Why did you stop?
I've been thinking... when we get the souls... what if they try to stop us?
They won't.
How do you know? We need six of them... and there's only two of us.
They won't know you like I do, they won't be able to take control. And if they try, I won't let them.
But how do you know they can't?
... Just trust me. I know.
A patch of seagrass made for an adequate place to sleep, hide and watch the world go by. Not long had passed since Asriel's arrival in Waterfall, a couple of days at most. He'd seen monsters come and go, relinquishing their most precious hopes and dreams to the glowing blue flowers that made this sodden cavern their home. Not many came through here, as he had suspected. Waterfall was still a quiet place.
Well, mostly quiet anyway... that fish monster he'd seen in the dump patrolled Waterfall with a vengeance. She went everywhere. He saw her jump impossible heights and distances to reach places no one else would ever go. Why? He couldn't say, perhaps she was searching for him, or maybe she just did it because she could.
Another thing he'd noticed was a strange pair of shoes half-buried in his chosen hiding spot. They were small and shaped for delicate, clawless feet. They didn't look like they belonged to any kind of monster he knew of...
Had other humans fallen in the time he'd been dead? It was an interesting mystery, he hadn't heard mention of humans from the wishes of monsters who passed through. Whoever had left these shoes behind it seemed had been gone for a very long time.
... And the longer Asriel spent in this patch of grass, thinking about what to do next, the more he felt that he needed to be gone, too.
He was lucky not to have been discovered already... it was only a matter of time before someone spotted him here and he'd come to realize that isolation wouldn't help him anyway. He wanted to feel again, and he couldn't do that if there wasn't anyone around for him to feel anything for. His father had failed so there was no use in going back. There was only one other person who could help him...
Past Waterfall lay Snowdin. It had been pretty isolated from the Capitol during the time he'd been alive, so there was a chance the monsters there wouldn't know who he was. If they didn't know him, then there might also be a chance that they wouldn't know her. It was a long-shot perhaps, but a risk worth taking. There was no way she would be hiding out in any of the other places he'd passed through. He bid his temporary home goodbye and set out again.
The soil changed on the transition between Waterfall and Snowdin; the ground became rock-hard with permafrost and cold prickled sharply, even painfully at his roots. Very soon Asriel felt numb and navigating got harder to focus on. He picked a spot by some trees and surfaced.
A sign across from him, cheerfully decorated with red, blue and green fairy lights read 'Welcome to Snowdin'.
Huh, so this must be Snowdin Town. It looked quaint, bigger than he'd remembered but quaint nonetheless. Very few monsters were out and about, the few who were leaned up against a restaurant with the name 'GRILLBY'S' written across the front. Curiously, there was a decorated tree in the middle of town under which sat several boxes wrapped in colorful paper and ribbons.
Asriel vaguely remembered Chara mentioning some human tradition similar to this, but it'd never caught on with monsters at the time.
In the other direction was perhaps an even odder sight. A skeleton, this one tall and lanky with what seemed to be basketballs strapped to his shoulders was kneeling down on the rock formation which bridged the town to the rest of Snowdin. Around him were several cans of paint and a very long rope.
Curiosity burned at Asriel's mind. He needed information, right? This seemed like as good an opportunity to test out his theory about the town as any. And if it didn't go well, he would know that his mother couldn't possibly be here, and move on... it was worth a shot.
He approached the skeleton cautiously, making sure to be far enough away that he could duck underground at the first sign of trouble. "Howdy."
"HELLO, WHO'S THERE?" The skeleton turned around. His eye sockets widened and he gasped. "ARE YOU... A TALKING FLOWER?! WOWIE! WAIT... DON'T I REMEMBER YOU FROM SOMEWHERE?..."
That voice sounded familiar... "Papyrus?" Asriel clamped his mouth shut. Idiot.
Papyrus' jaw hung open. "HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?!"
Oh dear... "Urm... I can read minds." ... Why did he say that?
"A MAGICAL TALKING FLOWER WHO KNOWS MY NAME AND CAN READ MINDS! SANS WOULD-"
"Please don't tell your brother i'm here!" This was not going as planned.
"WHY NOT? ALSO WHY DO YOU SEEM SO FAMILIAR TO ME? HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE? WERE YOU ON METTATON'S TALK-SHOW?"
Well, at least he didn't remember who Asriel was... "You must be mistaken, we have never met before. I just came over because I saw you were making something and it looked interesting... so I wanted to know what it was?"
"OH THIS I- HANG ON A SECOND. IF YOU CAN READ MINDS HOW COME YOU DIDN'T JUST READ MY MIND TO FIND OUT?"
Why, why, why did he have to come up with such a dumb excuse?! "urm... "
"OH, YOU WANTED TO BE POLITE AND ASK ME DIRECTLY! YOU ARE SO THOUGHTFUL."
"Yes..." That was lucky.
"WELL YOU SEE, I WAS GOING TO SET TRAPS AROUND THIS ROCK FORMATION IN CASE A HUMAN CAME THROUGH... BUT IT ISN'T VERY DRAMATIC. SO I'M PAINTING IT TO LOOK LIKE A BRIDGE!" The skeleton smiled gleefully, opening his arms to gesture towards his handiwork.
Asriel looked over the rock bridge. A coat of paint and some rope was unlikely to fool anyone into thinking it was made from wood... unless they looked at it from a very specific angle, maybe.
Wait... puzzles he could understand, but why was Papyrus setting up traps specifically for humans? "You want to capture a human?"
"NYE HEH HEH! OF COURSE! IF I CAPTURE A HUMAN, UNDYNE WILL HAVE TO LET ME INTO THE ROYAL GUARD! THEN EVERYONE WILL WANT TO BE MY FRIEND!"
This skeleton sure bore his soul easily... though Asriel couldn't fault his enthusiasm and dedication. "Why does Undyne want a human?" Also, who was this Undyne person he keeps hearing about anyway?
"OH, THE KING MANDATED THAT ALL HUMANS WERE TO BE CAPTURED AND BROUGHT TO THE CASTLE. IT'S WHAT THE ROYAL GUARD ARE TRAINED FOR."
Asriel narrowed his eyes. "Why would my da- the king do that?" Was he trying to... no. He wouldn't... would he?
"NO IDEA, MAYBE HE WANTS TO GIVE THEM PUZZLES? THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO!" Papyrus brought his hand up and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'LL ASK UNDYNE ABOUT IT."
The thought of his father ordering the capture of humans was making Asriel uncomfortable, he should hurry up and get the information he came for. "Thanks Papyrus, I have one more question before I go. Does the king come over here often?... And have you seen anyone around who looks sorta like him?"
"YES, KING DREEMURR COMES HERE FROM TIME TO TIME. EVERYONE LOVES THAT GUY! HE'S ALWAYS SO HAPPY TO TALK THE TOWNSPEOPLE. I CAN'T THINK OF ANYONE WHO LOOKS LIKE HIM THOUGH... THERE ARE BUNNY MONSTERS HERE, DO THEY COUNT? LIKE, LESS BOSS-LIKE FUZZY BOSS MONSTERS!?"
A dead end then. Disappointing, but at least it was another place crossed off the mental checklist. "Oh, well thanks anyway. It was nice talking to you."
"HANG ON... I REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! YOU'RE THE KING'S SON! UNDYNE WAS TALKING ABOUT ... HELLO?"
But Asriel had already ducked underground. With Snowdin out of the question there was only one other place left that she could possibly be: Home... or whatever was left of it...
He was thoroughly numbed to the core, but would not give up. He set out through the frigid permafrost, focused completely on finding the old Capitol. No more distractions. Snowdin wasn't a large place when you kept moving, dogs barked and the wind howled overhead but he didn't stop plowing through the pine forest until the sound of a familiar voice made him falter.
Sans...
Asriel hid behind one of the trees. Right at the end of the woodland, the skeleton stood in front of a door marking the possibly last and only entry point to the old Capitol which hadn't been consumed by the forest.
He was talking to someone on the other side. "hey, that was a good one! but anyways... i need to get going, sorry. paps gets a bit antsy when i leave my post for too long... hows about one more, before i hit the road?"
A post? Here? Didn't Sans work in the castle? He knocked on the door. A voice on the other side responded, but was too muffled to make out.
"iva." Sans said aloud.
Iva? Asriel frowned, what were they talking about?
"i've a sore hand from knocking so much." After a moment, faint laughter could be heard from the other side.
Oh... they're telling knock knock jokes?
"pretty good too, eh? well, it's been a lot of fun, i'll come back with more tomorrow. take care, lady."
The short skeleton made a motion like a wave but stopped himself halfheartedly. Tucking his hands into his jacket pockets, he walked into the trees and vanished.
The forest took on an eery stillness after Sans' departure, but Asriel barely noticed. Excitement tingled through his stem, someone was in there, someone who liked bad jokes! This was promising.
He burrowed under the door and found a small patch of grass on the other side. Grass rarely grew underground, the only places it could be found were where natural sunlight filtered in through gaps in the cavern ceiling. The dim rays covered him like a spotlight in the gloom, filling him with a comfortable, serene energy.
It didn't take long to spot the person behind the door. A tall figure wearing purple robes had her back to him as she walked down a long corridor, her head bowed. The anticipation grew stronger. It couldn't be anyone else, could it...?
"Mom?" Asriel asked uncertainly. The figure turned around, her dark red eyes filling with confusion at the sight of him. It was her! It was her! "Mom!" He practically screamed with joy. "Mom, It's me. Asriel! I came all this way to find you!"
Toriel furrowed her brow, her eyes going stern. "Stop it."
He frowned, dumbstruck. "I- what?"
"Whoever you are, stop playing this trick. This is NOT funny!" She snarled. Her body had gone rigid, defensive. He'd never seen her act this way before...
She doesn't believe me. Asriel's eyes widened, frantic thoughts started running circles through his head. "What? No! Mom, this isn't a trick! it's really me, I swear! I can prove it!"
But she wasn't listening, she wasn't listening..."My Son is dead! And this is in VERY poor taste to his memory!" Flickers of fire blossomed in her hands, her face was filled with anger and pain. "If you DARE to keep pretending!" She raised her arms. The threat was enough, she didn't need to finish her sentence.
A wave of fear passed through Asriel's body. He trembled, staring shocked at the pure hatred in his mother's eyes while moisture built up in his own.
"Mom please!" Tears started running down the furrows in his petals. "I swear I-I'm not lying to you! P-please b-believe me! I... I c-can explain!... I can..."
Then he broke down, he couldn't stop himself. Seconds passed, maybe longer... only the echoes of his gentle sobs filled the empty room. Toriel was silent.
You're doing it again, well done, idiot! Big kids don't cry... Pathetic.
"...Asriel?" Her voice was so soft as to be almost inaudible. He could only just see her through his teary haze, the fire in her hands had been extinguished. "Asriel... it can't be... how?... oh my god..." She ran up to him and embraced him, much like his father had. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I nearly hurt you!... I... there is no excuse. I am so, so sorry my child. I will never scare you like that ever again, I promise!"
She started crying. Asriel, frustrated with himself put all his effort into forcing the tears and tremors to stop. "P-please let g-go. Mom."
She backed away, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I... I..."
She seemed to be speechless. He couldn't blame her. There were so many questions that needed answering and he wasn't sure which to ask first, nor was he sure that he'd ever find answers to all of them. She would be feeling the same way, he could empathize with that, on an intellectual level at least.
And hopefully, soon, on an emotional one too. This time would be different. No more waiting and vainly hoping, if something was wrong with him, really, seriously WRONG with him, she would find out what. She was smart, she always knew when something was up. Like when he and Chara were up to no good...
Toriel made another attempt. "How about we go inside the house?" She spoke softly, it looked like the gears in her head had momentarily jammed up. Asriel nodded slowly, she hesitated before speaking again. "Would you... like me to carry you? It is just... I am not sure if you will be able to get inside by yourself..."
He was sure that he could manage by himself, but nodded agreement anyway. He would put up with the discomfort if it meant she might get over the shock more quickly.
She leaned down and carefully grabbed his stem in one hand. He retracted his roots as she lifted him out of the ground, slowly and gently, then held him in cupped hands.
"Should I pick up some soil too?" Toriel eyed him with deep concern.
He shook his head. "I'll be fine." She didn't seem to be reassured. "Please mom, let's just go."
This time she gave a small nod and looked away. She didn't look at him again, instead staring directly ahead as they moved down the old dusty corridor in silence.
After scaling a set of stairs they emerged inside the old house. Asriel had fond memories of this place, it still looked exactly as he'd remembered. Toriel walked into the living room and grabbed the pot of flowers adorning the table, hurriedly pushed the plants to one side and dug out a hole in the dirt with her hands. Carefully, she deposited Asriel inside. It felt a bit crowded, sharing the pot with so many other flowers, but it would only be temporary...
She left the room, muttering something about needing to wash her hands and returned a short time later with two cups of tea, noticeably calmer but still a little zoned out. This was good.
She sat down at the table, placing her tea beside her and Asriel's in front of the pot.
She looked at the cup for a moment, then at him. "Do you need-"
"No, it's okay, I got this. Thanks." He put on a reassuring smile and extended a vine from the plant pot, looping it around the handle.
Toriel smiled weakly in response, then picked up her own cup and took a sip of the tea. They watched each other for several moments, Asriel swilled the tea around in his cup. He didn't feel much like drinking it.
Toriel spoke first. "Please my child, do not mistake my shock for not caring. I am very happy to have you back... it is just... how? What happened to you?"
"I don't know." Asriel said flatly. "I just woke up one day. In the garden. In the castle... and I was like this."
"Did someone do this to you?"
He shook his head. "I don't know." Suspicions came to mind but he didn't entertain them here. He changed the subject. "I came here to find you because... because... I really need your help, mom. You're the only one who can..."
He lowered his eyes to the still-full teacup, trying to hold back the pain surfacing inside... why did this need to be so hard?
"Asriel, you know that I would do anything to help you. Please, tell me what is wrong." He didn't see her face, but heard the reassurance in her voice. It didn't do much to help...
He took a deep breath. "I can't feel love anymore." He looked up, her expression had changed to confusion, then amusement pricked at the sides of her mouth. She made a move to speak but he cut her off. "I'm serious! Ever since I woke up as a flower I haven't been able to feel anything... for anyone... not even dad..." She frowned, Asriel paused a moment as air seemed to hitch in his throat. "And it isn't like I haven't been trying either! I spent weeks at the castle before I... urm, heh, I ran away to find... you." He looked away. "I think there's something wrong with me. And I thought... I thought you might know what it is."
There was an awkward silence. Asriel put his cup down, he felt very exposed.
When Toriel spoke again, it was in a gentle voice. "Let me see."
She reached out and put her hands on his stem, then looked deeply into his eyes. The intense stare was unnerving, but he knew that she wouldn't hurt him. Her hands warmed and tingled with magic, perhaps a healing kind. It was in her nature that such magic manifested itself... so caring and kind... she was the best healer he knew.
Her eyes widened... and he saw terror in them. A horrible, sickening, sinking feeling washed over him. She let go of his stem.
"Mom...? What did yo-?" He was starting to shake again.
"That is not possible." Toriel stated through gritted teeth "It can't be right." She took a step back and shook her head.
That sick feeling was only getting worse... "Mom...?"
"Asriel I can't find... " Toriel trailed off. She looked like she was debating whether or not to tell the truth.
Asriel swallowed. "Tell me mom. Please." His voice was so weak...
Toriel looked torn. "Asriel... you..." She turned to look at the wall and forced out the rest of her words. "You don't have a soul."