The Call Of A Mute Heart

Chapter 68

Thank you so much for your patience! It has been a long time since I updated and I can't really discuss why I was gone. But I keep my promises and I can assure you that I complete everything that I start. So here is the next chapter. I am working on chapter 69 now!

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Beautiful.

Gorgeous.Exquisite?The Underground's secrets unveiled themselves slowly but surely as you traversed the new terrain. Words were failing as you tried to describe the mystical wonderland that Mettaton has led you too. Since reconstruction efforts on the cave in were going extremely well, you both decided to go on a small exploratory adventure. After all, it had been the primary reason for your visit and with everything that has happened... you deserved to have a little bit of fun. It's not like you get moments of reprieve like this very often. Plus, it got you out of the lab. Hotland was nice but it had one major problem.It was extremely hot. Uncomfortably so. That and swirling magma lost its appeal once your eyes started to hurt from staring at it for too long. You would have tried the air vents that helped everyone to get to certain areas but... once again, the lack of guard rails caused your anxiety to spike. One wrong step and you'd be sailing into a river of magma instead of the correct path. If that happened there wouldn't be much of a human left. So with all of that in mind, Mettaton had led you in the opposite direction of the Core and the his resort while assuring you that things would cool down as you traveled on. Blazing heat soon vanished and the surroundings transformed to the place that you were now staring at in wonder. Was your mouth open? It was probably open. Eh, who cares. This place was extraordinary.Waterfalls of glowing blue water flowed all around with similarly glowing fauna to match. Puffs of blue light littered the air. They would appear for a few seconds only to disappear the same way. The room would have been pitch black if not for the oddly natural glow. Flowers were everywhere and if you looked at the ceiling, you could see stones that shimmered like stars. Everything about this one room screamed unnatural but here, in this one spot of the world, it was normal. Not only normal to the ecosystem but normal to monsters!A deep chuckle breaks the soothing cacophony of sound from the waterfalls as two fingers gently press up on your chin so that your mouth was closed again. "Careful, gorgeous. If you keep it open like that, a bug might fly in. Wouldn't want to accidentally eat someone do we?"Your thoughts immediately pointed to Muffet's parlor and the adorable spiders that helped her run it. Oh God, were there other monsters that small? Were all bugs in the Underground some sort of mentally sentient being?!The chuckle turns into a full on hearty laugh as the horrific possibility that your natural instinct to kill bugs may kill a monster showed through on your face. "Sweetheart, it's okay! I was only kidding! The little glowing puffs in the air are just stray magic from the waterfalls. You won't be accidentally swallowing anyone." Mettaton stated as he came to stand in front of you. His words were reassuring but the playful smirk on his face did nothing to hide the fact that he had just been messing with you.Your eye twitched. That was the only reaction he received other than the pointed look you sent his way. "Not funny. You know that I know nothing about the Underground. If I accidentally hurt someone I would be devastated." You signed to the robot who started chuckling again."Oh, beautiful, you are too cute." Mettaton gently ruffled your hair. Thoroughly messing it up even more than it already had been. "You aren't a danger to anyone down here and I'm pretty sure most folks have realized that."Giving him a one-armed shrug, you trudged over to the nearest waterfall, the water flowing down into a river that blocked your path but you weren't complaining. With a big sigh, you plopped yourself down on the water's edge. Your shoes inches from touching the glowing liquid. "I should hope so." The last couple of days had kept you rather busy since your explosive entrance. You tried doing everything in your power to help out your friends with clean up to the point of physical exhaustion. If the other monsters hadn't figured out that you had good intentions by now then they never would.Mettaton moved to sit behind you. His hands reaching up to play with your hair while yours trailed in the water. It's cool temperature a relief compared to the blazing heat of Hotland. "Mmm just so you know, the water won't hurt you. Your hands may glow until the water dries but it isn't permanent." the robot stated as he started on a braid."Does it have any other unique traits?" You signed with slight disappointment. It would have been cool if you glowed in the dark for a while."Not that I know of, darling. I may have lived in Waterfall for a good chunk of my life but I don't know much about the nature. At least, not the water. I was a ghost after all. So it was hard for me to interact with a lot of physical things. This, however, I learned a lot about." Mettaton shifted until he lightly tapped on a nearby flower. One that was sitting just a small bit away from the water's edge."Not that I know of, darling. I may have lived in Waterfall for a good chunk of my life but I don't know much about the nature. At least, not the water. I was a ghost after all. So it was hard for me to interact with a lot of physical things. This, however, I learned a lot about."Your eyes grew wide as you heard the flower repeat back word for word what Mettaton had just said. Certain monkeys could learn basic sign language, parrots could learn words or phrases after a lot of training, some dogs could count, but this was the first thing in nature that could repeat back everything that was stated to it... and it was a plant. The flower didn't even have vocal chords! "How... how did it just do that?"Chuckling again, Mettaton shrugged and went back to braiding your hair. "I'm not sure. All I can say is magic!" The blank look you gave him had the robot monster laughing. "What? It's true beautiful. If you want to know more about it then I suggest asking Alphys. She's the scientist after all. Though Sans might know a thing or two as well. Who knows what kind of information he has in his skull?"What kind of information indeed. That skeleton was an enigma."Still... magic or not, this place... is to gorgeous for words. The only way one can truly understand it is if they come here themselves." You signed in wonder before slipping off your shoes and socks to dip your feet into the fluorescent water. "I'd take pictures with my phone but... I kind of want to keep this beauty to myself. At least, for a little bit.""Oh you have me for a lot longer than just a few passing moments~" Mettaton said suavely, a smile in his voice. The next thing you knew, your back was pressed against his chest-plate and you were looking up into the face of a monster who had a rather smoldering look.One that you were returning with a smirk. "I should hope so. With everything that's happened, I'm pretty sure I signed up for the long haul." It was your turn to chuckle, though silently, as Mettaton lowered his lips to meet yours. His optimal chance to steal a kiss rewarded. You allowed yourself to remain lip locked with the kisses you recieved being sweet and endearing. The only reason you pulled away was because you heard the sound of a camera going off.Ignoring the rather smug yet very loving look that the monster was giving you (Seriously, if his eyes could turn into hearts then they probably would have), you looked around for the source only to find that Mettaton was holding your phone aloft with his free hand. The gallery having a variety of new pictures no doubt. "Now you can keep a piece of the beauty with you. Even if I'm not here."You rolled your eyes at the robot idol's blatant narcissism but couldn't stop the smile that was on your face. The dork. You snagged your phone back and began to scroll through the pictures he took. Somehow he had managed to take some good ones despite not looking where he was pointing the camera. If only you had that kind of luck. Picking out your favorite, you set it as your background. Your poor phone was in a much better condition after Alphys looked it over a day ago. Thank God for the tech savvy monster. Maybe you should take some pictures. With Asgore's permission, you would love to send them to Natalie! She was just as curious as you were about the monster's home.A nice calm atmosphere settled as you got comfortable by leaning back against Mettaton while he continued to play with your hair. It was a nice change of pace compared to the hustle and bustle of repairs. Your eyelids drooped. Your guard completely dropped in the serene room. The robot idol appeared relaxed as he hummed idly to himself but he was good at hiding his emotions. He was an actor after all. Yet, you wanted to ensure that he was enjoying the soothing moment as well... hm. Maybe you could make it more relaxing?Closing your eyes fully, you felt the familiar power of your magic thrumming throughout your body. A feeling that was once foreign. Now it was something that you were beginning to like. Your magic was definitely different. It held very similar elements to the way Sans used 'karma' (as he deemed it) but it contained a human element that made it more flexible compared to the skeleton monster's magic. Unlike his, yours worked best based off of your emotions and not just on intent. Intent played a key part when you had a specific goal but if you felt strongly about it emotionally then the effect was even better. You also didn't have to touch someone for them to feel the effects. There was an immediate radius for those who would feel your influence but if you used something, like your violin, then the range could be huge. It would affect anyone who could hear it. If that was what your intent is."Hmm...? What are you planning sweetheart?" Mettaton asked as he started on another braid. His eyes looking at your SOUL, that was glowing just under your skin, in loving wonder. You pushed and let out an aura intent on creating a relaxing atmosphere. So that anyone nearby could get a brief reprieve from whatever haunted their minds or were stressed about. Slumping into an even more relaxed position than you were before, you let the aura spread with a lazy grin on your face. "Oh! My that is a nice feeling~. Getting in some magic practice?"Your grin grew but you just remained in your settled state with a happy sigh. This was nice. You were in a gorgeous area with glowing waterfalls and plants, shimmering rocks for stars, laying in your boyfriend's arms. Even though a lot of bad things have happened... today was a good day. Nothing would tell you otherwise.Mettaton released the hair he was braiding so he could idly toy with one of your hands. Minutes ticked by in idle bliss. Sometimes it was better to enjoy the small things. Time became unimportant as you both simply enjoyed being alone together. A thing that had become nonexistent for a while.Your body began to feel heavy as sleep started to creep into your consciousness. It was nice but at the same time it was unwelcome. You couldn't fall asleep while performing magic. It was a good way to overextend yourself without even trying. Noted, Mettaton was with you but you didn't want to cause an unintentional crisis because you fell asleep. With a silent grumble, you forced back sleep's tantalizing pull and roused yourself enough so that you wouldn't just pass out.Opening your eyes, you pulled the magic back a small bit. There was no need to strain yourself in an environment that you were trying to make relaxing. It would be counter intuitive. The blue glow of the magical surroundings now had a slight purple accent to it caused by your own magic. It looked rather nice."well, well, water you two doing over here, hm?"Mettaton groaned and you couldn't help the silent laughter as he hid his face in your shoulder. The serene atmosphere turning playful. You turned towards the deep voice and were rewarded with Sans who was standing down the path a small ways. His grin that had been strained the past few days was a bit more relaxed. "Absolutely nothing, what are you dewing here Sans?" You signed to the skeleton without hesitation."Boooooooooooo." the robot idol said slightly disdainfully. Yet his voice was muffled and you could feel the vibration from his lips on your shoulder. "A wonderful moment shattered to the void.""woulda happened sooner or later. there's no avoidin' it." Sans stated as he made his way over, laying down by your side, and closing his eye sockets. "this is rather nice. i could sleep forever with a calming feeling like that."You watched the stress and strain that Sans hid so well seem to melt away as he allowed himself to fall under the spell of your magic. It was impossible to stop the smile that graced your face. If your magic helped anyone in anyway then you were glad that you had continued to work on it."That it does. Songbird has really improved when using intent in her magic." Mettaton purred, completely ignoring the pun from the skeleton as he praised you. "If Asgore wasn't so worried about humans figuring out about magic again, she could have endless job possibilities with the way her abilities influence someone's mind.""actually... i had an idea about that." Sans's eye sockets were open and he stared at the ceiling. Perking up, you moved so that you could give the skeleton monster your full attention. Mettaton moving so that he could as well. "hm....? and what is that, darling?""i think you both should perform a song before the trial starts.""What?" you signed at the same time that the robot idol voiced it as you both looked at Sans incredulously. "Why would we perform a song before the trial? It would be rather weird to do for one and it's bad enough that there are people trying to drag our names through the dirt." Mettaton stated with an eyebrow raised. You couldn't help but nod in agreement. The aura you were emitting dissipated as you pulled the magic back until it was gone. It was getting hard to concentrate while talking.The skeleton turned his attention away from the ceiling so that he could look you both in the eye. "i don't want you to just perform a song. i agree... that would be weird." He stared for a moment at you both as he attempted to find the right words. "it would be some sort of... mini concert. one that would protest against the injustice that befell monsters. one song would be weird but a mini concert before wouldn't be. have you watched the news? lots of human performers will do something in protest before a big trial as a way to rally support. if you pulled it in that direction then it wouldn't be weird at all."Mettaton leaned back on his hands. "Well... you aren't wrong about that and it certainly wouldn't hurt. Yet I can't help but think that you have something else in mind." The robot monster said as he tried to figure the skeleton out."you're right. that's because i want kiddo here to use her magic during the performance." Sans replied while sending a wink your way but all you could do was gape at the monster. "think about it. her magic has gotten stronger. she has improved immensely since she first began and if she were to play her violin while on stage before the trial then it would be televised internationally. with one song, she could use her magic to sway the trial permanently in your favor since its amplified by who hears it. anyone watching would be affected."He was joking right? Wouldn't that just out that humans still had magic to everyone?Your boyfriend was thinking along the same lines. "Are you sure that is wise? It is a troubling thing to think about what could happen to us and songbird if the truth about humans with magic ever leaked out. Plus she has never used her magic to that extent before. A room full of people would be easy... but to try and spread her magic across thousands if not millions of people?! sans that could very well kill her!" You felt Mettaton's arms wrap around your midsection and pull you flush against him protectively. "There is no way that I could allow you or her to do something so dangerous! Not to mention the effect dwindles with the more people she tries to influence. You would be sending her on a suicide mission!""that, actually, isn't true. she's done something similar before." Sans's eye lights were boring into you as if he was begging you to back him up on this. "think about it... if this worked then we would never have to worry about anti-monster groups ever again. we would never have to worry about going to war. no more monsters and humans would be getting hurt because of a certain person's skewed ideals.""What you are suggesting is brainwashing! If what you were saying is true, then you would be using magic to force people to think a certain way!" Mettaton held you tighter and it would have hurt if you weren't staring right back at Sans. His words sounding horrible at first were starting to make sense.The skeleton propped himself up with one arm so that he wasn't laying completely on the ground. "not exactly. her magic only works if people allow it. sure, people may fight against it but all she is doing is offering a suggestion. a new way of thinking. (y/n) has her own opinion on monsters as well as feelings. she could share those through the song and spark the compassionate side of humans that are simply afraid of us because we are different. which i hate to say is the vast majority in that case. we could end all of this bad stuff with this one song." Sans was now leaning forward towards you as you were rooted to your spot. Caged by Mettaton's arms and your own swirling thoughts.Believe it or not, your best friend wasn't wrong. You have used that massive amount of magic before and it had been when you didn't even know you had it. You were untrained. Because that dream you had wasn't a dream, you had used a huge amount of magic to calm down a rioting crowd. If it had been like the concert you had in your universe, then there was no doubt that it had been broadcast live around the world. That was simply how Mettaton did things. Go big or go home.Everyone who heard your music in the audience had been affected. The dream ended before you had proof that anyone watching on TV had been affected but there was a possibility that they were. If that was the case, then you had affected people all around the world and not just the room you were in. The speakers of the stage and the cameras acting as catalysts to spread your magic. Still... even with all of that you had almost died.Again, that was because you had been untrained and hadn't ever practiced. You were more controlled. You were even stronger than before. The plan wasn't foolproof... you would have to be careful. You would have to test if those watching could be affected but monsters had television. You could find out. If what Sans said was true, then what you were doing was simply quieting the irrational part of the human mind that was telling the anti-monster people that monsters were dangerous because they were different. You would instead be sparking their compassion and understanding. That wasn't brainwashing. You weren't permanently forcing them to think a certain way forever. All you needed was for it to last a little while. Long enough for the compassion and understanding to stick. To keep the bad thoughts from springing forth.Something that a small concert could easily do.The gears were turning in your mind. Each thought adding to your resolve. It was possible and there was no way that you weren't going to try.With a look of resolution, you peeled your way out of Mettaton's protective arms and stood up. "We'll have to test and see if I can actually affect those who watch on TV and I will need to train more but I will do it." You signed before holding your hand out to the skeleton monster who's eye lights were blown wide at your quick decision.His signature lazy grin made it's way back on his skull as he took your hand and pulled himself up. "i knew you would. don't worry about keeling over, i'll make sure that won't happen. we've got time to work out the kinks.""Can I just say that I don't like this idea one bit?" Mettaton spoke up from the ground and you turned to him. The look of determination flaring in your eyes. "But... if you want to do it that badly... then I won't argue to much. But if I feel at any moment that you are in danger then I am pulling the plug. I will not lose you again so soon." The robot idle caved a little to easily and you half wondered if it was because your magic but you had already stopped using it. "What? I know that look. It's a look that means that you are going to do it with or without my blessing. I would rather you do it with me watching than behind my back and worrying me to death."You grinned and pecked Mettaton's forehead before turning back to Sans. "Let's go find out my magical limitations."