Asrieltale

Newer Home, The Surface, 201X

It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. Mostly perennials, a little late for the party. It’s well into the summer months, after all, just before the leaves start to change color.

There’s a light breeze, the trees around Mt. Ebott swaying gently. After humanity learned of the Monsters that had lived inside of it, most of the area had been changed from a national park to a new town to accommodate them, crafted at incredible speed with both Human technology and Magic. But a few parts of the old park remained and had become a favorite spot for picnics.

“Just like the one me and my friends are having today”, I think, smiling as I look back to the mountain, and remember everything that happened since I-

…Since I fell down into it, of course; the Fights, the friendships…then Resetting and trying it all over again to make everything right. Even after everything that happened I know there was still so much I missed down there…but this? This is as good as it was going to get. I knew not to push my luck, even if I could have taken back everything if I messed up. I just had this feeling, and I’m glad I followed it…

It’s a beautiful day outside...

“on days like these, kids like you…should be having a hot dog!” Sans says, startling me. I turn to him, seeing that he’s brought me one on a paper plate, that cheekbone-to-cheekbone grin of his on full display, “here, bone-appetit!”

I smile, thanking him and taking it. He offers me a bottle of ketchup but I turn him down; I remember how that went last time…

“more for me.” He says, unscrewing the cap and drinking the whole thing right there. I try not to look grossed out and decide to take a bite to cover my expression.

It’s good; it’s actually meat this time. King Asgore is grilling up a few more for the others, though most have already gotten at least one by now. Papyrus and Undyne seem to have forgotten theirs in the midst of an arm wrestling contest at one of the park tables around which Alphys, M-K, and Mom were spectating. Mettaton had even been here earlier, though he’d left a while ago to get back to his job at the news station. They’d all played volleyball at the court…at least until Undyne spiked the ball into a tree and popped it like a balloon. I’ll suggest we bring a few spares, next time.

“sure is great having the whole gang together like this.” Sans adds, eyeing me curiously, “between the new school finally opening up, ol’ one-eye getting into the force, and you and azzy taking those trips to the amd, it’s kinda’ hard to work around everyone’s schedules. you okay though, kiddo? you look kind of down…”

I shrug, noncommittal, and try to lead him into another joke. His expression tells me it didn’t work, though, “can’t hide anything from me. i know when you’re upset about something; i can feel it in my bones!”

I smile, but I can’t deny it. I feel like something’s missing. And I have a pretty good idea of what it is...the one I left behind. The one Monster in Mt. Ebott who didn’t get a happy ending…

“It's nothing.” I say…or start to, at least…but Sans always seems to know what I’m thinking. He just nods, “maybe they’ll come around, some day. weirder things have happened y’know.”

I smile, and this time it’s genuine. Maybe…

I wonder how it’s been for him, all alone down there. I resolve to head back down and see how he’s doing…Mom will probably insist I go the long way, but that’s alright. It’ll be fun seeing how the place changed over the last few months.

Seeing that Undyne’s definitely won the match, holding Papyrus’ detached arm in hers, I head back to the table to join the rest of my friends. Sans follows, his mind already racing for a good joke at his brother’s expense. I’m sure it will be terrible, and that I’ll laugh anyway.

It’s a beautiful day outside. One of many, so many. Maybe someday, it’ll be a perfect one.

He spent this day the same way he did with all the others, amid the flowers in the first room of The Ruins. If he closed his eyes, nobody would even notice him there; in fact, a few curious hikers had made the trip down with some climbing equipment one day. He hadn’t been looking for conversation, so he’d waited for them to leave, ready to sink below the earth if they got too close to stepping on him.

Flowey had resolved not to kill anyone, and not interacting with anyone at all made it all the easier.

But nobody had come in a long while now. Time seemed to stand still; he gauged the days by the intensity of the light that filtered down the narrow shaft from the world above, like a clock of sorts. He wondered how they all were; Frisk, Mom, Dad, the others, in a bland, dispassionate sort of way. Without a Soul, he couldn’t truly care one way or the other.

He remembered two points in his life when he had cared; the earlier time…before Chara had come up with her plan…before that one, horrible day. And then again, much, much later…in those final moments before the Magical barrier sealing Monsters into The Underground had been destroyed. Taking his walk of shame back here, to the final resting place of his adopted sibling, away from the rest of the world.

Changing back…

Flowey grimaced; he’d become so tired of being a flower. He’d had arms and legs again, skin, fur…a stomach. He hadn’t even thought to raid Mom’s fridge on the way back. It’s not like anyone would have noticed or cared, after all.

He’d really wanted another bite of that butterscotch pie…it haunted him to this day.

“Heh…” he chortled, “…heh…hehe…”

And now here he was; the last Monster in The Underground. Well…not really, since he was something neither Human nor Monster now; a twisted byproduct of Human Determination and a Monster-dusted flower. A ghost of a long dead prince, without any of the subtleties of his former self. He probably had more in common with the Amalgamates Alphys had created in her hare-brained experiments. He wondered what she thought of the fact that one particular example of her work had nearly destroyed the world…

“Ah, the True Lab…” he mused, digging his roots deeper in his search for more nutrients in the soil, “The one part of The Underground I never fully explored; I got in once or twice, but only in Resets where I agreed to help Alphys with her DT research. It was too deep in the volcanic rock of Hotlands for me to dig my way in, and it always got too boring for me to stick around, since she never let me toy around with the Extractor or any of the other cool gadgets.”

He puzzled over that for a while, then a realization struck him, “I’ll bet that elevator isn’t locked up now; Frisk used it to get to New Home. I can probably get in now.”

It might be worth a shot; he couldn’t get into too much mischief with nobody around…and it was better than eternally waiting here with Chara and the flowers for the world to end.

“Whatever, I’m bored...it’s something to do. Let’s give this a whirl. I’ll be back soon, Chara. Don’t go anywhere while I’m gone.”

Without preamble he dug into the soil, burrowing into his old network of tunnels which allowed him to traverse The Underground at a comparable speed to walking, and was on his way….