Author's Note:
First off: Trigger warning for death, suicide and self-harm. We're dealing with Chara (and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Frisk), so.
Secondly: This is a daemon AU. Don't know what a daemon AU is? That's fine. Here's the low-down.
Daemons are a concept which come from the 'His Dark Materials' series, written by Phillip Pullman. In it, all humans have a daemon- a manifestation of their soul in animal form. As a child, a human's daemon is unsettled, and can take on any shape it chooses. Eventually, when that person becomes older, it will take on a single form that represents the person's personality. Every daemon (every soul), is made of Dust, the fundamental particle of thought and creativity.
oOo
Chapter One: The Falls
This is a story about two human children, and their daemons.
These two children were very alike in many ways.
Both had been hurt, and both ran away, hoping to end that hurt.
Both climbed to the top of a mysterious mountain, and when they tripped, did little to stop themselves falling down a deep hole.
Both entered an underground filled with monsters, and did everything in their power to escape.
Both their daemons were unsettled when they fell, and settled by the time they finally left.
Besides all that, however, they do not have much in common at all.
oOo
Chara plummets, feeling the wind against their face, cool and fast. It's a rush like they've never felt before. Besides them, their daemon is an eagle, golden wings spread wide, diving straight down.
The ground is approaching, coming fast. The daemon does not pull out of their dive, or make any move to protect their human.
Good, Chara thinks.
They hit the ground together.
There is pain.
oOo
Frisk plummets, feeling the wind whip in their hair, cold and sharp, and they feel a surprising amount of terror. Their daemon is in their arms, warm and soft as a rabbit, pressed against their heart.
The ground is approaching rapidly. The daemon does not spring from their human's arms, make any attempt to turn into a bird and slow their fall.
They hit the ground together, but the blow is cushioned.
There is less pain than expected.
oOo
In the ruins, two voices cry out- one human, one daemon, both in pain.
Chara's head hurts, and their leg feels broken, and something's wet and bleeding, and their head hurts. The pain was supposed to stop, and they just made it worst. They can't get anything right. Their daemon is at their side now, a wailing black cat, giving what comfort they can.
Their calls for help echo through the cavern, and they hate themselves for their weakness.
Someone hears them.
There's a sound of padding feet against the earth, and a soft voice says, "Hello? Are you okay?"
Chara's in too much pain to twist their head, but their daemon scrambles to look. They hiss in surprise and shock at what they see.
It looks like a goat. Not a real goat, though, but the kind you would get in some stupid kid book, that stands on two legs and wears clothes, and has large, adorable eyes. The goat has no daemon at all. And he says, "Let me help you!"
oOo
In the ruins, two bodies hit a soft bed of flowers, and although the air is knocked out of the human's lungs, neither cries out.
Frisk lays there for a while, staring up at the sliver of sky they can see above, until they feel a wet nose pressed against their face. Their daemon is now a fox, urging them to their feet. They wince a little at the bruises as they stand, but it's not so bad. They've had worst.
They look around the cavern; their daemon turns into a bat, and sends out a burst of echolocation. Aside from the patch of grass and golden flowers, there is nothing here but rocky walls. They can't stay. Daemon perched on their shoulder as a bat, they set off through the only exit, determined.
In the room beyond, they find another flower. Just one. It is golden yellow, too, but it is not like the others. This one has a smiling face, and it speaks, though there is no daemon at its side. And it says, "Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower! Hmmm... You're new to the Underground, arent'cha?"