Chapter One

Scramble

The ebony night that once stole the forest had begun to die under the sharp, golden rays of the sun. Clouds, now various shades of pink, scuttled across the gently lightening sky. Trees, swaying in the gentle autumn breeze, provided a perch in which to house the hundreds of forest critters that dwelled within. Birds shook off the night's chill and began to greet the morning with their sweet morning songs. Serenity lay upon the forest animals on the mountain that humans had dubbed "Mount Ebott".

The tranquility of the forest, however, was not to last. As is the nature of things, peace was not often left alone. This time, the peace was not broken by a prowling cat, a hungry wolf pack, or a patrolling hunting party. This time, leaves were thrown into the air by the frightened feet of a young human and the far-off thumping of the human's fear.

The young one crashed through the trees, trampled brush, and rushed through grass. Their blind, fast stumble was heavy and uncoordinated. Some distance away, heavy thumping shattered branches and disturbed the leaves. The young one raced through the forest for what seemed like centuries. Finally, however, the young one's bound was ceased. They stumbled to a stop and looked ahead. A cave's mouth gaped ahead of them. The child's fluttering heart pumped oxygen to their scrambled brain in an intense attempt to decide what to do. If they ran into the cave, they'd surely run into a dead end- or worse. They might become injured. The last thing they needed was an injury. Yet, if they kept running, they'd eventually get too tired to keep moving. Then they'd be caught by–

The young one squealed in terror as a hardy branch behind them shattered under a heavy boot. They darted forward. Ahead of them, just inside the cave, was a wide, jagged hole. Vines crept and slithered through the underbrush and over the stone. The young one looked about, breath coming in gasps. On either side of the hole were small footpaths. They were just wide enough for small feet to cross, but too small for wide boots to cross without breaking them. Without a look back, they attempted to get to the left side, which looked a bit more stable. Unfortunately, the vines that snaked over the ground wouldn't have it.

The young one's foot was caught on a vine. With a shrill squeal, the child staggered and fell forward. She heard the heavy footsteps trample forward before stopping. The chase was over. The young one's terrified scramble was over. They realized this fact as they fell deeper and deeper into the traitorous cavern they attempted to find shelter within.

A shaky breath escaped the little chest of the fallen child. Their glistening brown eyes slowly opened. Their left eye was completely clouded and unusable. Their right one was blurry to the point of legal blindness, though they could still see blurry shapes and most colors. Before they could take in their surroundings, a golden flower tickled their nose. They let out a small sneeze and sat up. They rubbed their eyes and looked about. Ancient pillars rose from the ground around the small cavern. Most of the ground on the cavern was dirt with scruffy grass yearning to soak in the meager sunlight that filtered in through the hole in the ceiling. The edges of the cavern untouched by sunlight were a consistent brown as stone-flecked dirt made the ground around them. However, most of the grass was overshadowed by the large patch of blossoming golden flowers.

They looked about in confusion. Flowers…? Suddenly, a monotonous, soft voice breathed into their ears, "It's a bed of golden flowers. They must have broken your fall." The young one jumped and looked about. However, not one living thing was in the vicinity- human or otherwise. There was a hole in the wall where a tunnel started. Yet nothing was in it.

They shook their head and got up. Some seeds stubbornly stuck to their blue-and-pink striped shirt. They sighed and brushed off the seeds as best they could before they stepped onto the dirt and stone. It was then they noticed a branch had fallen with them. It hadn't shattered as it, too, fell on the flowers. It was just light and small enough for them to hold.

The young one took the branch and slowly turned and walked into the tunnel. The tunnel itself was short. Just out of sight of the golden flowers, it took a sharp turn. A pair of purple, cracked pillars created a doorway. There might have been a door there, at one point in time. However, the ruined pillars had cracks and holes where the fixtures could have been. Broken stone lay on the other side. It was so old, it nearly blended into the ground.

The young one continued forward. Just before them, a broken beam of sunlight filtered through the stone above. Green grass tentatively poked out of the ground under it. In the center of the beam was as single golden flower, bend as if wilted. They tipped their head in confusion. Usually, a flower was not found alone unless it was planted alone. Yet, what could've planted it? Were there people? The young one's heart fluttered. Oh! Maybe there were people! Maybe there were people that could help them! After all, soreness from the fall and the run through the forest still stung their muscles.

Their curious steps continued a bit farther before halting. The flower, despite the cave having no form of wind, moved. It straightened its little green stem and its flower head turned until the face of the tattered flower faced them. The young one gasped and took a step back. Two wide eyes popped out of the little flower's face. A concerned expression of shock dressed its features. When the young one didn't make another move, the flower's look of shock evaporated. It instead put on a friendly smile. "Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!" When the young human didn't respond, the flower's smile faltered. "Uh… You're new to the underground, arent'cha?"

The young human nodded. Somehow, a flower was talking to them. Was this a dream? Had they died in that fall? Was a flower named Flowey the gate keeper of the afterlife? No, no usually skeletons or cats were considered gatekeepers. Maybe the stories they read were wrong? They very could be. After all, no one died and lived to tell the tale.

Flowey's small smile widened into a happier grin at their participation. However, it quickly began to fall. "Golly! You must be pretty worried."

The young human nodded.

The flower looked back at the darkness behind him and then forward. "Y-you'd better leave! Go back home!" A sudden urgency spiked his voice. "Th-they're coming! They always come. I-If you don't leave, they, Toriel, will find you!"

The young human's eyes grew round. Was there a demon there? Were they not allowed to be in the afterlife? Or was there a soul-stealing demon nearby?

"C-can you even speak? Can you hear me?" Flowey inquired. After a short pause, Flowey prompted, "What's your name?"

The young human hesitated and choked, "F-Frisk."

Flowey hesitated and then nodded. "Frisk? Oh. W-well good! You can understand me, then, Frisk. Now, you have to leave!"

Frisk shook their head. "I can't! I fell and there is no way back up!"

Flowey grimaced and took a deep breath. "Oh no. This is not good. W-well, you'll have to find some other way out, then! Can you climb?"

They shook their head. "No! I can't climb. I came here for a way out! Can you help me, Flowey?"

Flowey closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes. I-I think I can. You're not the first human to fall down here. You probably won't be the last. Toriel has found every one of them. But maybe, maybe I can help you. Yes! Now, she should be here any moment. We should–" Flowey's words were cut off in a gasp.

A fuzzy white form stepped from the shadows. A scarlet and deep pink dress imprinted with an insignia of triangles interrupted the white fur of the creature's torso, waist, and legs. A head, angular like a goat's but rounded like a human, was bowed so that her sharp red eyes trained on the flower and the human. Two small horns glinted in the light. After inspecting the young one to confirm their presence and checking the flower to confirm her suspicions of his interaction with them, she bared her fanged teeth in a threatening snarl. Her fingers sparked and now glowed in the baby blue fire that now twirled around her furry fingers. "What is such a terrible little weed doing here, tormenting such a small, innocent youth?"

Flowey cowered beneath Toriel, eyes round in shock and fear. "H-human! Run! Now!"

The young one jumped, eyes round in fear. The beast was at least twice Frisk's height. The creature's blood red eyes flicked to the child. Her snarl vanished in a moment. "Oh, my child! Don't fear! This horrible little weed is trying to scare you!" The young one took a step back. The beast's eyes flicked to the flower and then to the human. Her voice softened into a sweet coo, "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come down here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs!"

The young one swallowed and looked between the beast, who'd quenched the flames in her hand and relaxed considerably, and Flowey, who still cowered in her shadow. "But he isn't doing anything wrong!"

Toriel replied in the same gentle coo she'd adopted earlier, "No, my child. He's an evil creature. He was trying to deceive and scare you. He told you I did bad things. He was telling you that it was awful down here, didn't he?"

Flowey squeaked but otherwise didn't defend himself.

The human took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. Maybe he's scared! Like me! Maybe someone hurt him, too. Please don't hurt him."

Toriel's sharp maroon eyes met Flowey's. The flower averted his gaze. "You do not understand young one… ah. But I understand. You think he is a friend, do you not?"

Frisk gave her a small nod. "He's scared. Maybe he could be a friend!"

"Very well, my child." Toriel bared her teeth in a smile. Somehow, her teeth looked much less sharp and threatening now. "He did not hurt you, after all. But you look hurt. Come! Let me heal you." She knelt and held out her hand.

The child took a few tentative steps forward. Toriel set a large, furry hand over their heart. A few green flickers, like sparks from a fourth of July sparkler, lit up the air around her fingers. Suddenly, the soreness that stole the human had vanished. Before Frisk could react to this healing magic, the goat mother stood up and gave them another patient smile. "Feel better? Good. This way." With that, Toriel turned and walked toward the other end of the spacious room where another ancient doorway stood, again without a door.

The young human looked down at Flowey. The flower looked up at the young one. "Um… go ahead. I'll follow."

The child nodded and followed Toriel out of the room and into another. The flower vanished. This room was made up of brilliant purple bricks. Brick walls with a stone floor and a stone ceiling made up the small room. Two pillars held stable the sides. At the very end, two staircases flowed from the floor up to a raised platform at the end of the room. Another empty doorway, this time flanked by vines, stood vigil over the room. Before that, though, was a bright pile of scarlet, crunchy leaves.

A sparkle, star-shaped and glowing in soft, golden light, hovered above the red-leafed ground. Frisk perked up as they followed Toriel to the end of the room. Upon approaching the yellow light, they stuck their hand out. Their fingers brushed the edges of the light. Although there was no matter there, which was surprising as it looked solid, heat flowed through them. A feeling that Frisk had never felt before coursed through her veins. It gave them confidence and happiness. The familiar, soft voice beside them piped up again, "The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination."

A short tap of Toriel's foot reminded them that the monster was still guiding them. Frisk skittered up the stairs and followed her into the next room. This one was small enough to be a bedroom. However, it was definitely not a bedroom. It, like the previous room, was purple-bricked and purple-floored. A lighter purple pathway led from the door to the exact other side of the room where there was another doorway This time, there was a door blocking the way. To the right side of the room was a strip of lighter purple ground flanked by two buttons on either side and two buttons in the middle.

"Welcome to your new home, young one," Toriel greeted, hands over her abdomen and smile broad. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of The Ruins." She promptly turned and walked over the buttons on the ground. She pressed down all four buttons that flanked the light strip of ground. Then, she approached the wall on the opposite side of the room. Her large fingers flicked down a golden switch that the child hadn't noticed before. The door beside her, flanked by a large grey sign, opened. Toriel turned and walked back to the human. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient diversions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Toriel glanced back at the floor puzzle before she turned and moved through the newly opened door.

Frisk hesitated and walked through the door. They looked about in surprise. The room before them was not a room at all. It was a wide hallway that ran quite a long way to the right. Two small creeks covered by two bridges broke the stone. The human looked about and walked further into the lighter stone path.

Toriel smiled at their approach. "To make progress here, you will need to pull several switches." With that, the monster turned and walked across one of the bridges. The human hurried to follow suit. However, it was not long before Toriel stopped, this time in front of the bridge. The young human stopped behind her. When Toriel didn't move any farther, the human looked about. There, they found a golden switch, just like the one in the other room, between the two bridges. A light strip of purple diverged from the path and to the switch. Confident, the human tromped over to the switch. After a short time of feeling it, they found the handle and activated it. A small click rewarded them. Toriel nodded and continued. Frisk was very quick to heel.

Again, Toriel stopped. This time, it was in front of the doorway that led out. A large number of spikes raised from the ground under the doorway. The human looked over to the wall on the left. There were two switches. However, the light purple path only led to the one on the left, not the right. The human looked back at Toriel and cautiously activated the one on the left. A thick, heavy thud came in answer. Frisk jumped and spun around. The spikes were gone.

"Splendid!" Toriel purred. "Let us move to the next room." The human followed without question. This time, they ended up in another small room. There was no puzzle here. Instead, the only thing that occupied the small space was a dummy. Toriel went on, "As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, your soul will be exposed. That will make you weak to an enemy's attack. So, you must hit them before they hit you! Practice fighting with the dummy." Toriel waved her hand to the stuffed dummy.

The human looked back at Toriel before approaching the dummy. Toriel strode to their side and held up her hand. Frisk gasped and took a step backward as a brilliant red heart phased through their chest. For some reason, they could see their soul in complete clarity while everything else was but a blur. It gave off a gentle heat that warmed their chest. Toriel explained in a calm, patient tone, "This is your soul, the very culmination of your being! If a monster tries to attack you, it will aim here. So, you must protect yourself at all costs. Now, give the dummy a good hit!"

Frisk looked at Toriel and then the dummy. They picked up their stick in both hands. The dummy did not react. Of course it wouldn't react; it wasn't real. The human smacked it. It shuttered, but otherwise did not move. Toriel's patient smile dissolved into a disappointed frown. She sighed, "Well, we can work on it later. Come now, we have more to explore." Frisk looked up at her with round eyes before following her. Frisk disappointing her. For some reason, that simple frown made them feel worse than seeing her anger.