//------------------------------// // Meeting Flowey // Story: Snails Vs. Flowers // by Michael Hudson //------------------------------// The goldenrod stallion hummed to himself as he walked slowly along the road. It was well trodden by the pony, and the froggits on the side of it were eagerly waving to the familiar figure. He nodded back, a light blue scarf wrapped around his neck, made long ago by his mother. Back then it had been too big, but now, it felt just right. He continued down the earthen path, dust gently coming up with each new step. The sound of his hooves were all that filled the empty caverns, only broken by the occasional crying fairy, a whimsum, flying by. At one point in his five years down here, the silence scared him. Not because he couldn’t run from his thoughts. No, that was easy. It was the fact that it reminded him of just how dark this place was, and how cold; how different it was from what he used to have in Equestria. Now though, the unicorn was happy for it. It had helped him learn to focus better than in his younger years, and meant he could be better at his mother’s magic lessons. He hoped one day he would make her proud through them. The final thing that helped make all of this be better for him, were his spider friends. Little makers of treats that always had a bake sale going on, and had become his friends over the years. One now walked next to him and he calmly spoke, “One jug, and three donuts please.” The spider scurried ahead of him, and a small laugh escaped the stallion, jostling his short, fire trimmed, turquoise mane. It was similar to what he had as a colt, and was to stay that way after his mane got so thick that he couldn’t see for a day before letting Toriel burn it away. Stepping into the dead end, he raised an eyebrow and bit into his cheek. After five years of being a loyal customer, he was used to being able to ‘talk’ to the spiders while they made his food before him. Today though, they were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the ingredients were there, but so were empty webs. A cracking rippled through the silence, and the stallion looked to the ground. Slowly, the dirt separated, and let a small sunflower come up. It spread its leaves like arms, and looked to him, before smiling. A sweet voice escaped it only a moment later. “Hello there, Snails. I’m so happy you could make it today.” Snails blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow. “Do I know you? Are you the spirit of one of the flowers I ate back in Equestria?” He raised a hoof, swallowing hard at the thought, and the flower’s high pitched laughter did not help. The flower covered his mouth for a moment as the last of its giggles drifted away. “I am not, but I am indeed a flower. I’m even named, Flowey!” Snails laughed a bit himself at the name, covering his own mouth so as to try not to be rude. Just as Toriel had taught him to be. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” Flowey stopped him from being able to say anything more when his eyes narrowed, and a shadow seemed to be cast over his forehead. “Oh, yes, it should be. If not for me, you would never have had these five years of bliss, and Equestria would never have met with The Underground. So yes, the pleasure is all yours. However, once I’m done, it will be all mine.” This stopped Snails’ jovial attitude, and he cocked his head to the side, looking down upon the flower as he tried to puzzle together what he said. “How could you be responsible for me coming here? I fell down a well. Not only that, but,” he shifted his head to the other side, “how would you be able to make the pleasure all yours when I’m happy by just having known you?” The smile on Flowey’s face widened. “Oh, how innocent can one full grown stallion be? Not that it matters how I do it, only that I can. As for your ability to have fallen down that well…” Flowey’s face distorted, his smile becoming a jagged grin as his eyes becoming soulless, black pits. “I only had to come here because that pacifistic brat forced me to load a very… special save. A save to a world where I would not require human souls to get stronger. The best part is that they won’t exist, no one else will remember them, and I still can, so I won’t make the same mistakes.” Snails stepped back, putting a hoof to his head as he shook it. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, and you’re beginning to scare me!” Flowey blinked, staring at Snails before his face smoothed back over, his bright, cheery smile coming back as a white sphere formed in front of him. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking of much worse realities than this one. Let me help you relax with an example of why I chose your land specifically.” His smile cracked, becoming the jagged form it had only moments ago as the bullet became black. Before the stallion could respond, the seed shot forward, and Snails’s eyes widened as it went straight into his chest. Flowey began to laugh once more as the stallion fell to the ground, whimpering from the intense, sharp pain that was spreading through his body. “See what I mean? One Plunder Seed, and you’re doomed! This world favors us plants, and will give me the strength I need so that I can enjoy you writhing in pain, futilely trying to save your life, but still be able to take what I desire after I watch you fail..” His eyes narrowed, still jagged as that wicked grin never left. “Of course, to make the game a little fair, I should let you know what it does. The seed within will kill you when your determination runs out, and cause you increasing agony until then. It’s marvelous, don’t you think? Snails glanced at the flower, his hooves drawn up as he shivered and shook. “W-why are you doing this?” Flowey only continued to smile, teeth now showing as his grin became larger and larger. “You will be my satisfaction for not being able to kill the brat like I had wanted to before. Now, I can sit back and watch you die, before going to retrieve my final gifts. Have fun!” A final, harsh laugh filled the chamber, before Flowey sank into the ground. Slowly, the stallion got to his hooves, but his vision was blurry. The pain in his chest was agonizing, and he wanted to simply lay down. Rest. Escape the torment that had so suddenly been thrust upon him. His eyes were just about to shut, when a tapping against his leg caused him to look down. A set of spiders lifted the donut they had just made towards him, crumbs of it against his leg where they had used the pastry to get his attention. Looking upon his friends, still trying to help him, filled Snails with determination, and the pain ebbed. He took the donut into his mouth, before turning on his hooves towards the way out. He didn’t know entirely what was going on, but that was normal. Besides, he knew someone who would at least be able to point him in the right direction to get this all fixed.