and his stem quivered in barely-contained fury. When they returned their shared gaze to the flower, it was Frisk who controlled the motion. He could feel the grief of his companion weighing heavily upon his SOUL… but this was Flowey they were dealing with. They couldn't take chances.
"You… you…" His eyes narrowed further. Teeth sharpened into jagged fangs. "IDIOT!"
With a shrill cry, Flowey's anger surged along with his magic. Seeds of magic coalesced around him, spinning like miniature buzz-saws before flying toward Frisk, and Lily within. Acting more on instinct than anything else, Frisk seized full control of his body, throwing up an arm in defense. The gyrating bullets collided, tearing into his jacket, shirt, and finally the flesh beneath. The boy cried out in pain, dropping his stick to clutch his wounded arm.
Warmth seeped between his fingers.
"Frisk!" Lily cried from within his mind.
"I'm alright…" He responded, though his voice sounded strained. "What about you?"
"Forget about me, you're hurt!" Lily shot back.
"It's fine… it wasn't as bad as I think he wanted it to be."
* Frisk: HP - 17/20
* Lily: HP - 16/16
The numbers ran through his head, confirming his suspicions. Flowey's attack was far weaker than it had been in the Ruins.
"I don't believe it! How could you FORGET ABOUT ME?!" Flowey shrieked.
"Flowey, stop-" Frisk began.
"You stay out of this!" Flowey cut him off. Frisk was so surprised he fell silent. "Yeah, that's right. I don't even need to try to know which of you is speaking. Unlike some people I didn't forget. Even after all this time, I could never forget you!"
"Flowey… I'm sorry." Lily tried.
"Stop calling me that!" He snapped, his stem straightening as if to make himself look larger than his diminutive size would allow. "I wondered about it before, but now it makes sense. You don't even know where we are, do you? You didn't come here because you cared, you just got lost!"
"Just let me explain!" Lily cried desperately, and Frisk could feel his own eyes flooding with tears. "I didn't want to-"
"Shut UP! I don't want to hear your excuses!" Flowey's voice echoed throughout the cavern. "You don't have the right. You can't even remember my name!"
Somehow the flower's anger and hurt felt more intimidating than the threat he presented. In an instant the evil, cackling imp had been reduced to a shrieking mess. His own eyes almost seemed to somehow water with tears of their own.
"Well… what about you, then?" Lily said, voice cracking in her grief. "If you know me so well, then why not help me remember. Don't you think I want that? You haven't called me by name at all yet!"
At that, Flowey's angry, hurt expression took on a hint of confusion for just a moment before his glare deepened once again.
"What are you, deaf or just stupid?" He spat. "I've been saying your name ever since we started talking!"
Frisk and Lily both recoiled as one. "W-what?"
"What kind of sick joke are you playing? " He accused. "No… you know what? I don't care. I don't have to deal with this. I have better things to do than waste time on some 'friend' who doesn't even know who I am."
"Flowey, wait!" Lily called in desperation.
"J-JUST GO TO HELL!"
The flower's voice cracked from the strain of his shout, but the intensity of it was enough to silence both children for a few seconds. Flowey didn't wait, diving once again beneath the earth and vanishing in an instant. Frisk's body stood there, the glowing eye that was his friend flickering in the cavern's gloom. She sank to her knees and Frisk's body did the same. At last, the tears she'd tried so hard to hold back streamed down the boy's cheek.
"Wait…please…" Lily's voice faded to a whisper, staring at the place where her first solid connection to her past, a friend she couldn't remember, disappeared beneath the soil.
The tears leaked unabated down. Even if she had the mind she would have been unable to stop them. Sobbing gently, she brought Frisk's hands to his eyes and rubbed them. Try as she might, however his cheeks remained stained with her sorrow.
'I…I'm a horrible friend. No, I'm a horrible person.'A sniffle. 'He needed me… he neededme… and I just… I couldn't…' She gently gripped Frisk's shirt tightly at the chest as if to hold together her breaking heart.
A sorrowful, humorless chuckle echoed through her mind. "Kill or be killed". It was all her. She was the one who set the psychotic flower on his nihilistic path. Teaching him such a horrific worldview, leaving him alone, and now forgetting him… how awful a person must she have been. Maybe this half-living state was her punishment? A consequence for a grievous sin committed in life… that sounded right. Maybe she should just…
"LILY!" Frisk's yell jolted the girl from her dark thoughts.
"F… Frisk?" she stammered, snapping the boy's head side to side as if expecting to see him.
"Finally… I've been yelling for you for a while now…" She finally recognized the voice coming from inside her head.
Guilt flowed through her like the water that surrounded them as she realized she was ignoring her friend. "I…" She paused, casting their shared eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry Frisk. Here, let me…"
She pulled herself from his SOUL, leaving the blind boy back in control of his body as her ethereal form materialized in front of him. Frisk took a moment to look at his best friend, worry itching his brain while the horridly acidic scent he'd been smelling for several minutes now lingered on his nostrils. Reaching a hand up to scratch the bridge of his nose, he ran his sightless gaze carefully along her spectral form.
'That affected her a lot. She's hardly even floating anymore and… and she's crying.' That alone threw him for a loop. It was the first time he'd ever seen her cry openly about anything: not even the memory of her own death. Even back in the Ruins when Flowey's magic had literally torn through her, it had only resulted a little moisture, and even then it was out of pain rather than sadness. But now…
'I wonder what happened between her and Flowey. It's not like I can ask. But… what should I do then? What do you say to someone when…when something like this happens?'
A small sniffle broke him from his analysis as he watched Lily rub her face. Throwing any half-formed idea from his mind he quickly moved forward and gathered his friend in his arms, hugging her to his chest. Lily's body immediately went rigid, and for a split second, he wondered if he'd acted too quickly and made the wrong decision. He was about to let go when she reached up and gripped his shirt with trembling hands, gripping tightly like it was her life-line.
Right now, maybe it was just that.
He tightened his hold on her, rubbing a hand along her back while shifting his legs to sit more comfortably. Their journey could wait for now.
It took several minutes before Lily's sniffles began to subside until they were eventually overtaken by the echo of the burbling streams. For a moment Frisk thought she may have fallen asleep until at last, she spoke.
"T-thank you Frisk. Thank you for everything." The ghostly girl's head lifted from her friend's shoulder and she gave him a watery smile. Hastily, she wiped the last of the fleeting tears from her face. Though the image of sorrow remained, she seemed to be feeling a little better.
"I care about you. You know that." He gave her a smile of his own as he gently pushed a few strands of hair from her eyes. "You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would, Frisk… I just thought.. after what we learned… That maybe you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore…" She replied, her voice lowering towards the end.
"What? Why would you think that?" He asked, concerned as he places a hand on her shoulder. "You're my friend. Why would I give that up?"
"B…because I was the one who made him that way! You heard him… I was the one who taught him that the law of the world is 'kill, or be killed'. It's my fault!" At those words she launched herself back at Frisk, burying her face into the fabric of his jacket. "I'm a terrible person Frisk…"
"No, you're not. I've met plenty of bad people and you aren't like them at all." He consoled her, stroking her back with his free hand. "I don't think you'd say something like that without a good reason."
"But you only know me now," she protested faintly. "I don't even remember who I was before. I might have been completely different." Her voice fades to nearly a whisper. "I might have been even worse than Flowey… he learned it from me, after all."
Frisk thought about that for a moment. He did say that… and unlike their earlier encounters with him, it didn't feel like he was trying to manipulate them either. But something still wasn't adding up to Frisk. Was it bias because Lily was his friend, or…
"Hm… Actually…" A thought came to his mind as he remembered what happened moments before. "Now that I think on it. Didn't Flowey seem like he knew about those Echo Flowers? What if the other voice was him?" Lily didn't say anything so the boy continued. "Well, to me those wishes sounded like they came from two friends hoping for a better future for everyone. Doesn't sound like the kind of people who would believe something like that just because, does it?" He punctuated his reasoning with a gentle poke to Lily's side, causing the spectral girl to jump.
Lily pulled back, a grin forming across her rosy cheeks. "I… I guess not…" She turned a thoughtful gaze down to her hands which now rested in her lap. "Then… what changed? Something must have, right?"
The blind child reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers.
"I don't know." He admitted finally. "But I do know this. Who you are now is more important than who you were before. You can't change what happened in the past, but you can learn from it. You can... try to be better." He closed his eyes thoughtfully. If anyone could attest to that, it would be him.
After a moment he continued. "I don't know what you did or didn't do or who you were then… but I know the you that's here right now. And right now, you're my best friend. So come on," he reached into the pouch at his hip and produced one of the chocolate bars. "let's take a breather and think about what to do next okay?"
Like a magnet, Lily's eyes were drawn to the confectionery in the boy's hand. Her grin widened and she wasted no time in returning herself to Frisk's SOUL, eager to share the treat that Papyrus was so kind to buy for her.
He was right. As long as she was here she could make things better. As long as they were together, they could work toward that future she and her old friend had wished for. Then maybe… she could make Flowey understand. At least through it all she knew that Frisk would be with her.
'We'll always be friends Frisk. Best friends forever, okay?'
"Of course." The scent of honey and lemons danced upon the boy's nose, as together they savored the warm richness of the chocolate.
Authors' Notes: Phew. This one was a hell of a ride wasn't it? As we said before, Waterfall is a place of revelations… this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Poor Frisk has a story to tell later. But who actually left the quiche to begin with?
In game, the 'Wishing Room' is simply a small strip of Waterfall with a few Echo Flowers. We expanded it to include most of the Echo Flower dialogue you can find (including the 'passing conversation') as well as a few unique to the story and turned it into a massive glowing garden. Seeing as monsters regularly go there to speak wishes to the flowers it only seems appropriate for there to be a lot of them.