Alice in Undertale

By Lolitafreak88

Chapter 23 Spider and the Rocking Horsefly

Upon reaching the next area, Alice was dismayed to find there to be a great deal of arrow squares arranged in a grid. An upper and lower path signified the destinations Alice needed to get to though from the looks of it, it'd be a long and tricky road to navigate. Alice was relieved that she hadn't had an update from Alphys yet which meant the Royal Scientist was respecting her request for less interruptions. Gearing herself up with a few stretches, Alice began to leap to and fro from arrow square to arrow square, moving with grace and precision as she mentally mapped out what path she needed to go. Ultimately, she managed to reach the upper path when suddenly, a new monster interfered. It had a fairly straightforward appearance of a body composed of what looked like wires or rope, shaped like a tornado, a strange black head with a Cheshire Cat grin, three wavy white 'hairs', and flames surrounding it and burning brightly. It stood on two shoes and seemed to have no arms and already Alice was feeling warmer with it around than before. It turns out this monster was known as Pyrope and bounded towards Alice and it was a mischievous monster that was never warm enough.

"With a burning flame for a head I can't imagine why it wouldn't already be hot enough." Alice murmured to herself.

"Is it cold in here?" The Pyrope talked with a froggy voice, almost as though it did indeed have a cold.

Suddenly, small bombs descended down on the area, bouncing before triggering small explosions in a wide radius. Luckily they were fairly slow once they bounced, giving Alice ample time to dodge them successfully. Alice noticed there was a switch present in the area now that could probably turn up the heat and seemed to be a choice that would make Pyrope feel better. So as Pyrope was pretending to be a candle, Alice cranked up what was apparently called a thermostat. Pyrope began to get excited.

"Hot! HOT! Hotter! HOTTER!" Pyrope sounded a lot less froggy as it bellowed dramatically.

After another rain of small bombs, Alice realized it started to feel as hot as Hotland in the area. Being used to it, Alice wasn't quite as daunted though was confused as to why everything suddenly seemed fuzzier. Alice continued to crank up the thermostat so that Pyrope would feel fully comfortable and satisfied. As the area suddenly became super hot and Alice began to sweat, Pop continued to cry out for more heat though sounded a lot more cheerful and all traces of frogginess absent from its voice. After dodging the last wave of bombs, Alice sighed and spared Pyrope, watching it hop away much to her relief. With the area far cooler than before, Alice noticed an entranceway that looked a lot like the puzzle rooms from earlier involving shooting things.

"It must mean I have to unlock something again." She said to herself as she stepped into the room.

Indeed there were the same controls, blocks, arrow-shaped target, style, and layout of the previous rooms in Hotland. This time the blocks were moving in a synchronized timing that actually was reminiscent of a dance. With only one ammo available this time, Alice made sure to bade her time and await the moment a path to the target was available. After about a good minute, Alice saw her opportunity and fired. A direct hit sealed the target into nothingness and a blue 'Congratulations' indicated she had succeeded. Granted Alice wasn't sure what she had just unlocked so she realized she needed to go through the arrow square maze again. When she exited the room, she suddenly gasped. There were two figures who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere but more than likely had shown up while she was tackling the puzzle. One had a diamond shaped head whereas the other one was shaped more like a kite. The diamond-shaped monster had a red cap, pink skin, a slightly brighter pink shirt with no sleeves, pants, and black shoes. The kite-shaped monster was green-skinned in a very light shade with a purple short-sleeved shirt, blue overalls, and black boots.

"Oh! Hello there…" Alice greeted both of them as she waved in a friendly manner.

"Hello, hello(TM). My favorite Mettaton Moment(TM)? Right when everything looks like the baddest, he poses dramatically. Like when he's on a cooking show and the eggs don't turn out right." The pink one said.

"Pose dramatically? You mean as though taking a photograph?" Alice inquired.

"Totally(TM)! My favorite Mettaton Moment(TM) is when he beats up the heel-turning villains! Even if it's during what's supposed to be a quiz show." The green one finished.

"Heel-turning? Um… well I suppose one could say I turned a heel towards him but even then the posing thing seems strange." Alice said, trying to stir a conversation to get more information.

"His poses are daring and bold! Granted it's a Mettaton Exclusive(TM) so you don't see them as often as you'd think." The pink one said.

Alice nodded in agreement, thinking that it made sense that the reason she hadn't seen Mettaton pose was because of what this pink monster said. It also hinted that there were even more tricks Mettaton had up his… limbs than she had given him credit for. All of it made Alice a little antsy and she returned to the arrow square maze to challenge it again. After another round of hopping, the little girl reached the south side where she found two conveyer belts in opposite directions. One of the conveyer belts had several blue lasers in the way so Alice made sure to stand as still as could be. Motionlessly yet in motion, Alice succeeded in making it through unscathed and found another puzzle room along this brief path. This layout seemed a bit more constricted than the last one but ultimately Alice found an opportunity to shoot the target quicker and hit it successfully. I must say that this type of puzzle is quite fun from the usual logic puzzle, Alice thought as she connected with the action involved. After receiving another 'Congratulations' and getting on board the conveyer belt going back, she noticed a rather elegant cactus growing on the side. She was able to get a whiff of the beautiful yellow blossoms with green leaves just as she zoomed past. The scent was rather spicy and quite strong in her eyes and didn't seem quite proper for tea.

"I do hope we're almost done with these arrow squares." Alice lamented to herself as she was beginning to feel tired of being propelled constantly like a catapult.

Ultimately she finally reached the opposite side from where she initially started and was startled to see a large and foreboding purple door with green gems that glowed and seemed to have been attached to the door. What caused her to gasp was it suddenly opening as she approached, perhaps due to her solving the puzzles in the north and south sides. Upon stepping into the area she felt herself bombarded with the smell of cobwebs. It filled Alice with determination though also a bit of curiousity. Was she about to enter Muffet's home? It did seem plausible that she'd have her business close to home and the sight of the rather enchanting strings of web hanging from the ceiling and purple wall with a small, tunnel-shaped door gave that impression.

"Actually this reminds me of the area in which I had pursued the White Rabbit in the beginning of my dream…" Alice said with some surprise.

Indeed she had remembered how she had to open numerous doors that grew smaller in size before crawling her way into the larger room in which she ended up meeting the Doorknob. The small size and even impression and color tone seemed strangely familiar. This was more of a comfort to Alice than a warning sign and she composed herself easily. Without a moment to waste, the little girl crawled daintily into the room. The room was a little more haunting but still had a sense of beauty to it. Much more solid webs hung from the ceiling in addition to beautifully lit strands and a few small spiders could be seen hanging down from it. There were also webs on the path which had mysteriously become almost like a bridge. Further down and Alice saw something that confirmed her theory. The path seemed to turn into a bridge made entirely of cobwebs. Ultimately it looked very sticky and suddenly Alice was unsure of how to get through this. But things only got worse as she continued down the path, trying to avoid stepping in the webs.

"Ahuhuhuhu… Did you hear what they just said?" A familiar laugh rang through the halls.

"...! M-Muffet is that you…?" Alice called out to the spiders that were now pulling themselves up out of sight but received no solace.

Rather, this strange monologue continued as Alice kept navigating through the room,

"They said a human wearing an apron and a hair ribbon will come through. I heard they hate spiders."

"Oh no…" Alice whimpered as she found she could no longer ignore the web bridge set before her feet and the increasing concern about what she was hearing.

If it were up to Alice she would likely choose more colorful insects like caterpillars over spiders. Even in Wonderland she had created rather nifty insect species of her own. Bread and butterflies and rocking horseflies, clever play on words that were taken oddly literally in her world of her own. Alice knew that speaking of this aloud would only worsen her chances but thinking about that gave her a brief escape from the growing fear of stepping into what was clearly a trap in the making. Yet I have no other means of progression, Alice thought to herself. Stepping onto the bridge and Alice found it was a step away from being too delicate, yet it did hold. Worse, it was indeed very sticky and Alice had to take some effort to pull her foot off of it. Knowing this was all the preparation she was going to get, she began to tread through the web bridge but was alarmed to see that the web itself seemed to be spreading above her feet…

"I heard they love to stop them. I heard they like to tear their legs off. I heard…"

At this last break of conversation, Alice was now in hysterics. She was completely immobilized by the web, the threads having reached her arms and made it difficult for her to even try to pry away from them. With her legs restricted, she was stuck in place and as much as she struggled, they showed no signs of giving in. Alice was genuinely quite scared for her life at this point. After all, anything caught in a spider's web was doomed to a gruesome fate.

"M-Muffet…! Wait! A-all those are simply not true…! I've never once harmed any of the spiders in the Ruins a-and…! P-please let me goooooooo…!" Alice pleaded, trying to look for any sign of the pastry chef.

Ultimately, something seemed to shine to her left and Alice took a fearful glance to that direction. There was Muffet, standing prim and proper but also haughtily on what looked like a stage made of cobwebs. She held two teapots and two cups with four of her six arms and had an expression Alice couldn't read in her fearful state. Several spiders descended from the ceiling and Alice also noticed fearfully that a few had gotten their way onto the bridge. Alice whimpered and looked at Muffet with a horrified expression. Why is she doing this…?

"... that they're awfully stingy with their money. Ahuhuhuhuhu… you think you're taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, deary?" Muffet spoke, fiddling her hands in a way that a powerful leader might do.

"N-no…! Why I've-" Alice's desperate cry was cut off so quickly that she was afraid these were her last moments.

"Ahuhuhu… I disagree with that notion. I think your taste… is just what this next batch needs!" Muffet raised an arm to her mouth and chuckled playfully as she finished what sounded like a death sentence to Alice.

Alice found herself trapped by Muffet but it seemed she was allowed to fight for her life much like with Undyne and the others. Nonetheless, with her movements restricted, this was going to be a very tough engagement. When analyzing her, Alice was given some good advice. If she invites you to her parlor, excuse yourself. Normally Alice would've agreed but she had a genuine conversation with Muffet not that long ago. How could things have changed so rapidly that Muffet had such a negative opinion of the little girl so quickly? It was at that moment though that Alice noticed a golden sheen that seemed to grow stronger behind her. She recognized it as her DETERMINATION but yet this was the first time it had emerged so reactively… Before Alice could get a closer look, Muffet spoke,

"Don't look so blue, my deary~"

Then a stream of an unusual purple tea surged from the two teapots she held delicately. Alice was fearful of how hot or cold they might be and screamed in fear. It was at that moment though when a cloud of golden smoke emerged from behind Alice, slightly obscuring her vision and surging forth. It seemed to collide with the purple tea and blocked its progress, causing it to drip down into the abyss beyond the bridge. Alice at first felt a great sense of relief but then confused as she tried to pin down what this was coming from and who was responsible. At that moment though, she felt a few concentrated puffs of smoke pass through her body. They spelled out 'O' 'R' 'U'. Alice gasped with some amazement as she noticed the cobwebs constricting her body seemed to vaporize from the smoke, freeing her. There was an instantaneous knowledge of who was responsible for this and Alice turned around to see him. The Caterpillar. It was a very large one with an unusual almost curved shape and slightly obese. With 3 pairs of hands and 3 pairs of feet with distinctly arabian-looking shoes and a big bottom, it was idly smoking a hookah pipe and sitting upon a mushroom stand but it's focus was entirely on Muffet. Muffet's body language did seem to indicate some surprise though she chuckled cheerfully.

"Oh my… a caterpillar has been caught in my web~ It's been much too long. Very well, you can also join the next batch." She remarked.

It was that moment though when a spider descended down from the ceiling right beside Muffet, holding what appeared to be a notecard. Muffet took immediate notice of this and looked closely at the card.

"Huh? A telegram from the spiders in the RUINS? What? They're saying that they saw you, and… you helped donate to their cause!" She remarked with a sudden joy in her voice.

Alice realized this must've been when she first bought a Spider Donut from the stand. Granted had Alice known they were made of spiders at the time she likely would've passed on the opportunity to buy one, but she was amazed at how the spiders reported this to Muffet. She never imagined spiders would have such a strong memory or the thoughtfulness to let Muffet know of customers who came by and bought their goods. Based on Muffet's softening gesture, Alice was certain this was news that was painting a positive picture of her. Alice nodded in agreement, still feeling a bit too intimidated to speak as she was on the verge of being scorched with tea.

"Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding~ I thought you were someone who hated spiders~ The person who asked for that SOUL… They must have meant a DIFFERENT human in an apron~" Muffet explained.

"Wait… someone approached you to take my SOUL? Who was it…?" Alice asked.

"Oh they offered us a LOT of money for your SOUL. Or rather, their SOUL~. What was particularly odd is I swore I saw them in the shadows… Changing shape…?"

Alice didn't know any of the economic situation in the Underground so she wasn't sure who had a lot of money. Also she didn't really know of any shapeshifters either and the only few she could imagine wanting her SOUL were either reformed like Papyrus, left behind like Undyne, or had unknown whereabouts like Flowey and Chara. The possibility of it being Mettaton though seemed high as he was currently after her and according to his self-made image was quite the star. Such a star would surely have a lot of wealth from his salary but so far Alice had only seen him as a metallic, rolling T.V. He does seem to put on different outfits though, Alice reasoned, perhaps that's what Muffet is referring to? Either way, Alice wanted to make sure she was safe first before prying further details so she spoke to Muffet,

"I'll take it you are forgiving me?"

"Why yes Alice. I'm terribly sorry for this silly mistake I made. I'll make it up to you~ You can come back here any time… and for no charge at all… I'll wrap you up and let you play with my pet! Ahuhuhuhuhuhu~ Just Kidding~ I'll SPARE you now." Muffet giggled charmingly as she lowered her guard to Alice.

Alice smiled happily and even the Caterpillar seemed much more at ease as Alice did just that. As Muffet seemed poised to leave though, Alice got an idea. She was still a bit tense from the whole encounter thus far and she wanted to leave on a good note with Muffet. Also the idea of having some more treats would be quite useful for the journey home. So Alice made an offer,

"Um Muffet? Perchance, are you one for hosting tea parties?"

"Hmm? Why do you ask dearie?" Muffet remarked.

"I was just thinking it'd be quite lovely to relax and enjoy some of your finest tea and treats for a short while. If that's alright with you." Alice cleared her throat and spoke gently.

"Why, that sounds like quite a lovely idea. Plus it's nearly lunchtime~ I have to feed my pet soon and company's always appreciated. Very well, allow me to set things up~" Muffet said with great enthusiasm as she seemed to discard the tea pots and tea cups she was holding in an amusing fashion.

Muffet leapt gracefully over to the spider bridge where Alice stood and landed daintily. Alice set herself gently upon the spiderweb as Muffet pulled out an ornate tea set with the china being of unusually vivid hues and with a spiderweb design. There was also a plate of freshly baked Spider Donuts which at this point appealed to Alice's appetite despite the ingredients. The Caterpillar rested itself idly upon its mushroom stand and blew some transparent gold haze from its hookah pipe. This all served to create a fantastical and fairy-tale esque setting for a tea party. Muffet ultimately sat down on her end of the tea set and began to pour some tea into the teacups. Alice looked at the blend in curiousity, recognizing it was not the same as the Golden Flower tea that had been served to her at Sans and Papyrus's house as it had a different aroma. It was pleasantly sweet yet rich, like some sort of decadent chocolate bar and vanilla. Alice was very eager to try it but felt it was more polite to engage a conversation first with Muffet. I wonder if she may know anything regarding what has happened down here before and after I arrived, Alice pondered to herself.

"So Muffet? There's been something I've been meaning to ask… well, anybody since I've heard about all the things and events that have transpired down here. Are you acquainted with the events of the Underground?" Alice asked as she waited patiently for Muffet to finish pouring the tea.

"An excellent question~ To tell you the truth dearie, I myself am not one to search for rumors and tales down here. I do have a duty to raise money for the spiders trapped in the ruins and bake my goodies after all~ The spiders are more than likely the ones with some information and they have told me several curious tales." Muffet said as she finished pouring the teacup closest to her.

"Do you recall any historical events that were important to you? For instance, why were the spiders trapped in the Ruins whereas you moved onto Hotland?" Alice tried to phrase her question in a way that didn't seem impolite.

Muffet, who was about to pour some of the fragrant tea into another cup, paused. She didn't seem troubled in her expression but rather like she was thinking. She quickly shook her head and spoke,

"I'm afraid that was a sad state of affairs. I was still exploring the Underground with the other monsters and brought a few spiders with me. Snowdin was lovely but much too chilly for any of the spiders to traverse on their own. I was lucky enough to have companions to warm me up~ Hotland was the perfect spot though for us spiders and we settled here. Alas, we knew there was no way of escorting the spiders left in the Ruins the way I had done it without causing a scene. So I started a baking business that's been rising in popularity in the hopes of raising enough money to save them~"

"... That's very noble of you Muffet, to show such care for your brethren. Did they hear anything of perhaps a family living in the Ruins or humans in the Ruins?" Alice asked, touched but desperate for a chance at deeper information.

"Hmm… I can't say my spiders talk much about any juicy morsels that aren't baked goods or interesting customers… or if they did I don't remember~ Spiders tend to be very single-minded. Ahuhuhuhu~ I can say though that they do sometimes mention a monster they see from time to time in the Ruins. They say she's a very lonely individual but is possibly a better baker than me. Although she likes to use snails which I would never consider~" Muffet chuckled.

So she's vaguely familiar with Toriel, Alice realized. Unfortunately it didn't seem like she would know then about Chara or the goat boy or perhaps Toriel's status beyond that. To Alice's surprise however, Muffet continued,

"They sometimes see her grieve alone or often converse with someone towards the entrance to Snowdin. A very sweet fellow they say~ With terrible taste in humor. Buuuut spiders do have their own tastes, maybe he's just more sophisticated than we are~ Ahuhuhuhu…"

"I think it's somewhere in between those two theories if I may be frank." Alice admitted.

It seemed as though Toriel's activities were being witnessed by these spiders Muffet knew and it also seemed as though she did have moments of sadness. Toriel had indeed broken down when Alice had made her decision to leave the Ruins and so it made Alice imagine that's what she did when she grieved. The question remained though as to why she was grieving. Grimly, Alice thought about the idea that it may very well have something to do with the goat boy that she was increasingly convinced was her son. It very well meant that he was dead by now and his death had affected Toriel strongly and was still always on her mind. It also seemed to confirm why Toriel continued to try to look after the children who fell down into the Underground… only to see them all die. Just like that goat boy seemingly had.

"..." Alice suddenly felt a great rush of grief and sorrow as she began to fully understand the pain Toriel must've went through.

"Dearie, I think you should try the tea. It'll cheer you up~" Muffet optimistically offered as she gestured towards Alice's cup.

Alice looked over to Muffet weakly, still in a grim mindset but appreciative of her generosity. Whatever had happened to Toriel was so much more worse than what had happened to herself. Toriel lost her own child, then lost children she tried to take care of as her own, and then finally she-

"Fwoooooooo" The sound of something blowing gently cut through the pain.

It turned out it was the DETERMINATION Caterpillar who had blew, perhaps the first time one of Alice's creations had made a sound of it's own. A haze of gold smoke blew into Alice's face, gently but still forcefully enough to cause Alice to inhale it. The little girl entered a small coughing fit as she waved her hands to send the cloud away. It cleared her mind of any thoughts that weren't 'that was rather rude'. As she gathered her bearings with the haze disappearing, she realized that maybe there was a deeper meaning to what the caterpillar had just done. Perhaps it was trying to tell her to stop overthinking things or to appreciate this tea party over trying to analyze the conversation. Thinking of it being done for the first motive meant that it may have been a warning that she was being distracted from what was the most significant information. The second motive suggested that the caterpillar simply wanted to see Alice enjoy the tea party that she had just earned instead of trying to stress herself with intellectual thinking. The second motive seemed the most believable and it was true that Alice was being a bit too frantic. It was especially unbecoming of her to do so right in front of Muffet who was the epitome of a refined lady. Alice swallowed her pride and spoke,

"Y-you're absolutely right Muffet. I've been pestering you with questions without even trying your tea."

Alice then gracefully took a sip from her teacup as the Caterpillar appeared to nod at her idly. Instantly she was hit by a very beautiful and dramatically different flavor than the last tea she had been served. It was a beautiful black tea, with a creamy chocolatey essence, a vanilla flavor, something fairly bitter but was softened with a familiar Spider Donut taste. It was extremely elegant and tasted similar to that of a cake or pastry chef's masterpiece and was surprisingly accurate to Muffet's occupation. Alice couldn't help but admire this tea and added it subconsciously to her 'to get the recipe; list. Muffet seemed to have saw Alice's expression of satisfaction for herself and explained,

"This is one of my most famous tea blends. A delicate Tiramisu tea blend, based on the Italian dessert of lore~ I've sweetened it though with a touch of Spider Donut goodness and a single drop of water from a spider's web since I imagine you have a sweet-tooth."

"Oh Muffet… I'm not sure I've ever had a Tiramisu but if it is as decadent and marvelous as this tea is I would simply love to try it." Alice said in great appreciation.

"Ahuhuhuhu~ If we can find a beautiful Italian bakery, then certainly. On that note… I think it's time to feed my beloved pet." Muffet remarked sweetly as she looked over to the side.

Alice recalled Muffet having mentioned a 'pet' and was a tad bit intimidated at the idea of meeting them first hand like this. At the same time though, she sincerely hoped it wasn't some spider as it seemed awfully contradictory and scary for Muffet to have a member of her own kind as a pet. When it emerged however, Alice couldn't withhold her gasp and the shiver creeping up her spine. Crawling up webs that lined the exteriors of the room, what appeared to be a giant cupcake with spider legs poking out of the wrapper skillfully ascended up the silver lines. It had a monstrous face, with beady eyes and large fangs adorned in the 'cake'. The entire scene was rather unsettling though Alice was comforted by Muffet's presence and the fact they had made peace.

"Here you go my pet~" Muffet said as she tossed several of the Spider Donuts into it's large gaping mouth.

It chomped on the donuts with a loud sound but seemed pleased with what it's owner had given them. Alice hesitantly took a sip, trying not to make herself seem prominent to the pet. Muffet caressed it gently and then continued speaking to Alice.

"So Alice, what are you hoping to do here in the Underground?"

"Truthfully you see… I want to try to find a way out of here that can also free all the monsters trapped down here at the same time. I feel they've endured so much that they deserve their freedom." Alice responded.

"Ah~ What a noble goal. Quite a tricky one too~ Ahuhuhuhu… Still, I can tell you're quite a special human. Surely you may be able to have a chance at finding a solution." Muffet remarked sweetly.

"D-do you really think so?" Alice asked, touched by Muffet's support.

"Well I'd love if it was so~ Then maybe the spiders from the RUINS could also be freed from that icy prison at the same time. Granted I'd love to help you but I must run my business after all in the hopes I gather enough donations~ Though it is hard to fashion new recipes with the limited ingredients down here I've gathered a loyal customer base." Muffet said nostalgically.

Although that may be because you can be slightly intimidating, Alice thought as she remembered the distraught and broke customer she encountered after meeting her. The presence of this giant and somewhat monstrous pet only added to that belief. The two girls continued to speak and discuss all sorts of manners from personal life, to their adventures in the Underground, to refined subjects and some history lessons. The pet eventually crawled down back into the depths, out of sight and sure enough, an half an hour had passed. Alice was quite full from the pleasant meal and tea and she even had a goody bag of a few mini donuts to take home as courtesy of Muffet. She did know it was time to keep going and so she stood up, her Caterpillar dispelled from existence like the other DETERMINATION constructs.

"It's been truly a wonderful time Muffet and one of the best tea parties I've ever been to in all my life. Thank you." Alice curtsied as she spoke.

"It was surely a wonderful time for me too Alice~ I especially loved hearing more about the surface. All the wonderful teas to try~" Muffet stated.

"You… you'd genuinely want to try some of the teas from England?" Alice asked with a sense of awe.

"Why dearie, how could I possibly NOT be excited? You've peaked my curiousity. As well as my pet's.~" Muffet teased sweetly.

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Thanks again for your charity. I do hope we can see each other again soon."

"That was fun! See you again, dearie~" Muffet sent Alice on her way with a chuckle.

As the room became shrouded in mysterious darkness, Alice found her movements were no longer restricted by the sticky web. Another door much like the one she had entered through lied ahead and Alice was curious as to what lied on the other side. Muffet had said that the area ahead was related to MTT and her spiders often had seen performances or posters every once in awhile. They seemed to enjoy these performances so Mettaton's talent couldn't be outright denied but Alice was concerned that the robot lied in wait for her on the other side of the door. It was an obvious conclusion but based on how these chases in the Underground had gone so far, it was justified. Feeling rejuvenated and equipped with some more supplies, Alice took her first steps into a new area of Hotland. It was surprisingly purple with a brick wall and a poster hanging on the wall. It was a poster for Mettaton's latest stage performance. 'A tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, kept apart by the tides of fate…'

"Romeo and Juliet?" Alice inquired as she knew that was a very famous tragic love story.

Alice was quite fond of stories and theater as she found it very entertaining and often times she would find material to think about or idealize in her own imagination. It was also much more visual than her sister's silly pictureless books. Although the time on the poster was very near from the current time, meaning this performance was about to begin soon. Alice wasn't sure if this was going to be a show Mettaton intended to make her a part of or if it was something that everyone else was going to see. But I can't back down now, Alice reassured herself. As she continued on her way, she found herself in an unusually ornate looking area. It was nighttime with visible stars in the sky, elegant silhouettes of houses in the background, and a prominent stone stairway that led into what looked like a palace wall and balcony. A single vine hung elegantly along the walls but then Alice noticed that the stars appeared to be hanging from black string.

"So it isn't the king's castle… it must simply be a stage." Alice remarked.

"OH? THAT HUMAN…" A familiar robotic voice erased any appreciation Alice had for the set design.

Peering up towards the balcony, Alice was caught off-guard by Mettaton shyly peeking from the corner of the balcony with a distinct puffy sleeve being seen. His face was all red and Alice was a bit puzzled by what he was up to.

"COULD IT BE…?" He then came from behind the corner and displayed himself.

He was dressed in a lavish and elegant blue and white gown that sparkled within the light of the area. The only issue was that it was absolutely preposterous to Alice that Mettaton would be wearing such a girlish garment as opposed to something more expected like the chef's outfit from the cooking show. What he said next though was far more flabbergasting.

"...MY ONE TRUE LOVE?" Mettaton spoke in a fond and almost ditzy tone.

"I-I beg your pardon? One true love…? That's out of the question!" Alice reacted angrily.

Not only was the mere implication of them being loves bizarre and offensive to her, but the fact he was adorned in a gown didn't help one single bit. Also it was something her sister would've been incredibly offended over. Suddenly, a beautiful chorus of what appeared to be a harp rang through the air and Mettaton began to descend down the stairs. He held the skirt of his dress up daintily like a queen might and the whole scene would've been quite beautiful if it hadn't been Mettaton. Alice was a bit outraged though from his earlier statement and pointed at him angrily as he arrived to the ground floor.

"In the first place I believe it is now obvious you attempted to sway Muffet into attacking me and-"

"Oh my loveeeee. Please run awayyyyyy. Monster Kinggggg. Forbids your stayyyyy." Mettaton began to sing.

Alice's dismay was even more profound as she heard Mettaton sing shockingly beautifully in front of her. Also the mention of 'Monster King' definitely alerted her to the fact this was King Asgore he was referring to. But the little girl had no intention of being ignored like this as she was being portrayed as something unspeakable.

"Don't ignore me! You have no right to include me in this unusual performance without permission! Let alone accuse me of being your one true love!" She objected strongly.

"They'll put youuuuu. In the dungeonnnnn." Mettaton continued to sing extremely majestically.

Alice then noticed another unusual act of beauty occur. Pretty pink flower petals descended in a rain from somewhere in the 'sky'. Collecting one of the petals in her hands, Alice recognized it as a pink rose. Still, even it could not pacify Alice's growing concerns about her fate and the mention of a 'dungeon'. Alice wondered if she should try to make a break for it or perhaps get Mettaton, dramatically swaying and lifting his arms in tune to the music, to let her go. For some reason, the latter seemed the most justified given how Mettaton was making fun of her. Alice conjured the closest thing she could think of to a battering weapon in her hand. What resulted was a croquet stick made of pure DETERMINATION… and it was a flamingo. Truthfully the Queen of Hearts seemed very fond of putting Wonderland's animals to sport, literally. Even stranger was that the flamingos didn't seem particularly smart and Alice recalled having an extremely hard time getting hers to cooperate in the short game of croquet she played in her dreams. Right now though, the flamingo was cooperating, standing as stiff as a mallet and the little girl approached the serenading robot.

"And then you'll die a loo-OW!" Mettaton winced as he found himself smacked by a hard, feathery object.

The music did not cut off but Mettaton's graceful movements and singing certainly did as Alice bonked him aggressively with the flamingo.

"I've had just about enough of your antics! We are not remotely lovers and are barely acquaintances! You will put this misunderstanding to a halt and perhaps even leave me be!" She demanded angrily and smashed him again.

Mettaton didn't object but rather kept muttering groans of pain and maneuvered around to try to get away from Alice. Ultimately, the flower petals stopped floating down and a shooting star appeared to streak across the 'sky'. Mettaton stopped in place with a groan and yanked the flamingo out of Alice's hands and tossed it aside. The flamingo fluttered off before disappearing from sight. Alice folded her arms and looked at Mettaton harshly as he began to shout,

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! WE ARE NOT LOVERS! YOU COULD AT LEAST PLAY ALONG IN YOUR FINAL MOMENTS OF LIFE! NOW WOULD YOU BE A DEAR AND MOVE TO THIS SPOT?"

Mettaton pointed to the floor, a short distance and a few steps from where Alice was already standing. Alice already knew her answer to that.

"Not at all."

"YOUR FUNERAL. WELL, TOODLES!" Mettaton suddenly exclaimed as he pulled out a small remote control and pushed the button.

Alice could only gasp in horror as she realized Mettaton had played her. He had allowed the beating just so he could get Alice to a certain spot on the stage where a trapdoor revealed itself. Indeed, the question had been a taunt to test Alice if she would listen to him when he was actually telling the truth. Alice couldn't even begin to think of a response as she plummeted downwards.

"Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" She shrieked.

Alice crashed a few moments afterward onto familiar-looking Hotland ground. She winced and rubbed her bottom as she noticed a conveyer belt ahead of her. She also quickly noticed Mettaton, flying once more and having followed her down to look down upon her. Alice pointed at him and complained,

"That was a deceptive trick!"

"AND THE AUDIENCE WILL EAT IT UP! OH NO, WHATEVER SHALL I DO? MY EX HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON! A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY… HUMAN WILL SURELY PERISH." Mettaton seemed to be quite blunt as opposed to his previous sweet-sounding serenade.

"Ex…? Well, likely something unimportant." Alice grumbled as she got to her feet to look at the puzzle in question.

It was a chessboard of different colored squares in a variety of shades. It was somewhat similar in layout to one of the puzzles Papyrus had challenged her with in Snowdin Forest. Granted that also meant this one was likely to be much more complicated and less merciful than that one had been. Even Mettaton made it clear,

"O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE! EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL… ACTUALLY, WAIT A SECOND. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO? THAT'S RIGHT. YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU? GREAT… THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM!"

"That's only because you were likely spying on me alongside Alphys." Alice pointed out as she recalled that fact.

"OH, AND YOU'D BETTER HURRY. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN 30 SECONDS…" Mettaton began to warn Alice ominously as he pointed to her left.

A row of flame was conjured a short distance away from Alice and it's width encompassed the entire area. It threatened to singe her should she try to get past it and it was much too high to jump over. Alice was oddly enough, only slightly shaken as there had been a number of instances where she was pinned in by some dangerous object and made it unscathed. Like Undyne's attacks or Flowey's bullets. Something like this surely isn't new, Alice gathered, so I feel like they won't harm me.

"YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA… HA… HA! MY POOR EX, I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!" Cackled the robot.

"An unlikely story." Alice reasoned as she stepped onto the conveyer belt.

"GOOD LUCK, DARLING!" Mettaton wished her some faux-sympathy before he actually began to sing again.

Alice had neither the time nor the patience to pay attention to what the lyrics were as she made her way on the stage. She noticed there were two overhanging screens, one with the countdown for the 30 seconds and another that appeared to show pictures of fruit like oranges and lemons. However, Alice found that when she stepped on the yellow squares, she got a jolt of electricity as a response. Wincing, Alice tried to find an alternative route but realized she didn't have a proper gathering of what each square did. She made very little progress and ultimately the 30 seconds went by as quickly as the White Rabbit. Alice gulped nervously, not so much disappointed in herself as she was anxious to see what would happen next. The titles all lost color and resulted in a monochrome floor that she was standing on which already wasn't a good sign.

"OOOOH, I'M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME!" Mettaton declared boldly as jets of flame from behind and ahead of Alice began to approach.

The two jets of flame completely blocked off her escape and were approaching fast, only halting whenever Mettaton spoke. Alice wasn't as scared of this as she was when caught in Muffet's web not that long ago but she still felt a cold sweat come upon her.

"HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLING! THEY'RE CLOSING IN! GETTING! CLOSER! OH MY! ANY MINUTE NOW!" Mettaton counted down metaphorically.

Yet when the jets of flame were right next to Alice, burning hot enough to make Alice feel quite uncomfortable, they showed no signs of moving any further. They stood statically in place as though their movements had become restricted. Ultimately, it seemed Alice was in the clear if even just for a moment or two and Mettaton let out a robotic cough as he waited impatiently for any signs of continuation. Then, Alice suddenly heard a sound that was instantly recognizable but one that she hadn't heard for a while. The sound of her phone ringing. Alice suddenly realized who was calling and why. It was Alphys and it was very likely that with her knowledge of the Underground's machinery that she had been able to directly intervene in this puzzle. Alice quickly answered the phone.

"Watch out! I'll save you! I'm hacking into the firewall right now!" Alphys said with a noticeable increase in confidence.

"Ah! T-thank you Alphys." Alice said in gratitude as the jets of fire deactivated.

"OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? FOILED AGAIN BY THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS!" Mettaton asked himself in agony.

"..." Alice watched on in some silence as she suddenly noticed there being a brief moment of silence.

Neither of them spoke despite the fact it was clear they were in a situation that almost required a conversation between the two. Not to mention the casual way he had complimented Alphys despite being defeated by her was not consistent to what he was aiming for. It was possible he was complimenting her for being the one to create him and he was being vain about it but on the other hand, it almost implied he was still on good terms with the Royal Scientist. It was an action like this that made Alice extremely nervous.

"THA-"

"That's right! Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us… Not as long as we work together! Your puzzles over… Now go home and leave us alone!" Alphys's statement unexpectedly cut off something Mettaton was about to say.

That was definitely not natural, Alice realized. The way she had spoke like that with that unusual bravado that would only be natural on Papyrus, Mettaton being cut off at an unusual timing, and just the fact that she was telling him to 'go home' when that essentially meant going back to the lab where he was created… it all screamed suspicious. Yet Alice felt this wasn't at all a good time to attempt to accuse them of conspiring against her. Not when the jets of flame could be easily reactivated if the two of them were after her soul. She had to play along with this strange scenario even if it was becoming unfavorable for her. Mettaton's tone did seem to indicate some haughtiness on his end when he spoke again,

"PUZZLE? OVER? ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO? THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER? WELL, DARLING… THAT MONSTER..."

Suddenly, Mettaton grabbed his dress and flung it off himself with an incredible sense of drama to his movements.

"IS ME!" He growled.

He then lunged for Alice, giving the little girl little room to dodge. She was able though to avoid his initial lunge, forcing Mettaton to hop onto his classic wheel instead of his flight mode and wave at her coyly. Upon analyzing him, Alice saw that his metal body rendered him invulnerable to attack. This meant not even the mightiest attacks Alice could manage would phase him. Granted there was always the option to run but Mettaton was quite persistent and if he could fly, then he'd easily be able to pursue Alice to great lengths. Alice was about to make some steps backward when Mettaton spoke again,

"THIS IS IT, DARLING! SAY GOODBYE!"

As if Alice couldn't catch a break, her phone rang again. During the dodge the call had ended prematurely so it seemed Alphys was still online to speak with her.

"IS THAT YOUR PHONE? YOU'D BETTER-"

"I do not need constant commentary!" Alice shouted with some exasperation as she answered her phone.

"H-hey! This seems bad, but don't worry! Th-there's one last thing I installed on your phone…! You see that yellow button…? Go to this phone's [[ACT]] menu and press it!" Alphys ordered.

Alice hesitantly scrambled to find the button and pushed it once she did. She looked at her screen and noticed that it was displaying a red heart. For some reason this made Alice feel confident again and as if this phone was resonating with Mettaton's presence. Then it slowly rotated upside down and in a resonant flash of light and sound, turned yellow. Alice was feeling a bit excited and awaited further instruction. She got it not a moment too soon.

"Now press [Z]!"

Pressing it quickly and rapidly, she found that her phone was emitting small, transparent yellow bullets at Mettaton that hit him dead on. A flurry of them hit Mettaton and gave Alice great personal satisfaction. However, Mettaton didn't appear to wince or cower back after being hit by all of them. Rather he kept waving…

"OOOH! OOOOOOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC. WHATEVER." Mettaton, in a terribly dismissive tone, slid away from sight after lamenting his 'loss.

"Why…?" Alice muttered weakly, lowering her phone and suddenly feeling very foolish.

As though to mock her for once again getting her hopes up, Alphys's obnoxiousness rang again.

"L-looks like you beat him! Y-you did a really great job out there." She said jubilantly.

"... All thanks to you I suppose." Alice sighed with some sadness.

It was perfectly apparent now that Alphys was trying to play Alice like a fiddle, using Mettaton as a pawn to orchestrate some sort of adventure. Maybe she was trying to lead Alice to Asgore himself who perhaps laid out some sort of trap for her. Perhaps she was trying to teach Alice some sort of sick lesson. Maybe this was her idea of puzzles like Papyrus did or maybe she was attempting to avenge Undyne or someone else. Either way, Alice knew for a fact that Alphys was up to something suspicious and couldn't trust her 100%. Right now, her best move was to simply play to Alphys's ego. Perhaps by doing this I could avoid some drastic surprise later down the road, she thought.

"What? Oh no, I mean… You were the one doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phone. … umm, h-hey, this might sound strange but… c-can I tell you something?" Alphys spoke with a sudden seriousness.

Alice took notice of this tone and suddenly softened her expression and contemplating mind. Alphys sounded as though she was about to say something very personal and knowing the Royal Scientist, it could be of useful or maybe explain something as to why she was doing this. So Alice decided to give Alphys one last chance.

"You can speak your mind Alphys." She said gently.

"B-before I met you, I d-didn't really… I didn't really like myself very much. For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn't do a-anything w-without… W-without letting everybody down. B-but...! Guiding you has made me feel… A lot better about myself. So… thanks for letting me help you. … Uhhh, anyway, we're almost to the CORE. It's just past MTT Resort. Come on! Let's finish this!" Alphys opened her heart in a level that even Alice's sister wouldn't often do so.

The Royal Scientist then promptly ended the call, leaving Alice with a far more sympathetic understanding of why and what Alphys was doing and a lot to think about this MTT Resort.

To Be Continued...