Alice in Undertale

By Lolitafreak88

Chapter 27 Revelation by Glamour

Alice found herself narrowly dodging the aggressive lunge with a few quick steps backward. Mettaton quickly showed exceptional control over his body as he retaliated with a kick as he spun on an axis. Each movement was wild yet had a composure and an elegance to it that rivaled court dances and the great ballet performers of Alice's time. If anything, it held valuable insight to how modern dance was nowadays. Alice herself was not a trained dancer but dancing was a rather enjoyable activity to do and her sister would sometimes dance with her when they were younger. For something as innocent as twirling around in the bedroom to have been now relatable to dodging various kicks and punches was rather daunting to Alice. Mettaton seemed very happy with this arrangement and was showing his true nature to her as opposed to someone who had been sneaky and hiding things like Alphys. Mettaton Ex was making his premiere.

"My, my, my, to have such a reaction means you are no stranger to the dance floor my dear. This style of dance is more than a match for your Victorian era." Mettaton remarked as he started to strike a series of unusual if flattering poses.

"I-Isn't your idea of dancing a bit obscene? Or perhaps it's your appearance and… oh dear…" Alice responded a bit flustered at the subtle insult and just the boggling nature of his movements.

"I can't be clocked for being fabulous! Now brace yourself! Lights! Camera! Action!" Mettaton kicked his leg much like a cancan dancer towards Alice.

As the little girl weaved her way through the onslaught of what could only be described as a combination of dance and martial arts, she noticed that the Ratings chart seemed to be in decline. It was currently around 3,966 and still dropping. I wonder if that could be something to use in this battle, Alice considered. Her options at the moment were limited due to the fact that there seemed to be fairly limited space on this stage and that Mettaton was being very aggressive. Soon enough, her fears were confirmed when Mettaton took advantage of a sluggish recovery of Alice's movements. He leapt into the air, doing a extremely elegant and difficult twirl, his leg outstretched and kicking Alice in the side of the head.

"Ahhh…!" Alice cried as she skidded roughly across the stage.

Looking up, she noticed very briefly that the ratings had increased, with a green message announcing "Justice +100." According to that, certain actions will likely increase these ratings, Alice thought. However, before she could get up, she noticed Mettaton grabbing onto both of her legs and seemingly shaking them while facing the 'audience'.

"Do you mind?!" Alice pouted and folded her arms.

"Sorry but the opportunity to entertain my fans couldn't be passed!" Mettaton winked at her playfully.

"Movie Reference +1000" was what read on the ratings chart now, with the overall ratings now in the 4000s. Alice was perplexed at what that even referred to though it seemed that it may have had something to do with what Alphys mentioned at the lab about her resemblance to some film made by Disney or whatever. Definitely out of my element, Alice thought nervously as Mettaton did let her legs go and seemed to be pirouetting away. Looking at Mettaton's pizazz was giving Alice some ideas on what to do. Despite being less experienced in dancing, surely she herself could do the same and maybe if she did so that'd help pacify the situation. The trickiest thing about this was that there was no clear sign of victory or way to appeal to Mettaton though for this was an entirely new form and she was trapped.

"A-alright… might as well give it a go." Alice said to herself, getting up and patting her apron to look as neat as she could in this situation.

She started with a simple swaying of the arms before going into a spin, trying to match the timing of the unusual beat of the music. "Effort +100" was her award. Mettaton also seemed a bit perplexed, analyzing her and the ratings while tapping his heeled boots to the music.

"As you've been known to say, curiouser and curiouser." Mettaton licked his lips.

"Thank you…? To be honest I feel a bit absurd, dancing for my life like this." Alice sighed as she slowly attempted a shuffle.

"Oooh, it's time for a pop quiz! I hope you brought a keyboard…! This one's an essay question!" Mettaton suddenly raised his arms as another series of words appeared in front of Alice.

'ESSAY PROMPT: Why do you love most about Mettaton? (No X or Z)' as well as a blinking '[START TYPING]'. Alice did a double take. Not only was the grammar of the essay prompt itself preposterous but it was asking her to start typing as though she had a typewriter in her apron pocket.

"Is writing an essay really something you should be showcasing for entertainment?" Alice asked as she stopped dancing.

"Nagging -500" appeared on the ratings chart, reducing the ratings to 4402. That really wasn't nagging if I had to be honest, it was a question for goodness sake, Alice defended herself in her head. Mettaton wasn't so amused.

"So much for saving this for future use, and to think I called you the Princess of Heart! Speaking of heart, why don't I show you mine?" Mettaton seemed to cackle slightly before something astounding happened.

A mechanical heart seemed to appear from Mettaton and it shot out a flurry of electrical bolts and flying missiles that looked a lot like Mettaton's original form. Alice could barely react in time as "Good jokes +100" appeared on the ratings board. Each projectile was quite fast and Alice found herself doing much more complex movements to dodge the strikes. They involved several graceful turns, isolations, arm movements, and quick ducks and dodges. Miraculously, she found herself able to dodge each attack and that gave her some more confidence with her physical potential.

"I think that proves which of our hearts is stronger." Alice stated calmly.

"Dramatic +100" seemed to be what rewarded her efforts. Mettaton even seemed pleasantly surprised, letting out a melodramatic if satisfied 'Ohhh'. Although capable of keeping up with Mettaton, she was anxious about the solution to this whole encounter. What could possibly spare Mettaton at this point or what was the proper way to uphold Toriel's teachings in this scenario? Attacking Mettaton, even if he antagonized her and had hurt Napstablook's feelings, was something she had promised Napstablook not to do. Or specifically she had promised him to forgive Mettaton. Forgiving seemed to be the same as sparing based on how Alice's adventures Underground were coming along. But what will do the trick exactly? Unfortunately, the time she spent thinking allowed Mettaton to get up close to her and by the time she noticed a flash of black, it was too late.

"You should be paying much closer attention darling! Eyes on me!" Mettaton seemed to be demanding Alice to focus on him.

In truth, the two kicks he delivered to Alice's face from a well-executed backflip ensured she would not get distracted again. Alice found herself flung back and landing roughly on the stage in pain. One of the pointy ends of the heels had cut her forehead and she found she was bleeding much to her horror. It was a wound that no girl her age should have had to endure and it reflected the subtle but intense killing intent Mettaton had at the moment. Pacifism would not sway him from doing anything else.

"Oww… oh this is hopeless…" Alice fought back the tears as she held her wound.

There was no silver lining in sight. She was to continue dancing to her death at Mettaton's hands at this rate. Without a clear objective, without anything to ponder over, and being out of her comfort zone in terms of movement and taste level, she was at a loss. How would-

PAPYRUS.

"Papyrus…? OH! He'd know for certain!" Alice exclaimed as a thought seemed to scream out to her in her head.

Papyrus was the one who told her all about Mettaton in the first place. In fact she had promised to help him get in touch with his 'sexy rectangle'. Surely he would understand how Mettaton's shows worked and would be able to give Alice an idea of what to do. Or at least, it'd make better progress than simply dodging aimlessly. Alice saw that Mettaton's foot was prepared to stomp and crush her face. She managed to roll out of the way just in time and forced herself up to her feet. She then dug around in her pockets, managing to claim the once loathed but now very appreciated phone. She then dialed his number and was extremely relieved to get an answer.

"ALICE! AH, WHAT REMARKABLE TIMING! ME AND SANS JUST SAW YOU PULLING OUT YOUR PHONE AND DIALING SOMEONE! I'M SO BLESSED IT WAS ME!" Papyrus's joy never got old.

"Yes, I was wondering… oh so I really am on some sort of entertainment program." Alice felt sheepish as she processed what Papyrus pointed out.

"ARE YOU OK?! YOU ARE BLEEDING AND IT MAKES ME WANT TO BLEED WATER OUT OF MY… WELL YOU GET THE IDEA." Papyrus clarified himself as a skeleton did lack actual eyes.

"I-I'll survive… but not for much longer. Papyrus, do you have any idea of what Mettaton would desire most during one of his shows?" Alice asked as Mettaton started to attack her.

"Phoning a friend? Darling, the game show's over!" He critiqued her for such a decision.

Papyrus, to Alice's relief, wasn't distracted by Mettaton's demands. It seemed even his admiration of the superstar robot wasn't enough to deter from helping Alice with her problem.

"WELL I HAPPEN TO KNOW METTATON HAS NEVER REACHED OVER 10,000 RATINGS ON HIS SHOW. SURELY REACHING AND OVERCOMING THAT FABLED PEAK WOULD MAKE METTATON'S DAY. SURELY HE'D EVEN SPARE YOU! WINK, WINK." Papyrus advised.

"Reach a certain level of ratings…? I can't say I understand what ratings are to begin with but there's a chart I see that lists how many we have. What actions normally raise the ratings?" Alice asked as she found herself rolling along the ground to avoid some more flying missiles.

"OFTEN IT INVOLVES RECIPES, PERFORMANCES, AND LOOKING VERY PHYSICALLY ATTRACTIVE. I THINK IF YOU JUST FOCUS ON MAKING THE AUDIENCE HAPPY YOU WILL EASILY HELP METTATON PRODUCE AN AMAZING SPECIAL! ALSO CATCHPHRASES HELP IMMENSELY! NYEHEHEHE!" Papyrus gave his last bit of advice before hanging up.

Alice climbed to her feet and quickly came to a conclusion. All those shows Mettaton had done, the quiz, the cooking, the news, the stage… those were all for the sake of making the Underground happy. That was his true desire, the reason he forfeited his ghostly origins for a body that'd truly make him a star. So if she was going to survive and spare this impenetrable superstar, she would need to act and harness her own star power. Luckily, Alice recalled, Wonderland has had it's own share of entertainment. It wasn't just limited to tea parties either as Mettaton would soon discover. Alice harnessed her DETERMINATION, starting to gently glow gold and her wound from Mettaton's wound seemingly healing. Mettaton looked perplexed at her choice before laughing cockily.

"More of that DETERMINATION? Dear, that isn't going to up your chances or raise the stakes of this program." He put her down.

"Mettaton, in all fairness you told me that you didn't want what Asgore wanted. You wanted to save humanity from potential destruction and have them watch you. Even now your greatest wish is to be watched." Alice chose her words carefully to lower Mettaton's guard.

"...! Yes… and what of it? Your soul is all that's keeping me from that dream!" Mettaton aimed two kicks at Alice but she stepped back at the right time to avoid them.

"The truth is that we are both currently being watched. By the monsters of the Underground. What makes them less deserving of a lovely performance?"

"... Nothing at all! Alice are you proposing what I think you are proposing?" Mettaton seemed slightly interested at this new direction.

"Yes! I will give you my soul the same way your dancing is filled with such soul. A performance of the ages, in true Wonderland fashion!" Alice then made a graceful flourish with her arms as her DETERMINATION surged around the dance floor.

The true irony in the characters she was summoning with her DETERMINATION was not only that there were numerous of them but that they were organic and natural beings given human qualities whereas Mettaton was an inorganic robot built with human-esque capabilities. Furthermore, Alice had a bit of a conflict with these beings in Wonderland, after they snootily dismissed her from their domain and called her a weed. Regardless, they had serenaded Alice and at this point in time, she knew there were no better performers to call upon right at this dire moment. The red rose, the petunia, the daisy, tulips, morning glories, pansies, the white rose, the sunflowers, the calla lily, the lilac, daffodils, chrysanthemums, lily of the valley, sweetpeas, tiger lily, dandy lions, and many more beautiful and expressive flowers surrounded the stage. In truth, they all were of the same golden radiance of DETERMINATION but their faces and the shape of their petals, stems, blooms, and leaves all made their distinctions more apparent. The sight was simply exquisite in Mettaton's eyes and he made a dramatic gasp. "Gorgeous Garden +500" quickly heightened the ratings to around 5000.

"My word! Your DETERMINATION is stunnnnning! It's almost enough to steal the spotlight from me! I had almost forgotten about this part really. Well I'll let you try to convince me and the audience you got star quality while I take my union-regulated break." Mettaton shuffled to the side of the dance floor, leaving Alice to her fate.

Alice felt relieved at the realization she was able to convince Mettaton to spare her enough to do this sort of audition. The rather catchy beat that had played since Mettaton's first lyrics died down, leaving the sounds for Alice to create. It quickly was swamped by the daunting task of how to perform what she recalled from her imaginings. The flowers had sung each and every part of the chorus while Alice joined in rather miserably at the end. From her past experiences, none of her creations had spoken, only performed actions. Yet there was a strange bravado Alice had within her that was telling her to tackle this performance with heart and gusto. If anything, it felt very much like something Papyrus would've advised. Perhaps this is the result of me changing so many times, Alice thought positively on this. Clearing her throat adequately and taking her place in the middle of the stage, she was about to vocalize the same way the flowers had done. But before she could even sound out the fabled 'la', it was spoken by the Lily of the Valley,

"Laaaaaaaaaaaa"

"Mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi" (Then the Pansies…)

"La la la la la la la la" (The Daisy right on cue.)

"AhahaHAhahahhhh~" (The Petunia as well.)

As the flowers continued to vocalize the rather beautiful opening to what was a song called 'Golden Afternoon', Alice was able to process the voices she was hearing. They sounded like they came from the same singer, startlingly similar to how Alice envisioned each flower's voice in Wonderland, yet deeper and even somewhat more as though the voice was trying to imitate their voices. Alice was amazed and slightly frightened at this revelation. Her DETERMINATION now had its own voice, something that Alice would've never fathomed. Was it a reflection of growth? A reflection of the closeness towards the final part of her journey? A sign of how strong her will to live was? Yet Alice had a strange understanding that this voice belonged to someone else and was not something merely created out of thin air. But who? She thought anxiously. Abandoning these thoughts in favor of more focus, the voice was quite enchanting and it gave Alice more confidence to let the flowers take the lead as they sang the song.

'Little bread-and-butterflies kiss the tulips'

'And the sun is like a toy balloon, ooooohhhh'

'There are get-up-in-the-morning glories in the golden afternoon, ohhhhhh'

'There are dizzy daffodils on the hillside'

'Strings of violets are all in tune' (Alice swayed her arms to and fro, assuming the actions of a conductor as the flowers continued to synchronize.)

'Tiger lilies love the dandelions'

'In the golden afternoon, the golden afternooooooooon'

'There are dog and cat-erpillars and a copper centipede'

' 'Where the lazy daisies love the very peaceful life'

'They leeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaad…' (Mettaton appeared to be yawning to himself as he watched the performance. His expression seemed mixed, his eyes intent but his mouth in a frown.)

'You can learn a lot of things from the flowers'

'For especially in the month of June, ahhhhh'

'There's a wealth of happiness and romaaaance'

'Allllllll in the golden afternooooon'

"I need MORE!" Mettaton suddenly cut through the elegant aria with a stomp and a cry of his own.

Alice herself was perplexed, believing that she had been doing very well with this performance and appeasing the ratings. The ratings were at a good 7,320 in fact. Yet Mettaton seemed displeased at her and what was more unusual was that the original musical theme Mettaton had been playing returned. Yet it sounded quiet and like it was slowly building up momentum with the presence of new notes mixed in with the old ones and old ones reduced or taken away to create a magical and new experience. At the same time it also likely meant Alice would have to endure another precarious dance-off with Mettaton. He continued to critique Alice as the flowers gazed at him with blank expression,

"Darling, that may have worked for Wonderland but, to be blunt, your music style is fairly outdated. Classics are appreciated but the monsters and I march to the beat of a different sort of song. You are only conducting the music but how good are you on the dance floor?!"

"Well it's not like I'm as trained as you per say…" Alice twiddled her fingers in shame.

"Either way, the monsters nor the humans would appreciate a half and half. They want the full package! So here's the catch sweetie, I want you to perform for your LIFE! No standing there waving your arms, but actual movements." Mettaton demonstrated with a fluid spin as he approached Alice.

"Oh. I suppose t-that's a compromise. Will we use this music?" Alice inquired.

"That and PLENTY more. Seeing as this should be my last star-studded Underground performance, I'll treat you and the monsters watching to a special Underground Anthem, Mettaton and human style~." Mettaton struck a flashy pose and stuck out his tongue.

I hope it's not as flamboyant as his appearance, Alice thought hesitantly as she noticed the music build up to a rising crescendo. Suddenly, it occurred to her that it appeared Mettaton was potentially going to sing again. The frivolous 'oh my love' performance left a lot to be desired and tried Alice's patience but this was his true form in front of her. His true singing voice was probably as well-developed as his exciting dance moves. In fact it may be in my best interest to focus entirely on the dancing and let him and the flowers sing, she concluded. Alice then stood up straight and curtsied, as though to welcome him to a ball.

"Very well, I'll partake in this as well." She said.

"Well then darling. The show… must go on!" Mettaton announced the beginning of this so-called 'anthem' with the summoning of a few missiles.

'In youuuu and Iiiii, there's a new laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnd' (Mettaton's voice was resonant and powerful, with incredible soul and a subtle femininity that made his voice seem a mixture of a man's and a woman's. It was complimented by powerful arm motions and a genuinely powerful expression. Alas, Alice wasn't able to appreciate it as much as the missiles flew at her and forced her to take quick, cautious steps back, ultimately twirling her way out before they crashed onto the ground.)

'My sanctuary, my sanctuary, yeah' (Mettaton glided along the dance floor, looking to the sky, emphasizing this sanctuary as the land lost to the monsters. There was something so somber yet hopeful about this performance and some of the original theme disappeared as new and softer sounds filled the air.)

'Where fears and liesss, melt awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy' (Mettaton soon caught up to Alice and attempted a sweep kick that Alice jumped backward to dodge before he got up and demonstrated a graceful arabesque.)

'What would I give if I could liiiive out of these waterssss?' (Mettaton then seemed to get onto one knee and prayed to the heavens, selling the emotion with his expression. Alice realized the waters must've referred to the Waterfall area though that in itself was a curious choice as Mettaton had never visited nor seemed fit to go to that area. Could it be a reference to his creator's bond with Undyne perhaps? She thought.)

'What would I pay to spend a dayyyy warm on the saaaaand?' (Mettaton then raised his arms to heavens before performing a well-executed backflip, kicking his legs up into an appealing shape and back on his feet again. He turned to face Alice.)

'Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they staaay all day in the suuuun' (With elegant but determined movements, he attempted to strike Alice with an outstretched arm and a follow-up kick before he executed a grand jete into a pose. These attacks failed but it was starting to give Alice an impression of how Mettaton was living in the moment and that his dance was a full expression of himself.)

'Wanderin' free, wish I could be, part of that worrrrrlllrld' (Mettaton got back onto one knee for this part, using his arms to create beautiful gestures before holding one arm out and up in sync with the final high note to create an exquisite gesture.)

However, contrary to what Alice expected, Mettaton did not sing again but he did give Alice a severe expression. It was an expression of battle or perhaps subtly scolding her for still not dancing. The most noticeable change though was the way the soft music changed into something powerful, dynamic, and intimidating. An unusual instrument Alice had never heard before in her life made strong chords that seemed to indicate something terribly important was about to start. Mettaton, hands on his hips was strutting over to Alice with the same conviction and class of a fashion model. His swaying hips and elongated steps were perfectly in tune with the music until he stopped. He crouched forward, holding his arms in front of him before pulling back and ultimately summoning the mechanical heart again. It seemed he was about to go all out against the little girl and it demanded her to dance at long last. As if to confirm this, Mettaton began to sing again, no longer serene and pure but rather edgy and bold.

'A river in a dry land, the last ace in a lost hand' (The missiles and electrical bolts flung themselves at Alice with almost heightened accuracy from before. Alice found herself pirouetting out of the way of some of the attacks. She then ducked several bolts before performing a jete of her own to avoid being blasted by another Mettaton-shaped missile.)

'When the hope of new beginnings burned our feet, now we need it' (With the attacks settled, Alice knew it was time to dance and while this was never a style of music she danced to, she felt as if she could perform some movements to these particular sounds. She lifted her legs as fluidly as she could and spun around before lifting her arms much like Mettaton had.)

'A heartbeat for a tin man, oasis in a singed land' (Mettaton's heart returned to his body and he seemed to caress his chest with his hands in a strangely elegant way before rabidly flicking his head to the left and the right. He then performed an incredible split onto the dance floor, left leg in front and right leg behind of him.)

'Remind us what we're here for: creating new liiiiiiiiiiife' (Alice continued to make graceful arm movements and lifted her leg gracefully behind her in a small arabesque before lifting her skirts and kicking upward to match the power of the last note. It was then that what Mettaton was doing caught her attention.)

'I won't give up, no I won't give in, Till I reach the end, And then I'll staaaaaaaaart aaaagaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaainnnnnnnnnnn.' (Mettaton was doing swift movements backwards with his arms held out and seeming to move in a wave-like motion. He then suddenly threw himself forward and landed on his knees, yet he slid across the floor still on his knees in a very epic display of control and precision. His notes hadn't even suffered once during the grand dance move.)

"Amazing!" Alice remarked excitedly.

'Maybe a reason why, all the doors are closed, so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road.' (Noticeably, the music began to shift again, the mysterious and powerful instrument still present but the rest of the sounds became softer again and there even appeared to be the sound of snapping fingers mixed in the instrumental. Alice watched as Mettaton got onto his feet and approached the flowers of DETERMINATION, serenading them with rather positive-sounding lyrics. The flowers, normally a very snooty bunch, seemed rather impressed by Mettaton's poise and voice.)

'Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow, and when it's time you know' (Mettaton then turned around to look at Alice before he ran forward and suddenly lifted himself into the air with a spectacular leap, one leg kicked up after the other before stopping right in front of Alice. Alice realized that this part of the song seemed directed towards Alice, as though saying that all other options were closed off to her so she could do the one option that'd lead to the best solution for the Underground. Unfortunately Alice felt he was referring to her giving up her soul to him and thus suddenly felt a little disappointed.)

'We're all just looking for connection, yeah, we all want to be seen, I'm looking for someone who speaks my language, someone to ride this ride with me.' (Mettaton tapped Alice on the shoulder, firmly but not enough to hurt and seemed to wink at her, inviting her to join in on his next movement. He was moving one of his legs in an unusual isolation, seeming to rotate it while it was bent. He then did the same with the other leg before shuffling backward, his arms held up like a boxer. Alice thought the movement was simple enough and she knew that despite whatever message Mettaton's lyrics held, it was best to focus on getting the ratings he and she desired. So she quickly mimicked his movement, finding joy in how they appeared to be reflecting each other. The mysterious instrument even disappeared from the instrumental, leaving the snapping fingers, subtle traces of Mettaton's original theme, and a very melodic sound with traces of piano.)

'Can I get a witness?' (Mettaton then stopped his dancing to strike yet another pose. The pose in question had one hand placed on his head while the other hand was outstretched in front of him, the fingers delicately curved and his legs and torso held in a very flattering shape. It was clear there was going to be a bit of a pose-off now. What Alice also found intriguing was that the flowers appeared to be repeating the 'witness' part in the song at certain times, finally singing again after 'Golden Afternoon' had been silenced.)

'Will you be my witness?' (Alice tried a rather eccentric pose when it was her turn. She pointed to Mettaton with both her arms, one straight forward while the other was leaning over her head. She balanced on her tippy toes to make the gesture seem a bit more graceful. Mettaton looked quite satisfied.)

'I'm just looking for a witness, in all of this.' (Mettaton kicked up his leg grandly as his next pose, one arm to his chest and the other outstretched, giving the air of a showman. Alice on the other hand did a comfortable curtsy as her pose.)

'Looking for a witness to get me through this.' (Mettaton then got on the floor, lying on his stomach, and did something pretty incredible in Alice's eyes. Like a worm, he slithered up and down on the dance floor in place with an unusual but impressive flow to his body. What moves can he not perform? Alice thought in wonder.)

'Been a prisoner of the paaaast' (Alice noticed that once again the music had changed its tempo and beat. The snapping fingers disappeared as did some of the softer piano sounds. Instead the beating of drums and a energetic rhythm overtook the stage. Mettaton, still singing with no signs of exhaustion or tiredness, flipped onto his back and held an arm to the heavens.)

'Had a bitterness when I looked back' (Mettaton slowly sat up while simultaneously spreading his legs out as though he was about to perform some stretches. Alice suddenly realized that Mettaton had abandoned attacking her and seemed completely invested in this performance. It gave Alice a great sense of clarity and confidence to assist him.)

'Was telling everyone it's not that baaaaaaaaaaaaad' (Alice made some strides across the dance floor, taking exaggerated steps and arm motions with a sense of focus and connection to the music.)

'Til' all my shit hiiiiiit the faaan' (Alice then braced herself and performed an exquisite pirouette. She was a bit surprised at the vulgar word used in the lyrics though and looked over to Mettaton in annoyance as soon as she was done.)

'I know I'm always like telling everybody that you don't gotta be a victim, Life ain't always fair, but hell is living in resentment" (As the music seemed to pick up in speed, Mettaton suddenly started rolling around on the floor, swaying his head and moving his body left and right in interesting shapes.)

'Choose redemption, your happy ending's up to you' (Mettaton then hopped onto his feet and shook his hips rather flirtatiously. While Alice didn't appreciate the movement, she did find the lyrics he just said to be rather inspiring and reassuring. It definitely reflected what she had been thinking thus far about what she believed would be best for the Underground as well as the fact her fate was within her hands. It's remarkable how this anthem seems directed to both the monsters and to me, Alice thought.)

'It's always been inside of you, you, you, now it's time to let it throuuuuuuuugggghhhhh' (Then to Alice's surprise, Mettaton walked up to her and took her hands in his metallic hands. A dance between the two of them seemed to be the only possibility from this decision. The drums appeared to die down and the energy became slower and more soft like at the beginning, indicating what was coming next in the song was a more elegant and soft part. Somehow the idea of dancing a ballroom-style dance with Mettaton was much more comforting than dancing alone. Perhaps because it reminded Alice of dancing with her sister. So she nodded to indicate she was ready.)

'We could be heroooooooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesss' (Mettaton then took Alice across the floor, arm in hand in a tango-style strut. Alice was able to keep up with this likely because Mettaton was doing it in a normal speed.)

'We could be heroooooooooesss, me and youuuuuuuuuuuuuu' (Mettaton held Alice's arm up after stopping in place, letting Alice spin around gracefully, or at least as gracefully as an untrained dancer her age could be. Noticeably the flowers seemed to be swaying to the music as well.)

'We're coming down, Coming down to Earth,' (Mettaton then held Alice close to his chest, making the small girl quite flustered and surprised at the motion. Then he spun around slowly and gently, a small lift reminiscent of a beautiful pair of ballroom dancers. Alice attempted to hold out her legs to add the flourish Mettaton was probably desiring and felt fairly satisfied with her results. They weren't perfect but they did do their part to look nice to the audience. Also curious to Alice was that the flowers were singing as a chorus again, singing 'Down' between the lyrics Mettaton was singing in a very melodious fashion. At this point Alice was completely swept up in the joy and celebration of this anthem, enjoying herself in a way she never expected.)

'Like babies at birth, Coming Down to Earth, Redefine your priorities, these are extraordinary qualities.' (Continuing with the current theme of lifts, Mettaton picked up the little girl up by her tummy and held her up, letting her stretch out into a very elegant pose that was a bit tricky to maintain but the effort was worth it. Mettaton gently walked around the dance floor, still singing and showing great strength and stamina by being able to maintain this maneuver. The flowers also continued to sing the chorus but also adding a 'Down to Earth' part at one point. It was very likely that they were describing the desire of the monsters to break the barrier and once again come down to Earth. Although in theory wouldn't it be more along the lines of going up? Alice thought randomly despite the purity of the situation. At the end of the last lyrics, Mettaton set her down and let the flowers sing two more lines of chorus.)

'All we're looking for is love and a little light, love and a little light, we could be...' (Mettaton started to dance freestyle again much like he had when he was attacking Alice and yet these were moves that Alice had seen several times throughout the fight and this Anthem. It seemed as though Mettaton was subtly inviting Alice to join in the dance and match his movements. It was a friendly challenge and invitation Alice was willing to accept. The flowers had noticeably quieted down their chorus and seemed to be glowing brightly, a high-energy music slowly building up.)

'All we're looking for is love and a little light, love and a little light' (With the next set of lyrics, Alice started dancing in tandem with Mettaton, both of them performing the same dance moves in perfect unison. Even as the music built up its momentum to a high-energy beat and what was clearly the finale, Alice was proving herself capable of keeping up with Mettaton's movements.

'We could be heroooooooooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesss' (As the two of them danced with intense energy, the flowers sang once again in a chorus, singing 'whoaaaaaaaa'.)

'We could be heroooooooooesss, me and youuuuuuuuuuuuuu' (As the music was reaching it's final note, Alice and Mettaton braced themselves for the final poses. The flowers of DETERMINATION suddenly seemed to disperse after singing their last part of chorus…)

'We could be' (Alice's pose was an elegant and formal curtsy as always, something that seemed always appropriate to close out a show in her mind while Mettaton's pose was more glamorous. He was doing a split once more, this time with his legs going sideways and one hand was covering his eye and his tongue was sticking out. It was daring and quite dramatic but not nearly as dramatic as what happened next. Bread-and-butterflies of DETERMINATION flew overhead, the remnants of the flowers Alice had summoned. It appeared they were serving as special effects and to make the effect of the closing note and poses even more spectacular. With this final display, Mettaton's show and the anthem itself came to a close.)

"D-did we secure enough ratings…?" Alice started to pant, the sheer amount of dancing she just did finally getting to her.

They were at 12,364 ratings to be exact. It certainly exceeded the 10,000 ratings milestone and was a symbol of success. This moment was the first time in quite a while that Alice felt such an extreme sense of accomplishment and joy. The song's inspiring messages, the act of performing, fulfilling Papyrus's advice, and the overall euphoria of this moment was making the little girl absolutely thrilled. The music and Mettaton's singing itself was also simply breathtaking to hear and made Alice feel just the slightest bit more connected to the time period she was in now. She clapped merrily to herself and pointed at the chart excitedly.

"M-Mettaton! Look…! We've done it…! We've reached… the highest ratings…!" She never imagined being so glad for Mettaton until this encounter.

Mettaton got onto his knees from the split and faced the ratings chart, the last of the bread-and-butterflies fading away. His expression was not as abundantly ecstatic as Alice's but it did show an instant joy and pride.

"OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD!" His voice seemed to revert back to his original form's tone, perhaps to rest his vocals after such a performance.

"I-isn't it astounding…?! I… I never knew I was capable… o-of something like this, or that… this was even something I was proficient at…!" Alice continued to cheer as well as pant.

She ultimately took a moment to regain her breath as best she could for her sister or even the Queen of Hearts would likely scold her for breathing so hard in the public's eye. Mettaton in the meantime seemed to be getting something ready with some arm gestures before finally speaking again,

"WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME… BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER!"

"Oh… wait a moment, there was a milestone for that as well?" Alice asked with disappointment at first but then sudden confusion.

Papyrus hadn't mentioned anything about a viewer call-in milestone in the phone call. Merely that Mettaton had never reached over 10,000 ratings on one of his shows. Did… he hide that from me so that I wouldn't be dissuaded from helping Mettaton for such a selfish reason? Although that's not exactly selfish if it helped me spare him and follow Toriel's teachings. I imagine that's certainly the case here and I did promise to help him speak with Mettaton. Alice debated over this unusually crafty side of Papyrus in her head. On the other hand, Mettaton's words still showed he desired to leave the Underground and use Alice's soul to do so. What was odd though was that it seemed more logical for him to take her soul now before doing the viewer call-in and he wasn't making any attempt. In fact he seemed conflicted about the decision despite his words.

"LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!" He announced.

The sound of a phone ringing seemed to emanate from the entire room as opposed to a single source, reflecting a sense that the technology behind this was installed within the CORE. After a single ring though, the phone seemed to be answered by some behind the scenes method.

"HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW?" Mettaton looked up to the corners of the ceiling in awe.

"... oh….. hi... mettaton... " The last voice Alice had expected to hear addressed what was once his cousin.

"*Gasp* …!" Alice suddenly felt a twinge of emotion and clasped her hands onto her mouth.

Mettaton also had a distinct reaction, a bold smile becoming a shocked look and then listening very carefully to what Napstablook had to say.

"i really liked watching your show… 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…? i'll miss you… mettaton…"

"D-despite the pain he was put through by your actions… he has been a supporter through and through… oh Napsta…" Alice was extremely touched by Napstablook's forgiveness and words.

He had told Alice to forgive him and it seemed at the time like he was entrusting her to do so in his place. Yet here Napstablook was, on the line, conversing with Mettaton and sharing all his thoughts and his wishes to him. If anything, it proved which of the two was stronger in mind and soul. Mettaton seemed quite crushed, remorse in his downcast eyes. This vulnerability was perhaps even more beautiful than all the times Mettaton had attempted to be the performer and star he claimed to be to Alice. It's true that everyone here really does have different sides to them, she reasoned with pride.

"...oh…. I didn't mean to talk so long… oh…." Napstablook hung up the call.

"NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL…" Mettaton gave a desperate plea, almost as though begging for his life.

Despite his emotions, he recognized at once that his cousin had hung up. He pounded the ground once, biting his lip before quickly shaking his head. He seemed to be in denial or perhaps on the verge of simply losing his composure which he was showing signs of. Mettaton put on a brave smile and made another announcement as Alice watched with her hands folded,

"I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!"

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!"

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you."

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart." Three calls in quick succession displayed a great sense of emotion.

"AH… I…" The star robot looked weak.

Alice saw that this was her opportunity to fulfill that fabled promise and quickly dialed the designated number on her phone.

"Mettaton, if you don't mind my intrusion, I know of a great fan of yours who'd love to speak with you." Alice spoke calmly and handed him the phone.

"... S-SURE… YOU'VE EARNED IT." Mettaton gave a sad smile to her and accepted it.

"METTATON? METTA TO THE TON? HI! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WANTED TO PERSONALLY CONGRATULATE YOU AND THE WONDERFUL ALICE FOR ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST RATINGS YET! I'M SO HONORED TO WITNESS IT!" The phone being put on speaker allowed for all to hear.

Alice felt a slight blush as Papyrus used the title she had given to herself when they had the snowball fight in Snowdin. She also felt a slight rush of nostalgia as she remembered the fun and pleasant memories behind that encounter. It felt like it had been so long since she had such a relaxing taste of an activity. Mettaton also seemed very happy in his own way, looking slightly teary-eyed for his robotic self. He responded in a very polite way that made Alice's respect for him grow even more,

"MORE THAN WITNESS… YOU ARE NOW A PART OF IT."

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?! THIS IS BEING RECORDED?! OH MY GOD! SANS! PEOPLE WILL FINALLY KNOW MY NAME AND I'LL MAKE A BAJILLION FRIENDS!" Papyrus's reaction was not quite what Alice had expected.

"enjoy the fanservice bro." Sans pun, while good, made Alice slightly freeze up upon hearing him again.

"THANK YOU SANS! NOW GO BACK TO YOUR STATION ALREADY! *AHEM* NOW METTATON, MY ADMIRATION FOR YOU IS THROUGH THE ROOF! I SEE YOU AS A TRUE STAR AND INSPIRATION! BUT I ADVISE YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR I CARE ABOUT ALICE A LOT TOO THAT IF YOU MUST PURSUE YOUR DREAMS ABOVE GROUND, PLEASE DO SO ONCE THE BARRIER IS DESTROYED. AFTER, LET'S SAY, A NO-SOULS-LOST SITUATION HAPPENS."

"... Thank you Papyrus." Papayrus's sweet words and consideration did manage to warm Alice back up.

"I SEE… … EVERYONE THANK YOU SO MUCH. …" Mettaton hung up the phone call softly and handed it back to Alice.

"It's wonderful to have such immense support." Alice said sweetly, hoping to help Mettaton calm down as he still looked a bit swept up in his emotions.

"DARLING. PERHAPS… IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR A WHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS, LIKE THE ONES I COVERED FOR YOU IN THAT PERFORMANCE, BUT MONSTERS… THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT… THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED. SO… I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY BIG DEBUT." Mettaton nodded his head to confirm his decision.

"I think the monsters would be very glad to hear that."

"YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. PERHAPS… EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE. I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY."

"Humanity AND monsters together. I want them both to live on and be free." Alice said.

After saying such, Alice was perplexed. The Alice who had been dismissive of books with no pictures in it wouldn't have said something like what she just said so naturally. The Underground's trials and tribulations had led Alice to a world just like Wonderland, just like she had dreamed about. While in Wonderland she hadn't ever found her footing and ended up fleeing a crowd of craziness, here she had a goal, she had support from the residents, she was fighting and reasoning to solve the dilemmas plaguing the monsters and keep them from taking them out on the monsters. In some twisted way, it almost made it seem Alice's separation from her sister, Dinah, and everything she knew was for the better. She had grown at a heavy cost. Alice would never forget and would always miss what she had lost but all things considered, she truly had gone on a marvelous adventure and was becoming stronger through doing so. It was similar with Mettaton, someone she was liking now even more than the creator who made him.

"HA, HA… 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."

In that instant, Alice was dragged down from cloud nine and sent plummeting into a state of great concern.

"Out of battery power…? D-does that-? HOW? I thought Alphys built you to perfection? How can you-"

"IT'S THE ORIGINAL FORM WITH MORE SUSTAINABILITY… THIS FORM… IT USES UP TOO MUCH OF WHAT WE GOT ON HAND AND IS IN DEVELOPMENT… THE DAY IT'LL BE PERFECTED… IS NOT THIS DAY." Mettaton even seemed to be slowly winding down, crouching back and forcing Alice to rush over to his aid.

"No… this can't be…! Mettaton you can't fall down now!" Alice held his form tightly.

"I'LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK EM' DEAD, DARLING. AND EVERYONE… THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!"

Mettaton's final words were nearly eclipsed by the sight of his limbs detaching from his body and his eyes going into black, hollow pupils. His prized legs and long arms fell off in quick succession, leaving a powered down torso that a teary-eyed Alice was cradling in her arms.

To Be Continued...