Chapter Text
“I don’t think I can bear this weight any longer.” Ceroba told Clover who stood at the opposite end of her. “You won this battle.”
Clover had fought with the monster for what felt like hours, she genuinely was one of the strongest monsters that Clover had met during their time in the Underground. They had seen their reason for fighting so hard and yet…
“Do what needs to be done.”
“...”
+1500 EXP
…
…
…
“Hah!” Flowey sprouted up next to her as they went up the elevator. “Real clever of you!”
“...”
“Using them to get stronger… golly, I really thought you were going to do something STUPID up there. Color me impressed!” Flowey continued to yap on.
They didn’t feel good about it, killing Ceroba they mean. The woman had been grieving, that much was evident, but that didn’t excuse the terrible actions she’s committed. A small part of her genuinely hated them, it was wrong, and they knew it.
“Gosh, how much stronger do you feel now?” Flowey asked.
‘Stronger?’
Clover couldn’t lie, they felt that they got massively stronger from Ceroba. They didn’t have the guts to, but they figured that their LV must’ve risen drastically.
“Nevermind–don’t answer that!” Flowey gleefully continued. “Your journey is almost at its end now.”
“Hm?” Clover looked at Flowey.
“The only monster that you have to get through now…is KING ASGORE.” Flowey looked away. “I won’t lie, he’s an entirely different level from the monsters you’ve been facing now. That fox lady you killed little power up is around…half of him if anything I analyzed about her meant anything.”
Ceroba had been an extremely tough fight for Clover. If she hadn’t gotten that surge of DETERMINATION near the end she doubts that she would’ve had the will to push through regardless of the need to bring Ceroba to JUSTICE.
Even if it didn’t matter how much they died, getting all of her progress reset to zero would’ve also been incredibly disheartening.
“I wouldn’t get to cocky Gunhat.” Flowey added. “You may have gotten way stronger, but King Asgore isn’t the type to go down so easily.”
The duo continued to push forward after the elevator came to a stop, they walked into a golden hallway, the rays of light illuminated the hallway. Being here almost made them feel like they were being judged.
“Hey, we should save before we keep going, yeah?”
Clover LV 13 777:09
Last Corridor
Save Return
“Wow,” Flowey was practically radiating with excitement and glee, “we’re almost there!”
Clover simply nodded as they continued down the hallway.
They had jumped down here to look for those five missing children, they’re about to leave with the knowledge of monsterkind’s suffering and knowing that they could’ve done something about it.
…
Monsterkind chose to murder those children for their SOULs. They made their choice a long time ago, so why did…
Why did they feel so guilty?
They felt time crawl to a stop, everything around them becoming a mute white as they closed the outside out.
“You probably want to go home dontcha?”
“Humanity already won by trapping us down here, yet they keep twisting the knife.”
“You must have places to go, correct? The Castle…The barrier.”
“I did everything in my power to entertain…so monsters wouldn’t have to worry about being stuck down here.”
“Anyway, we’ll bypass the Royal Guard and plead your case to ASGORE!”
“Remeber your REAL mission, Clover.”
“Asgore only needs two more SOULS to shatter the barrier.”
“What a world it would be if I had two whole friends.”
“Must might act cheerful, but life down here…It’s hopeless.”
Their sins crawled down their spine. Despite being human, they really had just become a monster, nothing more than what they fought against on the Surface.
“Despite its ups and downs, our little adventure was a blast.”
“ASGORE’s still out there threatening human lives!”
“I MUST THANK YOU FOR OPENING MY EYES.”
Their body started to tremble, everyone they’ve met had been so kind to them. And yet, they were going back to the Surface, leaving them behind and a future that’s full of despair. They made a difference, a positive one, in the lives of the new friends they made here.
And yet…
“Keep your head in the game!”
“Turns out you’re a pretty damn good leader, Clover!”
“Come on, Clover!”
“You are a kind Soul. One of the best I’ve met.”
…
“C L O V E R ! “
“Clover!” Flowey snapped them out of their daze. “C’mon, hurry up, why dontcha?”
“Am I a bad person, Flowey?”
Flowey stood there for a second, no doubt shocked that they initiated a conversation willingly.
He scoffed. “Of course not buddy! You only did what you had to do.”
“...”
“That fox lady would’ve killed you if she had the chance.”
“...”
“Hell, even that blue bird you like so much would’ve killed you eventually.”
“...”
“Giving me the silent treatment huh?” Flowey looked unamused. “Whatever, it’s not like it’ll matter in a few minutes.”
They never thought it about until now, but Flowey really wanted her to end up dealing with Asgore, why though?
“...”
“Hey bud, getting cold feet?” Flowey appeared in front of them. “I thought you were soon rootin’ tooting cowpoke!”
“Why do you want to see Asgore?” Clover asked him.
“Uh…Y’know, I also hate that he killed those children too! Remember how he did that, brutally killing some kids wanting to go home?”
Redirecting the conversation.
“Plus, it works out in both our favor if you deal with him.”
It just didn’t make sense, Flowey wouldn’t be able to cross the barrier unless…
“You want the human SOULs.” They stated matter of factly.
“Ack!” Flowey sputtered. “W-why buddy, don’t be so foolish now!”
'A being of great power would come if a monster absorbed the human's Souls.’ That’s what someone told me during our time in the Dunes. That’s why they want Asgore to have all seven, to become a GOD.”
“...”
“You want that.” Clover narrowed their eyes onto the Flower.
“Hah.” Flowey rolled his eyes. “Of course, of course!” He started to laugh manically. “YOU USELESS PIECE OF CRAP!”
Clover startled, stumbled back. They had never heard Flowey so angry before.
Their eyes twisted, pupils sharpening into something feral, something that no longer resembled a friend they once thought they were.
“I THOUGHT THIS WAS IT—the run!” they snapped, turning on her. “But of course someone like you would ruin it! I don’t even know why I—”
“...”
Flowey went still. His expression softened like nothing had happened.
“H-heh… real funny joke, right?”
In a heartbeat, Clover drew their gun and leveled it at him.
“...Fine.” Flowey’s smile crept back, thin and jagged. “I’ll tear you to pieces…”
“AND SHOW YOU WHO’S IN CONTROL HERE!”
…
…
…
Clover moved on pure instinct.
Vines tore through the ground beneath their feet bursting upward in jagged spikes, snapping past their ribs, their throat, their eyes. They twisted their body, barely slipping between them as the earth split open again and again. Even the air itself felt hostile, alive with snapping roots and whipping thorns.
The hits that did land weren’t that painful, but they were constant. Each minor hit chipped away at them. Their increased HP kept them standing… barely.
“You pathetic moron!” Flowey sent a barrage of pellets.
Clover fired back, bullets cracking through the swarm just enough to carve a narrow path. They pushed through it, grazing past pellets that clipped their shoulders.
“I do EVERYTHING for you, and this is how you repay me!?”
A vine lashed toward their head—Clover dropped low, feeling it slice the air just above them.
“THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF RESETS JUST FOR THE ONE CLOSE ONE TO END LIKE THIS!?”
‘A vine from above!?’
They looked up too late.
-15 HP
The impact rattled through their skull, vision stuttering. Their knees nearly buckled but they forced their arm up and fired at Flowey.
-50 HP
Flowey didn’t even flinch.
His grin stretched wider. “You think that does something to me?”
Clover’s breathing grew uneven. Their shots weren’t sticking, nothing was! Flowey’s HP barely moved, like the damage meant nothing. Like it was being erased the moment it hit!
…
It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if he’s able to Load his Save mid fight to heal back to full.
“GIVE UP.” A wall of pellets blasted to Clover.
There was nowhere to go.
-2 HP
-10 HP
-2 HP
-9 HP
-7 HP
-7 HP
-7 HP
Each hit slammed into them faster than they could react, body jerking, breath ripped out of their chest.
CRACK!
Something deep inside them splintered.
Their Soul had shattered.
For a moment, everything went quiet.
…
Like hell they would allow it.
Everyone down here–everyone–was suffering because of her choices, because of her hesitation, because they didn’t do the right thing.
She wasn’t going to allow herself to fail again!
Clover clenched their teeth and forced their Soul back together.
“WHAT!?”
They dragged in a breath, sharp and ragged. Blood soaked into their clothes, dripped from their fingertips.
“It doesn’t matter what you do Flowey.” Clover willed themselves upright, legs shaking but refusing to fold. DETERMINATION burned through them, hot and unyielding, fused with their sense of Justice. “I won't lose to you…I won’t run away from their cries anymore!”
“Ugh,” They rolled their eyes. “You know how many times you’ve told me that before?”
The voice inside them didn’t waver.
Clover gritted their teeth. “You won’t stop me from doing what’s right!”
“Booooorrrrriiiiingggg.” Flowey scoffed. “A shame, you were almost getting kind of interesting.”
The ground erupted again.
A wall of vines surged forward, pellets threading through the gaps like needles.
“Shoo, I’m going to try this one more time.”
He wouldn’t.
Clover surged forward.
Not dodging, but rather pushing through the pain,enduring it–refusing to stand down.
-10 HP
-5 HP
-9 HP
Each hit slammed into them, slowing them, tearing at what little they had left–but they didn’t stop.
A strange yellow button glew in front of Flowey.
He froze, eyes widening.
“W-what are you doing…?”
Clover didn’t answer.
Step.
Step.
Step!
Every movement felt like dragging their body through glass, their Soul threatening to split apart again but they kept going!
He shook his head. “I almost thought you were Chara for a second.”
That was all they needed.
They were in front of him.
“Huh!?” Flowey looked up at them in shock. “How are you even moving!?”
Clover reached forward fingers shaking—
and grabbed his stem.
“Wow…”
Flowey’s grin snapped back, wide and unhinged. “You really are pathetic.”
His vine twitched toward the button.
They couldn’t beat him in time, he was too fast!
…They weren’t out of options yet.
Clover slammed their hand down on the RESET button at the exact same moment Flowey did.
“W-w-wait, you moron do you know what you just—-”
Light swallowed everything.
…
…
…
Clover laid on a patch of yellow flowers, staring up to the hole that he jumped down.
Had…had he lost?
The Feisty Four sat in the saloon in heavy silence. The day had wrung them dry, they had experienced too much loss. Everyone they cared about had been hurt, one way or another, because of that human.
The floor suddenly lurched.
The entire building shuddered, glasses rattling, wood groaning like it might split apart.
“W-whoa!” Mooch tumbled out of her chair, hitting the floor hard. “Ow! What was that?”
Ace was already on his feet, glancing toward the door. “An earthquake perhaps? Though… that doesn’t make sense. We’ve never had one before.”
Moray leaned toward the window, squinting through the shifting light outside. “Hey Ed. look at this.”
“Hm?” Ed slid out of the booth and made his way over.
The tremors slowed before coming to a stop.
Everything felt… wrong.
He reached the window and looked out.
…
“Why is there grass outside?”
Ceroba opened her eyes and stared at the black abyss above her.
Was this what hell was like? Absolutely nothing?
Can’t say that she didn’t deserve it.
…
A pair of groans came from her side.
“What…happened?” Martlet asked as she got up.
“Ugh my side…” Starlo moaned as he got up to his feet.
Yeah nevermind, she wasn’t in hell.
“Wait Clover!” Martlet rushed to over where she was and stood over her. “Ceroba what did you—”
“I lost.” Ceroba interrupted. “They beat me up pretty good.”
“The deputy won?” Starlo came over to her. “I mean, I hoped so!”
It was strange, she should be dead right now.
Clover shot her.
“I’d be getting on your case right now, but…” Starlo glanced around, unease creeping in. “I reckon we oughta figure out where we are first.”
Ceroba exhaled as she closed her eyes. “Gimme a few minutes will you?”
Chara stared at their reflection.
They were alive.
Their fingers traced slowly down their face, warm skin, soft, and real. Their cheeks held color, flushed and full of life. Their eyes… still that same faint, unnatural red, glowing back at them.
“How am I…?”
The door burst open.
“Chara!”
They barely had time to turn before someone crashed into them, arms wrapping tight.
Asriel.
“Guess what?” he said, bright and still breathing like nothing had ever happened.
“W-what?” Chara blinked, the word catching halfway out.
“Mom wants us to go all the way to her flower garden near the entrance of the Underground, isn’t that so cool?” Asriel went on, completely oblivious.
“I–what–huh?”
“I know, right? You’re as shocked as I am!” he said, grinning. “C’mon, it’ll be nostalgic!”
He grabbed their hand and started pulling.
Chara stumbled after him, their thoughts lagging far behind their body.
This wasn’t right.
It couldn’t be.
…So what was going on?
Clover huffed as they pushed forward.
The Ruins felt… wrong.
They were so much more cleaner.
Where there had once been creeping vines and cracked stone, there were smooth and newly paved paths. The old signs still stood where they always had but scrubbed down.
They rubbed the side of their head, unease settling in.
“Flowey… what did you do?”
They kept moving, slower now, eyes scanning every corner until they came to a sudden stop.
A wide stretch of spikes blocked the path ahead.
Clover blinked.
Then blinked again.
“…Are you kidding me?”
That hadn’t been there before, then again they didn’t make it this far to know that for sure.
A quiet, sinking feeling settled in their chest.
This run through the Underground… wasn’t going to be anything like the last one they just went through.