The Warners knew a stage when they were on one. The all too familiar feeling crept over them as the dimly lit stageroom revealed Mettaton sitting in the center.
"Hey Mettaton!" they greeted.
"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS."
They were thrown off by Mettaton's lack of enthusiasm and flare.
"Why so serious?" said Yakko.
"IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT. ...NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. YOU ALWAYS KNEW THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. I COULD TELL YOU SAW RIGHT THROUGH ME THE WHOLE TIME. AND I ASSUME YOU KNOW ABOUT ALPHYS TOO, RIGHT?"
"We can't be fooled that easily," Dot nodded.
"WELL, HERE'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T KNOW...AS ALPHYS WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE SO DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT THAT SHE REACTIVATED THE PUZZLES, DISABLED THE ELEVATORS, AND ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU."
"At least it got us on your show," said Wakko. "I guess we have to thank her for that."
"I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE ENOUGH FOR HER, WAKKO. ALTHOUGH YOU EVENTUALLY WARMED UP TO HER, SHE NEVER GOT YOU TO SEE HER AS THE GREAT HERO THAT SHE'S NOT. THAT'S WHY NOW IS HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM."
"Let me guess," said Yakko, "she's gonna come in and save our butts again."
"CORRECT. YOU KIDS ARE SMART."
"Ugh," said Dot, "that sucks."
"You're not gonna let her get in the way of our little showdown, are ya?" said Yakko, folding his arms.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
"Good."
He smiled at Mettaton.
"YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. LIKE YOU THREE, MY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY?"
"They sure do, Mettaton."
"AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW...WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"
The doors locked shut behind them.
"Finally," said Dot, "the four of us can have a little privacy!"
Five red lights appeared around Mettaton and one white spotlight began to shine down on him.
"SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!"
Without any warning, the platform skyrocketed so quickly that gravity pulled the Warners' bodies to the ground in an instant.
"Whoa!"
A dramatic fanfare played as they got back up on their feet.
"REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW…'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!'"
When the stage came to a halt, the four of them were surrounded by a crowd of monsters. The adoring audience watched as the Warners were pulled into an encounter with Mettaton, their souls and bodies changing back to yellow mode.
"Time to show off our true colors again," said Yakko.
They shook off their yellow skin, regaining their normal color schemes.
"YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!"
"We'll see about that," said Dot.
They shot their yellow bullets at Mettaton.
"Pew pew!" said Yakko.
"Bang bang!" said Wakko.
"THOSE WORTHLESS PEA SHOOTERS WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLINGS."
"We know," said Dot, "we understand what acting is."
"LISTEN, DARLINGS. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU HOLD BACK YOUR TREMENDOUS TOON POWER FOR OUR SAKES. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOULS."
"That's nothin' some smooth talk can't stop," said Yakko. "We'll twist his arm."
"BUT THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG. ASGORE IS RUTHLESS, AND WITH YOUR SOULS HE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY."
The kids gasped as Mettaton sent hollowed-out square projectiles similar to the puzzles from earlier at them. The squares broke upon contact with their bullets.
"He can't do that!" said Dot. "We'll lose what's left of our fans!"
"BUT IF I GET ONE OF YOUR SOULS, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!"
Rows consisting of sturdy bricks, a bomb, and two squares were dropped into the boundary box. The Warners shot the squares and created gaps to escape.
"That's good," said Wakko.
"Mettaton," said Yakko, "if I end up dying to you it'd be an honor."
"I KNOW, DARLING. THEN, USING YOUR SOULS I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER...AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING! HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS...NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!"
Two rows of white bricks with a yellow one placed somewhere in the middle came down. These were followed by a row of the squares with a bomb in the center. The Warners shot the yellow bricks.
"Ya know," said Dot, "you're right about one thing; the humans would love ya."
Slightly distracted by her conversation with Mettaton, she shot the bomb and it released an explosion consisting of a horizontal and a vertical line; the vertical line shot her right in the face, causing her to lose 4 HP.
"Ouch!"
"GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!"
"I mean," said Yakko, "it depends on the program. We do things a little differently back at home."
As Yakko said this to Mettaton, Wakko checked his phone to see five new texts from Alphys.
*i cant see whats going on but theres one last thing to beat mettaton
*its a work in progress but dont judge it too hard
*you know how hes always facing forward
*theres a switch on his backside
*itll make him vulnerable
"Hey Mettaton," said Wakko, "there's a mirror behind you!"
"OH? A MIRROR? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!"
He turned around, revealing the switch on his back.
"How'd ya know he had that?" said Dot.
"Alphys."
"Of course."
"HMM...I DON'T SEE IT...WHERE IS IT…?"
With a swipe of his hand, Yakko flipped his switch.
"Tag, you're it!"
The music stopped.
"DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?"
He turned around, putting his hands on the sides of his head. His screen glitched out and he wobbled from side to side. The Warners put their hands out to shield their eyes as Mettaton seemed to explode in a huge cloud of white smoke.
"OHHHHH YESSSSSSS~"
"...what did we just do?" said Dot.
"I think we turned him on," said Wakko.
"Goodnight everybody," Yakko muttered.
Two spotlights shined down on the remaining puff of smoke as Mettaton prepared his grand reveal. All the Warners could see was his silhouette: a more human-like, slender figure.
"Ohhhh my. If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude…"
"Looks like we're in for a wild ride," said Yakko.
"Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So...as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments…"
Mettaton came out of his shadow as the Warners' jaws completely dropped at his magnificent new body. From the belt up, his "skin" was made of shiny silver metal topped with parted black hair on his head. He "wore" a pink "shirt" with black shoulder-pads, a strange pointy black symbol, and a speaker. White gloves similar to the Warners' but with more sparkles covered his hands. Separated by his shield-shaped belt with a pink heart in the center, he seemed to be "wearing" black skinnyjeans and pink boots.
"ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"
"God he's gorgeous-" Dot whispered.
"Oh yeah!" Yakko shouted. "NOW we're talkin'!"
New music started to play as the boundary box disappeared, allowing the Warners to roam freely around the stage. Their toes uncontrollably tapped to the music as Mettaton made silly yet dramatic poses and sang to them.
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
The toons took notice of their toes' movements and started stomping their feet, embracing what the music was doing to them. Yakko and Wakko joined Mettaton with his singing as he repeated his lines.
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
(We're the Animaniacs and we're zany to the max)
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
(So just sit back and relax you'll laugh 'til you collapse)
The Warners dramatically posed, causing the audience to nod with approval. Yakko leaned back, placed the back of his right hand on his forehead, and extended his left arm out. Wakko leaned forward, put his hands by his head and wiggled his fingers while sticking his tongue out. Dot put her left hand on her hip and stuck her right arm in the air as she joined her brothers and Mettaton in their song.
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
(We're the Animaniacs and we're zany to the max)
[Oh, is that so...]
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
(So just sit back and relax you'll laugh 'til you collapse)
[Start the show…]
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
(We're the Animaniacs and we're zany to the max)
[Here we go…]
Death by glamour, dead from my glamour
(So just sit back and relax you'll laugh 'til you collapse)
The kids and Mettaton charged at each other as soon as the drums kicked in. Mettaton vocalized his first attacks; the Warners were able to combat it with commentary of their own in their improvised lyrics and they managed to even exchange some playful banter while singing.
We'll start with kicks from left to right, try to dodge with all your might
(Y)Your punches don't do anything, I'll bounce back like a spring
Yakko slid under Mettaton's legs and flipped as he jumped in the air and kicked Mettaton to the ground. He wasn't hurt, but rolled on his back and recovered quickly.
You really think you can beat me? You're hasbeens, wannabes
(D)Don't get too cocky Mettaton, 'cause we've already won
Mini-Mettatons circled around the Warners and blew explosive kisses at them. They dance-dodged around the mini-Mettatons, hopping and twirling to the beat while also shooting them.
Don't be silly beauties don't you know that no one cares about the many little things that you can do? They'll praise to me and not to you
(W)Not for long though 'cause we've got a plan to
(D)Win this fight and soon we will come out
(Y)Right back on top, we're bigger stars and it's you they'll drop
Mettaton attacked with more kicks and punches, seeing that the mini-Mettatons were shot to pieces. He briefly landed a hit on Wakko's nose, covering it up by posing while he grabbed it. The audience clapped for him. Mettaton also kicked Yakko's ankle, making him fall down. Yakko recovered his fall and leaned on his back in a sexy manner; the audience applauded at his dramatic pose.
(YWD)Don't you know that we will be the ones to break the barrier down, we'll be the ones who'll set you all free? Believe in the Warners three
You will soon be done for I'm the idol everyone down here craves more so can you handle this, can you handle that?
Dance break, show me what you have!
Mettaton made various dramatic poses to the beat and fired a swarm of mini-Mettatons and bombs at the Warners, practically forcing them to dance if they wanted to dodge, but they didn't mind. Their dancing consisted of perfectly timed jumps, side-steps, spins, hip shakes, and dramatic poses. Each sibling had a solo before they all came back to center stage; Yakko jumped twice, spun, jumped again, made four dramatic poses extending his legs out in a Mettaton-like matter, side-stepped twice, jumped, and shook his hips three times. Wakko jumped four times, side-stepped three times, leaned back for a dramatic pose, shook his hips twice, spun, and jumped three more times. Dot side-stepped four times, shook her hips three times, jumped, dramatically posed twice, and spun three times; the last spin ended with a heel-turn and she scoffed at the audience, who rooted for her destruction. To finish the dance break, Mettaton danced with the Warners; the four of them were in perfect sync as they did a backflip, stomped their feet twice, and each did their own dramatic pose. Mettaton crouched down and extended his right leg out while covering his eyes, Yakko clenched his fists and kept his left arm by his face while extending his right, Wakko did a handstand, and Dot got on one knee while extending both her arms out. Mettaton then made Yakko spin into him and dipped him down, flipped Wakko upside down, and grabbed Dot's finger and twirled her. As they went back to singing, Mettaton sent boxes and bombs their way. The Warners shot through them.
(Y)Oh Mettaton, good thing that we turned you on
(W)'Cause we're having a ball and you started it all
(D)Oh what a shame, and the program's what to blame
(W)For the end of the show
(Y)We don't really wanna go
Mettaton's heart-shaped core began to glow as it emitted lightning bolts at the Warners. They zigzagged as they dodged the bolts and shot his heart.
Don't be so sad, it might be over but I'm glad that you spiced up my show even if we have to go
(W)But this was worth the wait
(D)Don't say your prayers 'cause it's too late
(Y)You just wanted a heart to heart but it tore you apart
Mettaton's arms and legs fell off due to the toons shooting his heart, leaving only his head and chest left. His arms fell anticlimactically but his legs popped off, shooting like a rocket. The Warners jumped back, causing Mettaton's legs to somehow accidentally become attached to Yakko's. For the eldest Warner sibling, it felt like wearing gigantic high heels. He continued to dance, flaunting off his new robotic legs as Wakko and Dot danced around what remained of Mettaton.
(YWD)Death by glamour, dead from our glamour
Death by glamour, dead from our glamour
Death by glamour, dead from our glamour
Death by glamour, dead from our glamour
As the music ended, Yakko flipped and landed in the splits. The crowd went absolutely ballistic, screaming their heads off and cheering as Yakko panted. Wakko and Dot helped him up; not used to the legs making him twice his height, Yakko wobbled backwards.
"Whoa!"
They held onto him, helping him regain his balance.
"Easy, Yakko!" said Dot.
"We gotcha!" said Wakko.
They held hands and took group bows as the audience cheered them on for once instead of Mettaton.
"We love you, Warner Brothers!"
Meanwhile, Mettaton looked at the ratings chart, which spiked so high that it broke. The total amount of viewers surpassed 10,000, setting a new record for the robot superstar.
"OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD! WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE!"
Yakko turned around to look at Mettaton and smugly smiled at him.
"You're welcome."
"ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME...BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER! LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!"
His speakers rang.
"HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW?"
The voice that spoke was one that caught all four of them off guard.
"oh...hi...mettaton…"
Mettaton gasped.
"Is that…?" said Dot.
"No way!" said Yakko.
"It's Napstablook!" said Wakko.
"i really liked watching your show...my life is pretty boring...but...seeing you on the screen...brought excitement to my life...vicariously"
Mettaton's face grew sadder as Napstablook kept talking.
"i can't tell, but...i guess this is the last episode…? i'll miss you...mettaton…oh...i didn't mean to talk so long...oh…"
"NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL…THEY ALREADY HUNG UP."
He smiled as the Warners sat down in front of him.
"I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!"
Various monsters called in.
"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."
"AH...I...I SEE."
The Warners felt nostalgic seeing Mettaton receive so much praise. It reminded them of when they made it big all those years ago.
"EVERYONE...THANK YOU SO MUCH. WARNERS, PERHAPS...IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY DOWN HERE FOR A WHILE."
"What changed your mind?" Wakko asked.
"HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS LIKE YOU THREE, 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…"
"I think you're making the right choice," said Dot, patting Mettaton's back.
"THANK YOU, DOT. BESIDES. YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG-WILLED. PERHAPS...IT WILL EVEN BE ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE. I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE SURFACE ABOVE."
Yakko smiled at him.
"Thanks, Mettaton."
"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, AND...WELL. I'LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLINGS. YAKKO, YOU CAN KEEP MY LEGS."
Yakko gave him a thumbs-up.
"AND EVERYONE...THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!"
He fell asleep as Wakko pulled a blanket over him.
"Sweet dreams, Mettaton."
The stage lowered itself back to stable ground as the locked door opened again.
"I...I managed to open the lock!" said Alphys, coming in. "Are you four..."
Her voice trailed off when she saw Mettaton's state and Yakko wearing the robot's legs.
"Don't worry," said Dot, "he's just outta batteries."
Alphys sighed with relief.
"Oh, thank GOD."
She approached Mettaton.
"Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have...I would have...I m-mean, h-hey, it's n-no problem, you know? He's just a robot, if you messed it up, I c-could always...j-just build another...w-why don't you go on ahead?"
The Warners walked forward, knowing Alphys needed a moment alone. Yakko popped Mettaton's legs off his feet and put them in Wakko's Gag Bag.
"That was awesome!" he shouted. "It almost felt like the good ol' days were comin' back!"
"I wanna do it again!" said Wakko.
"Ya know," said Dot, "he'd fit right in if he was one of us."
Alphys managed to catch up with them in a short period of time as they walked down the rest of the hallway.
"S...Sorry about that! L-let's k-keep going!"
They stopped and turned to look at her with stern faces.
"We know what ya did," said Yakko. "Mettaton told us everything."
"...h-he did?"
They nodded.
"Uh…I…"
Smiles reappeared on their faces.
"Don't worry," said Yakko, "we're not mad at ya!"
"Yeah," said Wakko, "we forgive you."
"I...th-thanks, guys."
"Don't mention it," said Dot.
They kept walking forward.
"S-so you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? I can tell you're pretty excited about that."
"Yeah," said Yakko, "I can't wait to work my magic on him! I mean, he can't be any tougher than Undyne."
They reached the elevator at the end of the hallway.
"Well," said Dot, "I guess this is the end."
Wakko hugged the scientist.
"Bye Alphys!"
The elevator doors opened. But before they could enter, Alphys stopped them.
"W...Wait!"
She turned away after getting their attention again.
"I can't take this anymore. I...I lied to you. Even if cartoon souls are stronger than human souls, they're still not powerful enough to cross or even break the barrier on their own. It will take at least one of your souls...And a monster soul."
The Warners gasped, horrified at this new piece of information.
"Asgore is nearly impossible to convince. No matter what impression you give him, he'll force himself to fight you for our sake. If you can't get through to him...you have to kill him."
They shook their heads in disbelief.
"No…" said Yakko, speaking for the three of them. "No, we can't do it!"
"There's no other way...I'm sorry."
Her voice broke as she ran away.
"We just can't do it," Yakko whispered.
They entered the elevator, seeing they couldn't turn back. As the doors closed, they weren't filled with determination...they were filled with reluctance.