Chapter 2: Flowery Bones
Alphys frowned down at the scanner in her shaking hands.
She was still a little out of breath from their mad dash up the mountainside and she was tired, even if Undyne had carried her the last hundred feet or so. Papyrus stood behind her, shaking and holding back sniffles that tore at her soul. To her left, Undyne stood tensely, gazing up at the rock-blocked entrance to what used to be the barrier. It was quiet and cold, the only sound being the chilling wind and the incessant beeping of the machine in her hands. It was reading, trying to penetrate deep within the mountain to inform her of whether the day would end sadly or not. Alphys was no stranger to tragedy, but the thought of what they might find...It frightened her to her very core.
Beeeeeeep!
"aaaaaaaaaaaaauuughnk!"
The three monsters jolted at the final sounding blip, which was then followed shortly after by a soul-shattering scream coming from deeper within the mountain, so loud and yet so quiet at the same time. Ghost-like. The tone unmistakably Sans's voice. The scream continued for several long, bone chilling seconds, before suddenly going quiet for a half second and then continuing all over again. Over and over and over the scream continued.
At this point, Papyrus looked like such a nervous wreck as he wrung the life out of his hands, twitching and fidgeting incessantly.
"TH-THAT'S SANS VOICE!" Papyrus cried, turning to Undyne and Alphys, the worry plain as day written on his face.
Alphys quickly moved to disengage the alarm, to hear the screams much more clearer so it wasn't overshadowed by the annoying shrill of the alarm on her device.
"I-It s-sounds l-like i-it's coming f-from INSIDE the m-m-mountain," she informed, giving a glance toward Undyne, drawing strength from the other's encouraging nod.
"He sounds like he's getting freaking murdered in there!" Undyne shouted as Papyrus flinched at the wording, looking even MORE terrified for his older brother and Frisk. Undyne then began cracking her knuckles, before punching her open palm and flexed her muscles, almost acting as if they were surrounded by the enemy instead of simply blocked off by a wall of stone. "Alright! Least we know where they are now so let's go busting our way in there, and saving our friends! NGAAAAAAAAAH!"
"U-Undyne! D-Don't!"
But it was too late. The captain rushed forward and latched onto a huge boulder. Her muscles strained as, in an apparent show of strength, she attempted to lift it. "Suplexing", if Alphys remembered right. But, as Alphys had already predicted, even in that short moment, the Surface Illness that had weakened so many of their kind had also weakened Undyne. Sweat broke out on the fish monster's blue skin, and her single eye widened in shock as her legs suddenly buckled under the weight of the rock that she had managed to get just barely an inch off the ground. It was still impressive that she could lift a boulder by this much that was around 3x her size, but highly improbable.
Papyrus seemed to notice this and, looking just as determined as Undyne was in saving his brother, outstretched one of his arms, summoning a bone just under the massive boulder Undyne was lifting and, from the momentum, it launched the boulder high in the air and landing just off to the left by a few feet with a loud, THOOM!
"UNGH!" Undyne winced, shocked by the bone that suddenly appeared and shot upwards right between her arms she'd let go of the boulder as it sent the rock soaring sky high. Her own knees giving out as she went falling on her butt instantly looking up in shock as the boulder landed again.
In front of her was an opening just large enough for them to squeeze through now to the other side. "SORRY UNDYNE, BUT LIKE YOU SAID, WE CAN'T WASTE TIME!" Papyrus said, calling up more bones to hold up the other boulders to make sure they wouldn't collapse on them as they squeezed inside.
"W-What the h-hell?!" Undyne shouted, still slightly shaken before growling at Papyrus. "Thanks…" Undyne winced as she stood, massaging her upper arm a bit.
Alphys rushed forward, stuffing her scanner into her pocket as she then reached out for the other. Papyrus was already doing the same. "U-Undyne! A-Are you okay?!"
Undyne winced, cradling her arm and shoulder, though she nodded. "Nothin' broken. Don't worry Alph..." she told her though, she still seemed bitter about something.
Undyne was a monster of high pride, and the fact that she had dropped the boulder and required help from hurting herself, one that wasn't even half the size of what she was capable of lifting back underground infuriated her.
Alphys wondered what had suffered more in that very instant, Undyne's arm or her pride.
Undyne however, seemed to drop the subject, when Paps wanted to ask also. She wanted to gain back some semblance of control as she lead the way. Summoning a spear in hand in case things got too nasty in there as she crawled through the hole. Checking the coast was clear, before turning back around to the entrance, and holding out a hand towards Alphys. Helping her inside next, and then Papyrus.
Once inside, they could hear Sans screaming more clearly, sounding like it was coming from further in. "Alright, this way. Hurry!" Undyne ordered, she picked up Alphys as she still looked tired, and knew she and Papyrus were the fastest runners anyways of the trio. Lifting her on her back in a piggyback fashion as she and Paps ran past the barrier room and into Asgore's Throne room. The further they got inside, the more louder and more frantic and desperate Sans screaming became.
Papyrus could feel Sans soul calling out for him. It felt as if Sans was calling for Papyrus to save him. As well as the amount of fear and pain Sans must have been going through. Papyrus clenched a hand to his chest, running faster as he was also sensing that soon, Sans wasn't going to make it. That if this kept up, then something was going to end up giving in.
'WE'RE ALMOST THERE SANS…! PLEASE…!' Papyrus thought as they made it to the Judgement Hall.
Flowey heard footsteps coming closer to them and turned his head, sensing that of multiple Magical sources heading towards them as he suddenly stopped, pulling all of his vines back in, except the one still keeping Sans wrists tied up and above Sans's skull who'd let out a gasp, as he fell more heavily into his binds.
Sans was very vaguely aware that the vines had stopped trying to build a home into his soul, but still the pain was never ending, and then also made hundreds of times worse as well as most of his weight was focused in his shattered wrists, and tired shoulders. He was hanging limp in the vines around his wrists, gasping pitifully and murmuring out delirious, half formed pleas begging for mercy from the pain. His bones were rattling so hard the sound of it filled the Hall.
The Forgotten looked Sans over studying the frail skeleton in amusement. The demon estimated he still had maybe 30 seconds to decide what to do about the new intruders and then a plan formulated in its mind. "WE WONDER SOMETHING..." Flowey said to Sans, not caring if he was still conscious or not, "MAYBE YOU CAN STILL BE OF USE TO US, JUDGE. YOU SEE, THERE HAS BEEN A SLIGHT CHANGE IN PLANS..." Flowey grinned unnaturally wide, as it slithered a vine around Sans, propping his body up.
Sans grimaced, having no strength to wriggle away from the flower. No strength to even speak out as he felt vines spiraling up his spine, through his ribs and up his shoulders, thorns catching in the joints and making Sans flinch and cry out in pain, his voice sounding rough and scratchy. Though he couldn't do much besides that, he was just in so much pain and the only strength he had left was to keep breathing...
"S-Sans…!" Frisk cried, as she was let free. But was in too much shock at what she was seeing she might as well have still been held hostage as she gasped.
Sans's soul lurched when he felt some of the vines and thorns brushing against the raw, fresh wounds and cracks in his soul. He tried to scream in pain again, only succeeding in slightly choking on a whimper as the vines holding his arms grew even tighter, and his bones creaked in response. Vines had already twined themselves up and down both arms, lacing between the radius and ulna, holding tightly onto the bones. The last of the vines twined up his cervical vertebrae, through the opening in his mandible and into his skull. Acquisition complete.
And right on time as the vines trapping Sans arms finally released him, allowing for Sans to fall to his knees. He picked himself up on shattered wrists as Sans once again, whimpered in pain just as Undyne, Papyrus and Alphys had arrived into the Hall.
"Brother!"
"Sans!"
"Hey!"
All three called out to him, as, after some difficulty, the Forgotten/Flowey succeeded in puppeteering Sans body. Flowey's laugh echoed loudly, sounding both demonic, and the same as the flowers simultaneously, echoed in the Hall and Sans skull giving him a pounding, stabbing headache. Suddenly, a blinding pain erupted from behind his eye socket. The painful pressure had him choking on air, tears forming once again in his sockets until all at once, the pain was gone with a pop and then vision in that eye had winked out. There was a long, uncomfortable writhing sensation before he could see the atrocious yellow flower through his other eye.
"F-FLOWEY?" Papyrus blanched, wondering why the flower was there and more importantly, what was it doing to his brother. "WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY BROTHER?"
"p...pa..a...ps…" Sans struggled, his face pleading and in incredible pain, as Papyrus finally noticed the vines weaving in and out and between bones through his clothing. "h..he..hel-hrk!"
Flowey, still possessed by the Forgotten tightened his vines, bones groaning a bit in warning as Sans let out another yell in pain, his body going rigid, it was a wonder his spine didn't just snap in two.
"AH! F-FLOWEY, PLEASE, BE CAREFUL WITH HIM!" Papyrus called, bone knitting together in worry. WHAT WAS GOING ON? WHY WAS FLOWEY HURTING MY BROTHER!?
"AH, SO THAT IS YOUR PRECIOUS BABY BROTHER JUDGE?" The Forgotten laughed in amusement, "HEHEHE...HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND BROTHER FARE, IF YOU WERE FORCED TO FIGHT THEM, HMMM?"
"r….u….n…." Sans stuttered, as he suddenly fell to his knees, clawing at his skull, grabbing the flowers face. A strange red ooze suddenly began to drip from the smaller skeleton.
"What the hell?!" Undyne shouted, as Frisk had run towards the trio, finally getting over her initial shock.
Flowey cried out from the strain before bellowing, "ENOUGH!" Papyrus heard a sickening snap before Flowey explained, "A LESSON, IT SEEMS IS NEEDED TO BE TAUGHT. IF CRACKING YOUR SOUL FAILED TO TEACH YOU A THING, LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF I JUST BROKE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR JOINTS INSTEAD?"
Papyrus could hear his brother's silent screams as the flower proceeded to break him.
Alphys felt her soul drop from the screams of agony coming from Sans, and wondered how on earth Sans was even still alive after all this, thinking about his 1HP and how impossibly low it had to be at this point. She was so busy worrying for his HP she'd failed to catch what Flowey mentioned which was far more distressing, luckily someone else had caught it however.
"W-wait- what the HELL did that jerk ass plant just say?!" Undyne said, when she saw Papyrus was in too much shock to speak out.
"I-It's true.." Frisk stuttered, "Please! You need to help him! Help Sans!" Frisk begged the Captain.
"I will!" Undyne growled, not needing another explanation or word to be had. How DARE this plant...demon...thing hurt the brother of her best friend?! Someone needed to pay for that! Undyne charged at Sans, arm outstretched, determined to yank the plant out of Sans body if it was the last thing she would do.
She lunged at Sans, pinning him down onto the hard tiled floor of the Hall where he was standing. This time it was her turn grabbing at the Flowers head, as it poked out of Sans socket, fingers digging into the socket as Sans let out more cries of pain. 'Sorry, Sans! I promise I'll be quick!' Undyne thought, making sure to have a good hold on the plant before pulling. Sans broken bones giving a groan when the vines tightened further around every single one they were attached to.
Flowey seemed to be more lucid, feeling satisfied with what he'd done as he forced Sans fingers to flex a bit. Vines digging into Sans soul, not to hurt him this time like before but just….Ah, perfect.
Suddenly, Undyne felt a certain sensation like her SOUL being grabbed as she was lifted into the air, when Flowey had manipulated Sans arm up in the air, before violently jerking it to the left, throwing the Captain harshly against the paned windows of the Judgement Hall.
Tears violently fell from Sans's vacant eyes as Flowey forced Sans to use his magic against his will towards his friends, as well as from the intense pain of having to move thoroughly broken bones and broken limbs. Each movement more agonizing than the last as bone grinded on more broken bone.
Flowey then did the same to both Alphys and Papyrus, as more vines dug deep into Sans injured soul. Forcing Sans to use Blue SOUL Magic on the Scientist, and now his younger brother, also throwing them both rather violently. Papyrus smashing into the ceiling of the Judgement Hall, and Alphys hard against a pillar before the two flopped to the ground besides Undyne who was starting to stand back up. Sans only doing 1HP of damage to each of them, as none of the trio had any EXP nor LOVE for his KR to take any effect.
The Forgotten turned its attention back once more towards Frisk who jolted a little when they'd locked eyes, "CHILD, YOU KNOW THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO END ALL THIS PAIN. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO, IS GIVE IN. GIVE US YOUR DETERMINATION AND I SHALL RELEASE THE SKELETON AND ALL HIS FRIENDS WILL BE FURTHER UNHARMED. THEIR LIVES RESTS IN THE PALMS OF YOUR HANDS."
Frisk hesitated a moment, looking at Sans as if asking him what to do, to come up with some way for all of them to get out of this. 'How can we help you Sans? How do we all get out of this and snap Flowey out of this?' Seemed to be the thoughts going through Frisks mind as Sans read her expression.
Slowly, Sans turned his most powerful eye over to Frisk, so frail looking even more now, with his cracked soul faintly glowing beneath his shirt, half-unconscious and tears still falling but still giving her a look that told her all she needed. 'don't give up. not even for an instant. you need to hang on and stay determined. i'm rootin' for ya kiddo.'
"That's right human!" Undyne called out as well, as her gripped tighter onto the spear she'd summoned earlier and was still holding. "To Hell with what that damned flower wants! If you were able to beat ME, then you can do anything!"
"TH-THAT'S RIGHT HUMAN! YOU CAN'T GIVE IN, JUST DO WHAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD DO! AND BELIEVE IN YOU!" Papyrus added, also standing up, his right eye glowing as he felt pure utter, rage in his soul. His gaze searched his captive, and badly hurt brother, vines were tightly, painfully woven in between broken, shattered bones and joints. Papyrus could only imagine the hurt every movement was.
"Th-that's right, human! A-Although, technically speaking there's no way right this f-flower while he-he's hiding inside S-Sans's body b-but, somehow, I kn-know you'll figure it o-out!" Alphys stuttered, also getting up, as both Papyrus and Undyne got ready to get back into the fight again.
Frisk nodded, holding onto her determination tightly. 'That's right. If I gave up now, there's no telling what this thing would do with it. I have to stay determined.' she thought to herself, holding on.
The Forgotten's face fell once more, red eyes gleaming from Floweys face. "VERY WELL THEN. WE'LL JUST HAVE TO CONTINUE BREAKING YOUR FRIENDS UNTIL WE FIND YOUR WEAK POINT."
"The HELL you will! NGAAAAAAH!" Undyne shouted, running at Sans with spear in hand, as she once more forced an arm to try again at just ripping the flower from Sans skull.
Sans could feel as the Forgotten's eyes locked onto Undyne, as it tried to force him to use his magic against her again and he tried to fight back. Flowey had all the control over him however, as his efforts were only rewarded with even more tightening of the bones and screams of pain.
Papyrus could hear the groaning of his brother's bones as the vines kept constricting. Papyrus tightened his fists, his knuckles would surely have been white if he had skin and his gloves were removed. Papyrus became quickly overwhelmed, he hadn't felt anger, real anger before, but white hot rage built up as it tortured his only family. "F-FLOWEY, PLEASE! STOP!" Papyrus cried, as he outstretched his own arm, attempting to pull Sans soul towards Undyne so she could get to him easier and hopefully before she'd get hurt.
Paps was successful as Sans soul had turned blue in response, and with a quick jerk of Papyrus' hand, Sans was sent hurtling towards Undyne as she continued running at Sans grabbing his face and slamming him hard into the ground.
Sans cried out, coughing as more red blood escaped between Sans's teeth as all the air left him, when his spine was slammed harshly into the tile. Dizziness and even more pain danced along his small form, wind knocked out of him. Sans magic racing through his body wildly- Undyne kept a better grip on him this time, as Papyrus increased the gravity now on Sans soul to keep him pinned there as Undyne once more grabbed at the flower and began to pull.
Vines continued to construct, the flower holding onto dear life to his new puppet as it now became a battle of strength. Or rather, just how long Sans body would hold out, while Undyne tried to be gentle about it with pulling the Flower out. Sans screaming in pain the whole while as the Captain fought.
'I'm sorry Sans…! Just- please, hang on okay?!' Undyne thought, still continuing to wrestle with the flower, as slowly, some of the vines lost their grip on his arms and then clung to Sans ribcage. 'Just a little further!'
Undyne had almost gotten about less than half the flower out of Sans eye socket. The bones cracking around the opening as Flowey had also spread out his leaves against the inside of Sans skull, and Sans ribs threatened to cave in with how strongly Flowey's vines held onto them. Bones cracking and getting compressed to tiny fragments.
Papyrus continued the gravity magic, watching carefully as Sans's HP continued to dwindle slowly from the 0.20 and gradually ticking down. Undyne really WAS trying to be as gentle as possible, Sans HP only going down cuz Flowey was successfully essentially mincing Sans entire ribcage to smaller and smaller fragments. It'd be a wonder if they all stayed in one piece after all this…
Eventually, Flowey's vines started to slip and, now getting desperate, the Forgotten controlled Flowey's vines to start squeezing around Sans soul.
All new screams erupted from Sans at this as he felt the core of his being squeezed and compressed. Sans had let out a horrifying gasp, unable to breathe as if he was being strangled from within.
"SHIT!" Undyne startled realizing what was happening as she was about to let go, just when she'd almost got the flower nearly entirely out too.
However, Sans had had enough of this, the Captain gone too far with freeing him from this bastard demon possessed flower. Hastily, even as Sans struggled to breathe, he put all the magic he could into one of his broken, shattered arms as he struggled to lift the limb, behind Undyne and right in front of him, he managed to summon a Gaster Blaster, ready to fire a blast at near point blank at his own body and the flower if need be. If even after all this Flowey couldn't free himself from this demon's control then, it couldn't be helped. He was tired of this damn flower cheating his way through this.
Even if he had to kill himself to get rid of this plant, so be it.
"g...ge...t...t… d….du...n...k...ed… o-on….t...t...wi...ig…"
Undyne sensed the magic build up before she noticed the Blaster. Quickly, she moved her body over Sans's, just as Papyrus yanked up his arm, while also summoning it towards him at the same time, in a last ditch effort to save his brother what he could.
Flowey, seeming to break free during the Forgotten's panic, gasped in shock, as some red goop had finally left Flowey's body and made it's escape when it realized it had been cornered.
Flowey released the tight, ongoing grip of Sans soul and Papyrus was successful with summoning/yanking his brother's soul, catching it in his hand firmly as the blast hit its mark. Taking all three: Undyne, Sans and Flowey along with it.
"GUYS!" Frisk and Alphys screamed as a bright light exploded from the mark of impact, all three of them having to shield their eyes, as Papyrus held on tightly and protectively to the tiny injured SOUL of his brother.
Slowly, the light vanished leaving a plume of smoke dead center where the blast had struck. The Blaster slowly dissolving into the air from the magic.
Several moments passed until the smoke cleared, Undyne's tank top torn and back was badly burned, still hovering protectively over Sans's body who looked...completely broken and showed no signs of life, minus the extremely weak breathing coming from him showing he was still alive. Sans soul had not shattered thanks to Papyrus's quick thinking, Sans soul sitting gently in the hands of the younger brother and relatively unscathed, pulsing just as weakly with faint magic, and a nasty looking fissure dead center of it.
Sans bones were in several fragments, like someone had put him through a shredder. Aside from his skull and legs, which were in still one piece, aside from the tiny cracks littered everywhere and the equally nasty looking fissure around Sans's right eye socket where Flowey now lay limp over.
Frisk noticed that Flowey was no longer possessed, able to sense the evilness in Flowey was no longer there and gasped with relief. "F-Flowey! He's freed!" She informed, heading over to the three, when Alphys and Paps failed to do so.
Eventually they followed, going closer to them as Undyne seemed to regain a little bit of consciousness, struggling to push herself to her knees and groaning in pain.
"UNDYNE!"
"BROTHER!"
Alphys, and Papyrus called as they caught up to Frisk, all 3 kneeling next to the two badly beaten Monsters and wounded flower. Frisk gently reached out, retrieving Flowey's limp form from Sans socket and holding him in her arms.
Papyrus noticed there was still a very frail line of magic connecting to each of the fragments as it struggled to hold Sans body in one piece when Undyne pushed herself onto her back, with her elbows. Giving Paps access to his brother to assess the damage and so he could gently return Sans soul back to his home as he struggled not to cry, Papyrus's shoulders drooping impossibly low as he took in the older brothers fragile state and cracked SOUL. All 4 of the group realized it'd be nearly impossible to move Sans to the new camps site since the move without risking losing SOME of the teeny, tiny fragments along the way.
"W-We c-can't just...st-stay here. Th-That thing might come b-back!" Alphys warned, as she checked Sans HP taking out her machine again and see the screen was cracked but relatively unscathed and checking on her girlfriend as well.
*SANS
*0.0001HP
*1ATK
*1DEF
"B-But...How?" Papyrus' voice stuttered, his eye sockets never leaving that of his brother, as if afraid Sans would dust away the second he turned away or even blinked.
"W-We could...build a stretcher perhaps? Or- …" Frisk trailed off struggling to help, one hand gently moving to Sans's limp one, trying to will some of her DT into him to hang on.
Papyrus thought a moment, before, as gently as he could. He pulled Sans arms over his shattered rib cage, tying the sleeves together. Both his hands began glowing intensely with green healing magic as he moved his brother around, ensuring his jacket and shirt with keeping all the bones together, before lifting his sibling up in both arms.
"I-I GOT HIM. I'M GOING UP AHEAD BACK TO THE KING AND LADY TORIEL!" Papyrus said, his body shaking with near grief and worry for his brother. He was fidgeting, not wanting to waste even a second as his brother's life hung on the line. And with that, he took off, Sans in his arms protectively but tightly to ensure he wouldn't drop him.
"W-Wait, Papyrus!" Frisk called, but Paps ignored her as the next instant she heard the sound of a wall exploding and realized he must have summoned a bone to blow open the boulders blocking the Barrier entrance.
"Shit..he's losing it…" Undyne cursed, struggling to stand, wincing as she fell back again to her butt. Alphys and Frisk turned to her helping her stand. Alphys moving below one of Undyne's arms, lifting it onto her shoulder, Frisk moving Flowey to one arm to carry the unconscious flower, and doing the same with the other. Slowly, they helped Undyne to stand as she let out a groan, trying to stifle it by biting into her lip with yellow fangs.
"Th...Thanks…" Undyne said, as soon as she was able to stand, she moved away from them both, forcing herself to stand on her own. Though Alphys stayed hovering nearby to catch the fish monster in case she collapsed. "Come on, we better go after...after him."
"R-Right…" Alphys said as they made their way back out of the Hall and back to camp.
Frisk took one last look behind her, to make sure they wouldn't be followed, before turning bacl to Alphys and Undyne swallowing and stayed close to them.