"You have to leave," She said. "You have to run away before he finds you."
I rose from sitting in the snow and faced her. Bunny stared down at me with her arms crossed.
"I won't," I said. "I'm not running."
"Don't be a fool! If you stay here you will die!"
"I am not running!"
"This is not like with the Royal Guard! You cannot persuade Asgore to spare you!"
"I won't be a coward!"
"This is not an act of bravery. This is stupidity! Why won't you listen?"
Four weeks ago…
Looking down, I saw a little dog head poking out of a snowdrift. His little tongue sticking out and looking at me with excitement in his eyes.
Don't do it. Don't do it. No,no,no! Don't. DO! NOT! DO! IT! Resist it. Don't do it! No!
He barked.
"Awwwwwwwwww!" I fell to the ground to pet and scratch him behind the ears. He licked my face.
"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You are! You are! Who's a… good… boy…"
The dog had stood up revealing a large armored body and a spear with a smiley face.
"Oh… um… good boy?"
The bipedal lifted his spear and threw.
I shielded my head with my arms, waiting for the pain. It didn't come. Blinking, I frantically patted down my body. Not a scratch was on me.
The dog was still, panting and wagging his tail excitedly. Turning around, I saw the spear imbedded in the snow a few feet behind me. I hesitantly pulled it out of the ground. The dog barked and jumped happily.
"You… want to play fetch?"
He looked at me with puppy eyes.
"Awww!" I caved again. "All right, you win!" I threw the spear as far as I could. "Fetch!"
The armored dog took off in pursuit. He came back and dropped the spear at my feet. He let off a series of happy barks.
I picked up the spear again. "Go get it!" We played like this for several minutes, until…
"Wait a minute…" I looked from the large dog to the smaller one with a longer neck. Large dog, small dog, large dog, small dog, large, small, large, small.
"When did you…"
They both barked with joy and looked at me with puppy eyes.
*You are overwhelmed by the power of dogs*
"You're a good boy too, aren't you?" I petted his head. His neck grew.
"Did your neck-"
The larger dog snatched me up and started running, the smaller dog on his tail. Pun intended.
"Where are you taking me?" Buildings and a Christmas tree raced by my vision. The larger dog abruptly stopped. He looked at me with a playful gleam in his eyes. He then hurled me over his head.
With some screaming (please don't judge me) the smaller dog caught me. Well, he tried. We went rolling in the snow. The larger one dog-piled on top of us and all of us started playing and wrestling in the snow. I was laughing and having the time of my life.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
The dogs pulled away and sat down on their haunches. Looking up, I saw a humanoid bunny looking down at me with a smile on her face.
"We don't get many new folks around here. Who are you?" I told her my name. "That's a peculiar name you have. You can just call me Bunny."
I lived with Bunny and her family ever since. I helped run her shop and babysat her two kids. It was comfortable and I enjoyed it. Until earlier today. News had travelled that Asgore was coming to find the human in Snowdin. In other words, me.
Present…
Bunny's children were distracted with finishing the snowman we had started. I held my gaze against Bunny's scowl.
"I have to try."
"No you don't!"
"Yes I do!"
"Why?" She shrieked. "Why do you insist on getting yourself killed?"
"Because then I can have the chance to stay with you!"
She froze.
"If I can just convince him that I am not like the humans that killed his son, maybe he'll spare me. If that happens, I get to stay with you. And the time I spent as part of your family has been better than any moment I spent on the Surface!"
Her gaze fell. She started crying. I thought I had upset her, but when she looked up she was smiling.
"You really are determined, aren't you?." She fell to her knees and hugged me. "Promise to come back to me, okay?"
I paused. I could see that desperate look; how she wanted me to say that I'll come back. My chest twisted into a knot. I want to say that I will, but I don't think that I can. My life down here is happy, and I will do anything to keep it that way. Nothing like these last few weeks has ever happened to me.
I'm trying to be brave, but I'm scared. Scared that I'll lose Bunny and her family. Scared of what will happen to her if I die. Scared of facing Asgore and what might happen. Even with all these fears on my mind, I will be brave. I have to be brave. For her, for me, for our family, I will swallow my doubts and fight for what I have always wanted.
I was pushing a little toy car back and forth on the sidewalk, the tiny tires leaving black streaks. I heard the headmistress call us in for dinner. Dozens of kids ran across the yard and pushed themselves through the doorway. I walked slowly, leaving the car by the entrance and joined the rest of the kids and staff at the large tables. A turkey sandwich, scoop of beans, and an apple sat on a plain white plate.
The younger kids ate quickly, practically inhaling their food. The older kids, however, took their time. They knew that we would not be able to leave the tables until the staff was done. Anyone who left before then wouldn't have breakfast tomorrow. After the head mistress excused us, the children ran back out into the yard. I brought up the back of the crowd. I scanned the doorway for my car, but it was gone.
I sighed and went to sit on the sidewalk. It was always like this. Anytime anyone had a toy it would gone by the end of the day. I had lost countless teddy bears, airplanes, cars, and stuffed animals. I sat by the side of the road as all the other kids roamed the yard. They may seem like they're having fun together, but, if you looked close enough, you could see that no one was touching each other. Everyone had this space between them, a wall between them and everyone else in the orphanage.
My thoughts trailed off as a noisy truck passed by. The back was filled with gardening equipment. The truck hit a pothole, shaking a bundle off of the pile. I went over and picked it up. It was a dirty, orange bandanna tied around a pair of thick gloves. I slipped them on. They were too large, but I pulled them down until my hands fit inside. The excess room covered half of my forearms. I tied the bandanna around my forehead. It was comfortable, if a little smelly. I looked down at my gloved hands and smiled.
The headmistress called us back in. I untied the bandanna and took off the gloves. I hid them inside of my pants leg. For almost a year, I kept my treasures hidden from everyone else. The first chance I got, I washed them and stayed by them as they dried in the yard. One day, I was alone in the storage room. I pulled out and put on my treasures. I looked in a cracked mirror and flexed. I smiled at myself.
Out of nowhere, the door slammed open. A large boy walked in. He was one of the oldest kids in the orphanage, and also the meanest. I knew not to cross him from experience. He walked over to me, saw my items, and grinned viciously.
"Looks like someone having fun with rags," He said. Heat rushed to my cheeks when he called my treasures rags. "You look a bit full of yourself."
A girl walked by the open door. She saw us and rushed off. A moment later, kids where crowding the door to get a look.
The bully grabbed at my bandanna. I backed away. He frowned and reached out again. I back up against the wall. He was staring to get angry. "Hand it over, brat!" He lashed out and ripped it off my head. I snapped. I lurched forward and punched him in the face. He recoiled and fell on the floor. For a moment, I just stood rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend what I just did. Then I picked up my bandanna and raced for the door. The bully grabbed my leg and I fell to the floor. He gripped the neck of my shirt and hauled me to my feet. His left eye was starting to swell and his breathing was heavy. Anger flashed in his eyes.
"You piece of shit!" He yelled. "You'll pay for that!" He dragged me down the hall and through the door. A couple of kids broke away to follow us. He held his grip on me no matter how hard I struggled. He dragged me through town, ducking behind trash cans and buildings whenever we passed a group of people. Occasional onlookers glanced at us in concern, but the bully persuaded them that we were just taking a stroll in the forest. I had forgotten to mention that he was quite charismatic, despite his well known bad behavior. We walked for a long time. Out of town, into the forest, and up a mountain trail. Fear clenched me as I realized where we were: Mt. Ebott. I struggled harder, but the bully's kept his grip. Finally, we reached a cave. The sun was starting to set as he pushed me to the entrance.
"If you're so tough, I guess you won't have a problem with meeting some monsters," He said cruelly.
I swallowed. I know he has to be bluffing. No one knew where the entrance to the Monster's prison was on the mountain. However, this did not comfort me in the slightest. Years ago, rumors of a girl seen running towards the mountain caught like wildfire. She was never seen again after that night.
"Go on, move it!" The bully's pushed me. Clenching my fists, I slowly made my way inside. The bully and the other kids watched me, well outside of the cave. I walked on even as the sunlight started to dim. I thought I was walking into utter darkness when I came across a hole. It was large, I couldn't even see the other side in the dim light. My heart started beating rapidly. Steeling myself, I leaned over the edge. I couldn't see the bottom. I decided to turn back when the rock underneath me gave way, and I fell into the void.
Looking into Bunny's eyes, I remembered how that incident lead to my meeting her. She took me in and made me forget all the bad times I had on the surface. She made me so happy. I couldn't stand to see her heartbroken, so I said the only thing that I knew would comfort her.
"I promise."
Later that day…
Asgore faced me down on the outskirts of Snowdin. His trident and clothing were a stark contrast to the snow covered field. I tightened my bandanna and adjusted my gloves. Bunny was watching anxiously from the trees.
"Child, I'm sorry that this has to happen," His baritone voice was thick with emotion. "But I have made a promise to all monsters that I will keep."
"I've made a promise, too'" My eyes darted over to Bunny. "Sir, if we could just speak for a moment…"
Asgore waved his hand and fireballs were suddenly raining down on me. The sudden attack caught me off-guard. I was lost in the blaze. I rolled in the snow to extinguish the flames. The Monster King stabbed at me with his trident. I rolled away in the nick of time. I pushed upwards and delivered a punch to his face. He barely moved.
I pulled back as his trident glowed blue. I jumped back as he swung, but he nicked my bicep. Pain tore through my arm. It hurt so much worse than a injury like that should have been. He swung again, trident glowing orange. I was still in shock and didn't move. Asgore's weapon tore open my left shoulder. I screamed, the intense pain tearing through my body. Asgore loomed over me, trident glowing blue once again. I stumbled back and tripped in the snow. The trident fell. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting to be skewered. Instead, nothing happened. I opened my eyes to a scene that made me want to throw up.
The trident was lodged deep in my stomach. The blue light softly reflected off the snow. As my brain tried to figure out what had happened, Asgore pulled out his weapon. No mark was left behind; I was completely fine. Before I could figure out what had happened, the trident changed colors. He plunged at me again. I scrambled to get away, the long prong passing harmlessly threw my flailing arm. I had managed to put some distance between us, but another round of fireballs pelted my back. The burning attack drove me to my knees.
I barely got away when more fireballs rained down on the spot I had been, causing a cloud of steam to erupt. My shirt was so burnt that it completely fell away from my body in blackened pieces. Breathing heavily, I turned to face the King. With a shout, I charged at him. Taken back by my sudden rush, Asgore stepped back. I punched him right below the ribs. Pain flared up my arm as I connected with the armor hidden beneath his robes. Asgore tried to back away to gain enough space to swing his trident. I shot forward, grabbing the handle.
I pulled with all my strength to take the weapon. Asgore pulled back. I dug my feet into the ground, but I dug grooves into the snow as I was pulled by the much stronger Monster. With a grunt, Asgore swung the weapon, and me, into the air. I sailed until I landed in a snowdrift. Asgore rushed at me, raising his trident. I threw an arm over my head and screamed, "Stop, please!"
His aim wavered, driving the trident into the snow inches away from me. We were both breathing heavily. I tried to look him in the eye, but he avoided my gaze. "Please, stop this," I pleaded. "We don't have to do this."
"I wish that was true," He said. "But that is impossible."
"Why?" I asked. "Nobody is forcing you. I don't want to do this. In all honesty, do you?"
"No," He replied. "I don't want to kill you."
"Then we can-"
"We can't," He interrupted. "It doesn't matter what I want. I made a promise to my citizens. To take the SOULS of humans that fall down here and use them to break the barrier. When that first human fell, hope returned to the Underground. The Monsters finally believed that life could finally improve, that we could see the sun after all these years."
"There's more to your story, isn't there?" I asked.
"…Your right," He said. "When I saw that that first human, all the feelings I had surfaced again. Being trapped down here, my children being killed, the Monsters giving up hope, what was left of my family falling apart. The anger, the sadness, the pain. Everything felt fresh, and I couldn't stop myself even if I wanted to. I get those feelings even now, every time I see you, but now I feel something else: regret. Because of that promise, because of this pain, I have to finish what I started. I'm sorry."
I looked over at Bunny, then back at Asgore. Funny, we both made promises. One made from pain and anger, another from fear and happiness. He can't stop himself, but neither could I. I won't stop myself from fulfilling my promise. I can't be mad at him, how stupid that sounds. All I could feel was sympathy. Two promises that can't be kept unless the other is broken. Two people who will give everything to keep them. What a hell of a problem we put ourselves in.
"I'm sorry, too," I said. I launched myself up and punched him in the face again. Asgore stumbled from surprise. I reared back and punched him again. This time he shoved me away. I struggled to keep my footing. When I regained my balance, Asgore swung as he tore his trident out of the ground.
His trident's blunt, flat side connected with my chest. I was knocked through the air and crumpled in the snow. My skin felt charred, stinging as it made contact with the snow, and I could smell burnt hair. I clumsily got to my feet. My body felt like it was falling apart. Something white was poking out from my chest. It felt like acid was eating away at my lungs and crawling up my throat.
I looked over at Bunny. She was crying, her body shaking with the force of her uncontrollable sobs. Asgore was approaching. I made her a promise, I can't break it. I can't bear to think of what will happen to her. No matter what I do, no matter what happens to me, I have to keep my promise! An orange heart burned brightly to life in the air in front of me. Energy flowed into my aching body, washing away the pain. Willing my body to move, I charged.
"I won't break my promise!" I bellowed.
The heart burned brighter. I grabbed it. My hand was enveloped in an orange light. It was like something ancient crawled out of the deepest depths of my being. With a scream, I punched Asgore in the chest with all of my new power. I felt his armor give under the force and I connected to with body. With a loud gasp, Asgore was lifted off his feet and fell backwards into the snow. My strength spent, I collapsed to my knees. I looked over at Bunny. Her face was filled with relief. She smiled at me. In an instant, however, her expression changed to terror. Asgore had risen to his feet. He held his trident high above me. I looked at his face, meeting his eye for the first time. He brought down his trident.
I broke my promise. Tears streamed down my face. I'm sorry, Bunny. I'm so sorry.
The world shattered. My vision turned dark. Bunny's scream faded into the distance. Everything was drowned out by the light of the orange heart.
"NO!" Bunny ran from the trees and fell to her knees at the fallen boy's side. His bandanna had come undone and his gloves hung loosely on his hands.
The child's SOUL glowed feebly in the King's hand.
"He was a child!" She shrieked, tears flowing heavily down her face. "He was an innocent child!"
Asgore would not meet her rage filled gaze.
"How could you justify this?" She spat, "The Surface is not worth this!"
She looked down at the boy's peaceful face, his gaze glassy and unseeing. She then looked at his gloves and bandanna.
"Why do you wear those things?" She remembered asking him one day.
"They look cool!" He had replied.
"Really?" She asked suspiciously. "Is that the only reason?"
She remembered how he had paused. "Actually, these are the only things that have ever belonged to me."
She gently removed the boy's precious belongings. She got to her feet, holding the items to her chest. "You should be ashamed! Ashamed, Asgore!" She cried. "This boy did nothing to us! All he wanted was to be happy! Now look at him! A boy who wanted a family, killed in cold blood!" Bunny paused. "Before he faced you, he made me a promise. An empty one. Remind you of anybody?" She marched off, her tears mixing with the disturbed snow.
The King picked up the boy's body and returned to his castle.
This chapter was once again proof-read by Eccentric Axolotl. They gave me the advice I needed to improve this chapter so much for what it was originally.