Gloomy shadows swirled gathering like a angry flock of ravens in the blackened sky. The roar of thunder and flashes of violet lightening tore through the foggy clouds sending with it a torrent of rain which descended from above like a waterfall, drenching a small figure who wore a navy blue and long sleeve blouse imprinted with a star that onced sparkled in moonlight of silver glitter but was now tainted a dull grey, torn on the left shoulder and singed with grey soot.

They were panting from being short of breath, their body ached from exhaustion and pain from running too fast, and the burns that were marked on them when they were escaping the blazing fire. They weren't the best when it came to running. P.E wasn't their favourite subject at school.

Disbelief still stuck on thier face like super glue. Who could have done such a thing? The memories burned into their mind... just like the red flames that had overtaken their house and their family in an instant.. save for... they gazed down upon a tanned smaller form with glistening brown eyes that was clutched closley to their chest and wrapped in a cotten blue blanket from the cold, a white snowflake was dusted with ash at the front.

Soon they had come to an isolated clearing with a little spring, it was a special place they always visited with their younger sibling. This place always seemed to strangely washed away all the sadness they felt when they were feeling down about something. It had always lifted their spirits..and they also had a few good memories here with thier mom and dad... they just wanted one last look before they wouldn't see this place ever again.

After all... they'd rather runaway than be put in an orphanage... and seperated from their baby sis. They knew that those places were horrible. They just didn't know where to go... they were thinking.

A spark suddenly lit up in thier mind like a light bulb...it dawned on them, back when they had their geography lesson with , she mentioned about and its location and if they were right, the small child knew that was not too far from where they lived because they were close to the canyon.

It was a long trek up but they couldn't give up now, only a few more strides was all it took if they were to reach the summit- slowly they staggered and collasped on the floor, gently laying the crying baby right next to them after using the last of their strength to determinedly climb the last steps; finally... they reach the top.

The scene had suddenly changed to a memory of when they were relieved that the bed of golden flowers had cushioned their fall, and their first meeting with a strange dinosaur-like monster.

Slowly they regained conscious. Their sunset amber eyes flickering open to the bright light that stung them. Suddenly they remembered... Cynthia! Thankfully nothing had happened to the baby.. they must have shielded her. They stared up at the opening of the chasm, seeing how tiny it was from this view. 'That was one really long fall...' they said in a zone out feeling.

They heard an aburpt crying which snapped them out of thier daze as they gently rocked their baby sis, not soon after she calmed down and was curiously eyeing the bed of flowers and babbling. Amilia smiled weakly, warmth filling her heart knowing her baby sister was okay.

They turned their head slightly, slowly staggering to their feet and clutched the baby close to them meekly calling out as they ached all over from the impact of the long fall.

They heard a rustle,

"H-hello?!" they shouted a little louder this time "W-wh-who's there?"

They saw a short figure soon stumble out of the shadows. She wasn't much taller than them, only around 4 centimeters. She was an orange reptile dressed in a pink collar shirt and white lab coat; etched around her muzzle were a small pair of round glasses. With her was a small blue strange creaure that seemed to resemble a little jelly with cat ears, a long tail with a sea blue ribbon tied to the end, a cute pink nose with thin silk whiskers and lavender orbs. Aurora thought that the little thing reminded them of a cartoon character they used to watch sometimes on T.V.
'Heh.. those were some good times' they thought to themselves.

"O-oh my gosh! A-are you a-alright?" gasped the lizard monster, mostly in shock horror at seeing the state the poor girl and her sister were in as she rushed over to try and help, only to see the neverous look in the girl's eyes who backed away from seeing something so different from them.

The lizard bit her lip, flinching at seeing they were afraid of her but then smiled to reassure them "D-don't worry, y-you'll be safe here. N-no one's going to hurt you. Hi my name i-is Alphys and this i-is my assistant Galaxy. Wh-what's your name?"

The human remained silent for the moment, she never liked who she was, she hated her life as Amilia after losing her family so she decided she wanted a new name... something that would allow her to start her life a new- "I-I... I'm A-Aurora... and this is my baby sister R-ruby.." she stuttered, eyeing the lizard wearily, still feeling afraid as she saw Alphys smile "Awww s-she's so adorable"

"U-um... so i-if you two don't have anywhere else to go y-you... c-could come and l-live with me" the lizard awkwardly grinned.

Aurora paused for a long moment... then to the lizard's surprise, they nodded and let Alphys lead them into their lab.

*The feeling of making a new friends to reassure you of a new safe home and new family... fills you with DETERMINATION*

-

3 years later, after they had gotten used to living with the monsters when they just turned 10 on their birthday and their sister had turned 5 and a half, they knew that eventually Alphys was going to ask them about their past life on the surface, before they fell down into the Underground. They dreaded it really, they weren't comfortable talking about it to anyone because of how traumatic it was to lose their family, but the lizard slowly made them feel calm, calm enough that they were able to trust her knowing that they weren't going to hurt them, despite the fact that they were always going to be affected by their past scars, she made them feel that they didn't have to suffer in silence about it anymore and that they could tell someone.

So Aurora started their story. They mentioned how they used to have a really peaceful childhood and lived with who they called the 'best family ever' how their mom and dad had always done their best to care for them. They sent them to school and made them educated, they spoiled them every day, looked after them when they were ill.. even in the hardest moments of their lives when their family were having money problems, they stuck through it through thick and thin.

She remembered how it was a special day... infact it was the the last Christmas they'd have together.. then the flames...

By this time Aurora felt their heart sink into the deep pain of guilt and shame, tears were streaming down their cheeks as Alphys held them tight in her arms. She told the child that they'd said enough.

Quietly they lay their for a while, until the doctor consoled them and asked them if they would like some ice cream. The child beamed at that, eagerly nodding.

After that memory, Aurora yawned, their body beginning to relax a little more easily at the last memory of their new family and soon, they fell asleep.

-

SLAP! Their body suddenly jolted awake at the wave of pain to their face, their eyes blurry with tears as they felt a surge of fear course through their veins. For a split moment they thought they saw... but no... it couldn't be.. could it?

"Wakey wakey, sunshine." mocked a familiar distorted voice. Aurora couldn't see who it was that was speaking to them because they didn't have their glasses. Their vision was a blur, all they could make out was a strange grey fuzz that looked like... a cloud of sorts as they held back a whimper. They couldn't remember who it was that was talking to them at first... but then, the memories of their encounter at the lab slowly returned as they recognised the voice.

"It's Y-you! W-what do you w-want from me?!" they tried to sound brave through their tear stained face.

"Oh you know, just the usual greetings. We're friends after all, aren't we, pal?" sneered the entity.

"W-we're n-not friends!" they retorted back and felt another rush of pain to their already reddened cheek as more tears streamed. They felt the warm breath of the freak close to their face as the entity whispered in a cold and hateful tone "You're never going to get out of here, not with the state you're in" they hissed.

Aurora attempted to move to try and push them away but felt their arms and whole body were bound back by something as they struggled.

"Don't bother struggling, you can't move... or haven't you realised where you are yet?" they smirked noticing an object that glimmered in the light by the human's feet. They lifted it up. On examination they realised it was their glasses.

A cruel smile spread across their face.

"What's the matter- can't see a thing,?" they saw them flinch at that statement. The entity sneered and made Aurora hear the snapping of their glasses. "Why don't you try 'seeing' without them for a while." they mocked "I'll be eagerly looking forward to watching you drown in the seas of despair!" with that they disappeared into the darkness that lurked ahead, their malicious laughter filling empty hall, leaving a fear stricken Aurora all alone.

They decided to anxiously wait for some time- when they couldn't feel the entity's presence by them, they knew that the creep wasn't coming back. They sighed, relieved and soon they started to try and struggle again, only for the black coils to tighten on them. They felt their chest clamp up as they exhaled to breath, they proceeded to call for help ...but no one answered.

They were feeling more determined now. They just needed to figure out a way to free themselves from these binds and if struggling wasn't the answer... then maybe... 'That's it!' Aurora concentrated, calming her nerves, they lay still as they felt the vines slowly loosen their grip until eventually, they sunk back through the grey stone floor.

The human was thinking if they had bought their spares with them as they dug into the pocket of their shirt, not finding them there; they found them in the front pocket of their jacket and slipped them on. Now they could see as clear as bright skies. They walked about heading upwards as they took in their surrounding. Dull grey path stretched out into an ever ending horizen, they couldn't tell where it ended. For all they knew it could stretch on forever, the feeling frightened them... 'being lost in this horrible place for all eternity...' they didn't want to think about it, choosing to walk on.

They viewed the blackened, leafless tall trees that towered like giants compared to their size, black liquid seemed to draw out from the tips of their branches.

*Creepy. You wouldn't expect any less from a crazed freak like them. You know, this kind of reminds me of that horror movie Haunted where Gazzel woke into some nightmare world. thought Aurora... or was that really what they were thinking? It didn't feel like it.

They came toward a pathway that seemed to split in two directions, both paths seemed to look exactly the same. They were a bit puzzled. They weren't sure which one to take.

*You're unsure of what to do, but a feeling in your heart stirs as you decide to take the right. But honestly, if I were you, I'd go left.

They were confused about their thought process. Did they really want to go left? They didn't think that, did they? sighing in annoyance, they made the decision to just go with their gut and went right since it seemed that they were unable to make up their mind whatsoever.

It was a bit odd, but the pool of water under their feet didn't even feel that cold. They also noticed that it didn't stain their dark pants either.

A while later, they entered an area filled with more of those creepy trees that leeked that weird liquid. 'I k-kinda wonder what th-the liquid is. Maybe I should take a sample to examine it later..' pulling out a little glass tube they let a few drops of the inky goop fall into the bottle before screwing it shut with the corkscrew, placing it back in their jacket pocket as they carried on cautiously trailing along further up the path, feeling a nerve of unease.

*Still think it's a good idea that you came this way? okay this was getting weird.

"W-well it's better than standing at that foot path right?, at least I made my choice." they stated at what seemed to be nothing but the air.

*Awww, you don't have to hide it, I can sense your fear. teased a child sounding voice

"N-no I'm not!" retorted Aurora, their pace quickening a little more, the air around them thickening with a dense fog.

Out of no where, multiple things could be heard protuding from the depths of the grey sea and the human's pace soon turned into full running speed. They didn't want to think about what it is that was going to get them through this haze. They felt a swift wind cut their face seeing something swoop right past them as they did their best to avoid whatever it was that was attempting to catch them.

Their legs were running out of energy, their chest fell short of breath, their lungs gasped for them to stop as they fell to their knees. A yelp erupted from their throat as they were yanked from their left ankle, slamming face down into the water. Kicking their legs to break free from the thing that grabbed them only made things worse as it started to slowly envelope their body in the horrible stuff.

They darted around for any sign of something to defend themselves with, not seeing one. Fear rose in their heart as they began yelling... but nobody came. They were going to be consumed by this horrible liquid thing and no one was going to care; they buried thier hands in their face, waiting for their death.

... Just as they had lost all hope of being saved, they heard a loud SNAP! and SQUELCH! the goop splattered on their hands... they opened their fingers, slowly removing them from their face, staring in utter shock and surprise.

Standing with thier back to them was a figure who looked quite human with silky, aqua hair that seemed to end just above their shoulders, the front ending in curvy tips. A gleaming, ocean blue sapphire pearl was pinned to the side of their hair. They were draped in a satin sleevless dress as white as snow that exposed their arms. Fluttering around the fabric along the waist were small silver butterflies. Though the dress wasn't very long, revealing part of their pale legs that were in bear feet. A mystical blue aura as bright as fire was enveloping them all around.

Aurora saw a teal blue whip curled around their left hand with a metalic silver handle that wore a light blue heart at its centre that seemed to also be glowing.

'that energy... were have I-'

They were cut off from their thoughts as they felt a small shadow loom over them. They looked up, seeing a pair of azure, glittering calm eyes looking back at them, as they took their hand, pulling themselves up. In size comparison, they were 13 centimeters shorter than them, 'of course they would,' Aurora rolled her eyes, 'they're just a kid'. The human guessed that this child must be about 8 years old if she could fight and wield a weapon.

*You're not hurt are you?, asked the other being to which Aurora shook their head nervously, still in shock over nearly getting eaten alive.

*Then lets go before more of those freaky sap creatures grow

The human nodded, follwing the strange being that seemed to appear out of no where, and so mysteriously too. So many questions were buzzing in their mind that they yearningly wanted to ask them right now.

It had to wait for another time though. Getting to a safe place was more important.

-

It had been a long ways distance since their time at the lab. Honestly, they were happy to be out of that place. It wasn't... exactly... no they wouldn't bother Themistocles with those thoughts. Right now, they had a very important mission they had to fulfill, and to do that, they need to get to an extremely special place- the one place that they remembered... had helped get rid of their creator... back in their world. That place, was the Core.

The figure colorless- all in an ash grey aside from the red streaks in their bushy hair and their venomous glowing purple eyes was resting for now. They were practically out of that volcano by now, and they were relieved to breath fresh cool air again. "I have no idea how anyone could even live there. It's practically a death zone." they said out loud. They were draped in the warmth of their plain hooded jacket, long, pants and shoes as they opened their left palm, a small round, ominous ghost purple creature cuddled in their hands emitted a relaxed growl, its eyes glowing brightly.

"Don't worry, Ven. All is going according to plan, because as soon as we reach the Core- boom! This place will be history." a smirk spread across their face, his other hand showing a black diamond shaped object that was surrounded in blood red energy.

'Though... I'll probably miss this place a little.. after all... 'he' was the one who made that accursed button that destoryed our world. I'll never forgive him for it' a memory flashed in the accursed enetity's mind from when he saw the tall skeleton with the many hands proceeding to push tha- suddenly they were bought out of their flashback by the vibration of their cellphone. They took it out of their pocket and saw who it was.

"Yo, AE here." they answered.

"Have you arrived at the specificed location yet?" a cheerful female tone responded

"Nope, but I'm almost there. I'm just 'chilling' at a nice cool spot at the moment. Why?,"

"You need to go their, now. If someone finds you lurking about, and you get caught, I'll have to save your ass again" they remarked playfully

"Pfft, like hell I'd need saving. You realise there's nothing stopping us here. I can take all the time I need to." they shrugged out of habit, they always did that.

"And I said 'go now'. If you get too lazy, and end up failing your mission, then we're going to have to have a 'heart to heart' talk." came the reply, this time in a much more serious and colder tone.

"Alright, alright. I'll get going in a flash. Calm down." they responded, a little annoyed at the woman's impaitence.

"Good. And just one more thing before we end this 'sweet little' convo. Don't. Fail. Me." at that the other end hung up.

Honestly... even though they pretended they didn't care, they were terrified about what she'd to do them next. Though they weren't going let that stop them.

"Come on little guy. It's time for us to get going." they smiled down at their pet who nuzzled into them, a warm feeling eminated from their black soul as they lazily elivated themselves up right, vanishing in a cloak of pitch-black.

-

It would be a while before they'd get to the Core, so they decided to have a bit of a walk around.

Grooooowl...

Ven giggled at the storm that erupted from their owner's stomach which made their cheeks flush and a sheepish grin carved itself on their face. ...Maybe getting some info on a good place to eat should be something to cross off their list first. Luckily they weren't too far it seemed, they saw a sign in the midnight clearing 'Honcho's Brunch&Lunch' it stated pointing towards the eastern direction.

"Heh, must be our lucky day, Ven. You hungry too?" the purple blob nodded

They came upon an urban building. It had an oak brown roof, and walls that were decorated in a vibrant peach with darker orange stripes trailing horizontally across while just above the wide glass doors, lit up in bright neon red lights was 'Honcho's Brunch&Lunch'

They knew they had to be careful, they didn't want anyone to recognise them from the photo that was shown in the news.

So, deciding it would be safe, they morphed their colours into one that was more human.

Inside of it wasn't what they were expecting however. It just looked like any old bar, much like Grillby's. They would've thought it would look a bit more fancy. They shrugged and waited until the waiter showed up who gave them a strip of paper that had the number 10. Soon they got to ordering their food and drinks.

They chose a plate of fries and a hamburger, with a side of cola while Ven had picked out a glamburger which had already been vaccumed whole.

buuuuuuurrrrrrp!

The entity chuckled, that was a sign that their pet had very much enjoyed their meal as they began to tuck into theirs.

For some strange reason they felt they were being talked about. It was faint but they could hear the commotion. They were wondering who it was, but then after a bit chose to ignore it and continued to enjoy their chips. That is...until two large men garbed in ink black armour approached.

"Excuse me sir," spoke the first

"Yes?" they answered calmly

"We've been told that a shady suspicious character was seen lurking around the quaters not too far from here-"

"And that they were also seen entering this restaurant." added the other guard who had a squeaky, geeky voice. The two presented the photograph of the entity with a purple round creature that was sitting on their head.

"Have you seen anyone, or perhaps know a character of such that entered in here earlier?" questioned the first guard.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't believe I have." they could feel their nerves tensing a bit as the guards studied them carefully like hawks. They stood their ground, keeping a calm, stone face. If they didn't react, the guards wouldn't suspect a thing.

"Hey bro, it doesn't seem like this guy knows anythin'. C'mon, lets search somewhere else" suggested the second.

"... Alright." responded his brother as they began to walk away. He knew something was fishy about the way this citizen was acting. He didn't trust what they were saying at all.

"Hey, buddy. There's... just one more question I need to ask you." said the guard, not even turning back around, though he could sense a dark presence near them.

"Did that shady person... happen to be carrying a diamond shaped object, exactly like yours?" he twisted around eyeing their left palm that was glowing with a black aura.

They silently summoned their pet drawing them to morph into two dual, ominious poison curved sickles.

The guard smirked knowingly under his helmet. They'd got them. "Oh, and you don't have to bother about hiding yourself. I can already tell, the colour is literally draining from you" the guard launched out an immediate attack with his javelin.

Heavy steel collided with energy blades before the strength of the guard knocked them back.

He was right, the colour really did start to peel off from them to reveal their true grey as they skirted to a stop a few meters from the two.

'D-darn. Not now! If only I could hold this morph for a little longer' they thought. They knew they didn't have much time. Using a short cut, they teleported right behind them, passing them by as the entity half turned to stare back at them with a mischievous grin, Ven sticking their tongue out at the guards cheekily. "If you want a real battle, you gotta try and ketchup to me." with that the entity ran off.

"I knew there was something odd about him! Lets get him bro!" said the older guard,

"I'm right with ya!" the two ran after them, giving chase as they saw that they were heading towards MMT Resort.