Toriel let him leave, in the end, but insisted on preparing him to the T. She supplied him with a backpack, which was functional, but definitely not cheeseburger shaped, as well as a coat, gloves, a hat, boots, and the container that had the slice of pie in it. She kissed him on the head, tears in her eyes, as she let him go into the big underground, pretty much by himself.
"Steven, if I let you go, you must promise me something."
"Of course, Toriel! Anything!"
"You must not come back here, at least until your journey is complete. Do not harm a monster, or your SOUL will be tainted, and last of all, be good, Steven. Your soul is pure, and I know that you will do what you believe is best."
"Yes ma'am!"
"And there is a friend I have in Snowdin. He loves to tell jokes, and he should be able to protect you. I will miss you a lot, Steven. Please, remember what I have told."
He nodded, and Toriel started to prepare him for the road ahead.
He waved goodbye, and marched through the doorway. He was met with a room, much like the room where he encountered Flowey. He walked through, when something wrapped around his ankles, and made him lose his balance. Before he knew it, he had a faceful of dirt, and an evil flower next to his head. He lifted his head, and saw Flowey, bright-eyed and bouncy.
"Wow, you musta' reeeeaaaaally wanted to save her, keeping Chara out of your head like that"
"What do you mean, keeping Chara out of my head?"
"You can't tell me you didn't even have the urge to kill her? No wanting to cut her open, or watch her dust fall to the ground? To hear the anguished cries of someone who just wanted to protect you? Or was it the happy words of a mother who will finally get to see her lost children?"
Steven stood and sprinted as fast as he could, out the other doorway, and into the snow covered forest. He quickly tugged the doors shut behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked around at his surroundings.
'Wow, these trees are really tall', he thought, walking along the path. There was a click to his side, and he turned to look at a bush. There was a camera inside. Steven tapped the camera, and then smiled into it, paying no mind to how weird it was. He continued to walk down the path, when he saw a branch along the path. He stepped over it, and considered trying to move it, but deduced that it was simply too heavy. He drug his feet in the snow, kicking it into the air, picking it up and throwing it above his head, when he heard a loud snap. He looked back, and the branch was split in half. Steven jumped, and picked up his pace. Toriel was right, he should have stayed in the Ruins with her, it would've been much safer. There was a gate, with bars too wide to stop anybody, and Steven stopped when he reached the bridge that they were supposed to be barricading. There was a presence looming behind him, and his hair stood on end. He knew that he probably should have gotten away while he had the chance, but he couldn't move his legs.
"D o n ' ?" The person behind Steven said. Steven jumped again, fear growing in his stomach. He so badly wanted to get out of there, but something was holding him in place. The presence chuckled, lightheartedly.
" d"
There was something urging Steven to turn around, and he did, but there was nobody there. He spun around, looking for whoever was talking to him, but no one seemed to be around him, at all. He hung his head, when there was a tap on his shoulder. Steven jumped, higher than he had during this whole ordeal, and quickly spun around. Someone, or something grabbed his hand, and something vibrated in between their hands.
It was a whoopee cushion.
Steven laughed, nervously, while the skeletal figure laughed like there was no tomorrow. Its eye sockets were closed, and it seemed to be talking.
"Geez, kiddo, you seem to be jumpy this time around! I know you like to act surprised, but this was really good! No bones about it!"
"What do you mean this time?" Steven asked, hoping to get an actual answer out of somebody. He was genuinely confused as to what this this time means, and he wanted an answer to his question, dammit! The skeleton looked up at him, fear on its face. It seemed to be searching his eyes for something, and when it wasn't found, the hood came off, and its eye sockets narrowed.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Steven... I came from the Ruins..."
"I figured that much. Was there... Another human with you when you fell?"
"No, but there was a kid at the opening of the peak of the mountain. I pulled them away and fell in myself..."
"Are you sure that they didn't fall in after you?"
"No, they were taken to my family so they were safe." The skeleton straightened up, and stuck its hand out again.
"Sorry about that, kid. I'm Sans, Sans the skeleton." Steven shook his hand again, and followed him when he started to walk. They stopped in front of some sort of stand, with an oddly shaped lamp. Sans spun him to face the station. Steven saw a skeletal finger point toward the station, and he was pushed toward it.
"Run. Unless you like being captured, which hey, isn't my place to criticize. People like you are the reason we only need one more SOUL."
Steven jogged toward the stand, and dove behind it. There were fast footsteps, and then a loud voice.
"Brother, why are you slacking off? And why are there condiments on your sentry station? "
"Heh. I dunno Papyrus, I guess I just don't have the means to ketchup to your skills"
There was a loud groan, and the sound of snow being crushed.
"Brother! Now. Is. Not. The. Time! It has been eight days and you still. Haven't. Recalibrated. Your. Puzzles!"
"Puzzles, shmuzzles. I don't need to, because I know where a human is."
"Oh. Carry on, then. I will prepare my puzzles."
The footsteps went away from the area, and Sans poked his head over the sentry station.
"Coast is clear, bucko."
"Thanks, Sans." Steven got up, his butt soaked from the snow, and walked around to stand next to Sans.
"So, uh... Who exactly was that?"
"My brother, Papyrus. Aspiring to be part of the royal guard. But he has to capture a human first, and I doubt that he knows what ASGORE does to humans."
"I don't wanna die, Sans"
"I know kiddo, nobody should want to die." Sans muttered, strolling away. Steven followed him, not knowing what else to do. There was a fork in the road in the next area. There was also a star-shaled thing. Steven reached out, and brushed it with his fingers.
FILE SAVED.