:):

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You're a Goat, Right?

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Alarmed by the commotion echoing off the walls of the otherwise quiet ruins, Toriel rushed towards the secret flower patch. A mix of emotions, some joyous and some painful, swirled deep inside of her as she quickened her pace. If the noise was coming from that direction then it could only mean one thing.

A human. Another poor human had fallen into the underground. Unconsciously, Toriel placed a furry hand to her chest as she urged her feet forward. Anxiety nearly consumed her at the very thought of setting eyes on another human. It had been so long. How many years had passed by since the last one? How many decades? Pushing aside an awful memory, Toriel, for better or worse, was willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt. After all, It was the right thing to do. She needed to hurry though, whatever the racket was up ahead it couldn't be good.

Her fears were justified as she came upon the scene of the completely one sided battle. With only the thought of saving the poor child before her, she summoned her magic as quickly as she could and blasted the offending flower with her fire.

The magical pellets disappeared instantly, allowing the small child to fall to their knees, panting.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor innocent youth..." Toriel said, relieved she had gotten there in time. Another second and it might have been too late.

Amber eyes widened fearfully when they caught sight of the large furry creature. Another monster! And this one was much larger than the flower. Jumping back to her feet quickly, the little girl took a few unsteady steps back and away from the perceived danger. Catching her heel once again on the same blasted tile, and she was back on the floor with a light thud.

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child." Toriel said apologetically, raising her hands in peace so as not to scare the little one further. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down."

She smiled gently when she noticed the initial fear fade from the child's eyes. "You are the first human to come here in a long time." Toriel's smile wavered slightly against her will as unpleasant memories flickered behind her eyes for a moment. Shooing them away, or at least attempting to, she smiled again. This time it felt a little forced.

"Come! I will guide you through the catacombs." Toriel offered. Without waiting to see if the child would actually follow her, she turned and began walking away. "This way."

The kid frowned as the kind monster lady left. Was she a goat? She kind of looked like a goat but she also looked like a person as well since she was standing upright and was wearing purple robes. Could monsters be people too? Trepidation rushed over already anxious nerves when the little girl realized she was now alone again. Scrambling to her feet, the child rushed after the kindly goat lady.

In the next room, the shadows of the ruins loomed above ominously. Despite everything that had just happened, the child felt a flutter of excitement coursing through her. She was filled with Courage.

As the goat lady ascended the stairs to the upper level of the ruins, the child lagged behind.

What was that? A glowing star? Should she touch it?

Tentatively, the child reached a hand to the glowing thing hovering in front of a pile of red leaves. Tendrils of light reached out for the child as if searching for something. Twisting around her injured shoulder, the light became a little brighter. The child gasped when the painful bruise on her shoulder began to heat up and tingle. To her endless fascination, the child marveled when the pain dissipated before vanishing completely. Rolling her shoulder, the child grinned. "Magic is awesome!"

Toriel had waited for them patiently in the next room. "Welcome to your new home, innocent one." She said. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." With that said, she slowly walked over a series of weighted steps on one side of the room.

The kid tilted her head as she watched curiously. She would try to ignore the part about this being her new home. As welcoming as that sounded, she had other priorities.

"The Ruins are full of puzzles." The kind lady explained. "Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." That said, she left to the next room.

"W-what...?" The child felt herself start to sweat. What did she just say? Fusions? Diversions? PUZZLES?! Of all the things, she was terrible at puzzles! Was this lady a teacher? Most of what the gentle monster just said had turned to white noise inside the child's head and had promptly tumbled out the other ear. She might as well have been speaking another language.

Hesitating, the child decided to dawdle a little bit. Noticing a stone tablet on the wall, she walked over to read it.

Only the fearless may proceed.

Brave ones, foolish ones.

Both walk not the middle road.

Was that a riddle? The child couldn't quite put her finger on it but something about the Ruins was becoming quite unpleasant.

The next room was easy, Toriel had labeled the switches that needed to be pressed. There was no problem solving involved much to the child's relief.

"Splendid!" Toriel had praised. "I am proud of you, little one."

The little girl didn't quite believe she deserved that praise but a happy smile appeared on her face regardless.

There was a lone dummy in the next room. With it's stuffing poking out of the seams here and there and the stains marring its dingy burlap casing, the dummy looked like it had definitely seen better days.

"As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you." Toriel explained. She felt a pang of pity hit her when she saw the nervous expression befall the child's features. "You will need to be prepared for this situation."

"However, worry not!" She encouraged. "If you encounter a monster, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time and I will come to resolve the conflict. Why not practice talking with the dummy. You can say anything... The dummy will not be bothered."

What in the world was this lady talking about? Giving her a blank stare, the child finally walked up to the dummy. She was supposed to... talk.. to it?

The questions were shoved aside, when the familiar golden heart appeared once again in front of her chest. What was happening? Were they in a fight? Was this a fight?! Anxiety flooded the child's system as she stepped away from the dummy and assumed a defensive position, small hands trying to cover the heart and hide it from view. She didn't know why, but she instinctively wanted to protect it. Whatever it was, she knew it was vital to her well-being.

Toriel gave the child a sad look. That flower must have really frightened the poor thing. They could work on this a little later. With a small smile, she nodded. "Avoiding confrontation altogether is another option, but if that does not work, then you must know when to run."

In the next room, coincidently proving her point, a Froggit ambushed the child in the doorway. It was a large frog monster, well, larger than most frogs anyway. It hadn't really attacked either, more like it hopped up to the child curiously. One stern look from Toriel, however, had it hopping away in the other direction.

Further into the room, the floor became water. A brick path extended to the other side. The problem was, spikes were protruding from the bricks in a large swath blocking them from a safe passage. Swallowing, the child stared at the pointy deathtrap incredulously. These were no Ruins. This place was a dungeon! Why else would all of these traps be down here?

Toriel hesitated in front of the trap before turning to the child apologetically. "This is the puzzle, but..." The child looked up to the kind goat lady for a moment then back to the spikes, indecision and worry written over their face. "Here, take my hand for a moment." She offered, holding said appendage towards them.

The hand was somewhat large and covered in white fur. Looking back towards the monster lady, the little girl noticed a look of fear barely visible on her patient face. What was she scared of? The trap? That couldn't be it. After all, she knew these Ruins like the back of her hand. Hopefully. Taking the goat lady's furry hand, the child gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. Whatever was bothering her, a little encouragement couldn't hurt.

Relief swelled inside Toriel's heart as the child took her hand and smiled. The immediate rejection she had feared hadn't come after all. Human children weren't normally so trusting. Past experiences had taught her to be patient and understanding. Even so, she learned years ago that her very appearance was sometimes enough to instill deep distrust. This particular child however, shaken as they clearly were by the cruel attack from the flower, was brimming with fearless curiosity. Endearing as it may be, this would eventually put the child and possibly others in danger. They needed to be protected.

Toriel decided to test the child's bravery and independence in the next room. Giving them simple instructions of walking by themselves to the next door, the goat lady quickly left them behind.

Hiding behind the pillar at the end of the room, Toriel was baffled by how fast the small child had gotten there. Even more baffling, was the fact that they had not once looked up to search for her. Much to her chagrin, the reason finally dawned on her when the youth stopped in front of the pillar and waited expectantly.

Stepping out from behind the stone pillar, Toriel gave a slight laugh. "You found me, my child."

The little girl tilted her head, a perplexed expression clearly visible. "It... it wasn't that hard." It really wasn't. The dirt and moss covering the floor of the ruins provided a perfect mold for heavy footprints.

Toriel perked up instantly at the sound of the child's voice. She was beginning to worry if they even knew how to speak. It was such a soft and delicate voice too. They must be the quiet type. Perhaps this was a very shy and timid child. Probably scared out of their minds. The poor dear.

"Why don't you have hooves?"

Toriel's train of thought was brought to a screeching halt and her empathetic considerations ceased. "W-what?"

"I mean, you're a goat, right?" The child frowned slightly. "So, why don't you have goat feet?"

If Toriel hadn't been completely covered in thick white fur, a deep blush would have been hard to miss. This child wasn't shy or timid at all! While the question was innocent enough, it had easily caught her quite off her guard. "Wh- I-I'm not a goa-" She paused for a moment then gave a deep sigh. Finally, she let a warm humored smile spread across her face and gave a light good-natured chuckle. "You are such a curious soul, young one. I don't think I have ever met someone quite like you before."

The child grinned up at her happily. "Well, I haven't ever met anyone like you either. You're a really nice goat lady, though."

Toriel gave a sudden involuntary start at the "g" word again but quickly recovered. A warm smile lit up her face and she nodded. "Thank you, my child. Thank you for trusting me. This was originally supposed to be a test to assess your independence and I can confidently say that you have proven yourself capable of being left alone for a little while. I must attend to some business now so please remain here. It is still dangerous to explore by yourself but you should be safe in this room."

Seeing the happy expression vanish from the child's face, Toriel felt a pang of worry and regret. She didn't want to leave this child here alone and her maternal instincts rebelled against the very idea. Even so, she still had something important to do before she could bring them home. "I have an idea." She said. Digging into the pockets of her purple robes she pulled out an odd looking device. "I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call."

The child eagerly accepted the mysterious item then stared down at it in wonder. A cell phone?

"Be good, alright?" With those parting words, the kindly goat monster took her leave.

Suddenly alone now, the room became very quiet and dark. An eerie feeling descended around the child as the seconds ticked by at a painfully slow pace. A mere minute felt like an entire lifetime had just past her by. Another minute felt like an eternity trapped in limbo. The child rocked back on her heels and swung her small arms with barely contained nervous energy. From a room further back, the sound of a splash could be heard sending chills up the little girl's spine.

"I'm sorry, nice goat lady!" She apologized to the absent goat monster before rushing out of the room. What three minutes felt like, would thankfully remain a mystery to the child.

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Just imagine how creepy the Ruins would be if you were lost and all alone...

In the next chapter, the little human meets a sad ghost.

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Thank you for reading. :)

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Sheii Bae~