Disclaimer: I don't own Undertale! Once again thank you for following this story.
She was wrong. Very, very wrong. It was a sweltering heat, even for a soul mage. There was also a machine, a large one that she couldn't take the first guess how it worked as she moved on. Frisk was glad for the distractions, it took her mind off the heat as she looked at her phone each time Alphys updated her social status. Each one brought a smile to her face.
She needed some happiness for the near deaths she faced after facing the monsters in the Hotlands. She did feel good knowing that both Sans and Alphys were watching over her, though it confused her that her mind had been eerily silent.
She moved through the area, coming against more monsters. One that was a plane that secretly liked her, it had Frisk wonder if Mettaton's show gave her a fan. There were many conveyor belts to get through, and Frisk dared to look below at the bubbling lava. She hoped no one ever fell into that. She shuddered at the thought.
Moving away, Frisk moved on to the next area and saw the fumes released by vents. She was starting to wonder when Alphys would call until another update dinged. Frisk chuckled, seeing how Alphys had just been too nervous and was trying to get the nerve to call. Part of her wanted to call herself, but Alphys seemed to want to do it on her own, so Frisk held back from calling as she continued.
With each step, Frisk was amazed at the monster's ingenuity as the steam vents pushed her across areas, making an excellent transport. One move came after another until she spotted something that made her heart drop.
"Never seen a Green Soul mage cook before" He laughed.
Frisk came closer and knelt down. Her hands moving over the frying pan, it was burnt from the use of a Green Soul mage fire magic. Normally, the mage would get a new one.
"You shouldn't have been there anyway, I told you to come straight home Frisk."
"But I know what I saw! If they'd just go check around and maybe see…"
"Do you have proof?" Her mother turned to face her and Frisk's stared at the woman in front of her. "Because without proof for you to give me so I can show them no one would believe it. It would just be me, another mage claiming that another mage was killed by a Knight. And from me, it'd sound like a rumor at best."
"Then let me go to the authorities! I can tell them myself! I can show them exac-"
"No!" Frisk stiffened at her mother's yell, her frown deepening. "I'm not risking them finding you."
"So, I'm just supposed to just pretend I didn't see it?" Frisk's voice was quiet as her mother looked away.
"Trust me when I say things are a lot better than for us mages than before the war. What that boy went through is nothing compared to that. And the more powerful the mage, the more they're merely a tool. Use your determination towards something else…"
"What are you so afraid of…" Frisk looked at her mother, but the older woman was only silent as Frisk frown deepened. She shook her head and turned to walk away, but took one last look at her mother as she spoke. "And here I thought you were supposed to be brave…"
Frisk pushed down the memory as she stared at the frying pan in her hands and quietly put it inside her bag. She'd need to use her phone soon for her items, she was reaching the bag's limit. If she was a Purple Soul Mage, she could overwrite the spell and make it hold more, but that magic was beyond her.
With a deep breath, she continued. Next came a call that she was sure was from Alphys since they hung up quicker than she could answer. She was glad when a few moments later, Alphys tried again and helped her as she came across lasers of blue and orange.
Puzzles seemed to be everywhere that she moved, and Frisk gasped as she quickly thought to call Papyrus. She remembered how much the tall skeleton liked the robot, though after meeting Mettaton she had no clue why. She bit her lip, feeling horrible for the thought as the phone rung after she dialed the number and decided to try again to give the robot a chance.
"HELLO?" Papyrus's voice was loud and clear as always, with enthusiasm that Frisk thought was cute.
"Hi, Papy. It's me." She smiled, glad to hear his voice as she walked. Her clothes were sticking to her, and it was harder to breathe than a few hours since she entered from the lab.
"HUMAN! IT'S SO NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU! I HEARD YOU EVEN MET METTATON!" Papyrus sounded so excited, that Frisk wondered more what she didn't see in the robot that Papyrus did. She wanted to see what Papyrus saw in him.
"You really met him?"
Frisk was surprised to hear Undyne's voice until she remembered that the woman said she was going there. She felt glad to know, she could talk to both her friends at once. "I did. And he was…" She tried to think of something good to say. "Something else. "
"Hmmm..." Undyne was quiet, and Frisk paused where she was, wondering what was wrong.
"What is it?" Frisk wiped sweat from her brow with the end of her shirt as Undyne sighed.
"Just be careful. That dude gives me bad vibes…"
Frisk rose a brow, surprised at that answer though she agreed with it.
"WH-WHAT?" Papyrus shrieked. "BUT HE'S SO POPULAR..." Frisk could hear the frown in his tone and was pretty sure Papyrus thought that popular was always a good. It was an innocent, sweet thought.
Undyne snorted, "I don't care about people just because they're popular."
"WELL, YOU CAN SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE POPULAR" Papyrus answered Undyne back and Frisk didn't miss the envy in his voice. Frisk sighed, knowing Papyrus wanted a lot of friends.
"Pfft! Popular with who?" Undyne laughed.
"WITH ME!"
"Aw, Papyrus. You're popular with me too" Undyne chuckled, and Frisk smiled at the save Undyne did.
"AW! WOWIE! WAIT…" Papyrus went quiet a moment, and Frisk wondered just what was the problem now. "DOES THAT MEAN YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME?" Papyrus sounded thoughtful, and she could hear Undyne rambling to fix it.
Leave it to Papy to make a puzzle even out of a sentence...Frisk laughed, deciding to leave them to it. She knew Papyrus would be all right with Undyne. Frisk hung up, saying bye to them both as she moved forward, only to blink in the darkness. She walked slower, not seeing anything and heard her phone ring.
"Hello?" Frisk whispered, feeling unsure of what was going on.
"Yo-you-you're okay? My cameras aren't picking you up at all. It must be pretty da-dark in there."
"I can't see anything…" Frisk frowned, squinting more. Just what's going on…
"Don't worry! I'll help you with that. Just let me hack into the light system really quick, and it-it'll be bright in no time." Alphys laughed.
"Thanks, Alphys." Frisk smiled. The room was flooded with light and Frisk's jaw dropped as she was already getting a feeling.
"Oh, no…" Alphys murmured on the phone. Frisk was sure Alphys had got the same feeling at the sight of a large kitchen with surrounding cameras. It looked like something out of a cooking show.
"Oh, yes!" Mettaton appeared, and Frisk pocketed the phone but made sure to keep it on speaker just in case as the robot continued his dramatic entrance. "Welcome beauties to the Underground's premier cooking show!" The sound of applause roared, and it didn't even phase Frisk anymore. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it as Mettaton continued talking.
"And I hope all you viewers have your ovens preheated and ready because it's going to be a special recipe! We'll be making a cake, and here I have my lovely assistant who will gather the ingredients."
Frisk rose a brow at the robot, but let out a sigh. She really wanted to like Mettaton, and it wouldn't kill her to get the ingredients for him.
"I'd be happy to help." She gave her best smile, and Mettaton started to clap.
"That's wonderful, darling. Everyone, let's give her a big hand!" The robot continued to applaud as confetti rained down on Frisk's head. She blew some from her face and shook it from her hair while listening to Mettaton. "And now for the ingredients. We'll need sugar, milk, and eggs. So, go for it, sweetheart."
Frisk nodded, grabbing each ingredient from the counters while starting to feel that just maybe Mettaton wasn't so bad. She quickly brought them over, and Mettaton clapped once again.
"This is just perfect! Thank you, beautiful! Great job! And since we have all the ingredients, now we can...wait...oh my!" Mettaton let out a dramatic gasp, and Frisk glanced over at him as that bad feeling crept over her. "Just wait a magnificent moment. Just how did I forget the special ingredient!"
"Special ingredient?" Frisk's head tilted.
"Of course, darling! It's only the most important." Mettaton huffed and reached behind him, and Frisk widened her eyes as he slowly pulled out a chainsaw.
"Mettaton?" She squeaked, as it started and the robot was coming closer as she backed away. Something told her not to ask, but she did so anyway as she began getting further away. "What's the secret ingredient?"
"A human soul!" Mettaton followed her and Frisk looked around for an exit as the phone rang. Mettaton let out a sigh as he answered and Frisk never felt so happy to hear a phone before as she did now.
"My apologies dear, but I'm in the middle of something." Mettaton sounded impatient, and Frisk couldn't help the glare she threw his way.
"Bu-but just wait a second!" Frisk blinked. Alphys? She was happy and surprised to hear the scientist's voice as the dinosaur continued. "Co-co-couldn't you um...make a substitution in the recipe?"
"You mean use a non-human ingredient?" Mettaton sounded appalled, one hand going to what would be his hip." Why on earth would I do that darling?"
"Well...um…" Alphys sounded nervous, and Frisk hoped whatever she was planning worked out. "What if someone was...you know allergic? Or...umm...vegan? Um...maybe?"
"That's absolutely...BRILLIANT, Alphys! And I even have such an option, right here." Mettaton made a camera come closer as he spoke. "MTT-Brand Always-Convenient-Human-Soul-Flavor-Substitute! Because MTT is always ready with the flavor you're craving!"
"Did he really just do that…?" Frisk stared at the robot, unsure what to even say to that.
"And there it is. Right over there on the counter." Mettaton pointed to a lone counter, far from the kitchen area. "Can you be a dear, and go get it darling?" Frisk looked from Mettaton to the can, then back again with a wary expression.
"What's wrong dear? Not a can fan? That's just too bad because…" Mettaton cleared his throat, as a camera came closer. "MTT-Brand only uses the freshest artificial ingredients and chemicals! Only the best for my dear fans!"
"Right…" Frisk mumbled, deciding to be careful as she went over and breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the counter. She reached over, only for it to suddenly sink and Frisk watched the counter rise up to the ceiling. She looked up and couldn't even see just how high this counter now was.
"By the way darling, our show has a strict schedule, and I must keep it. So, if you can't get the can in one minute, I'm afraid we'll just have to go back to the original plan. So, you better get started climbing beautiful!"
Frisk's eyes narrowed, keeping her thoughts to herself she bit her tongue as well as she continued to look upwards. She wondered just how much was it the Killer Robot's programming to kill her and how much was it just Mettaton's personality.
"Oh no!" Alphys voice rung out and Frisk wondered was the dinosaur actually surprised at the turn of events as she continued speaking. "Well, there's definitely not enough time to climb up b-b-but I have a plan. When I upgraded your phone, I added a few more features."
"Like…?" Frisk continued staring up and hoped said feature was a teleporter to take her to the top of the counter.
"Well, do you see that huge button that says jetpack? Just…watch this." Alphys sounded excited, and Frisk looked in disbelief as some device came out of her phone then unfolded into a jetpack. "See! And you should have enough fuel to reach the top."
"Wait...Alphys…!" Frisk could hear the roar of the jetpack engines, and suddenly she was in the air screaming. "Alphys!"
"It'll be fine! Just be careful and watch out for those eggs!"
"Eggs?" Frisk screamed again, looking up to see Mettaton about to throw eggs down at her as she tried her best to maneuver around it. She really didn't like jetpacks.
"Come on, Frisk. You can't call yourself a mage, and you don't even know how to "fly." Her mother teased. "Any self-respecting mage in this day and age has a way to get to certain places just in case they can't take certain transports."
"Yes! It's called feet!" Frisk squealed, her head hitting the ceiling. "I don't even get why I have to learn this, it's not like I can go out and get my license."
"It's for the experience. I want you to experience everything, while you can…" Her mother's smile was sad, and Frisk looked at her. Knowing what she meant and felt determined to do her best. She smiled back.
"Okay, but I still prefer the ground." Frisk laughed.
"Frisk! Watch out!" Alphys cried out.
Frisk gasped, nearly getting hit by milk and next sugar, maneuvering out the way as she pushed herself faster. She refused to let her last moments be from being made into a cake, her determination fueled her. Her hand grasped the can as soon as she reached the top, and she heard Mettaton let out a sigh.
"Oh dear, it looks like you've bested me. But trust me, my dear, it's only because you had the help of the brilliant doctor Alphys! I would hate to know what would have happened if you didn't have her. Well ta-ta for now darling and tootles!" Mettaton blasted off, and Frisk smiled this time, glad to hear that praise for Alphys.
He's really not that bad...She smiled. A bit rough around the edges, but not bad...
"Oh!" Mettaton came back in a rush, and Frisk looked confused to see the robot again.
"Don't worry about the substitution dear. The cake is already done. I baked it ahead of time" Mettaton laughed, and Frisk could feel her annoyance coming back. "What's with the look darling? Haven't you ever seen a cooking show before?" Mettaton chuckled, taking off once again.
Frisk took a deep breath. Her fuel was just enough for her to safely land, and she carefully descended to the floor. Frisk rubbed her head as her phone rang and she answered it.
"W-we did it!" Alphys yelled, and Frisk barely managed a smile. The robot had thoroughly irritated her. "We did a great job, team!" Alphys laughed.
"We did. Thanks, Alphys." Frisk smiled, and she could hear the dinosaur's nervous stutter. She could easily imagine the blush.
"Well, uh...let's just...keeping moving onward." Alphys squeaked and hung up, making Frisk giggle. Moving forward, Frisk was back on the regular ground with lava around her. She almost missed that kitchen show area that was closed off from the heat.
A star...She paused, watching it shimmer in front of her as something seemed to push for her to use it. She let her hand reach forward, her magic connecting with it as a feeling of relief rushed over her. Yet she wasn't sure it was her own.
She looked over at the star, in the distance she could see a structure. She wondered what it was, yet somehow it felt ominous. Her phone rung and she quickly went to answer.
"Hello?"
"I could see you looking at that structure. That's the CORE, it's the source of all power here in the Underground."
"Really?" Frisk looked amazed.
"Yes, it converts geothermal energy into magical electricity."
"But how?"
"By...um…" The other end went silent.
"Alphys?"
"Uh, anyway, that's where we're going to go. In the CORE is an elevator, it goes straight to Asgore's castle. And then you can go home. "
"Yeah, but Alphys you did-" Frisk heard the click and frowned, she wondered why Alphys didn't explain how it worked to her. She thought the scientist would love to gush about her invention, especially something like this. Frisk scratched her head in confusion and moved on. It was as confusing as that river person.