Chapter 98

About ten minutes later, Frisk and his buddies were raiding Mettaton's storage rooms to find supplies for their upcoming performance while Alphys sat against the wall next to the door putting the finishing touches on Frisk's phone.

"I found more scary make-up," Napstablook said coming back with a box. "I also found all the sound equipment I think I need."

"Oooh, let me see!" Frisk said as Napstablook put the box down.

Frisk began pulling make-up out of the box and smiled in devious joy.

"Oh, man," Frisk said gleefully picking up each item to look at. "Stage blood. Black eye shadow. Black lipstick. This is gonna be great! I don't even know where to begin."

"It doesn't matter," Napstablook said. "As long as you look super scary, my cousin is going to be pissed. It doesn't have to look good at all."

"Do you think I should just smash it all together and rub it all over my face?" Frisk asked.

Napstablook laughed for a solid minute. Frisk stood there and began laughing with him.

It was about a solid minute before Napstablook could speak and said, "I don't know. Maybe. This is going to be so much fun! I haven't laughed like this in such a long time."

Frisk's smile disappeared for a moment as he said, "I'm sorry about all this. I know you and Mettaton used to be close. You must be so hurt having to go against your cousin like this…"

Napstablook put his hand on Frisk's shoulder and interrupted, "Actually, I feel relieved. I have been wanting to say those things to my cousin for such a long time, but I was always too afraid to. That was the main reason I felt so awful. That is until I met you. It's because of you that I had the courage to finally stand up to him. Now, I feel great! I really can't thank you enough, Frisk."

Frisk smiled and hugged Napstablook. As he did that, he felt his HP raise by another point. The ghost smiled, too.

"Your HP is at 19 now, Frisk," Napstablook said happily. "You're almost all healed. You can get your backpack soon."

"Yeah, that's right," Frisk said. "I can…"

Unfortunately, that was when the group heard a knock on the door. Everyone went silent in fear as Burgerpants quickly ran over to answer the door.

"Who is it?" Burgerpants asked as calmly as he could.

"Burgerpants? It's me, Inferno," Inferno's voice answered from the other side of the door to the collective sighs of relief of everyone in the storeroom.

"Oh," Burgerpants answered calmly. "What's up?"

"Well, I hate to interrupt whatever you all are doing in there," Inferno said apologetically. "I really do, but Mettaton called me and told me that he wants Frisk to perform on stage again while he took a break."

Everyone stood there dumbfounded for a moment until River loudly whispered for Burgerpants to get his attention.

Burgerpants and everyone else turned around to look at River who gestured towards his son.

"IS METTATON HERE?!" Calibri signed. "ASK INFERNO IF HE'S HERE."

Burgerpants nodded and said to Inferno, "Is Mettaton here?"

"Yes," Inferno answered apologetically. "He's hanging out in his dressing room."

"Shit," everyone heard Calibri mutter under his breath. "Now, what?"

"Hey," Napstablook whispered quietly. "Will Mettaton be on-stage with him?"

Burgerpants turned to the door and said, "Hey, Inferno! Will Mettaton be on-stage with him?"

"No, Mettaton needs to let his suit charge for a while," Inferno reassured. "He won't be on-stage when Frisk performs."

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as Frisk stood up and yelled, "I'll be right there! Just let me find a guitar!"

Before Frisk could even turn around, Calibri was standing in front of his holding just the guitar he needed.

Frisk took the instrument and smiled up to Calibri as he signed, "ROCK ON, LITTLE DUDE! WE'LL BE RIGHT HERE!"

Frisk smiled as he took the guitar, nodded to him, smiled at Napstablook, and yelled back to Inferno, "Alright, I have the guitar! We're coming!"

Frisk walked over to the door. Burgerpants started to follow him, but Calibri put his hand on his shoulder.

As soon as Burgerpants turned around, Calibri signed, "DO NOT LET METTATON HURT HIM AGAIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO. JUST DON'T LET IT HAPPEN."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Burgerpants whispered back quickening his pace to catch up with Frisk.

Frisk reached the door and whispered to Alphys, "Is it ready yet?"

"Yes, thankfully," Alphys said handing the phone back to Frisk. "There are some updates I'd like to talk to you about as soon as you get back, so be sure you get back. Okay?"

"Okay," Frisk whispered sliding the phone into his pocket and cracking open the door just wide enough for himself and Burgerpants to slip through.

"Alrighty," Inferno said willfully oblivious to all the action going on in the storage room. "Let's go. The amp is already set up on-stage for you."

The trio quickly made it back to the stage.

Frisk was considerably calmer knowing what they were planning, so he simply walked back on-stage to the applause of the entire audience. Frisk plugged in his guitar as Inferno brought him the microphone and a water bottle.

"Whenever you're ready, Frisk," Inferno said before he dashed off the stage.

Frisk looked at Burgerpants who was giving him a thumbs up from the stage's left wing. Mettaton was not present, so far, so good. This would be a cinch.

"The next song I'm performing is another one from Nirvana," Frisk said calmly into his mic as the audience finally started to die down. "This one is really special because it's one that my Dad taught me in one night so that we could send a video of us performing to my Mom while she was in…"

Frisk visibly hesitated in a way that caught Mettaton's interest from his dressing room as he watched on his phone, "the hospital. Anyway, I hope you like it. It's called 'Lithium.'"

Frisk began played the mellow yet reflective opening riff and started to sing as the memory of him performing with his Dad after that horrible day at school flashed back through his mind, "I'm so happy because today I've found my friends. They're in my head. I'm so ugly, but that's okay, 'cause so are you. We broke our mirrors. Sunday morning is every day for all I care. And I'm not scared. Light my candles in a daze 'cause I've found God!"

His Mom had been getting rehabilitated for a while. His parents returned to the faith of their youth and began attending services at the holy place with their friends. Frisk didn't mind. On Sunday mornings, they got to see his Mom. It was a bittersweet time, a time of healing but of separation. Even if the last part was temporary, it was still hard on Frisk and more so on his Dad than he realized at the time.

The simple riff changed for the more energized chorus as Frisk began remembering the tears going down his father's face while he sang, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Yeah! Yeah! Yeeeeaaaaah!" over and over again before returning back to the simpler riff for the song's next part.

"I'm so happy, but that's okay, I shaved my head, and I'm not sad," Frisk continued remembering the sincerity behind his Dad's eyes. "And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard. But I'm not sure. I'm so excited. I can't wait to meet you there. But I don't care. I'm so horny. But that's okay. My will is good! Yeah! Yeah! Yeaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Mettaton spat out his wine in shock while Frisk sang the chorus and studied Frisk's expressions as he continued the chorus's melody with the next lyrics.

"I like it, I'm not gonna crack," Frisk sang.

Frisk suddenly remembered the tears forming at the corners of his Dad's eyes as he sang this part and didn't notice the tears involuntarily forming at the corner of his eyes as he continued, "I miss you, I'm not gonna crack. I love you, I'm not gonna crack. I killed you, I'm not gonna crack. I like it, I'm not gonna crack. I miss you, I'm not gonna crack. I love you, I'm not gonna crack. I killed you, I'm not gonna crack."

The chorus's emotionally-charged melody transitioned back to the chorus as Frisk followed along with the performance as he saw it in his memory, "I'm so happy 'cause today I've found my friends. They're in my head. I'm so ugly. But that's okay, 'cause so are you. Broke our mirrors. Sunday morning is every day for all I care, and I'm not scared. Light my candles in a daze 'cause I've found God! Yeah! Yeah! Yeeaaaahhh!"

Frisk effortless transitioned back to the chorus. From his dressing room, Mettaton watched with a twisted smile on his face having learned something new about his new son.

"I like it! I'm not gonna crack!" Frisk sang passionately knowing that his parents were watching. "I miss you! I'm not gonna crack! I love you! I'm not gonna crack! I killed you! I'm not gonna crack! I like it! I'm not gonna crack! I miss you! I'm not gonna crack! I love you! I'm not gonna crack! I killed you! I'm not gonna…crack!"

Frisk finished playing and took his bow. He stood up and smiled proudly knowing that his parents were proud.

At least, until he heard some annoying slow clapping coming from stage left.

"Bravo!" the familiar flamboyant voice cheered.

Frisk felt his heart drop as he heard Mettaton EX strut over to him on the stage. Nevertheless, he didn't show any fear but looked up at him in annoyance and smirked. Frisk knew the perfect Nirvana song for the perfect getaway.

"And he's the one who likes all our pretty songs," Frisk sang sassily into the microphone while unplugging his guitar and strutting mockingly around the robot while heading off-stage. "And he likes to sing along. And he likes to shoot his gun. But he knows not what it means! Knows not what it means when I say…"

Mettaton snatched the microphone out of Frisk's hands and said, "What a lovely repertoire of songs you have there, son."

"I'm not your son!" Frisk retorted walking off-stage over to Burgerpants without even looking back at him. "You'll never be as good as either of my parents."

"I'd hope not," Mettaton retorted snidely. "Your mother was an addict after all…"

Everyone's mouths fell open in shock.

Frisk turned around in complete disbelief as the audience began to murmur under their breath. Mettaton smiled coldly while Frisk's eyes began to fill with tears. The young human stood there not knowing what to do. He felt his HP drop by one point.

At the hotel, Undyne muttered under her breath, "I'm gonna kill him."

Fortunately, that was when the electricity went out.

"What is going on now?" Mettaton asked in frustration. "Inferno, where are you?"

Frisk looked around in confusion for a moment until he felt a furry paw grab his shoulder and teleport him away.

When they reappeared inside the storage room, Frisk turned around, hugged Burgerpants, and let him hug him back as everyone gathered around them having heard what happened on the broadcast. Everyone stood there silently and let the two have their moment.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Frisk," Burgerpants said in an effort to help the human feel better. "You really don't…"

"My Mom was not a slobbering drunk," Frisk said defensively. "She got better!"

"We know, Frisk," Napstablook said rubbing Frisk's back. "Your Mom must have been a really tough lady. I know you're making her proud."

Frisk turned to Napstablook teary-eyed just as they heard the door open and shut quickly. They all turned around to see Inferno huffing in front of the door. His fire was glowing slightly redder than usual.

Everyone stared at him confusedly in awkward silence. No one said anything, so Calibri broke the silence figuratively speaking.

"INFERNO, WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Calibri signed.

"I've had enough of that moron," Inferno replied. "That's what. I cannot believe he just did something so cruel on television no less. I've had enough of him. That's why I knocked out the power…"

"Wait," Frisk said walking up to him. "That was you?!"

"Yes, it was!" Inferno said proudly doing the same. "I'm sorry it took me so long to do it, Frisk. I really am. I was afraid of losing my job and not being able to take care of my wife and kids, but now, I'm don't care. That was the last straw! Mettaton has been nothing but cruel and monstrous to you all day, and I'm not going to stand by and let him humiliate you anymore!"

"Neither will we," said a voice peaking behind the doorway. "We're all on your side, Frisk! Just tell us what to do and we'll humiliate that SOB!"

The door opened to reveal the cameraman and dozens of other crew members.

Inferno smiled at them, then smiled at Frisk, and asked, "What do we do first?"

Frisk and the others smiled deviously in response.