Disclaimer: I think this was one of the more difficult chapters to write, which is why it took a while to post. The Core itself is weird to plan out, and it took some time to figure out how to write it. In the end, I think this all went well.

I don't own Undertale.

"Speaking"

Thinking

"Reading"

Saving

The Core.

From what Andi had gathered, once they were past that, it was the Capital that was left. Once there, they would meet with Asgore, and reach the barrier that locked monsters on one side, and humanity on the other. Staring up at the hulking machinery at the wooden bridge that connected it to the hotel, she gave a low whistle at the sight. "Impressive." Jets of steam burst through cracks, and far below the bridge, she could hear the churning of lava.

"Metatton is waiting for us." She didn't look down at Frisk, but nodded at her statement. She figured as much. Almost every area they had passed through, there was... something like a boss fight they had gone through. In the Ruins, it was Toriel. Snowdin, it was Papyrus, and in Waterfall it was Undyne. Metatton representing Hotland did not surprise her that much. Which means Asgore represents the Capital... who's the final boss? She... didn't want to think about that. "Ready?"

"Let's roll." They began to walk across the railing, decorated with winding lights that circled around the wooden railings, before halting just as quickly. Two monsters, their forms darkened from standing just far enough inside the Core, were watching them. They paused, seeing they had been spotted, and took off into the machine. "Frisk?"

The phone rang, and Andi took it out to bring Alphys onto speaker. Though she could have let Frisk keep it, after the baking puzzle, she left better having it on hand. "Huh? Who are they? N-nobody else is supposed to be here... oh well! We can't worry about that now!"

"It's the way to the Capital, right? Maybe others are using it in order to get there," she suggested as they continued forward. Cavern walls and lava rivers vanished around them, replaced with dark blue metallic walls covered in circuits. Two hallways branched off on either side, with a single white door in the middle. Elevator. "Here we go." She handed the phone to Frisk, and went to press the button. It's... not pushing in. Her finger pressed the up arrow, holding it for several seconds, and sighed. "Alphys, it's stuck."

"Stuck?" She asked. "The elevator should be working... w-well then! Let's go to the left! F-Frisk, keep me on speaker. That way, w-we can maintain contact m-more easily!"

"Okay." Andi looked from the left path to the right. "There's two paths we could take. Alphys, which one leads further into the Core?"

"Y-you'll want to take the left path," she replied. Got it. Frisk took the lead, Andi bringing up the rear. It should be relatively straightforward. Navigate the Core, possibly encounter Metatton one last time, and then reach the Capital. No sweat, ri-?

"Andi!" She stared at the monster in front of them. A court jester in appearance, with no arms, and two glowing orbs floating around their head. "Madjick." Frisk tossed her the phone, their souls being pulled into view. "Stare at the orbs."

"Okay." She wasn't sure how that would help them, but she focused on the immobile orb. Frisk's eye contact was not clear, but the orb that chased around the air came to a halt. Madjick's head dipped in disappointment, and took off back down the corridor, leaving them alone. "60G."

"Th-that was close..." she pocketed the coins at Alphys' concern. Close, not really. It was a rather easy fight. "Bu-but it's okay! W-we just need to keep going!" Keep going. That's all they could really do at this point. No other way around anyways.

The girls walked into the next room, finding a large bright blue laser blocking their path over a narrow walkway. "Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch." They looked over to the red button on the wall. "B-but, those lasers will activate when you do." Past the large laser, three smaller machines were set up, aiming across the pathway. "Ummm… looks like they'll come in this order: orange. Orange. Blue. G-got it? Move until the third one!" The phone clicked, leaving the two alone.

If we're dodging lasers, that would make sense. We need to focus. "Okay. Are you ready, kid?" Andi looked at the lasers, and back to the button. Hesitating would do them harm, meaning they would have to rush through them.

"Yep." Getting the one-worded approval, she pressed the switch, turning off the large laser, and making the smaller ones move forward. Except for... one small thing.

"Wrong order!" Andi yelped, a searing pain flying across her arm. Warning bells began ringing in her head, alerting her nerves that something was very much in pain. "Wrong order!" Frisk managed to quickly change her steps, and rushed to drag her friend across the bridge. Panting, Andi glanced at her left arm. The upper part of it was red from the heat, only scarcely scraping it before she realized the change in color. It... could've been worse, she thought with a grimace. "Ow."

The phone started ringing, and Frisk quickly picked up. "Oh, my god… are you hurt?" Alphys asked, horrified. "I… I'm so sorry, I… I gave you the wrong order."

Should she have been wearing her sweater, it might have been better. Or not, depending if the laser could set her clothes on fire. "I'll... be fine, Alphys. It's not a major burn."

Alphys stayed quiet for a few seconds, doubting her words. "Everything's going to be fine, okay? L-let's just keep heading to the right." Andi winced, giving the burn another look. Nothing more I can do about that right now. Better keep going. "A crossroads..." Alphys muttered. They stopped at the split path, one hallway going off to the left, and the other continuing forward. "Uhh… uhhh… tr… try heading to the right!" Technically, it's just straight, but I guess I see what you mean. The girls walked a few feet, only for a heavily armored monster to approach from the far end, eyes narrowed at the sight of us. "W-wait! No, I think you two should h-head up!"

"Fine by me." Avoiding any fights were alright in her books. Taking Frisk's hand, the two changed direction, running along the corridor until sliding to a sudden halt. Dead end! A large monster in hulking armor stood in front of them, carrying a spiked club. Though they wore a helmet, the owl-like face on their chest was unprotected, watching their movements.

"Adieu." The attack was slow enough to allow the woman to duck and dodge, but the amount of small white bullets was plentiful, almost hitting her bare arms as she let go of Frisk to move freely.

"Frisk, any ideas?" She must've. Most of the Royal Guard members she had run across were dogs, and petting and rolling over would most likely be ineffective.

"Yep!" Frisk cleared her throat, and began to hum a soft tune to the giant monster. Andi blinked, and it took a moment to recognize the melody as Shyren's song. I haven't thought of her for a while. Of course, she hadn't. Shyren was in the timeline where she got killed by Undyne. Most of her memories from then were hazy. The knight yawned, the song lulling them to sleep. Smiling at Frisk's cleverness, she tried to accompany Frisk in singing, relying on muscle memory for the right notes. Frisk inched her way forward to pick up the 70G off the ground, and the two sprinted back out of the small area and into the fork in the road.

"Sorry, I… I… I thought that… let's try the right path instead." The nerves in Alphys' voice did little to help ease Andi's own feelings. Alphys, who helped create the Core and was guiding them through areas she should be able to see through her own cameras... was confused. Why? Did the Core change its design like a Rubik's cube? What's going on here?

They walked down the right path, and stopped at another bridge. Motion lasers moved along the walkway, going as low as their knees and as high as Andi's head. "M… more lasers… okay, I… I won't mess around this time. I'll deactivate the lasers and let you through... they're… not turning off… I can't turn them off." She couldn't. The girls could hear the sound of frantic clicking on Alphys' end, but despite that, the orange and blue beams were still active. "I… I-i-it's okay! I have this under control! I'm going to turn off the p-power for that whole node. Then you can walk across." The room plunged into darkness except for the backup lights hanging over the lasers, casting slight light over the walkway in front of them. "Okay, go!"

Frisk looked down the bridge, face scrunched up, and grabbed Andi's hand. Frisk? "Hold on."

"What do you mean, hold o- whoa!" Her voice cut short as the child ran across the platform, dragging her along. The same sense of urgency from evading Undyne was in her steps, set on reaching the other end as fast as her legs could let her. "Frisk, slow down! Wait a moment!"

"W-WAIT! STOP!" Frisk stopped immediately to a stop. With the sudden warning, and having been pulled along, Andi couldn't stop herself in time from running into Frisk's back and sending both tumbling to the blue metal floor. A flickering sound filled the room, one of a switch being turned on and off, and the room lit up once again. A solid row of blue lasers soared over them, scarcely missing their backs. Don't. Move. "Th-the power… it's turning itself back on. D-dang it… th-this isn't supposed to… I… I'm gonna turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little, and then STOP. Okay? Y-you won't get h-h-hurt."

"We're trusting you on this, Alphys." After all, she was the only way they were getting out of there without being burnt. The power turned off, sending them into darkness. "Hurry." Scrambling to their feet, the two took off down the walkway, not wanting to get caught in the blue beams again. The flickering sound filled the air, and the two paused mid-step. The beams hit their sides, but besides the odd warmth, nothing happened. "And... go."

The cycle continued, stopping and starting to reach the end. By the time the humans did reach the end, Andi's heart was in her head, and she threw a look back at the lasers. "That... was too... close."

"S-see? I've got everything under control. Everything's under control!" Alphys, you... you don't. Not anymore. The confidence in helping them in Hotland, had up and left. She didn't know where they were going, or how to help them with puzzles. Alphys, what's happening? They moved along, reaching another crossroad; she almost melted at the sight of the save point in the middle of the room. "Okay! Y-you should… you should… I don't know? This doesn't look like my map at all… I'm sorry… I… I… I have to go."

The phone clicked, and the two stared down at it. "Oh, Alphys." Andi pocketed the device as Frisk moved towards the star. The air is filled with the smell of ozone… it fills you with determination. "There's going to be a lot of paths up ahead. Unless we want to be aimlessly wandering around, I don't suppose you have an idea of where to go."

"Hmmm…" Frisk hummed, looking from left to right. "The right path. If I'm correct, that leads towards Mettaton and the elevator to the Capital." If you're correct. She couldn't really fault Frisk with that one. The structure was a maze, and a lot of it looked similar.

They walked down the path, a walkway supported by large metal beams underneath, fog drifted up from far below them. Poking out of the mist, towers flashing with red lights. I wish I knew how this all worked. Frisk held her arm up, signalling them to stop when a small monster approached them. A giant eyeball took up most of its face, staring unblinkingly at them. "Hey, ugly!"

"Frisk!" Andi looked at her, baffled. What was the random insult for? They were trying to pacify their way through the Underground.

"That's right!" The monster yelled in agreement before Frisk could respond, running off back the way it came. 50G sat where it once stood, and Frisk went to pocket the money.

"Well… that was... something." Guess all monsters have different ways they'd like to be approached. She walked to the end of the bridge, finding a locked door, a sealed elevator, and a save point. Behind this door must be the elevator to the King's castle. You're filled with determination. She stared at the door, while Frisk dipped her hand into the warm light. "Are you ready, Frisk?" Undyne was a difficult monster to get by. Metatton, she didn't think he would be too difficult. Harder than passing by Toriel and Papyrus, but they should be fine. We'll be fine. We'll get through this, like we have with every other battle.

"Definitely," Frisk grinned. Those as their final words, Frisk hit a button on the side of the door, opening it up. There he was, Mettaton, standing in the middle of the room and blocking their path. The two walked up to him, standing opposite. It was a dark space, the walls a dark grey, and their exit was at the far other side of the robot. Bit of a small space for a fight.

"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS," he said. "IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT… NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU GIRLS FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME."

Malfunctioning, she would agree with. Nothing about his behavior made it seem like a programming issue. However, the Alphys part? That didn't-she wouldn't have. She watched them journey through the Underground, right? She knew how determined they were to get out of there. Why would she try and delay that? "Alphys wouldn't have, she... you're lying."

"REALLY, SWEETHEART?" Metatton asked. "AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE APART 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 TWO FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON… THAT SHE'S NOT."

Alphys, I thought we told you we already liked you as you are. She had no idea if she should pity the Royal Scientist, or smack her for pulling the wool over their eyes. It... didn't matter, right now. They had more important things to deal with.

"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 TWO 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 TWO NOT TO LEAVE… OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY."

"Then… what do you want to do?" Andi asked warily.

"MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW… WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?" The door made a loud echoing thump from behind the girls, and they spun around to see it had closed. On the other side, someone knocked quickly against the other door.

"H-hey! Wh-what's going on!? Th-th-the door just locked itself!" Alphys. This is not going to end well.

The floor around them lit up in a bright neon red light, large circles decorated the ground around the robot. "SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAMMING'S BEEN CANCELED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!" The floor started rising up from the ground, and Andi could make out a bright light from far above them. Where's he taking us? "REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW… ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!"

The floor continued to move upwards, and Andi and Frisk's souls were drawn out. Once they were in full view of Mettaton, their souls turned rotated upside-down , and the color shifted to a bright yellow. "Frisk?" Andi stared at her soul in confusion. This was a new one. Blue, green, and now yellow. That did that one imply? "What does yellow mean?"

"YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER? KILLING THE TWO OF YOU MYSELF!" Frisk glared at the robot, and small yellow arrows flew out of her soul. The attacks harmlessly bounced off Mettaton, disappearing before they hit the ground. "THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?"

"We do, we just don't think you're very great at it." She had a feeling something was wrong during the encounters with Metatton. Alphys' betrayal, she did not predict. Her acting was far better than his own.

"LISTEN, DARLINGS. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOULS. AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY." Mettaton summoned several small cubes and launched them in their direction. Whoa! Andi and Frisk ducked through the openings in between the lines of blocks, the older not entirely sure how Frisk was able to have her soul launch the arrows from before. "BUT IF I GET YOUR SOULS, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!" He fired again, three lines of cubes, with a few that Frisk easily blew up with her inverted soul. The final row of cubes had a lone yellow block in the middle, and with one shot, the entire line slid to the side, letting the attack miss them.

"THEN, USING YOUR SOULS. 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!" More attacks, and Frisk fired more arrows at the blocks to make the rows move out of the way. Okay, time to try this out for myself. Watching her movements, Andi focused on one of the blocks, and felt a tugging on her soul. It wasn't like a monster fight, when it was unwillingly dragged out. It was focused on one specific spot, instead of the soul as a whole. A single golden arrow flew out of the heart, striking a bomb and blowing it up. Got it.

"GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!"

Andi readied her soul, only for their phone to start ringing. Frisk hopped in front of her, taking the lead in deflecting the attacks while she picked up. "Now's not the time, Alphys!"

"U… uh… I can't see what's going on in there, but…" she kept her voice low, enough so Mettaton didn't hear. "D-d-don't give up, okay!? 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 always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-s-so if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around… um… and, umm… press th-th-th-the switch… he'll be… um… he'll be… vulnerable. Well, g-g-gotta go!"

Even with how stressed she was, Andi smiled at the call. Did Alphys have an epiphany, that what she was doing was wrong? She still was trying to help them, and that was what mattered in the end. Spin him around, huh? "Hey, Mettaton!" She shouted, stuffing the phone away. "Is that a mirror behind you?"

"OH? A MIRROR? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" Mettaton turned around, revealing a large flip switch on his back. Couldn't she have made it any less... noticeable? "HMMM… I DON'T SEE IT… WHERE IS IT…?" Before Metatton could say anything else, Frisk rushed forward, slapping the button to the other side. "DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" The robot spun around, a loud high-pitch sound emitting from his speakers as his red and yellow lights flashed wildly.

Frisk hurried back to Andi, covering her eyes as a burst of bright light rushed to meet them. "Aah!" Andi covered her own, still squinting from how quick the lighting had changed. The sound of hissing steam, and footsteps met their ears, and slowly, she brought her hands down to look. "What...?"

"Ohhh, YES!" The floor's acceleration slowed, almost coming to a complete stop, as spotlights shone down into the platform from above. There was no mistaking the voice, but... Metatton's form. His silhouette looks almost human. "Ohhh my. If you flipped my switch, than can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude… lucky for you two, I've been aching to show this off for a long time."

"Aching?" Alphys, what body did you make for him? He sounded proud of it, so whatever it was, it was bond to be better than the rectangular box he was before.

"So… as thanks. I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments…" Mettaton strutted out of the mist, revealing a robot that proved her initial thought of a human form. His body had black metal 'hair' that covered his right eye, pale silvery skin, metal segments above and below his left pink eye. His chest plate, a bright pink, held a heart-shaped core, and his designed finished with a narrow waist, and long black legs that ended in pink high-heeled boots. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

Well... it's definitely a nice looking form. "Here we go, Andi!" The robot in question smirked, and as the stage slowed to a stop, the sound of shrieking and excited cheers met them. The girls looked behind them, and Andi blanched at what she saw. Spotlights lit up the ground around them, the stage having changed from its red color to a hot pink, and below, hundreds of monsters were cheering them on.

"... big crowd." Andi spun around, and saw Mettaton rush up towards them. He swung his legs at them, and the girls threw themselves out of the way before the sharp heeled feet could make contact with them. With a much faster body than in his old form, Mettaton switched from legs to fists, trying to deliver a blow. He smirked when he finally landed a hit on Frisk with his foot, sending her flying across the stage, and rolling into a spotlight. Before Andi could react, Mettaton's other foot rammed into her side, and she rolled across the floor. Stopping as she made contact with Frisk, she held her ribs tenderly. "Ow..."

Mettaton stood above them, waging his finger in displeasure. "Come now, darlings. Where's that spark from before? Now, smile for the camera! I'm sure your friends are ecstatic to be watching you live."

"L-live!?" Andi paled, and looked down at the stage in fright, not having pulled herself to her feet. Live. They were live. B-but that meant...!

The tune was rather on the loud side, perhaps due to the fact she was aggressively hitting the piano keys, almost breaking them under the impact. Could she be playing softer? Oh, definitely. But she didn't feel like it. No, she was still hung up over the humans who got away into Hotland!

"Stupid... wimpy humans...!" Undyne grumbled under her breath, taking pause to flip the sheet of music. "Won't even face me right."

"Are you live, Hotland!?" Her head snapped up, hearing the sound of an annoyingly familiar robot come blasting out of her radio on the kitchen counter. "Get ready! You're in for a real treat!"

"I don't want to be filmed! Fighting's one thing, but do you have to let everyone see it too?" Over the headache-inducing screams, Undyne knew who's voice that was. The older human. They... made it to the Core. They were at the foot of the Capital.

"... NGAAAHHHHH!"

"how far do you think they made it?"

"HMM... PERHAPS THEY ARE ALREADY THROUGH THE CORE." Papyrus poked his head out from the kitchen, gesturing with the wooden spoon in his hand. "I BET THEY'RE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY TO THE CAPITAL!"

That'd be a nice thought. Though, the older brother knew that was highly unlikely. If Frisk was set on the perfect ending-and she was-then she wouldn't be reaching the Capital for a while. That, and they still had to get through Metatton. "hey, paps? do you... ever dream 'bout going to the surface?"

"THE SURFACE?" He couldn't see Papyrus' face, having dipped back into the kitchen, but Sans knew he had his attention. Andi's strange explanation about getting out of there stuck in his skull. Sky, wind, and stars. Stars. Had he... ever really appreciated them, when he was up there? Perhaps, once, but that was a long, long time ago. Before the first reset, when everything went downhill. Far above him, slowly changing position over time, and creating images in the fabric of space. Planets, meteors; he loved the idea of it. It was just... incredible. "OCCASIONALLY... DO YOU THINK THE HUMANS CAN BREAK THE BARRIER?"

Papyrus didn't go into detail with his answer, and Sans couldn't blame him. He had some idea of what his younger brother dreamt. Owning a car, driving down the road with the fresh breeze passing him by. The feel of fresh grass, and the sight and smell of the ocean, sprawling out in front of him. little weird, that one. ebott's not anywhere close to the ocean. He'd have to drive to get there. "heh... maybe, bro. girls seem pretty determined." He picked up the remote next to him, and grabbed the ketchup bottle resting at his feet. may as well pass the time until then.

"Andi, the audience wants drama! Stop dodging!"

"Well, pardon me for not wanting to get blown up here!"

"hrrrk!" The food caught in his throat, and the skeleton gave a harsh cough to clear it. His attention, though, was locked on the image on the television, rather than his own slip-up. Frisk and Andi, with a noticeable burn on her upper arm, jumped around the lit-up stage. Metatton, in his EX form and standing a clear view inches taller than the older human, attacked with well-aimed kicks of his hot pink boots.

"SANS, IS EVERYTHING OKAY?" Papyrus dashed out of the kitchen, jar of pasta sauce in hand. "WHAT HAPPENED-OH, MY GOD!"

"Keep up, darlings! I know you can do better than that!"

"You have longer legs! How is that fair!?"

"SHOULD WE DO SOMETHING?" Sans glanced up at Papyrus, and turned back to the television. Should he...?

"... nah. they'll be fine." The kid had done it all before, after all. There was nothing to worry about. 'sides, i'm technically still keeping an eye socket on them. "let's just watch and enjoy the show." Enjoy the show... it was only a matter of time at that point. "oh, and, uh, paps?" Sans glanced down at his shirt, seeing the droplets of ketchup speckled over it, already soaking into the white fabric. "you mind gettin' me a towel?"

"As much as the layout is intimidating, Frisk, I would love for this to wrap up soon." Her ribs hurt, and it made dodging more difficult. Though, judging from the ratings board high above their heads, in the middle of the stage, everyone loved the drama. The bar spiked sharply when it happened, and she had to wonder if it was a matter of them cheering him on and for their destruction, or for seeing their friend and their celebrity go at it.

Frisk winked at her, putting a hand under her chin and giving what she deemed to be a dramatic pose. Which... looked ridiculous, and the elder had to fight down a small laugh at the action. The ratings board increased a little at the action. "Play along, and get high ratings. That's all we have to do."

And score big, they shall. Let's do this. "Not bad, darlings," Mettaton commended, giving the ratings board his own appraisal. "But how about this!" Several mini Mettaton robots, all in the shape of his old form, flew at them. Exchanging a quick look, Frisk and Andi hurried to dodge the robots, trying to make themselves come off as graceful. With a quick shot from her yellow heart, Frisk took down one of the tiny robots, sending it sailing behind them and exploding. The result lit them up far better than the spotlights around the edge of the stage... and also pelted their backs with pieces of metal.

"Could've been better... ouch." Mettaton playfully stuck out his tongue, amused at their attempts to try and pull the show in their favor, and fired more robots. This time, he joined in on the attack. A flurry of exploding rectangles and legs was all she could see, and Andi slid to the side of the stage to regroup. Her side was more than likely bruised from the earlier hit, and should she check, she'd probably find a dark purple bruise. Feeling her ribs and wincing, she heard the crowd boo, a rather shocking turn of noise. Frisk was sticking her tongue out at Metatton. Why, she had no idea. Kid, we are supposed to make the ratings go up, not down! The mech frowned at her action, and with quick steps, rushed up to her and struck her on the back of her head with his boot, its heel digging into her scalp and sending her stumbling to her knees.

"Frisk!" She watched as a pink soul drifted out of Metatton's chest as he struck a pose, lightning shaped attacks flying out around it in ever-growing circles. Frisk threw herself backwards, giving a small roll before landing back on her feet. Her knees buckled, and she held her head tenderly. Pulling it away, she saw the blood staining her fingers, strands of hair sticking in the crimson liquid. "Frisk, are you okay?" The girl looked over at her, and shakily gave a thumbs up. Her smile didn't match her eyes. We should've packed more healing items... or any healing items. Why, oh, why did she have to leave the pie behind?

"Time to... do this for real," Frisk said with a grimace. Pulling herself to her full short height, the young human began to tap her foot to the beat, swinging her arms around and dancing to the music blasting through the speakers. No attacks had been fired, and using the break to her advantage, went to try and raise as much ratings as she possibly could.

"Frisk, you goof," Andi laughed at the child. Should she join in? She didn't have much of a choice. If getting high ratings and getting the crowd on its feet was the way to win the battle, then she'd be willing to make a fool of herself. I really, really hope the guys aren't watching this. Andi's dance style was a little more graceful than Frisk's, a bit more spin in her steps than random flailing, but she knew she looked ridiculous.

"Finally, darlings!" Mettaton danced his way over to them, a pleased grin on his face. His moves were difficult to mimic, but the two fell into a pattern of repeating certain steps, all taking control of the stage. Metatton jumped over them as the slid underneath, using their palms to stop and pose before tumbling over each other in a heap. Ouch. And... now her right hand hurt too.

Still. She was... having fun. Silly, but fun. Andi giggled at herself, until she saw a new round of lightning bolts being launched at them, his pink soul in full view. "Here it comes!" Frisk focused her energy at Andi's warning, and fired her yellow arrows at the robot's heart. The soul trembled, and in a burst of sparks, Mettaton's arms break off. The limbs tumbled to the floor, rolling a few feet away from him.

Smoke poured from the holes in his torso, loose tires crackling in the air. "A… arms? Wh… who needs arms with legs like these?" Mettaton looked at himself, and adjusted his stance on the stage. He wasn't standing as tall anymore, knees beginning to buckle from exhaustion. "I'm still going to win! Come on…!"

Was he...? Oh, no! "Mettaton!" Andi cried. "You're overloading! Your body can't take this much excitement!" It couldn't. If there was a reason why he hadn't shown it off yet, then it was no doubt for this very thing. Limbs not fully attached, or at least not connected well enough to handle fast movements, and perhaps a weak battery source.

"Nonsense! The show… must go on!" He protested. The pink light dimmed slightly in his eye, and while he did not need to breathe, Metatton's voice was ragged. "Dr… drama! A… action! L… lights… c… camera…" Mettaton sighed, and looked at the girls. No dancing, no fighting. For a brief moment, a welcoming pause in the fray. "Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish!? … or do you just believe in yourselves that much?"

"We believe in ourselves, Mettaton," Andi said. "It's sometimes weak, but we do." Their souls were red for a reason. "And I know all of our friends we've made in the Underground believe in us too." They all did. Toriel, Papyrus... even Sans, somehow... even after all Frisk has done. If could somehow believe in her, then why couldn't she believe in her too?

"Ha ha, how inspiring! Well, darlings! It's either me or you! But I think we both already know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!" Mettaton brought out his soul one last time, though this time, was prepared. White and black heeled legs shot up out of the ground, making the girls jump away in shrieks. They were slow, but the familiarity in movement-how similar it was to Undyne and her spears, sent a shiver through Andi's spine. Not now. Not. Now. Before they could fire upon him, the heels having passed, Mettaton launched a round of magical lighting bolts out from the heart. Side-stepping the bolts, the woman honed in on her soul, ready to fire, when Mettaton's legs broke off. Oops! At last, though not the way she would have liked it, the battle was finally over.

Metatton, only his torso and head remaining, collapsed to the stage. "Whoa!" Running forward, she scrambled to catch him, dropping onto her knees to and sliding to make it. "Got you." Metatton looked up at her, his one eye trailing from her relieved face to the screen above her.

"Ooh! Look at these ratings!" Mettaton said. The three stared, seeing the bar high above the 10000 mark. Wow. Did they really do that? "This is the most viewers I've ever had! We've reached the viewers call-in milestone! One lucky viewer will have the chance to talk to me, before I leave the Underground forever!" The crowd had calmed down considerably, and the monsters and two humans watch Metatton's shining face, hanging onto his words. Even after all that, with his arms and legs gone, he still thought he would make it out. "Let's see who calls in first." The sound of a phone dial flowed through his chest speaker, and Andi heard the click of a call being picked up. "Hi! You're on TV! What do you have to say on this, our last show?"

"… oh… hi… Mettaton… I really like watching your show…" Blooky? He-why was he calling? "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?" Mettaton's face fell at the ghost's words, and he closed his eye with a sullen frown. "I'll miss you, Mettaton… oh… I didn't mean to talk for so long…" Blooky's voice shook, though it could have been the crackling through a dying speaker. "Oh…" a long, droning tone floated through the air, the call having ended. Blooky?

"No. Wait! WAIT!" Mettaton shouted, hoping that the ghost would come back. "Bl- he… they already hung up..." He looked down at his speaker sadly, and threw the two a forced grin. He doesn't want to keep doing this. Why's he going on? "I'll take another caller!"

The voices, after Blooky, were all the same. Cheers about how much the robot meant to them, bringing a spark to their lives. Call, after call, it was all identical. "Ah… I… I see…" did he, now? "Heh... everyone… thank you so much…" he looked at them, his smile finally one of warmth and defeat. "Darlings… perhaps it might be better if I stay for a while. Humans already have stars and idols, but monsters… they only have me… if I left… the Underground would lose it's spark. I'd leave an aching void that can never be filled… so… I think I'll have to delay my debut." He looked to the side, avoiding their gaze. "Besides… you two have proven to be very strong. Perhaps… even strong enough to get past Asgore. I'm sure you'll be able to protect humanity."

Protect... humanity? Was-they wanted to break the barrier, of course, but Asgore... could they change his mind? Would that let them fulfill Metatton's wish? "Mettaton," Andi murmured. She placed a hand on his cheek, smiling. "W-we will. We'll get past Asgore, and we'll get you all out of here."

Mettaton smiled at her, her words earning a weak laugh. "Ha, ha… good luck then, beautiful. Use that spirit of yours for good use. It's all for the best, anyway. The truth is this form's energy consumption is… inefficient. In a few moments I'll run out of battery power…" they looked down at his heart gauge, and saw the pink heart slowly fade. That... that doesn't mean he's gonna die, right? "And… well…" Frisk placed her hand on the heart, frowning at the robot. "I'll be alright..." Mettaton said, trying to perk the child up. "Knock 'em dead, darlings!"

Okay. She did not want to, but after everything that had happened, it was difficult to not start crying. Andi's breathing was funny, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. With a sob-filled giggle, she brought Metatton up enough to hug him, and heard Frisk giggle at what must have been his surprised reaction. "O-okay, I'll admit it. I-I'm a fan now."

"Ha ha…" Mettaton looked out at the crowd, still held in the woman's arms, and smiled happily. "And everyone! Thank you! You've been a great audience!" They had. Though, Andi still had no idea where the stage even was. Is this arena built into the Core? Where else could we possibly be? The stage, once firmly locked into place, began to descend back into the depths of the Core where they initially started. Darkness wrapped around them, the spotlights a near distant memory. From high above their heads, thunderous applause rang out, hoots and hollers of happy monsters satisfied with the show. The only light left around them came from the heart on Metatton's chest, which was dying fast. "Darling... do me a favor, won't you?"

Her? Do a favor for him? "Sure... what is it?" It's not a dying wish. He's not dying, Andi. Stop thinking that way.

"Watch over your sister, won't you…? I've… messed up in the past, and… I know I will have to fix what I've done… but you?" The pained smile brightened slightly. "I know you won't make that mistake." Watch over her... he has no idea. "Keep that up, beautiful." With a heavy sigh, his eye closed, and the pink light faded completely. The faint hum in his chest died out, and Metatton was completely silent. The floor came to a stop, and the door clicked open behind and in front of them. Metatton?

"I… I managed to open the lock? Are you girls… oh my god." Alphys ran out from the door behind them, sliding up to Mettaton. "Mettaton! Mettaton, are you…?" she took a deep breath, and turned to look at the girls. "… thank GOD, it's just the batteries." Batteries... oh, thank goodness, he's not dead. "Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have… I would have… 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."

"Alphys," Andi said, the name coming off as stern, despite the tears in her eyes. Dang it, why'd I have to cry? "We know Mettaton's not just a robot... if I have to take a guess, he's a ghost, right? If he knows Blooky, a ghost from Waterfall, and with what I know about ghosts and finding bodies..." Metatton was joined to his metal form. His connection much more stable than the dummy in the garbage dump, who had yet to become one with it. Metatton's a ghost... or was a ghost.

Alphys looked at the robot, and sighed, a sound filled with disappointment and regret. "He… w-was my first real friend. We bonded over the human world, due to the material we found in the dump. W-when I found out he wanted a body… I jumped at the chance to make him one." She took a hold of Mettaton, and lifted his body up off the ground. "I-I'm so sorry for l-lying to you, Andi and Frisk. I just… I just wanted to feel special for once."

"Alphys," Andi stood up, and placed her hand on the lizard's shoulder. "You didn't have to do this, you know? You remember what I said before? We don't need you to prove anything to us. We already like you." She left her hand there for a second more, before pulling it away. Alphys took a moment, but she slowly let herself look up at Andi. Her eyes weren't watery, but her smile was shaky, weak. It's a start. It was going to take a little while for the Royal Scientist to come back around. "Now then, let's help you get him back to the lab."

"Help-Metatton?" Alphys stepped back, waving her hands. "B-but the Capital! Asgore, and the barrier! D-don't you t-two want to go home?"

"Of course we do. But, that can all wait." She bent down, and picked up one of Metatton's fallen arms. It was heavier than she expected, but not difficult to carry. Just a little awkward. "Right now, Metatton needs help." She grabbed the second arm, and looked back at the Royal Scientist. Alphys, behind her glasses, was close to tears. Why though? Was helping repair her friend really that shocking? True, she did not have the greatest of opinions of him, but what had happened at the end, before his batteries ran out... there was something special about him that Andi had to admit, she admired. He helped cheer up the monsters of the Underground, made things just a little bit brighter for them. And how could she possibly hate that? "If that's alright with you?"

"A-Andi, I-I... thank you. Th-thank you." Frisk shuffled to the side, snatching up Metatton's legs, whose heels dragged on the ground with how tall she was. "Come. It's going to take a while to put him back together."

"Yeah, and charging him too." Andi smiled at the two, and together, they started for the door. They did it. Hotland had at last been completed. Now, all that remained of their journey was the Capital and Asgore. The ruler of the Underground, she thought, her smile slipping at its corners. Was it relief, or fear, she was feeling? What emotion was flooding through her this time? Frisk... I hope we're close. She wanted their journey to end, or perhaps reach a point where no longer felt afraid for her life. They were close now, she was certain of it... she just had to be patient.

This turned into a much larger chapter than I thought it'd be. In the end, the delay I suppose was worth it.

Until next time!

Angel