𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅-𝐢𝐒𝐇 || undertale yellow

PROLOGUE

ON THE EDGE OF UNCERTAINTY

===

It was well known that all those who ventured to Mount Ebott were never seen again.

The mere sight of the mountain was enough to send chills down the spines of all those who gazed upon it. After the war, the landmark had become a prominent reminder of all that was lost at the hands of the monster race, swiftly being accompanied by missing posters put up all throughout the nearby towns - downers, to be frank, upon the lives of the ordinary citizens who saw them. Kids going missing wasn't something that many would want to take time out of their days thinking of.

Clover was an exception to this, however. They chose to devote time and energy thinking about other people besides themself, much to the mild vexation of their sister, Angel. She didn't discourage this, however, finding their selflessness to be admirable - at least not until Clover began voicing aloud a desire to travel to Mount Ebott to find out what had happened to the children that had gone missing. This was slightly less admirable in her eyes, and far more dangerous.

Immediately, she had refused this, but her refrains of 'you'll literally die' and 'who will I rant about music to when you're gone' had fallen on deaf ears. Her trepidation had only gotten worse when they had suggested that she came along with them, which would have been reasonable, had it not been for one major flaw.

"But then I'll die," she had complained. "And I don't really feel like dying. At least not now."

Clover, being the good sibling that they were, was confident in Angel's abilities. "You won't die," they had reassured her, and they could have left it at that - however, they chose to add a hesitant "...probably," to their statement, which led to a scuffle that ended with one of Clover's many Nerf guns being pointed at Angel's head.

Despite Clover's slightly-less-than-tactful words, Angel had agreed to go with them. It wasn't like either of them were going to leave anything behind, with their aunt and uncle having their own problems to deal with, and their parents being utterly dead to them. The town that they lived in was decent as it was, but there was nothing worthwhile or exciting for them to do in it besides dodge bullies and look at the same old vinyls in the record store that Angel frequented.

The air was crisp as they approached the towering mountain, leaves crunching underneath cowboy boots and the six-inch platforms Angel insisted on wearing - 'Just in case I need to curb stomp someone into the earth,' she had told them. They hadn't objected to her decision, their only problem with the choice in footwear being that she was now much taller than them.

Clutching one of the missing posters that had been posted in town tightly in one hand, Clover led the way, with Angel following close behind them. Her sharp eyes darted around for any potential threats, her wariness only increasing as they drew closer to Mount Ebott.

"Clover." The silence was broken as Angel finally spoke up, beginning to voice aloud the thoughts that had been tumbling in her mind ever since they had started their journey. Her sibling glanced up at her, reaching up with their free hand and tilting up the brim of their cowboy hat - a gift from Angel, given a few years back when they were living with their parents - so they could see her. "Erhm... how do I put this..."

She gestured with her hands, as if this motion could project her emotions onto Clover and allow them to immediately understand what she wanted to convey. This did not work.

"Are we really sure we want to do this?" she asked after a moment. "Like... now? I know we've been preparing for this shit for, like, ages, but are we sure that now's a good time? We don't know what we're getting into, and there's always the possibility of us dying - what if we get stuck down there? Is there gonna be food? Shelter? Somewhere safe where we're not gonna get torn into shreds by monsters? Is there ramen in the Underground? I haven't fought someone in ages, what if I'm shit at it? What if-"

Her ramblings blurred together after some time for Clover, who was plenty used to their sister's overthinking by this point. Clover was younger than her by several years, but far more mature, as Angel often pointed out. To be fair to her, she had grown into the habit for a good reason - with their parents being the people that they were, Angel had to keep up a persona that wasn't a complete downer in order to get the two of them through the days that stretched into weeks, adding variety into the same torturous routine that played over and over.

Clover didn't think any less of her for the way she often behaved. Time and time again, she reminded them, either through hastily put-together words or actions that ended in outcomes that did not reflect their intention, that the only reason she did anything was to look out for them, to keep them safe. She meant well, and even though she could be eccentric at times, Clover was proud to say that she was their sister.

Despite this, her yapping was starting to wear on their nerves.

Angel stopped speaking as she felt a soft tug on her sleeve, tilting her head slightly. "You don't hav'ta come," Clover mumbled. Angel blinked.

"Are you kidding?" she scoffed. "You think I'm just gonna leave you here, with the monsters and shit, all alone?" She rolled her eyes, striding forward with newfound vigor. "I'm not leaving your side. No amount of comfort and ramen and potential not-dying could ever pull me away from you."

She posed dramatically, a cocky grin on her face as she forced away her growing trepidation. "It's gonna be fine. We're gonna be fine, Cloves."

Clover couldn't help but chuckle a little, their confidence growing at Angel's reassuring words. "Thank you."

"What do you mean? This is literally what I'm here for," Angel said. "Imagine what kinda shit sister I'd be if I straight-up abandoned you here - no way in hell am I gonna do that to my favorite sibling." An exaggeratedly simpering smile crossed her face as she looked down at Clover.

"Your only sibling."

Angel hit the brim of their hat, knocking it down over their eyes. "Be grateful our parents didn't procreate again, otherwise I might change my mind on that- hey!"

She leapt away from her sibling as they swiped at her with the rolled up missing poster, dashing away and giggling as she heard them chase after her. The two ran through the trees, Angel staying a few steps ahead of Clover as they neared the looming mountain. They soon stumbled upon a hollow opening in a rocky cliff face, and stopped short, Angel absentmindedly pushing Clover's hand away when they tried to hit her with the missing poster again.

"Woah," she mumbled. "This is it, then, huh? Totally not spooky at all..."

She crept forward, platform boots crushing the fallen foliage in a satisfying way as she drew nearer to the opening. A steep drop-off prevented her from going much further, however, and a chill ran down her spine as she leaned forward to observe the gaping hole further. "Jesus..."

The mystery of what may lie at the bottom of the chasm seemed to tug at Angel, and she took a step back, frowning ever so slightly. Waves of trepidation and wonder clashed against one another, pulling and drawing her back to and from the hole that she couldn't look away from, not until she felt Clover's gloved hand take her own. She glanced over at them, a pit growing in her stomach as she realized the certainty of the future that lay ahead of them.

"Can we do this tomorrow?" she asked halfheartedly, knowing the response - or lack thereof - that she was going to receive. Clover's warm eyes regarded her closely as they took a step forward, searching for hesitance and waiting until she moved as well before proceeding.

They drew closer to the edge, and Angel squinted; something golden lay at the bottom of the pit, and she hoped that whatever it was would be soft. She looked back over at Clover, a hint of her own hope reaching her as she saw the determined look in their eyes. "You sure you're ready for this?"

Clover nodded once, firmly enough that Angel didn't need to ask a second time. She squeezed their hand as they reached up, gripping onto the brim of their hat as they stepped forward, right on the precipice of the great chasm.

"God, please let this go well," Angel muttered, closing her eyes tightly. The two teetered on the edge for a split second, before stepping forward, plunging into the darkness below.