"Eclipse… So what now. I beat that guy and I didn't get crushed by the wall. Am I done yet?" Alphys said with huffs coming out of her mouth. She seems to be quite exhausted. That took quite a bit of her magic to power up that machine, and she still needed a lot more training to get some decent reserves of energy.
Eclipse placed a hand on her chin as if pondering an answer. The sly smirk upon her face may have been telling that she had already known the answer and simply toyed around with the thought in her mind to tease the scientist.
"Well of course there is something else Dr. Alphys. We all know the rule of three's don't we? Now come on, get ready, we have one last thing to do." Eclipse spoke whilst doing a quick two claps. "Chop chop." At the same time, miraculously the woman had disappeared as quickly as she had come, leaving Alphys alone once more.
"Hey-... Gosh dangit." Alphys slumped her head down onto the floor. Ah whatever she wasn't gonna listen to her right now. All Alphys wanted to do was get a bit of extra sleep right now, she was tired, too tired to properly go on and complete whatever was next.
When Alphys had awakened once more after falling asleep she was in a different situation, a VERY different situation which certainly woke her right back up when she realized what exactly was going on now. The air was hot, the air was burning actually with smoke billowing and drafting about. Her eyes squinted and her gaze going down towards the ground, well lack thereof one. Instead of the floor she was dangling above a vat of lava which seemed to stretch endlessly. It seems this is what she got for not listening to Eclipse.
"ECLIPSE! LET ME OUT OF HEREEEE!" Alphys suddenly yelled out within the endless landscape of the lava pool. The reptile wriggled about trying to get her attention and get herself out of this situation. Although this may come as a surprise to you, Alphys does not like being dangled over a pit of death. At a glance she could tell it was specialized even so it could kill her, and quite easily at that.
Eclipse suddenly popped up into the air floating right beside alphys eating a piece of cake placed onto a fancy looking plate. With a tiny fork she would be gobbling up small pieces and had a huge smile on her face. "Ahh Dr. Alphys, you need me? I'm glad you finally decided to wake up. Well then, time for your final test."
Eclipse snapped her fingers and suddenly the world had shifted. In place of the vat of lava below them, there was now instead a floor below them and a table with two chairs. Eclipse now sat within one of those chairs and Alphys the other. No longer covered in rope which tied her to the ceiling which was certainly a relief for the dinosaur who had just been worried for her own life. In between them was simply a game of chess set up for a brand new match. Eclipse smiled over at Alphys looking at the board and to her.
"What is this about now? A-aren't we supposed to go over to the next test now?" Alphys asked, confused, but she was perfectly fine with this. The woman had certainly been through it and a nice break like this was more than appreciated.
"This is your final test Dr. Alphys, now make your move would you?" Eclipse would say tapping her finger against the table as if Alphys should have already known this. Which would cause the dinosaur to make a small gulp wondering if she had done something wrong. And with a small bit of awkwardness she moved a piece herself and looked back to Eclipse.
"I hadn't expected this to be the last one. It seems a tad bit underwhelming you know?" Alphys would say still seeming a bit off put as Eclipse didn't respond for a moment simply pondering what to do next before quickly taking it. The woman made a slight clearing of her throat and flicked her hand forward for Alphys to go.
"Well tell me this Alphys, were any of these tests really that hard for you? You are smart and you are strong, it seems you're the one who recognizes that the least. You are so close to attaining your full potential and yet your mind is the only thing that holds you back." Eclipse blurted it out in a rather flat tone as if it was a mere matter of fact statement which should be self-evident to Alphys herself.
For a moment Alphys held a piece wavering on her next decision as the unexpected words had entered her ears, and yet she would move it decisively. "I know I'm smart, I don't know about being strong, but I always try my best! I'll never reach my full potential because growing never stops. Don't doubt me like that." Alphys spoke back in a rather defensive manner seeing how she had seen it. Ever since she had mustered up that courage to go on a date with Undyne and even marry her, that nervous side of her had seemed to dissipate away.
"That's what I like to hear, but you are wrong about your strength, Alphys, and it's one of the things which holds you back. You have come far, yet you still second guess yourself too much. If you really wished you could've done the past two things better and easier. You are amongst the three smartest people on that planet and yet you hesitate. Many may sparkle and shine on the outside with their tremendous ability. Yet within the mind you may shine supreme doctor. Please don't let that go to waste." Eclipse put down her cup of tea which had come from nowhere after taking a short sip and placed a piece elsewhere without much thought.
"Yeah, got it." Alphys would simply say without a quiver of tone. Although her response was simple there were thoughts now floating in her mind. Was this really true? She had thought she was always doing her best, but was there something holding her back? An unconscious sense of inferiority which kept her in a stagnant spot. But Alphys was a genius. what was there to feel so inferior about. Alphys could grow just as great as her mind could take her. "Thank you." With that she toppled over one of Eclipse's pieces.
"You amuse me Dr. Alphys. Your ability to grow is unprecedented. Now let us finish this." Now the game continued back and forth as the two clashed their pieces. The game came quite close as both had intellect beyond what many could conceive, and their ability to apply such things is quite impressive. And yet in the end of it all Alphys had lost.
"Huh… I lost. Well played, but I'm guessing that means I've also failed this trial." Alphys seemed happy, a smile was on her face despite this, but her eyes had drooped with a sense of sadness. Alphys was content. She had a feeling that even without further assistance she would have been able to make her way through it. To be able to help everyone that she could.
"No, I would say you won in a most spectacular way Dr. Alphys, your final move here was quite significant." Eclipse smiled at her with quite the pleasantry, and her hand would maneuver throughout the air with magical essence in tow. The scene would suddenly turn a bright white and now they appeared elsewhere. In what seemed like a rather fanciful tea room where Alphys had been now seated along with Eclipse, and there were those other attendents similar to Eclipse along with the dog, Toby.
Alphys would look around with an awkward wave to the newfound people before settling her gaze upon that of Toby. It still was quite strange to see him here, especially with the previous thoughts that he had just been a normal yet annoying dog monster. "So… I've done it, but now what? Was there something that I get after all this."
Toby would clear his throat, and his voice sounded oddly smooth and like a wise old man. This certainly was not what she had expected. Now it jumped up on the table. "Dear Alphys, you shall be rewarded, but not because of the trials. They were little in importance, but merely to show a point to you. Alphys, I want you to take this power, and to take this knowledge I shall bestow upon you and use it well. You are now another one of my associates." His paw raised up into the air as he inched forwards and it pressed upon her head as another light would shine upon the room.