Chapter 2:
I was a witness to what I could only assume was the memory of the owner of the Cyan Soul, who Toriel said was named Flower. I saw her as she walked out to meet Asgore, her managing to make it far enough to Undyne, but she was captured by the Royal Captain Guard, but not killed. She was then led to Asgore, who looked at her with a small smile.
Her appearance was that of a 7-year-old girl that had blonde hair done into dual pigtails, a couple freckles on her face, and she was wearing her red ribbon alongside a red shirt, light blue skirt, and sandals that had a design on them in the form of My Little Pony, specifically Derpy Hooves.
"Hello, little one," Asgore said, with a very grevious look on his face, and a voice filled with regret.
"I... Hi..." Flower said, her sounding incredibly shy, and it was hard not to see why, since she was tied up by Undyne, who looked a bit concerned herself.
"Thank you, Undyne. You can go now," Asgore said, Undyne nodding as she then left, but not before saying something to the kid.
"Sorry about this... but it's the only way," she said, Flower being patient and not saying a word. as Undyne left the castle, though both me and Flower knew she did it with a heavy heart.
"I apologize, but... you know what has to happen next, little one..." Asgore said, Flower sniffling as tears trickled down her face.
"I... I just want to let my mommy and daddy... to let them know... about what happened to me..." she said, Asgore actually producing tears after she said that, but he held his trident strong.
"I... I'm sorry... but even if we wanted to, we can't get a signal anywhere past the barrier... I hate it just as much as you do," Asgore said, Flower sniffling as she simply closed her eyes.
"O-Okay... j-just promise me... t-t-that... I won't feel anything..." she said, me being in tears myself at this point for how brave this little girl was being. She knew she was going to die, she knew she'd never see her family again. She knew that they'd probably have a funeral for her without knowing what happened to her... and she stayed brave, only asking Asgore that the execution would be quick and painless. If I were there, in that memory, able to talk to her without doing a thing, I'd give her an army salute for being such a trooper!... And then, with a heavy heart in both parties, Asgore proceeded to slash his trident through the poor girl's neck, it being a clean chop as the soul emerged and the king then sadly placed it into his container.
"It never gets easier... it just gets harder every time..." Asgore said... and then, I gasped as I could actually hear the inner consciousness of Flower, who was still able to hear Asgore, but without the ability to see anything.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry mommy... I just wish I could see you... just one more time..." she said with tears in her voice, but to no one at all.
When the vision ended, I gasped out loud in complete shock, which made Chara and Toriel surprised as I saw that time had resumed slightly while I was in that whole ordeal!
"Oh my! A-Are you okay, Malory?!" Toriel asked with concern as she grabbed hold of me and I breathed in and out, thinking about what the hell had just happened...
"I... I..." I gasped, trying to recollect myself in my breath and my mind.
"You kind of zonked out for nearly 3 seconds, completely immobile with wide, unblinking eyes, and then you gasped out of nowhere!" Chara said, me then sighing as I then finally caught my breath and looking at Toriel with seriousness.
"I... I saw... Flower..." I said, her looking at me in surprise.
"W-What do you mean?" she asked.
"W-When I touched that ribbon... I saw... her last memories..." I said, Toriel gawking as she sat down and I spoke. "I saw that she had been captured and brought to someone called Asgore... and that the one who captured her was a guard called Undyne. And all three of them were very remorseful, all knowing what was going to happen... Asgore apologized to the litle girl and she just had one request. That she be able to tell her parents about what happened to her," I said, Toriel getting more tears in her eyes. "In her final moments, she didn't care about herself, about her being killed, she didn't have a single shred of anger at all. All she wanted was to let her parents know what happened to her... but Asgore said that, even if he wanted to, it would be impossible to get a signal through the barrier to contact her parents, with one of the most regretful and teariest faces I'd ever seen on a man as burly as him," I said, Toriel looking at me in concern and with tears in her eyes. Then she finally asked that, when it happened, that it wouldn't hurt... if I would've been there, able to be seen but unable to interact, I would've given her a salute worthy of a fallen hero..." I said, Toriel sniffing as she then took my hand and sniffed.
"Not only that... I can sense it... a bit of her power coursing through you," she said, me being confused as I then inspected my soul again and saw that, when it moved upwards, we were all in surprised as it had added the color of Cyan to the mix.
"Wow... you weren't kidding... it's almost like I absorbed that memory and some of her power... but how? All of this is kind of surreal to me..." I said, now feeling completely flabbergasted. Was this real? Or was this one of the wildest dreams I've ever had? A coma? Or was this all some figment of my imagination that was happening in my house because of a gas leak?
"We should... We should get going to my house... I want to discuss things with you. Important things..." Toriel said, me nodding as we continued forward through the Underground until we reached the roadblock in the form of Napstablook, who Toriel looked at in confusion.
"Who are you? I don't think I've seen you before around here," Toriel asked as the ghost boy simply laid down and pretended to sleep.
"zzzzzz... are they gone yet?... zzzzzzz..." he fake-snored, me then going next to him and doing something I needed to do, especially after what I saw. I laid on the ground and looked at the ceiling. I needed to, as Napstablook said, feel like garbage.
"Oh... are you... do you like feeling like garbage too?..." he asked, me nodding at him.
"Yes... I kind of need to right now... I had a bit of an out-of-body experience... I need to meditate on what's going on... and this is the best way to do it..." I said, him smirking at that.
"I see... it's nice to know that... I made a friend... that also likes to feel like garbage... I'll get going now... bye..." he said before then phasing through the floor, Toriel then smiling as I simply kept laid down for about another minute, just recollecting my thoughts, before then finally getting up with her help.
"That was very sweet... but were you serious about needing to do that?" Toriel asked.
"Yes, I was. I've never experienced anything magical before, nor knew that monsters lived under a mountain for ages without our knowledge... and after seeing that vision from Flower's perspective? I needed to recollect my thoughts, make sure I can distinguish real and fake again," I said, Chara sighing at me.
"It's all real, you just don't want to admit it," they said, me sighing. I couldn't wait until I could talk to her away from Toriel so I could ask some questions in private. Questions she might have answers to.
"Let's keep going, shall we?" Toriel asked, me nodding as we kept moving through the Ruins, us seeing that the monsters were watching from a distance and not interacting with me at all. They must've really trusted humans because of Toriel. We then finally arrived at her house, me going forward into the house with Toriel... but Chara stood at the tree in the room and simply looked at it in sadness. And I had a feeling as to why.
"Hagh... if she went through all that trouble... you'd think she'd give me a tombstone..." Chara sighed as I simply whistled, and she then looked at me. "I'll catch up," she said, me sighing as I then went inside and Toriel then looked at me with a small smile.
"Who were you whistling to?" she asked.
"Um... I know it sounds dumb, but I was whistling to someone I can see and hear, but you can't," I said, her smirking.
"Aren't you a little old for imaginary friends?" she smirked.
"It's not really an imaginary friend if they can interact with me and touch me," I said, her finally understanding.
"Maybe the conscious mind of one of the humans that fell down? What did they look like?" she asked.
"I'd rather not say... they requested I not say a word about who they were to you. They don't want to scare you or make you upset," I admitted.
"I can understand... come, I want to talk to you about some things," Toriel said, me following her to the dining area/living room, her pulling a chair to me from the table while she sat in her rocking chair. "Now... I don't know why, but ever since you've arrived, I've felt some kind of presence... a presence I know of, but I can't place as to who it is... and anytime I feel them nearby, I heard some weird kind of language I can't decipher," Toriel explained, me then realizing something. It might have been the only explanation as to how I got here in the first place!
"Gaster..." I said with my mouth, but with no volume. And when I did, I heard something in my head. The same creepy computer noises from before, followed by words.
"You and I both know that's my name... but you must have many questions," Gaster said, which made Toriel look around in confusion.
"There it is again!... Who is it?" she asked.
"Um... can I tell her?" I asked Gaster, him speaking after.
"I doubt it would matter, but give it a try."
"He uh... His name is Gaster. WD Gaster," I said, that making Toriel gasp.
"T-The Royal Scientist?!" she asked, that making the creepy void skeleton speak in a different tone.
"She remembers me? I did not expect that... though, to be honest, I didn't expect to find our solution by watching over that one geek's computer," Gaster admitted, me smirking at that. "Now, would you like me to answer your questions now? Or later?" he asked.
"I'd prefer later. I want to talk to Tori first," I said.
"Very well... until then, just know this. It won't be your first out-of-body experience with the fallen children," he said before I felt his influence leave.
"Do you know anything about that Gaster guy?" I asked, her nodding.
"Vaguely, but I do know that, shortly before I left for the Ruins, Gaster had finished work on the Core, which gives everyone in the Underground electrical power as well as a radio signal for phones. And he then fell into it and was assumed dead... why is he around still?" she asked.
"Don't ask me, I just got here," I admitted.
"Right, right, ahem... I have another question... no, I want you to keep a promise..." she said, me nodding at that. "I know that Asgore plans to go to war with the humans... and plans to use the powers of a god to do so... before that, he needs one more soul. But... maybe you can stop him from doing that. I feel that, if anyone could make it to him unscathed, it would be you," Toriel said, me smiling at that.
"I'll accept, so long as you can answer a question," I said, her smirking. "Do you happen to know how to teleport?"
"Yes, I do. Why?"
"Well... I'm thinking that, when I make it to Asgore, I can give you a call and you could assist me in talking him down... trust me, I know you don't trust him, but I could see that it hurt him to do that to Flower... if he saw your face, no matter what happened, he'd surely lower his guard and halt his attack," I said, Toriel sighing and nodding as Chara finally came in.
"I understand... I don't like that idea, but I can't deny it, it's genius. He's a big softy for me no matter what has happened... Okay, I'll do it. Just make sure that you call me when you get to the castle, because the closer you get to the barrier, the more static will occur," she said, me nodding at that. It made sense.
"Promise," I said, Chara then looking at Toriel and then at me.
"Can you ask her something for me?" they asked. "Ask her to make me a tombstone... I dunno, I just want one." I smirked and raised my eyebrow at that.
"You do know that she's going to lose her mind when I say your name, right?" I asked Chara, them sighing.
"I know, just do it," the kid groaned as I looked at Toriel, who was confused at the conversation.
"My friend just requested something... that you give them a proper tombstone at their grave. And that it is under the big tree outside," I said, Toriel then gasping at that.
"C-C-Cha... Chara?..." she asked, Toriel looking around as Chara sighed and touched her, which made her surprised, but then she looked at them and smiled. "I... I can see you?" she asked, which made Chara stop touching her, before then shyly poking her again. "I never thought I'd see you again... h-how are you still around? Your soul went to the other side, didn't it?" she asked.
"It's... complicated..." Chara sighed. "Asriel and I... our body failed us when we fell back underground and our combined souls went to the other side... but our conscious minds stayed put, with mine going to my dead body and Asriel's being sent into the flowers... we were like that for ages... then, something happened... I stopped feeling Asriel's conscience in one place and I suddenly felt my consciousness appear again whenever another human fell Underground... but Malory is the first that can see, hear, and touch me."
"I see... I can make you a proper tombstone, Chara... but how can we get you alive again?" Toriel asked.
"I'm... afraid of that..." the kid admitted. "I want to move on, I really do... but I was taught that, if I did what I did to combine my soul with Azzie... it'd just make me go to the bad side automatically..." Tears started to roll down her face at this.
"What did you do?" Toriel asked before Chara jumped on goat mom's lap and gave her a hug with tears coming down their cheeks. "I... I ate buttercups to kill myself! Suicide! I don't want to see the other side! I know I'd go to hell!" Chara cried as I then saw that Toriel simply hugged them and petted their head.
"There, there, my child... I understand... is there a way to make you alive again?" Tori asked as I then looked at the kid and they sniffled as I smirked.
"Well... if they don't have a soul, then why do they have emotions like this?" I asked, that making Chara gasp before then looking at me.
"S-She's right... I never felt anything for the longest time... a ghost without a soul, no emotions... and yet, when Malory arrives, I can feel them again... what does that mean?" Chara asked.
"I'd like to test something..." I said as I then let my soul out. "Maybe, if Chara touches my soul... then maybe they can get a second chance? We'd just have to learn to share," I said, that making Chara look at me in surprise before sniffing.
"O-Okay... I'm forever grateful... but are you sure about this?"
"I am 100 percent sure about this," I said, Chara then getting off of Toriel and touching the soul, surprising me when her body then became absorbed into me and my soul as I retreated it back into me and I sighed in content... and Chara then came in control, looking at my body and then at Toriel.
"I... I... I'm alive again?" they asked, Toriel then getting out of her chair and giving Chara a hug, me smirking at how, despite giving her control, I could feel everything she felt. The fluffy skin of Toriel, the sadness and relief in her mind, and her tears rolling down our cheeks.
"Thank you, Malory... I am forever grateful... would you like something to eat before you leave?" Toriel asked, me smirking at that.
"Ask Chara, not me," I smiled.
"B-Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie... and a chocolate bar... please?" Chara asked through the tears, me smirking at that.
"So... can I call us they or do I call us she? Since their's more than one?" I asked, Chara then ending the hug and proceeding to pinch us, me smirking at how only I felt the pain.
"You ruined the moment. Thanks for nothing," Chara pouted in annoyance, which Toriel finally gave a chuckle.
"I needed that... I'm going to go get that pie cooked. Would you like the chocolate now or later?" she asked.
"Now, please? I miss tasting food," Chara spoke as they then looked at me and her in the mirror, me seeing that we still looked the exact same. "And you can call me she from now on, as much as I hate it. Since it'd be weird to be asking for she and they at the same time," Chara said, me smiling at her notion.
"Okay, point noted. I'll call you they from time to time if that's okay," I said, her smirking at me.
"It is," she said as Toriel then gave us the chocolate bar, me then smirking as I then grabbed it... but then, the moment I did so, I felt it again.
"Oh no! Not again!" I shouted as I felt my mind enter another flashback! And I had a feeling it was going to be about Chara!