Despite all odds, Frisk and Flowey manage to get past the remaining puzzles, armored dogs all but demanding to be pet, and Jerry and make it to Snowdin. They had run into Papyrus a few times, and it seemed as though Frisk was making another friend. Perhaps Flowey would get jealous. Once they arrive, I search around town for any new dialogue, but aside from the occasional comment about Flowey, it largely remains unchanged.
"Frisk, I gotta ask… why do you talk to everyone about three times?" Flowey finally comments. "Never mind, I guess that isn't important. We should get to those skeletons." Yeah, sure, don't rush me. I go to talk to everyone a fourth time while Flowey periodically complains about the cold weather.
Frisk and Flowey go eastward after checking the Librarby and eventually the brothers' house is within sight. Sans spots them outside and waves them in. "Here we go," Flowey mutters as they go inside.
Sans looks at them. They look back. The silence is palpable, and not just because of the ellipses above all of their heads.
"so," Sans finally says. "wanna sit on that sofa?" Frisk accepts the offer eagerly, and Flowey isn't really given much choice in the matter. "you two did good, getting through all those puzzles, except mine anyway. heh."
"Can we just cut to the chase?" Flowey asks. "We've got some sort of duel to the death with your brother scheduled."
"nah," Sans says, "i don't think papyrus would kill ya, and i know you wouldn't even consider killing him." Flowey swallows nervously. I get the feeling he's done exactly that, at least once. "you know, you two don't look much like time travelers," Sans says, looking at them critically. "not that i'd know what a time traveler looks like."
"How'd you know time travel is possible anyway?" Flowey asks. "You were really uh… prepared."
Sans shrugs, pacing, "our reports showed anomalies in the time space continuum and-"
"I don't even know what that means," Flowey interrupts.
"well… how does it work for you exactly?"
"I just… found out that if I don't want to die… I don't. It's that simple," Flowey says.
"and the kid?" Sans asks. "you're some sort of… i don't know what you are, but it isn't a monster. and the kid is human."
"How do you know I'm not a monster?" Flowey asks.
"easy," Sans replies. "monsters have souls."
"H…how do you know I don't?" Flowey asks nervously.
Sans doesn't answer him, instead smiling mysteriously and winking with his right eye while his left glows slightly. "i have my ways. anyway, kid is human, does that mean all humans can go back?"
"Uh…" Flowey frowned, thinking about that. "No," he eventually says. "Otherwise I don't think the king would've managed to collect six souls."
"yeah that's what i figured. funnily enough the fluctuations in the continuum increased significantly right before he started doing that though. how long have you been doing whatever it is you do, flowey?"
"Eheh…" he laughs nervously. "Okay, so… I might've restarted things a… few times."
"a few?" Sans asks.
Flowey looks down. "A few hundred…"
Sans whistles through his teeth. "huh. as impressive, and annoying, as that is, it doesn't quite account for all the fluctuations… there's something bigger going on here." He looks at Frisk. "how long has the kid been here?"
"Just a few days," Flowey replies.
"something's giving them this power, something different from the other humans who fell… …where exactly did you fall, frisk?"
In the ruins. *In a flower patch.
"something about that patch maybe?" Sans wonders out loud. "those flowers… did they look like your buddy there?" he asks, pointing to Flowey.
"I don't think it has anything to do with the flowers," Flowey says.
*I think I'm possessed. Say nothing.
Sans stares at them for a moment. "possessed? …did you meet a ghost in the ruins? they can't really possess people, y'know."
"Actually… I think… My friend who died might have latched onto them."
"monsters' souls don't stick around long, if you had one you'd know that," Sans says dismissively.
"I don't need a soul to know how they work!" Flowey protests. "Anyway, my friend wasn't a monster at all, they were human, just like Frisk."
Sans considers the possibility. "another human… laid to rest where frisk fell… human souls do linger, but we'd have no way of knowing… and why latch onto frisk?"
"Maybe they have the same sort of potential for determination?" Flowey speculates.
*My soul is red like theirs. Say nothing.
"Hey, you're right! Maybe that's why I thought you two were the same!"
"similar souls and both having the potential for determination… it makes a good combo," Sans says. "did this old friend of yours have a name?"
"Chara," Flowey says.
"chara, right. well i'll see what i can do with this. you two keep doing your little adventure. i'll be in touch."
"How?" Flowey asks
Sans smiles. "Isn't it obvious? With my… tele-bone." Flowey cracks a smile in spite of himself.
Haha. *Terrible.
"oh come on, frisk, you're smili- actually you aren't. actually, i don't think i've seen you move your face at all," Sans says. "anyway, i'm kidding about the tele-bone. i'll just find you."
"Again, how?" Flowey asks. Sans shrugs with a passive smile. "Fine, don't tell us. I know you can sneak up on people anyway…" Frisk looks between them quietly, then at the door. "Oh yeah," Flowey said. "Time to fight this guy's brother."
"have fun," Sans says. "and flowey? if you don't play nice, you're gonna-"
"I'm gonna have a bad time, whatever," Flowey says. "Let's go, Frisk."
Personally, having a bad time sounds pretty interesting to me. As Frisk goes eastward and frost obscures my view of them, I consider the possibilities to make that happen. Come to think of it, Flowey seems to be the one completely keeping Frisk from fighting properly… There has to be a way to distract them, perhaps…?
"HUMAN," Papyrus says, as his silhouette becomes visible. "LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. THE FEELING OF FINDING A FELLOW PUZZLE ENTHUSIAST AND PASTA AFICIONADO. THE FEELING OF BEING ABLE TO CALL SOMEONE WHO YOU THOUGHT WAS AN ENEMY A… …NO, I CANNOT BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. POOR, LONELY HUMAN WITH YOUR POOR, LONELY PLANT." He turns around dramatically. "YOU ARE A HUMAN, AND TO FULFILL MY DREAM, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE YOU!"
The battle starts. I know I'll be locked out of my fight options until I can deal with Flowey… there must be a way. Under the act command… well I never tried "insult" before.
Frisk tells Papyrus that his brother is lazy. Papyrus agrees wholeheartedly, though still points out it's a rude thing to say about someone's family. The first attack is insultingly easy to dodge as well. I go for insult again, this time mocking Papyrus's lack of friends.
"WELL YOUR ONLY FRIEND IS A DANDELION."
Flowey takes offense to that. I dodge another effortless attack, then insult again. Frisk apparently tells Papyrus they'd rather have a dandelion friend than only having spaghetti for a friend. Papyrus declares that spaghetti is the most wonderful of all plant based products, flowers included. Flowey is growing impatient with their shenanigans.
Another round later and Frisk apparently makes some sort of comment about Sans's tendency to teleport. Papyrus responds that at least he moves on his own, unlike Flowey.
"If you two are just going to argue about me, I'm waiting somewhere warmer," Flowey says in annoyance as they hop away.
Perfect. Now's my chance.
*Fight Act Item Mercy
The hit isn't overly powerful at level one, but it's decent. It's a start anyway. Papyrus declares his special attack, turning Frisk's soul blue. It matters little, as he muses about joining the royal guard, I'm slowly cutting down his life. As long as I can dodge his attacks successfully, I'll have my first kill of the new timeline, and as a result, my first meaningful choice so far.
At about half health, I start to notice subtle changes in the timing of attacks, they're getting more difficult to pull off correctly, but I stay focused. Meanwhile, my health is getting low enough that I have to give up one of my many pieces of candy. Then Frisk keeps attacking, lowering Papyrus's health until another hit or two should be enough to kill him.
*Flirt Act Item Mercy
"WHAT?! FLIRTING?! SO YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR TRUE FEELINGS!" Papyrus says, instead of dying like he should.
I'm just as surprised as he is. I check and sure enough, "Fight" changed to "Flirt" without me noticing. I can't choose to fight at all anymore. Even without Flowey present… Even without the usual impediments to Frisk's attacks… I'll have to spare him.
No. I refuse, I reset, and I go into the fight again.
I can't imagine what Papyrus's monologue must look like to Frisk and Flowey as I speed through it. Eventually I get to the battle again.
*Flirt Act Item Mercy
It's there again… I know parts of the world retain memories from resets, but this? A complete change to the very rules on which battles were run? It's the last straw. I walk away in frustration.
Moments later, I hear the sounds of choices being selected, Papyrus's voice, then Frisk's soul hitting a bone. Somehow Frisk seems to be continuing the battle… without me. I watch, helpless to the whims of the world that I'm supposed to be able to control as Frisk spares Papyrus. I stare, unacknowledged, as Frisk goes with him to befriend him. I try guiding Frisk away, but it seems even simple actions are out of my hands now.
And thus my choices were once again ignored, a boss is once again spared the fate I chose for them, and now worst of all, Frisk is going about the world completely on their own. This isn't how it's supposed to work, I know that much. It was amusing for a time, but I use this world to shape it the way I want to, not the way that would just benefit the pawns that should be at my command. This... isn't fair to me at all. It isn't right.
Well at least I know one thing now… Whatever I did at the start of this run has left my world broken beyond function. I'm no longer pulling the strings directly here, and nothing is as it should be. There must be some way to solve this. I think I'll let Frisk 'live their life' for now, and meanwhile… I'll do some troubleshooting. I'm sure I can fix the issue.