Chapter Four: Say Yes To The Dress
The big day had finally arrived. Alphys had managed to complete both EX and NEO forms quicker than either of them had imagined. Mettaton expected the process to go on for longer, but Alphys had apparently kicked it into high gear with the time she was given. She sacrificed many of her anime and manga hours for this project, and in the end it was more than worth it. To treat herself later, she figured she could marathon the newer episodes of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, even if they were just filler before the next big arc. She escorted Mettaton into the elevator, both jittery from the excitement for the reveal.
The elevator stopped and Alphys was the first to enter the dark room. She purposefully kept it so before Mettaton came to the lab. "A-are you r-ready to see your new body?"
"More than ever, Alphys!"
"O-Okay...one... two... three!" Alphys turned on the light. "Ta da!"
In the center of the room, a humanoid robot body was propped up by a steel pipe. The body alone was at least six foot tall, maybe seven. Jet black hair covered up the right eye as a fringe while the left eye had metal segments below and above it. Long, fake eyelashes just barely brushed against the skin. Going down lower, the pink chest piece had a speaker on the right hand side with a dial on the other. Black shoulder guards were placed above the familiar segmented arms, ending in a pair of white gloves. Mettaton assumed that the clear, metallic casing that made up his waist would be for storing his soul. The feature that caught is attention the most were the legs. Beautiful and long, fitting in perfectly with the hourglass motif. The high heeled boots that started at the knees were the finishing touch, being the same color as the chest plate. And the best part of the ensemble? Not a single scratch or smudge was ever placed on it. Mettaton lightly caressed the left cheek attentively, as if he were observing a piece of fine art.
"W-well?" The silence was starting to make Alphys think that he had grown unappreciative. "Wh-what do you think?"
"Oh, Alphys..." Mettaton stood completely in awe at his new body. He traced the outlines of the chest plate delicately. If he had tear ducts, small droplets would be starting to coming out. "It's even more beautiful in person!"
"R-really?" Alphys was taken aback.
"Well, of course darling!" Mettaton circled the new body once more. "You've managed to replicate every single detail from such a simple sketch to a work of grandeur!"
"D-do you want to know what the best part about this is?" Alphys inquired, beginning to get excited from his excitement. "This new upgrade can switch between not only your box form, but it can also alternate between your NEO form as well!"
"Alphys! How in the world were you able to manage that?" Mettaton gasped.
"Well, it's simple really." Alphys explained. "I just made a few alterations to your original form's data and combined some of the similar compartments between the NEO and EX forms. That, and quite a handful of magic of course. But..."
"But what?"
"But since we have to transfer your soul into this new interface, the new body you will get will be... bulkier, to say the least. You'll still be able to control it, but still..."
"If it means I have to suffer the weight gain of a camera or a machine to achieve my true beauty, then nothing else matters!" Surprisingly enough, this detail didn't seem to bother him. "I'm too elated to care! Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Alphys began to blush. "Aww, Mettaton. Anything to make you happy."
"For this request, I'm going to do my best to return the favor!" Mettaton said, surprising Alphys.
Alphys chuckled nervously. "Oh, there's no need for that."
"But there must be something I can do to repay you!" Mettaton insisted. "A gift like this can't go unappreciated with just words!"
"R-really, you don't have to do anything for me." The redness of Alphys' face was more out of embarrassment now.
"Nonsense, Alphys! I will find a way to make this up to you!" Mettaton declared. He then started to pace around the room. "Think, Metta, think..."
"Mettaton, I-I appreciate the sentiment. R-really, I do but-"
"Aha! I know!" Mettaton cut off Alphys. "Alphys, I'm going to take you out shopping!"
Alphys' eyes grew wide and her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Wait, what?"
"Oh, come now. Do you honestly expect me to just let you sit in here all day by your lonesome?" Mettaton put a hand on his nonexistent hip. "Besides, your wardrobe could use a little... variety, so to speak. No offense."
"None taken, I guess." Alphys wasn't sure what to make of that comment. "B-but I don't really think b-being around so many p-people is a good idea..."
"And why not?" Mettaton asked. "I'm sure your old friends would love to see you!"
"B-b-but I.. I..." Alphys became a stuttering mess.
"Fine. If I have to drag you there myself, then so be it!" Mettaton sighed and proceeded to take Alphys' hand. "Come on, you need the time out. And I will not take 'no' for an answer!"
"H-hey! Wait a sec!" Alphys felt herself being dragged into the elevator by the design she helped invent. She cursed at herself internally for making Mettaton's body so strong. Any more resisting on her end would only be meant with further insistence. Alphys knew that this was an uphill battle that she likely wasn't going to win. She just prayed that the trip wouldn't last too long.
~~~
Soft music and a subtle warmth greeted the two as they entered the little shop in Snowden. There was a faint scent of perfume lingering inside. It looked small on the outside, but walking in the place gave the illusion that it was much bigger than it actually was. The paint had been freshly put on, jewelry was placed near the entrance, and the changing rooms were on the far end of the building. Normally, Mettaton didn't go to Snowden much due to how cold it was, but for today he was willing to make an exception. Alphys scanned the store, not only at the selection of clothes, but to see if there was anyone around that she knew. Thankfully, there wasn't any familiar face to be seen. With that figured out, Alphys could finally relax a little bit.
"Hello there, Mettaton!" The store clerk greeted. She recognized him immediately. No one else in the Underground had such a recognizable figure as him. "Can I help you out with anything?"
"Oh, I'm just looking for some clothes for my friend here." Mettaton directed a hand towards Alphys. "Do you have anything in her size we can check out?"
"Oh, most certainly!" The clerk clapped her hands together. "We've got a fair selection over in the women's section. It's also buy one, get one fifty percent off this weekend!"
"Excellent! You sure do know how to make a customer happy." Mettaton complimented.
"Anything for you, Mettaton." The clerk replied dreamily, followed by a lighthearted chuckle. The action made it seem like she had a schoolgirl crush on the robot. Not that bothersome to Mettaton, but somewhat off-putting to Alphys. She scurried away from the counter to guide the two over to the plus size section of the store. Dresses, shirts, and pants were all neatly hung up on separate rackets with the dresses being in the middle of it all. "Will that be all for you?"
"Oh, y-yes ma'am." Alphys spoke up, the clerk smiling warmly before leaving and reminding them she'd be there if they needed anything. Without a moment's notice, Mettaton was already going through the selection, commenting to himself on everything he found.
"Oh, Alphys! You would look absolutely stunning in this!" Mettaton spotted a black dress with white polka dots.
"I-I like it too, but w-when am I gonna be able to actually wear it?" Alphys felt the cotton-like material of the dress.
Mettaton brought the dress up to Alphys to measure it's height compared to hers. "Oh, I didn't mean this for everyday use. You can use it for whenever you get the chance to go on that dream date of yours with... hm.. what was her name again?"
"Uh..Uh... Un.. Undy-" Alphys stuttered, her face becoming red as a tomato. She tried to keep quiet while saying her name.
"Undyne, that's it!" Mettaton snapped his fingers. "Don't really get what you see in her, but I'm not one to judge. But back on topic, you have to try this on!"
"A-Are you sure? I-I don't think I-I'd look that good in it..." Alphys began to grow anxious.
"Oh, nonsense Alphys!" Mettaton tried to encourage her. "I think this would compliment your figure marvelously! Will you try it on for me, at least?"
"Um.. oh, alright. If it makes you happy." Alphys gave into Mettaton's request. The dress was handed to her almost instantly.
"Good! Now don't you dare come out of that dressing room until you have that dress on!"
"Got it!" Alphys replied from the dressing room. Mettaton patiently waited outside, pretending to go his nails even though he had none to speak of. After a moment of shuffling around in the dressing room, Alphys peeked her head from out of the door.
"Oh, Alphys! Ready already?"
"Y-yeah, but... are you sure you'll think I'll look g-good?"
"Cross my heart shaped soul!" Mettaton made a crossing gesture.
"O-Okay..." Alphys put one foot out of the dressing room. After some more coaxing on Mettaton's end, Alphys finally got up the courage to completely step out. Just as Mettaton suspected. The dress not only complimented her figure to a 't', but it also confirmed that Alphys looked great in polka dots. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn that she was wearing rhinestones.
"Alphys! You look marvelous!" Mettaton cheered.
"R-really?" Alphys smiled warmly, doing a small twirl as the bottom of the dress flowed by her ankles carelessly. "B-because I like it too, Mettaton! I like it a lot!"
"I knew you would!" Mettaton chuckled. "I'm never wrong about these things. With that dress, Undyne will fall for you for sure!"
"You think so?" Alphys blushed as the thought of the strong warrior crossed her mind.
"Think so?! Honey, I know so!"
Alphys' smile grew wider. It was moments like these that made her friendship with Mettaton worth it. It's like he always knows what to say at what time. Despite his eccentric and selfish tendencies, it was almost as if the two had been best friends for years. The two had their squabbles and disagreements like any friends would, but the good times were something that they would both strive for. As Alphys got to know Mettaton more, he got to see a more generous side to him that completely contradicted her very first impressions of him. She got the selfish part down to an extent, but it's the part about caring about others is what threw her off guard. She never expected him to be filled with so much kindness, especially towards her. To think that all of this started with the request of building a robot body.
"H-hey, M-Mettaton?"
"Hm?"
"W-wanna t-take advantage of that store deal?"
"Oh, darling! I thought you'd never ask!" Mettaton exclaimed. Alphys giggled in response to his enthusiasm.
"W-well... Let's get shopping!" And for the rest of the day, Alphys felt like she didn't have a care in the world.