Originally I wrote this in September of 2016 for Undertale's birthday. It's been a long time since I've uploaded on here, I guess! Oops! I hope you enjoy! I'll include the original author's notes at the bottom.
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Your journey ended long ago. The barrier had broken, and, without looking back, monsterkind was able to experience the surface for the first time in centuries. For many, it was the first time they'd seen such a world. They'd never felt the sun's warmth, or seen the leaves fall in preparation for winter. So many of life's joys, and they hadn't even known they'd existed.
You'd helped save them. And they were grateful, but the debt, if one looked at things that way, had already been repaid. Just as you'd helped to save them, they already saved you, as well.
You, who had stop noticing life's joys long ago, had taken them for granted. You, who had endured such trials that no one should ever have to face. You, for whom life had stopped being beautiful and vivid long ago. You, who had dealt the sting of rejection and inferiority far too often. Who had felt unwanted and unneeded. Who had all but given up on life.
You'd expected nothing when you climbed the mountain. At first, you'd been almost disappointed by what you discovered. But that soon changed.
You met so many monsters that were so full of life. Full of kindness and warmth, like nothing you'd ever experienced. You made friends, and gave the same kindness that you received. You were even able to help others. Everyone believed in you, and you were able to do so much more than you'd ever thought you were capable of. Life was joyful, beauiful, vivid. You were wanted, needed. You had a place in this world.
If anything, you were the one who owed them. They saved you long before you saved any of them.
But still, there was someone you still had to save.
And so, long after you reached the surface once again, you found yourself back at Mt. Ebott. You climbed the mountain whose legends lured you here long ago, but this time, you knew exactly what you were getting yourself into. You knew exactly what was down there. And it was what was down there that brought you here, unlike last time, when you were brought here by everything else.
You climbed the mountain, and entered once more. A bed of golden flowers greeted you. But this time, when you reached the flowers, you were not alone. Someone was there, waiting for you.
"...Asriel?" you asked.
"...'Asriel'?" he repeated, glaring down at the ground. "Asriel already told you, he doesn't want you to remember him like this. I'm not Asriel." He looked up at you, now wearing a very fake grin, forcing a lightness into his tone. "You should know better than that, silly! It's me, your best friend! Flowey the Flower!"
"...Flowey."
"That's right!" Flowey beamed at you. "You got it! Boy, you learn fast, don't you?" When you gave no response, he hesitated, and then finally dropped the facade. "...You came back. I didn't think you'd come back." His expression was empty, but a slight tremor crept into his voice, betraying some semblance of emotion. "You're not...here to reset, are you?"
"No," you affirmed.
"Then why did you come back? There's nothing here, you know. Everyone left. They're on the surface, with you."
"That's not true." You frowned at him. "You're still here."
He didn't seem to expect that. He blinked, going over your answer a few times in his head, before glaring up at you. "What? Do you think I'm lonely down here? That I want to be up here with the rest of you idiots? I told you not to worry about me. I told you to go on without me. I want to stay down here, don't you get it? You're all better off that way."
No...you did get it, you really did. You knew exactly how that felt; that everyone else was better off without you. To want to cut yourself off from everyone else, and just be alone. You'd felt all that many times before, and that's what brought you to Mt. Ebott in the first place. But you also knew that it wouldn't do any good to try to alleviate those fears, to assure him he was wanted and needed. It never worked for you. And that wasn't why you were here now.
"After all," he went on, with a small laugh, "someone has to look after these flowers."
You looked down at the flowers he referred to. You knew it wasn't the flower themselves that were so important, though that didn't meant the flowers meant nothing to him. But this spot held other importance. To him. To her. To them.
"I'm not here to take you to the surface, or to try to convince you," you assured him.
The anger was gone. Now he seemed simply confused. "Then why are you here?"
"...There's someone you should see."
You gestured behind yourself, to the lone spirit there. They stood there, arms wrapped around themself, twisting a foot into the ground. When you spoke this last time, they looked up. You step to the side, and they see him. They see the flower, and the flower, for the first time, is able to see them.
"Asriel," they whisper.
"Chara...?"
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wanted to do something for undertale's anniversary, so i did a short drabble. ended up being a day late, but here you go. would've done something better, but i've been so busy and dead lately that i didn't even really have it in me to do this.
A big shoutout to Undertale, which, like it has for so many people, has been a huge positive influence in my life. It's done so much for me, and I'm in a better place because of it. Even when I first started off watching a playthrough of it, the game quickly became nostalgic, and it felt like I was home. The only other game I can think of that's been like that for me is Majora's Mask...it's amazing.
I know this is nothing new, nothing original, and it's been done before. Hell, I recently did something similar. But it still felt fitting for a tribute to Undertale's birthday nonetheless.
Thank you.
