Legends say that those who climb Mt Ebott never return.
As years passed, the difference between legends and childhood rumours became unclear. Children always wondered why the mountain was off limits even to highly regarded documentary filmmakers. What was it about that mountain that scared grown-ups so much?
Regardless, for the most part, the stories were true. Once someone ventured inside the mountain that was it. They were gone. Some sought such a vague fate, perhaps not seeing any other way out of their drab or woeful lives, but only six ever dared to venture up the cursed peak.
This is not their story.
Forbidden as it may have been, the concept of rumours or unknowable fates was alien to the animals that lived around Mt Ebott. Some fell into the hole below. Some died. Toriel ensured that the survivors became livestock for the farmer monsters. (Not a popular trade.) One yak somehow ventured into King Asgore's castle. Its fate is a mystery to all but him.
This is the story of a bee who entered the Underground.
"Is this a joke?" Flowey asked, irritated. "Are you braindead? RUN. INTO. THE. BULLE-*hem* friendliness pellets." He prepared another batch of bullets and sent them soul-ward. Yet again, the impudent child sidestepped them.
"You know what's going on here, don't you?" he rasped, his smiling face contorting into that of a skull. "You just wanted to see me suffer."
Above the commotion, buzzing could be heard. The bee must have come from outside. The Surface. Perhaps there were some flowers growing in Mt Ebott, though it wouldn't explain why the hornet went to the trouble of descending into the Underground. Returning was probably above its abilities, disregarding the barrier in the way, rendering its search for more pollen useless. This never crossed the bee's mind. The buttercups it first found were rich in the powder.
Now it couldn't believe its luck. Following the sound of a grating, patronising voice, the bee found a talking flower! One that spewed pellets of pollen like bullets! Unfortunately (or not), it missed each pellet, not noticing it splat against the rock walls, eroding into them like acid. Now it had a circle of the pellets encircling a young human child. It decided to go for the big money.
"DIE!" the flower declared, laughing maniacally as the pellets closed in. In just a few seconds, the sucker would be go- "Bzzzzzzzz."
What was that? Buzzing? Bluh.
The pellets suddenly closed in.
"Bzzzzzzzz."
The pellets suddenly scattered everywhere.
"Ack! Gah! Grr! Get off, get off!" Flowey cried, ducking out of the bee's way, burying into the ground and forgetting all about the human child. He emerged for one of the bullets to skim his petal, causing tremendous pain. He writhed in agony, only to freeze as he noticed the stern face of Toriel stare at him. He didn't move for a full minute, only burying again when he heard the buzz.
"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…"
The path built into the side of Mt Ebott confused anyone not in the know. As far as the politicians were concerned, the existence of the monster race was their burden to bear. Still, anyone who crossed that path found only the same rock surface that comprised the mountain. What was the point in the path? And why did they feel a sense of foreboding whenever they crossed it? It was joked that it should've been named Mt Enigma. (Nobody ever found this funny.)
For some reason, animals never saw the barrier. They were far from exempt from it, of course. Far too often was Asgore's day filled with the WHUMP sound of birds trying to fly into his castle. He considered buying a curtain with a rock pattern on it and draping it over the barrier just to stop them.
"Clever," Flowey sneered. "Verrrryyy clever. You think you're really smart, don't you?"
The human child said nothing, their face difficult to interpret.
"In this world, it's kill or be killed. So you were able to play by your own rules. You-"
"Bzzzzzzzz."
"Ack! Not again!" He immediately ploughed into the ground as the bee whizzed by. It examined the crack in the ground, readying itself to dive in before the soil filled it. It hung there for a second, before flying out the door. As the child prepared to do the same, they heard his voice. "We'll talk later."