//------------------------------// // Life by Glamour // Story: The Moon in the Dark // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// "...Ohhh, yesss..." a voice purred out of the smoke, echoing in the air with synthesized qualities, but definitely far more organic in sound than Mettaton's voice had been. The voice echoed through the air as cheers began building from around the stage. The spotlights shone down on the center of the white smoke. As it faded, a humanoid silhouette began to appear, as tall as Toriel. The legs were spread wide, and the hands were held out close to the hips. "I wasn't planning on debuting my new body until the surface...but if you really want to try and befriend the real me..." Mettaton let off a soft chuckle. "I've been dying to show off this form for a long time, though...so as thanks...I'll make this attempt of yours at befriending..." Light flashed, and Mettaton was revealed in all his glory. He was easily taller than Toriel, his body made of black, silver, and pink metal. A pink heart pulsed at his waist, and his pitch black hair hung down over one eye. His feet had incredibly high heels on them, adding to his height. He smiled down at Woona. "Absolutely beautiful!" (Music plays) As the music kicked in, Mettaton began to dance, kicking his legs high, waving his arms around, and spinning across the stage. Glancing around, Woona saw so many monsters - friends and strangers - filling the audience to the brim, and high above she could see a 'Ratings' screen, showing how well the show was going over for 'viewers at home'. She smiled as she realized what was going on. She had to befriend Mettaton on the stage... ...by helping him give the greatest performance of his life! Filled with eagerness, she leapt onto the stage beside Mettaton, matching her dance moves to his, using her magic to keep herself upright as she did her best to match his spins and twirls. When that failed and she fell over, she was glad to see the ratings hadn't dropped, but they hadn't risen much either. Your wings! Chara insisted. Use your wings as arms! Grinning widely, Woona attempted Chara's suggestion, using her wings to mimic Mettaton's arm movements, while kicking up with both legs on one side at a time. Matching Mettaton's movements came much more naturally that way, but she could tell those in the audience were having a hard time seeing. Seeing Mettaton's foot coming her way, Woona surrounded herself with her magic and shot into the air. She then proceeded to dance around Mettaton's assaults, spinning circles around each arm and leg strike before finding a place where she could be on an even level to dance alongside Mettaton as they flipped and twirled around each other, posing dramatically as fireworks went off at the back of the stage. Glancing up, both Mettaton and Woona saw the ratings climbing...but Woona wasn't done yet. She made a beckoning motion to Mettaton as she swayed backwards, daring Mettaton to attack her. Grinning, Mettaton spun up to her, lashing out with a leg...only for his eyes to widen dramatically as Woona seemed to split before him, Woona landing to his left, Chara to his right, both striking a pose as they landed pointing back towards Mettaton. Mettaton didn't need to look at the ratings screen to know how well that went over, not with how loudly the crowd roared. The three began to dance upon the stage, spinning and cavorting as the audience went absolutely wild. Woona grinned widely as she saw just how into it Mettaton was getting. As tiny Mettaton shaped magic charges floated down, Woona gathered herself and leapt. Climbing upward, she hopped from one to another as she made her way up, never staying on any one charge long enough for it to hit her with a fireball. As she climbed, Chara raced up to Mettaton, dodging around his kicking legs to swing upward, landing on Mettaton's shoulders just as Woona leapt back down, the three forming a perfect tower with her landing. But Woona wasn't finished yet. As she'd been dancing, she'd been releasing her magic into the music as it was playing, letting it suffuse the environment until the sound had its own power. Glancing down at Chara, they shared a nod. As they leapt off Mettaton's shoulders, each reached into the shortcuts and pulled out another performer. Chara flipped to the right, Napstablook behind him, completely lost in the music as he headbanged along to the song he'd made for his oldest friend, finally played so wonderfully. Woona pulled Alphys out of the ether, clad in a magically generated black bodysuit, also headbanging along and dancing. Neither Alphys nor Napstablook were actually aware they were on stage, thanks to the magic Woona had woven into the music as it played. Staring at his two friends now with him on stage, Mettaton made a dramatic sweep of his hand across his face, flicking his hair up to disguise dashing his tears away. Grabbing hold of both of them, he danced away, allowing himself to become lost to the music. The five performers danced together, losing themselves more and more to the music, until at long last Mettaton stopped, feeling himself stagger as his power started to fluctuate. Smiling, knowing in his Soul that this had been his greatest performance, he looked to the ratings graph. 25,000 Mettaton staggered back, stunned. He'd never dreamed of getting ratings so high. As the music started to fade, he sank to the ground, his legs giving out under him, but still attached. Alphys, Napstablook, and Woona immediately went to his side as Chara once more was reabsorbed into Woona. "It looks like...we've reached the viewer call in milestone!" Mettaton proclaimed, trying to salvage a bit of dignity. Napstablook and Alphys let out equally startled 'Gak!' noises. "V-viewers?" they gasped out. Alphys dove behind Mettaton as Napstablook turned invisible except for his headphones. "Now don't be like that, Alphys, Blooky," Mettaton teased, making them both reveal themselves to the camera. "This has been my greatest show ever, and not just because of those high ratings...but because I wasn't alone up here on the stage. My friends were with me." Reaching out, Mettaton pulled Napstablook, Alphys, and Woona into a tight hug. "Now viewers...let's hear what you have to say! The phones are open for all of you!" Calls rang out as messages poured out from the speaker on Mettaton's chest. "Mettaton I love you!" "Blooky, you're so adorable!" "Ohmigosh, Woona, you're on TV with Mettaton! That's so awesome!" Woona gasped in surprise. "K-kid?" she whimpered, blushing, much to Chara's amusement. "METTATON, THAT WAS AMAZING! MORE! MORE!" "Alphys, I didn't know you could dance like that! We should dance sometime! I saw a DDR machine in your lab last time I was there! And rocking that catsuit! Rar!" "U-Undyne?" Alphys whimpered, her eyes wide and blushing profusely. One last call was barely audible, and only Chara heard it through Woona's ears. "...are you happy, my son? ...I am so sorry..." ...Dad... Chara murmured softly, realizing that Asgore had been watching, and seen him manifest to dance. "I thought true stardom would come when I performed on the surface," Mettaton spoke up as the calls ended. "But...in my desire to shine alone, I lost my light. Thank you, Woona, for helping me find that light again...and reunite with friends...old and..." Mettaton's eyes began to dim as the light of the pink heart on his belt faded. "...n...e...w........." "M...Mettaton?" Woona whimpered worriedly. Alphys checked quickly. "It's alright," she reassured Woona. "He's just run down his power core. This body isn't very energy efficient yet. I just need to take him back to the lab and plug him in for a while, and he'll be just fine." Woona smiled widely. "I'm glad," she replied, relief filling her voice. "Want some help getting him home? I'd...like to be sure." "T-that'd be nice, thanks," Alphys answered. Her heart filled with DETERMINATION, Woona opened the shortcut to take the group back to the Lab.