Underearth/Book 1/Chapter 34

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"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING." Frisk heard in the darkness as some lights slowly dimmed on. Mettaton. "MY MY, YOU LOOK BATTERED. DID YOU HAVE TROUBLE WITH SOME MECHANOIDS OR SOMETHING?"

Frisk just stared at them viciously.

"IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT." Mettaton then paused for a moment before suddenly shouting "NOT!!!"

Frisk tilted his head when they shouted this.

"MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME. AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON THAT SHE'S NOT."

As Mettaton said these things, Frisk grew more and more horrified. Either Mettaton was a liar, or Frisk had completely fallen for Alphys's trick.

"AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR 'BATTLE', SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY. SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY, SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE."

Frisk regained his composure. *There's only one way to be certain of what Mettaton is saying, and that is if Alphys really does show up.* Frisk thought to himself as Mettaton spoke.

"OR NOT." Mettaton then said. "YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW..." Mettaton paused dramatically. "WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"

Mettaton then stretched one of their arms out and pressed a button on a nearby console, causing the door behind Frisk to slam shut and lock. Frisk then heard a loud knocking behind him.

"H-hey!!! Wh-wh-what's going on!? Th-th-the door just locked itself!" a voice came from the other side. It was Alphys's voice. *So everything he said was true!?* Frisk thought.

Sublights suddenly activated, lighting the floor, a single bright one right under Mettaton, and five red ones surrounding them. A full section of the floor then began rising upward slowly.

"SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED!!! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!" Mettaton shouted. The elevated platform then shot straight up so fast that Frisk fell to the floor. "REAL DRAMA!! REAL ACTION!! REAL BLOODSHED!! ON OUR NEW SHOW - ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!"

As they finished the sentence, the platform stopped rising, and numerous miniature Mettatons emerged from over the sides, surrounding the platform. Each of them had a massive circular lens replacing most of their face. *Those must be the 'cameramen'.* Frisk thought to himself as they just floated and watched, broadcasting the show to the entire Underground.

"YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE DEFENSIVE AREA! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED THE MERCENARIES TO KILL YOU AND RE-ACTIVATED THE MECHANOIDS! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!!"

Frisk quickly pulled out his phone and activated 'Yellow', which readied swiftly. Frisk then pointed his phone at Mettaton and pressed the button a few times. The projectiles appeared to do nothing.

"THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?"

Frisk stopped firing and lowered the device.

"LISTEN, DARLING. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT." Mettaton monologued, "YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY. BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION! THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING! HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS... NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME! GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!"

Just as Mettaton finished that last line, Frisk's phone began ringing. Answering it, Alphys's voice began coming through the receiver.

"U..uh... I can't see what's going on in there, but... D-d-don't give up, okay!?" Alphys said.

Frisk wanted to yell at her for lying to him, for putting him in any sort of danger, and for the danger he was now facing, but he controlled himself enough to stay silent and listen to what she had to say.

"Th... there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton... It's... um... it's... This is a work in-progress, so don't judge it too hard... But, you know how Mettaton is always facing you? That's because there's a switch on his back. S-s-so if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around... um... And, umm... flip th-th-th-the switch... He'll be... um... He'll be... Vulnerable. Well, g-g-gotta go!"

The phone-call then dropped. Frisk stored the phone into his pocket and thought about ways to get Mettaton to turn around. After a second of brainstorming, Frisk thought of the perfect way.

"Hey Mettaton," Frisk shouted, "that's a nice mirror you've got behind you. Where'd you get it?"

"OH??? A MIRROR??? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE." Mettaton said before turning around, revealing a large switch right in the center of their back. "HMM... I DON'T SEE IT... WHERE IS IT...?"

Frisk ran up behind Mettaton as fast as he could and flipped the switch, causing it to make a loud sound as it latched across.

"DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" Mettaton asked just after Frisk had done it.

"Yup, that's right, and you were dumb enough to believe me when I'd said there was a mirror behind you." Frisk taunted.

Mettaton then suddenly began making a ton of mechanical beeps as he wobbled back and forth on his wheel until suddenly there was a burst of smoke. Frisk backpedaled back to where he was before yelling to Mettaton, waiting to see what had happened.

"Ohhhh my." Frisk heard a voice whisper. "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing." Spotlights from the hovering Mini-tons surrounding the platform shone into the center of the smoke. "You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments..." Mettaton paused as a sudden burst of air cleared all the smoke, revealing a very glamorous humanoid machine. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!" they finished.

*That's what that switch did? He'd better be more vulnerable!* Frisk thought as Mettaton began dancing.

"Lights! Camera! Action!" Mettaton shouted as numerous spotlights befell the platform. "Don't you see, darling? I'm the idol everyone craves! Smile for the camera!"

More Mini-tons appeared over the side of the platform and began firing something at Frisk, who rolled out of the way.

"Is that the best you've got, Mettaton?" Frisk shouted as he got back to his feet and ran at them, punching them square in the gut and sending a shock of pain through his arm.

"Oh yes, darling, action!" they responded as they kicked Frisk away.

The back and forth violence continued for a while until finally, Frisk gained the upper hand when, while charging Mettaton, he grabbed one of Mettaton's arms and ripped it off, followed by slamming it into the side of Mettaton's head. As a result of this, the other arm simply fell off on its own.

"A.. arms?" Mettaton said. "Wh... who needs arms with legs like these? I'm still going to win!"

The battle then continued as normal until while Mettaton was attempting to kick Frisk, Frisk grabbed his leg and pulled up, causing Mettaton to go off balance and fall onto their back. Frisk then took advantage of the situation and, with glowing red eyes, ripped Mettaton's leg off and jammed it right into the glowing heart-shaped section of Mettaton's lower torso. When done, the other leg shot off with the force of a rocket and exploded on the wall of the control room.

"My, my, you are rather violent..." Mettaton said as they opened their eyes. Mettaton stared down at Frisk when their face suddenly lit up. "OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS!!!" they then shouted, surprising Frisk and causing him to back up. "THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD!!! WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER!! LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!" they said as they sat up.

Almost instantly, the sound of a telephone suddenly began emanating from Mettaton before just as suddenly stopping.

"HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW???"

Silence and quiet static filled the air until an unknown voice came emanating from Mettaton.

"oh........ hi... Mettaton..." the voice said. As the viewer said this, Mettaton lost their ever-present smile. "I really liked watching your show... my life is pretty boring... but... seeing you on the screen... brought excitement to my life... vicariously. I can't tell, but... I guess this is the last episode...? I'll miss you... Mettaton......" Mettaton then lowered their head, as though in pain. "oh.... I didn't mean to talk so long... oh.........."

"NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL..." Mettaton stopped as some dial-tone began coming from their body. "H... THEY ALREADY HUNG UP." Mettaton lowered their head again. "I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!!!"

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!" One caller said.

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you." Said another.

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart." A third one said.

"AH... I... I SEE..." they said as their head went even lower. After a bit, they then broke a smile. "EVERYONE... THANK YOU SO MUCH." Mettaton then raised their head to face Frisk. "DARLING. PERHAPS... IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR A WHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS, BUT MONSTERS... THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT... THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED. SO... I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY BIG DEBUT. BESIDES, YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. PERHAPS... EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE. I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY. HA, HA... IT'S ALL FOR THE BEST, ANYWAY. THE TRUTH IS, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMTION IS... INEFFICIENT. PLUS, YOU DID A BIG NUMBER ON ME REGARDLESS. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL RUN OUT OF BATTERY POWER, AND... WELL. I'LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLING. AND EVERYONE... THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!" Mettaton then closed their eyes and fell back onto their back.

Once Mettaton was down and out, the Mini-tons descended out of sight. Frisk walked over to the panel and pressed the same switch which Mettaton had pressed, causing the platform to descend as well back down to where it was when Frisk first entered. He then pressed another button, and the door unlocked and opened. Alphys was crouched around a corner just outside the room. When the door opened, she put a few tools into her pocket and ran inside.

"I... I managed to open the lock! Are you two..." She then got in enough to see Mettaton lying on the ground. She rushed over to where Mettaton was laying "Oh my god. Mettaton! Mettaton, are you..." She said, pulling out a few more tools and checking on him. "... thank GOD, it's just the batteries. Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have... I would have..."

Alphys then turned around to see Frisk standing behind her.

"I m-mean, h-hey, it's n-no problem, you know? He's just a robot, if you messed it up, I c-could always... J-just build another."

"Drop the act, you liar." Frisk said sternly, surprising Alphys greatly. "Mettaton told me everything, how you'd been lying to me simply so you could insert yourself into my 'story'. Well I'm not having it anymore. So long, Alphys." Frisk then stormed off, passing through the rest of the control room, and entered through the far door, the sound of crying filling the domed room as he left.

The area past the control room was a corner followed by a long hallway. As he walked down the hallway, Frisk saw more of those mechanoids he saw when trying to press the red button planted in the walls and ceiling, appearing to be inactive. When Frisk got to the end, he found an elevator, with words next to it that read "To Elysium". As he pushed the elevator call button, Alphys entered the hallway and ran down to where Frisk was, who brought up his fists in preparation for an attack.

"W... Wait!" she shouted, coming to a halt some ways away from Frisk. "I... I'm sorry. I... I did lie to you. Not just about Mettaton and all of Mount Hot, but about the Barrier as well. A Human SOUL isn't strong enough to cross the Barrier alone. It takes at least a Human SOUL... and a Monster SOUL." She then remained quiet for a moment just as the elevator doors opened. Frisk, however, just stood there, staring at Alphys. "If you want to go home... You'll have to take his SOUL. You'll have to kill Asgore." She then turned back around and began walking away with a final "I'm sorry."

Frisk walked into the elevator armed with this new information. To leave and finish his quest of retribution, he would have to kill Asgore.