Neil Elliot, age 11, could remember the moment he realized he had the power to control time itself.
It had been the day of an enormous test on Native Americans and their interactions with the pilgrims. His biggest bully, Tom, who happened to be rather tall and strong for his age and had decided that because Neil was in the ballet, he was a wimpy little girly-girl who needed a thumping right good. Had they been in a school with a sports team, Tom would have fit the "jerk jock" role to a T if not for the fact that Tom was too lazy to do sports, and was more interested in playing nonstop "Pokemon" than Football.
Sometimes Neil suspected that Tom, deep down, might actually have wanted to do the things Neil did. That maybe Tom was...different. In a particular way. But instead of just owning up to it, he denied it and took out the frustrations that resulted on Neil, the child who DID something you would expect a...different...child to do. Different. Yeah.
He was from Kentucky, and his father was a dye-in-the-wool Conservative. The word 'gay' was not ever allowed to even enter his head. He was too afraid to let it.
But nevertheless, Neil was sure Tom thought he was a homosexual, and so he'd beaten the crap out of him the day before, and so Neil was soon freaking out, hands gripping his head, fingers digging through blonde hair as he squirmed in his seat and whimpered pitifully, staring down at the test.
He'd spent the entire night before being sore in bed, nursing what felt like a pair of broken ribs...and he hadn't studied at all. In fact, he was tempted to write "I wish the Native Americans had ALL died so we wouldn't have to write about them", but that awful, meanspirited thought immediately died a horrible death when he realized the true issue.
Tom. That...that dumb bully...
Head held in his hands, the clock had been ticking down. Tick...tock. Tick...tock, Neil had stared up at it as it kept continuously ticking against soft blue walls. He had on a white, well-buttoned, longsleeve shirt and it was being stained with sweat as his soft blue eyes gazed down at the paper below him, filled with nervousness, fear...and soon frustration that was reaching a boiling point. His mind drawing a blank, his mouth hanging open, the volcano inside him finally burst as he found himself finally letting out a scream.
"THIS IS SO UNFAIR, IF HE HADN'T-"
And then, just like that, Neil was on the sidewalk close to the convenience store, realizing he was in the same spot he'd been in before Tom had popped out, seen him, and decided to beat him up for what he was. He had been given a second chance.
This...was the power of RESET.
He could go back an entire 24 hours. JUST Twenty Four. No more. No less. And when you could RESET, well...
It helped a lot. He began to ace all the tests. He knew when Tom or any bully was going to try to get him. He knew EVERY response to make that would make his dad or his teachers happy. He, a kid who now regularly wore a ballet tutu to class just because he could, was quickly becoming the most popular kid in Simsbury's elementary school, and 204X was going to be a good year for him.
Until the day he fell into the Underground, knocking himself out, and being unconcious for over a day and a half.
He'd been found by someone so sweet. So loving. The "Goat-Mom", Miss Toriel. A white-furred, faintly goat-like monster with a face that radiated warmth, faintly ornate robes of purple and white, and twinkling blue eyes even softer than his. She'd welcomed him into her home, fed him, cared for him, and he'd spent many wonderful weeks with the former Queen of the Monster Kingdom.
But he missed his school. Missed his Dad.
...missed...missed the leaves of New England, and the way the wind would blow them past you on a nice day.
And from that desire to just get out, he'd heard HER talking to him. Seen her presence in the old room she'd once slept in. Chara, a girl who'd landed in the Underground far before him. Chara, who had hated Humanity.
Chara, who told him his RESET could grow powerful enough to skip even further back in time as long as he grew in power...through killing monsters.
At first, he hadn't wanted to, but the desire to go home had been great. Bit by bit, he'd done worse and worse. Killed more and more as an exhilarating, almost erotic feeling swept through him as he swept through the Ruins, then into the town of Snowdin, and then into the caves of Waterfall, where he'd met his greatest rival, the heroine Undyne, Head of the Royal Guard.
He'd pulled out all the stops, and had watched her transform. He'd died time and time again at her hands, but had, at long last, with Chara's aid, won. And then he'd watched her...die. So...so very slowly. Dissolving right in front of him, goopily, messily, pieces of her lingering on him as she turned slowly into soupy dust.
And he had screamed in horror and disgust. He'd felt so dirty. And he'd sworn...to never...ever...do that again.
He had RESET. Made it better. And in the end, he'd faced down Asgore, the King of the Monsters, who also knew of the power to RESET. After all, Asgore's own Father had claimed human souls in the great War of Humans and Monsters, he'd been able to do miracles on the battlefield, all because he'd tapped into the power of "DETERMINATION" that Human Souls possessed.
So he wasn't surprised when Neil had approached him and said...
"...Asgore, you've killed me ten times before."
And Asgore had nodded pitifully...killing once more, Neil deciding that this time?
He wasn't going to RESET.
But then?
Neil had seen it playing out before his soul's eyes. The possibilities of a hundred different timelines, everyone in the Underground's hopes and dreams were all playing out around her. Neil could see, she could SEE what had been, what was, what would be, in every possible way. Neil could see his own death, a death coming from a thousand different ways. And then...young Frisk. The half Asian, half American child had saved them all, crossing the Barrier that seperated the Kingdom of Monsters in Mount Ebott from the Surface, making everything right. Neil had waited for the end, waiting for his soul to pass on, and he'd thought, perhaps...
Was this it? Salvation? Everything had gone bright and beautiful and shining, and pure light had swarmed through his vision. He'd felt so warm, and happy, and he thought...is this Heaven?
In a way, yes. Because when he awoke...
He could feel the soft winds of New England blowing against his face, making his blonde hair waft about slightly. He could see the red and orange and yellow leaves of New England's fall dancing through the sky above him. He could feel the grass on the slopes of Mount Ebott below his body as he rose up, glancing about. Neil Elliot was once again outside of the Underground, away from the cave opening he'd fallen into, and back home. Back home in Simsbury. Back on the Surface.
And he knew exactly where to go.
He'd raced down the street, the sun beginning to set as he bolted fast as he could. His father had been pacing up and down the front porch, cop cars surrounding his yellow-painted house, his dad chewing on his lip as his neat blonde hair was a mess, his moustache twitching and his button-down shirt matted with sweat. He'd been waiting hours. Neil had evidently gone missing after attending a party he was FAR too young for, and the cops had no idea when they'd be able to get a search party out-
And then they'd seen him.
"DAD!" Neil had cried out, racing to his father as his dad had deeply embraced him.
"Oh thank God you're alive." His father had whispered, shaking slightly, all a-quiver with relief, sorrow and joy. "Thank God, thank God, thank God. I don't know what I'd do if you were gone..."
"I'm not going anywhere, Dad." Neil had whispered back. "I promise."
...
...
...
...The sun was high in the sky on Saturday as Neil let out a yawn, and stretched his arms, standing out on the front porch. The wind was blowing nicely through the air, bathing over him as he turned about a bit before hopping down the steps. He looked out along the road, seeing the houses lining the streets, broken up by natural barriers of trees and shrubberies, and the occasional stone fence left over from Colonial times. He smiled softly as he made his way down the road, walking nonchalantly as the wind kissed over his face, and the smells of New England wafted through the air.
New England life does have its charms! Rolling hills and steady breeze!
Nothing ever happens here...few are those that do not fall beneath its spell!
And here within my little home...I'm prosperous and confident!
I'm all filled up with certainty! Controlling Time's a wonderful ability!
Neil sighed as he finally arrived at the large field just down the road, plopping down in the center of it, closing his eyes as he rested his head on his hands, the wind continuing to gently blow through his hair. His words echoed through the air, dancing along the wind just as smoothly as the leaves...
I came here, had been so scared, now life opens before my eyes!
Soft nights under starry skies! And every room has...scenic viiiiiews...
Unbeknownst to him, a form was also spread out, lying down in a field. But this was a field of snow, his blank, empty sockets staring up at the sky, his voice soft and thoughtful as the weight of the future began to hang down upon him. His blue jacketed form was warm enough, but on the inside...he felt as cold as the snow against his short, stubby frame.
one by one they'd fallen in...one by one they all arrived!
each one of them's been captured by the time I'd gotten home,
just time enough to seeeeee...
He cringed sadly.
horrors pass before my face...because we're trapped inside this place!
but what can I do anyway? come what may. things will not be otherwise...
He rose up, bony hands stuffed inside of his jacket pocket as he slowly sauntered down the natural forest path, heading in the direction of home with his head bowed.
i came here, a package deal, the future's clear before my eyes!
cold nights under starless skies, and endless dark filling up my lonely rooooom...
Slowly but surely, both he and Neil made their way into the local stores. A candy bar for each, a smile and a nod, before making their way back down the road. A faint wind bathed over the two, but for one, it just made them sigh in sorrow, rather than in delight as the other did. At long last, they headed to a bench not far from the store, plopping down and beginning to eat.
That is, until he saw what was on the corner of his eye. A "Missing" poster placed up on a nearby lamplight. One of several. Neil approached, pulling it off, then pulling off another as he looked over the pictures, one of an Asian American girl with a bandanna over her head, another a sad-looking young African American orphan, another a glasses-wearing, nice little girl with frizzy hair, and a final poster that showed a long-haired teenage girl with a large cowboy hat.
In that instant, Time began to pass as people slowly passed by them, all of time seeming to slow as they just let the moment invade their every sense, and closed their eyes, deep in thought and reflection.
Time may be clearly on my side...
"time is on the cavern's side..."
But where do all these children go?
"the river shifts, the cliffs erode..."
I wonder, do I want to know?
"the engineers do what they can..."
Seems every week another one just...
"but every day another house just..."
Runs awaaaaay... "slides awaaaay..."
I came here, had been so scared, now life opens before my eyes! Soft nights under starry skies! And every room has...scenic viiiiiews... "i came here, a package deal, the future's clear before my eyes! cold nights under starless skies, and endless dark filling up my lonely rooooom..."
Sans the Skeleton quietly sighed, hanging his head as Neil hung his own head, looking shamefully at the candy bar he'd left behind, tossing it away. Enjoying a friggin' Butterfinger when kids he knew and recognized were missing?!
What should he do? He KNEW where they'd gone, deep down...or at least, suspected it. He suspected they'd fallen into the Mountain.
"If I just stay out of it, the future will be changed, they won't get the Souls they need. They won't be able to break out, unless...something else happens." Neil cringed. "What if Flowey or a less nice monster than Asgore decides enough waiting, I'll just take one and go get more? What if another kid besides me goes down and then Frisk follows after?"
He bit into his lip. "What am I supposed to do?" He wondered aloud. "...what's the right thing to do?"
Deep down...
He knew the answer. The only answer he could think of.
Go back down into the darkness and the deep.
Return to the Underground. Return...to where he'd first been murdered.
...
...
...
...the sun was high in the sky as Neil Elliot began to descend down the large rope he'd tied to a tree outside the cave, inching his way deeper and deeper into the Underground. As he sank down further and further, he felt a soft, tingling sensation bathe over him, and he saw a faint shimmer as he looked up. Sure enough, he could see it; he had passed through one side of the Barrier that kept all Monsterkind down in the Underground, only now was it visible, now that he'd slid on through.
He kept making his way down the rope ladder, his face flooded with deep, agonizing guilt. He'd broken his promise to his Father. He'd SWORN not to go back, promised to never leave and now?
Now he was breaking that promise. Sure, it was in the name of saving other kids, but...still...you weren't ever supposed to break a promise. His face was flush, his blonde hair wafting about in the wind blowing about the cavern as he shamefully descended down deeper into the dark recesses of the cave, touching down, at long last, in a field of soft, thick, golden flowers. He felt over them with his hands, kneeling down on the grass in his Pink Tutu, his blue eyes gazing at the gold just as a flower arched up not too far away, its white face cheery and grinning as it bounced about.
"Howdy-howdy-howdy, I'm your buddy Flowey! And I'm here to explain how we do things around here!" Flowey the Flower proclaimed in a faintly musical voice as Neil blinked a bit. Something about Flowey's tone sounded even...odder than normal. Neil recognized the would-be prince, the transformed Asriel Dreemurr, former Prince of the Underground. He'd know that voice anywhere. Know those petals anywhere. Yet...there was something new. Something too...bouncy. Yes, bouncy!
"Are...you alright?" Neil asked quietly, tilting his head a bit, looking confused. "You don't sound normal. You sound a bit too...cheery. Like you're getting ready for a big performance!"
"All the world's a stage!" Flowey proclaimed with a laugh. "Don't you wanna be my friend?"
"Um..."
"Well TOO BAD!" Flowey roared, his face contorting, turning dark and foul as Neil realized he was in deep trouble, bullets forming, made of pure white, seed-like energy as they sailed at Neil, who dove to the side, pirouetting out of the line of fire as Flowey cackled with devilish delight.
When the Devil is too busy, And death's a bit too much!
They call on me by name, you see, for my special touch!
To the gentlemen, I'm Miss Fortune, to the ladies, I'm Sir Prize!
But call me by any name! Anyway, it's all the same!
Neil dove to the side, Flowey bouncing back and forth, laughing as he continued to sing, and oddly cheery, yet sinister music filling the air.
I'm the fly in your soup,
I'm the pebble in your shoe,
I'm the pea beneath your bed,
I'm a bump on every head! He laughed, shooting a vine forward from the ground as it managed to whack Neil across the head, knocking him back before ANOTHER vine grabbed around his leg and made him trip, flopping onto the cold dirt floor as Neil gasped in pain, Flowey sneering.
I'm the peel on which you slip,
I'm a pin in every hip,
I'm the thorn in your side
Makes you wriggle and writhe!
"What is your PROBLEM?!" Neil snapped, managing to roll away JUST in time to avoid bullets that slammed into where he'd been moments ago.
And it's so easy when you're evil!
This is the life, you see!
The Devil tips his hat to me!
I do it all because I'm evil!
And I do it all for free...
Your tears are all the pay I'll ever neeeeed! Flowey cackled in delight, bullets surrounding Neil as the blonde-haired little ballerina gasped in horror...
But then, salvation. A burning fireball slammed into Flowey like a football and he was sent sailing through the darkness as a familiar, goat-headed figure walked towards him, her arms spread wide.
"Oh, sweet child." She crooned, Neil's eyes widening at the sight of her.
"Toriel?"
"Why, yes! That's my name! Have we met before? I feel you are so...familiar." Toriel admitted as she knelt by Neil, passing a hand over him as green, balmy healing magic bathed over his frame and she gently lifted him up with one hand, leading him down the path. "When humans fall down here, I...often feel like I know them. In any case, sweet child, it's so nice to finally meet you. Now welcome to your home!" She proclaimed, gesturing all around as she led him down the long purple hallway, Neil realizing that something gentle and soft was playing around him, music swelling through the air as he realized something was very...VERY different about the Underground.
"My home?" He asked, blinking a bit, wanting to see what was going to happen.
"Safe and sound, underground they'll never reach you! And you'll never be alone!" Toriel sang out, reaching down and lifting him up as they finally reached her home, Toriel twirling him about as she circled around the singular tree outside her quaint, purple home as Neil tilted his head a bit.
"Are you...bursting into song?"
"We'll live a life just you and I! Now settle down, have a slice of pie! I'll stay right by your side!" Toriel insisted as she brought him inside the yellow-carpeted home she had, the walls a soft yellow and the carpet as cozy as fresh grass. The kitchen was filled with various baked cookies and pies, Toriel cutting up a slice of Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie and handing it to Neil on a little plate with cute, adorable little red hearts encircling the inner plate.
Neil took it, looking up at her as she looked down at him, chuckling a bit as she realized that a boy was actually wearing a tutu and ballerina shoes...and didn't seem to care one bit. She ruffled his hair with her clawed hands, smiling tenderly down upon him. "I only wish to see you smile! You're such an INTERESTING child. Now there's no need to fight!"
She knelt down onto one knee, taking one of his hands, clasping them tightly in her own, staring deep into his eyes, pleading softly.
"Just promise me...that you'll never leave!"
Neil blinked a bit, stammering slightly. "I-I mean, I...I think I should go, Ms. Toriel..."
She picked him up, sweeping around the kitchen, making towards the living room as a soft fire billowed gently in the chimney. "Oh sweet child, it's so nice to finally meet you. Now welcome to your home! Safe and sound, underground they'll never reach you! And you'll never be alone!"
She put him down, heading over to the bookcase, cheerily pulling out a large book that read "72 Facts About Snails", waving the green book about in the air. "My only wish is just to reach you, so many snail facts I could teach you!"
"Miss Toriel, I really, REALLY should go..." Neil murmured quietly as Toriel flinched, looking away as if ashamed, clutching the book tightly to her chest.
"Stop asking me to leave." She mumbled softly before quickly putting the book back, and kneeling down by Neil, rubbing over his head. "Don't run away, just stay inside, don't live a life of genocide! Can't you just stay with me?"
Neil walked over to the table, putting the pie piece down and biting his lip as he turned back to Toriel, then turned to look outside the windows. Sure enough, a large group of familiar, froggy monsters..."Froggits"...were all outside, harmonizing all at once as Toriel got on her knees, clasping Neil's hands in hers, eyes almost brimming with tears...
"Just promise me...that you'll never leave! Why can't you see...this life was meant to beeee?" Toriel begged, Neil hesitating.
"Miss Toriel..." He murmured.
"Oh sweet child, it's so nice to finally meet you. Now welcome to your home! Safe and sound, underground they'll never reach you! And you'll never be alone!" The Monsters outside began to sing, other monsters now joining in the chorus, heads bouncing back and forth as Toriel looked Neil over.
"You look so much like someone I used to care for...but now they've gone away! A life of darkness is bound to try and tempt you! So promise you won't stray!"
Her arms deeply embraced him, her body soft and warm, smelling like pie and fresh milk as he felt her soft tears gently trickle down onto his shoulders.
"Please promise meeeee..."