Note: The image I'm using for my cover was created by llllimi from Deviant Art.
Chapter One
Pain should have flooded her body, yet the girl felt so little. For a brief moment, she had sworn that she had heard a voice in the back of her head.
Wake up, the voice had said. Are you okay?
She tried to move her mouth, but it felt heavy. After a long moment, the child's eyes opened and darkness greeted her. She took a sniff and the smell of flowers tickled her nose.
"Ow." She remarked, more out of reflex than anything else. "What just happened?"
Pushing herself off the ground, the girl arranged herself to sit on her butt. She first patted down her dark blue shirt with a pair of red strips. Her blue jeans had a few scuff marks, but overall she appeared in one piece. Her light brown skin appeared unmarked.
"I'm okay." The girl decided before looking back up at the hole she fell in. The drop must have been several dozen meters. "Well, I'm not going back that way."
The girl scanned the area. Ragged walls expanded out into a wide room. Off in the distance she could hear rushing water, but saw only darkness or gray stone. Water dripped off of stalactites and broke upon stalagmites. The only spot of color she could see happened to be the flowers and grass underneath her.
Cupping a hand around her mouth, the girl spun herself around. "Hello! Is anyone there?"
Her own voice answered her.
"Hum…" She sat down for a moment and thought. "What should I do now? Maybe I should just wait here? Miss Cassy always said that if I get lost then I should stay in place."
Nobody is going to find you here.
The girl scrambled to her feet. "Who's there?" Only silence answered. "That was odd..."
Maybe it would be best to explore up ahead.
Placing a hand on the side of her head, Frisk frowned. "Hmm, maybe that would be a good idea." She glanced up. "But what if someone comes and I'm gone?"
I thought I saw some ruins up ahead.
"I did?"
Curiosity had gotten the best of the girl before she started to walk toward a narrow land bridge, then she made it over in to what appeared to be the front of a building. Curved into purple rocks it reminded her of those old Greek buildings she saw in her text book. "But why would they build this underground?"
Upon entering the room, the girl found it rather dark inside. Its roof and walls were shrouded in darkness. Yet, in the center she saw a patch of grass with a lonely flower. Walking over to it, the girl sniffed it.
"Howdy," said a voice. With a yelp the girl fell back on her arms. She blinked in confusion as the flower rose. A smile and a pair of eyes formed. "Are you alright?"
"You talked!"
Placing its leaves on its stem, the flower nodded. "That right. I'm Flowey the Flower."
"I've never met a flower that can talk before." The girl crawled over to the plant and proceeded to poke it.
"Hey now." Flowey's pedal pushed the finger back. "You could damage me if you're not careful."
"Sorry." Getting on her knees, the girl offered a smile. "Hey, Flowey. My name is Frisk."
"You seem kind of lost."
"I was playing on the mountain when I found a random hole. I tripped"- Frisk threw out her arms- "and now I'm here."
"Well, I'd better inform you of what's going on." The flower, spreading his leaves out, beamed. "You're currently underground. There are lots of creatures up ahead. We all live peacefully. Down here, the best way to stay protected is with love."
"Love?" Frisk yelped when her chest started to glow. A heart appeared on it. "What's that?!"
"That's your soul!" Flowey pointed it out. "It is what gives you life and power. If you want to survive down here you're going to need plenty of love." With a flick of it leaves, small white pellets appeared in the air. "These are friendship pellets. I just give them to you and your love will grow."
Images of blood flashed in Frisk's eyes. Stumbling back, she held up her arms in unconscious act of defense. Frowning, the flower tilted his head.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. I thought…" Frisk shook her head, letting out an uneasy laugh. "I saw something weird for a moment. Continue." She leapt back when the pellets shot at her. "You know what?! I just remembered to never take odd things from strangers."
"Come on now!" Flowey grinned as he prepared another line of pellets above him. "Just take them."
Take them and you'll have a terrible day, stated that odd voice. Frisk stepped away from the attacking pellets.
"Stop dodging the bullets!" Flowey lost his smile for a moment, but quickly put it back on. "I mean... Please, accept the pellets."
"How stupid do you think I am?" Frisk started to walk around the plant. She stopped when pellets sprung around her from all sides. Startled, the girl tried to run the through the pellets. She yelped when they stabbed her in the chest.
"Fool!" The flower's eyes enlarged until they looked hauntingly like empty eye sockets. His mouth became rigged. "Do you think you can get away from me? Down here there is only one rule! Killed or be killed." The flower then laughed- a laugh that sounded as if a child had breathed helium. Pellets started to fall upon Frisk. She tried to move away, but they came in too fast.
Just as they encircled the child, flames came in from the west and whirled in a circle. The confused flower looked for the interferer, but a fire ball slammed into him. Screaming, the flower withdrew into the earth, leaving a bare patch of grass was left in its place.
"What a nasty creature..."
Frisk backpedaled as a large humanoid approached her. Clad in purple robes, the being stood almost six feet tall. A sphere with wings flew above three triangles upon her chest. Whitish fur covered her hands and face. Her head appeared to be that of a goat. The girl stared at the woman at the moment, uncertain whether to walk over or run away.
Kneeling, the woman offered a smile. "Poor child, do not be afraid. My name is Toriel. What is yours?"
Sniffing, Frisk grabbed her stomach.
"Are you hurt?" asked the woman, her eyes widening a little. "Can you show me?"
With a small nod, the child pulled up her shirt. Blood flowed down the flesh.
"I can heal that for you." Toriel pulled a bandage out of her pocket, placed it onto the stomach and then kissed it. "Is that better?"
Frisk nodded.
"Sorry if all I have is baseball, but that's all I got. Now, can you be a dear and tell me your name."
"Frisk." Putting down her shirt, the girl offered a smile. "And I don't mind baseball. I like to play games."
"So do I!"
"Where am I? Why did that flower try to hurt me?"
"I will explain, but I think it is best that we head toward my house."
With a nod, Frisk followed Toriel, yet she peered over her shoulder to where the plant once stood.
Entering corridors, the hallways seemed to stretch on forever. Stone blocks and pillars held up the roof. Toriel hummed a tune.
"This place looks old," stated Frisk.
"It is." Toriel spread her arms. "This place is called the ruins, and it has existed for hundreds of years."
"That's a long time."
"It is." They came to a stop in a small square room. A sign hung on a solid wall. "Down here there are many puzzles." She walked over to a set of six panels. Toriel walked on the outer four and the door opened.
"Cool!" Frisk clapped her hands.
With a smile Toriel led the child through the ruins. They came upon a room with switches and Toriel already marked the one that needed to be used. Next they came upon a path of spikes which gave way when walking the right way. Frisk wanted to go alone, but Toriel led her through it. They then came upon a long room.
"Child, I will have to leave you a bit." Toriel darted out of sight. "You must cross the room alone."
"Okay." The child, humming to herself, strolled down the path.
She's a bit odd, but nice, thought Frisk.
She can be a bit overwhelming.
Who are you?
I'm you.
How can that be?
It's hard to understand. Just know that I'm here to help you. Okay?
Okay!
Coming to the end of the room, Frisk stopped when Toriel popped out from behind a pillar. "Thank you for trusting me." Toriel greeted with a warm smile.
"I didn't think you would abandon me that easily."
With a nod, Toriel patted the child on the shoulder. "Now, I'm going to ask you to do something. I need you to stay right here."
"Why?"
"There is something I must do." Toriel pulled a cellphone out of her pocket, and set it in Frisk's hand. "If you need anything just call me. Okay?"
"Okay." Frisk tucked the phone into her pocket, then waved Toriel goodbye. Yet as seconds became minutes, boredom set in. Wandering around the room, she tried to find something worth doing.
A frog leapt into Frisk's path. Tilting her head, the child stared at the frog and the frog stared right back. It seemed confused. Smiling, Frisk waved a hand.
"Hello, Mr. Frog. How are you today?"
"Ribbit," croaked the frog.
I'm doing well, said a voice in Frisk's head, and you?
"Having a bad day. I fell through a hole."
"Oh." The frog started to grow a bit. "Are you a human?"
"Yep."
The frog started to grow a bit bigger. Flies started to form around the frog.
It looks like it's going to attack! stated Frisk's inner voice.
"Mr. Frog," said the child, "Are you going to attack me?" The voice groaned.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because…" The frog frowned. "I'm not quite sure."
"You seem to be a nice person."
Blinking, the frog looked away. "Thanks." The flies went away. "It's just that… you're a human."
"And?"
"Don't you hate me?"
"Why would I?" Frisk knelt down to pat the frog on the head. "Do you want to play with me? I'm bored."
Chuckling, the frog shook it head. "I'm sorry, but I was off getting my son. Yet if you want something just go to the next room. There's some candy there."
"Candy!" Frisk glanced over her shoulder. Her happy expression faded a bit. "But I was told to wait here for Toriel."
"Toriel." The frog jumped. "Oh, she should be easy to find. There are only so many places one can go within the ruins."
You heard him! Just keep walking and you'll find her.
"Okay! Thanks for the information." Rushing out of the area, Frisk noticed red leaves on the ground. Bushes grew in some areas. Yet as she looked, she wondered how she could see. The small holes in the roof allowed little sunlight to get through. Where did all the light come from?
Entering a room, Frisk found a bowl of colorful candy on a pedestal. It told her to take one.
You can take two, said the voice. It's not like anyone will notice.
With a nod Frisk did as told. Yet she felt a little disturbed as she placed the hard candy into her pocket. Shaking the feeling off, she marched out of the ruin. Curiosity drove her onward. Frogs and creatures that looked like a wet handkerchiefs with wings walked passed them. Froggits and whimsun was what the voice called them. The former hopped up to Frisk and chatted a bit. A few were even kind enough to leave money behind. Frisk tried to talk with the whimsun, but each time she approached they ran away.
Dropping through the floor, Frisk landed with a huff. "Geezs, there a lot of traps here. Maybe if I asked Toriel about them..." Yet, as she pulled out the phone she noticed that there were two doors. She went through one and popped out the other side.
"Odd."
With a quick press of the phone Frisk called Toriel. "Hi! Is anyone there?"
"Of course, child." Toriel sounded happy. "Do you need anything?"
"Nothing, really. I was just curious about the puzzles ahead."
"We will deal with them in time. Are you still in that room?"
"Yes."
"Good. Before we hang up I wish to ask a question. What do you like more? Butterscotch or cinnamon."
"Cinnamon!"
"Good to know. Be good now."
"Yes ma'am."
Frisk kept walking and checked the floor this time. Cracks riddled through them. She managed to get a way before she fell through and crunched a pile of leaves. Chuckling, she stood. She noticed a sign and read it.
Don't walk on the leaves.
The girl walked the cleared path that matched the one underground. Yet she walked on a spot of leaves to read another sign. It rebuked her for misbehaving. With a chuckle she kept on going. The traps she encountered were fun, but none she would call challenging.
Frisk paused upon seeing a sign.' Spider Bake sale up a head' it read. Frisk walked in to see a couple of cobwebs. Another sign told her that to buy stuff just set her money on the webs. She had never heard of a spider taking money. Yet she took out her coins and gave it a try. A smile formed when a spider dropped down and gave her a doughnut.
"Thank you!" Frisk placed the doughnut in her pocket, then kept on going. She reached a room with a naked tree. Red leaves sat on the ground. Toriel walked out of a house made of bricks. "Hey, Toriel."
Jumping, the goat woman rushed open. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay put."
"I got bored."
"Well… I guess it was much to ask for a child to stay put. I was hoping to save a surprise for you." Toriel took hold of Frisk's hand and led her into the house. "Your new home."
The house was of decent size. Upon entering, one spotted a staircase going deeper into the earth. Plants and stands scattered around the room. Looking about, Frisk hummed.
"This is a nice place." Frisk looked to the goat woman. "Can I stay here awhile until someone finds me?"
Nodding, Toriel gestured to the rest of the house. "Of course you can."
"Have you dialed 911 yet?"
"911?"
"It's the number you're supposed to call when you get in trouble."
"Aw." Kneeling down, Toriel patted Frisk on the head. "I already did that. Now, why don't you look around for a bit and get comfortable." With a nod, Frisk explored the place. There were two main parts of the house. A hallway contained all the rooms in the western portion. Go east and one would find a kitchen and living room.
Frisk spotted the pie, but Toriel told her to wait. She just finished it with her fire magic. Frisk then went into two of the three rooms- one was being remodeled. The first had been made in mind of a kid. A toy box sat at the foot of the bed. Against one wall sat a bookcase and table. The former was filled with books for kids her age while the other was empty, spare for a photo frame that someone had forgotten to put a picture in. Frisk also noticed the many shoes in the box, but ignored them.
The other room happened to be Toriel's. The child took one peek in and decided to stay out. It would be rude to invade another person's privacy. She started down the hall and found a long passage way. Walking down it, she glanced about. Curiosity drew her forward.
"Frisk!" Toriel rushed over. "This isn't a play area."
"It's not?"
"You can play anywhere in the ruins or in the house, but you can't be down here. Okay?"
"Okay!"
Days came and went. At first, Frisk enjoyed her stay at the little home. She was free of school until Toriel started to tutor her. The girl complained at first, but when the teaching started the goat woman turned out to be a good teacher. Math, geography, reading, and art were just a few of the courses that the teacher taught.
During her free time, Frisk split time between the house and the ruins. Each day in the morning she would go out and talk with the monsters. They seemed wary of her at first, but as time went on they joined her in games of hop scotch and hide and seek. Even a few of the whimsun talked with her for a bit. She would go from the house all to the way to the flowerbed. Of course, she watched out for the flower, but he stayed gone.
The child's favorite place happened to be the room where she could overlook the city. Leaning on the wall, she peered down at the enormous cavern. Buildings ten stories tall reached for the roof. Crystal embedded in the roof twinkled as if struck by sunlight. She could sat there for a couple of hours before going home or going to play some more. One time she even found a plastic knife under a layer of bushes. She showed it to Toriel and she took it away.
"It's not a toy to play with."
When at home Frisk played games with her toys. She also spent plenty of time snuggling with Toriel in the living room, with a fire roasting to their right as they spent hours reading books. They ranged from One Hundred Facts of Snails to stories of brave monsters saving people's lives. Of course, there were chores and Frisk helped with the cooking.
One morning the child woke up and walked outside to greet the sun. She looked at the ceiling and frowned. She walked back inside to see Toriel placing a breakfast of pancakes and eggs on the dining table.
"Toriel," said Frisk. "How long do you think it takes for people to get here?"
Almost dropping the platter, Toriel coughed. "Why do you mention that?"
"Because I would think Miss Cassy would have picked me up already?"
"Who's Miss Cassy?" Toriel set the platter on the table.
"She's my foster mom."
"Foster mom."
"Yeah. My real parents are missing so I'm staying with her." Frisk frowned. "She's not a bad person, she's just taking care of me until someone else comes along. I would call you my real mom."
Blinking, the goat woman placed a hand to her mouth. "My dear… I would be honor to do so."
"But first I have to tell Cassy I'm fine. Once she's aware I'm with you and you're treating me well, she doesn't have to worry about me anymore." Crossing her arms, Frisk nodded. "Then I get to tell the other kids that I've got a goat for a mom. That is so awesome. I can also brag…"
Frisk fell silent as tears slipped down Toriel's face. "Mom…?"
"Please give me a second to excuse myself," Toriel whispered before rushing off.
You're not going home.
Leaping, the child grabbed her head. You have been silent for a while.
Don't you get it? Toriel is lying to you. You're never going home.
She wouldn't lie.
Think on it for a bit. It has been a month and no one tried to find you? Mom isn't doing anything else that may be called useful. In fact, she's acting more like you're going to stay for a long time.
No. Shaking her head, Frisk grimaced, yet Toriel did act like that.
Shaking her head, Frisk rushed out of the house and to her favorite room. Just as she entered, something wet hit her on top of the head. Blinking, she glanced up. It might be raining on the surface. Drips of water fell from the ceiling.
With a sigh, Frisk leaned on the wall. She stared at the city. A part of her wanted to jump down and just walk among it.
"I can't believe you're still here!"
Spinning around, Frisk screamed as Flowey stood before her. A frown crossed his face. Jumping onto the wall, Frisk glanced for a way out. The flower blocked the door with vines. The only other way happened to be down.
"Why are you here?"
"To figure why it's taking you so long to get going?" Tilting his head, Flowery hummed. "Chara, are you sure you have control?"
"Who's Chara?"
If the flower heard, he showed little signs of it. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Maybe you don't have a weapon. It can be kind of hard to get past Toriel without one."
"Why would I want to get past Toriel?"
"Because the only way out is to get to the castle and the barrier." Flowey sighed. "Good grief. This is going to be harder than I thought."
"You're lying. I fell through that hole and-"
"Once you fall in, there is no way out." A sly grin slid onto Flowery's face. "Have you forgotten that as well?" Vines sprouted from the ground. "Look, I'm too weak to get past that old goat, but maybe I can distract her. Now get down from there. You're going to get hurt."
"Why do you care?!" The vines approached Frist. She tried to get away. Her foot stepped onto air and the world pulled her down. A shrill scream escaped her mouth as Frisk fell. She screamed all the way down to the bottom of the pit. Only a sudden splat stopped it. Startled monsters surrounded her to see what happened, but darkness engulfed her before the pain could take effect.
I knew from a young age that my family was abnormal. Daddy never told me what happened to Mommy. She stayed with us for a couple years and left with the wind. Daddy was a kind soul, but a ghost of sorrow refused to leave him. Sometimes it would leave him be and he would smile all day. He would pick me up and swing me through the air.
Other days the ghost crushed Daddy under its weight. On the worst days, he refused to leave his room. I would enter his room to see him lying on the bed. I would beg him to wake up and get to work, but even when he tried the chains dragged him to bed.
It was those days which I had to skip school to care for Daddy. I became skilled with cooking ware to keep us fed. Floors were mopped, windows were cleaned, and chores were completed. Yet my worse task was to find some way to get Daddy free of the ghost. So I would put on plays for him. I tried my best to make something as funny and entertaining as possible. That's how the people on the T.V help depressed people. I heard that laughter was the best medicine.
But Daddy never laughed. The most he could do was a smile that told me he was sorry. I hated that smile.
Once the ghost went away Daddy would always apologize to me. That nothing that happened to him was the result of me. Yet, when I was ill or not feeling well Daddy always helped me feel better. Even the worst diseases would seem a little less bad when he at my bedside and reading me my favorite story.
I started to hate myself.
Gasping, Frisk sat up and screamed. Her voice echoed down the cavern. Bats flew from their roost. Placing a hand on her chest, the girl searched for any pain, and found that she felt none. Stunned, she looked down to see her body free of injury. Upon seeing the bed of yellow flowers again, she screamed.
The girl scrambled away on all fours. Her eyes searched for the evil flower. Yet the flowers held their place. Taking deep breaths, Frisk stumbled to her feet. It took a few moments, but she managed to settle down.
"That was… odd." Frisk glanced about. "How did I get here? I fell off the cliff and…" Shivering, she shook the dreadful cold away. "I'm alive. It's all a bad dream. I must have fell asleep on these flowers and had a bad dream. That's got to be it."
Taking one last breath, the girl grinned. "All I need to do now is go back to Toriel. She's probably worried about me."
Frisk reached into her pocket for her doughnut and frowned. She just bought one a few hours ago. Did she eat it already? With a shrug Frisk walked off. She could probably grab a piece of candy if she really wanted to. Entering the first large building, Frisk froze in the doorway.
"Howdy!" shouted a little, yellow flower. "It's me, Flowey."
With terrified screech, Frisk rushed to the flower and stomped on it.