An Alternate Adventure updates, but you are too mad at how late it is. Lea Valdez pops out, looking extremely scared.
"See! I can update! I was just waiting for you guys to read some other stories too! See? I'll still write more of the story! I even put up a poll on my profile about what ships guys want in it! See, I can be interesting to you!" You smile creepily at them. Lea starts crying.
"P-l-e-a-s-e-d-o-n-t-k-i-l-l-m-e"
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As you enter Toriel's home, you are filled with dread. The house is even more unkempt on the inside. The wooden floors are creaky and torn up in certain places. The house isn't brightly lit, casting shadows on the walls. The ceiling is leaking… something, and there is mold all over the place. It reminds you a little bit of your house on the surface: in shambles. Flowey is shivering like crazy in his shoe. "I hate this place. Let's leave, like right now."
Before you could agree, you jump at the sudden sound of another, softer, voice behind you. The voice laughs, a creepy, cold, high pitched noise. "Ha ha. My child... why would you want to leave?" says the voice. Before you can scream and run, two firm, furry hands grab you by the shoulders, and spin you around. It's Toriel.
Flowey whimpers in fear and disappears into the dirt of his shoe. You look at Toriel and take in her appearance for the first time. She is some kind of goat monster, with small horns atop her head. She is smiling at you, a very demented smile. Her faded purple dress is torn at the bottom, and stained with mysterious liquids and a dusty powder. Her brown, almost red, eyes bore into your soul, examining you like a piece of clothing. You shiver at the sight of her. She laughs again. "I have been expecting you, small one. I had heard you and your flower friend in the long corridor. You were hiding behind the pillar, weren't you?"
You stand there, frozen and unable to respond. After a few seconds of silence, Toriel glares at you. "Well? ANSWER ME!" At Toriel's shout you quickly nod your head. She smiles again and ruffles your hair. "Good child. Very good. Come along now, I will show you to your new room." She grasps your hand and holds it tight, forcefully dragging you to the next room. You see a door, and Toriel opens it. It reveals a room, a child's room. The walls look like they were once a vibrant orange, but the color is faded and the paint is peeled. Toriel harshly shoves you into the room, and you trip and fall on to the floor. Toriel smiles again. "Now, I need to go run some errands. You be a good child and stay in your room. Otherwise… well, let us not dwell on such things." Toriel shuts the door, and you hear a clicking sound. Your heart pounds as you realize that Toriel locked you in.
Flowey pops out again. "Frisk! Oh my god, are you ok?" You nod your head and stand up to look around your room. The room is dark, and the lights don't work. You could make out a twin sized bed. You lie down on it, and find that it is quite comfortable. At the foot of the bed are some dusty toys. They don't interest you at all. Next to the lamp is a box of children's shoes of all different sizes. You find a pair of boots that look like your size. You put them on, and despite their age, they are better than your old shoes. You turn to a closet that holds lots of striped shirts and sweaters of different sizes. When you are done inspecting your location, you turn back to Flowey.
"How are we going to get out of here now? She locked us in!" As Flowey panics, you suggest to just wait and see. You point out that Toriel hasn't tried killing you yet. Flowey glares at you. "Don't you get it? Charlie did the same thing, and now they're dead! They thought they could stay with… her. But Charlie was wrong. Toriel's trying to lull you into a false sense of security. When you're comfortable, she'll steal your soul! I promise you that." You sigh, and nod at your friend. You wish that you could just be safe somewhere, but it doesn't look like that will ever happen. You go to the bed and lie down to sleep. You've had a long day.
You wake up feeling rejuvenated. You feel ready to take on the day, and then deflate as you realize you are still locked in the room. You go up to the door and try to jiggle the knob in vain. You sigh and glance at Flowey's shoe. He isn't there. He must still be asleep. You then bring your toy knife out of your inventory and hatch a master plan to break out of the room. You begin to pick the lock with the small, sharp edge of the plastic blade, until you finally hear the click you were waiting for. You grab Flowey's shoe and dart out of your temporary prison.
You quietly sneak around the house, hopeful that Toriel isn't around. You check the living room, the kitchen, and the entry hall. The only other living things in the house besides you and Flowey is a bunch of mold. You breathe a sigh of relief. You quietly walk back to the kitchen again and find that there's a pie sitting on the counter. You reach up to touch it. It's ice cold. You take a slice anyway. You might need it later. You inspect the pie. After sniffing it, you recall the smell. It smells like that weird escargot stuff that your mom would bring back from fancy restaurants. You store it away in your inventory for later.
As you continue exploring Toriel's home, Flowey pops up from the dirt in his shoe. "Frisk!" he whisper shouts. He quickly looks around, checking for any sign of their captor. "Frisk, what if Toriel's home and we don't know? She could be in her room right now!" You nervously shift your eyes around as well, paranoia overriding your curiosity for a second. You quickly shake it off though, and ask Flowey if he knows the exit.
Flowey scrunches up his face thoughtfully, before brightening. "If we go down the stairs, we can exit through the big door! It seals off the Ruins from the rest of the Underground. I bet if we hurry, we can escape!" Flowey is so excited at the prospect of breaking out, that he starts raising his voice. You aren't particularly concerned about Flowey making noise until you feel a large shadow looming over you. A soft voice interrupts Flowey.
"Oh my child, why would you ever want to leave? This is your home now, as it should be. You will never leave here because you do not need to." You slowly turn around and see Toriel smiling down at you, before grabbing you by the hand and forcefully pulling you to your room. You cry out as Toriel tugs too hard. She refuses to look at you. Toriel practically throws you into your room, and glares at you hard. "My child, you are not to leave this room until I come get you for dinner in a bit. You must stay here, or else." To solidify her threat, Toriel lit one of her hands on fire. You tremble and curl into a ball. You only want to leave. Toriel shuts the door, not even bothering to lock it because of how genuine her threat is. Flowey attempts to console you.
"F-Frisk don't worry about Toriel! We can still get past her! We can sneak out while she is asleep, or when she's grocery shopping or something like that! Come on, you can't give up yet!" Flowey frantically tries to improve your mood, but you just shake your head at him and lie down in the bed. You fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.
The next time you wake up, you hear Flowey sobbing to himself. He is muttering things through his tears. "Wh-why is m-m-mo-mom acting like t-this! Wh-why isn't she n-nice to an-anybody?" You wonder who Flowey refers to as "Mom". Toriel? You ponder this. If Toriel is Flowey's mom, it would explain why he stumbled over her name earlier. You sit up and pick up Flowey's shoe, petting his head in an effort to calm him. Flowey looks up at you with tears in his eyes. You wipe away his tears and smile despite your fears. Flowey sniffs and looks back down. "I… I'm sorry, that you had to see that. I've always been a big crybaby. I just can't wait to get out of here." Flowey gives a watery chuckle. "Do you have any ideas for escape?" He asks halfheartedly. You think about this.
Flowey claims that if you are to get too comfortable here, then Toriel will kill you. But… what if you can lull Toriel into a false sense of security, claiming that you love it here, and then sneaking out when she believes it. You smile to yourself. It's the perfect plan! You explain your plan to Flowey and his face lights up like he's a kid in a candy store. "Frisk, you're a genius!" You smile smugly down at Flowey. You tell him that it's time to start Phase 1. Waiting for dinner.
A few hours later, Toriel walks in with a forced smile on her face. "My child! It is time for dinner, we're having Bug Soup today!" You try your absolute hardest not to look disgusted, and reply that you're starving. You hop out of bed and give Toriel a hug, that you hope is convincing, before running to the dining room/living room to sit at the table. You stare down at the bowl of bug soup. You aren't sure whether it's safe to eat, and you had left Flowey in the room because being around Toriel is uncomfortable for him. So there isn't anybody to tell you if it's even safe to eat. You apprehensively pick up the spoon and dip it into the lumpy broth. You bring the spoon to your lips, bracing yourself for the worst.
As the soup enters your mouth, you discover that it is surprisingly good for soup made out of bugs. Toriel walks in and finds you shoveling down your soup. She looks confused and mildly suspicious. "You like it?" You nod vigorously in between spoonfuls of soup. Toriel looks wistfully at you. "None of the other humans ever tried it, you're the first. Well… aside from Ch-" Toriel stops whatever she was going to say. "No matter. Would you like some more?" You nod again, because your bowl is already empty. Toriel's initial uneasiness fades away at your response. She shuffles off into the kitchen to bring you more soup.
You grin at your empty bowl. Phase 1 complete! Time for Phase 2.
Toriel is in the basement, doing who knows what. Toriel has permitted you to wander around the house, so long as you don't traverse downstairs. Or else. It's the perfect time to commence Phase 2. You and Flowey are going to clean Toriel's house. You had decided together that if you were going to be living here for longer, then the living conditions need to improve.
It takes hours, but when the house is clean it feels totally worth it. No more mold, no more darkness, no more white fur stuck in the drain. The place actually feels like somewhere you can live in. You go back to your newly cleaned and dusted room, and find Flowey sitting on the bed in his shoe. He's glaring at it. You ask him if he's ok. He looks up at you, startled, but then replies. "Oh! Hi Frisk! I was wondering if you could maybe," Flowey bites his bottom lip, "get me an actual flower pot? It would be greatly appreciated." You nod and pick up your friend, and begin to traverse the house in search of a flower pot.
You find out very quickly that there aren't any in the house. The only rooms you haven't checked for one are the basement (for obvious reasons), the room under renovations (because it's locked.), and Toriel's room. You dread where you're going to have to go, but you are DETERMINED to do so. "For Flowey." you think to yourself. You brace yourself and walk down the hallway, all the way up to Toriel's room.
"Are you crazy! What if Toriel is in there?" Flowey looks at you with panic flashing in his eyes. You take a deep breath, and gulp down your fear. You carefully crack open the door. The room is a bright blue, and there isn't anyone in there. You step inside precariously. The room isn't as bad as you thought it would be. That isn't to say that the room is great either. You could barely tell that anyone lived here. The queen sized bed is neatly made, almost professionally done. The bookshelves are dusted, but the books themselves look brand new. You take one off the shelf and open to the middle. It's an encyclopedia of subterranean plants. Flowey looks on with you.
Venenosa Flos, a poisonous, invasive species of flower that is quite common in the Underground. These flowers are extremely deadly if their scent is deeply inhaled through any orifice, or consumed. They are often confused with other types of flowers, due to their infamous ability to camouflage by changing their petal color and shape. These flowers are often nicknamed, the shapeshifters, and it is unknown what their original form might have been.
You shiver. You will never pick flowers in the Underground. Never. It seems like too dangerous of an activity. You close the book and put it back on the shelf. You go over to a desk and spot a diary lying face down on the smooth surface. You hear Flowey gasp. "That's T-Toriel's diary! Just leave it alone, we don't know what horrible things that Toriel writes about!" You want to prove to Flowey that Toriel can't be that bad, so you open to a page that has a circled passage on it, and read it aloud.
Why doesn't anybody like the caretaker of the Ruins?
Because she's a horrible wife to her husband and mother to her children.
The rest of the diary is filled with anti-jokes of similar caliber and depressing themes. You quietly close the diary and set it down. Flowey looks even more sad. You swear that you can even hear him mutter, "Poor mom," but it might just be your imagination.
You snoop around the room looking for a flower pot for your friend. So much time goes by, with no results, that your DETERMINATION almost wears out, but you eventually find what you're looking for. A small, terracotta flower pot lies inside one of Toriel's drawers. You triumphantly lift it out of the drawer and present it to Flowey, who is sitting on the desk. He looks up and grins. "Frisk, it's perfect! … Thank you, this shoe kinda sucks, no offense." he says sheepishly. You tell him that you don't take any offense to that. You make haste to transfer Flowey and all the dirt into the pot, trying your hardest not to make a mess in Toriel's room. Luckily, you are DETERMINED enough, and no dirt spills anywhere.
Flowey inspects his new dwelling. He seems satisfied. You take the shoe to the kitchen and toss it in the garbage. Good riddance. You go back to Toriel's room and take Flowey into your arms before heading back to your own room. Toriel still isn't back yet, but you know that at this point it's still too risky to leave her house, seeing as she could be anywhere.
You put Flowey on top of your dresser and turn off the light. You wish him a good night.
"Goodnight, Frisk."
You don't actually end up sleeping that night(?). You keep mulling over the morals of your plan. On one hand, gaining Toriel's trust would mean that you and Flowey could leave. On the other hand, you might really upset Toriel. You can already tell that she's depressed, from the quality of her 'jokes'. Maybe all she really wants is a child to love again. That seems to be a common theme with her diary entries. You shake your head as you like in your bed. That's silly, Toriel has frightened you, kidnapped you, and even threatened you. There's no way that she could ever really love you. There's no way that she could want you.
At least, that's what you tell yourself.
Phase 3 involves learning more about Toriel, and talking to her. This is probably the scariest part of your plan. The idea of conversing with Toriel is a daunting one, but you know it must be done if you want her to trust you. You sit up in your bed after your night of no sleep. Flowey pops out of the dirt in his pot to greet you. "Hiya Frisk! Is it… time for Phase 3?" You shakily nod your head, and climb out of your bed to get Flowey. After picking him up off the dresser, you leave your room to see if you can find Toriel.
You find her fairly quickly, as she is in the living room marveling at how good it looks. She doesn't notice you timidly step in. You take louder steps, trying to make yourself known. Startled, Toriel turns to look at you. "M-my child, did… did you and your…. flower friend clean my house?" she asks bewildered. You stare into her brown, almost red, eyes and give an embarrassed nod. Toriel regards you and even Flowey in a new light. "I, I do not know how to express my thanks to you my children. It has been so long since I've had company down here. Interactions with humans and even monsters are few and far between." She sighs and looks down. You set Flowey down on the ground, and then carefully approach the distraught goat woman, and wrap your arms around her in a cautious hug. Toriel stiffens in your embrace, but slowly hugs you back.
Unbeknownst to you, Flowey wishes that he could hug his mother mother again.
You quietly ask Toriel if she could read to you and Flowey. She looks delighted. "Why, of course my children! Why don't we read about the many uses for snails?" You aren't particularly interested, but you agree anyway. Flowey looks wistful and sad, so you pull him into the center of your criss-cross sitting position and pet the top of his head. Flowey glares at you, playfully annoyed. You keep going, and he doesn't stop you.
Toriel is sitting in her reading chair, with a pair of reading glasses resting on her face, as she narrates a book about snails. It's an unsurprisingly slow read. You are pleasantly shocked that the book is much more interesting that you had initially anticipated. You and Flowey hang on to Toriel's every word. Toriel appears to be enjoying herself and your company.
Later, you and Toriel sit at the table to eat some snail pie that she made. Flowey sits on the table in his new flower pot, having already finished his piece. The pie is actually pretty good if you ignore the weird texture. Toriel seems happy with you. As you eat, you try and strike up a conversation. You ask Toriel why she's all alone in the Ruins. Her expression becomes downcast. "Oh, my child, we need not to speak of such depressing things." Well that didn't work.
You ask Toriel to tell you about herself. She brightens a tiny bit. "I suppose I'm just a lonely woman who craves company. Few monsters talk to me, and the humans before you weren't always as hospitable as you and your friend are." You offer your comfort to Toriel. She smiles weakly at you. "Thank you my child. You are… you are very good."
You eat in silence for the rest of dinner. Flowey still hasn't worked up the nerve to talk to your captor, but you don't blame him. You would simply speak for the two of you. You tell Toriel that your name is Frisk, and that your friend's name is Flowey. She smiles lightly. "What an awfully convenient name for a flower. And Frisk is a wonderful name as well." An air of melancholy surrounds the goat woman, and you feel her inner sadness. You leave your chair and offer her a hug. Toriel seems to enjoy hugs. She accepts, and you practically melt into the softness of her fur. Flowey is looking at you enviously, but also sorrowful. You quickly scoop him up and bring him into the group hug too.
Tears gather in the corners of his eyes, but you pretend not to notice.
After a few more minutes of intense hugging, Toriel pulls away, cheeks flushed. The caretaker clears her throat. "Well, I shall head off to bed now. Do try and get some rest my child, I'd like to take you grocery shopping tomorrow." She smiles gently, and it strikes you how different the smile is from the first one she ever gave you. You like this smile much better. Toriel leaves and hurries off to her room.
Flowey finally brings his emotions under control. For some reason, his voice sounds different now, and his smile has small fangs that poke out from the sides. "F-Frisk, as m-much as I hate to say it, we can finally leave now. We know that Mo-Toriel is in her room. So we can quietly sneak out of here through the basement. This might be our only chance." Your heart breaks a little bit when you realize that Flowey's right. Toriel has finally given you her trust. This would be your only chance to leave.
But you don't want to leave anymore. Toriel has been being so nice to you and Flowey lately. It feels like you could actually build a life here. Unfortunately, you know that the Ruins are too small for you to grow up in. You are completely sure that you would only become bored after a while. Adventure and curiosity are some of the only things that make you who you are. There must be more monsters that lie beyond the Ruins, monsters that probably needed a good friend. You sigh and nod at Flowey.
You quietly creep down the stairs, as to not attract Toriel's attention. You are then met with a long purple hallway. You aren't sure that you are completely ready to leave yet. You walk slowly through the basement, dreading the exit. Flowey's face and voice have gone back to normal, and you aren't sure how to feel about this. "I think the exit is just a little farther. Keep going Frisk, Toriel won't even notice that we left." He sounds more like he's trying to convince himself of this fact.
Sure enough, there's an enormous door that lies at the end of the hallway. Unfortunately, Toriel is blocking the way. She chuckles softly. "To think that I trusted you. To think that I almost loved you." Toriel eyes flash with rage. "HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME!" You feel your heart, (not soul) break in two. Flowey looks like he's on the verge of tears. You're already crying. Toriel is unsympathetic.
"There are monsters that await you that are worse than I you insolent child. You were given a chance to be safe from the horrors that await you. But now," Toriel paused and laughed a little. "That chance is GONE! You will either kill me and prove you are strong enough to proceed, or I will kill you. It is your fault that I must do this my child, but I am not sorry."
You feel yourself enter a FIGHT.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 20/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [*ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]
[ACT]: *Check Talk
100 ATK, 100 DEF. Mother knows best, they said. Listen to your mother, they said. But you didn't.
Well, that was... something. Toriel throws enormous balls of fire at you, and it's impossible to dodge every one of them. You get hit. A lot.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 8/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"My child, the rules of this FIGHT are to either KILL or BE KILLED!"
Toriel's comment reminds you a lot of Flowey when you first fell into the Underground. Speaking of Flowey, he's shouting at you. "Frisk! Pick me up and let me help you!" You pick up Flowey, and he summons a wall of bullets to block the fire magic. You are eternally grateful.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 20/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"Child, do you not understand? Kill me, or let me kill you!"
You are certain that talking wouldn't help at all in this situation. Flowey's bullets do wonders to keep you from being hit, but sometime, fire flares through the spaces between bullets, and you get licked by the fire a little bit. Flowey turns to you with an expression of horror. "Frisk, MERCY isn't going to work on Toriel! Trust me, I've tried before. Plenty of other humans have tried, but nobody's ever been able to change her mind! We. Must. FIGHT!" Flowey is mad, but accepting of this at the same time.
You feel angry. Flowey is trying to convince you to harm someone. He's trying to convince you to harm someone who is almost like a mother to you, no matter how scary she is. You could never FIGHT Toriel. You scream at Flowey that you refuse, and then go back to showing Toriel MERCY.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 8/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"..."
Toriel doesn't say anything this time, instead choosing to look at you confusedly. You think you are making progress, until she attacks you with everything that she's got. Flames come at you from every direction, and your soul just isn't able to dodge, despite Flowey's bullet shield surrounding you. You can feel yourself being burned alive from the onslaught of flames. Flowey shrieks and tries to keep you standing. Flowey's frantic voice reminds you that you can't give up, even if your name isn't Chara.
You manage not to die, but your HP is dangerously low. Flowey says he'll heal you this turn. "Make sure to run into the GREEN bullets! I like to call them, 'friendliness pellets'!" Says Flowey.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 1/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"..."
Toriel still doesn't say anything, but the flames intensify. The once white fire has turned pitch black, making it much more intimidating, and hurt a lot more. As promised, Flowey sends a volley of friendliness pellets your way, and you touch as many of them as you can. Your HP is back to a healthy level. You thank Flowey. He looks absolutely spent. "Y...you're w-welcome F-F-Frisk. I'm… I'm sorry bu-but shielding and healing you took a lot out of me, it'll take me a couple of turns to get my strength back." Flowey mumbles tiredly.
You nod, understanding, and set him down behind you. You don't want Toriel's flames getting to Flowey when he's weak like this. You stand your ground and meet Toriel's eyes dead on. She's starting to look a little remorseful. Or at least sorry.
She attacks again anyway.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 15/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"... What are you doing?"
Toriel's attacks have slowed down, and are much easier to dodge now. You learn the patterns that she sends them in. Flowey is still recovering from using all of his magic so quickly. You are DETERMINED to keep your friend safe from the fire.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 15/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"This is wrong Frisk. You cannot Spare every monster. You must learn to fight, you must learn to kill, if you wish to survive beyond the Ruins."
Toriel's attacks speed up again and you're hit a few times. You think that you're finally getting through to her. Flowey's energy has returned, so you pick him up again so he can help you.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 9/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"Stop this at once."
You ignore your goat mom. Flowey surrounds you, your soul, and himself with bullets, blocking the brunt of the fire. "Frisk, what are you going to do? You can't keep dodging forever. Soon Toriel will get tired of humoring you and just end it." You ignore your flower friend too.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 8/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"I've seen what you did to all the other monsters in the Ruins. I know you showed them the MERCY that you are showing to me.
Toriel definitely looks much sadder now. Flowey prepares to fire friendliness pellets next turn.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 8/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"Monsters outside the Ruins are far crueler, and will not accept MERCY so easily. I certainly will not accept it."
Toriel looks like she's trying to convince herself of this rather than you. You can see in her face that she's at least mildly upset. Toriel's attacks are aimed straight at your soul, and Flowey's friendliness pellets are the only things keeping you alive at this point. Dodging any of Toriel's attacks is completely impossible at this stage in the fight.
FRISK: LV 1-HP 8/20
*Toriel
[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [*MERCY]
[MERCY]: *Spare
"M-my child, you need to understand this. Killing you now is MERCY in and of itself. There are monsters out there who would not end it quickly, and would rather watch you suffer. Please, let me do this. I'm doing this for you."
Toriel doesn't even bother attacking this turn. Flowey looks like he knows exactly what Toriel's talking about, and nods his head at her sympathetically. Secretly though, he turns around and looks you in the eyes. "Frisk, now is our only chance to end this FIGHT. Y-you have to FIGHT her this turn, otherwise she'll just kill you!" Flowey whispers. You let out a frightened noise at Flowey's idea. It fills you with disgust. How could you ever attack someone? At their most vulnerable moment no less! You shake your head at Flowey and turn to Toriel.
You open your arms and offer a hug. You firmly tell Toriel that you do not want to FIGHT her anymore. Tears gather in the woman's eyes and she tries to look away. But she can't seem muster up the will to do so. Toriel ends the FIGHT and runs toward you and engulfs you in the warmest hug you've ever received. Tears begin to form in your eyes too. You hug Tori-no. You hug you mom harder and cry into her tattered dress, whispering apologies. Apologies for plotting against her. Apologies for disobeying her. But most of all, apologies for breaking her heart.
Toriel rubs your back in an affectionate manner. "My child, I am sorry as well. I brought you and Flowey here against your will. I was unkind to you. I am so sorry." She pulls away, and grasps your shoulders, as if steadying herself. She takes a deep breath, and then gives you a small, sad smile. "You know, one of the first humans to fall down here was Ch-Charlie." Toriel stutters at the child's name. "They were very kind to me, and I did my best to reciprocate. They stayed with me for weeks. The longest any recent human has ever stayed. We shared so many laughs, and books, and meals, and moments together. I felt… I felt better than I had in a long time. Charlie told me their reason for coming to the mountain is because their family was neglectful. I was determined to make them feel loved again. And I think I did, for a while anyway."
Toriel is tearing up now. You pull her into another heartfelt hug. "Unfortunately, Charlie became curious, as humans often do. They wanted to explore beyond the Ruins. I couldn't bring myself to let that happen." Tears stream down Toriel's face as she cries into your shoulder. Flowey is simply listening in the background, listening to Toriel's story with vivid attention. She continues her tale. "I… I p-po-poisoned them." You gasp, but you don't pull away. Flowey looks shattered, stricken with grief. He sobbed softly to himself about how he couldn't protect them. Toriel is sobbing now. "They never knew. I slipped it into a dish of mine and fed it to them. I told them that they would soon exit the Ruins. Charlie trusted me so blindly, they believed every word."
"They died the next day. I had a friend of mine outside transport their soul and body to Asgore, the King of Monsters." Toriel pulls back in order to look at you. The regret in her face is evident. "To this day, I am still disgusted with myself. I killed a child because I couldn't bear to let them leave me." She lets out a watery chuckle. "Funny isn't it? I am just as horrible as the monsters that I claim to protect you from. Every human from then on would bypass me, determined to never encounter me. I let them go. But for some reason, I couldn't let you go Frisk. I just wanted to feel like a real mother again. To care for a child again. I am so sorry. Words cannot begin to describe how sorry I am. I hope that you can forgive me." You nod vigorously, murmuring that you forgive her. Toriel gives you another smile.
"I have something for you. I meant to give it to you later, but…" Toriel trails off. Then she reaches into her inventory and brings out a large, whole, pie. "It's a butterscotch cinnamon pie! I hope you don't mind either of the two, I never got to ask. I also have this cellphone for you. It can make calls in the Underground, but my phone was unfortunately taken by a very annoying white dog, so I will not be able to answer any of your calls. My friend outside the Ruins, his name is Sans, he has a phone. Tell him that the lady in the Ruins told reminds him to keep his promise." You take in all the information. You don't think that you're quite ready to leave the Ruins just yet. You want to stay with Toriel, if only for a night or two.
You tell this to Toriel. She narrows her eyes at you. Flowey looks at you in confusion. "I am sorry, but I do not think that a poor old woman like me could take that kind of pain again. Leave now, before I make you." The dangerous edge in Toriel's voice seeps in, but you take it as your cue to leave. You hug Toriel tight and tell her that you will miss her dearly. She hugs you back with just as much passion. "I will miss you too. Make it back to the surface for me, ok?" You smile, but you don't nod. You aren't sure that you can guarantee that.
You pull away from your mother and wave goodbye as you exit through the door with Flowey in your hands. Flowey waves goodbye with one of his leaves too, despite the fact that he had tried his hardest to distance himself from Toriel at all costs. You could swear that he's tearing up. The door closes shut behind you, and you walk slowly to the far exit. You still don't think you're completely ready for the world outside. From the way Toriel made it sound, the Ruins might as well have been a tutorial in comparison.
When you reach the exit, Flowey is definitely crying. As the door opens, you can hear him faintly whisper, "Goodbye, mom."
It's probably just your imagination.
I forgot to tell you to put on your seatbelts didn't I? Yeah, we're taking a Feel Trip in this story now. Oh well, I'm sure that some of you survived. But get ready, this wild ride has only just begun.
By the way, that opening author's note was just a little joke. Don't take it seriously. (But the thing about the pairings was true. Go to my profile to vote.) You guys have been so supportive and nice to me, it's a little overwhelming. Tibia honest, I thought you guys would respond to this story similar to the situation at the top. But this story has 34 frickin reviews. 52 frikin followers. And 35 frikin favorites. I'm so happy that I'm crying right now. You all just keep being awesome, and I'll keep this story going. Deal?
