Disclaimer: I don't own Undertale and please enjoy the story

No... Frisk spoke it loudly in her head as she held it as she took a deep breath. Slowly the feelings receded, and she sucked in another breath. Her eyes went to the sign above again, steeling herself.

She knew she could leave them; she could picture every one of her textbooks as they listed monsters and what they would be capable of if they ever took a human's soul. All of them would break the barrier, but with the ones they had, they could make warriors. Warriors that would shake humanity to its core.

What if they still want humanity dead? Then what… She thought about it carefully, another war happening, and it'd be her fault. She'd make every mage look bad, and then….

She chewed her lip, as it thinned more into a line.

You're not moving…

She ignored the voice, feeling irritation stem from it as Frisk thought longer over what to do. Her mind went from one thing to the other, trying to decide until coming to one conclusion. Regardless, I have to get through there… Looking around first, she stepped through the doors, unsure what to suspect.

Not too bad so far. Frisk glanced around the back of the resort, starting to feel at ease until two figures caught her vision. "Who are…" The words died as quickly as they left, and all she was sure of was the blur she knew she saw. Her mind went to Sans, and she quickly pushed it away as she heard her phone ring.

"Alphys?" Frisk looked at the screen to be sure, not hearing the scientist just yet. "Alphys, do you hear me?"

"Huh? Oh...I just…" Alphys sounded more unsure than usual, confusing Frisk a bit. "Who are they?"

"Wait, what do you mean who are they?" Frisk blinked, surprised as she heard Alphys heavy breathing.

"It's ju-just...nobody else is supposed to be here…"

"What do you mean nobody is supposed to be here? Alphys, what's going on?" Frisk knew Alphys could be shy but seemed like something else.

"No!" She said quickly. "I mean...Oh well. We can't worry about that now." She gave a nervous laugh and Frisk could hear rushed typing.

"Alphys?" The sudden click had Frisk raise a brow, feeling worried about her friend's strange behavior. Maybe it's just nerves… Brushing back her hair, and steadying her messenger bag over her shoulder she started moving forward.

The bridge was a short one as she made her way inside the building inside, and Frisk was relieved to see the elevator. At the sound of her phone, she wasn't surprised.

"Are you ready? This is it!" Alphys's excitement did a bit to distract Frisk and keep her motivated as she went to the elevator. "Go ahead and take the elevator to the top of the core."

"Already ahead of you, Alph." Frisk let out a laugh at first as she pressed a button, but as nothing happened her brows furrowed, and she tried again. "Um, Alphys…"

"But it should be working…" Frisk could hear Alphys's frustration as more taps on a keyboard were heard. "Go to the right…"

Frisk raised a brow at the instruction hearing something beyond frustration in the yellow dinosaur's voice, while wondering what would have her this frustrated. It's not like she knows what's supposed to happen…Frisk's lips thinned as she stopped at the door backing away from it as she went in the other direction to the right.

"Where are you…Watch out!"

The sudden appearance of a monster had Frisk narrow her eyes, A mage's magic when it's given form… She watched it closely, glaring at it nearly out of her own anger, and making sure the being knew she was a mage. As it's attacks and defenses lowered, she gave it another look as she bypassed it.

"That was close." Frisk could hear Alphys let out a sharp gasp and Frisk could easily see Madgick was only one of many monsters. "Wh...why are there so many monsters here?"

"What do you mean why?" Frisk's brow rose at the strange wording, thinking about how there are always monsters around.

"I… I mean...it's no problem." Alphys let out a nervous laugh. "R-right? We've just gotta keep heading forward."

"Right…" Frisk kept the phone to her ear, moving forward as something in her gut screamed at her. The sight of lasers and a barrier came, and Frisk stopped immediately. "Oh...my…"

"It looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch, but those lasers will activate when you do."

Frisk's eyes widened more at Alphys instruction as she looked again at the lasers. "Of course, they will."

"But um...it looks like they'll come in this order: Orange, Orange, Blue. You got it? You just don't move at the third one."

"Got it" She gave a nod, praying she'd get out of this one alive as she pressed the switch and started moving, the lasers started immediately coming at her and Frisk's eyes widened at the sight of a blue laser, but it was too late as it hit her. The pain was unbearable as she hissed. Trying not to scream out in the dinosaur's ear as she gripped the phone tightly.

"I…I…" Alphys sounded close to tears and confused as Frisk tried to continue breathing in and out, hoping the pain would recede soon. "I'm so sorry, I gave you the wrong order…"

"I noticed…" Frisk barely snapped at her, getting up as it became a throbbing pain.

"Everything's going to be fine, okay? Let's just keep heading to the right."

"If you say so…"

Frisk kept breathing in, hoping the next set of directions wouldn't be as horrible as the last as she kept moving. At the sight of different paths, Frisk had no clue which to choose with both looking the same to her. "Um Alphys, a little help here."

"Oh, it's a crossroad. Tr-try heading to the right."

"Um…" Frisk looked up, not sure which way would be best as she looked right again and instead went up only to get ambushed. The sight of the largest knight she had ever seen had Frisk frozen in fear as she barely noticed it's spear coming at her.

Frisk! Don't just stand there!

Frisk mouth gaped, trying to form out words or move but nothing came as she curled up, a spear hurdling at her as she cried out in pain.

Frisk! The voice was screaming at her, but Frisk couldn't move. All she could do was stay there, and briefly, her mom came to mind.

"Sweetie, what is it?" Her mom looked down at her, as she cried her heart out against the woman. "Did you see a knight?"

"A big one… what if he… what if…" Frisk was breaking down; normal ones were scary enough. She rubbed her eyes as tears sprung.

"It was just a nightmare, Frisk."

"I'm sorry, I wanna be a big girl and sleep by myself." She thought her mom would be angry at her; she was a big girl now, she had just turned seven. She tried to put on a brave face and be like her mom, but the woman's features had softened as she held her close.

"How about we go back to your room, and I hum you a lullaby? And whenever you feel really scared, just sing it to yourself. And you'll know I'll always protect you...and you'll be okay."

"You'll always protect me? Pinky promise?" Frisk looked up at her mom with big eyes, and her mom took her finger in hers.

"I promise..."

Frisk?

What? She looked around and saw the knight sleeping as she looked at it in confusion. It's asleep?

You were humming something, and he passed out…You're lucky you survived.

Frisk thought back to her memory as she looked at it, and took deep breaths. The phone was on the floor as she picked it up and she could already hear Alphys as she quickly got some food out her bag. She could already feel the healing process, but the tell-tale signs of blood were there with the torn clothes.

"Are you okay? Why didn't you go the other way? Don't you trust me?"

"I…." Frisk wasn't sure how to answer that anymore, though Alphys had proved right this time and Frisk wondered if maybe her gut had been wrong about something being off about everything. "Of course, I do Alphys."

She could hear the sigh of relief on the other end as she went on the way Alphys gave her, but at the sight of more lasers, Frisk felt unsure again. "Alphys?"

"It's more lasers, but I won't mess around this time. I-I'll just deactivate them." She could hear the typing on the keyboard, but as Frisk looked on the lasers continued to block her path.

"They don't look very deactivated."

"They're not turning off...I can't turn them off!"

"You can't turn them off? Then how am I…"

"I-it's okay! I have it under control…I'll just turn the power off for the whole node, and you can walk across."

"Are you sure th-" Frisk blinked as the whole area went dark and she smiled in relief. "Thanks, Alphys!"

"Now, go" Alphys let out a breath as Frisk started walking across, she felt close to the end until Alphys voice rang out. "Wait! Stop!" Frisk stopped immediately; her eyes widened as blue lasers surrounded her and went through her. One move and she was sure she'd be done for. "The power, it's turning itself back on." Alphys continued to cry out.

"Trust me, I noticed," Frisk mumbled unable to help the slightly bitter tone, but Alphys was still ranting.

"Damn it!" Frisk heard a bang on what she thought might be the desk. "This wasn't supposed to happen! "

"Alphys!" She screamed out, wondering what exactly what she meant, but at the moment they had a bigger problem. "How do I get out?"

"Sorry..." Alphys sighed, "I'm going to try the power again when it goes off just move a little and stop. T-that way you won't get hurt when it turns back on."

"You want me to…" Frisk held back barely from yelling as she released a breath. "Okay." She waited patiently as the lasers went off, moving only a bit as it would suddenly turn on again. Her nerves felt fried as she finally finished.

"See, everything's under control." Alphys gave a nervous laugh, but Frisk chose not to comment as she kept moving. The sight of a star filled her with determination to still see this through as she touched it, feeling the magic of it as she looked in every direction hoping Alphys had a plan. "Y-you should...I...I don't know."

"You don't know?" Frisk yelled it, hearing the dinosaur let out a slight whimper. She immediately felt bad about it, reminding herself Alphys was trying her best. "I mean…what do you mean."

"It just...this doesn't look like my map at all. I…I'm sorry… I have to go."

"Wait, Alphys…" Frisk sighed at the sound of the click, looking around with no clue what to do next. "Just perfect…"

Nothing to do but keep moving.

Frisk let out a sigh, nodding in agreement as she kept going. At two points she got lucky, gaining some money and a glamburger but it seemed soon her luck ran out as she came to a long bridge. Monsters encountered her in pairs three times, as she barely made it across to a switch. With nothing else to do, she prayed this wouldn't go bad as she pressed it, and looked around frowning to see nothing happened.

With a deep sigh, she went back, surprised to see the barrier that was once there gone. For a moment she stood, wondering if Alphys would call but still nothing. "Guess I'm still on my own." Letting out a deep breath, she kept on moving, going over the bridge while being wary of the monster around her as she made it across. The sight of the door and a star had her breathe a sigh of relief as she did her SAVE magic, she caught sight of the elevator and eyed it. "If you would have worked…"

She felt like grumbling; her mouth thinned in a line as she looked over at the door. She could already see the pitch-black darkness, squaring her shoulders she stepped through. It was dark all around, and she could barely see.

Oh no. It is dark. I wonder who it is...Frisk nearly laugh at the sarcastic tone the voice had, though she understood since they had this basic set up more than Frisk liked. Even in the darkness, he seemed to shine in the middle of the room as Frisk stopped in front of him.

"Mettaton…"

"Oh, yes. There you are, darling." Mettaton's laugh came, but Frisk found it odder than usual.

"Mettaton?"

"Oh, it's nothing darling. It's only time for our showdown, right?" Mettaton 's voice became louder as though he had an audience. "It's time to finally stop the "malfunctioning" robot."

"Um...yes?"

"Not!" Mettaton's voice rang out, and Frisk blinked in confusion at him. "Malfunction? Programming? Get real. This was all just a big show, darling."

Frisk continued to look around, "A big show?" she repeated it, trying to figure out what the robot meant.

"Yes, an act. Alphys has been playing you for a fool the whole time."

"No, Alphys wouldn't…she wouldn't…" Frisk shook her head, not wanting to face it. "She wouldn't!"

"Oh, really? As she watched you on the screen, she grew attached to your adventure. She desperately wanted to be a part of it, so she decided to insert herself into your story. "

"She…"

"She reactivated the puzzles. Disabled elevators. She even enlisted me to torment you, just so she could save you from dangers that didn't exist."

"Damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Frisk thought back to the dinosaur scientist's exact words as she could still hear Alphys's frustration in her own head. "But why?" She felt hurt and lied to all over again.

"So, you would think she's this great person that she's not, and now it's time for her finest hour."

"Her finest hour?"

"At this very moment," Mettaton gestured back, "Alphys is waiting outside the room and during our "battle". Frisk swore she if there was a sound of rolling eyes, Mettaton just did it. "She'll interrupt. She'll pretend to deactivate me, "saving" you one final time. Finally, she'll be the heroine of your adventure."

"I wouldn't be that naive." Frisk tried speaking up, Mettaton seemed unconvinced. "I wouldn't, I would notice something."

"Darling, you'll regard her so highly, she'll be able to convince you not to leave."

"I…" Frisk went quiet, feeling truth to it especially when she was unsure of what she wanted to do herself.

"Or not." Frisk looked at Mettaton, confused as he spoke up again. "You see, I've had enough of this predictable charade. I have no desire to harm humans, far from it actually."

"Really?" Frisk felt unsure, "Then what do you want?"

"My only desire is to entertain. After all, the audience deserves a good show, don't they? And what's a good show without a plot twist?" Mettaton let out a laugh, and Frisk slowly backed away as she heard banging on the door.

"H-hey!" Frisk realized it was Alphys as the yellow dinosaur continued beating at the door. "Wh-what's going on? The door just locked itself!"

So, you really were tricking me this whole time...Frisk frowned glancing in that direction, only for her focus to go back on Mettaton as swirling lights of assorted colors started.

"Sorry, folks! The old program's been canceled. But we've got a finale that will drive you wild!"

"I don't like the sound of that," Frisk looked around, wondering if there was another exit. You knew about Alphys, didn't you?

I had a hunch, it just always seemed weird how she always knew exactly how to help at the exact right time. Bright or not, it was weird…

Frisk nodded, hoping she'd figure out something soon until the platform started to launch itself and Frisk did her best to keep her balance as Mettaton talked excitedly.

"Real drama! Real action! Real bloodshed! On our new show! Attack of the Killer Robot!" He yelled out, bringing the microphone close as he faced Frisk. "Yes, I was the one the rearranged the core. I was the one the hired everyone to kill you, but that was a short-sighted plan."

"No wonder Alphys was so confused!" It started to all make sense to Frisk now.

"But you know what would be better?" Killing you myself! And darling I've seen you fight, you're weak. Asgore will take your soul."

"You don't know that!" Frisk yelled back, but even she had no clue what to do once she was at the king. I just have to be determined to see this through…

"What do you think will happen?" Mettaton questioned her as Frisk started to dodge attacks, "He gets your soul, he's destroying humanity. But at least if I get your soul, I can stop Asgore's plan."

"Wait…what…?" Frisk blinked, surprised at the robot. "You...want to save them?"

"Yes, and using your soul I can cross the barrier. I'll be the star I always dreamed of being. Hundreds...wait no thousands. No millions, of humans will watch me."

"I guess…" Frisk wasn't surprised at the last part; she knew how much Mettaton enjoyed entertaining people. But there's ...good deep inside him…

"Glitz! Glamour! I'll have it all! So, what if a few people have to die, that's just show business."

Correction, good way way deep inside him…Frisk nearly rolled her eyes as she started dodging again, and used the magic from the yellow soul magic to shoot through obstacles. How do I get past him? She wracked her brain as the phone started to ring, and she quickly answered.

Once again, we REALLY should talk about your timing when answering phones! The voice yelled at her, but Frisk was too busy trying to hear Alphys.

"I ca-can't see what's going on in there, but don't give up okay!"

"Don't give up? I wouldn't even be in this if not for you! How do I even get past this?" Frisk yelled, not bothering to take it back this time as she heard the dinosaur go silent a moment.

"There's one last way to beat Mettaton. it's um...it's…."

"Alphys, if you cared about me any. Then tell me!"

"I will, this is just a work in progress so don't judge it too hard "

"Alphys…"

"You know how Mettaton always faces forward?" Alphys continued quickly, and Frisk glanced at the robot. "That's because there's a switch on his backside. So, if you c-c-can turn him around and um...press the switch. He'll be vulnerable."

"Okay, got it. Switch. Bye, Alphys" Frisk could hear the sad sigh, but her anger at the betrayal was still there.

"Well...g-g-gotta go."

At the click, Frisk almost felt bad but shook her head, looking back at the robot as she tried to think of how to get Mettaton to turn around. "Mettaton! Look! A mirror! Don't you want to look your best?"

"A mirror? You're right, darling! I have to look perfect for this!" Mettaton quickly turned, and Frisk could see the giant switch as she rushed over. "Where is it? I don't see it." She moved fast, pushing the switch and saw Mettaton go still. "Did you...just flip my switch?" Lights flashed over him; his buttons were going haywire as Frisk backed away, wishing there was more distance they could put between them as a light flashed blinding her.

"What just happened?" Frisk blinked a few times until a deep, suave voice rang out that didn't sound familiar to her.

"Oh, yes."

Smoke and spotlights hit the center, making all she could make out was a shadow as she tilted her head at it. "What did I just do?"

Something really stupid...