I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
Undyne passed them, oblivious to their words. "I'm sorry." She didn't know they were there. Nobody knew they were there. "I'm sorry..." They weren't a human, a monster, hardly a ghost. "I..." They weren't anything, anymore. Because of the humans. Their life had been ruined by the humans. And the lives of the monsters had been ruined further because... of them...
How were they even supposed to save monsters? Frisk would have to die. There was no other way. But without Frisk, they had no connection to the world... Frisk was their only friend now. Even if they found Asriel, he couldn't... But what else could they do? Wait around for some other human to come falling in? They didn't have time. The only other alternative was... using all the monster souls. But that...
That wasn't... an option... Killing them wasn't an option! Chara hadn't meant to attack Undyne in the first place, they just let their emotions get out of hand! Killing monsters wasn't okay!
...but killing humans was?
"Dad's not a murderer. Everybody is wrong! He... everybody... Ri wouldn't let him do that, he..." They looked around, suddenly, realizing... "He... Frisk? Frisk?! Where did you..."
Their head snapped back in the direction Undyne had gone, eyes widening. "Wait." They stood up, going after her as quickly as they could, screaming, "Wait! No!"
Frisk stopped running when they came upon the building.
The word "LAB" in large letter intimidated them more than they thought anything else had since coming down here. They turned their head to look at the other direction, blocked by members of the guard... Upon approaching, it was explained to them that a human was in the area. Oh boy. So they were blocking it off, even though the elevators weren't working.
The only way was through the lab.
When they entered, it was dark. They couldn't make out anything, which was... pleasant. Really. And when they came out of the long entrance corridor, only one thing stood out: Their face on a large screen, their every move being followed. That wasn't creepy at all. They only hoped whoever was watching them was more interested in helping them...
They stumbled further along in the dark until they heard a door open, pausing to wait and see who it was. They were momentarily blinded by the lights coming on, squinting to see... a dinosaur? Some sort of lizard? The monster turned and walked in their direction a few steps before realizing they were there, and they heard the "Oh. My god." as their vision cleared.
A lizard in a labcoat. This must be the scientist... Alphys?
"I didn't expect you to show up so soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, it's all messy, and... ummm..." For a minute she seemed to be freaking out, but finally she settled, turning to face them and forcing a smile as she said, "H-h-hiya! I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's royal scientist!"
If Chara was here, Frisk was sure they'd be out of here already. Honestly, part of them was itching to just run away, but quickly Alphys added, "B-b-but, ahhh, I'm not one of the 'bad guys'!" Oh, boy, Chara would be even more thrilled hearing their dad be called a bad guy. "Actually, since you stepped out of the ruins, I've... um... been 'observing' your journey through my console. Your fights... your friendships... everything! I was originally going to stop you, but... Watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them. S-So, ahhh, now I want to help you! Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland! I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!"
Frisk noticed she was... really nervous. They tried to smile encouragingly, but it wasn't working. They were also pretty nervous, for a number of reasons. It didn't help that she suddenly said, "Well, actually, umm, there's just a tiny issue. A long time ago, I made this robot named Mettaton? To be an entertainment robot? Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star or something... A-Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful! Just some, uh, small practical adjustments. Like, umm... a-anti... human... combat features...? Of c-course when I saw you coming, I immediately decided... I have to remove those features! Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake while doing so. And. Um..."
Her smile twisted a bit, giving them the idea that it was more than a teensy mistake. "Now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood? Ehehehe... Heh." Her face turned serious, as Frisk continued staring. They wondered if anything could surprise them right now, but alas. "But, umm... hopefully we won't run into him!"
On cue, the room shook. Alphys looked confused, and after another shake asked, "Did you hear something?" Frisk looked around, sighing, knowing that aforementioned psycho robot would probably... bust out of the wall or something. This place was so ridiculous. As the shaking grew closer, Frisk barely heard Alphys say, "Oh no." And then...
Their eyes widened as the lights went out, and they heard a loud, robotic, "OHHH YES! WELCOME, BEAUTIES..." A spotlight came on a few feet away to reveal... it had... actually broken through the wall. Okay, they really were surprised, despite absolutely calling that. "...TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"
Theme music began to play from nowhere, disco balls and a large neon sign descended from the ceiling, this giant rectangle covered in flashing lights and buttons waved its arms in excitement. After taking it all in for a few moments, eyes still wide, Frisk looked toward the door in hopes Chara would be here. They'd probably get a kick out of this...
Frisk should've gone back and looked for them. They were obviously upset about what happened with Undyne, but... it had been an accident. They'd have to go back and tell them that once this present situation was dealt with.
"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANT!" The robot clapped, and in the background Frisk could hear... more clapping. They looked at Alphys in confusion, wondering if she had set all this stuff up before this – what, Mettaton? – became an evil psycho robot or if the robot just decided to bring its own show wherever it went.
"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS? NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE. ANSWER CORRECTLY..."
There was a drum roll, and the robot began flashing red, arms shaking as if it was laughing. "OR YOU DIE!"
Their soul was dragged out suddenly, the robot waving at them as Alphys looked on from nearby. *CHECK confirmed that his high defense, a result of his metal exterior, made it impossible to attack him. Not that they were going to, of course – they could play this game.
"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!" He moved out of the way to reveal a screen asking what the prize for answering correctly was. Alphys, from her position, was making a "D" with her hands as the answers appeared on the board, and they signed a D, earning the robot's praise. "HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE!" he declared as the next question showed up, asking the king's full name. Having Chara around definitely stuck that in their mind.
"ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET'S TALK ABOUT ME!" Mettaton shouted as the next question popped up. Metal and magic seemed to be the obvious answer here, even though on the surface it would only be the former. "HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!"
They could barely even make out the long question on the screen, the text too small, and as the answers appeared they looked to Alphys desperately for the answer. Mettaton claimed he was astounded, but they weren't sure if he was buying it. "DON'T 'COUNT' ON YOUR VICTORY..." Again they had to look to Alphys for help, wondering how long this was going to go on if the "questions" kept getting more and more impossible.
"LET'S PLAY MEMORY GAME." The corner of one of the frog monsters they'd met appeared, and they were sure of the answer... until they saw Alphys desperately giving them a different answer. They tried not to give her a weird look that would make it obvious they were cheating, but still hesitated, watching the time quickly go down before trusting her that it was Mettaton. What a cheater – oh, wait.
"BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE?" he asked, the question appearing: "Would you smooch a ghost?" Alphys squinted at the question, and all the answers just said... "heck yeah."
Frisk looked away, clearing their throat a bit. Maybe it was better that Chara wasn't here. Instead of giving a letter answer they signed, "Heck yeah." Alphys turned that squint in their direction.
"GREAT ANSWER! I LOVE IT!"
The next question that appeared was about... Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. They were about to answer, having watched some of the show with their siblings, only for Alphys to go on a sudden tirade – obviously she was a fan. Mettaton interrupted her rambling, though, tsking, "ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS. YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANT, ARE YOU?" Alphys slowly shook her head, smiling nervously. "OOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK A QUESTION... YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!"
Alphys was covering her mouth now. Obviously Mettaton had some dirt on the scientist, making Frisk kind of curious. And when the question appeared, they realized why she was giving that look. "Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?"
Was she the type to like attractive warrior fish women? Goat kings? Or – wait, they were one of the options? Frisk looked at Alphys somewhat accusingly, even though they weren't sure if that was the case, seeing her waving her hands in an attempt to get them not to answer. She definitely seemed like the type to like an attractive warrior fish. They selected A.
Immediately she covered her face, her blush obvious even behind her hands. "SEE, ALPHYS? I TOLD YOU IT WAS OBVIOUS. EVEN THE HUMAN FIGURED IT OUT. YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER. SHE EVEN WRITES STORIES OF THEM TOGETHER... SHARING A DOMESTIC LIFE. PROBABILITY OF CRUSH: 101%. MARGIN OF ERROR. ONE PERCENT."
He scooted back in from of the screen, Alphys slightly uncovering her face to continue looking at him. Frisk honestly thought her crush was kind of cute, but they didn't seem to dwell on it any longer. "WELL, WELL, WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU... THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS! BUT. BUT! THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE! NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE! MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS...!"
And just like that, his arms and wheel-leg went into his rectangular body, and he... took off like a rocket, breaking through the ceiling. Oh. Okay then. Everything was back to normal suddenly, minus the giant hole in the wall, and both Frisk and Alphys were momentarily baffled. They only snapped out of their daze when she said, "Well that was certainly something," looking completely unfazed as if this was an everyday occurrence.
...okay. That seemed to be it? They looked back at Alphys, who just sorta... stared at the wall.
Time... to go look for Chara?
As they tried to leave, she shouted after them, "Wait, wait! Let me give you my ph-phone number! Th-then... m-maybe... If you need help, I could..." She looked at their phone as they pulled it out of their bag, seeming startled, and asked, "Wh... where'd you get that phone!? It's ANCIENT! It doesn't even have texting. W-wait a second, please!"
She grabbed it and ran off with it for a few minutes, leaving them to stand there doing nothing for a while... They wondered if Chara was okay. If Chara knew they were okay, considering they'd last seem them running away from Undyne. Maybe having texting would make it easier to communicate with them, maybe they could write a note or something...
"Here, I upgraded it for you!" Alphys said excitedly as she returned. "It can do texting, items, it's got a key chain... I even signed you up for the underground's No. 1 social network! Now we're officially friends! Ehehehe! Heheh... Heh..." She looked kind of awkward for a few moments, but Frisk legitimately smiled at her this time. Alphys was kind of adorable, even if... um, kinda strange. "I... I'm going to the bathroom." she suddenly said, before running off to the room she'd come out of when they arrived.
...well, that was that?
Instead of looking around, they immediately turned to go back the way they'd come. There were a few monsters that had shown up since they'd been running away from Undyne, but no sign of Chara... They went as far back as the caverns with the glowing rocks, but still found nothing. With a sigh, they backtracked back to the lab. Maybe they'd gone on ahead while avoiding the lab...?
If Frisk had been tugged toward Chara, this would've been easier... but instead there was something deeper in the mountain, unmoving, that drew them toward it. Their soul was still resonating with something else.
But what?
"Alphys," they began a text as they walked back towards the lab, "thank you for the upgrade; it will be more helpful than you know. Was wondering if I could wait in your lab for a while. If you're as willing to help as you say you are, I have a favor to ask."
As they approached, a few minutes after sending the text, the door opened and revealed... Alphys. She seemed... uncomfortable. She hadn't replied to the text. "U-Um... yeah! Feel free! To stay here... uh. Wh-What's the favor about?"
A/N: The somewhat short conclusion to the Hotland arc will be posted sometime later this week, as it is completed. This section is only two parts long at the moment and skips over some of our faves, but I promise it'll get more attention in the pacifist run!
