Chapter 2: Faded Home and Falling Snow

Frisk sat up with a yawn, rubbing at her eyes as she glanced around the room.

There was a piece of pie on the floor. Toriel must've left it there for her. Frisk wasn't entirely sure why she put it on the floor instead of the desk, but hey, pie is pie, no matter where you put it, and pie's good.

Frisk stood and picked up the pie before leaving the room. She walked down the hallway a bit before coming to a mirror.

She froze at her reflection. No. That... couldn't be right. The... the strange grayscale of this place must be messing with her mind. Or some sort of weird magic, perhaps.

Her shoulder-length brown hair was.. gray at the tips. She had to admit, it didn't look bad - not at all, she actually sort of liked it - but she was fairly sure her hair hadn't looked like that before she fell.

Her skin, too, was different. Several shades paler than it had been. Her fingers, she now noticed, were almost a ghostly white at the tips.

Her eyes, once a bright blue, now a much paler blue-silver.

It seemed that whatever it was even affected her clothing. Her shorts were now gray as apposed to their previous light blue; her sweater faded into grayscale at the bottom, and her once-brown boots were now black as well.

Despite the fact she thought the changes looked good on her, she had to fight to stop the scream trying to escape from her mouth.

Yes, that's right. No matter how much she wished she was, she wasn't truly mute. A selective mute, she was quite sure it was called. Still, she hated talking. Hated the way her voice would be hoarse and trembling from underuse when she did. Hated the stutter that she could never get rid of before she became a selective mute.

Frisk shook her head to clear her thoughts. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she walked back down the hallway towards what she assumed to be the living room, where Toriel was sitting and reading a book next to a fireplace.

"Oh, my child, you're awake! Is... is everything alright?"

Frisk shook her head before signing, "Notebook," It was a simple sign that didn't necessarily require knowledge of ASL to understand.

"You... need something to write in? Alright, my child. I will be right back."

Toriel placed a bookmark in her book before closing it, setting it on the chair, and walking down the hallway.

A few minutes later she came back holding a notebook and a pencil.

Frisk opened the notebook and began writing.

'My name is Frisk.'

Toriel smiled.

"That's a lovely name, Frisk."

'Thank you.

Why is everything so... grayscale?'

"O-oh. Well, that's a bit difficult to explain. You see, monsters once lived in the surface just like humans. Back then, we had color too. But, being underground for so long without the sun and with waning resources our magic began weakening, so we had to adapt to survive. Monsters are mostly magic, so to maintain what little physicality we have, we began having to use less magic. Eventually, our magic apparently decided having color was an unnecessary waste, so we stopped having color.

'Why am I losing color then?

Also, can I keep this notebook?'

"I... am not sure. It might have something to do with being in contact with color-drained magic, when I'm healing you or other monsters are attacking you, for example. Of course you can keep the notebook, though!"

'Thanks!'

"You're welcome, Frisk."

'Also...

How do I leave the Ruins?'

"I-I... wouldn't you rather hear about this book I'm reading? It's called '72 uses for snails'! Did you know that snails... talk... really... slowly..? Just kidding, snails don't talk. Hehe!"

'...interesting..?

How do I leave the Ruins?'

"...I have something I need to do. Stay here."

Frisk frowned, closing the notebook and following Toriel.

She followed her down the stairs, and as they walked down a long, long hall, Toriel told her of how she was being foolish. Of how, if she left, Asgore would kill Frisk. How it had happened time and time again with six other humans. Frisk wanted to question how Toriel knew for sure they died if she never left the Ruins, but Toriel never stayed close to her for a long enough time to allow Frisk to get out the notebook and pencil again.

Soon they reached the end off he hallway.

"Hm. So, you refuse to turn back? Then prove to me. Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive."

Three clicks sounded, something Frisk now was familiar with and recognized as the start of a battle.

Frisk once again went black and white, her red soul floating in front of her. She noticed something that drew her concern, the red of her soul fading into white at the very edges, but knew she hadn't time enough to linger on that concern.

White flames flew towards her in spiraling patterns. She dodged them as best she could, but she did get hit once that turn.

The flame felt as if it was freezing and scorching her all at once as it hit her soul. She let out a small whimper of pain, but when it became her turn, did nothing other than spare Toriel.

Toriel, in turn, gave no reaction other than frown in confusion.

The flames kept coming. Again and again she got hit.

Crrrk!

...what was... t h a t ... ?

She gasped in shock, her red soul split in half, before shattering into a million pieces all around her.

She barely felt herself falling to the ground, nor did she have time to register Toriel's horrified face before she blacked out.

...

Chara! You mustn't give up! Stay determined!

...

She blinked in surprise. Who was Chara? Who did that voice belong to?

She noticed with shock that she was once again in front of Toriel's house. What... happened?

She frowned before walking inside.

Toriel didn't seem to remember anything. Telling her the same things as she had before. Frisk went to sleep once again, grabbed the pie, and got the notebook to ask Toriel how to leave the ruins.

This time, when Toriel left to go downstairs, Frisk went outside to save once again before following her.

Toriel, once again, attacked her with spiraling white flames.

She kept sparing her, though.

Eventualy, when Frisk had only two HP remaining, Toriel began crying of how she couldn't save even a single child.

When Toriel spared her and hugged her goodbye, Frisk hugged back tightly, whispering a quiet promise to break the barrier and save all of monsterkind.

Toriel teared up at that, smiling at the child before walking off.

Frisk stepped outside the huge doors, before freezing in shock.

How the heck was it snowing underground?!