//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 - New Home 
// Story: Of Pony Princesses and Floral Friends 
// by SociallyAnxious247 
//------------------------------//

The boat ride was short, so it wasn’t long before they were in a city that wasn’t as inactive as Twilight was expecting. “I thought you said most monsters left the Underground,” Twilight said.
“Yes, they did. There’s more monsters than you think,” Flowey answered. “Most of these people are preparing to leave, but waiting for more housing to be built on the Surface. The castle is that way.”
Twilight nodded and took off, flying over the crowded streets and expertly dodging fellow flyers while holding Flowey in her magic. She saw a large building that could only be the castle, standing proud on a rocky ledge that was raised higher than the rest of the city. As she flew towards it, she could see the dark ceiling and shimmering gems embedded in the stone past it and hear water rushing and falling. Was this the castle she saw from Castleview?
“Is your family there?” she asked, pointing towards the castle.
“Yeah, they live in the castle. I wonder how they’re doing.” Flowey hummed, then shook his head. “We’ll find out.”
Twilight landed at the front doors of the castle, walking up to the guards. “Hello! I’m here with Flowey,” she said, turning 90 degrees to show them the flower on her back.
The guards bowed, either to her or Flowey, then pushed the large wooden doors open. Twilight walked inside, nodding to both guards as thanks. She looked around. “Which way?” she asked.
“We just wait here for a minute,” Flowey said. “The guards will tell my family that I’m here.” A door opened in the distance, followed by quick, heavy footsteps and laughter. Two monsters and a human came out of a hallway to Twilight’s right. Twilight recognized them as Toriel, Asgore, and Frisk.
“Flowey!” Toriel sang, holding Frisk’s hand and smiling at the flower. “How have you been, my dear?”
“M’alright,” Flowey said, blushing a bit as Toriel gave him a peck on the forehead. “Toriel, you’re embarrassing me.”
“Howdy, Flowey,” Asgore waved. “Do you need a bigger pot already? I have plenty, you know.”
Frisk ran up, letting go of Toriel and wrapping her arms around Flowey’s pot, crossing neck and stem in something akin to a hug. She didn’t say anything, just smiled as they released.
“Howdy, Frisk, Asgore,” Flowey smiled back at them. “I just wanted to visit and introduce you to my new friend. This is Princess Twilight. She’s from a different multiverse.”
“Hello, Your Majesty,” Twilight said, bowing to Asgore. She turned to Toriel and Frisk. “Miss Toriel, Ambassador. It’s very nice to meet you all. I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic, Friendship, and a portion of Equestria.”
“Oh, please stop with the formalities,” Toriel laughed. “Any friend of Flowey’s is a friend of mine. Call me Toriel. This is Frisk.” She gestured to the human.
Frisk’s eyes widened upon seeing Twilight, showing off her hazel-colored eyes as she whisked around the mare as if admiring her.
“I am happy to call you friends, then,” Twilight said cheerfully. “Toriel, I have a quick question, if you don't mind.”
“Go right ahead, dear,” Toriel said.
“Are you… Flowey’s mom?” As soon as she asked, she felt Flowey glare at her. Twilight glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him looking back with a poorly hidden scowl.
“No, I am not,” Toriel said with a laugh. “But I would be proud to have him as a son. He is a wonderful person. But we all treat him like family; he is close enough to Frisk, he could be her brother. And I would believe you if you said he was!” Twilight laughed with Toriel for a little bit, then Toriel spoke again, “I do have a question for you, though.”
“Ask away!”
“Forgive my bluntness, but… are you his girlfriend?”
Twilight blushed, more embarrassed that she’d never had a boyfriend than at the suggestion of Flowey filling that spot. “O-oh, no. I… I’ve never thought about that kind of stuff much, haha…” She broke eye contact to glance again at Flowey, who was now making an angry face at Toriel and blushing furiously. “Which is funny,” Twilight continued, trying to find something to switch the subject to, “because my sister-in-law is the Princess of Love. She has a husband- my brother, of course- and a filly already.”
“It sounds like you have quite the family,” Asgore said in a gentle voice that didn’t seem to fit his enormity- it actually reminded Twilight of how she felt when Celestia tutored her. “Oh, would you like a cup of tea?”
Twilight glanced at Flowey, who met her gaze then turned away quickly, probably still embarrassed by Toriel’s question. “Hmm… if you don’t mind, yes please,” Twilight nodded. “Flowey, do you want some?”
“No thank you, I’m not thirsty right now,” Flowey said quickly, refusing to make eye contact with anyone but Toriel. Even then, all he was doing was glaring at her anyway. He rested his stem on the back of Twilight’s neck again, half hiding in her mane.
“Flowey, that tickles,” Twilight giggled, shaking her head gently to reposition the tiny flower.
“Shut up,” Flowey muttered to Toriel, who was snickering quietly at him. He raised his voice a little to talk to Twilight and spoke in a nicer tone. “Sorry, didn’t mean to. I tried to lie where I had been before.”
“It’s okay,” Twilight said kindly, “I know you don’t mean any harm.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, “But maybe you shouldn’t bring up the fact that you were laying in my mane before, if you don’t want Toriel to assume feelings.”
Flowey made a sound of surprise, offense, and disappointment all in one that sounded straight out of an anime and removed himself from her mane quickly. “W-well, it was ‘cause I was tired!” he retorted. “Jeez, you guys need to chill out. Nothing’s going on between us!”
“I understand, Flowey,” Toriel smiled.
“Besides, her hair is soft,” Flowey grumbled, almost too low for anyone to hear. Emphasis on the almost.
“Aw, thank you!” Twilight said happily. “I try to keep it in good shape. It’s a habit from back when Spike- my younger brother, not the married one- used to ride on my back. He liked to rest his head on my mane whenever he got sleepy, just like you, Flowey.”
“That sounds adorable,” Toriel gushed, probably imagining it despite never having seen Spike.
“I had to wash my mane often because he kept drooling on it when he fell asleep,” Twilight said, faking an upset tone of voice. “And because I wanted to keep it soft to make for a perfect pillow. That’s also why I didn’t get my mane thinned. Since pony necks are relatively muscular as compared to most non-equine creatures in my world, my neck is too firm to act as a pillow. So, I refrained from thinning my mane so it could pad my neck and be more comfortable for him.”
“Anyway!” Flowey yelled desperately. “Can we talk about something else now? Jeez… you guys are weird.”
“Flowey, don’t say that,” Twilight said teasingly, looking back at him. “They’re just interested in your love life. It’s a perfectly normal thing for a family to pry into.” She bounced a little, making the flower pot shake precariously on her back.
Flowey didn’t respond, but his features relaxed as he stared at her face. There was a long pause where they just looked at each other, Twilight getting a little uncomfortable as Flowey’s unintentional glare seemed to pierce through her eyes straight into her soul.
“Flowey?” Twilight asked after a full minute, tilting her head. “You’re staring.”
“What? No, I… I wasn’t staring at you,” Flowey said quickly. “I just spaced out. There’s a lot on my mind, okay? D-don’t look into it.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m…” Flowey paused as he registered the concern in Twilight’s eyes. They seemed to sparkle in the most captivating way, like amethyst windows into her inner workings. And yet, like with Frisk and Chara, she was so unpredictable. He couldn’t place what she wanted or needed from him, but somehow, he knew he had to provide it for her. He didn’t know how or why, but he just… knew. Suddenly, he shook his head and looked away, breaking eye contact. “…fine. My mind is in a weird place right now. Can we go home now?”
“So soon?” Toriel asked. “You never had your tea, Twilight.”
“Oh, my tea! I’m so sorry, I forgot!” Twilight said, laughing sheepishly. “But I think Flowey is tired. I should get him home. Can I take the tea to-go? I’ll send the cup back as soon as I can.”
“Of course,” Asgore said. “You don’t have to return the cup, really. We have plenty here.”
“Thank you.” Twilight nodded to Asgore, taking the tea cup in her magic and sipping the tea. It tasted floral and sweet. Did he add honey? “We’d better get going. I can just teleport us home with my magic. Have a nice day!”
The monsters and human waved at her until she used the teleportation spell and disappeared with a snap.