corruptedflora

[corruptedflora]

[ * Made a Couple Cakes. ]

[ * Guess These are for myself Now. ] --

* ( Ah... Two Overlaps. ) * ( Hard to Read, but the Color and Calligraphy Separates Them. Nonetheless...)

* ( "We are Starting to Run Low on a Few More Foodstuffs… Cornstarch, Cinnamon… Sugars… ) * ( Everything You would Need to Make Butterscotch Pie…) * ( Despite the Kingdom’s Despair being Alleviated, I Must Admit the Underground is Still on the Decline… Though Perhaps, into a Stagnancy. ) * ( …Oh, and a Nice New Hotel has been Opened. Isn’t That Dandy?" )

* ( "Who Knew my "Protected-for-Science" Sea-Grass would Become Actually Protected? Well, Not for Science but... ) * ( More Importantly, I Managed to Convince Asriel to Watch Mew Mew 4 with me, Undyne, and Papyrus! I’m Not Actually Sure if He liked it or Not but He Seemed Invested Halfway Through When Mecha Appeared? So? That’s All I could Hope for. ) * ( Now Maybe I could get Him to Watch Mew Mew 1… and Maybe I Won’t have to Bargain with Him Next Time L-O-L. Anyway, I have to get Back to Working on a Way out... but it’s just so Nerve-Wracking… ) * ( At least One of Us is Capable." )

[corruptedflora]

[ It's Not even December. ]

[corruptedflora]

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY?

[ What is a Star? ]

[ And What does it Mean When They Fade? ]

*...

[ He does Not have an Answer. ]

[corruptedflora]

[ Corrupted would Only Begin to Internally Pray That the Body would Stop Inching Closer, Holding the Spear Firm, When Seemingly These Prayers would be Answered His Eyes would Widen Watching the Flower Appear... Then as Happy's Eyes Truly Met His and Uttered His Name. ]

[ He would Only Return a Helpless Kind of Look as Happy Assessed the Spear in His Hands... and Then Realized a lot of Things at Once. ]

*........

*...N-No it's Fine... I just...

*...Almost...

*...

[ Corrupted would Immediately Drop the Spear, Realizing it was Still in His Grip. It would Fade Before it Hit the Ground. ]

*...I-it's Not Your Fault, Dear.

*It's Good to See You're... Actually Here. And Not... Well...

*...

[ His Smile would Very Quickly Fade and He Suddenly Lunged at Happy, Hugging Him Tightly. ] [ Corrupted did Not Want to let go Any Time Soon. So He wouldn't. ]

It keeps approaching, and trying to say…. something… but right as it got up to the point where the spear was nearing his chest, it began to cough violently, splattering more of the pink liquid everywhere. Up until-

POP!

A little flower suddenly popped up in his hair…. and… he stopped approaching and seemed to have completely become frozen in thought as his pupils scanned the area.

And then met Corrupted’s eyes.

* ……………….Kckccccrrr-Cc–co–Corrupt……?

Oh. Oh… He is looking at the Spear that’s close to his chest, and then back at Corrupted…

He tilts his head, confused.

* …….. Wh…. What’s going on…. why do you got that thing pointed at me, pal? I-

*…………

His voice sounds a bit raspier now that he’s in a …. body. He’s looking at his bloody hands.

* …. Oh… Oh SHIT. I have HANDS. I’m….

* I’m a WHOLE BEING, again! HAHAHAHA!

* We really fucking did it, pal! I-

He looks back at the trailed mess of his blood from the coffin, and then to the spear… and then back to Corrupted, realizing exactly how fucked up this looks and is.

* Oh jeez, I’m really sorry, honey.

[corruptedflora]

[ Corrupted would Stare Back into the Eyes of the Unstable, Drenched Form as it Began to Make its Approach, Only Primal Noise Reaching the Other as its Throat Failed. He Refused to Move Forward or Backward. ]

[ The Magic from His Hand was Becoming More Wild as the Distance was Closing Between Them... but in an Attempt to get Back Some Control of Whatever He was About to do in His Blind Panic, a Spear would be Formed and Pointed Defensively Instead. ]

[ There was No Telling the Intent of This Thing... but in His Daze, He would Respond to the Burbling. ]

*...What...?

*...Happy...?

The body struggles to completely get up, but it does. And through it’s stumbling, more of that pink liquid drips from it’s mouth and it’s hands.

It looks at Corrupted, unblinking, and starts to gurgle and growl something out of its vocal chords that were unused in who knows how long.

“MGGRGRRGRGHHHH….HHHEGERGRGHEHHAUGGH!!!”

It starts moving closer to Corrupt…. The pace is slow, but not incredibly slow… it’s not going to be very long before he gets close enough to attack or…. do something.

[corruptedflora]

[ Corrupted would just Follow and Blink as Happy got Closer to the Body, Apparently Unguided and Completely Confused on the Next Step. He would Tilt His Head with a Raised Eyebrow as the Flower Faced Him and Continued to- ]

*.......................................

[ ...The Body... it... ]

[ ...Just like That... ]

[ ...Happy was Gone. ]

*.......................................

[ Was This... Okay? Was This How it was Supposed to go? ]

[ Corrupted would Back Away a bit as the Body Clambered from it's Resting Place, Taking the Soul Locket He had just Given to His Love. His Lover Who was Now just Bits of a Stem and Vines. ]

[ His First. His Last. His Absolute Everything. ]

[ In the Very Moment, He did Not Know What to do. Or if This was Right. He was Practically Frozen from the Shock... Yet... One of His Hands would Begin to Instinctively Spark with Magic, just Barely Covered by the Cloak. ]

[ He would Not Dare to Move, Staring Wide-Eyed at the Rising Body. Waiting for... Something. ]

[ Anything. ]

He grabs onto the SOUL. The feeling of it beating immediately fades from Corrupted’s perspective but Happy feels it fully and completely now. He opens the compartment and stares at it.

He makes a face at the picture of the door in it but he looks back at the beating heart with a relief.

* Thank you…….. It’s amazing how one of these still actually survived. But…. I guess it’s amazing that I’m still here to begin with anyway.

* I think I’ll be fine… I…

…..

* I think.

* This is going to work. It has to work.

He would approach the BODY.

* ………

And stare at it…..

*………………

*……………………….. Yeah I have no idea what the fuck I’m supposed to be doing here, pal.

* I mean, the plan was to come here so we could get the BODY and make…. so I could I guess become ONE but I have no idea what the SOUL even wants me to do at this point.

He holds out the locket and turns to look at Corrupted, opening it again.

* Like what? No special instructions now? You’re not gonna push me in the direction of the damn dead thing, pal? What’s-

Suddenly as he said that, the BODY lunged at Happy, grabbing on to his stem and it immediately in one swoop, bite into Happy’s head.

And in a complete instant, Happy’s head was gone.

The stem falls lifelessly onto the floor, his vine hands go limp.

And the Body starts to climb out of the coffin. Grabbing the Soul Locket from the floor.

[corruptedflora]

[ Corrupted would Turn and Walk into the Void-like Darkness as Happy Decided to Join Him. The Quiet Wind… the Dark… it was like Home… and Yet, so too were the Bricks and Weeds, in a Way. A Physical Merge of Two Memories. It Felt Strange. He would Stop Thinking on it as His Beloved Spoke up with a Small, Sad Kind of Smile. ]

[ He would Nod Solemnly at the Question. There was No More to be Said. This was it. ]

[ A Small Shock would Hit Him as They Slowed to a Stop just Before a Coffin… and… a Body. These Things Always Tended to be Here, Often Disturbed for Specific Reasons, but it was Surprising Nonetheless. The Pink Fluid was Particularly New, Though He had Seen it Before, and Thus to Him it was Akin to Blood. Corrupted would Focus on Happy’s Voice, Despite being Obviously Fixated on the Body… Happy’s Body Across from Them. ]

[ …What He had Managed to do… ]

[ The Statement would Make Corrupted Turn to Happy. Silent, Still. ]

[ They did have Everything They Needed. No Substitutions Required. He Knew Exactly What Happy was Asking for. ]

[ The SOUL. ]

*...

*…I Think… I Think You Will Manage to do it, Dear… This Plan… could Work… just…

*…Just…

*…

*…Just Know I Will be Here the Entire Time, Okay? If Anything goes Wrong... I Will Figure out a Way to Make it Work.

[ He wasn’t Sure What More to Say. He just Hoped it was Reassuring. ]

He would just…. stare at Corrupted for a moment. Before just silently nodding and following him along. It really was too late to go back now.

* ………

Past the corridor was dark. Pitch black without really being dark. It was almost like another voidspace, except there was evidence here and there of cliff walls and bricks every so often. There was very limited amounts of plant life here… weeds mostly.

There was a howling of the wind here, just loud enough to break the silence but quiet enough enhance how it’s just them there.

* Honey ….. I… I guess this is it, right? Where the charade ends… ?ha- haha…..

* No more playing around. No more hiding.

There’s a dead end…. And a coffin. Not unlike the ones usually seen in nearby a throne room. There is a body there, hunched over…. monster dust around it, and covered with a pink liquid that drips from the arms. It’s been there for a while.

* There I am. Not exactly the way they all left me but… I know I’ve been…. trying to get this to happen for a LONG while, pal.

* I’ve been also extremely fucking terrified of this very moment too… I don’t even know if my plan is going to even work.

* But… I don’t know… seeing what you managed to do… Maybe I can follow suit, pal. Not like I can turn back anyway.

* We have all parts that we’d need, anyway……

* The MIND.

Happy motions to himself.

* The BODY.

He motions to the hunched over figure.

* And……

* ….

He looks at Corrupted, almost expectantly. Like he should know what the final thing need is….

[corruptedflora]

[ All of These Items… even the Gun? At least the Locked Book Seemed Fitting… ]

[ Watching Happy Try and Fail to Open the Journal, He would Look Back to the Displays, Picturing the Many Places the Key could be if it were in the Current Room... Maybe Amidst the Cookies... Though the Flower would Catch His Eye Yet Again as He Began an Attempt to Flee. A Single Step was Taken as He Realized What Happy was Trying to do. ]

*…H-

*…

[ Corrupted had Not just Stopped at the Sickening Tug. He Froze. Entirely. ]

[ He Seemed to Remember Something. ]

[ It Only Lasted a Second, as He would Glitch a little and Blink as He Processed That Happy Seemed to be Physically Moved. A Glance to the Top of the Doorway… to the Darkness Ahead… Then to the Journal… Itching His Right Wrist and Holding it to His Chest. ]

*…Ah. *…Ha ha… *………

*…Right.

*We really shouldn’t Stall Any Longer. We can Figure out the Journal in a Moment but...

[ He would Seem Contemplative Staring into the Dark. ]

[ Then, Corrupted would Pass Through the Archway... Stopping and Turning. ]

*...Let's go, Dear.

* I…. I think this is mine.

He gets off of Corrupted to go grab the book and look at it.

* Half of these items… maybe all? Are mine? Maybe? I don’t really know why they’re on display, but….

Even the gun…?

* It’s like an old journal or something…..

He fiddles with the lock in an attempt to pick lock it but quickly realized that wasn’t exactly going to work. There was probably a key somewhere, why would it just be out like this if he wasn’t meant to open it?

Happy would look up and stare at the doorway in front of him. Ahead of him was completely shrouded in darkness. He became transfixed with it.

He….

He turns around and starts moving in the opposite direction.

There’s suddenly a strong tug at a feeling, coming from the heart locket. A strong feeling to turn right back around. To face what is needed. A yearning. Happy seemed to have felt it himself because he literally stopped as if he was yanked.

* ……..

He sighs HEAVILY as he turns right back around at the door.

* OK! FINE. WHATEVER. I GET IT. YOU DON’T WANT ME TO LEAVE. OKAY. I GET IT.

[corruptedflora]

[ * It has been Quiet Around. Quiet Here. Mostly Quiet out There. I’ve been Keeping myself Entertained with Puzzles and Walking Around Other Places. But I Miss the Noise. Really. ]

[ * I Almost Hope Something Bad Happens Somewhere. Just so I have Something else to do. ]

[ * Sounds like I really have Better Things to do. ]

* ( Oh, Wow, Someone else’s Writing is Under This One. )

* ( That’s Not just Anyone else’s! It’s, like, the-Only-Other-Person-That-Keeps-a-Diary’s Writing! Besides Mettaton. :^) )

* ( … )

* ( Tough Crowd and Why for. :| )

* ( …Wait, All You Guys Invaded Her Privacy like That? )

* ( WHO CARESSS READ IT! >:/ )

* ( Asriel Visited Today. It has been Some Time Since He has Done so, I Suspect His Father is Keeping Him Busy. He Brought me a Golden Flower Today. )

* ( It was a bit Silly, Since This Place has had a Bloom of Them as of Late… it is a Thoughtful Gift Anyway. )

* ( He Asked if I would Leave the Ruins Someday. Then if I would if He Asked me to. )

* ( Perhaps He has Something Special in Mind in the Garden? I Hope He Visits Again Soon. )

[corruptedflora]

[ * I Wish I could Remember What I was Thinking of When I Woke up for the First Time. ]

[ * There was Something There. I Know There was. There was Something Before All of This Nothingness. ]

[ * There’s Nothing Now. But I’m Still Here. ]

[ * I’m Still Here. ]

* ( It’s been a While Since Asriel has Started Helping me with the Barrier. About 2 Months? Progress has been Slow. But, in Retrospect, Not Rushing it is for the Best. )

* ( It’s Nice to have Someone else Around Here to Talk to, but its Still a little Awkward That it’s, Well, the Prince of the Underground. Who I Accidentally Revived as a Flower. )

* ( But He’s About as Nice as His Dad About it, Thankfully, He just Seems a little Sad? Maybe? )

* ( He Says He has a Favor to Ask of me Soon. I’m really Curious About it, but He Won’t Tell me What it is. )

[ A Page Turn. ]

--

* ( …This Page has too Much Overlapping Writing. It is Practically Indecipherable. )

* ( Any Idea What That Means…? The Overlapping Text? )

* ( The World Remembers Everythin’ That went on. )

* ( …I do Not Think That to be Precisely True. But… it does Seem to have Some Sort of Merit Here. This May be the Result of Different Versions of the Same Page. )

* ( Whadda Think the Favor was? )

* ( I Don’t Think it really Matters… it didn’t Seem to Work out, if it was Overwritten so Much… )

[corruptedflora]

[ Corrupted would Nod to That. Fuck All Wherever. That was the Place to be. ]

[ The Sight of Displays and Items on Pedestals was... Peculiar, to Say the Least. Something He had Not Encountered Before, Nor Remembered. Puzzle Book... Gun... Though the Plate of Cookies Especially, Seeing as They Seemed Either Truly Frozen in Time... or Somewhat Fresh? Likely the First. Hopefully the First. ]

[ Corrupted would Continue to Ponder the Point of These Items, Offerings, Perhaps, Until Happy Suddenly Blurted out a Command and Snapped Him from His Daze. ]

*Okay!

[ He Stopped. ]

[ He, too, would Then Notice the Pink Book on the Ground Caught Between Them and the Doorway. He wasn't Sure What to Make of it. It was Kind of Cute... but What was it doing Here? Corrupted would Wordlessly Look to Happy with a Look of Apprehension. ]

* Let’s…. let’s go somewhere random then after this, then. Just… fuck all wherever.

They reached the Staircase and something becomes apparent really quickly.

There are little displays here and there. Some things were simply on pedestals and other things straight up behind glass. Labels next to them, messily handwritten, with almost always single phrase of descriptors of items. There wasn’t really much of a pattern of what was being displayed.

Watering Can. Gardening Hoe. Puzzle book. Plate of Cookies. Vase. Flashlight. Gun.

Wait.

Happy’s attention was on the plate of cookies just sitting there on a pedestal. Not even behind the glass wall. No sign of mold or crust, but he wouldn’t dare actually take a bite out of those. But his eyes also caught a different thing. Another book. A pink book with a heart shaped key lock on it. Just on the floor near the final doorway.

* Hey wait Corrupted stop for a second!!!

[corruptedflora]

* ( Asriel has Decided to Help with the On-Going Barrier Project. I’m Not too Sure Where to Start Again, Considering Past Results… but His Input could be Valuable! )

* ( I’ve Gone over Previous Notes with Him, and the Current Conclusion is to Find a Substitution for the Power of a Soul without the Use of Monster Souls. )

* ( Maybe DT can Work Alone? )

* ( …She Noted He was Soulless, That it Resulted in Behavioral Changes… He Must of Told Her Something had Changed but had Not Elaborated on What. )

* ( …He Must have been Trying to get Her to Find a Substitute in Case… Whatever Happened to Him… Happened Again. )

* ( Or… )

* ( Or…? )

* ( …He was Tryin' to get Her to Experiment with Us Again. To have Us within' His Reach. )

* ( What was His Motive to Help, Anyhow? )

* ( Having Any Idea of a Timeframe would be Nice... I just Remember being Blipped Around Between the Barrier and the Lab for Some Time... Quite a Few Repeat Days, I Think... )

[corruptedflora]

[ To Hang Around the Void... ]

[ Corrupted did Not Know Whether to be Okay with the Void or Not at the Moment. He didn't Want to Think About it Right Now. It, in Itself, was a Horrible Implication. ]

*...I Think I'd Want That too...

*Something... and Somewhere... That Can't be Messed up by Whatever Horrible Implications That Follow Us... That's Quiet and Nice...

*......

*Anything... Anywhere... Except Maybe my Place. For Now. I Might Change my Mind.

[ Not like He could Escape it Entirely. ]

*...Maybe Somewhere Random could be Nice... Somewhere I Can't Imagine I've ever been Before... Just for a While.

[ Corrupted had Not Stopped Nor Slowed down, Despite Everything. They were going to get Through This. Whatever This Fate was. ]

Happy didn’t want to think about the possibility that Corrupted was seemingly about to question. It was a very real possibility. There was the chance he was going to have to-

* You know… I don’t know, pal.

* Maybe we could just hang around your place again…. if… if you don’t mind.

* I think I’d just rather be somewhere quiet with you. It hasn’t been exactly loud out here, but it’s been loud enough.

* Or … maybe we should go somewhere random. Somewhere we haven’t been before. Just to get away from our bullshit for a bit, pal.

* I think….. I’d just want to do something nice with you.

* Something that isn’t always twinged with some horrible implication of our fucked up worlds.

[As they walk there seems to be rooms for puzzles of various kinds… but they’re all deactivated making them incredibly easy to navigate through…. fate fast approaches.]

[corruptedflora]

[ Corrupted would Watch as Whatever Anger Happy had Toward the Question Fizzed out and Dissolved into a Somber Admission. ]

*…

*…I See.

[ …He was Not Sure How to Feel About it. He Understood it Perfectly Well, Painfully Well; Rooted in His Own Being were Years Worth of Trying to get Back There, Wherever There was. ]

[ Trying to Fix the Hole. Maybe for even Longer Than He really Knew. Much, Much Longer. ]

[ But a Hole is Still a Hole, No Matter the Size. There's Always Flowers at the Bottom. ]

[ His Form Wavered Again as He Felt Nauseous, a Single Drop of Some Sort of Liquid Falling from His Face, What He Presumed to be Sweat. He Said That to Someone Once. To Someone in a Lab Coat. He would Intentionally Forget He Said That. ]

[ There was a Long Pause of Silence Before Corrupted Spoke up Again, Feeling Coherent Enough to do so. ]

*...Do You Think... After We do... This...

*...

[ He would Change His Question... to a Momentary Distraction. ]

*...What... do You Think We should do... After This...?

Happy had an immediately strong reaction.

* I…. I don’t… I was ALWAYS a ….

But he stopped himself.

Happy has been asked in various ways about his… backstory. His version of events. What his condition was all throughout the years. The difference now, is that he has… more context to it. He can feel it.

And someone very important to him is asking him the questions this time.

He knows he isn’t’ being all that truthful if he finished that sentence. Not anymore, at least.

*….

And Corrupted was someone he felt like he could trust the truth with a lot more. I mean, he would understand him after all.

* ….

* It’s…. it’s where we’re headed, Corrupted. I’m… still back there.

[corruptedflora]

[ Ah. These Ruins were Much Different from What He… Remembered. Smooth, Static, Untouched by Millions of Roots and Vine, and Not Sprouting with… Flowers. Especially Not Around the Old Family Home. ]

[ There Usually weren’t Flowers Anyway. ]

[ It was... Pristine. Undisturbed. A Place Meant for Silence. ]

[ The Line of Thought was Broken by Happy’s Overjoyed Proclamation of Where They really were. Such an Exclamation would Cause Corrupted to Simply Stare down at the Flower. He would let Happy Work out His Own Feelings on What just Came out of His Mouth, a Look of Concern Eventually Crossing His Face, too. ]

[ He had an Idea. But He Hated to Ask it. ]

[ He would Nervously Glance to the Home. Then Toward the End of the Ruins. Closing His Eyes. ]

*...Happy... do You Remember Where You Died?

*...Before You Became a Flower, I Mean...

*...Y-you Don't have to Answer That if You Don't Want to. I'm just...

*...

[ He had His Own Idea of What was at the End... or What was Usually at the End. He Hated Thinking of it. He didn't Want to go Anywhere Near it. It Made Him Sick. But They were Drawn to it All the Same. ]

[ He would Continue Walking Toward Where Happy Said to go. ]

The crack was strange, it seemed to have no real end to it looking in but quickly placed the two in front of a wall somewhere in the RUINS once they were in.

…

The OLD RUINS were hardly ruins. They kinda weren’t ruins at all.

The place was completely bare, completely blank with a lack of brickwork and cracks… save for the one they came through, which seemed to be letting in some of the cold.

And compared to what was New Home, which was overgrown but wilted everywhere, this area had a very notable lack of plant life. It was a washed out pink color, rather than the notable purple those walls tended to have.

There was a complete stillness in the air, and even the waterfalls nearby seemed still as if time here paused.

Happy took a second to open his eyes but once he did he seemed more awake.

* Oh…. We’re… we’re actually here. THIS IS MY TOMB!

He paused… just registering what he just said. He seems unsure about it despite the cherry tone.

Wait.

* ……

He felt like he should explain what he just said, even though he’s not entirely sure why he said it like that.

* It feels like I’ve been here the entire time. Like I’m overly familiar with it. But that isn’t fucking right, is it?

He looks at Corrupted. A worried nervous smile creeps up on his face. But he isn’t entirely sure if he’s actually worried or just confused.

* I….

* I don’t know why I’m excited, honey. S-shouldn’t I be scared or something?

He’s not sure if he’s really asking for reassurance or not.

* I… I just said it was my tomb and yet I’m sitting here all giddy and excited and…

….

He sighs.

* Something is up ahead if we just keep going all the way to the end.

*… We should head there.

Nearby there was the other house on their right, but Happy seemed dead focused on going more toward the other end of the ruins.

[corruptedflora]

[ Corrupted was Rather Focused on Making it Through the Snow, Every Now and Again Breaking His Line of Sight from the White Nothingness to His Tired Beloved. ]

[ He was Not Sure Whether it was the Cold or the Closing Distance, but Happy’s Voice would Quell His Nerves a bit Each Time, letting Him Know the Flower was Still… There. Awake, Alive. ]

[ Coming up Upon the Wall… a Familiar Closed Door. Always Locked. Never to be Opened. Perhaps, for the Best. ]

[ The Locket Weighed Heavy as the Heartbeats Reverberated in His Chest. It was Strange, Feeling a Soul Attuned to Someone else. He was just Content They Still weren’t Discussing its Existence… Yet. The Monster didn’t Know How Much Longer He could Stand to Continue Holding it, Hearing and Feeling it. But He would Continue for as Long as… as Until it was Needed. ]

*...

[ Corrupted’s Own Eyes would Flit Open as His Thoughts on the Heartbeat were Broken by New Directions. Making Way to the Left Side of the Door… Indeed, a Crack. An Opening. ]

[ It was Slightly Unnerving. ]

[ …Nonetheless, He would Make His Way into the OLD RUINS. ]

It was a mostly silent walk through the snowing woods. Happy would call out directions if it seemed like the path wasn’t as straight forward as going through and he seemed to have gotten more exhausted the closer they got. He started closing his eyes a lot more than he was opening them, but he was making an effort to stay up; Trying his damnedest not to freak Corrupted out for…. sleeping.

And then they hit the wall.

A large door blocked by large boulders of the wall stands between the two and the OLD RUINS.

The heartbeat was a bit more louder… more focused again. It seemed loud enough for Happy to even hear at this point with how almost eerily silent this place was but Happy didn’t seem to really acknowledge it. It seemed more like… he was more attuned with it.

Happy remained quiet before he suddenly started speaking again, as if he knew exactly what to do.

*….. There’s a crack in the wall… to the left of the door.

Sure enough… there was a spot that seemed to have been completely free of any debris on the left of them.