Chapter Text
It all happened so fast that none of the Egos knew how to react.
One moment, Wilford was showing them his latest idea for a show, the pink madman showing them demonstrations, magic tricks, the whole nine yards. The next moment a blast of pink hit Bim straight on, causing the show host to yelp in surprise and fall to the floor.
Dr. Iplier was the first to snap out of his shock, running over to Bim, who was on his back. His mouth was open like a fish, not a sound coming out. He was still breathing, thank God, but his entire body seemed to be paralyzed, fingers hovering at his sides in odd positions, like they were reforming themselves.
"What the Hell did you do?" demanded the doctor, eyes bright with anger as he stared at the pink Ego for an explanation. Wilford just looked on with wide eyes and an 'oh shit,' face, knowing just how much he fucked up. He hasn't ever really tried out that spell until now, and if he did it correctly, something weird was just about to happen. Whether or not he would live to see that was still on the table, going by the look the doctor was giving him.
From the head of the table, the sound of an aura ringing harshly filled the meeting room. Most of the Egos flinched at this, even Wilford, knowing that the ringing meant bad news. For the most part, the ringing was a normal part of everyday life, something that everyone had kind of just blocked out at this point, but at that pitch and that loud, everyone knew what that meant.
Darkiplier was pissed.
"Wilford..." Dark said quietly, clearly trying to hold in his anger. "What does that spell do?"
The mustached Egos shifted nervously, avoiding eye contact with the darker Ego while the rest of them held their breath in anticipation. "Well you see Dark-" he started, only to be cut off by the sound of Bim moaning in pain and another bright flash, white in color this time. Dr. Iplier about tripped over himself in surprise, but Bing, who was nearest to him, was able to catch him before he hit the ground. All of the Egos didn't know what to do, most of them not being able to see what happened even standing up. Only those closest to Bim saw the sudden shrink of the show host, his body contracting and becoming thinner until he was less than half of his former size, nothing but skin and bones. The only pieces of clothing on his body were what looked almost like rags, beat up and barely holding it together.
Dr. Iplier slowly walked towards Bim in a daze, completely confused by what he saw. The show host now looked like a child, curled up in a little ball and asleep. His glasses were gone, his usually partially slicked back hair a mess, and his skin was covered in dirt and bruises.
What the Hell?
The harsh pitch of Dark's ringing got the doctors attention, eyes shifting to the side to see the darker Ego beside him. He couldn't read Dark's expressions very well, his face concealed and together, but no one could mistake the look of anger in his eyes. Pure rage more like.
"Wilford, tell me, does that spell of yours make victim of it turn back into a child?"
Wilford smiled sheepishly, trying to come off nonchalant. "It might, yes."
The doctor's eyes widened at that, not sure what to do about this. He's seen a lot of weird spells over the years, but this one had to be the weirdest. Why in the world would there ever be a need for such a spell? Once again, Dr. Iplier was so glad that he didn't have any weird, fucked up powers like some of the others. But the problem still remained in everyone's mind: what the hell were they supposed to with mini Bim?
It was Yandere that brought it up. "So now what?"
A ripple of whispers went through the meeting room, most of them still struggling to understand what was going on. Dark never said a word, all of his attention on Bim. It was odd to see the dark Ego so focused on the show host like that, seeing that they didn't exactly interact with each other all that much, but Dr. Iplier guessed he could understand the concern. After all, it wasn't every day someone got turned into a small child again via a magic spell no one really knew about.
They all started to crowd around now, except for The Host, who remained in his chair, softly narrating under his breath. The doctor didn't know what he was seeing that the rest of them didn't, but he left the blind Ego to it. The Host had his own reasons for doing the things he did, and the doctor wasn't about to pry now, not when one of their own needed help, or at least, he assumed Bim needed help. There wasn't a manual for these sort of things.
"Do you think he'll be like this forever?" Bing questioned, concern lacing his voice. Google, who was next to him, shook his head.
"Most spells, while in the realm of magic, do not last forever, unlike curses or blessings. Bim will probably be back to normal within the next few weeks," the android said in a monotone, matter of fact way. Wilford looked at him with a stunned look, and Dr. Iplier couldn't help but feel the same.
"How in the world do you know?" Wilford demanded, and Google just gave a small shrug in return.
"I deal with beings that are made of magic and do not obey the laws of physics every day," the blue android informed. "I must know what I am dealing with."
Well, Dr. Iplier couldn't argue with that. In fact, if he could, he would gladly cut both Wilford and Dark open to find out what the two were made of, but he didn't think the two would like that.
From below, Bim's little ball began to shift, little groans escaping his mouth. It was so odd to hear his voice at such a high pitch, especially with how small it sounded since it was usually so big. The doctor always assumed since Bim was such a loud and extravagant personality that he must have been that way since he was a child and before he became an Ego. It was weird how it all worked, most people thinking that the Egos came out of nowhere, just a figment of Mark that came into being with the fans pushing them along, but that wasn't the whole story. Yes, they were all apart of Mark in some way, but before they were, they had their own lives, were their own people. Dr. Iplier himself was a student in med school before he was hit suddenly by a speeding car and died, being reborned by Mark, not able to say anything besides, "I'm sorry, you're dying." It was weird, but it was them.
Dr. Iplier was about to say that maybe they should all give Bim some space when the boy's eyes snapped open, wide and confused. He looked up, still curled in the ball, and stared at all of the Egos surrounding him. His eyes were like honey, a lovely golden brown color that the doctor never really noticed before, and wondered how he missed. He could have sworn Bim's eyes were just a normal brown like most of the other Egos.
A few tense seconds passed, all of the Egos staring back at the little boy that was once the adult Bim. The boy's eyes then landed on Dark, and they widened even more, so much that the doctor was sure his eyes were about to pop out. He shot up, revealing more bruises that covered his legs, and even some old, faded scars, and bolted.
Dark's ringing sharpened, his red and blue freezing for a moment as all the Egos stood in shock as Bim disappeared. Dr. Iplier finally snapped out of it, realizing that Bim didn't have his memories from his adult life, and now he was running around Ego Inc without a clue where he was going. They had to find him and calm him down from whatever fear he suddenly had.
"Bim!" the doctor called out, running in the direction where Bim had gone, out the door and down the hallway. But which was did he go? He couldn't see him on either side, but that couldn't be right. There was no way a small child could run that fast, let alone vanish without a trace. He turned to the other Egos, determination crossing his features. "We need to find him! Common, stop staring at me like that. Whatever magic fuckery happened to him, he's just a kid now, and we need to help him."
Wilford blinked furiously for a moment before teleporting next to Dr. Iplier, a puff of pink smoke in his wake. "I'm checking the studio and audience. I know that lace like the back of my hand," he said, teleporting away.
Dr. Iplier mumbled to himself, running through all of the places in Ego Inc in his head. "Google, Bing! Go to the technology rooms and your charging stations. The last thing we need is for Bim to electrocute himself. Yandere, check the kitchen and laundry rooms, King, go outside and see if he found his way out there, Host, go to your library and tell us if you can find where his is, and Dark-," the doctor cut himself off, suddenly aware the he was about to boss Darkiplier around, but the darker Ego just raised an eyebrow as if to ask what he could do. Dr. Iplier coughed into his hand, trying to make it seem like he meant to do that. "Dark, check all the bedroom and other places I didn't mention. I'm going to my clinic, one to see if he's there and two because he's covered in bruises and cuts. Let's go!"
And just like that, the Egos split up, all going to to the places the doctor had assigned them. It surprised the Dr. Iplier, seeing that they were all usually so rowdy and hard to control, but now it seemed they understood the dangers of having Bim wander around without any idea of where he was, why he got there, and wondering why there was a bunch of strange people that looked like him walking around.
That last one was disorienting to anyone who wasn't used to it, let alone a kid.
"Here we go," the doctor mumbles to himself, speed jogging over to his clinic, calling out for Bim as he did.
Dark stood in the meeting room for a few seconds after Dr. Iplier ran off to his clinic, just thinking. He couldn't get that look of fear from Bim out of his mind, replaying it over and over again until it burned. Sure, Bim's always been a little afraid of him, nearly all the Egos were, but that look in his eyes... it was like nothing he's ever seen before. Pure distraught and fear, all poured into those innocent young eyes. And those bruises and cuts...
All of it made the Ego wonder about Bim's life before it all happened. Who hurt him? Why was he so skinny, looking like he was about to starve to death? Where did he live?
No matter about that now. The doctor was right after all; with Bim a child running around in a strange place filled with things that could easily kill him, there was no telling what could happen. They had to find him before anything else happened.
The thing was, Dark had a good idea of where the child was. Bim may have lost all of his memories of them and Ego Inc, but he was still Bim. He still thought, moved and reacted in ways that were similar to his adult counterpart. If he were to run and hide as an adult, Dark knew he would go to the same place as a child.
Dark thought about all the times whenever Bim got upset or scared, how he would guard himself and become hunched over as if to make himself a smaller target. His voice would get quieter, everything about him trying to seem as compliant and non threatening as possible. The dark Ego always thought it was a weird reaction, seeing that for most people they would get defensive and snappy, but not Bim. The show host rarely ever raised his voice at anyone, avoiding eye contact with nearly everyone but a few. Once again Dark wondered about Bim's childhood, what caused him to act so carefree and lively one minute, and so docile and terrified the next.
The Ego walked out of the meeting room, pushing away his thoughts for now. He could always ask Bim later, when they found him. Right now, he had to make sure the boy didn't kill himself before he could turn back to normal. That said, Dark used his aura to teleport him to the place where he assumed Bim would be hiding. Like he said earlier, little Bim acted very similar to adult Bim, so they naturally would find comfort in the same things.
When Dark came out of the void and into the place he desired to be, he hummed to himself, admiring all the colors around him, all the exotic plants and flowers.
Of all the places for Bim to hide, his garden was definitely his safe place. As an adult, Dark would often find him here, tending to his plant and singing to himself when he thought no one was around. It was a lovely place, the brightest and best smelling in Ego Inc after all. The dark Ego walked through the rows and rows of plants, his dress shoes making clicking noises throughout the garden. He never once touched the plants, as much as he wanted to. He was afraid he would kill the plants with his touch, and he didn't want that.
As he made his way through the third row of plants, the sound of someone sniffling and crying and whimpering came to his ears. Dark froze in his place, his clicking shoes becoming silent. After a few moment, he heard it again, quieter this time as the person attempted to stay quiet. There was no doubt in the Ego's mind that it was Bim, alone and confused.
Bim was scared of him. That much was certain, seeing what happened in the meeting room. He would have to gain his trust somehow, make him see that Dark wouldn't hurt him, but that was going to be hard. Dark constantly tried to make it seem like he was someone not to be messed with, unless they wanted to have his wrath. He acted no different to Bim, and the child already had an unexplained fear of him. He never once looked at the other Ego's like he looked at Dark.
"Bim?" he called out gently, hoping he sounded friendly enough. "Are you alright, little one?"
He got no reply, which was kind of expected. Sighing to himself, Dark snapped his back before sitting down with his legs crossed. Perhaps the boy would see him as less intimidating this way. It would be uncomfortable for his back, but he could manage.
"I promise, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm sorry I scared you... I didn't mean to."
More sniffling. Something shuffling around. Dark was tempted to find to source of the sound, but he stayed put. Bim had to come to him if this was going to go anywhere productive. For now he would let the boy do his own thing.
"Do I remind you of someone? I've been told that many of time," Dark continued. He didn't really know where he was going with this, but fuck it. It couldn't hurt.
"I bet you think I look like you as well. That's kind of true I guess, most of us, the ones you saw earlier, look similar to one another. We're not really related to each other in any way, but we kind of are at the same time. It's hard to explain," the Ego rambled. "You're one of them, you know. We're all like this big... family of sorts. A really messed up and odd family, but it's family. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"
The kid was almost silent now. Dark took this as a good sign. He wondered if he should call Dr. Iplier so that he could see the kid, but decided against it. The kid could see that as a way of betraying his trust, and he did not want to drag a crying and screaming kid to the clinic. He was in for the long run.
"My name is Dark by the way. I'm the 'ringleader' here as some would say, trying to corral all the crazy people that run throughout this building. There's Wilford, Dr. Iplier, the Googles, Bing, Yandere, The Host, and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head. There are a lot of them though.
"You've met all of them before, and you're good friends with a few as well. But you don't remember them for whatever reason, and we want to help you remember again. We also want to help you with a few other things as well; the doctor wants to clean those cuts on your arm, and I'm pretty sure Yandere is making you some food as we speak," Dark chuckled, thinking about the younger Ego mumbling to himself as he made food for the obviously underfeed Bim. Yan was affectionate like that, always giving people food to help make them feel better.
"I think that sounds nice, doesn't it? We want to help you Bim... but first you need to come out of hiding so that we can," the dark Ego purposefully paused, hoping to send the message to the kid. There was a little more shuffling at this, and Dark saw a cloth on one of the tables move, but did nothing to let Bim know he saw it. A single sniffle was heard, and much to Dark's surprise, a little boy came from under the table a few down from him, shy poking out his head.
The dark Ego made his expression soften, and gave a small smile to Bim. The child blinked owlishly at him with his large honey eyes, the slightest traces of fear laced in them. His dark hair was unkempt, something adult Bim would have never allowed to have happen, and from what little of his arms and legs he could see, it was clear that the boy was covered in dozens of scratch's, some which looked like they came from nails.
Dark felt an unexpected twist in his heart when he noticed the cuts, the sudden urge to rip the person that would dare do this to a small child threatening to rip him up. Bim looked so terrified of everything around him, even the things that weren't even alive, as if he thought they would jump at him and attack. Dark knew that feeling all too well.
The Ego held out his hand to show the child peace, keeping his position on the ground despite the increasing pain in his back. Bim's eyes flickered to it curiously, tilting his head. Slowly, bit by bit, Bim came from under the table, revealing his skinny and malnourished form, and step by step came closer to Dark. He was still guarded, looking for any sign that the Ego was lying, but he was still willingly coming to Dark, who waited patiently.
It took a good minute, but Bim was now right in front of Dark, hesitantly putting his hand in the Ego's. The dark Ego tried not to think about how frail and small his hand was, how he could have snapped it if he gripped too hard. It was amazing that this kid could run as fast as he did with such little food, and Dark also tried not to think about why that was.
"Hello there, Bim," Dark said softly to not startle the boy, who blinked at him again. Now that he was closer, the Ego could see the redness of his eyes and the tear tracks that ran down his cheeks, and his heart clenched.
"H-h-hi," the boy stuttered, his eye contact wavering, never looking him directly in the eye. His voice was so weak and thin, like the barest breeze on a consuming summer day. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
"Are you alright?" the dark Ego asked, hoping he wasn't pressing too far. He didn't know the boundaries for the boy yet, what not to ask and such. It seemed that he was in the clear, because Bim nodded slowly, shifting back and forth on his feet. His entire body was trembling, not from fear it looked like, but from sheer exhaustion and from cold. Dark's chest twisted with an instinct to pull the boy in his arms and protect him like some sort of mother bear. He had no idea where the instinct came from, but it was powerful.
"Do you want to sit down? You look tired," the words came out of Dark's mouth before he could process them, but it was too late. He was thinking he could bring the boy to Dr. Iplier's to get him fixed up, but Bim looked so tired, so tired that he could collapse any moment, and that was the last thing Dark needed right now.
Bim's eyes went wider than they already were, pointing shakily at the dark Ego's lap, asking for unsaid permission. If it was anyone else in any other scenario, Dark had no doubt in his mind that he would have refused, but this wasn't any other time. This was Bim turned into a child, a child that looked so neglected and unloved that he could die any minute. And that weird motherly urge was becoming too strong to ignore at this point, so the Ego nodded, gently pulling the boy's hand closer and gilding him to sit on his lap. It was like he wasn't there, his body so light and airy. Dark placed one arm behind his back and around Bim's waist, securing him in place, while the other went over the boy's thin legs. The boy buried his head into his chest, sighing contently as his tiny hands gripped onto Dark's suit.
Good God, he was so small, almost completely swallowed up against the Ego's form. All Bim's previous fear from before was gone, replaced with the want to snuggle and sleep it seemed. Dark expected to feel annoyed, but instead there was fondness, and a natural smile crossed his face. Without thinking, the dark Ego began running his fingers through the boy's hair, feeling the soft strands fall through them and across his fingertips. Bim melted further into Dark's hold at this, his breathing becoming deeper and slower with each minute that passed by. The dark Ego rocked him back and forth, humming gently as Bim went completely limp in his arms.
When was the last time the boy slept? The dark circles under his eyes reminded the Ego much of adult Bim and how he would stay up into the late hours of the night working on paperwork, claiming that he didn't feel tired despite the fact that he looked like he was about to collapse any moment.
Who would do this to a child?
That was the thought that kept running through Dark's mind, but he couldn't answer that. Only the boy in his arms, fast asleep and curled against him, could. He found that he liked having something so small and fragile trusting him like this, feeling that they were safe. He hasn't had that in such a long time.
Dr. Iplier could wait, Dark reasoned, shifting around so that he would be more comfortable on the hard floor. Bim never moved, letting the Ego maneuver him easily. Dark continued to run his fingers through his hair, cradling the child even closer.
"Don't worry, lovely child of mine," he whispered in Bim's ear. "You're safe with me."