Chapter 1: RESET

I chose to leave the Ruins. I chose not to come back. Was that the right choice for me? That question keeps invading my brain as the days pass. I returned to school and get picked on once again. That has become the usual for me. I refused to go to my real family because they have never treated me well. I never felt comfortable around my real parents. They would never listen to me, they would always argue with each other, and they would take their anger out on me. I have been emotionally scarred by them, so I did what was best for my well-being; I ran away. I told myself after what happened that I would never go back to them because they will not care. They would most likely yell and beat me for leaving and making them "worried". I hate talking about them because they remind me of what happened when I ran away. I refused to attend school and decided to run up Mount Ebott so I could get away from everyone. I have always been mistreated by my fellow humans, even before I fell. I sat atop the mountain thinking about my own life. Nobody loved me. Nobody cared for me. However, looking down that mountain, I could remember the place where I felt welcomed and loved. I remember the first time I fell of the mountain and woke up realizing that I was not dead. I remember talking to an evil flower but befriending him in the end. I remember almost being killed multiple times, even by ones who care about me. I refused to kill them because I cared about them. I was never the fighting type. I never want things to end in death. I made everyone come together as a family. I chose to leave them behind. Why? If I choose to jump again, I will not survive. There was only one thing I had to do to be able to see them again. My eyes wander over to the word RESET.

I miss them. The Ruins is my real home. I cannot believe that I am just figuring this out now. I cannot believe that I left all of them and went off alone. They helped me become who I am today. Why did I refuse them? Was it because they were monsters? Was it because I wanted to go to my real home? I never realized the last time that my real home was with them. I loved sitting by the fireplace with Toriel reading me a story. I loved making spaghetti with Undyne. I loved making jokes with Sans and playing puzzles with Papyrus. I think about hitting the RESET button but take into consideration the consequence that may occur. Everything will reset and most likely nobody would remember me. Everyone that I care about will just think of me as another child that fell off the mountain. Will I have to fight may way through again? Do I need to confront Flowey again? Do I need to befriend all my enemies again? Will Toriel still attempt to close the only way out of the Ruins? I look at the world around me and think about the events that have happened since I left. Nothing has changed. Everyone still hurts me. Humans and monsters are at peace in this world, but both chose to stay away from each other, for now. If I wait, will the monsters come out and will I be able to see them again? How long will it take before they want to come out? It could be years before that happens. I look at the sun setting along the horizon and think about what could happen if I hit that button. I could be with them again. I will most likely need to earn their trust again. They probably would not believe me if I told them that they all remember who I am. What will happen if I press this button will be a complete mystery. I do not know what to expect from them if this starts over again. My mind moves back over to the main question: Is this your real family? Without hesitation, I say yes, and I hit the RESET button.

All I could remember is everything going dark. The morning breeze awakes me from the darkness as I begin to take in my surroundings. Instead of sitting atop a mountain, I am on the ground looking up to where I was sitting the night before. I slowly sit up, feeling the pain as if I just fell off the mountain once again. I look to where I was resting and find myself in a flower bed. The exact same one as last time. I begin to stand up and look around to see if there are any familiar faces here to greet me, but there is nobody. I remember Flowey around here, but I do not see him. As I start to walk around the flower bed, I hear a muffled voice coming from beneath me.

"Hey, watch where you are stepping!"

I quickly step back and recognize the familiar flower. Still agitated as he brings himself upright, he continues to yell.

"What is your prob-…"

His words are cut off as he looks up at me. Does he remember me? Will we be on good terms from where we left off before?

"I-Is it really you?"

I do not know if I should tell him the truth or not. I do not know how the others react if he ends up telling everyone else. As surprised as he sounds, it seems like he remembers our friendship after the battle. I never attacked him, but I did forgive him and comfort him after the battle. I stayed with him until the very end, and he appreciated that he had someone that cared about him in those final minutes. I wonder if he remembers the same thing. I nod in response to his question, his eyes not leaving mine.

"H-How is this possible? I heard you left…"

"I did," I said. The last time I was here, I did not talk much. Now, since I have grown more, I could talk a lot more.

Still confused and shocked, Flowey responded, "B-but h-how did you get back here? After you leave, there is no coming back?"

I explain to Flowey that I was able to reset so I could come back.

"Why," Flowey asks, "Why would you want to come back to this place? You are not meant for this place."

"Well, I never did tell you my life story before I fell, did I?"

Flowey shood his head no in response to my question.

"So, in my life, nobody cares about me. Before I met you for the first time, I ran away from my life. My parents hated me, other kids hated me, and it felt like I was not loved at all. I thought all of that would change when I left this place, but it did not. People still hated me and picked on me. I refused to go back to my human family because they would not appreciate me leaving them and would beat me even more. Then I realized that the only place I felt accepted in was here. Here I have monsters that consider me as a part of their family. I remember enjoying all the time we spent together before I decided to leave. That was when I realized, this is my real family."

A moment of silence fills the air as Flowey takes in all the information I have told him. I am very skeptical of sharing this information because I am still unsure if he is friendly. Judging by his reaction to me being here, I believe that he remembers the bond that we shared after our battle. Suddenly, I hear footsteps quickly approaching the outside. I turn around to see her. The one who brought me in and kept me safe. The one that I would want to call my mother.

"Oh dear," she exclaimed, "It seems like you have taken quite a fall."

She looks up to where the children usually fall from to get here. She looks down at me with curiosity.

"Let me introduce myself, I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

I remember those exact words like it was yesterday.

"I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first child that has come here in a long time. Come, I will guide you through the catacombs."

I turned back around to look at Flowey, who was turned away from me. Toriel notices my gaze and began to take protective measures.

"Was this monster hurting you?"

I immediately respond, "No, no, not at all."

Her concern quickly fades away as I take her paw as she leads me through the catacombs. I watch her complete the puzzles and I follow right after, avoiding raising suspicion for remembering them. Toriel gives me a tour of the house and shows me to my room.

"This is where you will be staying. Make yourself at home, my child."

I absolutely loved it when she called me that. Of course, she calls every child that, but it made me feel welcomed, especially thinking about my past.

"One more thing," Toriel stated, "What is your favorite? Cinnamon or Butterscotch?"

"Butterscotch," I replied.

"I had a feeling you would say that," she responded, amused at her correct guess. Little does she know that I love her butterscotch pies.

She went to finish the pie as I look back into my room and see the same things that were there before. Everything was in the exact same place as last time. I feel happy for once because I feel like I belong here. The hard part has yet to come. Should I leave the Ruins like last time before Toriel destroys the exit? Then should I come back and choose to stay this time? If I stay here without doing anything, I will be here forever, and humans and monsters will not have peace. That has run through my brain multiple times since my arrival. I remember the battle against Toriel, it broke my heart. I would have never thought that she would try to fight me in order to keep me here. I understand it was because she cared about my safety and wanted to raise me as her own, but I do not know how I would feel if I was here forever without going back and forth from the human side to the monster side. I hated leaving Toriel the first time because she has done so much for me. Even after they were no longer bound to the Ruins, saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest moments of my life. It will break me all over again if I end up going down that path. I know if I leave her the first time, I know I will come back and break the wall. Wait? Is there a wall? If Flowey is nice to me, can he break down that wall without a fight? Many questions still loom inside of me, most of them are determined if Flowey and I are on good terms. My thoughts are interrupted as the smell of the pie fills my room. I walk into the kitchen and am greeted warmly by Toriel.

"Hello, my child. I have a very special surprise for you!"

Hmm, I wonder what it could be?

She holds out the pie in front of me.

I knew it.

"Surprise! I made a butterscotch pie as a celebration gift of your arrival!"

She is such a mom and I love it.

"We can hold off on the snail pie for another time."

Thank goodness! I felt like I was going to die the first time I ate something snail related. We sat together and ate our food in silence. I helped her clean up because I do not want her to carry an extra load of work because of me. She insisted that I do not need to help. That is what mothers do. They pour all their heart and soul into giving their children the best life possible. This is one of the best moments of coming back to the Ruins, to feel loved by someone. After cleaning, she leads me into the living space where she takes a seat in her normal chair with a book about snails. She gives me some paper and colored pencils for me to draw. The first thing I drew was the two of us together holding hands. My drawing skills have become significantly better, so instead of scribbling drawings, I can draw with more details and clarity. One of my other drawings had the entire gang together, just like we were before I left. Every time Toriel would look over and ask what I was drawing, I would hide the paper under another and show her the other one I was working on. Some of the other drawings included yellow flowers, a large tree, and a snow forest. As hours passed, my eyelids begin to get heavy. Toriel notices and looks over at the time.

"Well, it looks like it is time for bed."

I nod in agreement as I grab all the drawings and the pencils. I quickly hide the one drawing and show the rest of them to Toriel.

"That is excellent, my child! Would you like me to put these somewhere special?"

"Yes! Those are for you," I respond.

She gazes at the numerous drawings in amazement. There was a moment of suspicion in her eyes as she looked at the drawings. Why is she suspicious? I just drew what was in my head. Did I do something wrong? She looks at me and quickly erases those thoughts. Eventually, she leads me back to my bedroom.

"Sleep well, my child," she said with a calm, loving tone.

"Goodnight," I respond.

She closes the door and heads off to her room. Today was amazing. It has been too long since I met with Toriel and I missed all the activities we used to do together. I am looking forward to the many more fun activities she has planned for me. I am happy that I am back here and feeling loved again. She is my mother, and I love her. I have never felt so loved by anyone in my life. I hope we can continue to bond more over time. I let the wonderful experiences from today fall into my dreams as I drift into a peaceful sleep.

Hey readers! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my new story! I don't know how far this will progress, but I hope to go far with it. Please let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations for later chapters!