""Screw it. This, this is the day," you say to yourself as you wake up.
This self pity has to stop, you have to move on with your life. You can't stay inside your house forever, you made a promise. It is a beautiful day outside, maybe you should take a jog to freshen up your mind. Some exercise to mark a new chapter in your life, sounds good to you. You thrust yourself out of your bed and rush down to the kitchen to get some breakfast.
After a quick one you scour the hallway closet for your running shoes. You smile as you manage to get them on your feet. The excitement of doing something is a feeling you've almost forgotten and the smile stays as you lock the door. As you round the corner you find some wild flowers and stop to pick them up. White and yellow flowers, mom's favorite. You decide that it might be a good idea to tell your family about the start of your new chapter.
The iron gate squeaks as you open it. You look around to make sure that you're alone and walk up to your family.
"Hey mom, dad, bro, sis. Long time no see."
The wind shakes a nearby aspen. It sounds like whispers, they greet you back.
"Listen, I know I've been, absent. I also know I said that I would visit you more often and I'm sorry about that. There's been a lot on my mind these past months. Truth be told, this is my weekly exit out of the house."
Another gust of wind shakes the tree harder.
"I promised to not let it impact me, didn't I? Well, you're not here to correct me," you say with a fake snicker, "but this is the day. Today I'm gonna turn my life around. I plan to take a jog up Mt. Ebott to clear my head, and then we'll see what happens. Hopefully the next time we talk I'll have a job. "
You lay the flowers down.
"Love you all."
You turn around and take the exit that opens towards the mountain. The iron gate squeaks as you close it. You choose the nearby sign as your starting point.
"Mt. Ebott graveyard," you read out loud.
You breathe out and start your run.
As you reach the base of the mountain you wonder if the secret passageway your mother told you about is still there. The path is overgrown and you have to fight some stubborn branches to see the start of it. It is a tiny path, almost unrecognizable because of how rarely it's used. You wager that you're the first one to use it in years, hopefully you remember the general direction it leads to. It is a very serene path, untamed forest grow on both sides creating a tunnel of green. The shadows from the leaves above you meld together into a layer of gray on the ground as the sun disappears behind the clouds. The wind picks up but you're isolated from it under the trees. Despite the low visibility you still carry on.
While you steadily climb the mountain you begin to wonder about the legend surrounding the mountain, that people that climb it never return. Perhaps a small part of you want to see if that's true. You shake that idea away, you made a promise. Besides, you've been up there a couple of times with your parents and you've made it down safely. The legends could just be that, legends. Despite the idea sticking even after your effort to shake it loose you still carry on.
A couple of minutes later you start to feel the sun peeking out from its hiding spot and the path turns into a kaleidoscope of green, brown and orange. Sun shafts dance above you, moving as you do. You see the veins of the leaves. You take a deep breath and remind yourself that this was a good idea. The sun wastes no time warming your surroundings and you feel yourself working up a bigger sweat than before. You curse yourself for not bringing any water. Despite the lack of hydration you still carry on.
The mountain shakes and you lose your balance. Earthquake? Here? How? The mountain is as steady as, well, a mountain. It has never moved for as long as you can remember. You can't come up with any logical explanation. It also feels like you've been drained of something. You feel, tired, but not really. It's not exhaustion it is something else, something inside of you. You wonder if you've gone to far. Despite the danger you still carry on.
The plateau creeps closer and closer as the sun starts to set. You feel exhaustion take over and every step becoming harder but you can't give up now, you're so close. A few minutes of heavy breathing later the ground flattens and your steps become easier to take. The sun is now at the horizon and you push yourself as hard as you can so that you can reach the plateau in time.
You swing your tired legs over the edge as you sit down and lean back on your arms. The view is as great as you remember. The setting sun bathes the town in a glistering orange and like long brushes of black paint the shadows of the buildings stretch out towards you. The forest below you turns from green to a color you can't really name but it's nice regardless of what you might call it so you leave the thought behind you. You have to squint your eyes as the sun stares you in the face but you still manage to enjoy the sight. The light eventually becomes too much and you lay down instead to enjoy the warmth. You breath a pleased sigh and close your eyes.
You're awoken from your rest by a faint voice. You stand up and call it out but you don't get an answer. You focus your hearing and manage to trace its origin a bit further away. You walk closer and round a cliff. A dark mouth invites you inside an even darker cave. You call out the voice again. The cave goes silent for a second before an answer echoes out. You can't make out the words and your curiosity gets the best of you. You enter.
The cave is warmer than you thought. Your eyes struggle to find shapes and you tread carefully, although you can't see them you can feel rocks and stalagmites cluttering the cave floor. You call out the voice a third time, this time you ask them if they're hurt. Another silence follows and the answer comes as a high pitched yell, someone is definitely in trouble. You quicken your pace even though you fear that you might trip. Your eyes start adjusting themselves to the low light and you manage to spot a small figure deeper inside the cave.
"You lost kid? Come, let's get out of here," you shout out.
"LOOK, A HUMAN HAS COME TO GREET US AND WELCOME US TO THE SURFACE! THIS TRULY IS A JOYOUS DAY!" says another, much taller, figure and you're taken back by the pitch and volume of the voice.
"Now Papyrus, we need to be careful with out first impression," instructs another voice. It is soft and warm.
"yeah, don't want to make a barrier now that we've just destroyed one." says a third. It follows up its quip with a pleased laugh.
"Hello?" you ask the crowd before you.
"it can speak. ain't that something?" says the third voice again.
"Now now, let me take care of this," says a fourth voice with a commanding authority. It is filled with care though.
It steps out into the slit of sunlight from outside. You scramble backwards as you see its visage. Two huge horns stand tall on a goat's head and a purple drape obscures a thick and ornate breastplate. It towers over you as it gets closer and stops a couple of steps away. It lifts out a hand. A dangerous looking trident flashes as its robe moves from the motion of its arm. You scurry back on your feet and rush towards the exit. In your haste you trip over a vine and fall down. You brace yourself for the impact but you fail to see the sharp stone under you. You hit your head, hard.
"Good job Asgore, one minute outside the barrier and you've already killed a human," says an angry voice, its soft features are nowhere to be heard.
"I, I thought," comes an answer. The voice is filled with regret.
"No, you didn't," retorts the angry voice.
"Th-they're still breathing! Let's get t-them outside so I can treat the wound," stammers another voice.
"Undyne, help me with the human," commands the angry voice.
Darkness absorbs your vision.