Sorry about this, but we're still not quite done with the set up. Starting next chapter, however, we can finally start getting into the meat of the story! (Maybe the chapters will start to be longer too...) Plus, more of Toriel's appearance will be explained then too, so be on the look out for that. =)

Happy late 2nd Anniversary, Undertale!

Until next time, thank you for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think so far, and if you have any suggestions or criticisms, I'll be happy to hear those too!

Chapter 3

No, that wasn't right. The creature that stood before Chara sounded and acted like their mom, but it most certainly wasn't the Toriel Dreemurr they knew and loved.

Chara took a cautious step back as the newcomer walked toward them. They quickly looked around for anything to defend themself with – aha! The human scrambled to pick up a nearby knife half hidden in a pile of dead leaves, and held it firmly within their grasp, ready to attack!

… Except for the fact that the "blade" was made out of a plastic of questionable quality. A toy?!

"Ah, child, please do not be alarmed. I will not hurt you." Having watched Chara panic at their sudden movement, the monster stopped and held up their hands in a show of good faith. "My name is Toriel and I have come here because I thought I heard some commotion near my house." Watching Chara lower the toy weapon a little, a small smile appeared on the monster's face and she relaxed. "You are no doubt confused about what is going on, but do not fret. I will explain everything you wish to know. When you are ready, please follow me. I will be waiting just outside." With that, she left back into the darkness beyond the archway.

Chara waited until they thought the monster was out of earshot before swerving back to their companion. All of their pent up questions tumbled out unceremoniously. "Who was that? Why did they look like mom? Why didn't they even acknowledge you? Where…"

"Chara," Asriel cleanly cut in and the heaviness in his voice made Chara pause. "That was mom." The monster prince wasn't looking at their sibling. Rather, their gaze was far away as he attempted to come to terms with what they just witnessed.

Chara frowned. "That wasn't mom. Sure, they looked a little similar, but…"

"That was mom," Asriel repeated firmly. "Remember what I just said about fighting monster's 'inner demons'? That…" Asriel tried to swallow and talk around the lump forming in his throat. "That was mom's."

The reality of the situation suddenly hit Chara like a ton of bricks and everything started to click into place like puzzle pieces: inner demons usually referred to the negative aspects that people perceive about themselves. They're still a part of the person, but a part that people try to keep hidden away from everyone else. People usually try to deal with them on their own, too ashamed or overwhelmed to ask others for help. However, this can make them weigh heavier on the person's mind, causing them to bury it deeper within themselves, thus causing a vicious and harmful cycle. And didn't Asriel say something like each flower reset affecting all the denizens of the Underground in a negative way?

Did it get so bad that these feelings literally took on lives of their own?

"I want to help them, Chara." Asriel's voice was gentle and pleading. "But I can't help them in a normal way – we're both dead and nothing I can do will change that." Asriel finally met Chara's gaze. "Our souls though, they're still around, so I thought that maybe I could use mine to ease the burden of yours and other monster's souls. But," he frowned, "even after trying to help you, all I accomplished was trapping your soul in this weird limbo with mine. And it looks like other people can't even see or hear me, so in the end I only made things worse for everyone!" Did Asriel think that, seeing as how the flower is using his magic, that he was partially responsible for its actions? That was the only reason Chara could come up with for why Asriel was so adamant about this.

There was a long lull in the conversation before Chara finally spoke, sounding surprisingly nonchalant. "Maybe it's better this way."

"What?" That certainly wasn't what Asriel was expecting to hear.

"I said, maybe it's better this way." Chara raised a brow at their brother. "Can you really picture yourself using magic against mom?"

"If it's to help her, then I… I…"

"See? You can't even finish the sentence." Chara shrugged. "You couldn't hurt a fly, let alone our own mother. Besides, I wouldn't want you to; between the two of us, I was always more of the fighter anyway. You stick to the strategies and just tell me where to swing." They smiled, brandishing their new knife to show off their abilities. Sure, it was a toy, but it didn't take much for a human to dust a monster…

"Um, Chara? You have that weird smile on your face again." The one that sent chills down the spine of anyone who saw it.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Chara was well aware that some of their actions left others… uneasy. After all, on the Surface that was one of the reasons that… well, best not to dwell on the past. Chara tried to rein in that part of themself around the Dreemurr family, but sometimes it slipped through in a brief manic smile or an inappropriately timed laugh. "Anyway, I'm here whether I like it or not, so I might as well make myself useful and help some monsters," they finished, putting the knife away.

Asriel's face lit up. "Really? You'll do it?"

"I owe Monsters for all the kindness they showed me after I fell, especially mom and dad for taking me in, treating me like family and giving me a home to call my own. It was because of you guys, that I felt like I finally had found somewhere I belonged, so yeah, if the Monsters need our help, you can definitely count me in." And who knows, maybe mom not recognizing me will later work in our favor.

"Thank you, Chara! Thank you so much!"

Chara rolled their eyes as they watched their brother openly shed tears of happiness and relief. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the blubbering." Asriel just laughed in response while wiping their eyes with their sleeve, a big grin on their face. "Now come on, let's go see how we can help mom."

The two left the eroded balcony that overlooked Home and set off to meet up with Toriel. The children were determined to aid her overcome her inner demons.

After all, no one liked to watch their mother cry.