Undertale 3: Redemption

"Honey, please hurry inside. It's beginning to get dark out." Toriel called to her son as he was finishing up painting one side of her fence. He glanced up at her and smiled.
"Are you sure, Mom? There's still a little bit of time left before the sun sets. I can get a start on the other side before I come in." He offered. Toriel shook her head quickly.
"That's alright, dear, thank you. Work can end a little earlier this evening. You've been working hard. Now come inside, please." Toriel repeated herself. Asriel nodded, wiping his forehead with his sleeve and bringing his things inside.
"Alright. I guess one day getting off early wouldn't hurt. Is everything alright?" Asriel asked. Toriel shook her head a bit.
"Not necessarily, dear. I know you've been working hard and I figured a day of extra rest would serve you well." Toriel explained, her eyes beginning to avert as she gave her explanation. Asriel's eyebrows furrowed a bit.
"Is something wrong?" Asriel continued to ask. Toriel hummed a bit.
"It may not be safe for you to be out so late in the evenings for now, dear." She responded.
"Why not? Is the protestors again? Did they come back?" Asriel asked quickly. Toriel shook her head, motioning for him to follow her into the kitchen.
"No, dear, they haven't. It's something worse, I'm afraid." Toriel said, sitting with him at the kitchen table. Asriel's frown grew deeper with concern.
"Why? What happened?" He demanded an answer. Toriel sighed, knowing she couldn't keep the answer from him any longer.
"I'm afraid that Flowey has escaped somehow. He's rooted himself into the grounds of the surface now and has been roaming free for the past two days." She finally told him. Asriel's eyes widened a bit.
"What? Really? Where'd he go then? Why haven't we seen him?" He asked.
"Because he ran off, dear. As soon as we became aware that he had escaped, we attempted to subdue him, but he was too fast." Toriel explained. Asriel shook his head a bit.
"That...doesn't sound right. I thought Flowey wasn't like that anymore." Asriel said.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that has proven not to be the case." Toriel said in an unfortunate tone. Asriel silently nodded, pondering this.
"For the meantime, I ask that you stay inside during these later hours of the day until we figure out where he's gone and he's been dealt with. Okay?" Toriel requested.
"Sure." He agreed.
"Thank you, my child. Now, I know you must be tired. Go ahead and freshen up. Our new kitchen appliances should be working now. I'm going to try them out." Toriel said, managing a smile.
***
Nighttime fell over New Monster City. Monsters had retired for the night, and only the sounds of crickets chirping and wind howling filled the crisp chilly air. Stars were shining, only a few occasional clouds hung overhead, slowly passing over as the half moon cast its pale light downwards.
Asriel laid on his mattress, staring up at the wall. Lying on his back with his hands folded over his stomach, he could see a little bit out of his window the stars above. Normally, he wouldn't be comfortable in the darkness and the silence, but his thoughts were noisy enough to make up for it.
It didn't seem right to him, the picture that his Mom had painted in his head; what had happened with Flowey escaping. Surely, the changes he had undergone weren't just an act this whole time, were they? Not even Flowey could pull off such a convincing act.
Tossing his blankets off of him, he quietly snuck to his closet and grabbed himself a jacket and slippers that Alex had given him. He cracked the door open slowly and made his way downstairs, keeping careful with every step.
Soon he was out the front door with a flower pot and a trowel in hands. If Flowey were still around, this would be his opportunity to show what his true intentions were. Asriel fully realized that this meant that he was exposed and vulnerable...
But he had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't going to be a concern.
"Flowey...? Flowey, it's me, Asriel. Are you here?" Asriel called out to him, taking several steps away from the city. Just as he was on the verge of getting ready to turn back, a voice called back to him in the dark.
"Kid?" Flowey's voice said in surprise. Asriel caught sight of his figure in the dark, looking up at him in surprise. Asriel set his things down and lowered himself to one knee.
"Hey. What're you doing out here in the cold?" Asriel asked, managing a shivering chuckle. Flowey sighed a bit, rolling his eyes.
"What're you doing out here? Obviously, you already know what happened." Flowey questioned him. Asriel nodded.
"Yeah, I heard what happened, and I don't believe that you just up and switched back to your old ways that fast. It didn't sound right to me, so I wanted to hear your side of the story." Asriel explained.
"Well, that's more than what everyone else has done. I could barely get a word out before I almost got killed again and again." Flowey grumbled angrily.
"The whole 'kill or be killed' doesn't quite feel so great when you're on the weaker side of the spectrum, does it?" Asriel said, his mouth tugging to one side.
"Har dee har har. You know, I really was trying to do my best to change, because Alex was right, I was actually starting to feel pretty good about how things were going. I mean, it was boring, but at the very least I could be fulfilled without having to lose something.
"And then this happened. Mind you, this wasn't even my fault, and now I've lost out on any chance I had of the opportunity I'd been given. Within a second, everyone assumed I was betraying them and tried to kill me for it." Flowey explained, sounding more hurt than angry now.
"I'm sorry, Flowey... I really am. There really isn't any way to justify it. That's the hardest part about forgiveness... It takes time, and sometimes you find yourself being judged for the things you're trying to get past." Asriel said in understanding.
"Yeah... Yeah, right, exactly... What would you know about that?" Flowey asked with a raised eyebrow. Asriel tilted his head a bit.
"Not exactly a whole lot, but I know that whenever my parents or other monsters treat me a certain kind of way, it bothers me. They seem to think I'm still a defenseless little kid who's too innocent for his own good, and I used to be that way...
"But if there's anything that I've learned since we were set free, it's that past, the present, and the future are all three separate things; they're all connected, but only one has an effect on the other. You can't change the past, but what you do in the present determines your future."
"Yeah...mmm, but what am I supposed to do now? I can't go back there now. They'll attack me again." Flowey pointed out.
"That's why I'm here. To protect you." Asriel said, setting the flower pot down on the ground. Flowey eyed it and sighed a bit heavily.
"You know, kid, I understand what you're trying to do, but maybe I'm just too far gone for that... Who's to say they aren't right? Maybe I haven't really changed that much." Flowey muttered sadly.
"You think I'd be out here with you now if that were true?" Asriel asked.
Flowey exhaled heavily again, not responding.
"I know you're trying to do the right thing. It's gonna take time for you to convince everyone of that, but you've already convinced me. If they try to attack you again, they're gonna have to get through me first.
"We both have something that we need to overcome, you know. You've already heard how things are with my family. I have to deal with it every day, just like every day you're gonna have to keep showing your true intentions.
"I think what you need right now is a friend; someone who gets what you're going through and is gonna stand by your side. And since Alex isn't here, you're just gonna have to deal with me for a bit longer." Asriel said with a smile. Flowey chuckled a bit.
"You know what? That doesn't sound half bad... Mind if I crash with you tonight then? It's warmer indoors." Flowey asked. Asriel nodded in agreement.
"Sure. We'll sort everything out in the morning." Asriel said, grabbing his trowel again and getting ready to dig into the ground.
"Asriel?" Flowey said suddenly, stopping him.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you... I don't really have anything else to say. Just...thank you." Flowey said sincerely.
"You're welcome." Asriel replied kindly, patting him a bit before digging into the ground again...