The elevator opened up, allowing Frisk once more into the sweltering heat. There weren't a lot of puzzles on this floor, just the structure growing every closer. Suddenly, Frisk heard Alphys talking in his pocket. Apparently, he hadn't hung up as he thought he had on the last call. He put the phone to his ear.

"I noticed you've been kind of quiet…" Frisk responded, trying to sound like he didn't have anything wrong.

"There's nothing to talk about really."

Alphys though, was on to him. "…Are you w-worried about meeting Asgore…?" Frisk sighed. "A bit…"

"Hey, don't be. Th-The king is a really nice guy…I'm sure you can talk to him, and with your human soul you can pass through the barrier. S-So no worrying okay? J-Just forget about it. And do smile a little." Frisk heard the call click shut on the opposite end.

40 MINUTES LATER…

Frisk had long lost sight of the ominous sight of The Core. He had been finding his way around pathways trying to get closer for a while, with some guidance from Alphys. He finally walked through a smaller door than the others, just big enough for him to fit through. He frowned. It almost looked like it was a stage for some sort of play? 'Probably another one of Mettaton's traps…' Frisk thought to himself. Sure enough…

"Oh? That human…" Frisk looked up, and there was Mettaton in a fake window, wearing a dress? "Could it be…? My one true love?" The robot inquired.

Suddenly, Frisk could hear music playing over speakers, and then of all things, Mettaton began to sing.

"Oh my love…please run away…monster king…forbids your stay…humans must, live far apart…even if, it breaks my heart. They'll put you in the dungeon, it'll suck, and then you'll die a lot. Really sad, you're gonna die, cry cry cry, so sad it's happening." The music stopped. "So sad. So sad that you are going to the dungeon." Suddenly, a trapdoor opened beneath Frisk, sending him falling to a floor just below. Luckily, it wasn't very deep and Frisk landed on his feet.

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do?" He could hear Mettaton trying to act as though he were in despair.

"My love has been cast away into the dungeon! A dungeon with a puzzle so dastardly, my paramour will surely perish! Oh heavens have mercy! The coloured tile maze! Each coloured tile has its own sadistic function!"

Frisk groaned. HE was lucky that Papyrus's version of the maze had broken down, and he knew he would not get so lucky this time. "Oh, and you better hurry!" Mettaton chuckled. "Because if you're not through in 30 seconds, YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE!" Frisk looked over his shoulder and saw the jets of flame. After taking a gulp, Frisk took a running start to the maze. He struggled to remember the rules as he approached.

'Red is no…pink is safe…yellow and blue don't mix…orange and blue don't mix…purple and blue are fine…avoid green at all costs.' That was the message he told himself as he began the journey. But he hadn't made it even close to the end before 30 seconds was up.

"Ooooh, I'm so sorry! Looks like you're out of time! Two of the walls of flame jets began to close in on either side of it. Frisk tried to keep away, but they were rapidly closing the space. He closed his eyes as the heat from the flames was almost unbearable. Then suddenly there was a clicking sound, and the heat was gone. Frisk opened his eyes to find the flames gone, and Mettaton speaking.

"Oh dear! Foiled again by the great Doctor Alphys!"

"That's right!" Alphys chimed in over an intercom in the area.

"Come on Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us…" Mettaton, saying nothing, fled. Frisk frowned. This was a bit…unusual. Then his phone rang. He answered.

"Alphys?"

"Hey, y-you did a really great job out there…" Frisk smiled at the compliment.

"I mean, it is thanks to you, you did help out a lot."

"What? Oh no, I mean…you were the one doing everything cool!...Hey…can I tell you something?" Frisk noticed the sudden fall of enthusiasm in Alphys's voice.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well…before I met you…I didn't like myself very much. For a long t-time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-Like I couldn't do a-anything w-without…without letting everyone down." Frisk could hear Alphys struggling to get the words out. Though, Frisk did understand what it was like to feel like you couldn't do anything right.

"B-But…! Guiding you has made me feel much better about myself. So…thanks for letting me help you."

"Hey, it was my pleasure Alphys." Frisk spoke warmly, trying to cheer the scientist up.

"Anyway, we're almost to the Core. It's just past MTT resort. Let's finish this." Alphys sounded determined as Frisk hung up. Before pressing on, he took one last look around the room. Something about Mettaton's interactions just didn't seem…hoenst…it was extremely convenient how Alphys came to the rescue at the last minute…Frisk shook it off. Mettaton was still out there, and next time Frisk saw him, he would end things with Mettaton, once, and for all.