Gigantic, thorny vines grappling with you, twisting around your limbs, squeezing the air out of you, rendering you near-unable to move. A tangled, writhing mess of tentacles, talons, eyes, teeth, the six human souls pulsing deep in the abomination's core. You were struggling to block the pellets, your left eye ablaze, purple magic burning in the darkness. In a previous timeline, you'd have blacked out by now, but the additional levels lent you strength you'd never have imagined possible.

Flowey gave you a rough shake, his mismatched eyes red with fury.

"What has gotten into you?!" he yelled in your face, the sound waves reverberating in your skull. "Have you gone completely off the rails?! If there's someone allowed to kill everyone in this wretched place, it's me!"

Despite your less-than-favorable situation, you couldn't resist grinning right back at him. You couldn't resist snickering, because wasn't it hilarious? He had no idea, no goddamn idea. This was the best prank you'd ever pulled.

"looks like you got competition, little bud."

"Shut your mouth, trashbag!" Flowey yelled in frustration. "You've become worse than me! At least you still have a soul!"

"who knows? maybe next time i manage to get rid of it. or get a few more on top. maybe the human souls, too. wanna give it a try?"

"Next time? What are you talking about?"

"oh, just the usual. the next time your pal sets out to destroy the world. with every one of us in it. you included."

Even though the idea just came to you in the spur of the moment, you couldn't help but feel proud of yourself for the well-timed jab. You wanted him to know. You wanted to hurt him, to see him break down and suffer. It's not like he didn't deserve it.

The beast narrowed his eyes at you, his face scrunched up in an expression of deep disgust. Talk about hypocrisy.

"You're lying."

"nope."

You must have sounded earnest, because for a moment, Flowey stopped dead in his tracks, not moving a single vine, staring into your eyesockets in disbelief. Then you felt something smash into your sternum so hard that you saw stars, and his grip tightened around your ribcage, threatening to crush your soul into dust. Not that you'd have cared one bit. It would reset soon anyway.

"You goddamn bastard!" the flower shrieked, and even through his nightmarish voice, you could hear how scared he was. "Do you think this is a joke? Tell me the truth or I'll make you suffer before I kill you!"

"truth is, pal," you said through teeth gritted from the pain, "truth is, you were right after all. kill or be killed, wasn't that your catchphrase? and the human is your best friend, or so you said. makes sense that you would hold the same lofty values."

"ANSWER ME!" he bellowed. "Did Chara kill me?! Did they… did they -"

"yep. three-hundred and twenty-seven times, to be exact. they always left you for last though. sentimental reasons, i guess."

Silence fell upon you, the only sound your labored breathing. Flowey's tentacles trembled, his vise-like grip loosening a little. He was looking at you in desperation, searching for a sign, any sign that you were just playing with him, that you would have mercy on him. For a second, a change came over his monstrous face, and he looked almost like a lost child, someone who was looking for something to hold onto in the darkness. You got that strange feeling once again that you had seen a face like this before.

It passed.

"They… they keep on doing this?" Flowey whispered, his voice thin. "They keep on killing everyone - even… even me?"

"well, not anymore. i got this cool idea to do it myself," you shrugged as nonchalantly as you could in your position. "hey, at least i'm being productive. keeps the ennui away, y'know, while i'm waiting for the next reset. and it's kinda interesting to see how it changes every time you decide to intervene."

Seeing your amusement, Flowey's eyes widened.

"Wait, what? This - this is not even the first time you've gone through with this?"

"hmm." You squint, seemingly deep in thought. "let's see. do the runs where i only took care of half of the underground count? i really need some sort of reference point, here."

The beast blinked at you in absolute shock for a minute, while you waited for his next move. But Flowey didn't attack. He just looked at you up and down, his mouth slowly curling into a wicked grin.

"Hee hee hee."

His eyes were back to their usual black now, deep and cruel, his entire body shaking with laughter.

"Ahahaha! You - you have finally lost it!"

Flowey's giggle distorted into a demented cackle, and your hand tightened into a fist in anger. They should be frightened of you, cower before you, beg for mercy. They can't laugh at you. They can't.

"They have driven you crazy!"

I'll teach you a lesson. I'll teach you a lesson that I swear you won't forget -

With a rough tug, Flowey brought you closer to his face, his lopsided smile mocking your fury.

"Tell me, trashbag," he said, still heaving with laughter, tears flowing down his face, "did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy killing your brother?"

Your left eye flared up involuntarily as you struggled in vain in his iron grip. Flowey snickered, staring right into your sockets, his voice full of sadistic joy.

"You did, didn't you?"

It's not true.

He's lying.

It's not true.

IT'S NOT TRUE -

Papyrus -

"I knew you had it in you."

You felt the magic crackling in your bones, wanting to break free, your hatred stronger than ever -

Determination.

A loud rip tore through the air, and for a fraction of a second, your left hand broke free. Enough time for you to take your turn and fire a blaster right into his open jaw.

Flowey's vines went limp around your body immediately, letting you go. You landed on the ground with a harsh thud, but you brushed it off, it was nothing, you had to finish the job. Bones shot up from the ground, cutting into Flowey's bloated body, piercing, slashing, tearing it apart until he stopped moving, until he fell silent, his dying laughter echoing in your skull. You leapt onto the disgusting mass of dead plant matter, clawing your way to its insides, reaching for the human souls, hopeful, hungry, but before you could grab them, they crumbled into multicolor dust in front of your eyes.

You were alone once again, panting heavily from the exertion, strangely dissatisfied. You shouldn't have felt this way. You killed the abomination. In the end, you proved to be stronger than him. Stronger than everyone.

You won.

And yet you were still unsated.

You would always remain unsated.

The memory vanishes, leaving only the regular Flowey behind, who's looking up at you expectantly, his stem and leaves barely peeking out of the snow. You don't say a word, opting to stare back at him with empty eyesockets instead. You hope it unnerves him to the point where he just goes away. It doesn't seem to work.

"Looks like someone got their conscience back," the flower goes on, not being bothered by one bit. "Tough luck, huh? You're better off without it, believe me. It just makes you weak. It's frustrating to go back to square one, isn't it? Given your… let's say, 'interesting' demeanor lately, I'm glad the grotto is still standing. Though I admit, your little meltdown back there was immensely entertaining to watch." He stops for a second, casually brushing some snow off his petals. "Not as much fun as finally seeing you finish yourself off, but still - very satisfying."

Happy with what must have been intended as a jab, the flower falls silent, waiting for your reaction. You idly wonder what kind of a sound he'd make if you stepped on his stem and pressed down really, really hard.

"What, no witty comeback? No 'leaf me alone' or anything? Gosh, you must be really out of it. Looks like all those times you dusted your unsuspecting friends took a toll on you." He shrugs, not an easy feat without shoulders. "I know the feeling. Or should I say - the lack of feeling? Now that I think of it, we're not that different, don't you agree? Kill or be killed." He cocks his head to the side, an eerie smile creeping up his face. "I often wondered if you could be pushed over the edge."

"funny you forgot to mention this the first dozen times i finished you off," you say in a flat voice. "oh, wait. you don't remember those. i can give you a reminder though if you're interested."

Flowey's laughter is ugly and mocking.

"Oh, resorting to empty threats now? I know you're not going to do it. Not in this run, Sans. You're back to being a good little puppet once again, aren't you? And you know just as well as I do that Frisk wouldn't like it. Are you really that eager for another reset?"

You had enough of this. Disgusted with him, disgusted with yourself, disgusted with the entire world, you turn around and start to trudge through the snow toward the town, far too drained to use a shortcut.

"Leaving already?" Flowey calls after you in mock disappointment. "Don't you want to spit a few curses at me? Or hurt me just a little bit? After all, I'm here, all weak and defenseless. I'm sure it'll make you feel all better."

When you don't react, his tone takes on an impatient edge.

"At least you could ask why I took the time to seek you out despite our, say, less than stellar history together. Let me tell you, the last time you killed me was quite unpleasant, so you should be thankful that I even bother to help you. But hey, if you don't want to put an end to this, I might as well keep the only solution to myself."

You grit your teeth and march onward, forcing yourself to not look back.

"You prefer to just lie down and give up like the pathetic weakling you are. How sad."

You shouldn't do this. You shouldn't.

"You truly are an idiot."

You stop. Closing your eyesockets, you exhale slowly and count to ten, your hands curling into fists in your pockets.

Then you turn back to glare at the slimy bastard, who's positively beaming now, seeing your hesitation.

"Oh, now I have your attention, huh? It's always the same. Nobody listens to little old Flowey until he comes to them with some helpful advice. Except for your dear brother, of course," he adds with a cheeky grin. "He's always been a fun guy to play with."

You stay quiet, eyeing Flowey with the deepest contempt you've ever felt. He giggles.

"I wish I had a mirror on me to show you your face. If looks could kill!"

"what do you want?" you finally ask, your voice rough with irritation.

"Aww, no need to be so complacent, smiley face. I live to serve."

You kick some snow in his direction, immediately regretting doing so when pain shoots through your bruised toes. Annoyed by your own stupidity, you limp closer, your grin contorted into an irate snarl.

"spit it out or fuck off. i don't have time for your garbage."

"On the contrary, Sans. We have nothing but time here, haven't you noticed by now? But since you have asked so nicely, I'll try to be concise and simple. You know - so that even your narrow little mind can get it."

You plop down on a snow poff, shoulders hunched, and take a deep breath.

"okay. what's the deal?"

Flowey hobbles a little closer in the snow, making sure he's right in front of you so you couldn't avoid looking at him even if you wanted to. Whatever. You prop your chin in your palm and stare at him with a blank expression.

"Listen carefully, trashbag, because I won't repeat myself," the flower begins. "The last time you killed me, you were kind enough to remind me how Chara took no mercy on me. I didn't expect you to be even more of a petty sadist than me, but -"

You snort. Horrible memories aside, that wasn't half bad a move on your part. It provided a modicum of amusement, at least. Flowey shoots you a dirty look and loudly clears his throat.

"Ahem. As I was saying - it made me wonder. It made me think about why you remembered all of this," he makes a circular motion with one leaf, as if he was trying to encompass every timeline, "when even I didn't. Why you remembered the true resets, even after our very world got destroyed."

You frown lightly, perfectly aware of the potential danger. When Flowey starts to think about certain events in earnest, it's bad news. Seeing your suspicious expression, a wicked smile creeps onto the flower's face.

"You've already figured it out, didn't you? Or were you too busy slaughtering everyone? I know, I know. It's hard to concentrate on more than one thing at a time when you don't have a brain."

"what would you know about having a brain?" you raise a bony eyebrow half-heartedly. "after all, you have the luxury of forgetting about everything. you can turn over a new leaf every time, if you will."

Flowey makes a face at the pun, but carries on.

"I know more than you think, Sans. You're not the only one in the Underground who keeps tabs on things. You're not the only one who knows about how determination works. I know that there's only one way that you get to keep your memories when even I lose them."

He leans closer, his smile widening in anticipation.

"You're even more determined than me."

You stay silent for a second, cursing yourself mentally that you were careless enough to reveal the truth, but careful to keep up the façade of disinterest.

"congrats, pal," you finally say in a bored voice. "you figured out the obvious. care for a hot dog as a reward?"

"Blech! Gosh, no. Keep that garbage for yourself. Besides, seeing you finally realizing your own stupidity is a reward in itself," he smiles cheerfully. "Poor old Sans, having to face the truth that he's the biggest moron under Mount Ebbott. Not counting his little brother, who -"

"Enough."

You must look like you're at the end of your rope indeed, since Flowey recoils in fear for a second before gathering himself. He gives you the stinkeye, and makes sure to put a little distance between you two before continuing.

"Ugh. Very well, you big baby. Where was I? Oh, yes. Determination. A rare resource in monsters, but not impossible to find. I have it, you have it. Even that sushi-smelling bitch has it, though not much," he adds with mild disgust. "The mighty heroine, never giving up, wanting to save monsterkind. Too bad she'll never succeed."

His words make you wonder what it would feel like to be Undyne. What it would feel like to know that you're fighting for something good, for something greater than yourself. To believe that there's still hope. For a second, you're so overcome with envy and longing that it hurts your soul. It's been so long that you felt a connection with any of them.

So long...

"But we both know that you're no hero, Sans." You look up, Flowey's voice bringing you back to reality. "We both know that your determination doesn't come from any goodwill or love. And what remains when you have no love left?"

"what."

"Hate."

Your grin twitches. You don't want to hear this.

"All that remains is hate," Flowey carries on, clearly enjoying how he still managed to upset you at least a little. "Toward me. Toward Chara. Toward yourself. Toward all the others who carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance. It grows with every reset, until it drives you to kill. And in the end," he adds in a somewhat weaker voice, his eyes darkening, "in the end comes the emptiness."

He inhales sharply, then turns back to you.

"You have reached that point long ago, Sans. Just like I did. And even when it all resets, everything going back to level one, this remains." His voice is surprisingly bitter for a moment. "It is all that remains."

"what does this have to do with anything?" you ask, too exhausted to bother masking your emotions anymore.

"Everything, dummy! The power of hate - it's the key to everything! I know it has made you stronger than before. I know you can destroy the SAVE points now. I saw you do it in the last run."

"thanks a million for reminding me what i can do, buddy. if there's anything i have a problem with, it's my poor memory."

Flowey doesn't seem to be bothered by your sarcasm.

"And no SAVE point means no point of return for them. No safe haven, no milestone to go back to. Easy peasy. If they die, Chara must start again from scratch. Even if you kill them a million times, they can always go back to that cave where they fell down." He lowers his head and lets out a deep, mournful sigh that's way too emotional to be genuine. "And that is the root of all our problems. The true starting point. The beginning of the story. You can't destroy that, Sans." He shakes his head in mock pity, and you barely resist rolling your pupils at the theatrics. "You don't have the means to do it."

He leans closer on his stem, the creepy grin returning.

"But I can."

You suddenly feel the chill of the snow permeating every inch of your bones. Your eyelights fade out, but you're still staring at the flower, looking for any sign of insincerity, trying to find out if he's just playing a sick prank on you, just like he did not even that long ago. He holds your gaze, unflinching, perfectly aware that the tables have turned.

When you finally manage to speak, you don't recognize your own voice.

"...how."

The little creeper lets out a high-pitched giggle.

"Oh, you want to know, don't you? Too bad, Sans. I have my own secrets." He flashes you a sunny smile, clearly satisfied that he has the upper hand for now. "Don't fret your empty little skull over things you cannot possibly understand. The only thing that matters is once you have destroyed the SAVE points, and I have destroyed the starting point, they won't be able to return anymore. Problem solved!"

You narrow your eyesockets at Flowey.

"what's the catch?"

"Well," he says airily, "right now I'm missing something quite important to be able to do my job."

"what?"

"It's just one tiny thing, really."

And with that, the thin veil of innocence drops.

"I need your soul."

You can't help but jerk back at the sudden change, your pupils shrinking into pinpricks, your breath quickening. Flowey's eyes have turned into dark pools, deep, wild and hungry, threatening to swallow you whole, his smile contorted into a predatory sneer, revealing sharp fangs. You slide back a little, your magic humming tensely through the marrow, your left hand readied in your pocket, shaking slightly in anticipation.

The battle never comes, though. In the next moment, Flowey is back to his usual cheery self, grinning from petal to petal.

"Hee hee! Did I scare you, trashbag? I thought you were over worrying about such petty things by now." He chuckles and raises a questioning eyebrow at you. "What good does it do anyway if you keep your soul? Trust me, you don't need it anymore."

It takes a few seconds for you to calm your nerves enough to reply.

"What the fuck, you freak."

"What, are you deaf? I just said it. I. Need. Your. Soul."

You stare at him in disbelief. He can't be serious. After all what he's done, the last thing you'd ever do is giving yourself up to him, letting him use your power for who knows what purpose. The very last thing.

"i have a question for you, buddy," you say breezily, your grin sharp as a knife. "namely, why the hell would i give you my soul?"

Flowey slaps his forehead with a leaf in frustration.

"Oh, for the… Don't you understand? Should I really spell it out for you? Or draw you a flowchart? I need your determination."

He glares at you, and for a moment, you can practically feel the aura of his own determination emanating from him.

"I must become all-powerful to defeat Chara. Separated, neither of us has what it takes to kill them forever. Heck, even the human souls weren't enough to keep them down, though admittedly, they helped a lot."

A brief flash of Asgore's somber face emerges in your mind, his body pinned down by your bone attacks, his trident lashing out at the jars with the last drop of his strength, crushing the glass into a million sparkling pieces, destroying the souls inside. No matter how many times you tried, he was still faster. You never got to experience what it was like to have six human souls trapped in your own. What it was like to become god-like.

You would always remain unsated.

"In any case," Flowey continues," they are none of your concern. You don't need them anymore. And perhaps neither do I. Because now - now that you've become even more determined than me? Now that you're second only to Chara themself? Now we finally stand a chance against them, Sans. We can put an end to this - if you want to. We can make this stop."

You can't speak. You can barely even draw breath. Flowey's words coil around your soul like vines, squeezing it, cracking the edges until it becomes nothing but a small bundle of weakly pulsating white light, helpless and scared. Scared - because you can't believe what the flower said. You mustn't believe it. Hope is a lie. It's always been a lie. It just leads to madness and despair and death.

"We must work together, Sans," Flowey reiterates, his voice surprisingly stern. "It's the only way. Our only chance."

You mustn't.

"Of course, this also means that you have to live, unfortunately," the flower shrugs lightly. "At least until we both finish the job. Then you can dust yourself to your heart's content as far as I'm concerned." He winks at you, tongue sticking out. "In fact, I'd be happy to assist."

You finally regain some of your composure.

"sorry, pal. that's a 'no' from me."

"Are you sure?" he smiles. "Because I highly doubt that you are. In fact, I think you're just about to give in. I have a plan, which is more than you can say for yourself. And it's either my plan, or letting all of this repeat itself until the end of time. You know it will. You know Chara as well as I do. But if you help me, we can win, Sans. We can win. "

You fall silent, weighing your options. You don't trust Flowey at all, and he probably knows that. He's likely to pull a trick on you in the last moment.

But if he can indeed defeat the human with your combined determination...

...why can't you do the same?

You know you're stronger than him. You can still feel the hatred deep in your soul, giving it strength. You know you can find a way to get hold of his determination.

You must find a way.

"So what do you say, bonehead?" Flowey says, tapping a leaf in the snow impatiently. "Are you finally ready to make an effort? Or are you too much of a selfish jerk to save your friends?"

Even you are surprised at the familiar feeling of relief washing over you. You're finally back in control again. You have a plan. You can do this.

I'm sorry, kid.

You were right when you said this was your second chance.

But it's my second chance now.

This will be for every monster's sake.

This time, you won't screw up. This time, everyone will live. You will save them all.

And then - then I can finally rest.

"what do i have to do?"

"As I said: destroy the SAVE points. All of them. Right up to the last one. Then give up your soul to me, and I'll take care of the rest. Don't worry," he adds with a smile, "it won't hurt a bit."

You stand up from the snow poff and look down on Flowey, your grin relaxed and your voice calm.

"if anything happens to even one single monster, you'll make a lovely cup of tea."

"I'm happy to see you finally came to your senses," he declares, apparently satisfied with your answer. "I'm looking forward to our... cordial alliance."

And I'm gonna deal with you in time.

The flower stretches his stem, preparing to retreat into the ground.

"See you later, trashbag."

"later, weed."