Undertale: Beyond the Barrier

~Past Favours~

"Otto. What if I told you that you could have the body you always dreamed of having?"

"Huh...?"

"You're tired of being an outcast, aren't you? You've always hated the humans. You want revenge on them. I can give you the body to do that."

"Why would you help me?"

"You and I share a hatred for the human race. We both want to see them disappear forever. That's something you want, right?"

"..."

"I'll leave you my contact details. Feel free to call any time if you wish to discuss this further."

...

"There you go," Alphys smiled proudly as Mettaton sat up. "I've managed to fit you with a long-life energy supply. Sure, it meant getting rid of your NEO form b-but i-it's all for the b-better!"

The scientist sweat a little, unsure if her creation would actually like the fact that his NEO form had been completely removed.

The robotic celebrity turned his head to face her, blank at first before he smiled confidently.

"Alphys, darling, if I want to be loved by the humans then I won't be needing a form built to eliminate them," he reacted. "I'm no longer a killing machine, I'm a singer. A dancer. I am an idol."

Alphys looked both shocked and relieved. "R-R-Really...? Y-You're not that bothered...? Like, not at all...?" she asked. Mettaton simply chuckled.

"This is the only body I want," he assured her. "I don't ever want to go back to my old self, and if that means sacrificing my NEO form... then so be it."

The scientist looked almost flattered that the robotic icon had taken the news so lightly, sweating and smiling at the same time. "W...Wow... I thought you'd be-"

"Of course, I still expect you to make me an outfit which is near-identical to my NEO form," Mettaton added with a somewhat smug grin. "I have to look fabulous in my latest drama."

Alphys instantly stopped smiling and looked nervous, sweating even more. "O-Of course, Mettaton...!" she responded obediently, her nervous reaction causing the machine to chuckle behind his hand. Alphys laughed nervously, her laughter eventually slowing down into an awkward silence before she found the courage to speak again.

"A-Are you sure... y-y-you'll be okay up there...?" she stuttered. "H-Humans can be a little h-harsh when criticizing c-celebrities..."

"Alphys, darling, please!" Mettaton laughed heartily as if there was nothing to worry about. "A naive idol living in a foreign environment... That would make the perfect reality TV series! Imagine the ratings!"

Although Mettaton's idea sounded interesting, Alphys couldn't help but feel worried. It was probably safer now that he had no NEO form to intimidate the humans with, otherwise his haters would most likely end up "disappearing mysteriously".

"R-Right..." Alphys smiled nervously, glancing to the side. "A-Are you taking... a-anyone with you...?"

"My film crew," Mettaton grinned proudly. "I'm also bringing Bl- ...Napstablook along, too. My fans find him adorable, you kow."

"Heh heh. T-They're not wrong!" Alphys replied awkwardly. Her statement resulted in an awkward silence before Mettaton smiled again.

"I need to get myself ready," he announced, standing up at last. "Pack my bags, darling, would you?"

"U-U-Um..."

"Hey!" came the loud voice of Undyne as she marched into the room. "She's not your personal servant, punk!"

"I asked nicely," Mettaton shrugged, a little smirk on his face. Undyne grit her sharp teeth and clenched her fists before Alphys intervened.

"I-I-It's quite a-alright, U-Un-Undyne!" she assured. "M-Mettaton's always busy p-p-preparing for his n-next performance... H-He could use a h-helping hand...! A-And i-it's better if I pack for him s-s-since I know what he really needs to take w-with him! I-It would be most inconvenient if h-he forgot his charger or phone...!"

Undyne scoffed. "Tch," she reacted, glaring at Mettaton before turning on her heel and shrugging her shoulders. "He really is useless, isn't he?" she said as she started walking away. "Just don't let him push you around too much. If you need me, I'll be watching the epic conclusion of 'Go Go Robo Rangers'. No unnecessary disturbances, please!" And with that, she was gone.

Alphys watched as Undyne left before turning back to face Mettaton, grinning nervously as she scratched the back of her head.

"I-I'll go and pack for you now," she stated. "You... you should go polish yourself and arrange transport. O-Or you could call a h-human hotel and make reservations for a room..."

"Burgerpants already made reservations for me," Mettaton confirmed. "He's a wonderful employee, you know; he booked this magnificent presidential suite! It's fabulous, Alphys, you should see it!"

That last sentence led to yet another silence. Mettaton had realised that Alphys hadn't really been to many places with him. Not since he became famous. And now he was boasting about this amazing room he was planning to stay in, while Alphys would just stay in her lab watching anime...

...Ah, it's what she loves to do best, is it not?

Mettaton smiled. "I'll be in the bathroom if you need me, darling," he said to Alphys as he strolled happily out of the room. Alphys sighed; robots never need the bathroom.

Then again, the bathroom was now essentially Mettaton's beauty parlour.

But that wasn't the only thing that made her sigh. She missed talking properly with Mettaton; no matter what she did for him, he'd still return to being self-obsessed and obnoxious no matter how nice he seems to be at first.

Yet even though he was so confident, Mettaton was by no means as strong as he seemed. His NEO form, despite being weak in terms of defense, was built so that he may fight humans. Dangerous humans. He could get attacked at any time out there by haters or drunk humans during the night... Alphys didn't want to imagine Mettaton having to deal with anything like that.

She still had this instinct to protect him, because even though he seemed capable of surviving on the surface, he was still incredibly naive and let his love for humans flood his mind too much. If he was in a negative situation with a human, he'd be distraught. He'd be traumatized.

All Alphys could do now was hope that Mettaton would be safe out there.

...

"Awaken."

"..."

"How are you feeling?"

"...I do not feel."

"Interesting. So then, do you know your objective?"

"Destroy all humans."

"Good. Now travel to the surface and do what you have wanted to do for a long time."

"Yes... master."

~End of Chapter~