Nemo and Frisk were doing their best to calm their breathing. Nemo stared at the blue laser going through his stomach, but not hurting him. Had it not been for Alphys's warning, he'd probably be in more than a bit of pain right now. "Th-the power…" Said Alphys worriedly. "It's turning itself back on. D-d mn it… Th-this isn't supposed to…"
"Oi." Said Nemo as he did his best to keep his composure. "Watch the language… there is a child present."
"Nemo…" Huffed Frisk.
"S-sorry…" Said Alphys. "I… I'm going to turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little, and then STOP. Ok? Y-you won't get h-h-hurt."
Nemo stared at the phone in his hand. He had no reason to trust Alphys. He should hate her. He- "Ok. I trust you." Said Nemo calmly. The phone clicked off. Then the lights went dark. The duo walked a short distance when the lights began to flicker and they froze in place as the lights came on. The lasers reactivated and safely passed through them. The lights went dark, the humans walked. The lights came back, the humans stopped. Repeat. And then repeat again. Then the humans were on the other side.
Their phone began to ring. "S-see? I've got everything under control." Said Alphys. "Everything's under control!" The phone then clicked as she hung up. The humans then took a left and went north and found themselves at a crossroads with a star. The phone began to ring again. :OK! Y-you should…" Said Alphys. "You should… I don't know? This doesn't look like my map at all… I'm sorry… I… I… I have to go." She then hung up.
Nemo sighed as Frisk went over and placed their hand on the star. He sighed as that feeling of warmth came and went, and their wounds healed. "So, where now?" Asked Nemo as he looked around. He then noticed two glowing signs with words on them. "Frisk?"
"Ok." Said Frisk as they went over to the left sign and read it aloud. "North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End." They moved to the other sign. "East… The End."
"Spooky." Said Nemo as he checked out their options. "Let's check to the East."
"Ok." Said Frisk as the duo went East. They walked for a short bit before taking a left and found them as another crossroads. There were three new paths to take, though the East one was blocked. There were two more signs. Frisk went over and read them. First was the left one. "To the East. This is The End." They read before moving to the right one. "I cannot fight. I cannot think. But, with patience, I will make my way through."
"A riddle?" Questioned Nemo. Frisk shrugged at him. The duo looked at their options. "Head back, West, or North?" Asked Nemo. Frisk was quiet for a moment before pointing to the West. "Alrighty then." Said Nemo as they went West, not noticing that as they walked away, the laser blockade vanished. Their next fork in the road had paths going North and South, but to the West was only a ledge. On the wall was a sign.
"Get lost… And stay that way." Read Frisk.
"Charming…" Said Nemo. "Right or left?"
"Let's go right." Said Frisk. The duo went right and found themselves at another intersection.
"This is giving me an aneurysm." Groaned Nemo as Frisk walked over to the only sign in the area.
"Traverse the northern room, and The End will open." Read Frisk.
"...North then?" Asked Nemo. Frisk nodded their head. "Let's-a go…" Muttered Nemo as the duo went North. The duo walked and took a right, stopping at a bridge. "That… looks dangerous." Said Nemo.
"Yeah… wait, look! There's a switch on the other side!" Said Frisk as they pointed across the bridge.
"...It said that the North was the warrior's path right?" Asked Nemo.
"I think so, yeah." Said Frisk.
Nemo bit his lip. "Ok. Stay put, there's a good chance this could get ugly." He instructed.
"What do you mean?" Asked Frisk. Nemo said nothing as he cracked his knuckles and began to cross the bridge. He didn't get far as his soul manifested and a pair of monsters, a Whimsalot and a Final Froggit, appeared. Nemo twisted his head to the side, causing his neck to pop before attacking. He punched the Whimsalot first.
"No regrets." It said.
"Woof." Said the Final Froggit. Then a ring of butterflies appeared around Nemo as flies started appearing and flying at him. One pelted him, but he managed to evade the others. The Whimsalot locked eyes with Nemo before he brought his foot up and kicked it. All Nemo could do was stare at the creature faded to dust. "Skip, Jump." Said the Final Froggit. It then started bouncing on the ceiling and walls before crashing into Nemo, who grunted from the impact. Nemo punched the monster in the head and into the ground. "Skip, jump." It said again as it started jumping around again, though this time Nemo was able to avoid it. Nemo clenched his fist and backhanded the monster, causing it to be dusted on impact. Nemo clenched his fists as he resumed walking.
He didn't get far as another knight monster and Madjick like the ones before appeared. Nemo punched the knight first. "Goodbye." It said.
"Please and thank you." Said the Madjick. It summoned an eye that flew around while the knight summoned a sun that rained light down at him. Nemo wasn't able to dodge everything. He jumped back, and since Madjick was closer, he elbowed the hat wearing monster in the jaw. "Abracadabra." It said.
"Farewell." Said the knight. This time it was a moon and meteors from the knight while the Madjick fired crosses at Nemo. He wasn't able to escape that one unscathed either. The knight breathed deeply as Nemo struck it again. "Goodbye." It said.
"Abracadabra." Went the Madjick. They repeated the previous attack and one of the meteors grazed Nemo as he went over and struck the Madjick. "Hocus pocus." It said.
"Adieu." Said the knight. This time it was a combo of the meteors and the eye, which Nemo managed to dodge. Nemo struck the staring knight. "Adieu." It said once more.
"Tinkle tinkle hoy." Said the Madjick. The duo then did a repeat of their first attack. Nemo jumped over the eye as he kicked the Madjick, causing it to become dust.
"Adieu." Said the knight one last time before summoning the sun. It was easy to avoid just the knight's attacks.
Nemo approached the night. "Adieu." Said Nemo calmly as he struck the knight, causing it to fade away. He turned and resumed walking. The end of the bride was just within reach as his soul manifested one more time as he was attacked by a trio of monsters. A Final Froggit, an Astigmatism, and a Whimsalot. He sighed as he started with the Final Froggit.
"Woof." It said.
"...Pick on me." Said Astigmatism.
"I've made my choice." Said the Whimsalot. A ring of butterflies appeared around Nemo as flies and a sort of donut shaped attack flew at Nemo. He wasn't able to dodge all of them, but he was able to finish the Final Froggit off. "Not this time." Said Whimsalot. The other monster had nothing to say. This time the butterflies came at him in lines as the donuts flew around, one managed to tag Nemo, and he tagged the Whimsalot in return.
"Take your last look." Said Astigmatism. A repeat of the last attack came. Nemo avoided it. Then he dusted the Whimsalot. The final monster was silent as it fired more circular attacks at Nemo, who avoided them all. The monster clicked its teeth as Nemo punched it. "Take your last look." It said once more as circular attacks flew through the air. Nemo evaded them before finishing the monster off. Nemo groaned as his soul vanished. He staggered his sore body over to the switch and slammed his fist into it. He then staggered over to Frisk. He was able to reach them just as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.
"Nemo!" They cried as they did their best to support him.
"I'm fine." Groaned Nemo. "Just give me a second." After more than a second, he was able to stand up. "Let's go, I think I know what that button opened up. The duo then backtracked until they went to where that laser block point had been, only to see that it was gone. "Knew it. Now let's get to the end." Said Nemo. The duo walked through and to another bridge. They started to cross it, but once they were half way through, their souls manifested and another Astigmatism drew near them. Nemo groaned as he staggered over and kicked it.
"...Don't pick on me." It said. It then launched circular attacks at them which they were able to avoid. Nemo prepared to strike again, only to see that the creature had no intention of fighting anymore.
Nemo was silent for a moment. "You can leave." He said. The creature nodded before departing.
"Thank you for sparing it." Said Frisk.
"Whatever… I just want to get out of here." Said Nemo.
"Yeah…" Said Frisk. The duo reached the end of the bridge and found another star next to the entrance to an elevator and a very… flashy doorway. Frisk walked over and touched the star. Nemo sighed as he felt his strength return and his injuries heal.
"I think I can guess what happens next." Said Nemo.
"Yeah." Said Frisk.
"You ready?" Asked Nemo.
"No." They replied.
"Yeah… me neither." Said Nemo quietly. "...Let's go." And together they entered the doorway.
There was a mechanical whirring. The duo walked across the platform to the center area, stopping when they saw Mettaton. "OH YES, THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS." He said. "IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT." The humans said nothing. "...NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR FOOLS THE WHOLE TIME."
"We know." Said Nemo.
"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." Said Mettaton.
"Story? STORY!?" Demanded Nemo angrily, surprising Mettaton and Frisk. "This isn't some story! We're trapped in a world of monsters where we have to fight for our lives every five, freaking, minutes! So, sorry to disappoint you Alphys! But this is some stupid action anime! You're not some helpful hero in our story! You're just another lousy antagonist!"
Mettaton was silent for a moment. "WELL, 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 BOTH ONE FINAL TIME. SHE'LL FINALLY BE THE HEROINE THAT SHE DREAMED OF BEING. YOU'D REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE'D EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE." He said.
"Fat chance." Growled Nemo.
"...OR NOT." Said Mettaton. "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… WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"
"Aw crud." Said Nemo.
There was a thudding at the door. "H-hey! Wh-wh-what's going on!?" Shouted Alphys from the door at the opposite end. "Th-th-the door just locked itself!"
"SORRY , FOLKS!" Said Mettaton as the platform lit up red. "THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!" The platform then started to rise, slowly at first, before taking off into the air like a rocket as music started to play. "REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW… 'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT'!"
The humans' souls manifested in front of them, showing that the battle was beginning. Nemo got into a fighting stance. "YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYBODY TO KILL YOU!" Said Mettaton as the humans' souls flipped and became yellow. "THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIME BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!" Nemo and Frisk tried to shoot him, but the blasts just bounced off of him. "THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER ISN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?"
"Ugh…" Said Nemo as he realized that they were quickly running out of options.
"LISTEN DARLING, I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT." Said Mettaton. "YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOULS ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY."
"Not if I've got anything to say about it." Said Nemo.
"YOU DON'T." Said Mettaton. Suddenly strange box-like objects began to fly at them. Due to their slow pace however, Nemo was able to dodge them. He then heard a projectile fire from Frisk's soul and strike a box, obliterating it. 'BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!" Said Mettaton.
"And commit treason in the process." Said Nemo drily. Mettaton then swung his arms, which stretched while boxes flew next to his hands. There was nowhere to dodge. Frisk blasted one of the boxes and ran through the opening it made. Nemo blasted another and followed suit. They did the same thing with his second arm, then he swung the first at them again, there were no boxes, but the arm stretched long enough so there was nowhere to dodge. Frisk shot a part of Mettaton's arm that was glowing, causing it to retract. "Nice." Said Nemo.
Frisk let out a giggle and a grin. "THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER… AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING!" Declared Mettaton proudly. "HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS, NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!" He swung his arms which each had a yellow spot on it at them again. This time Nemo shot the spot on one arm, while Frisk shot the other. Then sex boxes with a weird citrcular thing with a plus in the middle flew at them. Nemo and Frisk each shot a box and avoided the attack. "GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE?" Said Mettaton.
"I can't tell if you're evil or just nuts." Said Nemo.
"THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS BABY!" Replied Mettaton.
Suddenly their phone began to ring. Nemo pulled the device out, and in a hushed tone, talked into it. "What the f*ck do you want?" He growled.
"U...uh… I can't see what's going on in there." Said Alphys. "But… d-d-don't give up, okay!? Th… there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton… It's… um… it's…"
"Spit it out d mn it!" Nemo snapped, at the end of his patience.
"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." Said Alphys. "Well, g-g-gotta go!" She then hung up.
Nemo knew that this would probably end poorly, but he was also out of options. "Frisk, do you have any idea how to turn Mettaton around?" Asked Nemo.
Frisk was quiet for a second as they looked away. Then they looked at Mettaton and pointed. "Mettaton! There's a mirror behind you!" They said.
"There's no way he's dumb enough to-." Said Nemo.
"OH? A MIRROR?" Asked Mettaton. "RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" He then turned around.
"Right. How silly of me." Said Nemo. "Of course he turned around."
"HMMM… I DON'T SEE IT… WHERE IS IT…?" Asked Mettaton. Frisk then ran over and flipped the switch. The music went dead as Mettaton froze in place. "DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" Mettaton flipped around and put his hands on the sides of his head(?) as the lights on his face went wild and he began to shake.
Then there was a blinding light and a similar, but different voice spoke out. "Oh, yes~!" It was pitch dark for a moment before spotlights came down and illuminated a cloud of smoke as music began to play. The humans then saw a human looking silhouette in the smoke. "Ohhh my…" Said the same voice.
"Is that… Mettaton?" Asked Nemo as he squinted at the smoke.
"If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing." He said. "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…" The smoke faded, revealing the most anime looking robot Nemo had ever seen. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"
Page 29 End