Absolutely Beautiful
Sans waved to them as they approached the hotel. Inwardly, they sighed to themselves. What did he want with them now? They just wanted to grab a snack and take a nap in the hotel.
"Hey kid. Wanna grab a bite to eat?" He asked. They stared at him and shrugged. They did want food, but they didn't really want to go with him. Still, they needed to comply. Hopefully he'd just let them get their food and leave them alone. "Great, I know a shortcut. Follow me."
Sans walked around the left side of the hotel and they followed. He stopped in front of the blank wall and grabbed their hand. They were hit by that weird dizzying sensation again, and tore their hand away. Why was he being so rude? Isn't it common courtesy to not just touch someone or grab them without their permission?
Well, maybe they didn't count as a person here. They were in a random restaurant somewhere. Perfect. Now they'd have to find their way back to the hotel from wherever they were now. It would be even longer before they could take that nap. At least they'd probably get food here.
"Thanks for treating me kid." Sans said and winked. They gave him a look. They didn't agree to this. They didn't know if they had the money for this. Also, he was the working adult. If anything, he should be paying, especially since this was his idea. But then again, they didn't belong to this place, so they couldn't really complain about him extorting them. "Relax kid, I'm just messing with you."
Sans gestured for them to sit then sat in his own chair. He leaned back so that the chair was on two legs. He wasn't even holding the table to balance. Either he had incredible core control or he was using magic to show off. Must be magic.
They kept their eyes on him and sat down at the table. If he was using his magic to balance on a chair, then they could be sure that he wasn't using his magic to do something else.
"Your journey here is almost at an end. It's been a long one, so I wanted to check in with you." Sans said. He was watching them as carefully as they were watching him. They didn't answer him. If he wanted to talk, then he'd talk.
"Let me tell you a story." Sans continued. This might take longer than they thought if he was going to tell them a story, "So I work as a sentry in Snowdin. Not much happens around there, so I've gotta find ways to kill time. One day, I decided to take a walk around and found a large stone door. A big door like that is the perfect place to practice knock knock jokes." Sans grinned and winked at them, "So there I am, practicing, knocking, until one day I hear a voice. She asked "who's there?""
Sans took a deep breath before continuing, "Of course, not wanting to disappoint, I replied. "Dishes." "Dishes who?" "Dishes a very bad joke." After that, I heard her howling with laughter. We traded jokes back and forth for hours. I visit the door during every shift. I don't know who she is, what she looks like, or even her name. We're just two good joke buddies, sharing some laughs and a hobby."
They knew it must be Toriel. It wasn't often, but she did throw puns into conversation sometimes. They were glad that she made a friend, but they didn't like who it was. They wanted to believe in her judgement of character, but she kicked them out. They wanted to trust her, but they couldn't.
"So one day, I walk up to the door and start knocking, as I always do. This time, the lady doesn't play along. Instead, she asks for a favour. She asks me, if a human ever comes through the door, if I could protect them, make sure that they stay safe, look out for them. Now, normally I wouldn't do anything. Too much effort, y'know? But someone who enjoys bad jokes that much has a certain integrity that you just can't say no to."
Sans leaned forward again so that all four legs of the chair are on the floor. He put his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. He gave them an intense stare. "I agreed. Lucky for you kid, if she hadn't asked me to look out for you," Sans paused and his eyes went dark, "you'd be dead where you stand."
They knew he was creepy! They didn't want to wait around for any food here. They just wanted to leave. As soon as possible, they needed to get away from Sans. He was going to kill them for sure this time.
His eyes came back and he grinned at them, "And I must have done a pretty good job too. I mean, look at you. You haven't died a single time." What the hell was he talking about? Did he know about the whisper that brought them back from the dead? Or was he just trying to be self-gratifying? Or was he trying to use this story to exploit them for something? Say that they owed him for pretending he kept them safe just because they couldn't prove that he didn't?
"What's that look for? Am I wrong?" Sans winked again. He definitely knew something. Still, fleeing immediately would just cause him to chase them. He could throw magic at them from behind and kill them himself. They had to stay until he let them go. They clenched their fists and took a breath. They needed to stay calm and focus until he let them go.
"Aren't you glad though? You've got someone who really cares about you here." Sans commented. HE paused for a moment and slowly leaned back in his chair again. This was good. They felt marginally safer when he was using his magic to balance on the chair.
"You're almost at the capital now. When you get there, you'll have a choice to make. You could give up your soul so that we can break the barrier. You could kill the king and use his soul to escape yourself. Or, if neither of those appeal to you, you could stay. The king won't come after you himself, and most monsters won't recognize a human on sight, even after Mettaton's shows. You could live your life down here with us, and we'll take your soul when you eventually die from old age." Sans explained, "Not a bad option, right? After all, what more could you need? You've got someone who cares about you, good food, bad laughs, a place to stay. Monsters live much longer than humans do, and we're a patient people. We want to be free, but waiting for the end of your life won't be too long compared to our own lifespans."
They hadn't actually thought about what the end of their journey would entail. They had the power to free an entire nation from their imprisonment underground. They had the chance to be a hero, something that most kids dream about. They didn't even have to do anything special. They just had to live out their life and avoid Undyne and the king. And if they decided that they had gotten enough out of their life (and if the whisper let them), then they could become a willing sacrifice. Either way, they would be the saviour.
It was a brave quest, but they had never been a brave person. They didn't hate monsters, but they wanted to go home. They didn't know if they could offer up their soul to free them all. They didn't want to kill the king either, though. Maybe they could find another way to leave the barrier? They still had some time before they reached the end.
"I bet you're thinking real hard about what to do." Sans said, "I have my hopes for you, but in the end, how your quest ends is your choice. Just make sure you consider what you've already got. Can you be satisfied with that? You have as much time as you need until you meet the king. That's when you'll have to decide."
They would have to consider their options. They hadn't realized before that crossing the barrier would mean killing someone. They didn't know if they could kill the king, but if that was the only way out, then they'd have to decide where they'd like to stay or resolve themselves to do what needs to be done. At least they still had some time.
The two sat in silence for a few more minutes. It wasn't awkward, but it definitely wasn't comfortable.
"Welp. I'll leave you to it then, I guess. See you around, kid." Sans said. He stood up and walked towards the back wall before disappearing.
Finally, he was gone. Too bad they never got any food. And now they had to figure out how to get back to the hotel.
They left the restaurant and found themselves in the lobby of a building. There was a burger stand off to the side and a Mettaton fountain that was spraying water onto the floor. They'd have to avoid the puddle so that they wouldn't accidentally slip.
The burger stand was expensive, so they settled on an ice cream treat called a Starfait. It was the cheapest item, and monster food was generally filling enough. Since it was made of magic, the ice cream wasn't even melting. The cold food felt great in their mouth after spending so long in Hotland.
When they finished the dessert, they exited through what they believed was the front door. Outside, they saw the familiar stairs and nice cream stand. Sans had literally teleported them through the wall instead of walking around like a normal person. Why? It took the same amount of time and his way cost him magic. Teleporting seems like something that would take a lot of magical power. So why not walk instead?
This whole world was nonsense.
They went back inside. They walked down the hallway and looked for an open room. Luckily, one of the doors was unlocked. In the room was a giant bed. Immediately, they ran over and jumped on it. It was so soft and comfortable. They hadn't realized how much they had missed laying in a bed.
As they turned over and made themselves comfortable, their eyes closed on instinct. They took a few deep breaths and fell asleep.
A couple hours later, they awoke feeling refreshed. A powernap was just what they needed. Hotland was a long walk, and they had a couple of big decisions to make. They needed to choose a name and they needed to decide how to end their quest. One decision was heavy and one was deeply personal.
They didn't yet have an answer for either. They didn't know whether they would save the monsters or betray their morals and abandon the monsters. They didn't know what they wanted to call themselves. Swift and Zip were good names, but they felt more like middle names than what they wanted to be called regularly.
They lifted their arms over their head and stretched. Now that they were refreshed, they needed to continue forward. Hopefully they would figure out what to do before they reached the end. Mettaton was waiting for them behind the hotel, so they had to go meet him.
Heading back to the lobby, they decided to spend the rest of their money on some food for the trip. They bought two burgers and listened to the monster behind the counter tell them about the girls in the alley who had convinced him to sneak free burgers out for them. Intrigued, they went out the front door to check out the alley.
The girls apparently liked to hang out there and sell the interesting trash that they picked up. They had a cowboy hat, a toy gun, some junk food, and a dirty pink key. The key piqued their interest. Unfortunately, it was really expensive.
"Like, if you don't have any money, you should just get lost." The alligator told them.
"But if you've got some good food, then like, maybe we can trade instead." The cat said.
If it was true that they were almost at the end of their journey, then they could afford to give away the burgers. They still had the pie and donut. They traded the two burgers for the key.
"Like, you didn't hear this from us, but we heard that the key belongs to someone famous." said the alligator.
"Yeah! Like it's totally true! We don't know what it belongs to, but maybe it's something cool!" said the cat.
"Like their treasure!"
"Or house!'
"Or diary!"
Both girls laughed. Their comments made them think. There were a few locked doors that they could try. First, they tried the doors in the hotel. The key was the wrong colour and didn't fit any of the locks. If they only considered locks that would match the key, the only pink lock they could think of was the house beside Napstablook's house.
Backtracking to Waterfall wouldn't take too long since the Hotland elevators were working now. And Napstablook lived pretty close to the Hotland side of Waterfall. They decided to take the chance and headed back.
At the bottom of the elevators, they saw that the boat station had a boat now. Napstablook's house was right by the boat station. It was perfect. They signalled the Riverperson to take them to the Waterfall boat station and quickly made their way to the two houses.
The key slipped into the door of the pink house and turned. They were right!
The whole house was pink. Pink bed, pink walls, pink curtains, pink furniture, and pink books all over the floor. This was the girly room they were glad that they didn't have. They shuddered. They didn't appreciate how feminine their room was, but they were glad it wasn't this pink, at least.
Curious, they picked up the books and started reading. They were diaries!
They weren't such a good person that privacy mattered. These monsters had repeatedly attacked them. The least they could do was read about the inner thoughts of one of them and try to find something to exploit. Maybe a weakness that they could use to distract the other monsters so that they can run away more easily.
The first few diaries were sad. Friends dying, family leaving. They felt kind of bad for this monster, but not enough to stop. One diary was lamenting that the monster would never find the kind of body that they were looking for. Was this monster a ghost like Napstablook and the ones that were in the training dummies? That would make sense. Ghosts here could possess and control objects as their bodies. It would make sense that they have preferences for what their bodies should be or look like.
Ghost monsters sure were lucky. They could choose what they wanted to become, or not to become. They wished they could be so lucky.
The rest of the diaries talked about meeting a friend who could make them the body of their dreams. The way this ghost talked, they envied it. Sketches of a body that would make them feel like themself. They could relate. They didn't want their body to change into a woman without their permission. If they could get a body that matched them, that would be the most incredible thing.
Then the ghost said that they couldn't be a star until they get this body. To fulfill their dreams, they'd be leaving Napstablook, their only remaining family, behind. No wonder Napstablook was so sad. Their cousin abandoned them to become a star…
Was this Mettaton?
Guess that means that Alphys didn't actually create a human-killing robot. Mettaton was a ghost possessing a machine.
They couldn't judge if his desired form was a box on a wheel. What they wanted from their own body sounded strange to other people. Wanting a body that didn't present as a male or female made them sound weird to everyone they knew.
Mettaton was so cool. He found a way to get the body he wanted and the people around him, or Alphys at least, accepted him and helped him. They could only wish for something that amazing in their own life.
Maybe if they stayed in the Underground until they died, they could find someone to help them like that too.
They left the house and locked the door before making their way back to the hotel in Hotland. They had a quest to continue.
Back at the hotel, they exited through the back door, labelled "CORE." Behind the hotel was a sci-fi looking area. Was this built into the hotel? Mettaton wasn't here, so it must be. Mettaton said he'd meet them behind the hotel, so he must be at the far end of this place.
When they got to a fork in the road, their phone started to ring. Alphys again. She started guiding them in the wrong direction and giving them incorrect instructions for all the puzzles. She wasn't doing a good job anymore at being the "hero's partner" in this charade. The plaques on the wall gave better instructions than she did.
They talked about two different paths to deactivate the electric wall. Another plaque said something about patience opening the way too. As they stopped and thought about which path to take, the electric wall fizzled out on its own. Alphys didn't call them to say that she was hacking the wall away for them, so it wasn't her. They shrugged and passed through. If they were able to go on without any effort, then they'd take it.
Past the electric wall was a bridge. They crossed it and touched the glowing star at the far side. In front of them was a dark room. With no choice but to continue forward, they entered. A metal door quickly shut behind them. They couldn't go back now, even if they wanted to. They continued forward until they saw Mettaton waiting for them on a raised platform.
"There you are darling! It's time now that we have our little showdown." Mettaton greeted them. He spread his arms to appear large and powerful, "It's finally time to stop the "malfunctioning" robot!...NOT! Malfunction? Reprogramming? This was all just a show! An act!"
Finally, he was admitting it. They had suspected it for a while. But if he was admitting that this was all an act, what did he really want from them?
"My "malfunction" was made up by Dr. Alphys. She grew attached to you, inserted herself into your story, tried to make herself look good by "saving" you from her creation. Even now, she's waiting outside this room. During our "battle," she'll interrupt and "deactivate" me, "saving" you one final time. She'll be the heroine of your adventure." Mettaton explained. He didn't seem impressed by the plot that he was supposed to be following. "She would be someone that somebody actually likes."
Mettaton sighed and spun around. He made a bored pose, "I've grown tired of this predictable charade. I have no desire to harm humans, far from it actually. I adore humans! I'm an entertainer, and who doesn't love a good plot twist? The audience deserves a good show, and I am their star. My dream is to become a star and entertain as many people as possible, and that means escaping the barrier."
Oh. He really did want their soul, then. He actually was a killer robot this whole time.
"Dr. Alphys can't help you in this finale!" Mettaton made some more poses, "Real drama! Real action! Real bloodshed! It will drive you wild! Don't worry, dear human. I'll make your last moments absolutely beautiful!"
The world lost its colour as Mettaton pulled them into a battle. He turned their soul yellow and threw lightning-shaped bullets at them, and they dodged. By pulsing energy through their soul, they could shoot small bursts at Mettaton, but it didn't seem to do any damage to him. The doors were locked, they had no real weapon, and there was no way to escape. They were going to end up dead.
They didn't know what they were going to do when the whisper brought them back again. As far as they knew, this was the only way forward.
After a few rounds, their phone rang. Alphys was able to call them, even if she couldn't get into the room to stop the fight. She told them about Mettaton's switch, so they flipped it.
"Did you. Just flip. My switch?" Mettaton asked. "If you flipped my switch, that must mean that you're desperate for the premiere of my new body."
The box wasn't Mettaton's dream body? Despite the danger, they really did want to see his ideal form. They didn't understand why, but they needed to know what his dream body looked like. "How rude. Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time."
There was a flash of light. They shut their eyes for a moment. When they opened them, they saw an androgenous robot with long legs and flamboyant shoulders. He looked fabulous. If it wasn't for the metal skin, he could have passed for a human.
He took a look at himself and grinned in delight. He might have a robot body, but his true soul shone through. The absolute joy at seeing his body filled them with vicarious happiness.
"Speechless?" He taunted, "Well, who can blame you. I am gorgeous!"
Mettaton posed a few times, showing off his legs, his hair, his arms. Everything he was feeling was everything that they wanted to be. If they didn't understand how relieved he must be, they might be jealous. Instead, they looked at him and saw what they wanted in their future. They didn't want to look like Mettaton or to literally become him, but they wanted to be able to see themselves and look as happy as he did right now.
That was what they wanted. Here, Mettaton found a way to be himself. They felt a rush of power flood through their soul. They knew that they could find themselves too. In that moment, they felt determined to reach a future where they could see themselves the same way that Mettaton saw himself. Here, they would find themselves.
The platform rose into the air and music started blaring. The bass was pounding, and the drums thumped quickly. A nervous energy filled both them and Mettaton. His bullets started flying around. A disco ball, magic lights, mini bombs, small boxes, more lightning. He wasn't aiming at them or even trying to hit them.
For the first time since hearing about monster magic from Toriel, they truly understood. Monsters created bullets to express their feelings. Mettaton wasn't truly trying to hurt them. He was letting his magic flow to express himself, how he felt, and most importantly, who he was. He was posing, dancing, and showing off in the middle of the maelstrom of his unique bullets.
It was beautiful.
They couldn't help but join in the fun. They felt his joy, his euphoria, his true self shining through. They felt connected to him in a way that they had never been able to relate to anyone before. The music reached a climax, and the chorus kicked in. Unable to resist, they joined in the dance. They jumped, dodged, spun, posed, and moved. He was one with his body, and for the first time that they could remember, they felt one with their own.
Mettaton's self-expression was contagious. They felt amazing.
"Time for a pop quiz darling! Tell me what you love most about my new body." He requested.
Without hesitation, they shouted "LEGS!"
Mettaton's face flushed. He was grinning wider than before. "How frisky! But yes, that is the correct answer!" The dance continued. The music kept going, so they kept moving. After some time, the bullets slowed and they reached the conclusion.
"Oh, look at that rating! We've reached the viewer call in milestone!" Mettaton announced, "One lucky viewer will have a chance to talk to me before I leave the Underground forever!"
Mettaton was brought back down from his high when he heard that Napstablook was the first caller. He took more callers and seemed to see how much his audience loved him, truly, for the first time.
"Perhaps… It would be better if I stay here for a while. After all, humans already have stars and idols. Monsters only have me. I would leave a void that can never be filled. The Underground would lose its spark." He commented.
For some reason, those words struck a chord within them.
"Human, you've proved to be very strong. Perhaps strong enough to get past Asgore." Mettaton told them. When did he determine this? They didn't really fight each other. "It's all for the best, anyway. In truth, 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, darling. And everyone, thank you. You've been a great audience!"
The light left Mettaton's eyes and he stopped moving.
They walked over to his still body and touched his face. No response. "Thank you, Mettaton." They whispered.
At that moment, Alphys ran into the room to check on him. He was correct, his batteries had just run out. He just needed a recharge, and he'd be fine.
Alphys led them out of the room and started chattering. They weren't paying attention to her. They were thinking about what had just happened.
When Mettaton talked about leaving a void in the Underground, he was talking about how his lack of presence would hurt everyone who cared about him. Did they do the same thing to their parents? For all that their parents tried to send them away to a conversion camp, they knew that their parents loved them. They knew that their parents wanted the best for them, even if they didn't see eye-to-eye on what the best thing for them was.
Was running away the right thing to do? As often as they didn't get along, and as much as they felt invisible in their own home, they still missed their parents. They still wanted to go home.
They would do what they needed to do to go home. Then, they would talk to their parents and make them listen. They would do what Mettaton did and become who they wanted to be. They were determined.
One other thing was wriggling in their brain. When Mettaton called them "frisky." It was a good word. Mischievous, energetic, willful, things that they wanted to be and express. Calling themselves "Frisky" didn't quite sound like a name, but just "Frisk" sounded like a good fit. It felt right.
They decided to call themselves "Frisk" from now on. With their thoughts sorted out and their choices clear, they tuned back into Alphys's stuttering.
"I… I lied to you. A human soul alone isn't enough to cross the barrier. It takes at least a human soul… and a monster soul." Alphys admitted. They already heard something like this from Sans and from the plaques in Waterfall. They didn't even remember Alphys telling them that they could cross the barrier alone. Maybe it was during one of those times that they stopped paying attention.
"If you want to go home… You'll have to kill him. You'll have to kill Asgore." Alphys stopped and turned around. "I-I'm sorry." Alphys ran away.
Ahead of them was the castle entrance. They touched another glowing star and began their walk to the castle. Gray stone paths and cold brick lined the street as they approached the end of their quest. They knew what they wanted. They knew what they had to do. Now, after all this time, they were ready.