Hello to all of you wonderful readers whether you're reading this at chapter one or later on, thanks for beginning this little journey to take place in the Undertale Universe. It is a bit of an Au actually based on a thought me and a few friends had had. What if Frisk had fallen down at a much younger age, how did they survive the fall, what would a human growing up in the underground be like?, and many other questions. This fic is the result of that and will of course contain spoilers for the game, as for which run of the game you'll figure it out I'm sure.

As a last note, it is only this chapter that is going to be written in first person as I felt it fit for the prologue. It is additionally written from Toriel's perspective.

I could never say for certain what I was doing that day whenever I was to look back to think on it. Perhaps I was testing a new recipe after finding an old cookbook belonging to one of the fallen children that had passed through decades prior. I believe I remembered seeing a recipe asking for some sort of plant I did not currently have so that was always a possibility. I may have just been walking through the ruins as well, visiting with the monsters who inhabited it. I may have even just been searching for fallen humans as I often did.

Regardless, I remember what came afterwards in clear detail. I remember hearing a child crying near the golden flowers so many humans landed upon their fall into the underground. I remember seeing the small human child sitting in the golden flowers that clearly broke what would have been a lethal fall and yet wondering how a human of such a young age could have fallen down without a scratch. They were by far the youngest to have ever fallen and by that I assumed them to be no more that 2 or 3 in human years. It was a miracle that they had survived the fall at all. Actually, looking around I had searched to see if someone had fallen with them, or if perhaps a monster had taken pity and run to their aid once they realized someone had fallen down.

There was of course, no one, and I had quickly turned my attention back to the small child.

They had brown hair and wore a striped sweater far too large for their small body as it looked similar to a blanket on them that just happened to have sleeves. "There there little one." I said, gingerly lifting them up from the flowers. "It's alright, I've got you. What's your name?" They had continued to cry, not answering my question, perhaps they were too young to, I could never have known what age they learnt to talk as all the humans to pass here had been 11 at the youngest. "Well, my name is Toriel and I am the caretaker of the ruins." I told them, they had gradually begun to quiet down as I stood there with them, talking to them about where they were now even if they did not understand. "You fell quite a ways didn't you little one? Were you with your family when you did I wonder?"

It was a sad thought yet, if anyone knew what it was like to lose a child it was me, this human had been far too young to have wandered to the gap in the mountain all alone so I questioned if they walked away, they seemed old enough to at least crawl but not fast enough for their parents to have not noticed. Even then though, human's knew about the legends surrounding the mountain, why would they risk a child's safety like that to go exploring? Another explanation as to how they may have fallen came into my head for a brief moment, a much darker one, and I had to quickly push it away.

However they had fallen down and for whatever reason, they had nowhere else to go and no one else to watch them. Since they were far younger than any other human to come down they of course would be unable to leave the Ruins as well either.

And so, I remember making the decision that I would raise this child myself and care for them as long as they needed me and perhaps a bit longer than that. They had already quieted down by now and had begun to tug on one of my ears, they reminded me of my own child when he was young and I felt a pang of sadness. "Moo moo." they called at me, so they could speak, if only simply, I chuckled slightly.

"No my child I am not a cow, if anything perhaps a goat if that makes sense to you little one." I explained, "But for now you may call me anything you wish, I will take care of you."

And I had, I'd brought them to my home with me where I'd watched them sleep through the night after they'd eaten and I showed them around the Ruins the next morning. They seemed absolutely enthralled in it all and kept up with me admittedly more than I had expected as I was prepared to carry them again if need be.

It wasn't until we reached the Nice Cream Man though did I hear them speak again, "Frisk wants cream." they'd insisted and I could only assume Frisk was their name by that. It was an odd name but I thought it was very nice.

"Alright Frisk." I'd smiled, ignoring the Nice Cream Man's bewilderment at the human standing with me. He quickly cheered up when I'd bought the Nice Cream for me and Frisk though.

Frisk was kind even for being so young, though they were admittedly slightly too curious for their own good, looking into every crack and crevice they could reach. I would of course draw them away from this and use that curiosity into learning, I'd always wanted to be a teacher after all.

The years passed by a bit faster now that I didn't spend most of my life alone and that I of course now had Frisk to chase around and take care of. Frisk grew older as well and grew to love the Ruins as much as I did. The monsters living in the Ruins began to feel comfortable around them as well and I'd go as far as to say that Frisk made friends with many of them when they weren't in our little home school where I taught them all I knew. About monsters and what I remembered of the humans as well. It helped that I'd learned bits and pieces more about the outside from different humans that had passed through, how it had changed and the like, and so I had that to teach as well.

Frisk was eager to learn as much as they could and quick to do so as well, by the time they were what I assumed to be 6 based on how old they were when they'd arrived they were already reading very well and had a good hold on mathematics for their age. Their spelling had used a little work but that too passed eventually.

It was around that time that I heard them call me something other than 'Moo Moo' or even Toriel. Frisk had called me mom and I had almost cried out from the shock and even the joy from it. It was a blessing for me to hear after so many years and I hugged them tight, to them it must've been slightly confusing as to why it made me so happy but that didn't matter. I had been given another chance to be a mother.

The years continued to fly by and Frisk grew accustomed to the Ruins and insisted that they knew them like the back of their hand. I'd still been hesitant to let them out of the house alone but in the end I'd given them a phone and my number and sent them off. I worried the whole day, wondering and worrying about the worst, but also hoping for the best. Of course, I couldn't have been happier when they'd returned with two friends they'd met during the day and with Frisk's return with them, they'd Insisted that their new friends should stay for dinner. I was quick to agree much to their delight and after that, dinner with the local monsters became a regular occurrence for our little family.

It was nice, I couldn't deny, and I was the happiest I'd been in who knows how many years, but with every year and every day that passed, I'd always wondered and very much dreaded if a day would come when Frisk chose to leave me for some reason or another.

With every human to pass through it would happen, yes, some would stay longer than others, years even which was long enough for me to hope they'd stay forever. At some point though, they'd all choose to leave to try and find their way back to the surface and whatever families they had up there, and in the process, they'd all die...

I hoped that maybe, maybe that they were growing up here in the ruins and because they had little to no memory of the surface, they would remain here with me and never question what was past the doors that lead to the rest of the underground. It was perhaps a far too hopeful idea but one that I still hoped would somehow come true. That Frisk would stay with me here in the Ruins for many, many years.

Perhaps….perhaps maybe my thoughts then were selfish. Yes I did not want them to venture out and be killed by King Asgore but...at the same time I didn't want to be left alone again. I'd lost too many children, my own and the humans that i'd grown to call mine during their time here, I was not prepared to lose another to him.

Or maybe. Maybe I was just destined to lose those I cared about. It sure seemed that way, because eventually, the day I had dreaded so did come, and Frisk left me, like all the others, I could only hope that their fate would not be the same as the others too.

I-

And there's the Prologue, I thought that showing it from Toriel's perspective would be an interesting way to start the story. As for how this will differ from the game itself there will be some very large changes and I hope you'll like it. Anyways, thanks so

much for reading! Until next time!