Chapter 8: Contest, Start!
"Alright I've kept you waiting for quite a while, step on my favorite scented tile." Sang Mettaton.
Didn't Papyrus mention a scented tile? Wondered Sans, before he moon walked to the nearest orange tile. Frisk quickly did a more complicated dance and finished with a shoulder raze on an orange tile. Alphys was lucky enough to already be standing on an orange tile and stayed put. While Papyrus, who was still confused with his talk with Sans, slid onto a yellow tile and was immediately electrocuted.
I feel bad for tricking him… but this is kinda fun. Thought Sans, "Well that's what you get for doing the electric slide." Joked Sans with a wink and a rim shot.
"Don't interrupt my song with your own music. This is the color that means you're sick." Sang Mettaton, slightly irritated that Sans's rim shot had interrupted his song.
Papyrus then did an Irish jig to one green tile while Sans did the robot to another. Alphys tried to do a cartwheel over to a green tile but fell down on a yellow tile and was electrocuted. Frisk leapt into the air and spun around, before landing perfectly on a green tile near her previous one.
Wow, that was impressive even for Frisk. Come to think of it… she seemed unusually prepared for that. I didn't feel any disturbances in the timeline… well, I guess I can leave it alone for now. Thought Sans, but as he thought it, he noticed a red glint in Frisk's eyes.
Chara… are there any side effects to your 'undetectable reset?' Because I'm starting to feel kind of sick. Thought Frisk to Chara.
"You should have asked that before you messed up three times." Replied Chara.
The song continued for a while, Sans was trying to keep an eye on Frisk, but he was having to try extremely hard to beat Papyrus. "I'M IMPRESSED SANS, THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIRST THING I'VE EVER SEEN YOU PUT EFFORT INTO." Said Papyrus as he stepped onto a yellow tile and was once again electrocuted.
"Thanks bro." Replied Sans as he stepped onto a red tile. Sans then looked over to Frisk and Alphys. Frisk was standing on another red tile, while Alphys was drenched in sweat, lying face down… and not moving at all. Mettaton also seemed to notice this and signaled Napstablook to stop the music.
"I apologize for the interruption viewers, but we have some… technical difficulties we need to take care of right now. So, we'll be finishing the song after this commercial break." Said Mettaton. "Alright, Papyrus, take Alphys to the hospital. You two had the lowest scores anyway."
As Papyrus carried Alphys away he called "FRISK, SANS, I BELIEVE IN YOU BOTH! I KNOW YOU CAN WIN!"
Papyrus realizes we can't both win right? Wondered Sans.
Chara, I'm telling you, something doesn't feel right. Thought Frisk to Chara.
"Don't worry about it, the only one left to beat is Sans and he's already tired." Said Chara.
Just then, Sans's phone rang, and he realized he had forgotten to turn it off. "Heya Undyne, this isn't really a good time." Said Sans.
"Sans… Chara's casket… It's back in the ground." Said Undyne.
"Ok, good." Replied Sans.
"No, you don't understand, I didn't bury it back! When I came back to bury it, the coffin was gone, and the grave was filled in!" Yelled Undyne. Hearing this made Sans's pupils disappear for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
"It must have been that guy we saw… Undyne I know you don't want to hear this, but I think we should come clean to Toriel about what's been happening." Said Sans.
Undyne thought for a moment then replied "Yeah, you're probably right."
When Sans ended the call Mettaton was ready to resume the contest, but Sans noticed something else as well. Frisk looked sickly and pale, and her irises were slightly red.
"Welcome back Beauties and Gentle-beauties!" Cheered Mettaton "I apologize again for the delay, now let the contest resume!" When Mettaton finished the music resumed.
She's been resetting, I don't know why I couldn't sense it, but she's been resetting. Thought Sans, he was so distracted he hadn't noticed the clue Mettaton had given for what type of colored tile to stand on, but then he had a great idea. As Frisk danced onto a blue tile, she was completely surprised when Sans bumped into her side. "What? He never said no tile sharing." Said Sans.
"It was well implied." Hissed Frisk through her teeth. Sans didn't even hear Mettaton sing the next line, but when Frisk danced over to a yellow tile, Sans followed her onto the same tile.
Frisk was now growling, and Sans said "Ya know kid, it's ok to mess up sometimes. It's better to make mistakes and learn from them than to go crazy avoiding them."
He knows! Thought Frisk worriedly.
"Calm down, he's just guessing. Let me handle this." Replied Chara.
"You really think you have me figured out huh?" Asked Chara.
That was Frisk's voice, but those words were definitely Chara's. Thought Sans. Maybe they really are the same.
Chara danced onto a green square and Sans followed. "Well, you're wrong Sans. I have You figured out." Said Chara as she tried to bump Sans off the tile, but he out weighted her and bumped her back, making her have to grab his sleeve to stay on the tile.
"Oh, so you have me figured out?" Asked Sans sarcastically, the two locked hands and tangoed onto an orange tile.
"Every time I load or reset you retain memories from the previous run, but the more I do the fuzzier your memories get. After a twelfth loop you can barely remember anything from the first run. I can figure out how any person works, and I can use that information any way I please, be that making friends or enemies." Explained Chara.
I don't believe this. Runs!? Loops!? She made up time travel lingo! And all that stuff about figuring people out, that's not how friendship works! That's not even how enemies work! I hate to say it, but this kid is sick in the head. Thought Sans. "You're going to regret saying that." Warned Sans as he and Chara tangoed onto a red tile and she finished by tipping him.
"And you're going to regret saying that." Replied Chara as the music ended and she dropped Sans. When Sans sat up, he expected to see the murderous face of Chara looking down at him but was surprised to see the genuinely concerned face of Frisk.
"Sans? Are you ok? I'm sorry I dropped you." Apologized Frisk as she held out her hand to help Sans up. Sans reluctantly accepted and stood up.
"Well, that was certainly interesting, but since the song ended before Sans hit the ground, the result is a tie!" Cheered Mettaton. "So, as a tie breaker, in the grand finale me and Sans will be having a dance battle to determine the winner. Until then Sans, why don't you head backstage to prepare." Is it just me, or did Frisk let Sans fall on purpose? Wondered Mettaton.
"Everyone, keep moving! We need to get out of here before the human arrives!" Yelled Alphys. All the citizens of Hotland were evacuating, the plan was for all the remaining inhabitants of the underground to wait by the edge of the barrier for either Mettaton, the last member of the royal guard Sans, or king Asgore to defeat the human and save them all. "Good luck Mettaton." Said Alphys.
"Don't worry good doctor, I don't need luck. I have talent." Bragged Mettaton.
Alphys and the citizens remained by the barrier for what felt like an eternity, waiting for news of the human's death, but it never came. Eventually the human, wearing a green and yellow sweater, a golden heart locket, and carrying a gilded knife, approached the last of the monsters. "I d-don't believe it… n-no one c-could stop her… b-but I-I h-have to t-try." Stuttered Alphys as she threw a very dainty punch at Chara, who stopped her fist with a single finger.
"Look at that, little Alphys is trying to stand up to me." Mocked Chara, she then swung her knife and killed Alphys in an instant.
Alphys sat up in a hospital bed and quickly spotted Papyrus watching T.V. nearby. "Papyrus, what happened?" Asked Alphys.
"OH, ALPHYS YOU'RE AWAKE JUST IN TIME FOR THE FINALS. AND DON'T WORRY, THE DOCTOR SAID THAT YOU'D BE FINE IF YOU RESTED FOR A LITTLE WHILE." Said Papyrus.
"Finals? Oh right, Mettaton's show. Who's winning?" Asked Alphys.
"WELL, THE FINAL EVENT HASN'T STARTED YET, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE A DANCE BATTLE BETWEEN SANS AND METTATON." Cheered Papyrus.
That was one weird nightmare… I should probably text Undyne about it. Thought Alphys, before she turned to look at the T.V. and saw Mettaton was preparing to start the finals.
"Now Beauties and Gentle-beauties, the time has come for our grand-finale!" Cheered Mettaton. He and Sans were now standing on opposite sides of the large tile dance floor while Frisk sat in a large throne like chair to watch the competition. "Now here is how this competition will work, myself and Sans will take turns doing our best dances until one of us is rendered unable to dance or until the timer runs out." Explained Mettaton as he pointed at a large timer. "In the event of a tie, Frisk will determine the winner."
"OH, THIS IS SO EXCITING, MY BROTHER IS COMPETING WITH METTATON!" Cheered Papyrus.
"Well d-don't get your hopes up, Mettaton was built for this." Said Alphys.
Well, isn't this exciting. Thought Toriel as she watched the finals of Mettaton's show. Although I don't know how I feel about Frisk dating either of those two.
"Without any further a due, let the finals begin!" Called Mettaton as 'Death by Glamour' began to play. Mettaton started to dance and finished by throwing a surprise sweep kick at Sans, who barely jumped over it in time.
"Oh, so it's that kind of competition." Said Sans as he began his dance and finished by throwing a bone at Mettaton. However, Mettaton easily dodged it and continued his dance. Frisk shifted in her chair while watching the competition.
"Looks like things are finally getting interesting." Said Chara.
"I just hope they don't end up hurting each other." Whispered Frisk.
"COME ON SANS! I BELIEVE IN YOU!" Cheered Papyrus.
"Go Mettaton!" Cheered Alphys.
"I know you can win Sans!" Cheered Toriel, losing her normal calm demeanor for a moment.
As the timer continues to count down, Sans and Mettaton began doing more powerful attacks to stun each other. As Sans side stepped a flashy kick from Mettaton he spotted Frisk and noticed her eyes were once again red. Is the fighting stirring Chara up? Wondered Sans. Either way, I need to wrap this up soon.
"Heh, I guess we're doing this the hard way. It's time for Megalovania!" Declared Sans, and as soon as he did, the music changed from Death by Glamour to Megalovania. San's left eye burned blue with magic and he placed his right hand in his pocket and stuck his left arm out, making a row of blue bones appear in front of him. Sans then pointed his left arm forward and sent the wave of bones at Mettaton, who barely managed to avoid them. However, while Mettaton avoided the blue bones, Sans raised his left arm and summoned a Gaster-blaster. When Sans brought his arm down to fire the Gaster-blaster, Mettaton jumped and did an intricate series of twist and turns in the air then finished by throwing a kick at Sans. Sans side stepped the kick and the two continued to fight like this as the timer began to run low. It was once again Sans's turn and he spent most of it launching bones at Mettaton, but at the last moment he had an idea and whistled loudly.
Mettaton was about to take his turn, when he heard tiny footsteps approaching him from behind, he then turned to see that a little white dog had been attracted by Sans's whistle and was now running towards him. Mettaton quickly did a back flip to avoid the dog, who then jumped onto Sans's chest and knocked him over. While the little dog sat on Sans's chest and licked his face, the music stopped, as did the timer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is Mettaton." Called Napstablook as the audience and Frisk applauded.
"OH NO!" Cried Papyrus.
"Uh… S-sorry Papyrus." Apologized Alphys.
"Oh… that's too bad." Said Toriel to herself as she saw Sans lose.
"Ahahaha, thank you, thank you." Said Mettaton taking a bow. "That's all for now, but please follow me on all forms of social media for more information on my date with Frisk." When the cameras cut off, Sans stood up still holding the little white dog. "Well done, Sans, you made this quite an excellent show." Said Mettaton.
"Well, I won't lie, that was a ton of fun… a skeleton." Replied Sans with a wink and a rim shot, while the dog yipped happily. "So, I guess that means you'll be going on a date with Frisk now?" Asked Sans.
"While that is what I hope for, legally she has to agree to the date too." Said Mettaton. Frisk walked over soon after, her presence making the little dog growl. Sans sat the little dog down and it quickly scampered away. "Ah, Frisk, just who I was hoping to see. How do you feel about having dinner tomorrow for our date?"
With that, all the red in Frisk's eyes disappeared. "Sure, that sounds fun." Replied Frisk.
"Wonderful, now if you'll excuse me, I believe I should go check on Dr. Alphys." Said Mettaton as he walked away.
"Alright kiddo, it's still pretty early. So, how about we go get some Grillby's?" Suggested Sans. "Come on, I know a short cut."
Sans and Frisk then appeared in Snowdin town, right outside of Grillby's. "Hey look." Said Frisk as she pointed to a sign in the window. "It looks like today's the last day that Grillby's is going to be open here underground, because they're moving to the new location on the surface." Pointed out Frisk.
"Well, it makes sense, there's snow business left here underground." Joked Sans, making Frisk giggle. With that the two entered Grillby's and took their usual seats at the bar.
"Hey Frisk." Cheered Monster Kid as he saw Frisk enter.
"Hey MK." Cheered Frisk as she ran over to greet her friend. "Are you feeling any better."
"Of course, you didn't think such a little scratch could stop me, now did ya?" Asked MK as he puffed out his chest.
"Hehe, not for a minute." Replied Frisk.
Sans continued to sit at the counter and watched Frisk talk to her friend. "You ok Sans? You look worried." Pointed out Grillby as he walked over to Sans while cleaning a glass.
"Heh, me? Worried? No way. The only thing I worry about is if you'll eventually stop giving me ketchup refills." Joked Sans.
"If I was in my right mind, I would stop giving you ketchup refills until you finally pay that enormous tab you keep adding onto." Said Grillby. "Then again, when am I ever in my right mind." Joked Grillby.
"Heh, I think we're all a little out of our minds sometimes." Said Sans.
"Is that why you brought Frisk here?" Asked Grillby.
"Huh?" Replied Sans.
"Well, the two of you have only ever came here together if one of you was dealing with a problem, and from how you responded to my joke, I would say you're worried about Frisk's mental state. Is that right?" Asked Grillby.
"You know me too well Grilb." Replied Sans. "I hope I'm just overreacting, but something has been bothering her and I need to figure out what." When Sans finished speaking, he began taking a sip from a bottle of ketchup.
"You know, it's funny how you and Frisk act around each other." Said Grillby. "You almost sound like her father."
Sans spat out the ketchup from shock and began coughing violently. "Man, that's a good one Grilb. Me? A father? I'd never be responsible enough for that. Besides I'm way too young to be a father." Replied Sans.
"I'm going to let you think about what you just said." Replied Grillby.
"…Oh yeah… How is your daughter by the way?" Asked Sans nervously.
"Well, she has her own house on the surface now. That's part of why I'm moving the restaurant up there." Replied Grillby. "And as for you Sans, take my advice, no one ever thinks they'll make a good father, but if you give it a shot, you'll find there's nothing more rewarding."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." Replied Sans as he saw Frisk was coming back to her seat. I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.