Letters to the Future #6 [Mettaton]

#5 Alphys -> http://pastebin.com/fTEsAwzY

Letters to the Future #6

[METTATON]

Hello, my dearest, most beautiful love!

I trust this year has been as good as the last? Oh, but of course, that's natural to assume with such a talented powerhouse. Have you been taking good care of yourself? No rust, no unintentionally sharp edges, no faded colors or faulty wirings? All systems green? No errors to report?

I thought so.

Well, if by any chance you could use a little recollection, I'll do my best to give you the most splendid, not to mention personal 1-on-1 retrospective you could possibly dream of! All starring your lovely self, I might add!

Much has happened, since we were freed from our underground shackles. With our release, the Surface world, the world of humans opened up to us all and I was all too eager to get right into the middle of it. Of course, it took some time to adjust, especially as the little scuffle with Frisk darling did leave a couple of nasty dents that needed a good polish. Still, humans were quite amazed to find a born performer among us. The first few months were a bit tense, but once I managed to secure a stage for myself, everything went just as it should. I carved out an audience for myself and before I could even blink, or simulate a blink, I had more eyes on me than ever before, chanting our name. Everything is simply dazzling.

This is what I'd say, if this letter came to be a year ago. But no, as we both know, there's a little bit more to the story than that.

After Frisk gave us a season finale everyone would remember for years to come, it took a lot of time before Alphys managed to get my EX form back into action. Parts of it functioned, but the whole thing suffered from diminishing battery time and some pretty bad malfunctions. It's not easy trying to perform a sweet love song, when you've got oil dripping out of your mouth. Sure, there are ways around that, but the whole concert becomes a bit too macabre.

We talked. For the first time in a long while, maybe even since I was fully upgraded, we talked for hours and hours. I had nothing better to do and she welcomed the distraction from the more frustrating aspects of the repair job. There, I did something I rarely like doing.

I broke character.

I apologized in the middle of an unrelated sentence. Once, twice, several times I said sorry, all still-functional electrical components going haywire. She listened, smiled and finally thanked me. She also said that if I've gone this far into self-realization, there's still one more person who would deserve to know the truth.

The walk back was the most difficult experience of my life. Harder than becoming corporeal in this body. I knocked on the door and there they were, eyes round as saucers as they gazed at me. A fan to an idol. It only took less than a minute for Blooky to sense something different and for realization to kick in. Family to family. They were more understanding and a lot kinder than they needed to be. I almost sort of hoped Blooky would be angry, so I could deal with that bitter feeling no amount of diagnostics could erase, but they just invited me in.

I think Blooky had been waiting for a long time.

It took some time and a lot of convincing, but we got Shyren on board as well. The auditions we partook in were strange, not just for us, but for every single listener as well. For better or worse, they all said they've never seen anything like our group. Papyrus has become an unofficial member as well, and whenever he appears on stage or just on camera, I can just about  see the ratings skyrocket. We've been a tight-knit team ever since the first little performance and although I don't have a mind-reading module just yet, I think they would agree as well. It's still little compared to Blooky's forgiveness, but it's something I can build upon.

As for other kind of apologies, there's also Frisk. The little darling is cute as a button and a pure bundle of joy. All my staff know by now, that whenever a seemingly unknown child presents a specially-made card with my markings, they are to be escorted straight to where I am, just so I can shower them with hugs and kisses. I've been trying to teach them how to sing, dance or even act, but it's definitely a work in progress. They like to hum, perform the Robot almost alarmingly well, and have made use of my acting instructions whenever they were to get trouble for something. If there's anything I've grown to admire humans for, it's definitely their tenacity.

Then there are the quiet moments. When they just lean back as I apply the thousandth different hairstyle that they'll inevitably just shake off. They look at me and even though they're smiling, I don't believe it. I've been an entertainer for far too long not to recognize when someone is trying to smile, while hiding away their sadness. I think there are a lot of words in them, that have been left unsaid. It's not my place to pry though and I think Frisk appreciates that. They'll say whatever they need to, when the time comes.

As I first explored the surface, the sense of wonder was immense. Humans, so many humans everywhere, so many different sounds, flashes of color, fanciful clothes and just an endless supply of amazement. They are such wondrous creatures, compensating for their lower lifetime with an unending fervor to make their mark and be remembered. There's so much raw passion and dedication in them, it's hard not to get swept off my feet.

There, in that very fervor did I understand why we lost the war.

Humans are beautiful. They are kind, selfless, loving creatures with hearts burning like stars in the sky, from the day they are born to the very final show. They are also terrifying, stubborn, focused, sometimes even violent and if I may borrow a word from my dear Alphys, determined. Although it put me at odds with Frisk, and would have pitted me against King Asgore himself, I still stand by my decision. Humanity deserves to live, just as much as we do.

We're all trying to get along. Both humans and monsters are more than willing to cooperate. Everyone is trying to open up and build on this partnership. I've long decided, with Blooky and Shyren's approval, that our goal won't strictly be fame and fortune. We perform and entertain to build bridges and show that we're not so different after all.

We all play roles in our lives, sometimes on purpose, sometimes by force. But every role carries a duty as well and I'm prepared to follow up on mine.

I will be a star, shining bright enough to guide the two races back to each other.