Metta
The Fearamid - November 30, 2012 - 1:05 PM
Life had become somewhat of a difficult balancing act for Metta. Holding onto who he was while simultaneously having to pretend to be the same Lightning Bolt that Bill expected him to be was quite the challenge. Bill had, of course, noticed that something was different, but Metta had figured out that it's hard to discern anything from his mind if he just makes the chaos louder. It was a little dangerous and painful, but it was better than the alternative. And Metta was in control. He was in control.
Bill had summoned all his Henchmaniacs (and Metta) to the main room of the Fearamid. Metta, having touched base with Mistral earlier, already knew what this was about. The Resistance was making a move on their plan to kill Lightning, which meant they were going to create an event big enough to lure him there. Mistral, as per her deal, had passed the details of the plan along to Bill. Now he would use this to crush the Resistance once and for all... at least he would, if Metta and Mistral didn't have their own plan.
"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, GUYS!" Bill sounded even more excited than normal, which was honestly impressive. "I KNOW, THIS IS EXCITING. BUT I HAVE TO GIVE YOU THE PLAN!"
"What's this about, Bill?" Pyronica questioned. "You said you would only say when everyone was here and everyone is here now!"
The demons all loudly clamoured agreement. Metta shivered. It was awful to listen to.
"WELL..." Bill's eye darted around conspiratorily. "THE RESISTANCE HAS GOTTEN IT IN THEIR HEADS THAT THE WAY TO END OUR FUN IS BY MURDERING OUR POOR LITTLE PRINCE HERE!" Bill patted Metta's head, laughing. Metta did his best not to flinch. "CREATIVE, I KNOW! SO OUR GOOD OLD PAL SIXER AND HIS FAMILY ARE GOING TO INCITE A RIOT, WHILE THE REST OF THE RESISTANCE LIE IN WAIT. FORDSY HASN'T PUT HIMSELF THIS OUT IN THE OPEN THE WHOLE TIME! AND SINCE WE KNOW THE WHOLE PLAN, WE CAN CAPTURE ALL OF THEM EASILY!"
The demons were growing even more excited, cheering and whooping. Metta rolled his eyes.
"BUT HERE'S THE DEAL." Bill laughed at his own pun. "HA, GET IT? DEAL!!"
"Good one, boss!" Teeth supplied. The other demons agreed.
"I KNOW!" Bill giggled. "ANYWAY, FOR THIS TO WORK, THE LITTLE HUMANS AND MONSTERS DOWN THERE HAVE TO THINK THEY'RE WINNING." He brought up an illusion of the Resistance members in the palm of his hand. "SO IT'S GOTTA LOOK LIKE WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON! THEN, WHEN THEY LEAST EXPECT IT..." Bill closed his clawed hand into a fist, crushing the illusion. "CAPICHE?"
The uproar was even louder than before. Metta stayed still in place next to Bill's throne until his Master stopped giving the orders and assignments. The room had emptied out by the time Bill turned to him. Metta automatically made the chaos louder.
"NOW, YOU KNOW YOUR ROLE, DON'T YOU, LIGHTNING BOLT?"
"Of course, sir." Metta lowered his head in acknowledgement. "Pretend to be losing. So you and everyone else can capture Ford and his allies. I get it."
"CLEVER BOY!" Bill laughed. "YOUR CONTROL OVER THE CHAOS IS GETTING SO MUCH STRONGER, LITTLE DEMONLING. I KNOW YOU'LL PULL THIS OFF."
"Yes... Master." Metta looked up, making direct eye contact with Bill. "I believe I will too."
Piedmont, California - December 1, 2012 - 1:56 AM
The plan didn't start until after midnight. Really, Metta and Mistral were probably the only ones aware of that, since most clocks didn't work anymore, but that meant it was a new month. Christmas would come soon. Metta prayed that this would be over by then.
Everything all good on your end? Mistral's voice whispered in Metta's mind. He smiled a tight smile, even though she couldn't see him.
Yeah. You? Metta sent back. He got a feeling of acknowledgement back. Good luck, kiddo.
You need it more.
Metta shivered. She was probably right. He was putting himself directly into a very dangerous situation. If all went well and he didn't fall to the Resistance, then he had to worry about what Bill would do if he figured out Metta's sabotage.
Metta put on his 'Lightning Bolt' face and got ready to initiate what he was calling phase one. He moved out of place for just a moment and headed over to where Zanthar was hanging out, ready for his part.
"Master changed his mind." Metta informed him. "He wants you on the other side of town. He'd tell you himself, but he actually doesn't like you very much, so what can you do?"
Zanthar let out an angry noise, but didn't waste time arguing with Metta, who smiled, satisfied, as Zanthar flew off. Generally, the Henchmaniacs listened to Metta at this point, and they also didn't mess with him, for fear of Bill's wrath. That left a lot of legroom for things Metta could get away with.
Next he spread some of the most petty, gossipy rumours he could think of, such as "Pyronica said 8-ball can't even scare a 5-year-old, he's that pathetic" and "Bill only keeps Kryptos around because he makes Bill look cooler by comparison." Really, demons were rather petty, which helped lay the groundwork for a failing plan. They barely got along at the best of times.
Metta headed back to his post before Bill could notice he was away from it. Now he just had to wait for Ford to incite his riot. Metta was quite curious to see how that would play out, and a little tempted to use some chaos to ramp up the energy. He was getting more demon-like, wasn't he? That was... worrying. He never wanted to end up like Bill.
He snapped to attention, no time to worry about himself, when he noticed Ford, with Dipper and Mabel at his side, climbing onto the roof of Ray's old lab. Metta felt the guilt creeping in at the thought of Ray before he suppressed it. Time to wait for the right moment to strike.
"People of Piedmont!" Ford spoke into a megaphone. "My name is Ford Pines. I'm one of the leaders of the Resistance. With me are my niece and nephew, Mabel, and Dipper. Together, we took down Bill Cipher in August when he took over a small town called Gravity Falls."
A crowd was starting to be drawn out into the open. Metta admired the bravery of these first people. Some of them were planted Resistance members, like Asgore and Undyne, and Metta knew Mistral was down there too, waiting for her part.
"We refused to bow to him then," Ford continued. "And we refuse to bow to him now. Tell me, Piedmont, are you really okay with just hiding away? Letting that demon terrorize you? One of his pawns even took one of your own! Are you okay with letting the death of Ray Pines be in vain?"
Metta winced. Honestly, maybe he did deserve to die. He had murdered Ray Pines in cold blood.
Stop that, Mistral snapped. My dad wouldn't want that, idiot.
Right. Sorry.
"I say we're done hiding. I say we take back our world. The demon wants chaos? I say we make some chaos!"
A cheer erupted from the now larger crowd. Ford's speech was successful, but the man must've known a riot wouldn't disturb Bill. He knew what he was doing. He was the real bait. Metta admired the tenacity.
"And remember!" Mabel had the megaphone now. "We're not trying to hurt anyone down here. Humans, monsters, we all have to work together! The real enemies are up there! In that big pyramid!"
"If we all band together, he can't do anything about it." Dipper added. "We outnumber him. We have what he doesn't- companionship. Love. Family. All important." He smiled up at his great-uncle, then at his sister. "Bill and his demons can't come close to what people in need will do for each other. Now let's do this!"
And the riot was on. That meant it was Metta's turn. Or really, Lightning Bolt's. His timing had to be perfect, otherwise it could screw up everything. He watched the chaos for a moment, feeling the HOPE of a banded community wash over him. How could he have been living so long without this feeling?
Metta positioned himself far above the scene so that he could make a slow, dramatic descent. If he was back in another acting job, he was going to play it up. Lightning and all. He could hear fearful screams and gasps once his presence was announced. He hated that sound, but couldn't do anything about it now.
"What's going on here, Pines?" He tried his best to appear bored. "You must know that my Master endorses chaos. This does nothing to him."
"And yet, you're here." Ford smirked up at Metta. "Taking the bait."
"Oh, so you admit it's a trap?" Metta tilted his head. "Bold. I respect that. But you're going to lose. Stanford 'Sixer' Pines, you are cordially invited to dine with Master in the Fearamid."
"With all due respect, robot, which is none, I'll have to decline." Ford raised an eyebrow. "I'm busy here. Running the Resistance. Speaking of..."
"Now!" Metta heard Undyne's voice yell. He wasn't even sure where it was coming from. Suddenly there was a barrage of magic attacks coming at him from all sides. It was a touch overwhelming, but he could take deep breaths. For a guy that technically didn't need to breathe he was getting real good at that. He put up a shield to protect himself, allowing his mouth to curl up in a small smile.
"Really? This is your plan?" He turned towards Undyne, looking her in the eye now that he could see her. "Oh, you're going to have to better than that."
"Shut it, Sparky." Undyne snarled. "I want a rematch."
"A rematch?" Metta was genuinely taken aback. This was off-book. Okay. He could improvise. "Sure. I mean, you'll die, but sure."
"You don't have to do this." Asgore murmured in Undyne's ear as the crowd parted to allow Undyne and Metta room for their duel.
"Yes, I do." Undyne snapped. She stepped closer to Metta, flourishing her spear. Metta summoned his sword in a spark of chaos. Now to just not go overboard and actually kill his closest childhood frenemie. "Bring it, ghost boy."
"I'm not sure what you mean by ghost boy, but okay." Metta commented, purely to be a dick, really. "I mean, sure, I'm a demonling-robot-emotionless monster hybrid type thing, but I'm not sure where ghost would fit into that. Unless you're referring to how haunting my presence is."
"You talk too much." Undyne dropped into a battle-ready stance.
"Mirror monologues much?" Metta scoffed, once again testing his limits and being disarming. Undyne's eye widened and she lost her stance for a moment. This may have been cheap, but Metta took advantage of that. Finally, he could beat her at something for the first time since they were kids.
In an instant he had made his first attack, and Undyne was stumbling back. Metta knew that his advantage wouldn't last long. Undyne was a hard-ass trained warrior, after all. Metta couldn't compare to that. He was a performer with strong magic. His only advantage was his flair.
Her strategy was a barrage of spears, coming from all directions, fast-paced. Metta had to keep track of where all of them were. Honestly, he appreciated it, because dodging like that felt like dancing. Cipher, he missed dancing. He was rusty, though. She was landing hits he should've been able to dodge. He was getting her right back, though. They had settled into quite a comfortable rhythm.
"Tell me something." She hissed to him as her spear entangled his sparking sword. "What's changed in there? You're cracking jokes. There's a shine in your eyes. You almost look the way you used to."
"Do I?" Metta tilted his head as he parried a surprise attack. "I have been really coming into my own lately. No more chaosplosions."
"What even is a chaosplosion?!" She snapped as she nicked the fabric of his long coat. "What's wrong with you?! WHY are you holding back so much?!"
Metta just smiled and shot her a wink. It was decidedly pre-Lightning of him. He was having the time of his life. She yelled out a "NGAHHHHHH" and went at him harder.
Of course she could tell he was holding back. Of course it annoyed her. Honestly, if Metta continued on like this, he would really be jeopardizing his position. But it made him yearn for a better time, for a younger him.
Still, out of respect for her, he supposed he could ramp it up. Let her go out in a fiery blaze of glory. The non-lethal kind. Hopefully.
He did a high backflip, dodging over a row of spears, landing across the makeshift arena from her. Or at least, it looked that way. As his illusions kicked in, Metta ducked down and sent a burst of electricity and chaos into a chink in her armour. Then he jumped behind her while she was reeling and held his blade to her throat. All her spears vanished.
"Yield now and I won't have to kill you." He murmured in her ear. The crowd around was completely silent.
"You don't want to kill me?" Undyne smirked. "What's with this sentimentality? Coward."
"Don't read into it." Metta released her, knowing full well he wouldn't kill her no matter what. "My Master would prefer you alive, that's all."
"That's his mistake." Undyne grinned. "Loser."
Metta, it's happening now! Mistral quickly sent at him. Metta turned around suddenly, but it was too late. Alphys had set her device off. The one that disabled most of his bodily functions. He collapsed to the ground. It was horribly uncomfortable, especially after spending nearly 18 years as an incorporeal being.
"Th-This ends now, Lightning Bolt." Alphys whispered. "I'm... s-sorry."
"Don't be." Metta stared directly into her eyes, trying to communicate his meaning. "We're all only doing what we have to."
"Cut the chitchat, Lightning Bolt." Ford walked into Metta's field of vision, expression somber. "For your wrongdoings, and for the greater good, you have been sentenced to death. This will not go on any longer. Please don't resist. Believe me, I understand your position. You'll be free of him this way."
Maybe Ford was right. If Metta died, he wouldn't have to be Bill's pawn anymore.
Stop that!! Mistral sent a wave of annoyance at him. Felix told you to stop thinking like that, didn't he?
Well, it's kinda a work in process. Metta admitted. But yes. Sorry. I know the plan, you don't have to keep sending me images of the steps.
Sorry.
"You don't know anything." He told Ford out loud. "This is more complicated than even you could imagine."
"Young people." Stan grumbled from the sidelines. Ford shushed him and knelt down to examine at Metta closer.
"What do you actually mean by that, Lightning?" There was sympathy in his voice. It reminded Metta of Felix. He was starting to get just a touch tired of people's pity. Metta would've just shrugged if he could move his shoulders.
"I'm sure you'll find out." Metta said dryly. "Eventually. Look, can we just get this over with?"
Ford sighed and straightened up. He turned to his brother. Metta didn't know exactly what he would say next, but he knew it was time. And Mistral did too. Even if the plan wasn't going perfectly, they could still do this.
"Wait!!" Mistral burst forward, hands in fists. There were gasps from the crowd again. "This isn't JUSTICE! Lightning Bolt deserves a chance to be forgiven! To prove he can be better!"
"You can't be serious!" Dipper yelled. "Mistral, he just tried to kill Undyne!"
"He let her go!" Mistral snapped. "Have you all forgotten he used to be one of us? We can't turn our backs on him now. Not when we have this pivotal opportunity."
A few people in the crowd were nodding. That was a good sign. Frisk stepped up beside Mistral, accompanied by nothing, because spirits aren't real. Metta was not budging on that.
"She's right!" Frisk nodded. "I gave him MERCY before, when he tried to kill me. He proved that all he needed was a second chance."
"And then he broke your trust and betrayed us all again!" Undyne pointed out, giving Metta a wary look. "I don't know, man. This is all... confusing."
"This debate is pointless." Metta interjected. "My Master will surely save me."
"Listen." Mistral gave him a Look before continuing. "I believe you can be better. I believe that another chance will go a long way. You have good in you. That's why you didn't kill Undyne."
"Say that's true." Metta fell into his role seamlessly, at least he hoped so. He put a touch of longing into his voice. It was only partially faked. "Do I really deserve to walk among you after all I've done? SPARING once doesn't make up for months of misdeeds."
"It's a start." Mistral held out her hand to Alphys, who hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded and handed Mistral the device.
See? I told you she'd do it! Mistral grinned, turning the device over in her fingers.
Alright, alright, I guess she has more forgiveness for me than I thought.
"I'm going to let you decide for yourself what you want to do, alright?" Mistral thumbed over the button that would free Metta. "I trust you."
"Thank you, darling." Metta smiled sweetly as he felt himself regain control of his body. He stood up slowly, testing out his systems, flexing out his arms. Then he let his face contort into a cruel smile. "You really are all fools."
And with that, he sent out a shockwave that knocked his closest family and friends away from him. That was the cue for Bill and his demons to act. Metta really just had to stand back and watch them fail. The chaos was impressive. Bill would've loved it if it didn't actively cause him grief. Metta hoped.
Between Metta and Mistral both paying attention to different things, they managed to limit the amount of actual captures made. No casualties. But the Henchmaniac's in-fighting could really take credit for most of the disaster. Metta could feel Bill's overwhelming fury down to his core. It was chilling.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE, JUST GET SIXER!
Metta was forced to leap into action and move towards Ford. Mistral, acting quickly, leapt in front of him.
"I meant what I said." She pleaded. It was almost convincing. "You don't have to do this."
"Yes, I do." He raised his sword like he was going to harm her, but hesitated far too long. By then it was too late. Ford had made sure almost everyone, including himself, was inside the lab. Protected from the chaos. They were safe.
"...Go." He nodded to Mistral. "I have no fight with you."
She nodded back, grateful, and scrambled away to her father's lab. Metta was alone. His shoulders relaxed. They'd done it. Ford was safe.
"WELL, LIGHTNING BOLT?" Bill descended behind Metta. "THAT WAS AN ABYSMAL FAILURE. WHY DO YOU SEEM... RELIEVED?"
Metta turned to face him, sighing. "I'm sick of destroying families, truth be told."
"REALLY NOW?" Bill cupped Metta's chin in his hand. Metta stared straight ahead. "SOMETHING'S CHANGED IN YOU."
"Sir?" Metta tilted his head as Bill released him.
"I OWN YOU, LIGHTNING BOLT." Bill snapped. "YOU BETTER NOT FORGET THAT. C'MON, WE'RE GOING."
Bill snapped his fingers and they were back in Metta's personal room. He was starting to get a bad feeling.
"STAY HERE." Bill ordered. Metta nodded and sat down on the bed once Bill left, kicking his feet slightly.
Did Bill know? Was he onto them? No, that couldn't be true... could it? Bill was all-knowing, after all. Who was Metta to think he could defy his Master? Just a naive fool. He'd never be free of this, never, ever.
It didn't take long for Bill to return. He didn't look happy. Metta avoided eye contact.
"I HEAR YOU'VE BEEN SOWING CHAOS." Bill sounded as though he was trying to suppress his rage. It wasn't working well. "NORMALLY I'D BE PROUD. BUT WE HAD A GOOD THING GOING! AND YOU WRECKED IT! AND THEN YOU COULDN'T EVEN GET ME THE ONE THING I REALLY WANTED: MY OLD FRIEND!"
"Master, I..." Metta didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry."
"OH, NO YOU'RE NOT. AND YOU'RE BETTER FOR IT." Bill moved closer to Metta. "BUT YOU WILL BE, LITTLE LIGHTNING BOLT. OH, YOU WILL BE."
"Master?" Metta looked up suddenly.
"YOU HAVE TO BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR, AFTER ALL." Bill snapped his fingers and Metta automatically stood up, compelled to do so. "NOW FOLLOW ME."
Metta did.
The Fearamid - December 1, 2012 - 8:23 AM
His ears were still ringing as he stumbled through the halls, body in pain from his insides out. He couldn't stop hearing the sound of his own screams. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just knew that his feet were walking and he had to go with them. Eventually his feet stopped and he collapsed outside the bars of a cell. The man on the other side rushed closer. Felix.
"Metta?" Felix's voice sounded so horrified. Of course he was, he was feeling everything Metta could feel right now. "Oh my god, what did he do to you?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Metta tried to smile as he stumbled back upright. It fell flat. "I'm okay. I just... I don't want to be alone right now?"
"Come here." Felix ushered Metta through the bars into his cell, supporting him once Metta was in. He was lucky Metta was surprisingly light. "It's okay."
"Y-Yeah, I know." For some reason Metta started to cry. "I-I know that. Why...?"
"Shhhh, it's okay." Felix whispered, moving Metta into sitting down, holding him, stroking his hair. "You don't have to be brave. It's okay."
"Thank you." Metta whispered, letting himself cry into Felix's shoulder. It was almost like actually having a father. He didn't know what he'd do without Felix anymore. "Thank you. I'm sorry."
"You're safe with me, Metta, I promise." Felix reassured him. "No need for apologies. I'll take care of you."
Metta didn't say anything else, starting to cry harder. But it was starting to feel better. Safer. Like Bill didn't matter, and like they'd be okay. Things would get better.
He just had to be strong. But not tonight. Tonight he could cry and be comforted by the man who saved him.