Glen struggled to move, but even her Dreamer power was being muted. That did not bode well. Still, she was not a believer in the no-win scenario; the trick was to look at what she could do, and find a way to use that to her advantage.
At the moments, she could move her fingers and toes, and her head with extreme effort. What did that give her? It gave her a headache … and, ironically, Headache. The subsystems were activated by hand gestures. That meant she could activate the grapple, the rivet driver, the flashlight, the communicator, and the fusion blades. Unfortunately, most of those were either useless with her arms pinned to the wall.
She continued going over her options as Flowey said, "Look at you all, scurrying around the Underground and Site 37 like little ants. Humans and monsters, fighting for control of … what? The Core? The Underground? Did you really think getting here would solve anything?"
"Asriel!" Sans said, drawing a sharp look from both Asgore and the monstrosity that was Photoshop Flowey. "Yeah, I know who you are, and I know what happened to you! Listen, we can help!"
"Oh, you can help me?" Flowey said in a teasing voice. "One of the Smiley trash bags wants to be my very special friend. Isn't that nice?"
Sans was thrown across the room, this time crashing face-first into the wall.
"Asriel?" Asgore said, making the flower's smile falter. "Why did you call him Asriel?"
Sans managed to turn his head away from the wall. "He's your son, Asgore. He came back without a soul and …"
Sans was hurled across the room again. The Papyruses cried out in unison, "Leave my brother alone!"
"Or what?" Flowey said, ivies plucking the Papyruses from the wall and bringing them closer to the monitor. "I could kill your brother now, just like I could kill all of you. What could weak pathetic nothings like you do to stop me?"
AgentSans thrust an arm out with a grunt. A Gaster Blaster appeared behind Flowey, charging energy quickly. Another evil smile on his face, Flowey turned so that Frisk would absorb the brunt of the blast. The child whimpered, too weak to even lift her head.
Swearing, AgentSans dismissed the Gaster Blaster.
"That's right." Flowey said. "You want to take me down, you gotta go through my new buddy Frisk. She's been a real pal, even more than Site Director Murdoc."
"Murdoc?" Alphys said, eyes wide. "She knows about you?"
"Who do you think tipped her off to the Underground?" Flowey laughed. His face suddenly somber, he said in a quiet voice, "It was such a happy ending, wasn't it? Frisk channeling the souls, breaking the barrier, and then all of you heading for the surface. It was so easy to play to the fears of the humans, to whisper in the dark about how dangerous you all were. After all, I was just an anomalous flower. What harm could I be?"
A vine swung into view, carrying the limp body of a human. It dropped her on the floor. After a few moments, however, the body rose and straightened her labcoat.
"She wasn't fun for long." Said Flowey from the former body of Site Director Murdoc. "But once she was gone, it was easy to take control of this place and start some experiments of my own. Controlling humans is so easy, even easier than controlling monsters."
"I don't understand." Asgore said. "Why would you do this, Asriel?"
"Flowey." The monitor said, narrowing its eyes at Asgore. "My name is Flowey. And I did this because it was fun!"
"Fun?!" Undyne said, struggling against her invisible bonds. "Listen you twisted freak, your fun got most of us stuck in cages! What about the monsters who died? What about-"
Undyne was flung across the room, then back again, then to the ceiling before finally dropping to the floor.
"Stop it!" Alphys shouted, tears in her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Flowey said as Undyne was hurled across the chamber again, this time landing near where Alphys was held. "There. All better?"
"Bastard …" Undyne muttered, blood dripping from her cut lip.
Glen felt her arm twitch. She realized that she could move it a little, though it took a lot of effort. This gave her some ability to aim, but she still needed something to shoot at. A rivet wasn't going to do much against Flowey, and grappling it wouldn't put her in a better place.
Then she saw it; the gleaming metal of Claudia's mini-tesla gun. If she amped up the power with Headache, the electrical blast might be enough to knock out Flowey long enough to break his power over them. Frisk would be affected, but if Glen could get a good shot at the back of Flowey's monitor, it should be enough to disperse the energy and only give Frisk a light jolt. She watched Flowey intently, waiting for a moment to shoot the grapple without being noticed.
The lifeless body of Site Director Manning did a macabre dance, limbs flailing as Flowey said, "Last year, I was stuck in a rut, living the same days over and over again. I'd thought I'd done everything, explored every possibility … then, the kid came, and her Determination cost me my power. I tried to stop her, to sway her, but who would've guessed all I needed to do was to let her succeed to get everything I've ever wanted?"
Flowey let out a high-pitched cackle that made Glen wince. Forcing herself to focus, she took aim and shot her grapple at Claudia.
Vines shot from the monstrosity that was Flowey, blocking Claudia and forcing the grapple to latch on to the vines instead. Glen felt her stomach twist as she was yanked away from the wall and brought to within inches of Flowey's monitor. Flowey's face loomed in her view, but it was the pitiful form of Frisk that made Glen's heart ache.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Flowey said. "Play nice, or I'll have to punish you!"
Thick vines wrapped around Glen's arms and legs, effectively holding her in place.
"And if you try anything else." Flowey said in a sickly-sweet voice, "I'll tear you apart."
A loud clang of metal made Flowey's monitor turn; a section of the wall had fallen, the edges still glowing with heat.
"Oh?' Flowey said, sounding more amused than anything. "We have more guests! Come out, new friends, so you can join our little party!"
When nothing was forthcoming, Flowey frowned. Leaving Glen hanging in the air, Flowey's monitor moved closer to the hole. "What's wrong?" He asked, "Too shy?"
He laughed again, but his laugh was cut short as Toriel stepped through the opening.
"That's enough, Asriel." She said sharply.
"M-mom." Flowey said, clearly surprised. Glen felt the vines holing her weaken. Knowing she only had once chance, Glen remained completely still while she considered a plan of attack.
"Let them go." Toriel said.
"I … I can't." Flowey said, "They'll try to stop me … try to take Frisk."
"You need to let her go." Toriel said, still approaching the steadily retreating Flowey. "You've hurt so many people, earned so much LOVE … isn't it time to stop?"
"You don't understand." Flowey said, monitor bowed. The vines holding Frisk lowered, though they did not release her. "You don't know what it's like for me."
"Then tell me, my child. Let me try and give you some peace." Toriel said.
For a moment Flowey seemed to deflate. Several of the monsters fell to the ground, most letting out groans. No one was in much of a position to attack, though Glen could see Sans struggling to stand out of the corner of her eye. Flowey didn't release Glen, of course, but she was slowly being lowered to the floor.
"It … it was dark." Flowey said, "And cold. So cold. And then, I was pulled back. It didn't hurt, but something was wrong, something … something was missing."
"It's okay." Toriel said in a soothing tone. "It's all okay now."
She took a step forward, and that was when both Glen and Flowey noticed it; the foot beneath Toriel's robes was human.
Flowey's eyes narrowed. Vines shot out and grabbed Toriel, lifting her into the air and revealing the legs of a human male.
"Cute!" Flowey said as the vines twisted around her. "Very cute. Let's see how much you laugh without arms or legs!"
Toriel shifted back into the form of the now very frightened Mister Mirror, but only for a moment. His form soon shifted, mimicing Flowey's monsterous form. Both monitored displayed Flowey's shocked face, but the one that was Mister Mirror quickly recovered and send several vines flying at the real Flowey.
The vines around Glen loosened enough for her to activate Headache's fusion blades and slice through the vines holding her. She hit the floor, the ends of the vines oozing black ichor as they waved around like severed tentacles.
"Ech." Glen said, shaking off the remaining coils and searing away the small bits of ichor with a burst of light before dashing toward Frisk. Flowey tried to pull Frisk away from Glen, but the distraction caused by his struggle with Mister Mirror was enough to Glen to leap into the air and sever the vines holding her. She dove backwards the moment her feet touched the ground, just barely catching Frisk.
"No!" Flowey screamed, dozens of vines racing toward Glen. The Dreamer danced across the chamber, her Tek-boots flaring as she darted around to evade both the vines Flowey was controlling, and those engaged in the fight between Flowey and Mistor Mirror.
Fire raced through the air, burning the vines into ash. As Flowey's screams continued, Mister and Missus Grillby entered through the hole cut into the chamber wall, Fuku and Artie moving in behind them.
"Ugh." Claudia said as Artie helped her up. "About time you showed up. What, did you stop for a cookie break?"
"Very funny." Artie said before moving to help Jinks.
Flowey threw Mister Mirror to the floor and looked up only to find the monsters and humans ready. Magic spears, bones, Gaster-Blasters shot through the air, joined by rivets from Headache, and electrical blasts from the Warehouse Agent's teslas.
Flowey let out a final scream of rage before collapsing under the onslaught, almost hitting Mister Mirror as he returned to his original form and quickly ran to avoid being crushed.
For a moment, all went still. Photoshop Flowey's massive form slowly crumbled away to dust, the vines falling away from the core. Fuku ran over to Sans and gave him a big hug even as Claudia and Jinks high-fived each other. Even Asgore seemed to relax a little … that was, until the last of the vines crumbled away to reveal a single yellow flower with a face.
"Why?" He asked, face only inches from the ground. "Why don't I get a happy ending? Don't I deserve one? Was I wrong to not kill the humans of Ebott while I was alive? I … I hate you. I hate all of you."
"Asriel …" Asgore said.
"That's not my name." Flowey said, his voice quiet. "Asriel died. I'm just Flowey now."
Glen felt Frisk stir in her arms. Glancing down, she met Frisk's gaze. It was strange how much the little girl could convey without saying so much as a word.
"Are you sure?" Glen asked her. When Frisk nodded, Glen sighed and carefully set her down. Frisk steadied herself against Glen for a moment before slowly approaching Flowey, a sad look on a face far too weary for its lack of years.
"What do you want?" Flowey said as she approached and knelt beside the flower. "Are you gonna make fun of me?"
Frisk didn't respond. She just held out a hand, as though offering something.
"Really?" Flowey said, "You'd forgive me just like that? I could have killed you. I could have killed all of your friends."
Frisk didn't move.
"I could still kill them." Flowey said, an evil grin spreading across his face as he slowly straightened his stem. "Tear them to pieces once I regain my strength."
Frisk's hand remained outstretched.
"How can you just let all I did go like that?" Flowey asked, frustration in his voice.
Frisk didn't respond, though, her lips curved in a kind smile.
"I don't understand." Flowey said, tears in his eyes. "Why … why are you being so nice? I … I don't understand."
Frisk moved closer, her hand inches away from touching Flowey's downturned petals.
A blast of light shot from above, incinerating Flowey in one fell blast and knocking Frisk back against the floor. She pushed herself up and stared at the dust-covered floor where Flowey had been only moments before, shock evident on her young face.
"What the hell?!" Glen said, looking around, "Not cool! Who did …"
A chuckle ran through the chamber, a chuckle that sounded like Sans, even though neither Sans was smiling.
Realization hit Glen like lightning. She leapt forward to grab Frisk, only for hundreds of blue threads to erupt from the air around her and hold her and everyone else in the chamber except for the fallen Frisk. Glen felt the threads lift her into the air until she and everyone else was level with the core, save Frisk, who was in no condition to do much of anything.
On top of the core floated Error, his hands behind his head and his body floating in a reclined position.
"About time you got here."
ns 15.158.61.23da2
