Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form own Undertale. The world and characters of Undertale belong to their creator Toby Fox; I merely borrowed them for non-profit entertainment purposes. However, I do claim ownership to the cover art and words below. Please enjoy.

Part One

The Beginning

Chapter 1

The rays of light shining in from the hole in Mt. Ebott was the closest thing to sunlight Asriel had ever seen.

Sitting in the center of the old courtyard, Asriel stared up at the hole in the mountain in hopes of possibly seeing the sun. His mother had told him that according to rumors, anyone who saw the sun would go blind. Asriel wanted to know if it was true.

Yet as time passed and Asriel angled his head in every which way he could think, he had to begrudgingly give up. It appeared the hole was in a cave that may have let in the sunlight but didn't have the sun itself peak inside. Stuffing down his disappointment, Asriel rose to his feet and walked away.

Asriel wandered into town and found his parents talking outside of the school in Home. King Asgore, Asriel's dad, was going to give a presentation to the older class about responsibility while Queen Toriel, his mother, would read to the younger class. The king and queen loved visiting schools in the Underground every year to spend time with the children. Asriel loved the opportunity to get away from his own tutors and enjoy a family vacation of sorts. While they were in Home, the Dreemurrs would be staying in the old castle from long before Asriel was born.

"Of course, your son is more than welcome to sit in with the class!" Asriel heard the teacher, a mouse monster with bat wings, tell the king and queen.

Ears perking, Asriel stopped a few feet away before anyone noticed his arrival.

"Are we sure he's old enough?" Toriel asked, her paw coming up to her mouth in that way she always did whenever she was unsure of something. "Shouldn't he stay with me?"

Asriel wrinkled his nose. He was getting to old to continue sitting with the little kids. Fortunately for him, his father realized that.

"Asriel can sit in with the older kids, Tori," Asgore said as he dropped a massive paw on her shoulder. "He's plenty old enough. Besides, he'll be with me. What's the worst that can happen?"

It was just then the teacher noticed Asriel standing a ways off. Smiling, she greeted, "Why, hello, young prince. I see you have decided to join in the conversation."

"Um, howdy, Ms. Ratbeat," Asriel replied as he began moving forward, recalling the teacher's name from when his family visited last year. "How are you?"

"I am splendid. Thank you for asking." When Asriel was close enough, Ms. Ratbeat bowed her head. Unsure what else to do, Asriel returned the gesture.

"Well, we must be going." Toriel reached out and took Asriel's hand. "We shall see you tomorrow, Ms. Ratbeat. Good night!"

"And a good night to you as well, Queen Toriel."

Ms. Ratbeat waved, and Asriel waved back before slipping his free paw into his father's and walking between his parents. The three walked hand-in-hand back to the castle. When they arrived, Asriel finally gathered the courage to speak.

"I can't wait to go to school tomorrow," he said. "It would be nice to finally have other kids to play with!"

For some reason, instead of sharing in their son's excitement, both Toriel and Asgore exchanged glances. Asriel furrowed his brows, wondering at what his parents were thinking. They must have not realized Asriel caught them frowning at each other.

"What's wrong?" Asriel asked. "Am I not allowed to play with the other kids?"

"Of course, you are," Toriel answered, squeezing her son's paw. "It is only your father and I are forcefully reminded of how you do not usually have a playmate."

"That's why I'm so excited for tomorrow!" Asriel slipped his paws from his parents' and began rushing to his room. Then he stopped to look at Toriel. "I'm going to pick out a nice outfit to wear. Mommy, you will let me pick out my own clothes, right?"

"Of course," Toriel winked, "just nothing too crazy."

Trying not to grin too widely, Asriel thanked Toriel and returned to his mission with a newfound vigor.

"Just don't forget dinner will be ready in an hour!" Asgore shouted as Asriel fled the scene. Asriel heard his father laugh before saying, "Oh, Tori, don't look at me like that. Asriel will be fine! He knows perfectly well how to play with other children."

As he rushed into his room, Asriel dug through his suitcase for his favorite sweater. It was lime green and had thin lemon-colored stripes running horizontally across the fabric. Asriel carefully laid it out on the toy box before searching for his favorite pair of black pants to wear along with it.

As he finished picking out his clothes, Toriel walked in and said, "I see you're excited to be around other children tomorrow."

"I already said I was." Asriel's smile fell when he saw his mother's downcast expression. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, my child." Toriel smiled, but it seemed small and sad. "I'm just . . . nervous for you."

Asriel's frown deepened. "Why are you nervous?"

"Well, you see . . . I'm not sure the other children will know how to act around you."

Brows furrowed, Asriel asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Asriel, you are their prince. The children might see you as royalty instead of a fellow student. I don't want you to be disappointed if tomorrow doesn't happen the way you expect, my child."

Asriel pinched his brows, unsure what his mother was trying to tell him. He couldn't think of anything to say in response. Being a prince didn't change that Asriel was still a kid, and he was certain the others would see that. Perhaps his mother was overthinking things as Asgore told her she always did. Toriel was good at worrying over everything.

"It's going to be okay, Mommy," Asriel finally stated. "Tomorrow is going to be a great day. Just you wait and see!"

Toriel blinked and stared at her son for a moment before her face melted into that familiar loving smile. Patting the top of Asriel's head, she said, "My beloved child is growing up so fast. I can't believe you won't be with me in the young class tomorrow."

"I'm too old for the baby class," Asriel said in a way only a child not yet ten could. Fists pressed against his hips, Asriel declared, "I'm a big kid now. I should go to the big kid class."

Laughing, Toriel replied, "Okay, big kid. I see the point you're trying to make. So, does this mean you don't want me to cut the crusts off your sandwiches anymore?"

Asriel's features dropped. "Do I have to eat the crust?"

"No, my child. Eating the crust is not a necessity to being a big kid." Toriel turned around and began to walk out of the room, but not before saying over her shoulder, "If you insist tomorrow will be a great day, then I believe it will be."

"Of course it will." Asriel could barely contain himself. "I'm going to finally make a friend!"

The setting sun and the growing shadows as the darkness took over were the only indicator of how long he had been locked inside the empty room. In the hours he lied motionless in the corner, he did not get up once. He already knew that he would not get up again until the sun rose, if not later.

Demon, some called him.

Good for nothing, others said of him.

I wish they would all just die, he thought of all of them.

Tears of anguish, anger, and animosity stung his eyes, but he would not let them fall. Even if it hurt more not to, he would not cry. After all, big kids don't cry.

Barely able to contain himself, Asriel walked ahead of his father in the hallway and burst into the classroom. All the other children were either playing, coloring, or talking and laughing amongst themselves. For the first time in his life, Asriel could do any of those things without being by himself.

Yet before he could take his first step forward into the room, Asriel froze. His smile slowly fell as his heartrate accelerated. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was suddenly too dry.

"What are you waiting for, Asriel?" Asgore asked as he entered the room and gave Asriel a firm slap on the back. "Go introduce yourself!"

Before Asriel could consider answering, the teacher and her students noticed their arrival. Ms. Ratbeat smiled and beckoned both king and prince forward as she introduced, "Class, this is King Asgore and his son Prince Asriel. King Asgore will be teaching you all about responsibility today while Prince Asriel sits in. I want you to be on your best behavior today, understand? Yes, Roy, I'm talking to you."

The other kids giggled while a fox monster that must have been Roy snarled and sunk lower into his seat. His shiny silver fur stood out in a room of predominantly white monsters. His orange eyes flickered towards Asriel, and Asriel flinched at the intensity of the gaze.

As the other kids took their seats, Asgore pushed Asriel forward to find someplace to sit. Asriel scanned the room in search of an available seat. There were plenty of places to sit, but Asriel found himself not wanting to sit with any of the other kids.

What's wrong with me? Asriel wondered as he slowly shuffled forward. This is where I wanted to be. This is what I wanted to do. Why am I so afraid?

Not really paying attention where he was going, Asriel didn't realize he approached the empty seat next to Roy until he almost passed it. Throwing himself down, Asriel placed his paws on the desk and locked eyes on his father. Asgore was having a lighthearted discussion with Ms. Ratbeat as they waited for the class to settle down.

How does Dad make talking to someone look so easy?

Not wanting to draw any attention to himself, Asriel remained still as stone as his father taught the class. None of this was new to Asriel; Asgore had spent the past week rehearsing his presentation in the living room. However, that didn't stop Asriel from hanging onto every word as if this was his first and last time hearing this and he had to recite it word for word before he could leave the room again.

"But there's more to being a king than simply wearing a crown and living in a palace," Asgore said, his speech coming to a close minutes that felt like hours later. "It takes – what is the word of the day? That's right, responsibility! – it takes a lot of responsibility to be king. It takes a lot of responsibility to be queen. It even takes a lot of responsibility to be prince. Isn't that right, Asriel?"

"Huh?! I mean, yes, that's, uh, that's right." Asriel could feel his face and neck burning underneath his thick fur. He wondered if all the other kids were staring at him. Heart racing, Asriel didn't look around to see just how many kids were giving him funny looks.

The rest happened in a blur. Asgore wrapped up his presentation. Ms. Ratbeat led the class in a round of applause. The kids settled down as Asgore smiled at them all. Ms. Ratbeat called the kids to recess.

As all the other kids jumped to their feet and rushed out of the room, Asriel found that he couldn't move. He was glued to the seat. His sleeves were filled with rocks, leaving his arms too heavy to pick up. His pants were pinned to the wooden chair. His feet were tied down to the concrete floor.

"What, doesn't the king's precious son want to play with us?"

Asriel slowly turned his head to see Roy looking at him, what could best be described as a smirk drawn onto the monster's sly face.

"You think you're too good for us, don't you?" Roy didn't give Asriel a chance to answer as he stood from his desk and also left the room, but not before calling over his shoulder, "Come join us, little prince, and see all the fun we can have together."

Heart skipping a beat at the invitation, Asriel looked towards the adults to see his father and the teacher still engaged in conversation. Asgore turned to Asriel and smiled wider. He pointed his thumb at the classroom door.

"Go outside and play with the kids, Asriel," Asgore told his son. "I'm sure that will be a lot more fun than staying inside and listening to us boring adults talk about boring adult things."

"Yes, Daddy." Asriel slid out of the desk, thanked Ms. Ratbeat for allowing him to sit in on her class, and stepped out of the room. He looked both ways before following the sound of kids laughing and shouting.

When Asriel stepped outside, he looked around for a group of kids with whom to play. His eyes landed on Roy tossing rocks into a circle drawn onto the dirt on the ground, but Asriel did not trust the sincerity of the invitation. Searching some more, Asriel found a small group of boys and girls kicking a ball around.

Steeling himself, Asriel ran forward and forced himself to ask, "Can I play with you?!"

The kids all halted their game and snapped their heads towards Asriel. Embarrassed he had spoken much louder than intended, Asriel held his arms behind his back and quietly repeated his request. "Please?" he softly added at the end.

"Oh, um, you see," the lanky purple salamander answered after nearly a minute passed without any of the other kids saying anything, "this game requires seven players, and we already have seven players."

Feeling his excitement deflate, Asriel could barely manage out a mere, "Oh."

"Sorry, Prince Asriel," a small she-wolf added. "Perhaps you can join in our next round."

"Yeah, sure. I, um, I can wait."

The air was so tense, Asriel could barely breathe through it. As the other monsters kept staring at him, he shifted his weight from foot to foot in a futile attempt the feel comfortable. Unable to handle the awkwardness any longer, Asriel slowly walked away. He didn't get far before the game resumed. Asriel kept from looking behind him to see the other kids having fun.

Asriel found another group of kids playing on the swings, but he stopped himself from stepping too close to them. The swings were already full. If he asked to join them, Asriel might be told there wasn't enough room for him.

Not sure what else to do, Asriel sat on the dirt by the school building, far away from the others. He noticed a few seeing him sitting alone by himself, but nobody came to speak to him. It was as if they were afraid of Asriel.

Eyes locked onto his toes, Asriel blinked hard. For some reason, his eyes wouldn't stop burning. Even his throat felt closed.

This wasn't how he imagined his day going at all.

The good for nothing demon knelt by the bed of golden flowers. He tended to the flowers' every need. Dirt caked under his nails and stained his hands. Caring for his secret garden was the only time he could feel at peace.

Shouting came from inside the house. It sounded as if things were being broken again. Things such as glass and expensive dinnerware. Yells grew louder, and things continued to be broken beyond hope of repair. Sometimes it was a miracle nobody had died yet.

Eyes locked onto his golden flowers, the child of sin kept tending to the plants. If he pretended hard enough, he couldn't hear any of the things coming from the inside. It was, after all, easy to pretend when he wasn't caught up in it.

When his parents picked him up from the playground and brought him home, they asked Asriel if he enjoyed playing with the other children. Unable to confess that he had spent the entire time alone picking at the dirt, Asriel answered that he had far more fun than he imagined. It felt terrible to lie, but Asriel deemed it a better price to pay than to admit to the shame of the truth.

After dinner had come and gone, with Asriel picking at his food and again lying to his parents when they asked what was wrong and he answered he wasn't hungry, he retired early for the night. Yet as he lied on his bed, Asriel found that he couldn't sleep. He turned the lamp back on and searched for a book. It didn't matter what he read as long as it helped him feel better. With a chapter book Asriel was determined to read from beginning to end one of these days in hand, he sat back on his bed.

However, when he opened the book to the first chapter and tried to read, Asriel couldn't focus on the words on the page. His mind kept wandering away, images of all the other kids playing together running through his mind. It got even harder to read the words when they began to blur. Asriel blinked to help his eyes focus. The words were again sharp, but tear stains now dotted the pages.

Realizing that he was crying, Asriel cast the book aside and buried his face in his palms. In trying to not cry, Asriel's shoulders began to shake. Try as he might to choke back the sobs, a few still managed to tear their way past his lips.

After half a minute, Asriel gave up and allowed himself to cry. The ache in his chest was impossible to ignore, but crying granted just enough relief for Asriel to calm himself down. Asriel stared at his feet, wiped away his tears, and sniffled.

Thinking back to those old books his mom used to read to him, Asriel considered the characters who would sit on their knees, fold their paws, and make a wish. Asriel did it often when he was small, but now it was something he hadn't considered in ages. Perhaps it was time to consider it again.

Asriel slid off the edge of his bed and got into position. He felt silly for a moment then closed his eyes. Swallowing, Asriel softly spoke his wish.

"I want someone to be my friend. Someone to be my best friend in the whole world. The kindest, greatest friend anyone could ever want."

Laughing maniacally, the good for nothing demon climbed the mountain. Rumor had it that those who climbed Mt. Ebott never returned. It was time to see if the rumors were true.