Years after Frisk have left the Underground, after their broken promise to monsterkind, monsters still remain in the Underground, with their king gone, broken hearts, and betrayed trusts. It's up to the next fallen human to become what the Underground needed.
And that's where this begins.
This is inspired by Green Apple Studio's version of the Horrortale AU. Go check them out. :)
"Ow..." I rubbed my head. Everything hurt, but I seemed to be able to move. I started walking, maybe I could find help. The place was dark, and cold. I couldn't see much forward, but I walked anyway.
It felt like something was missing. Or maybe that was the crazy voice in my head telling me that. I found a tall, unlocked door. I knocked and waited, but nobody came to the door. It was heavy, but I managed to squeeze through with what little I could pull it out to.
A room with two large staircases was before me. Crinkling leaves piled at the bottom. A sparkling star like object was... floating above it. I reached out to touch it, only to be disappointed when it did nothing. I walked up the staircase to the next room.
The first thing I noticed was a puzzle. It had been left finished, with only the buttons in the middle left untouched. I saw a sign with visible scratches on it. Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.
The scratch marks read, "But one did." It was... unsettling, to say the least. Still, I kept moving forward.
In the next room, there were some levers. So naturally, I activated the levers to go to the next room.
A room with a single training dummy, but stuffing was starting to show. It must've been used a lot. I waved at the dummy. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't wave back.
An activated puzzle. The only clue I get is the layout of the left side is the right side. Though it seemed easy once I thought about it, I didn't want to risk it with spikes, so I waded in the water right next to it. Now I would have to deal with being soaking wet all day.
The room with the same yellow star interested me, but I still couldn't do anything with it, so I went to the room north of me, which surprised me with a bowl of candy. "Take one," the sign says. I looked in my bag, and found no food. If nobody's here to feed me...
One piece of candy in the bag. Two pieces. Three pieces. Without thinking in my drone-like state, I spill the bowl. I feel like the scum of the Earth. I get over my guilt quickly though, to try the candy. Mm, non-licorice.
The ruins so far have been barren and well... Ruined. There's scratch marks everywhere. Nothing seems to be spared from it. It's darker than I imagine a building with free candy would be. It felt odd, and that feeling that something was missing was still persisting.
After rooms and rooms of puzzles, I found something. A knife, maybe. Wait. I drive it into the ground, and it bends, like rubber. Nevermind, it's a toy knife. Still useful, for something.
Some walking later, I find a huge house. Well, huge in my opinion. I smelled pie, and I grew aware of how hungry I was. How long have I been down here? It felt like I lost track of time as soon as I fell. Like time stops while down here. I walked up the stairs slowly, being careful not to disturb the weeds that have grown. In another time, this place probably was beautiful. I reached my hand to knock on the door, not expecting a reply. What I got was a voice telling me to come in echoing from inside the house.
I walk inside, the smell of cinnamon wafting in the air. I have only been in the ruins for a few hours, but this felt like more of a home than my home had ever felt in eleven years. There was a fire going, and a humming coming from the kitchen. I decided to greet the person. Except it wasn't a person. It was a humanoid goat, I think. So there were monsters down here.
She turned around and waved, still having oven mitts on. "Hello, child. I am glad you made it through the ruins, though I do feel guilty I couldn't guide you through like..." She stops there. "My child, you are lucky, because I have baked a cinnamon butterscotch pie. I do hope you are not allergic." I shook my head. Finally, some real food.
She takes the pie out of her hands, it being hot despite me never seeing it being taken out of the oven, and places it on the counter. Fire magic? Seems plausible. "My name is Toriel. Some would call me the guardian of the ruins. But you may call me mom if you wish. Some humans took to that." I could see why. "While the pie cools, feel free to explore the house. I have a room set up for guests, but it's a bit messy. Take care, I will be doing some errands outside of the ruins." She walked into the other room. But now I know there was a way out of here, and possibly, a way home. For that trip, I would need to prepare.
I look in the fridge, one single chocolate bar. 'May contain peanuts' it reads on the wrapper. Well, if you're stuck underground with no guaranteed food... I put the chocolate bar in my bag.
My room, as Toriel says, is a complete mess of shoes and sweaters. I decide to take a few sweaters, all identical with one tan stripe and light green fabric. I wouldn't have to worry about size. Shoes though... It takes forever to find, but the best I could find was one shoe that fit and one shoes one size too big. Still better than flipflops I guess.
Maybe I could take some pie with me... but it would be unfair if I took the whole thing... Maybe I could last without it, but anymore thinking on it would make me more tired. I pass out on the bed, waking up to a plate of pie next to my bedside. I decide to find something to store it in, like tin foil or something. Every kitchen has that, and I'm not surprised this kitchen does to. Once I foil the pie and store it, I decide to go down into the basement. This seemed like my only way out.
Once I walk through the barren hallways, I find the exit, but it was too late. Toriel runs to block the way out. She slaps my hand away, and holds her other hand out, as if she was going to hit me with something, most likely fire. She stops herself and starts talking.
"My child, it is dangerous out there," I try to open it, but she holds my hand in the air, away from the door. "If you go out there, I'll forget." She started shedding tears, desperate to keep my hands away. Again I reach for the door, but she continues talking. "I'll forget." I tried to say something to her, but what could I talk about? Finally I get what needs to be said. I needed to know. So I ask her.
"You'll die out there. I can't take another death. I want to end the cycle."
I shake my head in frustration, and yell, "What cycle?!"
"The cycle, it repeats over and over. They come. They go. They die. And a part of me dies with them. How tragic, is it not?" She looks straight at me. "Promise me the last piece of me won't die. I don't want to die trapped here." I nod my head. "Please. Free me, free all of us. Don't let us die. Don't let me forget my hope. Don't let me EVER think that this place is our hell. Don't let me forget the hope I have for humanity. Promise me this."
I shakingly take my hands away, and nod slowly, but assuringly. She brings me in for an embrace. I feel my shirt becoming wet with tears. "Thank you my child. I must bid you farewell. You must not come back, for I fear... that I'll become like them." She opens the door for me. I tear up as well. I finally realized. I was going to die here. There was no escape from this place, I feared.
But Toriel's wish brought me to go out the door. There has to be a way.
