Chapter Text
The Roaring was supposed to be the end of everything.
But Flowery woke up.
The familiar flower shop surrounded him instead of the Dark World. Moonlight filtered through the greenhouse windows, casting a pale silver glow over the rows of flowers. The scent of fresh soil and fertilizer filled the air, so ordinary and familiar that, for a moment, Flowery almost believed nothing had happened.
Then he noticed the others.
Every flower in the greenhouse was awake. Not frozen in the earth. Not trapped in their dreams.
Awake.
"...Huh? What?" Aqua exclaimed, jumping down and walking around.
"We're... here?" Seth stared down at their hands in disbelief.
Green waved their hands in confusion.
Flowery's thoughts raced. This wasn't right. They should only awaken when a Dark Fountain opened nearby. The darkness gave them life, gave them voices, and gave them a chance to exist beyond being ordinary flowers. When the Fountain closed, they returned to what they were meant to be.
But there was no Fountain. No strange energy filled the room.
Just...
The Light World.
"...Why are we here?" Blue asked quietly.
No one answered. Flowery slowly reached out with a trembling hand and touched his face, half expecting everything to disappear.
It didn't. He could feel everything. His gaze drifted downward as he lifted the hem of his shirt. A jagged scar stretched across his torso, a permanent reminder of the day he should have died. He winced and quickly let the fabric fall back into place before glancing toward his left side.
His arm was gone.
He flexed what remained of his shoulder out of habit, feeling only empty air where the limb should have been. The realization stung, though not nearly as much as someone human probably would have felt. He had never had that arm long enough to become truly attached to it.
Still…
He instinctively shifted his body, trying to hide the empty sleeve from the others before they could notice.
Of course, some of them, like Blue, gave concerned glances. But Flowery looked away.
He was supposed to be dead. After everything that had happened, after being torn apart trying to save Asgore, he especially shouldn't have been sitting here.
"...Something mysterious happened," Flowery whispered.
Before anyone could answer, the bell above the flower shop jingled.
"HELLOOOO?" The familiar voice echoed through the greenhouse. The flowers turned toward the entrance as Susie ducked through the doorway, nearly knocking a wind chime loose from the wall.
"There you guys are!" she said. "Looks like everything worked out. Damn, wasn’t sure because you guys couldn’t join Castle Town. I know you've been out of the loop."
"Princess!" Flowery smiled, though his expression was still confused. He knew Susie had to have some answers. Before she could explain or he could ask questions, Aqua rushed forward.
"What happened?! What happened?!" Aqua squealed.
The Roaring's over… Uh, it's a long story." She rubbed the back of her neck. "But just know a whole lot of people made sure everything didn't fall apart."
"But the prophecy..." Flowery mumbled under his breath. His voice was swallowed as the room erupted into chatter, everyone talking over one another and firing off endless questions.
"Whoa, whoa," Susie said, raising her hands. "I know you guys probably have a million questions. And trust me, I get it. A lot happened."
She looked down for a moment, her expression growing more serious.
"But... my gang and I agreed we wouldn't go spreading everything around just yet. I know that sucks, but..."
Flowery caught the troubled look that crossed Susie's face.
"Sorry... Things are complicated," Susie continued. "But WHATEVER, the important thing is that everyone's here! Everyone's safe."
His friends glanced toward Flowery, expecting him to be the one to pry for more information.
He wanted to.
The Roaring should have been the end. He had felt it. Even as a flower, even without a body of flesh and bone, he had sensed the darkness shifting. He had felt the power of the Fountains, the delicate balance between worlds tipping toward collapse. He had felt the prophecy racing toward its inevitable conclusion.
Something had changed. Something impossible had happened.
But what?
What happened to Kris?
The thought sent a chill through him. They had changed...
Were they back to who they had been before? And what about the one who had cut him in two?
The memories crashed over him. The blinding pain. The realization that he might not survive. He still didn't know the full story. He didn't know why it had happened, what Kris had become, or how everything had ended after the world began falling apart.
There were so many things he needed to know.
So many questions demanding answers. Yet when Flowery looked at Susie, the troubled expression she'd worn only moments ago lingered in the back of his mind. Whatever had happened, it was weighing on her.
He swallowed his questions. Instead, he gave a small nod and stayed silent. That seemed to be enough for his friends.
"So..." Seth asked carefully, breaking the uneasy quiet. "What happens to us now?"
Susie smiled.
"You live. You get to live the life you've always dreamed about."
The flowers stared at one another in stunned silence.
Flowery didn't believe it. How could he? He had already accepted that this was the end.
"...But," Susie added, scratching the back of her neck, "there's kinda a catch."
"What kind of catch?" Blue asked.
"During the day, you go back to being what you were in the Light World." Susie gestured around the greenhouse. "For you guys, that means flowers."
Seth tilted their head.
"S-so... this isn't permanent?"
"During the day, yeah." Susie nodded. "Same goes for every other Darkner. Cards become cards. Toys become toys. You get the idea. But when night falls, you wake back up. You can walk around and basically do whatever you want."
Yellow raised a finger. "So y'all are sayin' we gotta mosey on back here 'fore the sun comes crawlin' up?"
Susie pointed at him.
"Exactly." She shrugged. "Otherwise, you'll be stuck wherever you happen to be. You guys should be especially careful, too. Honestly, being a flower in the middle of a sidewalk sounds like a pretty good way to get stepped on."
That earned a few nervous laughs.
"So yeah," Susie continued. "Think of it like having a bedtime."
The greenhouse erupted into celebration. Aqua squealed with delight. Blue and Yellow threw their arms around each other, laughing through tears as the reality of their newfound freedom finally sank in. Orange scrambled into Flowery's lap before climbing onto his shoulder, wrapping her tiny arms around him in a tight hug. Green watched with a wide, joyful smile, unable to stop laughing.
Susie chuckled. "Easy, easy."
She jerked a thumb toward the front door.
"There's a huge celebration going on outside. Lightners, monsters, and Darkners... everyone's trying to figure out this whole new world together." Her grin widened. "So what're you all waiting for? Go celebrate!"
Within moments, the greenhouse filled with excited chatter as everyone rushed toward the door. Flowery stayed where he was, simply watching them leave. Susie flashed one last toothy grin before turning to follow them.
"Susie," Flowery called. She stopped mid-step.
"Oh, crap."Her expression softened immediately as she hurried back to him. Kneeling beside him, she gently wrapped her arms around him, careful not to squeeze his fragile body too tightly.
"Look at you..." she whispered. "You made it." Her voice cracked. Pulling back just enough to meet his eyes, she smiled through the emotion. "I really thought.. After what happened to you, I thought I'd lost you."
Her eyes glanced down at his empty sleeve.
“OH shit… your arm is gone.” Susie gasped before she embraced him again.
Flowery felt his face grow warm with embarrassment as the other flowers stared in shock at his missing arm. One by one, they moved closer, joining Susie as they wrapped their arms around him, offering worried voices and gentle reassurance.
“Well… well, I’m alive, though. Guess I’m still here to be a pain in everyone’s petals.”
“We saw you both get hurt,” Orange squeaked. “We were so scared.”
Flowery managed a weak smile. “...Thank you, boys.”
Their relief warmed him, but it couldn’t silence the one thought that had been clawing at him ever since he woke up. It hurt worse than any physical pain.
“Susie… is Kris’s dad okay?”
Susie’s expression softened immediately. “Oh!” She paused, then gave him a reassuring nod. “Uh… yeah. He made it. You should go find him.”
She pulled away from him, giving him a small, grateful smile. “Thank you for the code.”
Flowery’s face immediately brightened.
“Of course!” he said cheerfully, almost too cheerfully. “You’re welcome!”
But the truth was, he didn’t feel like he had helped with that at all. Susie and Kris would have found it eventually. After all, he had been reduced to shattered pieces scattered across the ground, his pot breaking open and revealing the code without much of a choice from him.
But he didn’t say that.
He kept the smile on his face, burying the ache beneath the warmth of his expression. Susie gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder before walking toward the door, gesturing for the others to follow her.
“Come on, guys! Let’s go!” she called out. “You’re missing so much!”
The moment Susie stepped outside, the greenhouse burst back into life. Seth laughed as Aqua grabbed their hands and spun them around in circles. Blue and Yellow leaned against each other, grinning, while Green folded their arms with an amused smirk and gestured toward the open door. Orange remained clinging to Flowery’s shoulder until she finally let out a small laugh.
“Big bro…” she teased, though her voice carried a hint of nervousness. “I’m kinda scared, though.”
Flowery smiled down at her and carefully lifted her from his shoulder, setting her gently onto the table.
“Be brave, little sis. Go on and explore.” He tried to match everyone else’s excitement, even if it felt forced. Looking toward the open doorway, he added softly, “It seems like there’s a whole world waiting for you now.”
Aqua wasted no time sprinting out into the sunlight. The others eagerly started to follow after her, but after only a few steps, they began to slow down. One by one, they realized Flowery hadn’t moved at all.
Every pair of eyes turned back toward him.
“Flowery?” Blue asked. “Are you okay? Are you… planning to stay?”
The question caught him off guard, though he couldn’t exactly blame them for asking.
Back in the Dark World, he had been impossible to keep still. He floated wherever he wanted, spun through the air without a second thought, and crossed impossible distances in the blink of an eye. Reality itself seemed to bend around him whenever he moved.
Now, he felt nervous just standing. His body ached constantly, and every careless shift reminded him of how fragile this new form had become.
Still, deep down, he knew his injuries weren’t the real reason he wasn’t getting up.
Flowery opened his mouth, already preparing another cheerful excuse, but the words never came. Instead, he slowly leaned back against the table. The movement sent a sharp stab of pain through his damaged body, forcing him to grit his teeth for half a second before quickly replacing the grimace with a smile.
The others noticed. The greenhouse, which had been filled with celebration only moments ago, suddenly became quiet.
“I think I’ll stay right here for now,” Flowery said with a pleasant smile that fooled absolutely no one.
Yellow’s ears drooped. “Don’tcha think we should go find Asgore? See how he’s doin’?”
The suggestion made Flowery’s heart lurch.
God, he wanted to.
More than anything, he wanted to see Asgore standing there alive and unharmed. He wanted to hear that familiar voice again, to watch that warm smile spread across his face. Maybe even reach out and touch his arm, just to reassure himself that his king was truly okay.
But he couldn’t bring himself to go. Not looking like this.
The last time Asgore had seen him, their conversation had ended with Asgore admitting that all the affection Flowery kept pouring onto him was never something he had asked for. And even worse… Flowery had failed to save him.
The memory still stung.
Now, he couldn’t shake the thought of Asgore seeing him like this.
Flowery lowered his eyes.
“This form just needs... a little more time to heal,” he murmured. “I’ll wait for him to come here.”
Blue frowned and quietly made his way over before gently tilting Flowery’s chin upward.
“Flowery... we can help you get there. Asgore’s probably celebrating with everyone. We could celebrate with him too. I don’t know if he’ll stop by here today, but we could always take you to him.”
“No.” Flowery immediately laughed, waving his hand dismissively. “No, no, no. Don’t worry about me. Make like a tree and leaf me.”
Seth’s expression only grew softer. “We could stay here with you tonight if it’d make you feel better.”
Flowery shook his head. “Absolutely not! You don’t need to spend your first night in a brand-new world sitting around a flower shop with me. There’s a whole world waiting for you. Go make friends! Go have adventures.”
“What about you?” Orange squeaked.
“I’m happy right here! Gorey probably busy anyway. He deserves that. Remember... my dream was always for all of you to be happy. And for him.” He paused, forcing a small smile. “Besides, this is Asgore’s home. He sleeps here. He’ll come back eventually.”
He desperately wanted to believe his own words.
The flowers finally had everything they had dreamed of. They could explore, meet people, and live beyond the glass walls that had confined them for so long. Asgore was alive, surrounded by the people who loved him, finally getting to enjoy the peaceful future he had always wanted.
His king deserved that happiness. So why couldn’t Flowery simply be happy too? His smile faltered for only a moment before he quickly forced it back into place.
Reluctantly, the flowers exchanged glances. They clearly didn’t like the idea of leaving him behind, but they also knew Flowery well enough to understand that pushing him would only make him dig his heels in further.
“Okay...” Seth finally said, though their voice carried hesitation. “But only because you’re being stubborn.”
Flowery gave him a small, amused smile. “That’s the spirit.”
One by one, the flowers headed outside. Orange lingered behind, wrapping him in one final hug around his ankle before looking up at him with watery eyes.
“...Don’t stay lonely, okay?” she whispered.
Flowery chuckled softly and gently patted her head.
“I promise.”
Only after she disappeared through the doorway did the greenhouse fall completely silent.
Flowery sat motionless, staring at the colorful lights flickering through the windows. He imagined his friends finding Asgore and the relief that would wash across Asgore's face when he saw they were all safe. He imagined everyone laughing together, celebrating the future they had fought so hard to protect.
For just a moment, he imagined himself there too, standing beside Asgore close enough to rest a hand against his back or intertwine their fingers.
The fantasy dissolved almost as quickly as it came.
His gaze fell onto the empty doorway where he wished Asgore would appear.
"...Maybe tomorrow," he whispered.