Power Trip

Chapter One – Trial Run

-A-

It was happening again.

No matter what he did, no matter where he went to, how far he pushed…

Flowey was filled with a lassitude that made that smiley trashbag look like Mister Motivation. It always ended this way; he would awaken within his father's throne room, go out into the Underground, and try and find something to do that he hadn't already done.

Trouble is, there wasn't much left to do. He'd lost count of the amount of times he had re-awoken, whether it be from the brink of death, boredom, among many other reasons. The one obvious route not-walked he had deemed an impossibility- every time he tried to escape to the surface, either his powerlessness or Sans impeded him.

For a being in an endless loop, death was no escape. He'd tried that too, more times than can possibly be recounted.

Sure, he'd helped everyone out multiple times as well. He'd even managed to get his mother and father together again. Twice. But that was boring without him or her to enjoy it… Killing was no fun either. It just… meant nothing. The twist in the persona perhaps, as they fought an unstoppable enemy…

But he was tired of that. Of all of it. So, what could he do now?

Allowing the time between his beginnings and ends to lengthen, Flowey was afforded much time for introspection. Hard to do without any foreseeable reward.

And then… the idea.

Maybe… instead of killing them, helping them… He could subject them to something else?

Having already got to know everyone in the Underground throughout this torture, Flowey could flawlessly predict how they would all react to his appearance; whether it be as a saviour or reaper clad in petals, he knew what happened, how it all led to the end.

Perhaps.

He had always travelled to the destination with an absolute paradigm. So, what would happen if he involved himself differently?

-A-

There he was!

"THAT BROTHER OF MINE… WE'VE ONLY BEEN ON SENTRY DUTY FOR ONE DAY AND ALREADY HE'S SLACKING! THE THINGS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE TO PUT UP WITH!"

Flowey snickered atop the branches of the tall tree overhanging the Snowdin trail. He had already found his first target; Papyrus.

Always, he was the most unflinching. The most faithful. Whether he was helping him or crushing him with vines, Papyrus always believed Flowey had a heart.

Which was both pitiable and curious at the same time.

It stood to reason then that the tall skeleton was utterly naïve when it came to any kind of non-lethal hostility, something his protective brother coddled unerringly. So… what might happen if this untainted person were to be tormented?

As Papyrus passed underneath his branch, Flowey readied his most vile of insults. His most lashing of barbs. The face of the flower twisted into something utterly grotesque as he spat the most biting insult he could think of to the innocent skeleton.

"Screw you Papyrus!"

Well, maybe he could try again later.

Grimacing momentarily at his failure, Flowey was immediately and pleasantly taken aback by the reaction below him.

"WHO SAID THAT?! WHO THE DICKENS SAID THAT?!" Papyrus screeched as he whirled around, leering threateningly at his unseen heckler.

Shocked, Flowey's features quickly twisted in satisfaction at the unexpected success. Oh he could have fun with this after all…

"You're such a loser Papyrus!" Keep it steady before letting rip the truly scathing insults. At least, that's what Flowey told himself.

"A LOSER OF WHAT?! YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE, UNSEEN FELLOW! TELL ME, ARE YOU A HUMAN? I MEAN, THAT'D BE GREAT! COME HERE SO I CAN CHALLENGE YOU WITH SOME PUZZLES!" In a few words, Papyrus had gone from agitated to hopeful. Already the situation was turning sour!

He'd have to break out the big guns.

"Your brother never liked you! You're such a burden!" Flowey stretched forward in anticipation of how the poor skeleton would take this one. Surely, this one would wound him?

"WELL OF COURSE SANS DOESN'T LIKE ME, HE LOVES ME! HE'S MY BROTHER AFTER ALL! AND YOU ARE RIGHT! I'VE BEEN TOLD I WEIGH QUITE A LOT NOWADAYS, EVEN UNDYNE SAYS I'VE GAINED A LOT! SHE CAN'T SUPLEX ME QUITE SO FAST ANY MORE!"

Flowey felt his vestigial pollen-coated eyebrows twitch at the angle Papyrus had taken it. Either he was ridiculously naïve, or aware of the insult and twisting it. He preferred to think the former.

It can't have been because it was just a poor jibe at all. No way.

Suddenly, Papyrus decided to look up from where he stood, spotting the disgruntled flower staring down at him. "AH HA! GREETINGS UP THERE! I THOUGHT FOR SURE YOU WERE A HUMAN, WITH YOUR STRANGE WORDS! WHY DON'T YOU COME DOWN HERE SO WE CAN TALK? DO YOU LIKE SPAGHETTI?"

The tall skeleton's enthusiastic chirping, compounded with his failure to produce the results he wanted put Flowey in a sour mood. "You really are an idiot! I'm not saying strange words, I'm trying to make fun of you! But you're too stupid to realise that!" He whined childishly. Papyrus merely looked confused.

"MAKE FUN? YOU WANT TO HAVE FUN? WELL, COME DOWN HERE AND WE CAN HAVE SOME! I WARN YOU THOUGH, I'M SUPPOSED TO BE ON GUARD DUTY! SO IT'LL BE FIENDISH JAPES FOR YOU!" The tall skeleton then began to beckon at him, patting his bony legs as if he were a pet.

Flowey felt cheated. He went to all this trouble, going back and waiting until the time was right, the most innocent person right there in his grasp… and he couldn't take a hint!

"No!" The flower huffed. Papyrus stopped beckoning and frowned.

"WHY? ARE YOU STUCK UP THERE? DO YOU NEED HELP GETTING DOWN?" The tall skeleton offered. Flowey pulled the most menacing expression he could muster, and snarled back down to him.

"No, I do not want help you brainless buffoon! Shove off!" Papyrus did anything but, seemingly enthused by the threatening tone.

"WOWIE… SUCH A PASSIONATE VOICE! YOUR HONEST FACE… SAYS IT ALL! HAVE NO FEAR MY FLOWERY FRIEND! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL FREE YOU FROM YOUR LOFTY PRISON!" To Flowey's shock, the jubilant skeleton's hollow eyes flashed orange for a split second, his teeth gnashing.

He then leaned over and touched the ground, to slowly straighten back up again. When he was stood as he was before, there was a long, spear-like femur in his hands. Taking a moment to change his posture, Papyrus began to aim it toward Flowey, like a javelin.

This was unexpected. The flower's expression changed from a menacing twist to that of sly. Was he going to attack him? Free him? Well it wouldn't work, but… Maybe this wasn't so bad after all… He'd never managed to make this guy attack before!

"Go on! Do it! Maybe you aren't so brainless after all!" Flowey goaded, anticipating the incoming strike. Papyrus looked slightly puzzled, but otherwise nodded and chambered his throwing arm backward.

"OF COURSE I UNDERSTAND! YOU ARE TRAPPED UP THERE! THIS WILL TAKE BUT A MOMENT!" Papyrus stepped forward as he launched the bone, distinctly to the flower's left…

"Wha…" Was all Flowey could mutter before the branch he sat on was severed from the tree, immediately plummeting down below.

He couldn't move away, he wasn't attached to the ground. If he hit the ground from that height, he would surely be injured to the point where he would be forced to reawaken in the throne room.

Allowing himself a smirk as he fell, the former boss monster took solace in the fact that despite his failure, he had managed to make the most pacifistic creature he had ever met kill him…

"GOTCHA!" He felt the branch he was on lurch dangerously, but it did not shatter. There was no impact. Opening his eyes, which he had instinctively screwed shut, Flowey looked up into the winded but accomplished face of Papyrus.

"What… how did… you…" He thought he must have looked rather like a goldfish at that moment. All his macabre expectations and devious wishes smashed. Powerless to do anything in the skeleton's arms, Flowey could do nothing but stare up into the face of his saviour.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH! I, MY MOST FIERY FRIEND, HAVE SAVED YOU! FROM THE MENACE OF HEIGHTS! AND SINCE YOU ARE A CIVILIAN, SO FAR AWAY FROM TOWN, I SHALL ESCORT YOU BACK TO SNOWDIN! BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE FUTURE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD SHOULD DO!"

He struggled vainly against his captor. All it appeared he was doing to Papyrus was bobbing up and down on the branch cutely, despite his vicious face. "I'm not a civilian! I'm not your friend! I am the prince of this world's future!"

Despite Flowey's blistering screeches, Papyrus merely grinned down at him and nodded, marching slowly back where he came with the flower in-arm.

"PRINCE? WELL YOU'RE CERTAINLY DREAMING BIG, FLOWERY ONE! I LIKE THAT! IT REMINDS ME OF… ME! YOU ARE CERTAINLY GREAT INDEED! WHAT DO YOU SAY? WE'RE NOT RIGHT NOW, YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT, BUT… LET'S BE FRIENDS!"

The flower froze, his face settling into one of vacant, open-mouthed surprise. 'Friends? I insult him and he wants to be friends?' He thought disbelievingly.

"What the hell is your problem?! I don't want to go to Snowdin! Let me go!" He snarled, readying his white magical bullets to enforce his point. This time, Papyrus got the hint, setting him down on the floor carefully.

… But not quite the way he should have. "OH, YOU ARE USING MAGIC! DO YOU WANT… TO SPAR? UNDYNE WON'T TRAIN ME IN FIGHTING… I THINK BECAUSE SANS WON'T LET HER. I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY, BUT PERHAPS WE CAN-OOF!"

Papyrus' eyes were nearly fully ejected from their sockets as he flew backward, propelled away from Flowey by a whipping, thorny vine sprouting from the cold earth.

As soon as Flowey was in contact with the surface again, he was able to use his full power, which included moving instantaneously through the ground.

Snickering, the flower reappeared right next to where Papyrus had landed, the skeleton picking himself up shakily from the ground. Oh they'd spar alright… if words weren't going to work, then perhaps whittling him down physically would? Or even…

"Howdy! Did that feel good? What you said… you want to fight? Tell you what, you give me all you've got, and I'll help you out on your way to the top! How does that sound?" Flowey offered cheerfully, no hint of the malice that was present before.

Papyrus, finally managing to get up, took this in good stride, and the flower's words at face value. "WOWIE… THAT HURT! YOU'RE SAYING YOU WILL TRAIN ME? OH BOY… I BET SANS… NO. I SHOULDN'T! THEY WOULDN'T WANT ME TO!"

Flowey maintained his smile, but switched to a more sad expression. How Papyrus had already forgotten his 'Chara-face', he had no idea. Only that this was too sweet!

"Aww… but think of how proud they'll be when you, without their help, are now in your dream job? Think about it! 'The Great Royal Guard Papyrus', respected and loved by all! Powerful! Prestigious!" Judging from the suddenly conflicted expression on the skeleton's face, he was already seriously considering the offer. Papyrus liked the sound of that… they were the words he'd imagined ascribed to him if he ever made it! How did…

Now to quickly, effortlessly land the catch.

"Gee… I bet that smiley-trash… ahem, Sans, will be very amazed! The little brother surpassing the elder… how happy he must be…" With what he knew about him, this would be the button that worked.

And it did.

A fire he had never seen sprung up in the skeleton's eyes, and he posed majestically. "RIGHT YOU ARE FLOWERY! I MUST ACCEPT YOUR GENEROUS OFFER! WOWIE… WHO KNEW THAT RESCUING PEOPLE FROM BRANCHES MIGHT HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS? SNOWDIN CAN WAIT! DESTINY WAITS FOR NO MONSTER!"

Flowey giggled, both outwardly and inwardly. Indeed, he didn't wait.

Maintaining his friendly appearance, he waited for Papyrus to make the first move.

-S-

Whilst Sans wasn't what you'd call the most diligent at timekeeping, he did not feel it was hypocritical in saying that with three hours into the night, Papyrus was late.

He'd come back from Grillby's fully expecting his brother to be waiting for him in their living room, ranting at him for being tardy. Shortly after, when he calmed down, he would ask as innocently as always if he would read him a story before bed.

Never could he deny his brother, from the earliest he could remember. Sans considered it his favourite part of the day. The only family he had, waiting on him.

It was all that kept him going.

Which was why with even five minutes late, Sans was wracked with worry. He paced back and forth around the room, something he never did in company.

"he's a big guy now, he can take care of himself…" He muttered to the empty air. Was this how Papyrus always felt when he was late?

Deciding to give him a chance, just this once, Sans sat on their couch and 'watched' the brainless MTT show on their television. He never once regarded it, instead his eyes were fixated on the timepiece affixed above it.

As soon as the three hour mark was passed however, the skeleton arose from the couch swiftly, checking over his pant pockets. Thankfully, they were all in order.

"sorry bro, but you're gonna be so grounded for this…" He grumbled, making his way to the front-door hallway. Appraising the coats hung up in the corridor, he swapped his blue jacket for a longer, black, leathery one. It always paid to be ready, his suspicion rising.

Picturing the location of Papyrus' station in his mind, he faced the front door, but made no move to open it.

Oh he wasn't going to walk there. He grinned as his left eye flashed blue. A second later, the house was empty.

He knew a shortcut after all.

-S-

He wasn't by his post.

Sans, fully determined yet still aware of discretion, pulled the black-jacket's hood over his head; keeping his identity and most importantly his piercing eyes out of view.

A flash of orange light high-up in the distance pulled his attention. Could it be…?!

Speeding up the hillside toward the old ruins, he approached where he thought he saw the light originate. He was anxious in case it was a human; if they had elected to fight… Papyrus stood little chance.

To his abject horror, surveying the scene of devastation before him, the culprit was identified as anything but.

Trees, askew. Splintered, sliced, or simply knocked down. Ancient snow drifts, previously hardened into ice, blasted into mush. Scorch marks where the surface had melted away to the rock beneath, black as night.

At the centre of it all were two figures. The smallest was a flower with a strange face, sat unmarred by the battlefield around. Sans recognised it, but couldn't place where he had seen him… Only the thick, violent sin coating his aura told a tale about this otherwise innocuous buttercup.

The other figure however…

It was like a rug was being pulled from beneath his feet. Queasy, unnatural. He shook as he gazed at his brother, standing there, trembling, exhausted.

He had known it was a possibility. Sans just didn't want to accept that it could be. So whilst he had allowed him to see Undyne, the short skeleton had covertly threatened the spear-happy fish into not giving him any combat training at all.

Did he feel guilty about hindering his brother from his goals? Of course he did. But knowing that it kept him out of danger set his heart at ease more than the lie agitated it.

Seeing Papyrus stood there next to the floating head of a great, orange-eyed skeletal dragon did not assuage him of his initial desires. Quite the opposite.

They were conversing. Resisting the urge to go down, Sans rooted himself outside their periphery and listened, determined to learn how this disaster had emerged.

"…Well done Papyrus! You sure surprised me there buddy! With a bit more training, you'll be knocking on Asgore's door in no-time!" Chirped the flower, bobbing around as if he were applauding.

"WOWIE… YOU REALLY THINK SO?" The tall skeleton asked uncertainly, to which the flower nodded his petal-head vigorously.

"I sure do! Now how about we go somewhere else for tomorrow… I want to see how strong you can get! I bet you'll impress everyone even now!"

Watching Papyrus lap up that serpent's vacuous praise made Sans feel utterly nauseous. Seeing him look back at the flower in wonderment, allowing himself to be manipulated for whatever damnable purpose made him move forward.

He wouldn't stand for this game to be played on his brother. He would protect him, even if it meant pulling the wool over his eyes once more.

-A-

The being formerly known as Asriel was thoroughly surprised.

Out of nowhere, with only a light pressure in the form of his 'friendliness pellets', Papyrus had become focussed. Powerful.

When it became clear to the skeleton that this was not a fight, but a spar in which he could go all out to prove himself, that his 'opponent' couldn't be harmed as long as he was in the ground…

He had begun to use a power he had only seen from the smiley trashbag, only far more violent. Boulders were thrown, trees were uprooted. And then, as Flowey had begun to snare him in thorny vines, really applying the pressure, he had summoned that.

A large, fierce, floating skull. Shaped like a dragon, which when it opened its mouth, produced a powerful orange beam of energy, incinerating his vines and melting the snow down to the bedrock below.

It was all extremely fascinating.

Before, he had only ever become Papyrus' friend, which was boring. Endless spaghetti dinners… unceasing jabbering about puzzles… but this?! Insults and hostility led to this?

"Hee-hee! I can't wait! See you tomorrow Papyrus!" He chirped cheerfully to his 'student'. It had been too long since he had a reason to be excited!

"THANK YOU, FLOWERY! I PROMISE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!" The tall skeleton affirmed, smartly saluting. As he did so, the dragon-head beside him seemed to dissipate into thin-air, as if it never existed.

It was quickly replaced by something infinitely more terrifying.

"i'm afraid you will be pap. this ain't going any further."

Stood in the place of the skull-cannon was a hooded figure clad in a black-jacket. Despite his slightly different choice of attire, both Flowey and Papyrus immediately recognised him as Sans.

Although his face was hidden from Papyrus, short as he was, the flower could clearly see the blue-eyed gaze. It was as if he was frozen in place, accompanied with the sensation of stabbing needles all over his small body.

Still, it didn't stop him from grinning smugly up at his most hated enemy.

"What's the matter trashbag, feeling sick to the bones?" He spat, struggling with the larger words. Realising his mistake too late, Flowey rolled his eyes and braced for what would come next.

"nah, i just came up dai-sy my bro, thinking 'thistle make me feel better'. sure enough, it seems as if he's found some weeds that need picking." Sans remarked, advancing toward the flower aggressively.

To both their surprise, Papyrus intervened, standing before Sans with his arms outstretched.

He was exhausted, and covered in scuff marks. The red scarf he wore around his neck was torn in several places. …But nowhere had Flowey actually done him any harm, and judging from the angry glare he was directing at Sans, Papyrus was… standing up for him?

"NO SANS! FLOWERY IS MY FRIEND!" The tall skeleton cried. Flowey's eyebrows twitched at the continued mispronunciation of his name, but watched the ongoing display with curiosity.

Sans scoffed. "that fink ain't your friend bro, he's-!" The elder brother was interrupted by his younger's incensed retort.

"AND WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW? HE'S ONLY BEEN TRYING TO HELP ME OUT! HELP ME ACHIEVE MY DREAMS! MORE THAN I CAN DO ALONE!" Sans took a step back in shock. These words…! He had never experienced his brother standing up to him, especially for someone else's case. Was he truly mistaken?

But the aura, and the sneer the flower was directing at him even now…

"listen to yourself bro! i really don't think you can trust this guy! why don't you come back home, and maybe go see undyne tomorrow instead? i'm sure she's much better at training than this guy." Sans pleaded this time, which seemed to erode Papyrus' resolve somewhat.

But he refused to lose face about this. "MAYBE YOU DON'T TRUST HIM, BUT I DO! TRUST ME! WHATEVER YOU MIGHT BELIEVE ABOUT FLOWERY, I CAN FIX! HE'S A REALLY GOOD TEACHER, I'VE LEARNED A LOT FROM HIM ALREADY!"

Sans looked down at Flowey uncertainly. Unsettling as the flower's seemingly innocuous yet too happy face was, he couldn't deny that he hadn't done anything of harm. He couldn't prove his fears. All the damage around… stank of his brother's latent power. Not the soulless being in front of him.

Nothing bad had happened.

Reluctantly, slowly, Sans relaxed his grip on the flower, his posture returning to a slouch. "fine. but i swear, if i…" Once again, Papyrus interrupted him, though far less angrily, more reprimanding.

"THERE WILL BE NO SWEARING! I WILL PROVE HE IS GOOD! COME ON, FLOWERY! I WANT TO SHOW YOU MY HOUSE!" The tall skeleton exclaimed, and like the good friend he had decided he'd pretend to be, Flowey moved without restraint through the ground, up Papyrus' body and atop his shoulder, clinging onto his clothes with thin stems.

"Golly Papyrus! That sure is kind of you!" He chirped sweetly, making his perch beam proudly at him.

Both began to chatter as Papyrus slowly began to walk back to Snowdin, through the arena of destruction he had made. To Flowey's unending pleasure, the tall brother was fixated on him, and not Sans, who was trudging behind, glaring up at him.

Whilst he was continuously discomforted by the prickling sensation the elder brother was exacting upon him, he relished the wedge he had effortlessly managed to drive, and the situation he had salvaged from the ashes of his original goal.

One thing was for certain- he wasn't bored anymore.

-A-

This really was too sweet! Maybe he could twist them against one another! He'd never managed that! Or… maybe he could rub it in even further, giving Sans no reason to act whilst unleashing Papyrus' true potential?

This had started out poorly, but was quickly turning into a fresh new game, something he had missed. Once this avenue had been exhausted, he could move onto others. Perhaps… Undyne. Or maybe Alphys? Mettaton?

The possibilities were endless. It just required more and more waiting, to gain all the developments that time would bring.

Time, unwittingly, was on his side.

For this occasion though, taking the meaningless hit to pride and sitting in a flowerpot besides Papyrus' bed, he was as close to happiness as his emotionless shell could be.

Though he wasn't sure whether to be creeped out or not at being the idol of 'Flowery's fan-club', being loved, though he couldn't reciprocate, called back to the old, buried side of him.

This truly was a success.

-X-

A/N: Right… this was originally going to be the o-make for the next chapter of my novel 'Over My Shoulder'. After getting carried away with it though, and seeing just where I can take this, my friend convinced me to submit this as a separate story.

My friend, RoxasConan, is to be considered the co-author for this, given all the ideas, encouragement and support they've given me.

Furthermore, this will be updated 'sporadically', when ideas come to mind. It's not going to flow like OMS… but everything within will be cohesive. I hope you enjoy it!