Steven jumped, and rubbed his eyes a bit. He looked back at the mirror, and saw his own reflection. He narrowed his eyes, and went to look at the mirror. It was definitely a mirror, not some one way glass, and it didn't seem to have any magical properties, or a gem inlaid in it. He walked to his room, and laid down for a bit. He fell asleep after a while, dreaming about going on adventures with the Gems, and eating loads of pie.

The last dream he had though, was a peculiar one.

Steven seemed to be in a place he didn't recognize. A place devoid of light, with pressure coming from all sides. He felt like he was suffocating, but he could tell he was breathing. He looked around, searching for any signs of life aside from himself. Walking around, he found a small child, who looked an awful lot like the one he pushed out of the way, but with lighter hair and skin, as well as a different sweater. He started to talk with the child, and they conversed with him, answering most of his questions with questions, and dodging certain questions. The only information Steven could get out of them was their name. Chara.

"But Steven, if I may ask, why are you here?" Chara asked, their voice teasing him.

"The thing is, I have no clue why I'm here, but I do know that I want to leave." Steven replied, scratching the back of his head. Chara then stood up, and looked him in the eye, finally. Their eyes were red, and suddenly he remembered.

Chara was the demon he saw in the mirror.

"That's right, Steven. I'm Chara. The demon that comes when you call it's name." Steven's eyes widened in terror. Demons weren't good, which was normally a given but the fact that this one looked like a human... It made him sick to his stomach. He turned on his heel and ran as fast as he couldn't away from Chara.

But Chara appeared right in front of him. He skidded to a stop, and fell on his butt. Covering his eyes he pleaded, "Chara, please! Just leave me be! What did I ever do to you?" He cried, and begged for them to let him go, to leave him be, but to no avail. Chara pinned Steven to the ground, and stared into his SOUL.

"You'll never be able to leaven now. You risked your own life to save Frisk's, and now... You'll be stuck here with me forever."

Steven looked at Chara in surprise, but he knew deep down in the core if his being that doing this dance with Chara, over and over again, was something he wouldn't put up with. He knew that he wanted to be free from the underground, and never get ensnared in Chara's web...

And then, he was filled with DETERMINATION. He threw Chara off of himself, and produced his shield. He thought of all his friends back home, and realized.

He was dreaming this whole time.

Steven woke up in a cold sweat, and to the sight of pie. It smelled sweet, with a hint of spice. He took it, and the plate it was on, out of the room, and out tie where Toriel was sitting, in her reading chair. She was reading a book.

"Hey Toriel?" Steven said, speaking up to get her attention.

"Yes, my child?"

"Did you make this pie?"

"Yes, child. It has magical healing properties, as it is monster food. It would probably be best if you ate it now, as it will get cold if left out for too long."

"Is there a container I could put it in?"

"Why do you ask?"

"In case I get hurt on the way out of the underground."

"But you will not be leaving the underground. It is far too dangerous for a human, even if you are half gem."

"I need to get back to the Crystal Gems! They'll be worried sick about me, and won't know where to find me!"

"But you could die out there! It is very dangerous, and monsters will be out for your SOUL!"

"How do you know they'll be out for my SOUL?"

"Because they only need one more in order to break the barrier, to release all monsters from this horrible prison your kind put us in!"

Steven looked at Toriel in shock, as tears ran down her furry cheeks. He hugged her tight, and she hugged him back. She apologized for her outburst, and he, for being so pushy.

"I just fear for your safety, young one. I do not want you to get hurt, or die by the hands of the race I once knew so well. I want you to live a long life, and I know that here, you'll be able to. You should sta-"

"But staying here wouldn't be good for me, Toriel. It might keep me alive, but eventually I'll want to leave. I'm fourteen now, and it wouldn't be much longer until I'm not a kid, and you wouldn't be able to keep me here. So Toriel, let me leave, and maybe, just maybe..." He looked at her with something she hadn't seen for a long time, something that reminded her of someone she thought of as her child.

"I could get you out of this place."