Sweet Dreams

It was roughly a month after your little confrontation with Toriel and life wasn't just great it was heaven under earth. Sure it took some time for her to accept you but after that she was so much nicer.

She started to spend more time with you, playing, reading story's, baking pies but for you the best part was that she wouldn't send you to school every day, she would teach you all by herself! Toriel even allowed you to wander the ruins alone, after she made sure that every ‚monster' knew that you were no threat. You shudder a little as you remember Toriel giving a vegetoid her EVIL stare as it threw a veggie at you. Why do they even call themself ‚monsters'? They are nice. I should ask Toriel about that later.

Storing this thought away you continued your way to the spider bake sale. The spiders give you creeps but you volunteered to buy some ingredients for Toriel. Besides there is this bowl with monster candy conveniently placed a few rooms behind the sale.

Entering the shop you lifted your hand to the ceiling to greet the spiders sitting in their large web. After you placed the gold and wait to get the ingredients, for a moment, your breathing gets really heavy and cold sweat covers you. Then all goes back to normal and you leave with the ingredients.

It is not a problem, you tell yourself. This was not the first attack you experienced since you're down here but as long it is just a short dizziness you don't want to bother Toriel.

There it is placed on a small column stands the bowl with all the candy you could eat. Even if you eat all the candy in it, it will be refilled next time.

Putting your purchases down you went over and take a bit. Enjoying the sugary treat melting in your mouth you take some time to play with the leaves on the floor.

After the candy in your mouth dissolved you go for the next bit. But as you reach for the bowl it happens again.

Your breath gets heavy.

Pulling your hand back you wait for it to pass.

You start sweating.

Perhaps it would be better if I go home. As you lift your foot to leave your legs crumble under you. Stretching your hands out for support you drag the bowl with you to the ground spilling candy everywhere.

Your stomach hurts and it gets even more difficult to breath.

Opening your mouth you try to cry for help.

You don't have enough breath to produce more than a high wheezing.

Trying to get more air into your lungs your body starts shaking. After some time the movement dies down and everything seems to get darker until it all fades to black leaving you alone with your heavy beating heart.

-Bum..Bu-Bum..Bu-Bum...Bu-Bum...Bu-Bum…..Bu—B- Until that stops.

You are now alone in the darkness alone and scared. You want to go back home to Toriel. You don't want to be in the darkness.

Perhaps this is just a bad dream?

You want to wake up but nothing happens.

Feeling panic consuming your thoughts you close your eyes trying to picture it, you are lying in your bed covered into the blanket just like the morning in this dream. Opening your eyes again you can see it floating right in front of you, your room barely lit by the light from the floor shining through the crack of the door.

Stretching out to grab the floating picture your hands collide with a smooth plane surface cold like glass preventing you from reaching it. Regardless how strong you push or punch it doesn't break or budge as it withstands every of your futile attempts.

You cry for help until you get hoarse, "HELP TORIEL PLEASE HELP ME I CAN'T WAKE UP TORIEL PLEASE," and even after that you continue to whisper, "please help me please Toriel..."

But nobody came.

Falling to you knees shaken by heavy sobs you rest your forehead on the barrier. Without warning you fall forward leaving the darkness behind.

-Bum.

Lying in your bed your heavy beating heart sounds like music to you while hot tears of relief flow down your face as you repeat again and again, "It was just a dream. Just a bad dream. Nothing more than a nightmare."

But you can still feel the hand on your back pushing you out of the darkness.

Something is odd today. Normally the child would play in the ruins after the teachings or pastime with toys not cling to her dress.

„Child, is everything okay?", Toriel tried to inquire again, they just nodded as they did with the last three or five question on this topic. They are so quiet, not that they spoke much on other days but today it was only gestures. Did something frighten them?

Trying to think of something in the near past she continued to clean the house, sweeping the floor, doing the dishes, laundering as the child always followed some steps behind.

Grabbing a duster she reached a conclusion. Could this terrible creature be troubling them again or did one of the monsters attack them? No, they behaved normally when I tucked them in yesterday. The clinging started this morning so... Kneeling down in front of the child making eye contact she asked with a consoling voice, „My child, did something scare you? A nightmare perhaps?"

They seem to freeze for a moment then a rapid nod. „Do you want to talk about it?", hesitating for a moment they shake their head.

Considering if she should press further deciding against it she suggested, „Ok, how about that, you help me finishing cleaning the house and then I will bake you a pie? A special pie that keeps nightmares away?"

That seems to help as they nodded and started smiling.

Smiling as well she handed over the duster, „Good. Then let us start. Hold this."

Waging it up and down a bit they shoot her a questioning look, knowing that most of the shelf's were out of their reach.

Carefully she grabbed the child, „Ready?"

Looking a bit doubtful they gave her a small nod.

Standing up slowly trying not to scare them with a rapid movement she brought the child up to the shelf's.

They stiffened a bit on the ascent but relaxed again when the movement stopped and started to dust playfully more swirling than actually cleaning.

It took more time than usual to dust all the shelf's but brought the child back to its normal mood so for her it was worth it.

Lying in your bed you where happy again, still remembering the fun you had cleaning with Toriel and the pie-reward afterwards.

It was an awesome pie with colored sprinkles and a slight strawberry taste, it truly should keep the nightmares away.

Thinking about the day you hopped that your clinging wasn't to much for Toriel, you don't want to be an inconvenience.

Feeling the tiredness of sleep starting to embrace you, your mind was still busy to pushed from the sugar to let you fall asleep fast. It is so nice here. Toriel is such a good person, to let me live here, to teach me, to play with me, she cares for me just like a mo- you don't want to think of that word.

Rolling around pressing the white plushie (your favorite) onto your chest you thought of Toriel urging you to ask how to exit the ruins. How could she be so sure that I would intend to leave? Rolling to the other side. Why did the other children leave? Eyes closing you repeated the thought again.

Why did they leave?

Something was pursuing you trough a dark corridor. Hearing its steps behind you your burning legs started to move in a faster rhythm, it was still coming closer.

This seemed to be a nightmare, you weren't in control, just observing the dream unfolding itself.

Rounding a corner you got a short glimpse of your body as your head moved down to evade a vine. It was the wrong size, taller than you and clothed in a black T-shirt.

This dream was strange. Everything seemed unknown to you even when your mind identified it as part of the ruins laying behind Toriels house it was terrifying alien in your eyes.

A voice shouted behind you obscured by a shortness of breath (and pain?), "Please come back this is the wrong way!", it sounded strangely familiar.

Lungs starting to burn you were speeding up entering into a new part of the ruins.

You wanted to stop, you were warned that this part was dangerous but your legs don't stop.

The voice sounded again, "Child please listen, the ground here is not stable! I'm not mad at you! Please stop and let us talk about it!"

There was something in the corners of your eyes, a faint light blue shine. Twisting your head the perspective suddenly twisted as well.

The dream head didn't move and you could still see the corridor but at the same time there was a new room before your mind's eye. It was pitch black with a shining light blue beating heart at its center.

Moving closer you felt waves of fear radiating from the fast beating heart. The fear to die, to be trapped and to never see your loved ones again, every wave shaking you as it would come from within yourself as the dream body bursted into another room.

This time the shout from behind was filled with pure anxiety, "CHILD STOP!"

Another fearful wave emitted from the heart as your body starts to sprint pounding its feet to the ground with each step.

Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Clack, Crack!

Splintering stone under you, your right foot diving into nothing.

Breath taking shock for a moment as you fall, then you hit a wall.

And another.

Then the ground.

Adrenaline and shock muffled the pain a bit but your chest still feels like someone had set it on fire. Emitting from a sharp pointy pain on your chest a warm liquid started to run over your belly.

The dream head closed its eyes the heart stops and for a moment the time seems to pause.

A new wave passes you filled with compassion, slight annoyance and a question, it feels like it comes from behind the heart.

The wave hangs for a moment in the air then it gets crushed by a bigger one from the heart composed of desperation and the wish to end it. Then the heart ruptured sending small glowing fragments into the darkness.

As you look again the former place of the heart is empty except for a small shadow standing there following the path of some fragments with its head emitting a last wave of pity before it vanished.

Then the dream ends.

Opening your eyes you lie in your bed, soaked in sweat and the plushie fixed in a death grip.

Tears start to stroll down your cheeks as you rock back and forth trying to calm yourself. It felt so real, the stones under my feet, the spiderwebs in the corridors and the pain.

A stronger sob. The pain as I hit the ground. Why didn't the cake help?

You stop, running a hand over your eyes wiping away the tears. Perhaps I need to eat more of it? Would Toriel get mad when I eat at this time?

Still pressing the plushie at your chest you hesitated for a moment, then you leave the bed.

I don't want to have another nightmare. With this thought you tiptoed down the floor the plushie still in your arm. Anxious to make a sound you steal yourself into the living room.

"Child what are you doing here?"

Sitting in the comfy armchair knitting needles still in her hand she saw them freeze as she spoke.

Turning to her the fire exposed more details of the small figure. They locked shell-shocked, tear-stained face, hands cramped into the plushie and trembling as if they would break into tears every second.

She was kneeling in front of them faster than the needles could hit the ground, hugging them tightly. "It is ok. It is ok.", consoling them in a low voice she asked, "What happened?"

Still trembling a little they answered brittle, "Nighmmare, wanted ccake."

That confused her. Cake at this time? Why would they…? Oh, anti-nightmare pie.

Patting their back she replied, "Okay, it is a bit late for cake, but I think we can make an exception for tonight."

Easing a bit they whispered, "Thanks".

They locked much calmer after the piece of pie was finished.

Lifting the child from the chair and placing it on its feet she commanded, "So that should keep the nightmares away. Now back to bed."

They hesitated obviously still afraid of nightmares, then start to walk slowly out of the room.

Why don't they speak up when something is wrong?
She stopped them, "Child, wait."

They stop looking questioning to her.

"How about a bedtime story first?", she asked pulling a storybook from the shelf.

They nodded happily and run to the armchair.

Smiling on that sight she walked over to the chair sitting down with the child besides her.
"A looong time ago, there were…," she started to read.

"...and so they all lived happily even after. The End," closing the book she looked down at the child.

They started to yawn at the middle of the story and were now struggling to keep their eyes open.

Picking up the small body she whispered, "Time for bed little one."

As she reached the child's room they were already sound asleep.

Humming an old lullaby she tucked the child in then reached for the lamp to kill the light. Something changed, stopping her humming she locked around.

There was nothing.

Shrugging she turned back reaching again for the light and looking down at the child.

They were sweating.

Stopping a second time her attempt to kill the light she bend down to inspect the child, it was breathing heavily. "Child?"

The little chest moved faster trying to force as much oxygen in as possible.

Did they have a fever? She placed her hand on their forehead.

Normal temperature no fever.

Better safe than sorry, she thought placing her hand onto their small chest whispering, "There, there let me heal it." Feeling the magic flowing into the small body she waited for a change.

As she already prepared a second spell the breathing normalized.

"Phew, don't scare me like that," she whispered wiping the sweat away with a handkerchief then she finally killed the light and left the room.