Chapter Text
Frisk followed after the monster that had saved them from the flower - she had said her name was Toriel, right? - quietly. Flowey had caught them off guard, and they had been so sure that was the end of their life, and they weren't ready for that. To say they were slightly afraid would be an understatement. They didn't know the first thing about where they were, or the creatures they might find...
"Welcome to your new home, innocent one," Toriel said, smiling at them. Frisk offered a smile in return. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." Frisk watched as Toriel stepped across four of the six switches on the floor, then pulled down the lever on the wall. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Toriel smiled again, gently, before turning and walking into the next room. Frisk took a chance to have a look around the room when a groggy voice drew their attention.
"Man, come on... I was having the nicest nap..." In the doorway was a child, roughly their own age, in a green shirt with a single yellow stripe through the middle of it. They looked an awful lot like they did, only their hair and skin were lighter colors, and they had piercing red eyes. Not a good sign, Frisk had come to think, after watching movies when they were younger. "Did you wake me up, kid? What's up with that? You got some kind of problem with me?"
"U-Umm... N-no?" Frisk said, as they backed into a corner. "W-Where did you come from? Did you fall down, too...?"
The child groaned as they rubbed their eyes. "No, I've been here my whole life," they said, sarcastically. "What do YOU think?" Frisk flinched back at their tone, causing a small smile to break onto their face. "Well, well, look at that. You're a sensitive one, aren't you. Doesn't matter in the end, though, I guess. Humans are all the same deep down. So what do you want, huh? Why'd you wake me up?"
"I-I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to. I... I just tripped and fell down a hole up on Mt. Ebott... I woke up down here, and... and then I met a flower, and he... He tried to kill me, and..." Tears started forming at the edges of their eyes. "I just want to go home..."
The child sighed. "Why would you want to go back to the surface? Humanity's nothing but a huge stain on the face of this Earth. Monsters are so much better." They turned their head towards Frisk, a smile on their face. "The flower must've sensed your heart, kid. That's got to be it." They walked over and placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "You listen to me kid. You want my advice? The first monster you see, lay down and let it kill you."
"What? H-How can you say that?"
"It's for the best in the end. Monsters aren't fond of humans, and neither am I. You'd be doing them all a favor if you gave up your SOUL for them. Trust me." Frisk's head fell. The child suddenly felt they'd done something wrong. "Hey, don't take it like that. I'm just telling you what I know. Listen. You want to go home? I might know a way. But I'll need you to trust me for as long as we're together, okay? Don't go stabbing me in the back."
"I-I would... I would never..." Frisk said, looking up.
"Good. Now, listen. I'm just going to need you to follow the path forward, alright? That's IT. Try to stay away from the Monsters. If they find out you're a human, they will NOT hesitate to kill you." They stood up. "The name's Chara, by the way." They walked to the door and waited patiently for Frisk.
Frisk hesitantly followed after Chara, worried that, maybe, Flowey had been right. Maybe this really was a 'kill or be killed' world. They looked to the stick in their hand. The thought of using it as a weapon filled them with disgust. But, they thought, if it really came to it...
No.
No, they wouldn't. They wouldn't betray Chara. On their watch, nobody would die.
They were brave. They were a pacifist.
They were filled with DETERMINATION.
-
"Kid, what the heck are you doing?" Chara asked, as Frisk wiggled their hips back and forth at the pile of slime in front of them. "...And... more importantly... why is Moldsmal doing it, too?"
"I don't know! ...I think I'm flirting with it?" Frisk shrugged, and stopped wiggling their hips, after which Moldsmal stopped, as well. They took a moment to manipulate their SOUL out of the way of Moldsmal's magic attacks before turning to Chara. "Do you think it likes me?"
Chara stared at Moldsmal, a puzzled expression on their face. "I... can't tell. It has no mouth. Or eyes. Or FACE. Why do you care? Are you honestly telling me you'd date this thing?"
"Why not?" Frisk turned to Moldsmal and gave it a smile. "They're cute." Frisk approached it and kneeled down in front of it. "I don't want to fight you. You're free to go." Moldsmal jiggled for a bit before it turned and slithered away. A bit like a slug, Frisk thought. Where it stood a moment before was a single gold coin. They picked it up, placing it into their pocket with the others they had, and continued on down the hall.
Chara just watched them go. Something in them told them that Frisk was different. So far, the stick they held had never been raised against a monster. So far, Frisk had been showing MERCY to everyone they met. Maybe... 'No. They're the exception, not the rule. Even if they do show kindness... It's only a matter of time...' Chara shook the thought off before running to catch up with Frisk.