"My eyes! Oh my- What did you do?!" Christine whipped her head to stare at Flowey. "Why are they purple?! Why- Does this have to do with Frisk's red eyes?"
"So they do have eyes. That answers a lot of fandom questions." Flowey mumbled.
"What did you say?"
"I said, It's just your eyes reacting to your soul!" Flowey answered with a smile. "With monsters, their magic is an expression of their soul. But humans have something different. Determination! This determination is expressed through their eyes. The higher up the rainbow, the more determination you have! And all that is held in your soul!"
"Determination? Like… like an emotion that feels like a fire that won't go out?" Christine described the feeling she had up on the mountain.
"Sure thing! Although down here, it's described as the will to live! Golly, you must be so confused. Someone needs to teach you the ropes. Well you're in luck to have a best friend right here!" Flowey beamed. "First, we need to FIGHT!"
"What-?" Everything went black before Flowey was outlined in a glowing light. Christine felt a strange feeling in her chest when a purple heart was pulled out of her chest. She stared. It was just like Frisk's. But purple. Her phone and first aid kit disappeared from her hands, appearing on top of her backpack. How convenient for the plot.
"See that heart? It's your soul! The very culmination of-"
"How come I couldn't do this before?! How come Frisk can?!" Christine demanded.
Flowey looked annoyed. "Your soul needs a certain amount of determination to persist without your body." He answered before clearing his throat. "Your soul starts off weak, but it can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV! What does LV stand for you ask?"
"I didn't ask-"
"Why, Love of course! You want some love don't you? I'll share some with you!" Flowey smiled as 5 glowing white seeds appeared. "Down here, monsters share love through little white friendliness pellets. Are you ready?"
"Ready for what?" She asked.
"Well they have to be caught silly! You need to make sure your soul hits them so it can be absorbed and power up your soul!" Flowey explained.
"Why do I need to power up my soul? I just need to find my sibling." Christine squinted, confused. Why did any of this matter? Why wouldn't this flower just tell her where Frisk had gone?
"Well, it's a matter of life and death! Trust me, these will even heal your injuries!" Flowey assured her. "Get ready! Catch them! As many as you can!"
Christine panicked as he threw the pellets at her, struggling to maneuver so she could catch them. Only one hit her forearm. She screamed out as a feeling of burning ran through her arm, a 3rd degree burn appearing on it as the bullet disappeared. Flowey began to laugh, the sound turning more demonic as he cackled, his face distorting to show teeth and pupils in his mouth and eyes. "You IDIOT! Down here, it's kill or be killed! LOVE stands for Level Of ViolencE! The more you hurt… the more you kill… The more you get! Who would pass up a perfect opportunity like this?!"
Christine watched in horror as thousands of white pellets appeared around her, all ready to fire. "Time to die!" Flowey chirped in a cheery voice.
"Kill or be killed, huh?" Christine muttered. The pellets shot at her from all directions. Christine ran forward into some of them feeling the burning bullets hit her body. But she would survive.
"WAIT YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO-" Christine tackled the flower, ripping off leaves and punching it into the ground.
"WHY-" *PUNCH* "WON'T-" *SLAP* "YOU-" *RIP* "DIE?!" Christine screamed at Flowey, standing up and stomping on him. Flowey shoved his head into the ground, disappearing leaving only a vine. Christine took out her pocket knife and stabbed into the ground, ripping up the vine from the ground, severing it. She heard a muffled yelp from underground. After a few more stabs in the ground, just to make sure he was gone for good, Christine picked up the first aid kit and phone again. She did have a pretty big gash on her chin. At least the flower told the truth sometimes. She bandaged it up before taking the picture of the back of her scalp to find out what the throbbing pain was. There was a large bruise, something was definitely broken or damaged. She felt a horrible sense of dread. What had Frisk endured? They had fallen the whole distance.
She unpacked her backpack to see what had broken. 12 of her 13 glass bottles had broken, her lantern, the flashlight was beaten up, missing its button cover, but otherwise fine. Her phone was cracked although somehow it still worked. Many of her granola bars were in pieces, or rather, dust. 3 out of 4 of the water bottles she brought were pierced and leaking. Her Orchid sample was remarkably okay, cushioned by her bed rolls and sweater, which had been torn up from the glass shards. She placed the torn sweater, glass shards, pierced water bottles, both climbing harnesses and shattered lighter on the ground. They were virtually useless, and would only slow her down. The climbing gear would be fine if the only rope she brought hadn't been cut. Come to think of it, it was probably that flower who blocked the cave entrance and cut her rope. Leaving her with 1 water bottle, 3 crushed granola bars, 2 bedrolls, her first aid kit, pocket knife, flashlight, her phone, her spare sewing kit, and the orchid sample. She was dead.
Repacking it, she swung the backpack back over her shoulders, the missing weight feeling more heavy on her heart than it was lighter on her shoulders. She walked to the doorway on the other side of the room, entering a room with a square of leaves, and two staircases leading up to a door. What was the point of all these rooms? Christine continued to walk up the stairs into a room with 9 buttons, arranged in 3 rows. She tried pushing open the door on the other end of the room, but it wouldn't budge. A sign caught her eye. Great. It was a puzzle. Christine was never good at puzzles. The sign read "Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road." She read out loud.
"So I just… don't press the middle buttons?" Christine walked to the buttons, stepping on each one but the middle row. *CHUNK*. The door opened. Turns out she was good at puzzles after all. Christine strolled through the door, feeling confident. If all the puzzles were like this, she'd get to Frisk in a breeze!
* * * * *
Christine screamed out in pure annoyance and insanity. SHE HAD FLIPPED 157938 SWITCHES! Or just 9. BUT THE SPIKES IN THE WAY WOULD NOT BUDGE! AND WHERE THE HELL WAS THE BLUE SWITCH?! Her legs ached and her ribs screamed at her. She hobbled to a pillar, finally spotting the blue switch behind it. She flipped it, her confidence she had felt 15 minutes ago completely depleted and then some extra.
**CHUNK** She staggered forward, hearing the cricking in her ribs. It had been around an hour since she had fallen. About 5 since Frisk had. At this point Christine would have been happy to find their corpse. How big was this underground? If it housed the entire monster race, how far would Frisk get before they'd get hurt? Worries filled her mind until the pain in the back of her skull replaced them. She definitely had a concussion. Maybe this was all some fever dream and she was really in a coma in the hospital.
Christine limped past the spikes, following the path, over some vines. She turned the corner, stopping to take in the next room. In front of her was a bare tree, its leaves all on the ground in a square. Behind it, was some kind of house. It had a wooden door and glass windows, as most houses do. But its bricks matched the purple color of the area. The lights inside were on, although Christine didn't care. As long as it was somewhere to rest, or had medical supplies or something. Maybe Frisk was there. Christine went through the possibilities as she collapsed by the tree, feeling loopy. As her vision blurred and darkened, she could almost swear she saw a woman as white as snow run to her.