The Valley - FINAL

Vladi was already outside the house, looking over the landscape when Frisk ran out with incredible urgency. On his expression was the most anxious-looking reptile Frisk had seen in her entire life.

"W-where… where did they go?!" she asked, out of breath.

"I don't know!" Vladi asked. "I just woke up, same as you. By The Angel, how long ago was this?"

"About half an hour, maybe," Flowey said, sounding as if he was to blame.

"Wh- why didn't you wake us up earlier?!" Frisk said.

"I didn't know, ok?!" Flowey quickly said. "MK just said they wanted to go downstairs for some water."

"And you didn't think to check when they didn't come up after a few minutes?!"

"I… look, my mind can't be everywhere at once, ok? I was too busy keeping watch outside that-, ok, erm, truth is I may or may not have dozed off to sleep for an hour. When I woke up, I looked all around the house and, when I couldn't find them, I woke Vladi up to check if MK said something, but Vladi didn't have a clue. That's when I woke you up."

Frisk took a deep breath, taking all this in and attempting to remain calm.

To make it all worse, she could almost feel like Flowey was hiding something from her. She didn't know why, so she figured she was just being paranoid or unfocused.

"This is bad," she muttered. "This is really, really bad."

"But-but I still don't understand one thing!" Vladi inquired. "Why did they run off on their own? I thought they were with you?"

"Mmm, it's a long story," Flowey said. "But, technically, no. They weren't."

"Well, either way, we wouldn't be in this mess if you were more careful," Vladi said to him, looking unhappy.

Frisk quickly turned to the flower, exasperated and confused.

"F-flowey?" she asked. "What is he talking about?"

The flower looked uncomfortable as if caught in a lie.

"Erm, there's something I forgot to mention," he said awkwardly.

"He didn't tell you?" Vladi asked.

"Flowey, what did you do?!" Frisk exclaimed.

"I, erm, I said some things!" Flowey answered, agitated. "Things that, in hindsight, may or may not have been particularly… appropriate."

"Like what?!"

Flowey took a deep breath and looked as if he was sweating.

"We, erm, chatted a bit while you slept," he began. "In my defence, I was pretty frustrated and, admittedly, tired, to be thinking properly. Mostly, I just wanted them out of my hair at the moment so I could keep my watch uninterrupted."

"And?!"

"The subject of them tagging along came up, and I mentioned, as politely as I could, that it was a terrible thing that they came along because now The Hunt is-"

"Ugh, Flowey…"

"I said I'm sorry!" Flowey exclaimed. "Gods! I know it's all my fault, so enough with pointing fingers and just let me help fix it!"

"Did they say something else?" Vladi inquired. "Something that maybe could've hinted where they would be going."

"Wait, they mentioned fetching water, right?!" Frisk inquired. "Maybe it's them saying they're heading towards Waterfall?! Back home?"

"I… I don't think so, no," Flowey said. "They know about the dangers and the fact that The Hunt probably knows their face. Nah, Nah, Nah, they're too scared to go home. Told me that myself, in fact."

"Where else could they have gone?!"

"If I knew, we wouldn't be still in this mess!"

"Either way, we better get looking," Vladi said. "Half an hour is already a long time for a head start, but if we split, we could cover more ground."

"Right, which way should I start?!" Frisk asked impatiently.

"Eh, no, no, no," Flowey said. "I think you're the last person MK wants to see right now."

Frisk turned to him.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, minus Mickey and or his goons," Flowey clarified. "The last one of us three, that is-"

"W-w-wait, what are you talking about?!" Frisk asked, filled with conflicting thoughts and feelings. "Aren't you the one who pushed them away according to your own words?!"

"Well, yes. But, back then, we talked about a lot of things. Now don't take my word for a moment, but, for some reason, they… they seemed to be scared of you."

Frisk could not comprehend what she heard. She could only grasp the words. But the meaning was almost alien to her. Her gut reaction was that this was a lie, it had to be. Yet, strangely enough, she could not find herself to disbelieve him. The look on his face, the sound of genuine pity for her in his voice. If Flowey was truly lying about something, this was not it.

"They're scared of me…?" Frisk asked, growing saddened. "Why…?"

"Ok, maybe scared is a bit of a strong word-"

"We don't have time for this!" Vladi said urgently. "The more we argue, the further they're away. Gods, I can't imagine how frightened they must be. Lost and alone."

"Ugh, screw it," Frisk said. "Even if they're terrified of me, I'm not going to stand by and let them be alone out there!"

"Alright," Flowey stated. "Just don't be surprised by the reaction. If you do find them, that's it."

"We should start by going up a hill," Vladi said. "Would give us a better view of the place. What do you think?"

Suddenly, Frisk noticed something. All of this felt familiar in an uneasy uncanny sense. Like she had envisioned something like this before in some vague foretelling.

Her dream. She couldn't remember much of it now, but she felt like something about it had "hidden clues" of some kind. Her mind had reached in and grabbed aspects of that dream from deep within her. From what she could sparsely recall, a path formed in her head, starting from the front of the house. She followed that path with her eyes and studied where it led.

She remembered now. She could see them again, the kid who ran. Where they ran to, and where she found them.

"Frisk?" Vladi inquired.

"No need," she said, doubting herself as she looked at the old battlefield in the distance. "I think I know where they went."

...

The border felt more ominous than ever, and not merely because an unusually thick fog had manifested beyond it.

Frisk stood for a few moments of dread in front of the invisible line made by the totems.

Intrusive thoughts invaded her mind once again.

Why would they be scared of me? Frisk thought to herself. Did they figure out I'm human- no, no, no, I don't see how. But what else could it be? Maybe it's something I said?

She took a deep breath and stepped over the line. She walked only a few steps before pausing again.

Maybe Flowey was just bullshitting earlier, she wondered. But why would he? If he didn't want me to find them, he wouldn't be so urgent about this whole thing.

"Ugh, one worry at a time, Frisk," she said to herself.

She looked around, trying her hardest to see if she could memorize the steps she made in her dreams. It was hard, as most of it appeared to blur together.

She could recall the dream had a lot of darkness, some fighting, perhaps, and lastly, some eerie sense of a foreign presence. That part stuck out the most when she reflected. She couldn't recall much of it except that they felt like some strange invader, something that shouldn't have belonged.

Frisk shook those thoughts away as she tried to focus back on her goal. It was not the time for this. She hastily began to walk where the traces in her mind approximated led. The strange fog made it harder to map it. But there were some old scattered armours and weapons she tried to use as waypoints.

Every now and then she quickly turned her head, expecting a pile to rise up and take form. The further she went, the more abundant the scattered equipment became, and the more lost she felt. Fortunately, the fog appeared to be slowly dissipating.

"MK!" Frisk cried out.

There was no response.

She cried out again, and for a moment, she thought she heard quiet mumbling in one direction.

Suddenly, another noise came and made her freeze. It was decently close by and sounded like someone stepping on chainmail.

She gulped and headed towards it. What sounded like soft sobbing appeared for a moment.

A very large discarded breastplate appeared in front of her alongside a very long spear that had a face carved on its end. Uneasy breathing came from behind the armour.

Frisk walked around the massive breastplate, spotting a glove and boots huddled up beside it like a memorial. Just beside it, sitting on their knees and staring at the ground, was a familiar yellow armless reptile breathing uneasily.

"MK?" Frisk asked calmly.

The kid quickly turned towards her as if startled.

"F-Frisk?" they said uneasily.

"Oh, thank God I found you-"

Without even a word, MK rose to their feet and ran away.

"Wha-hey!" Frisk cried out and went after them.

MK ran through the field, panting and dodging the discarded relics of war. Frisk followed, jumping and dodging when she needed, not once losing sight of MK.

"Stop!" Frisk cried out. "I just wanna talk!"

MK did not seem to be looking where they were running. Out of the blue, they tripped, falling face-first onto dust-covered grass.

Frisk felt her heart stop for a fraction of a second before catching up to them. They slowly rose to their knees.

"Shit, are you ok?!" Frisk asked, panting. "Jesus, why the hell did you run off like that?!"

She reached down to grab MK's shoulder.

"Go away!" they cried out.

Frisk immediately backed a few steps. MK panted and looked at the ground with uneasiness while they shook away the dust like a wet dog.

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked gently.

MK remained silent.

"It's ok," Frisk said. "Remember what Flowey and I said? We're always here for you in moments like these."

MK slowly stood back up and looked over the now visible field. Parts of the fog dissipated, showing rows of discarded weapons and armours laying for a long distance.

"MK…" Frisk began.

"I don't know why I am so obsessed with them," they said.

"Who?"

"Them," MK said. "My… my birth parents. I keep wondering about them, even though they could've been complete dicks, as far as I know."

"Hey, hey, don't say that!" Frisk said. "Look, erm, even if they were, birth parents can be overrated from my experience. You shouldn't define yourself by someone you never even met."

MK turned her, looking almost saddened.

"Oh god…" Frisk said, sounding regretful. "I… I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I think I shouldn't have said that."

"It's ok, you're right," MK said, looking strangely upset. "You and Flowey are right about everything. I don't know them. I came this far thinking I would. But the truth is, I should have never joined you."

"MK, look-."

"Why did you come after me?!" MK exclaimed. "Why can't you-… just leave me alone?!"

"It's not a good idea to be here alone," Frisk explained. "The Hunt could be already in the valley as far as we know."

MK kept their mouth shut. They slowly walked toward one pile of armour and sat on top.

"What did Flowey say to you?" Frisk asked calmly, even though she knew the answer.

MK remained silent for a few moments and stared at the ground, at the dust-covered grass.

"Some things," MK muttered. "That I should've never left Snowdin. I should've never left mom or sis."

"Dude, that's just Flowey," Frisk reassured. "He probably didn't mean it that way."

"But it's true!"

Frisk was taken aback by that quick change of tone.

"It's true," MK added. "Flowey is right. It's dumb. It's all so freaking dumb. I don't know why I bothered to come here. I thought it would give some answers about them, anything. But nothing. I don't know them any better than I did before. And why should I? Why should I care? I already have living parents! A family, and I… I…"

They stopped speaking for a moment, and their eyes looked to be on the verge of tears.

"I-I don't know what to do anymore," MK said. "They know my face. They've seen me. I tried not to think about it until Flowey mentioned it. But now everyone at home will avoid me, thinking that-that I'm a friend to some human."

Frisk looked at them in confusion and surprise.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"They'll say I'm a friend of some human," MK said, not looking her in the eyes.

"So that's why you've been avoiding me all this time," Frisk said. "H-how did you know?"

"Y-you really are?" MK asked, a gasp in their voice.

They backed further away on the tree log, eyes staring at her with frightful eyes. They seemed to be close to another sprint.

"I can't believe it…" they said, looking at her like she was some abomination. "That's… that's so strange. I thought I was just paranoid. Just a guess, but somehow- I just knew. It's like something took my brain and inserted this idea into it. My gods, you're really human?"

"MK…?" Frisk began.

They found out the last reset, Frisk thought. My god, is it suggesting that information moved between timelines.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Frisk said. "Look, I…- if I wanted to hurt you, I would've done so a while back."

"Why didn't you at least tell me?!" MK exclaimed. "You told me were an Ape-monster and promised me all these places- w-were all those places you mentioned lies as well? What else did you lie about?!"

"We-we just met and I… I didn't know what to do," Frisk said back. "I'm sorry I… I didn't know who to trust. I still don't."

MK stared at her with utter hurt. Tears were leaking down their scaly cheek.

"Oh god," Frisk muttered. "MK, I…"

"Leave me be," they said softly, looking away. "This was all a mistake. Please just… just leave me here to die."

"I… I can't do that," Frisk said sorrowfully, and she could feel the desperation growing. "Look, we… we can get through this. W-we'll fix this somehow! There is a solution somewhere. Flowey knows this kingdom in and out. M-maybe he'll figure something out. Something to get out of this mess. Just don't give up. Please. Not now."

MK remained silent for a few seconds, staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry," they said tearfully. "I didn't mean to yell so much. I'm just scared."

"MK…" Frisk said empathetically.

"I wanna find my mom," MK said, sounding close to sobbing. "But even if I find her… I'm scared I can't go home to Snowdin ever again, that I can't see my other mom, my sis. I'm scared I'll just be putting them all in danger. I-I wish I was strong, brave. Like you. But I'm not like you."

"You think I'm brave?"

"Yeah… of course you are."

Frisk stood back, taking it all in. She didn't know what to say. They were right, weren't they? She could tell them it was alright or that she had things under control. She could say there was no reason to be scared or hopeless. But that was a lie, wasn't it? They were right to be sad, to be scared.

Frisk wanted to reset everything. Not just since her last save, but since she began this journey. Maybe even further back.

What's the point, she thought.

That's when it hit her. She was still here, wasn't she? She could've given up a long time ago.

She turned to look at MK, seeing their sad state hands in her pocket.

"You, erm, want me to be perfectly honest, kid?" Frisk began. "I'm terrified."

MK turned around and looked at her with disbelief.

"Really…?" they asked.

"Yeah," Frisk said.

"Of what?"

"I'm… I'm terrified of… everything. I mean, of The Hunt, the strange places, of-"

"Of me?" MK asked.

"Wha-, no," Frisk said. "Of course not. Why would I be? You're… you're nice. And cute. Maybe the nicest kid I met."

MK gave out a quick but brief smile.

"Or maybe I just know better now," Frisk pondered, looking down on her shaking hand. "Truth is… all these past few days have felt like a nightmare. There are even times where I wanna just crawl into some hole somewhere and scream until I die."

She gave out a sigh.

"So why don't you?" MK asked curiously.

Frisk looked over the horizon, towards the swamp as if it would give her the answer.

"I don't know," she said. "Guess I'm just too stubborn. Or maybe I just… I just know nothing good would come of it."

MK looked unsure of how to react. Frisk approached and sat on the other end of the pile. Suddenly, tears began to flow from the kid, and sobbing followed.

"Hey, hey," Frisk said and pushed herself slightly closer. "Look. I get it. The point is, I don't blame you for being scared. But, I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of, ok? I'm scared. Flowey's scared. Some are just better at hiding it."

"Y-you think so?" MK asked in the middle of tears.

"Yeah…" Frisk reassured them.

"Even Mickey?"

"Eh, maybe," Frisk said. "Maybe a little. But if he isn't, then that guy would be an idiot. Especially against us."

MK gave a teary chuckle for a moment before it faded again.

"Can I tell you a story?" Frisk asked gently. "In one of, err, my "foresight" events, y'know my "visions", alternate outcomes, Flowey and I decided to part ways after we realized The Hunt was close by. But you wanna know what you did?"

"I… I followed anyway?" MK guessed.

"Yeah, but not only that. Not only did you secretly follow after us without hesitation into literal danger, but... when all three of us were hiding under a pile of logs from two of the deadliest of the bunch… you were literally smiling."

"R-really?! I was smiling?!"

"Yeah, no bullshit! You even said it was cool! Straight up, we were hiding with these lunatics only a few steps away, and you said "cool" with the biggest smile I've ever seen on your face!"

MK gave a small grin before it faded quickly.

"I guess that version of me just didn't know better or something…" they said.

Frisk thought for a moment and then shrugged.

"Maybe," she said. "But I believe it shows that, deep inside you, you're strong enough to be brave. Nah, I don't just believe it. I know you are."

MK nodded in understanding.

"Do you think they're here?" they asked. "With us? Watching us right now, only we can't see them?"

Frisk pondered that question for a moment. She often wondered about that as a child, about her own mother. As she grew older, however, she became far from religious.

But after everything, she found herself pondering those questions once again.

"I'd like to think so," Frisk said. "But wherever they are, if they are watching, then they should be proud of you."

"I hope they wouldn't envy my new parents," MK added.

"Eh, I doubt it," Frisk said reassuringly. "If anything, they should be proud they managed to raise you into a… a brave little kid."

MK put on a small smile.

"I like that thought," they said.

"Me too."

She slowly put a hand on their shoulder. They shivered on touch but accepted it nonetheless.

"See?" Frisk said. "You're braver than you think."

MK nodded slowly and looked up at her.

"Ready to head back, kid?" Frisk inquired.

"Just a moment," they said.

"Alright then," Frisk said. "I'm not going anywhere."

So they both moved their glances. They gazed upon the old battlefield, the dust glittering and sparkling like spirits. As Frisk became lost in the tranquillity, she didn't notice it at first, but MK had fallen into her arms, sleeping.

...

Sometime later, back at Vladi's farmstead. The dragon was on the hill by the house, surveying the area east of the house. After some time, she heard someone crawl up behind him. He turned with hope, but that became dashed once he saw it was just Flowey returning.

"F-found anything?!" the dragon called out.

"Nope, nothing!" Flowey replied. "Not a jack."

Vladi sighed and turned towards the old battlefield. He was still very curious about what made her insist MK was there. She left without much explanation, and now it had been a while.

Something was approaching from that place. His old reptilian eyes deceived him at first into thinking it was a tall strand of grass or a small tree. But it was a figure that was approaching, holding something that looked like a child in their arms.

"Flowey!" Vladi called out and pointed. "Over there! You see that?!"

"I see it!" Flowey said. "Is that- yes, it's them!"

"I'll be," Vladi said, chuckling with awe. "She was right after all!"

"About time," Flowey muttered.

...

MK woke back up. For a moment, they thought they were back home, carried in the arms of one of their mothers. Then their eyes adjusted, and they looked up to see Frisk.

"Hey, kid," she said. "You're awake."

MK nodded and turned forwards, trying to hide their feeling of melancholy. They saw two familiar faces waiting on top of the hill; a blue-scaled, humanoid dragon with blonde hair and a bit of chub, and a small living flower.

Flowey crawled forward to them, forcing a grin on a clear expression of self-blame.

"Hey," he said. "So, about all those things I said-"

"It's ok," MK said. "I'm over it."

"Still, erm, wanna talk about it?" Flowey asked, awkwardly, as he followed up the hill. "Erm, I wasn't asking because I'm, err, some sort of a lovey-dovey type. So don't get used to this."

Frisk slowly crouched down on the ground and let MK walk out of her arms. They took a few clumsy steps, only to almost fall forward before Flowey held them up with vines.

"Eh, thanks," MK said. "But no worries, you can just let go. I fall on my face all the time."

Flowey looked up at Frisk as if he was unsure of how to act. The first time she ever saw that look on him.

He used his vines to pat them on the back.

"Frisk?" Vladi said as he came down. "Oh, this is such a relief."

He looked around them with a smile of relief that seemed to fade as he glanced at Flowey.

"Yeah, yeah, I agree this mess is all my fault," Flowey said grumpily. "No need to rub it in."

...

Some time passed, and Frisk sat outside on the porch, her feet dangling from it. It was early morning, yet the horizon looked the same as last she looked. Her only proof that time had passed was the words of others. She did not feel surprised that no two places could agree on the exact time in the kingdom.

It dawned on her that she had literally walked atop a mass grave. How many dust-remains she had trampled on, she tried not to think about. Was this act considered sacrilege? If there were truly spirits laying in rest there, had she angered them?

Just as her thoughts moved to Vladi, she could hear the door open up behind her. She turned to see the large, blue-scaled humanoid dragon exit.

"How are they?" Frisk asked him.

"They're… fine," Vladi answered. "The two of them seem to be patching things up right now."

Frisk nodded and turned to look back onward.

The dragon walked next to her and sat down, his large feet touching the ground from the porch.

"After that, I guess we'll be off," Frisk added.

Vladi said nothing to that.

"Thanks, dude," Frisk said. "For the shelter."

"It's… it was nothing," Vladi said, with sadness in his tone. "I'm just grateful I was able to have someone to help around the farm again. And for company. That lasted more than a few minutes, I mean."

Frisk gave out a tiny smirk as the two of them gazed towards the distant field. Two different generations and lifeforms, sitting side by side.

"It's not as bad as I expected," Frisk added. "Couldn't find any ghosts… but I suppose they'd be invisible or something."

"Aye," Vladi said as he nodded. "I spent the last 12 years of my life looking over that place. And in those 12 years, I've been the only one brave enough to venture past the memorials. Or so I thought."

"Uh-huh," Frisk said.

"No one goes through there for no reason," the dragon said. "I suppose the kid had someone who died there."

"Yeah…" Frisk confirmed. "Their birth parents."

"Both of them?"

"That's what they say."

She couldn't find anything else to say. So she just watched on in silence.

"Heh, I've been over there so many times, I've lost count," Vladi explained with a grin. "At least once a day."

"Why?" Frisk asked curiously.

Vladi said nothing. His expression turned sombre.

"Right…" Frisk said. "Nevermind then."

They looked on.

"She was my wife," Vladi said unprompted.

Frisk turned to him, confused.

"Sorry?"

"You asked me who Bjorg was last night," Vladi said. "There's your answer."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that," Frisk replied, unsure of how to react. "That is… I'm sorry."

"Mmhm," Vladi said. "I've lived on this farm longer than we were married, than we were together, perhaps. Still, even if that time was little in the grand scale of things, they were the happiest years of my life. Bjorg, oh Bjorg. Even today, she is my reason for living. The reason I'm here. The reason I dare cross those borders every day. For I always hope to see her again, beyond that horizon."

Frisk felt a great rush of saddened understanding.

"She died there?"

"In that "great" battle, yes," Vladi replied. "The one that ended the war. She was the strongest, bravest and most honourable fighter I knew. And I loved her, and she loved me."

He gave out a small sigh.

"And, like many others," he continued. "She never left."

"So that's why you built this farm here in this place," Frisk said. "Of all the places."

"All these years," Vladi continued. "And I have yet to be sure of a single speck to be her. But I know she's there. Even today, at this moment, I can feel her presence. She is out there, and she is not forever lost. Even if it takes me thousands of years, I will find her essence. I will give her my final goodbyes."

"But… that sound's impossible," Frisk said. "All the dust. Are you sure you'll ever find her?"

Vladi shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Life is not always satisfying in its conclusions. More often, it happens in a way we don't envision. This battle, for example, was never meant to be a battle of this scale. A simple duel between several combatants escalated into madness. Funny thing, Bjorg wasn't meant to be one of them. She was strong and brave but wasn't considered champion material by the others. Humph. Bjorg was there for an honorary reason more than anything else, alongside most of the others. Just glorified spectators. So when news of our victory over the rebellion arrived, we all eagerly waited by the capital gates. And she never walked through."

The dragon sighed, and some light black smoke came from his nostrils.

"You know what the last thing I said to her was?" he asked.

"What?" Frisk asked.

"Can you catch some glamburgers on the way home?"

Vladi chuckled a bit.

"As I said," he added. "Life doesn't always happen the way we envision. Sometimes it ends in an accident or a war. Or both. Sometimes both…"

They could hear the front door open just behind them, and they turned to see Flowey and MK come out.

"Hey," Flowey said, sounding down.

"Sup," Frisk said, nodding.

She looked at MK, who, while still dour, at least had some spark reignited.

"How did it go?" Vladi inquired.

"Eh, could've gone better, could've gone worse," Flowey said. "I gave my apologies, and don't worry. I chose my words extra carefully this time."

"Is it true?" Vladi inquired.

"Yeah," MK said. "I feel better. I am ready now."

"Alright," Frisk said. "Then shall we get back to it?"

"Oh, absolutely," Flowey said.

"H-hey, what about The Hunt?" Vladi said suddenly.

"What about it?" Flowey asked.

"Err, maybe you wanna… you wanna stay here just a little bit longer?" Vladi asked. "Li-like, I don't know, just one more day at the very most?"

Frisk sighed inwardly. She half-expected this, seeing the dragon's saddened expression.

"Look, I- erm, we appreciate all you've done so far," Frisk said. "But we've got places to be. Sorry."

"Yeah, and we also appreciate the offer," Flowey said. "But any second we spend here is another second the hunt has to track us down to this place."

"A-at least just a few more hours then?" Vladi asked. "It's still early in the morning a-and The Hunt rarely ever comes here! Heh, I'm not sure half of them even know about this place."

Frisk glanced at the floor, biting the bottom of her lip. After a moment of silence, Vladi gave out a defeatist sigh.

"My apologies," he said. "It's just… it's been a while since-"

He took a deep breath.

"Alright," he began. "I know of a safe, forgotten route nearby. It'll take you to some of the more remote areas of the kingdom, but it'll get you far away."

"What do you guys think?" Frisk asked curiously.

"I think I know what he's talking about," Flowey said, looking ponderous.

"Oh, then it should be no problem," Vladi said, smiling. "Come on. I'll take you there. Just to be sure."

...

They walked for what felt like an hour through the rest of the valley. On the way, Vladi grew surprisingly energetic, talking about his wife, about weird and funny stories he had of her.

They walked past the old battlefield until it grew distant on the horizon. The fog had followed and moved to cover the road itself, making it hard to see further than a few feet.

The road ended at some strange, murky water where a strange-looking boat was placed upright just by the shore. It had no visible oars and looked closer to a canoe with a tall looking but empty lamp holder by the other end.

"This boat should take you to The Swamp," Vladi said. "It's a… it's a desolate location just on the very edge of the kingdom. Most people don't know about it."

"I've been there, thankfully," Flowey said. "Pretty unremarkable. Nothing there but dirt and bog."

"Ahh, I hope that means you won't get lost," Vladi said, smiling optimistically.

"He hasn't gotten us lost so far," Frisk said. "Ehh, except for maybe that one time."

She picked up MK in her arms and carefully put them on the boat.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," they said.

MK proceeded to make themself comfortable on the other edge of the boat.

"So… I guess this is goodbye?" Vladi said depressingly.

Frisk turned around and gave him a quick hug.

"Once again, thank you for everything," she said. "And I… I hope you find your wife soon."

"Eh, it's alright," Vladi said, smiling. "I've got all the time in the world."

Frisk let go and walked to the boat.

"My… my thanks as well," MK said from the boat. "W-will we see you again?"

Vladi thought for a moment and then shrugged.

"That would be a pleasant surprise," the dragon said. "But we'll just have to see where life takes us."

Flowey looked up at him for a moment, then looked away again quickly. Then he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Screw it," he said.

He extended his arm-vine towards the dragon.

"I give you thanks as well," Flowey said, not looking him in the eye. "I still stand by that it was a stupid idea, but… I don't care about that anymore. Just take solace in the fact that I… we appreciate the shelter, although brief. So that's all that matters in the end."

Vladi, looking unsure on how to proceed, slowly reached for the tip of the vine and then shook awkwardly.

"Eh, you get used to it," Frisk told Vladi and shrugged.

"Alright," Flowey said and retracted the vine. "Everyone on board."

Frisk jumped on as Flowey began to push. As the boat left the shore, Flowey athletically jumped aboard, almost losing balance on the now rocking boat.

"So, where are the oars?" Frisk asked, sitting down.

"Ah, there's no need to row this one," Flowey said. "It's an old shade-boat. It moves on its own down the river, or swamp in this case."

"Shade-boat?" Frisk asked.

"A boat made by shades," Flowey said. "Y'know, those hooded creatures?"

"Like River-Person?" MK asked.

"Exactly," Flowey said.

"Who?" Frisk asked.

"A shade who ferries monsters across the river," Flowey explains. "Pretty cool guy or gal. Whatever, I don't think shades have genders."

"Think they're all enbies?" MK asked.

"Eh, maybe. Sure, let's go with that."

Frisk looked to the shore that was slowly moving from grasp. Vladi was still standing there, watching them leave. Frisk gave him a small wave. He waved back, a saddened smile on his face.

But there was something else there, besides the old dragon, standing silently. It was a very transparent silhouette easily mistaken for a flick of the light. It looked tall, like a strong warrior made of stone. Frisk peered closer. Was it a person? A monster?

"Frisk, what are you looking at?" Flowey inquired.

"Wha-?"

She glanced at him and then back. Just like that, the strange form was gone.

"Nothing," Frisk said, unsure. "Must've been a mirage."

...

Far above, on the other side of the valley, a lone hooded vigilante stood on top, looking down over the immense vista. From this high vantage, she could see a hint of a boat leaving shore on the other side, heading towards the swamp, the forgotten edges of The Underground. A scarce few monsters lived there.

Outside of the distant farmhouse, the next thing that caught her eye was the old battlefield. Ashu-Tsuki shook her head in shame. She had hoped she would never go there again.

...

"Did he remind you of someone?" Frisk asked Flowey curiously.

"Of whom?" he asked back.

"Isn't it obvious?" Frisk answered. "Old, lives by himself, very clingy as well? Just minus the crazy."

"Ah, you mean As- sorry, the old hermit?"

"His name was Ash?" Frisk inquired.

"Err, yeah. Let's say that."

Frisk looked to her side at the impenetrable fog surrounding the boat.

"So… I've been thinking," Flowey began. "I made some bad mistakes recently."

"Everyone does at some point," Frisk said.

"Not many so heartless," Flowey stated. "Or selfish. Or involving life or death."

"Good point," Frisk said.

"Anyway, you're not reconsidering throwing me away again?" Flowey asked.

Frisk needed a moment to process what he was saying.

"Heh, fuck no," she said and chuckled. "That was just… a momentary impulse back then, is all. Jesus, I was trying to forget about that whole thing."

"Oh, that's a relief," Flowey said.

"I, erm, I know I can be kinda… tough sometimes," Frisk admitted. "Maybe… bitchy is the right term?"

"Ugh, don't be so hard on yourself, Frisk," Flowey said. "Trust me. In your shoes- erm, steps, would be angry as well."

"Yeah, you don't strike me as "bitchy"," MK said gently.

Frisk almost couldn't hold in her sudden laughter, and Flowey looked at the kid with the most baffling expression he could make.

"Geez, what are we teaching the youth these days?" he said.

"Oh god, sorry," Frisk said, smiling with amusement. "Just don't be saying that word other people, kiddo?"

"You mean "bitchy"?" MK asked genuinely.

The tone of his voice made Frisk almost laugh again.

"Yeah, that," Frisk said, still smiling. "Sorry, I'm not trying to make fun of you."

"I know what that word means," MK said, looking unamused. "Why can't I? You say worse things all the time."

"Huh, fair point," Frisk said. "I meant to say, don't say things like that around people who don't know you."

"Meh, swearing doesn't really make one inherently mature," Flowey added. "Hence why I stop myself from swearing all the time, and I'm doing great so far."

"Eh, in that case," Frisk said. "I'm proudly the most immature one here. Just one reason on the endless list of why I don't have friends."

"I'm your friend," MK said. "Flowey is your friend."

The human girl almost felt her cheeks blush at that statement.

"Err… maybe so," she said, looking away. "I meant on the surface."

"Erm, talking about her home village, of course," Flowey said awkwardly. "Her ape-town village called The Surface- "

"It's alright, MK knows," Frisk explained. "They know I'm a human."

Flowey looked at her like he finally reached his limit of confusion for the day.

"Sorry, what?" he asked. "When? How?"

"I've known for a while," MK said.

"They found out," Frisk said. "In my last "foresight". And I'm guessing that translated over here somehow."

It took Flowey a moment to process everything she was saying. Once he did, a look of confused revelation washed over him.

"Oh," he said, looking thoughtful. "This feels very odd. I knew information sometimes stays on from, err, a "foresight", like a time residue, but experiencing the effect in person? Whew, feels bonkers."

"I don't get the mechanics of this wobbly magical time power thingy any more than you do," Frisk said.

"Trust me, it would scare me if you did," Flowey said and shrugged. "Welp, I guess this at least saves us awkwardly trying to go around this thing."

"It's… it's still so strange for me," MK added. "Wait, does that mean all Ape-monsters are actually human?"

"Erm…" Frisk said.

"Of course not," Flowey said. "That was a lie."

"Y-yeah," Frisk replied. "You can thank him for that. It was his idea."

"Nah, it really wasn't," Flowey corrected. "We were mistaken once and decided to roll with it."

"Yeah, but you were the first to roll with it."

"Eh, I think we both agreed on the same time."

They exchanged smirks to one another.

"I'm just relieved I don't feel like I'm walking on eggshells anymore," Frisk said.

"But… were you gonna lie to me this whole time?" MK asked. "Were you ever gonna… trust me?"

Frisk and Flowey turned to each other for a second in silence.

"Look, I… I don't know," Frisk told MK.

"We didn't really think about that," Flowey admitted.

"I… I get it," MK said. "I mean, it still kinda hurts. But I think I get it. We monsters don't really like humans that much."

Frisk looked down at the murky water. She saw nothing there but inky blackness.

"You're right to be upset," Frisk said.

MK didn't seem to know how to react to that.

"What now?" they asked.

Frisk shrugged.

"I dunno," she said. "You're the guide, Flowey."

"We let this boat take us over this swamp-lake," he said. "Then there should be a sneaky way around to the castle. And thus, the barrier."

"The barrier?" MK inquired. "You're trying to get home, aren't you?"

"Yepp," Frisk said.

"They say no one has gotten past King Asgore," MK added. "That's where the barrier is."

"I'll think of something," Frisk said, hiding her dread. "We humans are naturally stubborn creatures. And strong, it seems. You don't have to come with us, though. Not all the way. Not after we find your mom."

"Whoah, whoah," Flowey said. "When was that part of our plan."

"Flowey," Frisk said. "Let's just do this, ok? For them?"

"But we don't even know where to start," Flowey added.

"The capital," MK muttered. "My mom is from there. The capital. She must've returned there."

"But that's the centre of the entire kingdom," Flowey said. "We'll be right in the thick of it, surrounded at all corners."

"I'm positive," Frisk said. "We have "foresight" remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Flowey said. "But… I don't know. It's too risky. Plus, the capital is huge. Like, I think last I checked, more than half of all monsterkind lives there. Do we even know where to start?"

"My mom had a photo with her old house in it," MK said. "It was gone the day she left and vanished, but I can still remember it."

"We got this, Flowey," Frisk said. "C'mon, with my power, how bad can it be?"

Flowey leaned back, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes.

"Ah, to hell with it," he said. "Erm, heck with it- whatever. Fine, I'll take part in this stupid idea."

He looked at MK.

"Maybe it'll be my way of making up for you," he said.

"My way, as well," Frisk said to MK. "After that, we, or they, will find a safe place for you. I promise."

MK looked unsure of how to react.

"I don't think any place is safe," they said after a while.

"Perhaps," Frisk said. "But do you trust me?"

MK did not seem to want to answer that question.

"I'm trying to," they said. "I'm trying."

The boat went on, slowly, over the lake. After a while, the fog increased, eventually making it impossible to see further than the boat.

Author's note coming soon...