I'M FINALLY DONE WITH MY EOCs...but I have to take more tests next week.. Booo...Oh well. ANYWAY! I did this chapter really late at night. I finished it a bit after midnight. There will be more Mettaton in this chapter along with a reference to a certain social media website. Tell me what it is if you figure it out. It's actually pretty obvious now that I think about it...OH WELL. Until then!

As I walk out into the next part of Hotland, a ringtone comes from my phone. I check it and apparently Alphys updated her status on Monsterbook.

'just realized i didn't watch undyne fight the human v.v'

I hope she realizes that I can see her posts. I look about the area and continue on through Hotland. I didn't even manage to leave the room before Alphys updated her status again.

'well i know she's unbeatable i'll ask her abt it later ^.^'

Is it really that difficult to spell 'about'? Also, Alphys is in for some big disappointment if she thinks Undyne is unbeatable. Not even a step and there the phone rings again.

'for now i gotta call up the human and guide them =^.^='

This is starting to get a bit irritating. There's no need to change your status that many times in one day. But what do I know? I never really got around to social media. When I reach the next area I'm thrown into a FIGHT.

Using the 'check' option, I find out that the name of the monster is Vulkin. It's a little volcano with four legs; a bit adorable.

It's attack was a bit too easy to dodge. It looks like it's just having fun doing its own little thing. This makes me wonder why I'm even fighting it in the first place.

"Hey, you can do a bit better!" I encourage.

That seemed to have toned up his accuracy a bit. I saw fireballs coming at me from both sides. They were quicker than the last ones, but I take no damage. It laughs and starts parading around me in a circle. I SPARE it and the battle ends.

I see two conveyor belts. One that headed in my direction, and one that led back to me. Taking the one that led me forward, Alphys updates her status AGAIN.

'gonna call them in a minute! =^.^='

If I said I wasn't the slightest bit irritated, I'd be lying. I know she means well, but c'mon already! I sigh and take another conveyor belt. This one was a bit sharp with the turns, but I manage to stay on. Finding a safe place, I take out my diary and write down what happened to me at Snowdin.

I write at the top of that page, 'REMEMBER THIS'. Apparently if I write something down, I can return to that point in time. So...if I ever wanted to go back to Sans' room in Snowdin, I can just go there using this page. To my frustration, Alphys updates her status again.

'I HATE USING THE PHONE I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS LMAO ^.^'

What does 'lmao' mean?...I'll just ask Undyne about it later. She seems to know Alphys better than anyone else I've met so far. I see a small pad with an arrow pointing forward. Before I could step on it, I'm put into a fight.

I look at the monster before me and give a confused look. It was a plane...I'm not even going to ask why or how that's even possible, but...okay. I walk up to it and greet it.

"Uh, hello!"

"Eeeeh?" it says,"H-human...?"

As it flies around I try and meet up with it in a few places. I have to dodge the fire it leaves behind it. I'm unable to get too close to it as it's constantly moving about. Eventually the plane's face turns a bright red and it flies off.

I shrug and step on the pad. It sends me forward, spiraling. There was another pad right next to that one that could send me back over there. I ignore it and step on another just north of it.

These pads were everywhere! I head towards another and Alphys goes crazy with her status updating.

'omg ive had my claw over the last digit for 5 minutes. omg i'm just gonna do it. i'm just gonna call!'

And you switched to Monsterbook, typed up a status update, and left me here facepalming instead of pressing the button and doing something...

My phone starts to ring and I hurry to answer it...only to find out that whoever called had hung up...

SON OF A GOAT ALPHYS!

My phone rings a moment later when I reach the next room. I see orange lasers and blue lasers. I let the phone ring a bit because I don't want to answer it. I've already had enough from the constant ringing of my phone.

Alphys eventually answers and tells me, albeit awkwardly, that I should move through orange ones, but stop with blue ones. The blue lasers reminded me of Papyrus' blue attack from back in Snowdin. I took ONE step and Alphys had a status update.

'OMG I DID IT! claws haven't shook like that since undyne called me to ask about the weather... v.v'

I make my way through the lasers and meet the blue one. I let it head towards me and Alphys has another status update. I take my phone out, look at it, and freeze as the blue laser passes through me.

'WAIT THERE'S NO WEATHER DOWN HERE WHY DID SHE CALL ME'

Well if she can't see that Undyne wants to know her a bit better, I'm a bit disappointed. From looking at her status update a bit earlier, I can see that Alphys has a bit of an interest in Undyne as well. As I pass through the lasers, I press a switch attached to a pole. Instantly, it shuts off all of the lasers. Handy. Like expected, Alphys has another status.

'Oh My God i Forgot to Tell THem Where To Go'

That text aggravates me for two sole reasons. One, I'm already done with the constant ringing of my phone because Alphys can't keep her paws off the text function. And two, WHY IN THE WORLD DID SHE CAPITALIZE EVERYTHING BESIDES THE LETTER 'I'!?

I grumble and step forward. Another status.

'CUte PIC OF ME RIGHT NOW. ^.^'

I look at the attachment and see a garbage can with several pink, glittery filters over it. I chuckle to myself for a bit. I'll forgive that one text because it got me to laugh. Maybe if she sends photos like these once in a while, I'll stop being so upset...

Alphys calls again and says for me to progress, I'll need to solve the puzzles on both sides of me. The door up front was going to be locked tight until then. The puzzles themselves were pretty easy. It took a bit of adjusting before I was able to complete them. They were a bit fun to do. Alphys calls a bit later to explain the puzzles, but I had to tell her that they were already solved.

When I step into another room, I find that I can't see a single thing. My phone starts to ring, but it isn't a text this time.

"H-hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it?" Alphys asks,"I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!"

As the lights cut back on I'm greeted with what looks like some sort of cooking set.

"Oh no," Alphys and I say again.

Mettaton somehow appears from behind a counter smaller than himself even though I was standing on the same side as him. Apparently hammerspaces exist in this world. Although that should have been expected, Papyrus pulls things out of nowhere all the time.

"OHHHH YES!" Mettaton says,"WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!"

I stand there and glare at Mettaton. At that moment, my phone rings. I see a small text on the screen.

'You do that again and you're gonna have a bad time'

It wasn't from Alphys, and it wasn't from Toriel, Papyrus, or even Undyne! Which left...Sans...

Do what? LOAD my file to get out of Snowdin? Or get shocked and almost die? How does he even remember that? I shake the thought out of my head and focus on what Mettaton is saying.

"WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS," Mettaton says,"GO FOR IT, SWEETHEART,"

You nearly killed me you murderous robot. Don't give me any of the "sweetheart" treatment.

I pick up the ingredients that Mettaton asks of me and place them on the cooking counter.

"PERFECT! GREAT JOB, BEAUTIFUL!"

Please stop...

"WE'VE GOT ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE THE CAKE! MILK...SUGAR...EGGS..." Mettaton says,"...OH MY! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET!"

Here we go...

"WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!" He says,"A HUMAN SOUL!"

He brings out a chainsaw that he's been hiding somewhere. I steel myself and stay where I was instead of running away. He slowly edges closer, the saw revving repeatedly. I hear a ring on Mettaton's phone and he answers it, slightly frustrated.

"HELLO...? I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE," He says.

"W-wait a second!"

ALPHYS TO THE RESCUE! THIS MAKES UP FOR EVERY TEXT YOU'VE SENT ME!

"Couldn't you make a...couldn't you use a...Couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?!"

"...A SUBSTITUTION?" Mettaton asks,"YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT?...WHY?"

"Uhh, what if someone's...vegan?" Alphys asks.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but SOULs are- ANNA! SHE'S SAVING YOUR LIFE, WHY ARE YOU ARGUING!?

"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!" He says,"ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE,"

My phone rings.

'i can't believe that worked'

I text back.

'Sans? You're watching this show?'

'it's paps' favorite show. plus, i've gotta keep my eye on you'

'But Sans', you have no eyes,'

'you're amazing, kid!'

Mettaton calls me back to reality and directs me over to a can laying on a lone counter. Seems suspicious to me.

"MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE!"

That's a thing? Also, apparently MTT means MeTTaton...Didn't Paps have some of his products earlier? Anyway...I walk over to the counter and instantly it shoots up I don't know how many stories. I hear Mettaton wheel over.

"BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE," He says,"IF YOU CAN'T GET THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE...WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!"

My phone rings and it's Alphys speaking.

"There's not enough time to climb up!" She says,"But, when I was upgrading your phone, I added a few...features. You see that huge button that says..."JETPACK"? Watch this!"

My phone instantly transforms to a my-size jetpack. I strap it to my back and look up at all of the counters.

"Now, get up there!" Alphys yells.

I start to shoot upwards quickly. Mettaton notices this and scatters eggs to slow me down. I manage to dodge them by flying through places where the gaps were the widest. Mettaton then uses flour and only leaves narrow gaps for me to squeeze through. To my surprise, I was able to pass through all of them.

Mettaton finally resorts to using sugar. He scatters it in very large groups and I get slowed a few times. Pushing through them, Mettaton uses all three of his blockages at once. I slip between them all and make my way to the can on top of the last counter. I'm finally safe.

"HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE?" Mettaton asks,"I ALREADY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME! SO FORGET IT!"

Oh, son of a goat Mettaton.

I land and head to the next room. Taking out my diary, I turn to a new page and write down the Mettaton Cooking Show. Out in the distance, I see some strange building made of what looks like metal. Alphys rings me up.

"S-see that building in the distance?" She asks,"That's the CORE. The source of all power for the underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity, by..." She stops for a moment to think.

"Alphys, who made the CORE?" I ask.

"Uh...nobody really knows, actually. Since I'm the Royal Scientist, I...usually get all sorts of knowledge on things like this," She says,"But, unfortunately, I don't know who made the CORE. Anyway, that's where were going to go. Inside is an elevator that leads directly to ASGORE's castle, and from there you can go home,"

Walking forward, eyeing the core, I reach an elevator that leads upwards into Hotland. When I get inside I'm given options on where to go. I choose 'Right Floor 2' and the elevator shakes a small bit. When I walks outside, I head off towards the right and see Sans again at a hot dog stand.

"OH!" I exclaim,"Hi, Sans,"

"hey, buddy, what's up?" Sans responds.

Though he's smiling the same smile as usual he seems concerned about something. I walk up to him and I notice why, he's bandaged on his right hand.

"What the heck happened to your arm!?" I say.

"nothing important," he says,"wanna buy a hot dog?"

"Sure!" I answer.

It wasn't long before he had one at the ready. It fades into my ITEMS and I look at the roof of his stand for a bit. How is SNOW even up there? I shake my head at it and begin heading off to the next area. Alphys begins posting again. This time, it's a picture.

'dinner with the girlfriend ;)'

I look at the picture and see a catgirl figuring next to a bowl of instant noodles. I laugh a bit at the photo and save it to my gallery. As I continue walking, I stumble into another enemy. I 'check' it and the name pops up as Pyrope. It looks like a flame that sat on top of coiled rope that was set on two small feet. It had a humongous grin on its face.

I decide to crank up the thermostat and Pyrope starts to move around a bit faster. He sends flames after me and I back up a small bit. I notice that the flames are orange. That means I can walk through them, right?

I pass through the flames and sure enough, they don't hurt me. After I turn up the heat again, Pyrope seems contented and the battle ends. After a while of more walking. I hear a ring this time, but not from Alphys.

I look at the name of the poster and it had the name 'CoolSkeleton95'. I laugh to myself a bit.

Papyrus...

'ARE WE POSTING HOT "PICS?" HERE IS ME AND MY COOL FRIEND'

I look at the picture and it's Papyrus flexing in front of a mirror. He had sunglasses on his face. Giant muscular biceps were pasted onto his arms. The biceps were also wearing sunglasses...as weird as that may sound. The next text I got was Alphys.

'LOL, CoolSkeleton95!...that's a joke, right?'

More walking before Papyrus responds.

'THE ONLY JOKE HERE, IS HOW STRONG MY MUSCLES ARE'

I decide to text after he said that.

'CoolSkeleton95, I don't think that sounded the way you think it did'

I start walking before getting another text from Paps.

'WHAT DO YOU...OH..."

I laugh loudly this time. Some people won't change, whether that's a good or bad thing is up to debate. Making my way to the next room, I'm greeted with three switches that were right next to a conveyor belt. Alphys calls and explains that I need to time my presses correctly.

I manage to press two of them before another call surprises me and throws me off. I hit the end of the conveyor belt and trip. My phone slides away from me and near the edge of the cliff. I hurriedly pick it up, but the call is already missed.

I walk to the next room and get another status from Alphys.

'that's the last time i try to help with a puzzle lmao'

I guess she's given up. Anyways, I make my way through the next puzzle and reach a safe point. I write down all the puzzles I've done so far. I also make sure to add in the small bit with Sans. Alphys texting starts to bother me so I put the phone on silence. I continue through Hotland before someone called me.

"Hey! You! Stop!" The voice said.

I turn around to see two large figures in suits heading towards me. The one with the bunny ears starts speaking.

"We've, like, received an anonymous tip about a human wearing a hip-to-ankle-long skirt," it said,"They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now..."

It was a slightly high pitched male voice I finished listening to. I don't like the thought of being captured. After Undyne and Mettaton, I had enough of near death for one day. I must have been making a face because the same guard spoke to me.

"I know, sounds scary, huh?" he says,"Well, stay chill. We'll bring you someplace safe okay?"

I decided to follow where they were going before the other one, the one that never spoke, said something.

"Huh?" the first guard says,"What is it, bro? Their outfit? Like, what about it?"

Both of the guards notice the skirt I'm wearing. One of the guards cough and the other speaks.

"Bummer. This is, like...mega embarrassing..." he says,"We, like, actually totally have to kill you and stuff,"

Here we go...two on one. This reminded me of the fight against the Dogi. I've done fights like this before. I'll have to ACT with one person to be able to SPARE them both. I first notice that the second guard is sweating through his armor a lot. I decide to do a favor a clean it for him.

Apparently, the armor eventually got too hot for him and he took off his breastplate. This instantly bothered the first guard. I looked between them as they team attacked me. It wasn't all that hard to dodge because the first guard's attacks were becoming sporadic and all over the place. They were in complete contrast to the second, who was calm and precise. I did take a few hits, though. I walk over to 01 and ask him what's wrong.

"I-I..."

"If you're going to say something, now would be the right time,"

01 Looks at 02 in a nervous sort of way before confessing the thoughts he'd been burying inside of himself. He confessed to enjoying every day with 02, the fighting, the standing guard.

He even said that he loves standing next to 02 and guarding with him. He loved the team attacks during the battle, but his emotions toward the end caused him to falter and lose balance.

When 02 didn't respond at first, 01 had tried to play it off as if it was some sort of crazy joke he'd been thinking of. 02 wasn't fooled, and even seemed to accept his feelings toward him.

"...01,"

"Y-yeah, bro?"

"...do you want to...get some ice cream...after this?"

"Sure, dude!"

The two of them looked at each other happily and the battle ended. I watched the two of them clasp hands and walk off away from me. As I wave to them, they wave back and we part ways.

I head off farther into Hotland, with a warm feeling in my chest, and a smile on my face.

I think this was a pretty neat chapter! It was mostly puzzles and a few battles here and there, but I hope I did the Mettaton part and the Royal Guard fight correctly! Like always, be sure to review, favorite, or follow if you enjoyed this story. Until then!