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"Clover! Thank GOD you're here! He's insane! He's gonna kill me!"
Clover gazed at Flowey in confusion. Flowey was very clearly panicked. Sweat fell down from his head (could flowers sweat?), his petals were quivering, and his stem looked like it was about to snap in two.
Flowey was not an easily scared individual. So for him to be THIS fearful... it was concerning.
Unsure about what they would be able to do against an enemy that made Flowey quiver in fear, Clover followed his gaze...
And locked eyes with Sans. Sans the Skeleton. Probably the least threatening individual to ever grace the surface.
"You... you're joking, right?" Clover said, looking back at Flowey.
"Do I look like I'm joking? Go, fight him! Kill him! BEFORE HE KILLS ME!" Flowey screamed.
Clover looked back at Sans. Checking him, they giggled.
"Don't let those stats fool you. There is nothing EASY about that bastard. Now, take your gun, and SHOOT HIM ALREADY!"
"Flowey, he just spilled ketchup on himself. He isn't doing anything violent!"
Flowey glared at Clover.
"Thanks for nothing, dipshit," he said, before promptly disappearing into the ground.
Clover glanced back at Sans. The Skeleton locked eyes with Clover, waved, and then disappeared into an alleyway.
Clover shrugged, before fishing out their phone. A new restaurant opened nearby, and they wanted to see if Chara and Frisk would like to try it out.
. . . . . . . . . .
Frisk was busy with Ambassador things(TM), so it was just Chara and Clover. Sitting on a bench in Treaty Park, the two humans munched on some chips left over from their meal.
"I have to say, I found the meal selection... lacking," Chara said.
"You're just mad there wasn't anything choclatey for dessert," Clover responded, squinting at Chara.
"Perhaps. Who can say for sure?" Chara sniped back, side-eyeing the cowpoke.
"Okay, menu aside, I really liked the aesthetic of it. This feels like the first restaurant to... embrace both human and monster styles, y'know?" Clover said excitedly.
"It helps that the two races actually worked together on it," Chara hummed. "It was rather... enchanting."
Clover grinned.
"So, the whole experience put together... eight out of ten?" Clover said, taking out a notepad.
"Seven."
"Still bitter about the lack of chocolate, I see..."
"nah, i'd say they're more sour than bitter."
Clover jumped a mile. Chara threw a chip in the direction of the voice.
Sans caught the chip, before popping it into his mouth.
"thanks for the meal, was getting a lil hungry."
The humans glanced at each other.
"hey, listen, while you've got a sec... mind if i borrow the cowpoke real quick?"
The humans glanced at each other again. Chara gave an almost imperceptible shrug. Clover nodded, before getting up off the bench.
"Sure, whaddya need, Sans?"
Sans extended his hand.
"grab on, if you don't mind?"
Grabbing his hand, Clover raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, but if this is another whoopee cush-"
. . . . . . . . . .
"-ion OH GO-" Clover promptly vomited into the nearest bush. Sans patted them on the back.
"don't worry, that's a normal side effect of using shortcuts for the first time."
After Clover was done dislodging their lunch from their stomach, they looked around.
Clover and Sans were at the entrance of Mt. Ebott, where the monsters saw their first sunset.
"Sooooo... how come you brought me here?"
Sans gazed out at the city, lost in thought.
"my brother has... an idea that he lives by, whenever he encounters somebody... less than moral."
Sans sighed.
"the idea is that... even the worst person can change. that everyone can be a good person, if they only try."
"'course, being in the underground, you never really had to think those things through. monsters are a hell of a lot kinder than humans. at least, they're supposed to be."
"so imagine my surprise when a monster comes around. a monster with a capital m. A monster who believes his only reason for existing is to torment others. he kills, and steals, and tortures anyone who dares crosses his path... before resetting everything to zero. only to do it all again, just as gleefully as before."
"eventually, boredom takes hold. he starts caring less and less... until eventually, something new happens. something that, if played correctly, could lead to him becoming more powerful than ever before."
"naturally, he fails. good triumphs over evil, the day is saved, monsters are free, yaddy-yadda, etc. etc."
"you think you've seen the last of him... and then he returns. spinning yarns about a tragic backstory, power corrupting, and a being more powerful than he. the monster claims he is turning over a new leaf, and wishes to atone for his many, many sins."
"can this monster's word be trusted? from what i've seen over the years... i have trouble believing so."
"but you... you've observed him. watched over him. kept him out of trouble. so, i have a question i need to ask..."
"what is it that YOU see?"
Clover was so entranced by Sans' impassioned speech, they almost didn't realize they were being addressed.
Reaching into their pocket, they pulled out a small golden flower. They thought about their journey, Frisk's journey, and everything that came after. They thought about the past, the story of the first human and the tapes in the True Lab.
Clover sighed.
"I see... give me a moment..." Clover sat in thought for a minute, Sans' eyes never leaving them.
"I see someone who made some unforgivable mistakes. Someone who would look at someone crying, only to spit on their face. Someone who killed for fun, and laughed in the face of consequences."
"However, I also see someone who knows that he made unforgivable mistakes. Someone who will now see someone crying, not as someone to be mocked, but as someone to be helped. Someone capable of murder, but no longer willing to take that step. Someone who knows the consequences are coming. He might not have made peace with that, and probably never will. But he knows what he has done, and he wants to be better than before."
"And I believe that is what his legacy was always meant to be. A showcase of how low you can go once power corrupts. At the same time, it's a showcase of how one can break free from those chains. Realistically, if it weren't for him... we would still be stuck down there. He may not have atoned for all of his sins... but he is on the right track."
Sans gave a slight laugh.
"you've been hangin' with the dreemurr kid too much. that was far more eloquent than i expected."
"y'know, it's a shame we never truly met before now. i would have enjoyed talking with you during your journey. but that look in your eye... i get the feeling i was never meant to be your judge. someone else got that job first."
Before Clover could ask what he meant by that, Sans turned to the cave entrance. He walked into Ebott, pausing just before the darkness swallowed him.
"if you truly believe what you say... i'll trust your judgement. you did good today, kid. see ya."
With a last wave and a wink, the judge of monsters parted ways with the judge of humans.
. . . . . . . . . .
*riiiiiiiiiiing, riiiiii-*
"Where. Are. You."
"Uh, Sans dropped me off at Mt. Ebott... do you mind picking me up? There's no way I can walk home from here."
*click*
"Damn skeleton," Chara mumbled to themselves, as they made their way toward their bike.