The Hollow Mountain

Chapter 3

When Frisk woke up, she felt lightheaded and sick. She had landed on a pile of golden flowers, each with a strong smell of buttercups and nostalgia. Her head was heavy as she lifted her eyes to look around. The walls were rocky and rough, but the floor was solid and smooth. An old cobweb hung in the corner of the room, most likely abandoned. It felt like a living memory, and a dream worth reliving.

Frisk slowly stood up, dusting herself off. The flowers around her were bright and lively, deeply contrasting with the dim stone cavern. She felt her nerves relax as she took deep breaths, one by one. Then, instead of carrying on, she waited.

She stood on the flowerbed for a few moments until she found what she was waiting for.

"Frisk?"

Her eyes scanned the flowerbed until she spotted a strangely tall flower with a face. Frisk couldn't stop a huge smile from growing on her face.

"Hello, Asriel," she said, beaming.

Flowey stared up at her, not sure whether to be happy or worried. Ever since the barrier was broken, Flowey had been left in an uncertain state. The refreshment of having a SOUL for once gave him the power to love for some time, but without it, he was unsure of how to feel. He was happy that Frisk had come back, but he was fine without her.

"Uh, howdy," he said, hesitantly. "It's just Flowey, by the way."

He didn't want to be called by the name he would never have again. Although, to be honest, he didn't really care.

Frisk hadn't stopped grinning at him, so he smiled weakly back. "What brings you back here?" he asked.

She didn't answer. Typical. She didn't really speak all that much. Flowey didn't understand why. There were times where he wanted to shout at Frisk for not speaking, like when Alphys mistook Frisk for the author of Undyne's letter.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Frisk walking towards the entrance to the Ruins. "W-wait!" he stuttered, sprouting out of the ground in front of her. "Don't go there!"

Frisk looked at him, clearly confused. Flowey sighed. "This place has gotten really, uh," Flowey said, looking for the right words. "I mean, well, it's hard to explain..."

"He's trying to say that there are weird monster zombies roaming around this place."

Frisk's eyes widened, but she managed to keep a neutral expression to hide her excitement. She knew if she turned around, she would see a friendly SOUL lazily floating around, speaking to her only through her thoughts. It was Chara.

"Are you going to do the same old silent person thing again?' Chara asked. 'Because honestly, that was kind of weird. I mean, when Undyne asked you for the letter in the dump..."

Frisk rolled her eyes, ignoring the flower and the ghost, and continued through the entrance. She stopped.

Strange light blue goo was dripping from the walls, and puddles of the slime were scattered all over the floor. The goo seemed to glow softly, gently sparkling in the light of the Ruins. It was almost like cake frosting. Frisk could see a froggit hopping in one of the puddles, dripping wet with the ooze.

The Ruins looked perfectly normal, apart from the slime. It had the same worn purple bricks, lining the walls, floor and roof. There were reddish-brown leaves sitting in neat piles up ahead, probably raked up by Toriel. The lights above were old fashioned tube lights, some fused and others shining bright as before. Frisk couldn't believe the lights had lasted for two whole years without fusing, but Chara and Flowey didn't seem surprised at all.