The Monster Of Mt. Ebott

Fallen Down

I groan softly as I pull myself up. Gently wiping dirt out of my eyes, I look up to find myself sitting in a small sunlit spot on an earthen ground. Standing up slowly, I brush the dirt off my clothes, then tilt my head back to see where the light is coming from. If I squint a bit, I can just make out a hole in the rocky ceiling above me.

Where am I? I strain to remember. I had been climbing Mount Ebott... Why? I think a bit harder. Honestly, I'm not quite sure. For the adventure of it, I suppose. I had always liked the idea of climbing mountains, hiking trails and the like, so when I got the chance, I took it.

Then there was the legend, that old tale that people who try to climb the ancient boulder never return. I sort of wanted to prove it wrong, buy was curious to see if it was true at the same time. And if it was, why it was so. Dumb, I guess, now that I'm thinking about it.

Anyways, I guess I was climbing, lost my footing, and fell. The bit of light doesn't spread far, and my shadow makes it even smaller, so I can't see much. I must have lost my gear when I fell, so there's no way I can climb back out. My cell phone was in my pocket, though... I pull it out,  fingers crossed that it won't be broken. I'm not hoping for a signal or anything, but I'm hoping my flashlight widget will still work. It takes only a glance before I sigh in defeat. It's smashed to pieces, completely useless. There's no hope of repair, either.

Alright, then. No gear, no food supply, no light to speak of, and stuck in a cavern at least a thousand feet underground. I'm probably going to die anyway, so I might as well get to know my surroundings or whatever. Just in case. I begin to walk away from the somewhat comforting light and venture into the great wide closed-in.

After walking for a minute or so, I stop for a moment to think. This cave is bigger than I thought. I wonder how big it really is. In the silence, I hear something else. It's not me, but it sounds kind of like... crying. What in the world?  I wonder, following the sound quietly. What else is down here? ...No, who else? Wait, I think I see something... I walk a bit faster, still trying to make as little noise as possible.

I end up standing in front of a small patch of golden flowers. One of the plants is taller than the rest, and it takes me a minute to realize that the flower is crying. How is that even possible?...No matter. It's a creature in need. I approach it, my padded shoes making even less noise than usual on the soft brown dirt.

I sit down next to the flower quietly, and it takes the little thing a moment to register my presence. It looks up, surprised, and I decide it's male. "Ack!" he cries. "Who are you?!" I smile and introduce myself. "Well... Um... H-hello," he stutters, confused. "How... How did you get here?" I explain to him how I had fallen down a hole into this cavern, and he scrunches up his face. "Cavern?" he asks.

"Well... That's what this is, isn't it? A cavern?" I ask, now confused myself.

"Er... Of course," he says, but for some reason I don't fully believe him.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

"Hm?" The little flower looks surprised.

"You were crying earlier," I point out. "Are you okay?"

He smiles. "O-of course!" he says cheerfully, and I almost think I imagined it. "I'm just... not used to..." He shakes his head.  "Can we start over?" he asks me.

"Sure," I agree.

"Okay. Thanks. Er... Right." The flower clears his throat, then looks up joyfully. But there's something in his eyes... "Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!" he cries happily, jolting me out of my thoughts. I smile and introduce myself again. "Hello, Flowey! I was wondering if you knew a way for me to get out of this cavern?" Once again, Flowey looks taken off guard. I frown and sit down next to him once again, my concerned eyes looking deep into his small brown ones. There was something there, something I was definitely not imagining. "You aren't okay, are you? And don't try to deny it. What's wrong, Flowey?" I ask him. His mouth drops open a bit, forming a surprised little 'o'. "Wh-what?! N... no, I'm fine! Really, I'm... fine..." Flowey's voice trails off, and his eyes fill with tears once again. "I'm fine," he whispers, looking down, but his voice cracks. I reach down and lift up his sunny petals to look at me once again, and he bites his lip. But he can't prevent one small, rebellious tear from spilling down over his pale face. I wrap my arms around the back of Flowey's small head and lean closer to him, pulling the tiny flower into a gentle hug. He tenses almost immediately. "Q-quit it!" he stutters, pulling away and glaring at me. "What's wrong with you, you're not supposed to-- augh!!" He growls, and suddenly I find myself looking at a small box containing a small heart. "What's that?" I ask, curious. "That's your SOUL," he tells me, before taking a look into the box himself. "...Wait... How-- Who are you??!?" Flowey yells, looking between me and my soul with crazed fear in his eyes. "I already told you who I am," I reply, smiling. "But if you need me to rephrase... I'm your bEsT nIGhTmaRe!!" I cackle madly as my black soul grows larger and larger, feeding off of the bullets the flower throws at me. His attacks are in vain, they only power me further. Soon I grow large enough to break out of the box, destroying it, then consuming the pieces, which make me larger. Larger. LaRGeR!! "SaY gOoDByE, aSRieL!" I screech, consuming him, too. His screams fade to nothing, and I, my soul, as one, melt into the shadows, black as the night, waiting for our next victim.

As many monsters as there are in the Underground, I am the only true monstrosity.

GAME OVER