It takes a while for the two to ascend the hallway after the door. It's gently sloped, leading them upwards, as the area around them grows gradually lighter. "It's getting kinda chilly," Flowey said as they reached the end. The next room is pitch black, however. Ahead of them is a small patch of grass. Frisk stares at it, seemingly transfixed. "That's usually where I talk to you. D'you remember or something?" Flowey asks hopefully. Everything is still… Perhaps the world is expecting Flowey to be there in the center? I hope I'm not going to have to reload this.

Finally, after waiting for a minute or so, a voice echoes through the area. "That's a wonderful idea!"

"That… that wasn't me," Flowey says, looking spooked. "I mean, that was my voice but… I didn't say that. I've never said that to you."

It seems like Frisk is less affected, and I'm able to get the two of them out of the room. The snow in the woods is momentarily disorienting and the two look around for a moment in silence.

"…Guess the next step is getting to Snowdin. It isn't too far, but there's a lot of monsters between here and there. Be careful." Frisk moves forward, along the only direction they can. Any other potential paths are blocked off by the dense woods. The trees loom ominously above them and occasionally one will obscure them even from my view. "Don't trip on that big branch there." Frisk steps over it, it looks tough and much too heavy to pick up. After walking a bit past it they hear a large crunch. They turn back to investigate. "It's completely broken, like it was nothing," Flowey remarked. He's looking uneasy.

Frisk keeps going. I catch a glimpse of a perusing shadow and both Frisk and Flowey look back. "Don't stop walking… there's someone here," Flowey instructs. Frisk does so, but the shadow is there again. "Can't you go any faster?" Flowey asked. They reach a bridge, and stop dead in their tracks. The figure approaches, slowly.

" n," a slow, monotone, and menacing voice spoke. "Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

"Don't do it, just run!" Flowey whispered.

Frisk turns around… holds out their hand… and…

PBBHHTTHHBHHTHHHPHHTHHBBHTH...

"What… the…," Flowey mutters as they look up at the new pal in question. If anything, they look even more horrified to see the short and stout skeleton before them.

"heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick," he says, sounding much less menacing than previously. "it's ALWAYS funny."

"Oh no," Flowey whispers, "Not you…"

"huh?" the skeleton asks, looking at Flowey and shrugging him off, "sorry i spooked your daisy. anyway, you're a human right? that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be looking for humans right now but… y'know… meh." While he speaks, Flowey tries, ineffectively, to move Frisk along. It doesn't escape Sans's notice. "your little plant there seems worried. hey flower… don't i know you from somewhere?"

"What!? Me? Golly, I… I have no idea what you're talking about, Sans. None at all. Nope, not me, I'm just… nope!" Flowey blabs rapidly.

"huh… okay…" Sans looks at him skeptically before turning his attention back to Frisk. "anyway my brother papyrus is a human-hunting fanatic… and… i think that's him right over there." Frisk turns to look. Sans pushes them forward. "don't worry, i have an idea. go right through this gate, my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone anyway, and lets put you right behind this conveniently shaped lamp here," he says as he moves Frisk behind the lamp. As a last minute touch he places the flower pot on top of their head.

"Hey," Flowey protests.

"shut up and pretend to be a real plant," Sans whispers. The sound of crunching snow under footsteps was rapidly approaching them. "sup, bro?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP' BROTHER!" is the loud and enthusiastic reply. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVENT… RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!"

"heh oops," Sans says.

"DON'T 'OOPS' WHAT HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN DOING?!"

"staring at this lamp," Sans replied. "it's really cool. wanna try?"

"NO!" the skeleton said, stoping his foot. Frisk pokes their head up to look and Flowey shoves them back down before going back to pretending to be a plant. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE?"

"you'll capture it?" Sans asks.

"YES! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN. AND I WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I DESERVE: RESPECT, RECOGNITION, A PLACE IN THE ROYAL GUARD… AND PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY…FRIEND? BUT ONLY IF I'M READY AND YOU CALIBRATE YOUR PUZZLES!"

"i think it might help more if you look at this cool lamp."

"SANS, YOU'RE NOT HELPING. LAZYBONES. ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER EVERY DAY!"

"hey take it easy, i've gotten a ton of work done today. …a skele-ton." He grins and winks.

Papyrus had to work not to grin. "TERRIBLE."

"oh come on, you're smiling," Sans teased.

"I AM AND I HATE IT."

"Heh, that was actually pretty funny…" Flowey says quietly.

"WHO SAID THAT?" Papyrus asks, looking everywhere but the lamp.

"i think the lamp appreciates my sense of humor."

"NO IT DOES NOT. SIGH, WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO WORK SO HARD TO GET RECOGNIZED."

"sounds like you're working yourself… down to the bone."

"AHH, I'M GOING TO ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES. AS FOR YOU… PUT A LITTLE MORE… BACKBONE INTO YOUR WORK. NYEHEHE…" his voice gradually trails off as he leaves.

"you know… papyrus has been down lately and really wants to see a human. seeing you might really cheer him up," Sans says. "don't worry. he isn't dangerous, even if he tries to be." He looks at Flowey and his pupils vanish. "Unlike me." He lets Flowey look horrified for a moment before returning to normal. "heh, just joking. anyway, i'll be up ahead. see ya."

Flowey waits until Sans walks away to speak. "He isn't joking. He really isn't joking at all. Listen… if you only listen to one thing I say, listen to this. That guy… is scary. I had to reset more times because of him than anyone."

He doesn't seem that scary. *Reset?

"Oh… you haven't had to do that yet, have you? Well you've seen those places that make you determined, right? If you mess up, you can go back to those. You should try it next time we see one, that way you can practice in case you need to."

Frisk picks him up, and walks eastward. Conveniently enough, a good spot for determination is there. "Alright," Flowey says. "Feel determined? Now lets do something you wouldn't want to stay done."

Eat the cinnamon-butterscotch pie. *Kill Flowey.
…No. You won't.
*Eat the cinnamon-butterscotch pie. Kill Flowey.

Frisk takes the pie out and eats it. I am… annoyed. Yet again, Frisk seems to be acting on their own. Must be a result of refusing to reset Flowey… what a weird effect.

"Hey, good idea. Alright. Now you just load the save."

Guess this is my cue. I load it and Frisk ends up right where the lamp filled them with determination and the butterscotch pie is back in their inventory.

"Great," Flowey says. "Now, time to tackle these Boneheads' puzzles."

They two of them go through a few screens worth of random encounters and puzzles. They're all pretty simplistic, and I know how to do all of them. Guiding Frisk through poses no problem. That is until I reach the area where San's "puzzle" normally is. Oddly enough, I don't see the word-search there.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus says, "I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR… SANS, WHERE IS YOUR PUZZLE!?"

"right here, calm down…" Sans pulls a remote from his shirt and presses a button. A large wall with movable tiles appears before Frisk and Flowey. "slide these pieces and it should make a picture. here's the catch though… you only get to move five pieces. after that, the puzzle shuts down, and you can't get past it. ever."

Papyrus looks at the puzzle for a moment and grins approvingly. "WOW SANS, YOU'VE REALLY OUTDONE YOURSELF FOR ONCE!"

"heheh thanks bro."

"We only get one shot?" Flowey asks, in shock.

"yeah. one," Sans replies.

"One?" Flowey asks again.

"uh huh."

"This is a joke… right?" Flowey asks. "Oh geez… okay, we can do this, Frisk. Stay determined."

I look at the puzzle and move a piece. Then another… then another. It doesn't look anywhere more close to being solved. I move two more pieces.

"that's uh… not right. sorry, no getting through for you," Sans says. The wall remains in place.

"Seriously?" Flowey asks. "Ugh… okay guess he is serious. You know what to do, right Frisk?"

I reload. I go through the previous puzzles. If anything, the monsters in my way are more of an impediment than the puzzles are. It's even easier than the last time, having just done them. It isn't too long before I get to the wall.

"Alright, we can do it this time, I'm sure," Flowey says encouragingly. I try the puzzle again… and I fail. Miserably.

"oops, sorry, that's not right," Sans says, shrugging.

Again. The puzzles. The monsters. I get to the wall. I fail.

"Ahhrrhhgg." Flowey's frustration is growing obvious.

"hey don't worry little guy, you just failed once… right? it happens."

Flowey doesn't answer Sans. "Frisk, just reload."

I reload. The same exact thing happens. Flowey is visibly furious. Sans is laughing at him, at Frisk, at me. "Would you stop?!" Flowey demands.

"hey it's fine, little guy. you only failed once."

"AHHGG!"

"heheh… tell you guys what. If you had come to me and told me a special word, i might've let you through. maybe."

"And what word would that be?" Flowey asks, looking exasperated.

"hmm," Sans considers it for a moment, then replies, "Fart-captain."

"…That's incredibly immature," Flowey protests.

"yep. and it's too late now to use it too."

I can see where this is going. I reset it. I get through the puzzles, to Sans. "I can't believe I have to say this but," Flowey mutters in annoyance, "Fart-captain."

"wow," Sans says. "that was incredibly immature."

"I know! Now let us through!"

"well, you had no idea that i had a secret code word but…" Sans winks, "i have another secret phrase. here, i'll whisper it." Sans walks closer to the wall and Flowey leans in.

"…Okay, fine. Got it," Flowey says.

"see ya soon," Sans replies.

I go through it all again. This timeline is testing me, the end must be spectacular. Flowey says once they arrive at the puzzle, "Papyrus can't cook spaghetti."

"WELL, I NEVER!" Papyrus storms off.

"well that was rude," Sans says. "it was also my secret-secret phrase, but you upset my brother so i still can't let you through."

"Let me guess, you have a secret-secret-secret phrase?" Flowey asks tiredly.

"ooh, you're getting good at this," Sans replies, then whispers the ultimately secret phrase.

I repeat the process a final time and Flowey, with some reluctance, tells him the phrase. "Papyrus is… the coolest. Ever. In the whole world. No one else is cooler, just Papyrus. He's wonderful and amazing and will definitely probably be in the royal guard. Some day." Flowey stops to make a face before he speaks to Sans. "There, you happy now?"

"FLATTERY WILL GET YOU NO WHERE," Papyrus replies instead of Sans.

"heheh… hey bro, why don't you get the next puzzle set up?"

"OKAY," Papyrus says as he leaves.

"alright then, to business…" Sans lowers the puzzle wall and approaches Frisk and Flowey. "you two… are time travelers… right?"

Yes. *No

"i know you're lying to me. that's what this whole test was for. the puzzle itself… couldn't be solved. it was a trick."

"Cheater," Flowey accuses.

Sans shrugs, "hey, you're the one who resets whenever things don't go your way. cheater. and hypocrite." Flowey starts gnashing his teeth. Frisk stoically pats his petals. Sans smirks and turns slightly. "anyway, once you two get to snowdin, i'll need to show you something. there's a small… problem with our world. maybe someone with powers like yours could help solve it… unless you're causing it, in which case…" His eyes lose their pupils and he stares at them ominously. "I will find out." Flowey shrinks down in fear until well after his pupils return. Sans smiles and winks before strolling away.

"See what I mean," Flowey asks Frisk. "He's scary. …What do you mean you still think he's funny? You're ridiculous."