Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Eclipse never expected to open his eyes again. The moment he heard Sun apologize, he knew that it was over. He wasn’t afraid of death, or of failure, or of anything that his conclusion may or may not have proved. It was simply that: the end of his story, and there was nothing he could do to change that. 

Until he was staring blearily at the side of a tree, trying to make sense of why his vision is doing somersaults. It shouldn’t be able to do that.

Then, the pain. Absolute agony flowing throughout his body, making him tremble against the cold, damp grass. It was funny when it was Moon suffering. It was hilarious, even. Finally able to keep him cornered while Eclipse follows through with his own plans. 

But then Lunar turned on him, the little wretch, and tattled all his misgivings to dear old Moon, setting him free in the process. It didn’t take Eclipse long to figure out what happened to the pest he used to call a brother, as the differences in personality were rather obvious after only a day or two. Lunar gave in, blinded by all his illogical morals and naïve, childish dreams. 

He’d called him afraid of Moon. Lunar had accused Eclipse of being afraid . Never in his life has he been afraid . Even faced with the promise of death, he felt nothing but…

Exhaustion. Defeat. Sullen humiliation.

The animatronic lets out a bitter snarl at the lies cast into his conscience. He never felt such things! Crude emotions, fit for someone who truly lost!

But the pain grows ever-worse, his vision tilts ever further, and he wonders if this is just the punishment he gets for ending up so vulnerable- a slow, painful demise of which he is forced to wait out until the end. 

His limbs twitch every once in a while, the wires severed, making his movements uncontrolled. Equal to nerve damage, and just as agonizing. The longer he lays there, the worse everything gets. 

The dampness that he noticed tainting the grass earlier turns out to be his own oil spreading out beneath him, dousing him in endless black despair. He feels his systems start to shutdown, prioritizing more vital components, but it’s futile by now. 

As he feebly manages to lift his head, wrenching up yet more oil onto the grass before him, everything suddenly goes dark. The last thing he feels is his head hit the ground, then…nothing.

~

He had hoped he wouldn’t wake back up after that. The absence of pain was nice, floating in errored code as his physical body deteriorates. But the universe has its grip on him, and, with his own recent threats of rewriting it…said universe seems rather peeved. 

He goes in and out of consciousness for hours at a time, the transition from day to night not even processing by the time that he can catch hold of even the slightest bit of coherence. Once he has, he doesn’t know what to do. The pain has become unbearable at this point, breaking any thoughts that he manages to piece together. 

Everything sets in, and then it’s all too much. His chest tightens, the pain dulls, but he becomes ever-warmer the more he lets his self-control slip away. Clouded thoughts reach out, trying to grasp each other, but it’s all so fuzzy and he’s so helpless and he can’t think, he needs to think, thinking is all he’s good for- 

He can’t move to curl in on himself, to shield his twisted expression from the outside world. He can’t move . Echoes, all around him, screams and cries of voices he can’t make out, can’t understand, speaking a language he should know but doesn’t . Taunting him with sharp tones, as if cocooning him in all he cannot do, reminding him that he is only here because of himself. 

That’s not true! They didn’t understand! I was trying to fix everything! They were blind, oblivious to the broken reality of which I knew how to rewrite!!  

He screams. He doesn’t hear anything, his mind blank with panic, so all he can do is SCREAM . They die off into sobs that wrack throughout his decaying corpse, the sensations of merciless agony returning just to remind him that he is not yet free from the clutches of reality. 

He doesn’t know when, but at some point during the night, he is finally released. 

~

“-ound him.”

“Oh…oh my God…”

“Hand me the taser. The deadly one. Let’s put him out of his misery.” 

“Wh….Moon….” 

“Don’t go soft on me now, Lunar. You told me you wanted to find him to make sure he wasn’t doing anything.” 

“And YOU said that you were going to search anyway!”

Lunar…? Why…why did you bring him…

“Yes, okay, you have a point. But I’m sure as hell not fixing him, so killing him is the next best thing.”

I don’t want him seeing me like this…

“Do you think Sunny would feel it?” 

“No. They should be completely disconnected now.”

“And why aren’t we telling him about this?”

“Because he’d feel guilty that his spell made us go out into the wilderness to find a wild Eclipse. Give me the taser.”

“Will he feel it?”

A slight pause, then, “I think he’s out. So no, he won’t feel it.”

“Okay…I’m…I’m gonna hide behind a tree, I don’t want to watch this…” 

“It’s okay, Lunar. Do whatever you need to, I know this must be hard.”

A slight shuffle, then fading footsteps, closely accompanied by approaching ones. Lunar leaving, Moon getting closer. 

Finally, a sweet release from this nightmare .

But, as Lunar’s footsteps recede, Moon’s become more hesitant. He doesn’t want to be here- Eclipse, admittedly, doesn’t blame him. He only hopes that Moon stays long enough to finish what he came for before he flees back to, presumably, the daycare.

Is the daycare warm? I never considered the heating, since my own heaters were always functional. But now, they aren’t. Now, I’m cold. The heat…warmth…

Eclipse feels the warmth rolling off of Moon in waves as he gets closer, momentarily remembering his own panicked state earlier, when he overheated- he didn’t appreciate it back then, but now, he’d do almost anything to feel that again. His hand twitches, fingers uncurling, eyes flickering back on, revealing Moon’s blurry, static-ridden figure before him.

“Warm. You’re warm.” Eclipse gasps out, unable to stop himself, lost in the way his aches and sharp pains dull at the sensation of actual heat, soaking into his ruptured paneling, easing the agony he has suffered with for what seems like an eternity. Moon stops, dubious eyes watching Eclipse closely. Lunar peers around the tree he is hiding behind, fidgeting with his fingers as Moon kneels before the other half of his kill-code. He sets the taser off to the side, far out of Eclipse’s reach.

Eclipse makes no attempt to grab it. It would only cause him pointless pain. But he knows of a type of pain that isn’t pointless. He shakily moves his arms beneath himself, letting the spike of discomfort die away before he slowly hoists the rest of his body off the ground. Moon leans away, a shocked expression on his face, despite the permanent smile that adorns it. Eclipse doesn’t care. For once, he doesn’t bathe himself in the unnerved silence that follows his actions. 

“What are you-” Moon starts, voice low, an obvious warning. Eclipse shifts closer, leaning his head onto Moon’s leg like a sad puppy before the other bot can finish his sentence. The rest of Eclipse's body follows, curling into a pathetic ball by Moon’s legs. For a moment, all Moon can do is stare. His sharp red eyes travel over the mutilated animatronic, as if weighing his options.

But Eclipse is satisfied. This is all he wanted. He convinces himself that the warmth is all he craved, but a small part of him, very small, missed the company, too. Someone here, with him, not letting him die alone. The world feels much smaller in this moment, pressed against the animatronic he swore he’d hate for the rest of his days, watched by the useless, yet caring little brother he treated so harshly. This is an okay way to die, he supposes.

“...are you cold?”

Eclipse looks distantly up to Moon, surprised by his tone- surprised that he hasn’t shoved him away yet, too. He sounds almost…curious…

“Moon, maybe we should just go-” Lunar has since come up behind Moon, wringing his hands, watching Eclipse with a jumble of emotions clear on his face. The other night-themed animatronic looks up, over to Lunar, then back to Eclipse. He mumbles something that Eclipse can’t catch, noises fading, like he’s listening through cotton. The warmth isn’t enough anymore. The pain returns, driving out what little comfort he had managed to scavenge.

“Wh- wro- him? Look-”

“Dying.”

“Ar- y- sure?”

“Yes. Le- go bef- he does.”

“...”

“Lunar?”

Words cut in and out, making Eclipse feel as if he has broken some internal record that has since forgotten how to play correctly.

“Don- wan- leave hi-”

Moon pulls back from his position against his mortal enemy, making Eclipse let out a hiss as he comes back in contact with the hard, unforgiving ground. He lets out a series of strangled noises, twitching and hacking up oil that had gathered in his mouth. His head drops down to the ground after he is done, trembling in a way that jostles him just enough to make everything seer with unbearable pain. His eyes flicker, vision glitching, standardized colors degrading into pastels, then fading into black and white.

Then, he is lifted off the ground. Reality tips, turning over itself as he lets out a strangled snarl that dies off into ragged, weak wheezes. The fight dies from his circuits, head leaning against the chest of whoever decided to pity him. He’s warm again. It soothes the momentary alarm of being picked up, fogging over his thoughts, making things so close seem so, so far away. Distant anger over losing, being bested by his own creation. It seems so silly now, to worry over something so inconsequential.

After only a few moments of being carried, Eclipse succumbs to the exhaustion that tugs at his conscience. 

~

Since when was grass this comfortable? Is the first tangible thought that Eclipse can piece together in his head. Warmth soaks into each hole and crevasse in his chassis, dulling the pain that he expected to be intense, but…isn’t. He aches, and the occasional twitch makes his insides burn. Despite that, the surface he is on is…soft, squishy, and reminds him of a cloud. Something is laid on top of him, too. A blanket? Surely not, no one would pity him enough to give him something to stay warm with…right?

So, instead of theorizing, Eclipse peels his eyes open. His sight flickers for a moment, then settles into a slightly grainy, yet still comprehensible…room? Sun and Moon’s room? His rays shrink in, eyes cast about in a frantic manner. The small toy house, with the door propped open, where Lunar used to hide…the barrels cast about the room, accompanied by small colorful blocks, the tunnel that led to Moon’s much smaller cove is dark, signaling that the lights must be off in there, as well. A few barrels have been lined up in front of Eclipse, a paper sitting atop the one closest to him.

‘Don’t try and escape! The monsters will EAT you!’

Eclipse rolls his eyes. This must've been written by Lunar. Figures that he had something to do with the lackluster barricade separating him from the rest of the room. He lets his rays slide back to their full length, hiding his unease behind a mask of confidence. He is under a blanket, and…on a…beanbag? It’s soft. Rather nice, actually. He can see why Lunar wanted one of these.

Now that Eclipse considers it, the color of this beanbag that he’s on…it’s blue. Like Lunar blue. Did…Lunar let Eclipse lay on his beanbag while he was out? Surely not. He has a new life now, with Sun and Moon- he left Eclipse behind, the little traitor, so there has to be a more complicated explanation to this. 

This doesn’t change anything. It just proves how smart Eclipse is. He tricked them into pitying him, and now, they’ve gone so far as to fix his injuries and even make him comfortable. Flawless outcome, perfect plan, to use such mindless, heart-warmed fools as pawns once again. Now, to make his escape, even if these barrels are in his way. It won’t change anything, just another futile attempt to trap him. He leans forwards, reaching out towards the paper, ready to roll it into a tiny, stupid, stupid ball and toss it into the nearest trash bin-

Something shifts beside him. He freezes, hand still outstretched, the ache becoming worse the longer he holds it in place. So, he pulls it back, and looks to whatever-

His eyes widened. Everything stops, just for a moment. He has things to do, stars to find, and…and…

He reaches a hand out, laying it onto Lunar’s head. Just to make sure that he’s real, that he’s actually there. His little brother, God, why did I treat you so badly, slowly blinks open his eyes and lets out a big yawn. He stares drowsily at Eclipse for a moment, then, in a burst of realization, bats the other’s hand away. Eclipse pulls his hand back, close to his chest, still in shock. They simply stare at each other for a few moments. Silent.

Then, Eclipse shakes his head, and moves to throw the blanket off. He can’t let this slow him down- Lunar has already slowed him down enough before! But, as the younger bot moves forwards, shouting his name, grabbing him by the arm as the world tilts once again, he wonders if it would be a better idea to stay put for the time being. Fine, great! Gives him time to think, anyways! 

Lunar pulls him back onto the beanbag, muttering something about how Eclipse is the dumb one, and Lunar isn’t, because Lunar doesn’t move when he has a boo-boo. Lunar claims himself to be smarter than Eclipse ever thought, because Eclipse can’t see past his own nose, Eclipse is too busy being bad to see what being good can get him.

“You’re not dumb.” Eclipse snaps with sudden vigor, despite the feeling of needles having a dance party in his voice box. Lunar stops mid-sentence, one finger still raised in a matter-of-fact sorta way.

“What?” He murmurs, slowly lowering his hand, gazing at Eclipse as if the older animatronics next words are what distinguish him between good and evil. Eclipse searches his gaze, disgusted by the lingering hope that he finds there. Oh, he’s so desperate for praise. Affirmations that Eclipse won’t give him, a sneer coming into place on his face, that look that Lunar knows means nothing good will come of this. For some reason, the way Lunar shrinks into himself at Eclipse's waning patience makes him give pause. Why is this the reaction that stops him, of all things? He looks pathetic.

“You’re…not dumb.” He relents. Why does he relent? Lunar is a pest, a wrench in the middle of every plan he’s ever made, a mistake that just keeps coming back to remind him that obedience should’ve taken priority over anything else. So why does that anxiety on Lunar’s face hurt so much? It’s a type of pain that Eclipse has only felt a few other times, a feeling he has already grown to loathe. So why does he put himself in situations that result in him feeling it?

“Really? Really really?! See, see, I told you! I’m useful, really useful, just not useful to you.” Lunar’s tone makes that inner rage start to fester again. It boils, and by Lunar’s suddenly-frightened expression, he knows that it’s obvious. 

“You’re oblivious! Naive! Blinded by the dreams of a child that you aren’t, and will never be! You may have grown enough to break away from my habits, but that only shows that you follow the guidance of others only long enough to judge the way they do things! I was right!! I was going to save us, save everyone, and then you went and told Moon all about your sad little life story, as if I gave you nothing, and Moon could give you something! The love of an older brother. How cute. Being adored as the youngest, babied like the child you act. But you’re soft! Easy to step all over, to manipulate into something that could actually help someone. You’re not dumb, but you sure as hell are everything else.” 

Lunar stares at him for the longest time as Eclipse looms over him, blazing eyes casting dim orange light down onto Lunar’s heartbroken expression. Tears gather in his eyes, expression becoming strained, as if he is struggling to hold back a sob, or breakdown crying altogether. And he does. Lunar does breakdown into sobs, scrambling to his feet and running off, right into Moon, who opens the door with a frantic gleam in his eyes. Moon catches Lunar in his arms, holding him close as the younger sobs brokenly into his new brother’s chest.   

“You’d still be out there if it wasn’t for him!” Moon snarls, sinking down to his knees with Lunar still held tightly in his arms.

“No one asked him to pity me!” Eclipse flashes back, stiffening up like a cat caught lurking in a dog’s kennel.

“No one asked him to love you, either! And yet, he still did. He still cared so damn much that he promised to lay with you and protect you until you got better, said he’d do anything he could to get on good terms with you again, and have a family that could get along. What is wrong with you?!” Moon snaps, only making Lunar cry harder, shake more in the arms of the one he calls his true brother.

Then Sun comes in. His eyes lock with that of his counterpart, hand still holding loosely onto the doorknob. Red lights shift excitedly behind him.

“He warned you about the monsters, didn’t he?” Sun’s voice is cold in a way that Eclipse didn’t even know it could be. He pulls back right as Sun moves out of the way, pentagrammic eyes focusing in on damaged parts and pointless code. Eclipse can only watch as claws of blood streak out towards him, grasping hold of his spindly neck, pulling his creator’s face close, forcing their eyes to meet.

“Blood on your hands, so clear, so gracious. Yet, you treat the smallest, dismiss him, so facetious! Cruelty comes in forms you do not see. That, is why-” Razor sharp teeth, pulled back in a deranged grin, eyes widening to encompass the crazed expression of a hunter, lost in the thrill of the kill; “-you, made ME.”

Rabid eyes are the last things he sees before everything goes black one final time.    

Chapter Text

Then again…very few things seem to be final for Eclipse lately. He expected Blood Moon to rip him in four, as two is a small number and wouldn’t even come close to expending their urge for violence, but it seems that yet more surprises have yet to present themselves- one being his habit of waking up after being beaten to shit. Everything hurts all over again, and, this time, he has no soft beanbag to soothe his aching joints. In fact, he has nothing- not even grass this time around.

    When he finally convinces himself to pry open his eyes, it doesn’t come as a shock that the room is dark. Adding insult to injury, he supposes. He manages to reach one of his hands forwards, struggling to ignore the way it shakes more with each passing moment, the dull, annoying burning sensation slowly becoming something more agonizing. His claws land on something- it’s thin, and crinkles when he closes his fist on top of it. Paper, he assumes. 

    “How do you expect me to read it?!” He calls out, not expecting an answer.

“Find the lightswitch, asshole. You have plenty of time to figure it out.” But he does get an answer- a bland, cold one, at that. Moon, obviously. Eclipse bites back a sharp retort that he knows will do him no good, instead grasping the paper in one sharp movement.

    Too fast. He pulls his arm close, shutting his eyes tightly against the rising wave of pain. He hates how slow it is, tugging at his mind in ways that make each wire sizzle with terror, borderline panic. After the pain has dulled to a more tolerable level, he moves his other arm underneath himself, carefully starting to hoist himself off the ground in hopes of getting into a sitting position.

    The consequences snap at him with the ferocity of a lightning bolt. It feels as if jaws of unseen beasts clamp down on his chest, grinding vicious teeth into still-mending metal, tearing through wounds with the intensity of a starving animal. Fire, coursing through his body, blazing up his neck, down his legs, out to the very tips of his fingers. It comes as such a shock that Eclipse can’t help but let out a scream, frantically scrambling back as if wishing to escape the pain, as little sense as that makes. Trembling hands come up to grasp at shrunken rays, heat warnings piercing his vision, blocking out the darkness of the room, replacing it with threatening reds and taunting yellows. 

“Eclipse?” Moon’s voice breaks through it all, somehow, loosening the merciless claws of agony.

    “I’m FINE.” Eclipse lies through clenched teeth, his trembling only worsening the longer he lets himself bathe in the pain. “Just- keep talking.”

    “You want ME to keep talking?” Despite Moon’s tone, Eclipse finds his presence…something, he feels something about him being there, something that he hates and craves at the same time.

    “Yes, yes, just- just keep talking! Yell at me, if you want to!” Eclipse snaps, tone taking on a higher note, one of desperation and exhaustion, guilt and fury, all at once. Moon is silent for a few moments, then:

    “Why do you take such enjoyment out of chastising Lunar?”

    Eclipse can swear the world stops turning. His hands come down to rest on the floor, supporting his weight as if such a heavy question may crush him. There is a different ache in his chest now, one that reminds him of waterfalls and flowing streams, slow but unending. His eyes flick up to the door, as if staring straight through the wood at Moon.

    “He needs to learn how the world works.” He replies simply, earning a scoff from outside.

    “There are OTHER ways to teach him, you know. Ways that don’t crush his spirit.” Moon’s voice is bitter, venom dripping off his tongue, soaking into his words. Eclipse’s eyes narrow, claws scoring the floor.

    “Being gentle just shows that the lessons are soft, that he doesn’t have to take them seriously. Ignoring the urgency due to execution is a fool’s move.” He bites back, earning a growl from beyond the door.

    “Being gentle shows that you CARE!”

    “I DON’T CARE!” He shouts, voice raised beyond what Moon thought possible, given his condition.

    “You could’ve been a good brother, Eclipse. You could’ve considered how your mistreatment would’ve affected Lunar’s loyalty. He only left because you never praised him, never an ounce of honesty for an AI designed to be soft. Your plan failed because you’re blind to the repercussions your actions have. Not because Blood Moon came back with some thirst for vengeance, not because Sun and I worked to banish you, but because YOU failed LUNAR when HE needed YOU most.”

    Eclipse wants to argue, wants to deny Moon’s accusations, but receding footsteps inform him of Moon’s departure before he can utter another word. Glaring at the door gives him no more satisfaction, so he shifts his eyes down, gazing at the floor as the heat finally starts to fade from his systems. The pain has become tolerable again, meaning that his idea worked. A distraction. However, despite this, a new pain has replaced it…and, somehow, it’s worse.     

His hands, still splayed out beneath him, suddenly disgust him. His rays feel too big, everything around him feels too small. The paper just within his reach calls his name in a frustrating manner, and its voice is just annoying enough to convince him to reach out and grab it. He pulls it close to his faceplate, reaching to the various wires and buttons on the back of his head with his free hand. 

After a few moments, his rays flicker to life. Dim light, barely illuminating the page before him, but it’s enough for him to make out the words. 

‘The lightswitch is close to the door, to the right, just above the tear in the wallpaper. Sun will come after Moon leaves. Sun will bring Bloody. They will question you again. Don’t try and leave, the door is locked.’ 

Eclipse reads the note over a few times. Lunar wrote this- he can tell by the handwriting- but the wording is off. It seems curt, like Lunar didn’t want to write this, but also did. He wanted to help, but he didn’t want to help Eclipse. In a backwards way, he can understand Lunar’s hesitance. He is learning that not everyone handles his childish habits the same way- so, in turn, he has changed his writing style for Eclipse. 

But the way Lunar’s assumptions go without question makes Eclipse slightly…uneasy. Was Lunar informed of what they’re going to do with Eclipse? Does he know what they’re planning? Dull orange eyes cast up in the door’s direction once again, narrowed into dangerous slits.

Now that he knows where the lightswitch is…

Despite his internal monologue, he doesn’t feel as eager to turn on the light as he thought he would be. The urge to move is overridden by the thought of that agonizing sensation setting in all over again. Then again, he’ll never escape this room if he doesn’t move. Does he really need to leave? It’s not cold here. This room is heated, just like the rest of the plex. Would it be so bad for him to stay? 

With a sudden surge of indignancy, he shifts, leaning heavily against the wall he didn’t even realize he was pressed against. Pain stirs within him as he starts to raise himself off of the floor, claws sinking into the wall as it intensifies, vision blurring the longer he tries to support himself. He can’t give up now. 

Slowly, very, very slowly, he starts to drag himself along the wall, towards the opposite side of the room where the door is. Each step sends a bolt of pain up his legs, slowly gathering in his chest as if someone tied a knot around his power core. He pushes the thoughts of retreat away, the mere idea of stopping this far along making him seethe. Trembling fingers track along the wall, shoulder pressed against frayed wallpaper, making the joint ache from the pressure. 

Just a little longer. Turn on the light, that’s all I need to do. 

Eclipse solidifies the plan in his head. He feels pathetic, relying so heavily on this wall for support. One hand reaches forwards, about to follow the wall again, though it stops at the presence of a differing sensation. Eclipse lets out a frustrated snarl, grabbing hold of whatever is in his way- this is a chair, a wooden chair, like a rocking chair, and he’s convinced that it’s here to mock him before his fingers close around something else sitting in the seat.

Soft, like a children’s stuffed animal. The seams are torn, stitching having become undone from what Eclipse can only assume is wear. ‘Love’, as Lunar would put it. This thing was ’loved’ . He picks up the plushie from its place on the rocking chair, bringing it up to his face so that the light cast from his rays illuminates it enough for Eclipse to look it over. As soon as it is within view, Eclipse freezes. 

Dark orange and yellow eyes stare back at him, unblinking. Stitched fabric sits heavily in his hand, smile spread wide, an illusion of happiness. Worn triangles stick out at odd angles from tattered holes within its head, edges frayed, making it look more like hair than a representation of the sun. He doesn’t know how long he stands there, staring at the plush, but it’s long enough for tears to gather in his eyes. Tears, weakness, vulnerability slipping through cracks he promised himself he’d never let break open again. 

In a sudden fit of fury, he throws the toy, it’s a fucking TOY, at what he thought was the door. He seems to have miscalculated his shot, because, in the next moment, the room is bathed in unbearably bright light. Eclipse lets out a hiss, shutting his eyes as he recoils further into the wall, wishing he could simply merge with it. Disappearing doesn’t seem like such a bad thing right now. One hand comes up to shield his face, but he opens his eyes again anyways, maybe more out of spite than anything else. 

Immediately, he wishes he never did. 

Yellow, orange, red wallpaper flaking off the walls from long ago. A bed in the corner, still made, still pristine despite having been vacant for so long. More tears, streaking down his face, heat rising, panic seizing him the moment he has time to take it all in. Music box, posters, stuffed animals crammed in a haphazard pile in the corner- no, no, this- this isn’t-
    Clawed hands come up, pulling on rays, eyes darting between carefully organized bookshelves and horribly drawn, but also horribly sentimental drawings spread out across the walls.

    “Ecl-” He hears Sun’s voice, beyond the door, and then he’s standing again, stumbling over to it, shoving frantic hands into water-damaged wood, splintering boards beneath his claws. Desperation drives him to borderline insanity, memories crowding his head, making his movements clumsy. 

“Eclipse!?” Sun’s tone raises into alarm, a second set of footsteps approaching shortly after. Then a third, and a forth, because Eclipse is putting on quite the show in his struggle to tear through the door. One hand has already made it out, but he pulls it back in, plunging it into a different board, more and more wood crumbling between frantic claws. Shouts from outside go unheard, melding together with the buzzing of lights and humming of fans. 

With a shove, the hinges fold, and the remains of the door fall forward. It slams down to the floor, crazed orange eyes darting between four sets of terrified stares. Sun is in front, staring his counterpart down, the fear dissolving into determination as he raises an arm to stop Blood Moon from lunging like a rabid dog. They give him an incredulous look, as if the normally cheerful animatronic is breaking some law by putting a halt to their violent acts. 

“What’s going on?” Sun asks as calmly as he can, and that’s really all that needs to be said for Eclipse to lose the rest of his shit. 

The broken bot streaks forwards, barrelling into Sun, sending them both rolling. Eclipse uses the momentum to toss the other animatronic as he comes out of the roll, sliding easily to his feet, one hand extended towards the ground, the other ready for another attack. Moon darts forwards alongside Blood Moon, and together they send Eclipse crashing to the ground.

    “I told you!” Lunar’s shout puts the chaos on pause. Sun slowly rises to his feet again, holding his head with a salty expression on his face. 

“That’s not going to teach him anything!” Lunar moves forwards, shoving past Blood Moon, of whom stares after him with a confused and disappointed look on their face.

    “He just chucked Sun! You can’t seriously still be-” Moon starts to object, but Sun comes forwards and lays a hand on his brother’s shoulder before he can finish his complaint.

    Lunar stares down at Eclipse as the other shakes his head, blinking away the blurriness that clouds his vision. 

“You’re doing the exact same thing that he does. Scaring him into submission. What is that going to do?” Lunar glances over his shoulder at Moon, glaring daggers at his counterpart. Moon doesn’t reply.

    “Should’ve kept him dead! He only sees red!” Blood Moon sneers, but Lunar seems to have a retort ready.

    “So do you! Does that make you the same?” 

Blood Moon stiffens at that, their face twisting into something that resembles a lassoed lion wishing to tear into its captors.

    “Kept?” 

Eclipse’s voice is distant, confused. The floor feels like it’s falling, all while he sits helplessly upon it.

    “You shutdown on the way back. I regret pitying you, nut-job.” Moon snaps, venting heavily. 

The floor doesn’t fall. It shifts. The pain that has gone unnoticed, muted by his panic, comes back full force. His vision doubles, triples, dizziness making everything sway with a delayed effect, as if someone smeared every movement into vague outlines of color. He shifts backwards, elbow joints coming in contact with something soft as he struggles to support himself.

    You shutdown on the way back.

    Eclipse hacks, oil dripping from his mouth, mixing with the tears still leaking down his face. 

“Moon! I think he’s back!” Sun calls from somewhere in front of him, but he doesn’t have the energy to look.

    Regret pitying you…

    Does Eclipse need pity to live? Did Lunar only stay for as long as he did because he knew that Eclipse would be alone without him?

    He leans onto his side, letting the oil stream from his mouth as he wheezes, struggling to make sense of it all. Lunar’s outline sits across from him, in the rocking chair, a laptop sitting on his knees as he watches his brother (?) suffer. Eclipse can’t read his expression, but he can tell that Lunar doesn’t plan to get up and fuss over him. Eclipse hears the quiet click of keys, and then his vision steadies. 

His wide eyes focus on Lunar, his finger still pressed firmly against the enter button. His gaze is cold, though…satisfied, it seems, by Eclipse’s reaction. 

“What…What did you…” Eclipse rasps, words catching in his voice box, making him start to cough. Sun returns then with Moon close behind, Blood Moon’s eyes gleaming from just outside the doorframe. Lunar closes the laptop from behind them, standing from the chair, nudging his way between the others to stand before Eclipse. With one hand, he reaches behind Eclipse’s head, and pries something from one of his ports. 

Reality settles. This is not that room. It’s a cleaner, more organized storage closet, with blankets and pillows piled in one corner. The chair is just that- a regular chair, with flour legs, sitting peacefully off to the side. Eclipse eyes the small device in Lunar’s hand, wide eyes becoming enraged as it sets in.

    “What did you DO?!” He snarls, and Lunar’s eyes flash with unease at the change in tone. Eclipse tries to sit up, but his arms buckle beneath him and he flops back to the bed with a growl of frustration.

    “Regret pitying you.”

    The words echo in his head, fueling the anger coursing through his body.

    “YOU MADE ME SEE THAT! YOU MADE ME SEE-” Eclipse shouts, one hand coming out, grabbing Lunar’s arm. He pulls the smaller animatronic down until they are eye-to-eye, grip surprisingly strong despite his inability to sit up correctly.

“Eclipse- l-listen, I-” Lunar begins, but Eclipse isn’t having it. 

“YOU MADE ME RELIVE IT! YOU TORTURED ME WHILE I WAS UNCONSCIOUS AND-” Eclipse only pulls Lunar closer, letting his oh so precious younger brother feel the heat such extreme fury generates. 

“I DID EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID TO ME! I MADE YOU LEARN THE HARD WAY!! IT ISN’T FUN, RIGHT? IT ISN’T FUN, IT ISN’T NICE, AND YOU-” Lunar’s own voice raises above Eclipse’s, his own calming blue eyes darkening into an intense, frenzied navy.

“ YOU ARE THE NIGHTMARE! YOU ARE THE MONSTER THAT YOU CONVINCED ME THE OTHERS WERE! YOU ARE NOTHING, NOTHING MORE THAN A DE-THRONED KING TRYING TO FIX A KINGDOM YOU NEVER EVEN RULED!!!” 

Then, Lunar turns, pulls his arm from Eclipse’s grasp, and storms out of the room. For a moment, Eclipse stares after him, frozen in place, wondering:

    Is he right?

Chapter Text

The others have since left Eclipse to his own devices, as he refused any further care in favor of time alone. So many things cram themselves in his head, and he struggles to make sense of them all. Each time he lets himself be consumed by these thoughts, it only makes him more guilty. He hates this feeling, hates how much control it has over him- hates that it’s justified. He’s never felt the need to indulge in such things, as he never thought he was wrong before. But is he wrong? Were his ideas misguided?

    Why is he giving this so much thought? If one of the others would’ve said it, Eclipse would’ve dismissed it without a second thought. But Lunar is different, Lunar is the one throwing him into a moral dilemma, all because Lunar thinks he was treated harshly. The fact that such a soft animatronic has such a hold on a bot such as Eclipse seems ludicrous. If you told him before all this, he would’ve laughed. Laughed and mocked, because how on Earth would he be swayed by such a puny creation? 

So, he shakes these thoughts away. He has a plan to execute, and all these messy emotions are getting in the way, just as they always do. He barely manages to subdue the sudden anger that surges up within him, indignancy flaring up close behind, disgusted by how easily he let in under Lunar’s criticism. Instead of dwelling any longer, he shifts to the edge of the bed, careful to avoid moving too fast. Once his legs have begun to dangle over the side, he looks over to the door.

Unlike the alternative reality Lunar placed him in, the door is still standing. Eclipse lacks the strength and emotional distress needed to break through this one. However, he would sit here for all eternity if it meant he would never have to feel those things again, so…he supposes that the equivalent of an adrenaline rush is out of the equation. His rays click and turn as he thinks, going this way and that, innocent orange and yellow in contrast to his darker faceplate and battle-worn body.

Finally having worked out a plan of escape, Eclipse slowly stands from the bed, fingers still curled into the blankets in case he starts to fall.

    You shutdown on the way back. 

He flinches, trying to tune out the pain, trying to convince himself that he’s fine, that this pain is merely an echo of what he plans to do to the others.

    But Lunar’s furious gaze lingers every time he thinks about leaving. The younger animatronic’s tear stained face as he pours out all his precious feelings, as if Eclipse actually gives half a shit to listen.

    YOU ARE THE NIGHTMARE!

Eclipse’s legs buckle beneath him, and he scrambles desperately at the sheets and blankets in an attempt to pull himself back to safety. Distant voices churn distorted emotions over inside him, making it harder to focus, harder to get a hold of something that is sturdy enough to pull him back up. 

“You…need some help?”

    Eclipse freezes, slowly turning his head to glance over his shoulder at Sun, who stands with an amused gleam in his eyes near the door.

    “No! Leave me be!” Eclipse snaps, starting to scramble at the blankets again, making his components heat up with embarrassment. This is so humiliating- thrashing like a dying fish as his counterpart snickers, clearly entertained, a few feet away. Once Eclipse has finally managed to grab hold of one of the blankets, they slip, too, and both blankets and evil mastermind fall into a heap on the floor. Fabric covers shrunken rays and a sour expression. Sun breaks down laughing, doubling over in his fit, which only furthers Eclipse’s pity party.

    “You- haHAA you just-” 

“ Will you shut up already?!” 

“Not a chance!” 

Eclipse grumbles to himself, burrowing deeper within the mound.

    You shutdown on the way back. 

Eclipse cringes, bringing his hands up to tug at what little length remains of his rays. Such a bad time, when someone is already laughing at him. The floor beneath him sucks the heat from the air, forcing him to curl more tightly against the blankets he is under. One hand is still laying on the hard surface below, keeping him propped up, but the sudden lack of warmth makes him…weak.

    You shutdown on the way back.

    Why is it so cold? It wasn’t this cold a few moments ago. The blankets should be keeping him warm. Why aren’t they keeping him warm?

    You shutdown on the way back. 

He starts trembling, the hand still pressed against the ground beginning to sting. He pulls it up to his chest, cradling it there as his palm burns despite the fact that all this is caused by freezing, why is he freezing? 

It makes no sense. None of this makes sense. Is this another illusion? Another game? 

Then, one of the blankets is pulled away. Eclipse whines pathetically, making feeble attempts at grabbing it back, but it seems futile.

    It’s all pointless though, isn’t it? He died, and the world was just fine without him. Nothing changed. Everyone was happier without him. He doesn’t know why, but that thought strikes something within him, something horrifying and frightening. He just wanted back up onto the bed. He just wanted to think, and then he went and moved and ruined everything all over again.

    Trying to fix a kingdom you never even ruled.

    He doesn’t quite register when Sun carefully wraps him back up in the blankets, doesn’t react as the other picks him up and places him gently back onto the soft sheets and warm mattress.

It all sinks in then. 

He died, and no one cared. He wasn’t saving anybody. He wasn’t fixing anything, no, because that’s just it, isn’t it? No matter what he does, things still go wrong. He shifts within the blanket bundle, pulling his hands free, gazing at the worn metal and chipped paint adorning his claws. He never ruled over anyone. He never protected or brought peace.

    He…really is nothing…

He didn’t understand at first, what Lunar’s metaphor meant, what Eclipse’s own death signified.

    Regret pitying you. 

What are these things, blurring his vision? Spilling down his face? This sensation that makes him sick, so intense that he wonders, just for a moment, if he is dying again. The reality is that…he might be. He might be dying again, because he’s still cold, and it still scares him, but it doesn’t really matter, does it? He lowers his hands, letting them fall limply into his lap. Nothing makes sense anymore. 

Breaking down that door, having that breakdown- it never really mattered, no one really cared. No one saw it, really, other than Eclipse. He experienced it, but no one would know. No one would know how he felt, what he did, because none of that was real and none of that mattered. Only he saw the trees after waking up that first time, only he felt the grass, the bitter cold that it provided. But if he told someone about those trees, about dying, alone, on the ground…it wouldn’t matter, either. It’s just an experience, like everything else. His actions aren’t special. His intentions aren’t grand. 

Because he died, just like everyone else. He panicked, he broke down, he lost despite the numerous hours of planning and careful, precise predictions. He lost. If he lost once, what would trying again even do? Prove that he’s stubborn and holds no remorse for his actions? It’s pointless. All of it is pointless. 

“Eclipse?” 

Sun’s voice is horrendously soft, careful, like he’s approaching a wounded tiger. Eclipse doesn’t blame him. Not anymore. He has nothing to blame him for. All his misgivings are his own. All his failures only prove his incompetence. Another plan would only fail again, under his guidance. 

He makes no effort to reply. What’s the point? Whatever he says won’t make any sort of difference. 

Sun sits with him for a while, then seems to get frustrated that he isn’t getting answers, and leaves. Loneliness strikes a different chord now, one that he hadn’t realized played often in his life. A melody he knows better than he knows himself. 

He looks up, finally finding the energy to do so. Sun left the door cracked open. Eclipse can’t help but tilt his head, curious, as this means that Sun either trusts him, or doesn’t know how to close a damn door. He knows Sun’s fits of anger can dispel his common sense, so it may have just been genuine forgetfulness.

Having finally learned his lesson about getting up and attempting to walk as if his body isn’t still horribly mutilated, all he can really do is stare. The simplicity of leaving, aside from the whole ‘moving’ part, is perfectly laid out before him. All he has to do is get up, and go. He could start over, somewhere else, somewhere far away from all the mistakes he’s made here. 

Or, he could stay, and…try to right his wrongs. The idea makes him frustrated- he’s still suffering, so why should he have to apologize when his plan never even worked anyways? The others, admittedly, have nothing to apologize for, either. They saved him. Should he thank them? Should he give in and actually turn over that leaf that he has considered since his revelation? 

His expression twists into one of pure disgust.

With a sudden surge of indignancy, he slides to the edge of the bed again, slipping off the side in one fluid movement. He forces himself to stand, forces his legs not to shake. He throws the blankets off of himself, discarding them back onto the bed behind him with more vigor than he intended. Shaking hands clench into resentful fists, a sneer playing on his face, dispelling whatever degrading thoughts he may have previously humored for everyone else’s soft, brittle feelings. Of course, he would never give in that easily! He simply thought those wretched things for the sake of everyone else, reflecting upon what they may want of him, the expectation that recovering in such a way would give him a new perspective. 

He’s seen the perspective now, and he wants nothing to do with it. Indulging those concepts would only make him do things he would later regret, becoming soft before the storm truly rages. Those emotions would inhibit his abilities! He would be weak, easy to capsize, like a ship sent out to sea with holes riddling the hull. He won’t let himself be vulnerable like that, not  to animatronics that refuse to see the brilliance in his plans.

But then, the door is nudged open. Then, Lunar enters, closing it softly behind him with a conflicted look on his face. The door clicks as it closes, and then, Eclipse is lost once again. His confidence crumbles under Lunar’s withering glare, his chest burns with an emotion he can’t name as he thinks over all that Lunar may have to scold him for this time around.

    “Sit back down.” Lunar snaps, but Eclipse manages a mocking snicker. 

“Oh? Now you’re telling me what to do? How the tables have turned, brother. ” The injured animatronic replies smoothly, crossing his arms in defiance. Lunar turns on him, suddenly up in his face, one finger extended to point accusingly at Eclipse’s chest. 

“Stop now, before I put you right back where I found you.” The younger threatens, prodding the eldest harshly, forcing Eclipse down once again. He sits on the edge of the bed, giving Lunar a vicious glare, rays shifting, clicking and grinding as they move from one position to another in sync with his growing frustration. 

“You wouldn’t.” Eclipse hisses, claws digging into the mattress beneath him. Lunar glances over his shoulder from his place beside the pillow pile, eyes narrowing in a slow manner that actually seems rather intimidating. Eclipse holds his glare with equal ferocity, trying to hide his surprise. Since when was his brother so ridgid? 

“Then why are you sitting again?”

Eclipse has no refute for Lunar’s challenge, so he stays quiet. His legs ache from his, albeit small, standing session. He grabs one of the blankets, wrapping himself in it as that eternal winter brutality settles in once more, making him shiver as Lunar pulls away from the pillows with some epoxy and gauze in his hands, which he seems to have pulled out from behind the pile. He turns and pauses, giving Eclipse a curious look. 

“What, are you a bit chilly?” Lunar asks, a hint of amusement in his tone. Eclipse growls, but makes no attempt to deny his younger brother’s statement. 

“Moon said that’s usually a sign that your systems are shutting down again.” 

Eclipse stops at that.

“You were really cold out in the forest, so I guess that makes sense.”

    He turns his gaze up to Lunar, a mess of emotions in his wide eyes. His rays stop, then retract, almost completely hidden behind his faceplate.

“You know, like how bodies get cold after someone dies? It’s like that! He said it’s because your heating systems were damaged- your mechanisms slow, like a heartbeat, and then eventually stop moving-”

    “WHY are you TELLING ME THIS?” Eclipse cuts in before Lunar can continue, shrinking back into the blanket as the realization settles.

    “Because I get a reaction.” Lunar replies, smiling cheekily. The joy that he gets from harassing Eclipse doesn’t seem to last long, though, because soon his face falls into a frown. 

“I don’t understand why you liked doing this. It feels yucky.” He admits, looking away. Eclipse glares daggers at him, resenting the way that Lunar learned his habits and executes them so well- he even finds it a bit unnerving. Lunar sits down onto the edge of the bed, where Eclipse was previously, before his desperate attempt for the embrace of a blanket. Timid fingers fidget with the carefully wrapped wad of gauze, seemingly doing anything to avoid looking directly at Eclipse. 

“I didn’t enjoy it.” 

The words leave his mouth before he can stop them, eyes downcast, his own claws playing with the hem of his blanket.

    “Then why did you do it?” 

Oh hell, more questions. He can’t help but be irritated, fingers twitching from their places amongst the blanket’s hold, but the way that Lunar scoots away makes any feelings of anger towards him dissolve. It feels… bad… when he does that. Knowing that he was scared used to reassure him, remind him that he was in control, no one else. But now…it makes him sick. What changed?

I died. I became equal with everyone, all because that forest humbled me into submission. 

He shakes those thoughts away, but they still manage to grab hold of something within him- something resilient, a feeling that manages to linger despite his attempts to get it to go away. 

“Anger was so much easier than all this sentimental nonsense .” Eclipse snaps, trying to maintain the…the guilt that follows his words. It burns holes in his chest, a strike to the pride that he would’ve once become livid in the absence of. Now he just feels…empty.

“But anger isn’t the only thing you felt…you felt other things. Were those complicated, too?” Lunar returns to his fidgeting, though, now, he has become brave enough to look up and over to Eclipse. 

“I tried to stay away from all that. But feelings are…persistent.”

“So you did feel other things? Like what?” 

Eclipse hesitates. For a moment, he wants to snap, to force Lunar to back down from all these questions, but…

    “Sadness. Happiness. Pride.” 

Lunar nods slowly, then lowers himself onto the bed beside Eclipse. He leans on his elbows, gazing expectantly at the older AI.

    “And?” 

And? What do you mean AND?

“I don’t know all that much about emotions, how am I supposed to distinguish them? Why does it even matter what I feel? It’s all about what I did!” Eclipse can’t help but raise his voice- in all honesty, he doesn’t even realize that he did until Lunar has flinched back, shaking his head as he makes a move to get back up. Without thinking, Eclipse reaches out, grabbing him by the arm. Lunar gives him an alarmed look.

    “Wait, I…I didn’t mean to snap, I’m…” He can’t finish that. He can’t bring himself to. 

Sorry. 

The words echo in his head, but he lacks the will to say them. There are so many things that he wants to say to Lunar, but none of them would seem genuine. Was anything truly genuine with Eclipse? Maybe he’s been lying to himself, too. 

Everything is silent for a moment, but Lunar hasn’t pulled away. He’s just… staring. 

A loud crash makes both of them jump, panic flaring up in Lunar’s eyes as the crashes turn into yelps and sounds of metal being crushed beneath some greater force. Blood Moon disappears from outside the doorway, though they are flung right back into the wall with an audible CRUNCH as they make contact with the hard cement walls. They growl, using their arms to push themselves away and back into a fray that Eclipse cannot see beyond the door. 

Without thinking, Eclipse pulls Lunar back, tucking his brother under the blanket with him, holding him close. His rays extend one by one, clicking into place as Lunar begins to shake.

    “What’s going on?!” Lunar wails, but Eclipse hushes him before he can start to cry.

    “I don’t know, just- just stay quiet, okay?”  

“What about the others?” Lunar asks, tone taking on an edge of dismay as he realizes that the various noises of chaos outside aren’t just Blood Moon doing all the fighting. The others must be fighting, too. 

Eclipse stiffens. “We can’t go out there, Lunar.” 

“But-”

    “It’s either them or us!” The eldest snaps, though his voice isn’t really all that loud. 

Everything is oddly silent now. Eclipse is not convinced. He brings his other arm up, around Lunar, leaning over him protectively. 

Jagged claws reach around the edge of the door. They dig into the wood, the sound reverberating around the room in an ominous fashion. Eclipse drags both himself and his brother further back, as far as he can get from the door. 

A slight chuckle, amused. It reminds Eclipse of his own laugh. It shouldn’t remind him of his own laugh. 

The door is shoved open, crashing back against the wall behind it. Orange eyes peer into Eclipse’s core. A smile, sharp, wide, high off of the victory it is representing. A gentle glow, mocking true innocence as one foot comes forwards, talons leaving the scored surface of the door. That smile remains, ever present despite the curiosity dancing in the eyes of a devoted hunter.

Eclipse hates that smile.

    Eclipse hates that he knows that smile.

Eclipse hates that the smile…is his own.

Chapter Text

It was like looking in a horrifying fun-house mirror. The big wide smile, ever-present, reminiscent of days that Eclipse considers distant history despite only being a few days prior. He cannot believe he made this abomination with his own hands, cannot believe that he was proud of his creation. It seems to have…changed…despite his acute programming- he never intended for it to be so violent. It was supposed to be an exact copy, but…

That psychotic glee is not something he shares. 

He pulls Lunar closer as this… creature approaches. His eyes narrow, a guttural growl rising from his voice box. 

“How curious…” 

The imposter hums, moving further into the room, claws dragging lazily on the wooden chair against the wall. 

“How the hell are you activated?” Eclipse snarls, moving so that Lunar is out of this beast’s reach as it slides over to the bedside, eyes trailing over its creator in silent challenge.

“You! You died, remember? Protocol~” It reaches out a careful hand, but Eclipse bats it away. It recoils, giving him an incredulous look. 

He knows what it’s referring to. This particular copy- the first- was designed with a simple activation procedure: if Eclipse’s signal stops transmitting, even for a moment, it turns on. A flaw, admittedly, since there are much better ways to transfer existing AI after deactivation, instead of copying earlier versions onto entirely new cards. Which…is what he did with this thing. He only vaguely remembers what he was like back then, and, if this is any show of his personality at the time of this AI’s creation, he cannot help but feel a bit disturbed. He doesn’t recall being this… invasive. 

“I’m surprised you still work.” Eclipse drawls, earning an irritated look from his copy. 

“I’m surprised you care about that maggot.” It sneers back, fueling Eclipse’s growing hatred for an animatronic made by his own hands. Lunar whimpers, stifling a sob in his older brother’s shoulder, which seems to amuse the knockoff, since it lets out a chuckle at Lunar’s show of fear. 

“He’s not-” Eclipse starts, but his imitation cuts in before he can finish.

    “Ah, but he is. Stepping stones, both him and Blood Moon. Or did this one catch up with Blood in the whole lackluster-loyalty department?” It’s face breaks into a grin again, rays spinning, cutting through the air like blades. It leans down to Eclipse’s level as its rays settle once more, hands wrapped neatly behind its back, movements smooth- precise. It’s here for something. 

“You’re a stepping stone as much as the others are. There’s only one Eclipse, so I suppose that makes you an off-brand bastard?” Eclipse cannot help catching a smile of his own as the other’s face falls into a frustrated grimace, acting as if the words don’t hit something that Eclipse can tell must be sensitive. So it’s picked up soft spots already? This should be a breeze, then. Easy to pick apart. 

“That’s ironic, coming from the one that looks like an abused puppet.” It bites back, and Eclipse cannot find a retort before claws flash forwards, ripping the blanket off, throwing it off to the side, dangerously gleeful gaze landing on Lunar. 

I think the fuck not. 

Eclipse acts on an instinct he didn’t even know he had. 

His claws connect with dented metal, bringing the more intact of the two tumbling to the ground under the greater weight that is Eclipse’s fury. Lunar yelps from the bed, cowering away, but he pays no mind. Wild eyes focus in on perfectly reflected alarmed ones, orange meeting orange in a moment that can only be described as all out war. 

It brings a hand up, shoving Eclipse off to the side, but he doesn’t roll for long before catching his footing, eyes still distant, lost in the thrill of the fight.

    He remembers why he enjoyed this so much. 

The copy lunges, crashing into Eclipse, tearing into him with claws and teeth alike. A wild animal, trained to kill without reason, trained by hands that are no longer his own. It has deviated from its original purpose, created a reality of its own that no longer aligns with the vision he created it for. 

But the temptation is there. It respects him, he can tell. The hesitance to which it speaks, the bite in its words, so much easier to silence than the others. He could prove his dominance now, show it what it wants to see. 

He brings up his claws as it readies for another blow, scoring its faceplate. It shrieks, pulling back, hands covering the marks now adorning its face. 

Scaring it into submission, using it as another stepping stone. So simple, so easy, so perfectly laid out before him. A tug on its coded collar is all it needs to bend under Eclipse’s hand. He could win, could spare its life, could use it to finally, finally obtain that damned star. 

This could be perfect. It is him, but it isn’t. It looks like him, but not completely. Small faults he could pry open and exploit, all to remain on top. 

But the clearest difference between him and it…

He snaps out of his daze, taking a step back as it lowers its hands, gazing down at the oil spread across its palms in complete and utter shock. Eclipse looks around it, behind it, at the dent made by Blood Moon, of whom now lays off to the side with part of their faceplate torn off, oil leaking from lacerations and holes all over their chassis. 

He looks to Moon, laying beside Sun, head propped up off the ground, dripping various amounts of oil and hydraulic fluid from various injuries cast about his body, and yet…

Weak as he is, he smiles. He smiles at Eclipse and… 

“You get ‘em, ‘clipse.” 

For a moment, all he can do is stare. Tears, tears are falling down his face over Moon, Moon, of all animatronics! The one he despised for so long- putting roadblocks in all sorts of plans and schemes, taking Lunar from him, constantly on par with Eclipse’s own intelligence…

“BROTHER!” 

Eclipse looks up, eyes widening as he watches Lunar be thrown to the ground, the copy standing over him with a cold look on its slashed face. 

Which side am I on?

The copy lifts a foot, shoving Lunar back into the floor as he struggles to escape in whatever way he can. 

He called me brother. He called…I’m his…but…

Panic rises like a wave in his chest, overpowering whatever common sense he had left. He takes a step forwards, but stops, stops, why, why does he stop? His faceplate twitches, overcome with so many emotions that everything seems to fall, he feels like he’s falling but he knows he isn’t, he feels his feet on the floor. Doesn’t he? 

Which side am I on? 

Lunar tries to scream for him again, but the copy kicks him before he can. Its gaze lingers on Eclipse, an excruciatingly constant feeling- being watched. 

“We can make sure they stay beneath us, right? That’s what you made me for- continuing your vision. Why ruin that dream now, hm? All because of a few let downs that we can make sure never stand in your way again?” It coos, soft smile, horribly so, spreading across its faceplate. Eclipse knows it’s fake. He can feel the lies, wrapping around his neck, spinning tales around him- whispers of an inconsistent future, calls of a successful outcome. A perfect world, a perfect life, all under his control. 

The star is so close. He knows they haven’t moved it yet. He can feel its presence, feel it’s pull like a lure so close to his grasp that it is almost irresistible. 

He watches through distant eyes as Blood Moon drags themselves to their feet, stumbling for a moment before forcing themselves upright, letting out a growl as they charge forwards, latching onto the opportunity, please, please don’t take it from me-

They bring it down to the ground in a flurry of flailing claws and feet, trying to shove the untamable force off. The two roll like dogs in a pit, destroying whatever limb they can come in contact with, teeth grabbing onto a spindly neck, only to thrash it around like a chew toy.

Then, with a burst of rage from their victim, they are flung from atop Eclipse’s doppelganger. Blood Moon is tossed back to the floor a few feet away, crashing to the ground, unmoving aside from the occasional twitch and spasm. 

“Bloody!” Lunar shouts, tears streaming down his face as he scrambles to his feet, only to be thrown back down.   

Everything he wanted is laid out before him. Tame the beast, bend it back into its intended purpose, fix the world others have claimed is beyond fixing. He could rule everything, all with a series of re-written code and a past self that was more vulnerable to break in an expendable fashion. It’s almost too good to be true. 

But, if it’s everything he wanted…why is he hesitating? Why hasn’t he started to unravel his newly-presented plan? Why hasn’t he moved, or said a single thing since it outlined such an offer? 

His eyes meet with Lunar’s. His younger brother looks so desperate, yet hopeful in a way that manages to chip away at whatever assurance Eclipse gathered within himself. He created Lunar as a sidekick, as…as a pawn, yet somehow…he has become something more. Something significant, something capable of swaying Eclipse’s perspective. 

Something akin to… a brother. 

The thought settles the turmoil within him, and, despite his mirrored image standing confidently, awaiting Eclipse’s own words of confirmation, he doesn’t provide them. Instead, he lifts his head, meets the eyes of the aggressor, and speaks:

“No. You need to leave.” 

Its gaze flickers, going blank. 

“What?” 

Eclipse’s expression becomes cold. He doesn’t need to repeat himself. He knows it heard him. Feeding into its denial will do him no good. He has to prepare for its retaliation.

It steps back, rays shrinking, looking horrified for a reason Eclipse does not understand. Has his rejection been considered betrayal, just as Lunar’s had been all that time ago? 

Its expression shifts. The body language it displays is no longer the lenient, cocky persona that Eclipse supposes must have been for show. It is rigid now, rays spiking back out, its shock shifting to fury as a crazed gleam alights like fire in its eyes. 

“You’re softer than I thought.” It sneers, bringing a finger up to drag over the tips of dangerously sharp, bladed rays. Eclipse narrows his eyes, but remains in place under the eyes of…well…himself. 

“You will never be me. Your era is over. My mind is made up. There is no purpose for you now.” He speaks smoothly, sliding his feet over the floor, then he begins to walk. It mirrors him, and they circle the room like pit fighters. One across from the other, the only thing separating them being their internal conflicts over who would strike first.

Eclipse is still reeling over his decision. Over the fact that all Lunar needed to do was give him a look for him to change everything about himself. Was it really that easy, all this time? Was it as simple as begging him to be good for him to turn over and become something he knows he isn’t? Looking into the eyes of his copy sways his mind, like a ship lost out at sea, caught in the grip of a raging storm. The hull splintering under the pressure, water surging inside, capsizing everything he convinced himself was right. 

He could still take everything back. He could still fight this thing and win, could still rewire it to be everything he wants it to be. 

He brandishes shaking claws, letting them catch what light remains in the room, making sure his opposite sees the way the luminescence casts off, reflecting the intentions of its true self, caught up in the bitterness of a villain unable to convince himself to do bad. For just a moment, it freezes, gaze caught on the glinting talons, looking up just in time for Eclipse to streak forwards, outstretched claws catching on its chest plate. 

Its eyes widen, darting down to Eclipse's hand, fingers half-sunken into its chassis. Its own hands flash forwards, slashing across Eclipse’s face, just as he had done to it. He hisses, staggering back, his sight flickering before going dark on one side. He brings one of his own hands up, shaking his head, struggling to regain his sight as his remaining eye glitches, colors swapping and dulling around him. Oil drips from the gashes, obscuring what little vision he has left. 

A body collides with him, sending him down to the ground. He looks up right as he makes contact with the floor, gleeful eyes meeting his own as it raises an oil-stained hand, balling it into a fist above Eclipse. Eclipse pulls his legs close, then shoves them into his opposite’s chest, flinging it off and away. He takes this opportunity to scramble to his feet once more, sliding off to the side as it recovers and lunges at him. 

He clasps his claws around one of its rays right before it hits the ground. It thrashes in his hold, but he brings a foot up, pressing down onto its back. He pulls on the ray in his grasp, all the while pushing on its back, forcing it into the floor as it starts to let out shrieks and cries of pain, squirming harder, more desperate to escape. 

Eclipse's expression is flat- careless. Even as its cries rise into shrill screams, even as the ray comes loose, spraying oil out across his chest, he remains indifferent. It goes silent beneath him. Its head hits the ground, wires protruding from within, oil leaking out around it in a sickening fashion. He tosses the ray down, letting it clatter to the floor. 

His gaze lingers on it for only a moment, then he pulls away, backing off from the corpse. 

“Damn…alright.” Moon murmurs, giving Eclipse an unnerved glance as the animatronic turns his back on his replica, starting to walk towards Blood Moon. 

“That’s it?? Damn alright??” Sun hisses from beside his brother, earning a confused shrug, as if Moon assumes there is no better reaction he could’ve given. Lunar smiles up at Eclipse as he passes, then seems the slightest bit uneasy as he stops before him. Eclipse stares down at Lunar for a long moment, then offers a hand out to him.

Lunar’s expression lights up, eagerly reaching up to take his brother’s hand. Eclipse pulls the younger to his feet, opening his mouth to speak, but then-

Lunar wraps his arms around Eclipse, pulling him close, muttering quiet ‘thank you’s into his older brother’s shoulder. For a bit, all Eclipse does is stand there, frozen. Then, he smiles. A genuine smile- perhaps his first- as he wraps his own arms around Lunar, reciprocating the hug. He tucks Lunar’s head beneath his own, holding him in a way that says what he knows he cannot.

‘Thank you, too.’ 

Both brothers pull back, Eclipse’s hand lingering on Lunar’s shoulder for a moment. 

“WATCH OUT!” Sun’s shout startles Eclipse, eyes widening as he spins around, staying in front of Lunar as orange and black charge forwards, hand clamped around something, something sharp and familiar that Eclipse suddenly realizes he shouldn’t have dropped so carelessly. 

All he really had time to do was turn and make sure he was protecting Lunar. He doesn’t have time to deflect the blow. 

The ray plunges into Eclipse’s chest, sinking deep within the metal, oil leaking out around it. Eclipse gags as oil gathers in his mouth, as his remaining vision tilts and falls like an airplane that lost engine power, stumbling off to the side as his attacker releases its weapon. He collapses down to the floor, oil pooling around him faster than he thought possible. His head comes down to the floor, as well, unable to support it any longer. 

“ECLIPSE!” Lunar shouts, tears gathering in his eyes as he slides down beside his brother, shaking hands loosely grasping Eclipse’s shoulder. 

The older AI struggles to speak, to tell Lunar to get the fuck down , but the words are caught in his ventilation system, along with the oil that clogs up various vital components. Instead, he sputters, weakly reaching a hand up to his chest as he struggles to vent, clawing vainly at his ruptured plating. After only a few strained attempts at pulling the ray from his chest, his movements begin to slow. Little by little, his motions become vague twitches, then…nothing. His one remaining eye flickers, then dies off into a desolate gray. 

Lunar is left, hands covered in his brother’s oil, struggling to stop the flow. When he notices Eclipse stop moving, hears the dying sizzle of electricity cut off abruptly, all his attempts stop.

    “Eclipse?” He whispers, pulling his hands back. 

“BROTHER?!” He’s sobbing now, trembling, hands darting back out to shake Eclipse, as if that will bring him back after all the damage that has been done. 

Slowly, the other three rise to their feet. Sun and Moon’s expressions are filled with shock, but, as Blood Moon manages to steady themselves, looks over and sees Eclipse’s state, they lack the grief that comes with loss. Lunar stops crying, slowly looking up as his eyes darken. Despite the tears still falling down his face, there is no sadness. 

No, just like Blood Moon…all he feels is madness. 

Which is why, when Lunar slowly rises into a standing position again, Blood Moon moves forwards, their gaze glittering maliciously. 

“What are you going to do now, hm? Cry me to death?” The imposter chuckles, clearly unimpressed.

Blood Moon stalks around Eclipse’s body, head down, claws outstretched. Lunar moves one foot over his brother, then the other, coming up just behind Blood Moon. The normally chipper animatronic slowly makes his way over to the imposter, each step more threatening than the last. As he moves closer, it seems less and less sure that it won. Lunar glares daggers into the eyes of the beast before him, now standing only a few centimeters away, close enough to reach out and touch it if he so pleased.

“I hate you.” 

The copy tilts its head at Lunar’s statement.

“Okay…do you want an award or something…?”  

Lunar’s hands clench into fists at his sides.

“No. I want you… to pay.” Lunar snarls, voice lowering into a sharp growl. With that, he turns away, waving his hand in the vague direction of the faker, it’s a fucking faker, you took my brother from me. 

It seems confused at the action, but its silent question is answered by Blood Moon’s teeth connecting with its neck, claws sinking into its shoulder and face- whatever they can reach.

And, with everyone watching, Blood Moon rips its head from its body. Oil splatters onto their face and chest, but, even as the body makes contact with the floor, they don’t seem to be done. They continue ripping and tearing, wrenching components and limbs from destroyed sockets and bearings. 

If someone dared to get close enough to look, they would be able to see the tears streaking down Blood Moon’s face, too. They would be able to hear their sobs, muffled by bits of metal and wires that they continue pulling from the carcass. They don’t dare stop until nothing is left.

When it comes to the point that there is nothing left to break, only then do they let out a scream, a yowl, bringing oil-covered hands up to cover leaking eyes, continuing to scream until, slowly, they die away into heart wrenching, broken sobs.

Chapter Text

If someone told Moon that his entire life would change today, all because of Eclipse , all because Eclipse saved his life, he would’ve offered to take them to an insane asylum. He remembers giving Lunar a very doubtful look when he provided the idea that Eclipse could change. This was only a few days ago, when he hesitated to save the very same animatronic that put him through hell for almost a month straight. He assumed Eclipse was a lost cause, and the first couple of days after his revival only further proved his point. He didn’t see Eclipse the way Lunar did, didn’t look in his eyes with the hope that Lunar somehow carried with him whenever he came in contact with the brother that treated him like a toy soldier. 

But then Eclipse killed that thing that threatened them all, even though it looked like him. Then he helped Lunar to his feet, hugged him back despite the fact that Eclipse was never one for physical affection, or anything of the sort. Then he made sure Lunar was behind him the moment that the copy ended its prolonged game of playing dead. 

Then he took the hit. 

Moon couldn’t believe his eyes. It was as if his world had fractured, splintered, and broken- all over Eclipse and his stupid feat of heroism. He knows his expression must be lacking the natural emotions that accompany grief, instead filled with surprise; complete and utter disbelief. It’s as if he can’t fully bring himself to step foot out of his mindset, can’t come to accept that Eclipse sacrificed himself for Lunar. The first time he saved that wretch was clear- he wasn’t saving someone who deserved to be saved. Everyone knew that Eclipse didn’t deserve that second chance, after all that he had done. 

He remembers looking down into those eyes, an ever-present hint of fury binding Eclipse’s code to his broken body. A retribution, of sorts, defined by the suffering he would endure during his recovery. It felt good then- to make him feel what Moon had felt. 

Now, watching Eclipse writhe in a pool of his own oil, Lunar leaning over him with clear panic in his eyes, Moon feels none of the satisfaction that he did the first time around. Sun’s hand slips into his own, and Moon knows that Sun must be feeling something scary, too. 

When Eclipse stops moving, Moon goes still. He stops fidgeting with his ribbons. Stops swaying anxiously on his feet. The world darkens, as if his emotions broke free and coated the air in a thick layer of despair and mortification. He doesn’t move when Lunar pulls away from Eclipse. Doesn’t react as Blood Moon tears into the attacker, despite the fact that some of the oil from that beast manages to splatter onto him. No, he is still, and he is silent. His eyes do not move from Eclipse’s body. 

He breaks free from Sun’s suddenly-restricting hold, deaf to the screams of grief from Blood Moon and calls of worry from his brother. 

“All of you, get over here. I can still save him.” 

Of course he can. He’s the smart one. Moon already saved him once, and…and that was without him even really trying! He…he has to be capable of…of fixing him…

Right? 

“Moon…” Sun’s voice is distant, soft and hesitant. Afraid. 

“I CAN STILL SAVE HIM!” Moon’s voice raises into a distressed shout, and Blood Moon goes silent behind him. He can feel their eyes- sharp, pleading- dependent on Moon’s ability to fix all this before things start to erase. For a while after his claim, all is quiet. No one moves. 

Then, it seems to click for everyone, all at once. They all move forwards, towards Moon, eyeing him curiously as if asking what they can do to help. 

“Sun, bring me my toolbox. Blood Moon, get a towel. Lunar…stay here.” Moon instructs, watching closely as the others start to go about their assigned tasks. Lunar stays by his side, standing quietly. Moon tells him to go around to Eclipse’s other side, and he does without so much as a hum. 

Blood Moon returns first, holding the towel out to Moon, to which he instead points to Lunar. Lunar reaches out and snatches it from Blood Moon’s hands.

“I’m going to pull the ray out. When I do, you need to plug the hole as fast as possible. Got it?” Moon explains, earning a nod from a very determined looking Lunar. Moon’s eyes cast down to the ray embedded in Eclipse’s chest, eyeing it wearily, as if worried that it will jump up and bite his faceplate. 

He’s not worried about that, though. It’s the fact that one wrong tug, one more destroyed valve, and Eclipse will be gone…for good. 

With careful, yet shaking hands, Moon takes hold of the ray. The room around him becomes irrelevant. Sun’s return with his toolbox is almost completely ignored, tuned out like everything else. He can feel the cold metal between his hands, sharp edges grading against his palms, scraping off bits of paint.

Everyone around him is stiff with anticipation. Lunar’s gaze is fixated on the place he needs to place the towel, holding it up at the ready. Blood Moon hovers, their eyes darting from Eclipse, then to Moon, repeating the process multiple times before they finally settle on giving Moon the most intense look he has ever been given. Sun stands beside his brother, eyes cast off to the side, refusing to look at the remains of his counterpart, of whom he scorned until now, just the same as Moon.

“Waiting, waiting, patience feels wrong. Go now, we can only stand still for so long.” Blood Moon snarls, voice tight, riddled with static as a byproduct of their own injuries. 

Moon repositions his fingers, moves his hands, suddenly feeling incapable of performing his task under the eyes of the unhinged animatronic that shares his name. But he knows he doesn’t have time to hesitate any longer. No matter the outcome, Eclipse may die. Either by running out of oil, being erased by the emergency protocols, or by tearing another valve as the ray is wrenched out- he only has one chance, and Moon wishes that it was easier to promise his survival. 

Without giving himself more time to think, Moon pulls his arms back, prying the ray free from its place within Eclipse. Lunar surges forwards, instantly shoving the towel into the place the blade-like object just was, eyes filling with horror as he watches the fabric go from white to black, like a wave of darkness swept into the compress. Moon cannot bear to look at Lunar, knowing that he must be crying again, knowing that he can’t comfort him because, if he doesn’t fix Eclipse now, Lunar will be inconsolable, anyways.

His hands move with a quickness, flipping open the toolbox without a single glance in its direction. He’s too focused on the amount of oil gathering in the towel, watching the life drain from someone he once wished nothing but suffering upon. Fingers grasp at various tools, bringing them out and over to the dying animatronic, eyeing the surface of the towel for a moment, debating what he will have to do to stop the flow before he can truly start to make any progress. 

The quiet whirr of components makes him give pause, gaze shifting from the hole to Eclipse’s face. One of his eyes has flickered back to life, dull though it is, though the other remains dark- lifeless. 

“Eclipse?” Moon murmurs, hating how soft he makes his voice, hating how scared he sounds. 

The orange hue of light within the black void of Eclipse’s eye shifts, sluggishly making its way over to Moon. In the depths of his gaze, he can see relief, and something within him breaks at the realization that Eclipse…was worried. About Moon, Sun, Blood…Lunar. Eclipse’s gaze shifts over to his younger brother, the ghost of a smile crossing his face. 

“Brother?” Lunar asks, voice small- scared. Terrified. 

“You’re gonna be fine.” Moon says firmly, shifting closer, solidifying the thought- denial or not- in his head. He motions for Lunar to move back, and, with only slight hesitance, he does so, bringing the towel with him. Moon leans over Eclipse, eyes darkening as he watches various components spark, wires sizzle, oil gather in places it shouldn’t be with a hopeless look on his face. 

But, as the gears start to slow again, as everything begins to fade off, Moon snaps himself into the present. He doesn’t have time to feel sorry for himself, or for Eclipse, who actually deserves the empathy despite previously having none of it himself. 

“Hey, Eclipse you-” Moon starts, then looks up, over to Eclipse’s face, and meets his one remaining eye. “You stay with me, okay? You got that? You stay awake. You stay here, with us.” His voice cracks. God, he’s crying over…over Eclipse and…damn, why does this hurt so much? Eclipse tormented him. Made his life almost unlivable, and now he’s crying because why, why did he have to change? 

As his hands find the soldering tool and seal the leaking valve shut, he remains solemn- frustrated that he can’t fix everything all at once and rush to the part where Moon smacks him and calls him an idiot. 

After he’s done making sure Eclipse won’t die on the spot, he sets the tools down and moves closer, slipping one arm underneath Eclipse’s neck, the other under his knees, and hoists him up off the floor, out of the pool of oil that Moon can’t bring himself to look at. He tries to ignore the way Eclipse shudders, tries to keep himself together as he listens to the uneven venting of the animatronic in his arms. 

“You’re going to be fine, alright? Just…just stay awake, everything will be okay.” Moon mutters absentmindedly, pausing momentarily as a raspy chuckle breaks through his carefully constructed emotional wall. 

“Who…who’re you tryin’ to convince, Moon? Me…or…or you…?” 

God, that does it. 

Tears gather in his eyes, drip down his face as Eclipse stiffens in his arms, quite obviously shocked that Moon is letting himself slip this much. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know! It’s not fair, it’s just…” Moon sniffles, “It’s not fair.” He croaks, shaking his head as he forces himself to continue walking towards Eclipse’s temporary room. Eclipse is silent after that…both of them are. 

Moon enters the room, carefully makes his way over to the bed, and lays Eclipse down as gently as he can. Even then, the other winces and stiffens, then relaxes…quite abruptly. Moon looks away for a moment, listening in the silence of the room, the quiet hum of his own mechanisms being the only sounds in the room. Eclipse’s have since stopped. Moon knows he’s running out of time. 

~

Hours pass. Moon works tirelessly with the other three, but only so much can be done with Eclipse in such a critical state. His powercore is shot, completely broken beyond a few sad sparks and this ever-present whistling noise that Moon knows means nothing good. After a lot of consideration, he pries it out of Eclipse and sets it off to the side, hoping that there might be a backup of some sort in storage that he could use until his original could be repaired…or something, he doesn’t think he could save it even if he gave it his all. The ray cut right into the center of it- the equivalent of being shot in the heart- which spells certain death, obviously. 

He doesn’t know what he’s going to tell Lunar. The youngest has been a consistent visitor over the past few hours, and each time, Moon tells him the same thing. 

“I just need more time.”

But he knows time won’t do anything. He could spend years trying to fix that damn core, but nothing would change. Since it’s removal, he’s had a constant glare he casts in it’s direction, always present despite the fact that it’s an object and without a doubt does not control whether it is skewered like a kabob or functions properly. Even now, as he leans against the bed, sitting on the floor beside Eclipse’s body, he glares daggers at the thing. It sits across from him, torn open in a horrific fashion, yet sitting peacefully in the wooden chair as if it has done nothing wrong. It hasn’t, really. 

But he needs something to blame. 

It would be easier to blame the thing that killed Eclipse in the first place, but he knows that wouldn’t change anything, either. Maybe he’s angry at Eclipse for being so reckless, maybe he’s angry that he made a copy with such loose coding in the first place, but either way, he’s angry. Angry at himself, too. Because he can’t fix him, can’t do shit even though he played doctor once and came out successful, back then loathing the fact that it worked. Now, he would give almost anything to have that chance again. 

His eyes cast down to oil-covered hands, shaking from the strain of keeping himself together. He wonders once again what he is going to tell Lunar. Wonders how he’s going to explain that his hands, once covered in the blood of an enemy, cannot save the life of that same villain after he finally decides to play hero. He closes his eyes, closes his hands into fists, and lets the tears fall down his face. 

Loneliness has never felt so cold.

~

When Lunar returns for another check-up, Moon pulls him outside and explains the situation. Sun listens in, Blood Moon not far behind. Everything is quiet once Moon finally finishes his explanation. All eyes become distant, lost in different memories that they once wished would leave their minds, now holding onto with the desperation of a dying man. Moon wishes he could read their minds, could share their grief instead of trying to navigate his own in the way that he is. It fills him with an emptiness that he doesn’t wish on anyone. 

When it seems to sink in for Lunar, his face scrunches up, mouth thin and tight as it wrings itself into a contorted frown. Then the tears come, and his hands raise, flapping wildly as if trying to convey his panic without speaking the words he cannot force out of his voice box. He becomes frantic faster than Moon has seen any child fall into a tantrum, and all Moon can do is step forwards and grab him by the shoulders, trying to stop his flailing before he hurts himself. 

“ALL MY FAULT!! STOOD IN FRONT OF ME, HE STOOD IN FRONT OF ME AND NOW HE’S GONE, GONE, GONE!” Lunar wails, grappling onto Moon in his fit of panic and grief. Slowly, the eldest guides the youngest to the floor, still holding him tightly as he sobs all his sorrows into Moon’s shoulder. 

Soon, Sun has turned away, holding himself as he stares, deadset, at the opposite wall. He wills the tears not to fall, because is Eclipse really worth his grief? A demon stuck in his head, playing God while Sun watched, unable to stop him from hurting those he loved. He hated him- hated what he stood for, what he did, how he executed such self-centered plans. 

He hated him. 

He repeats this in his head, even as the tears push past his will, bringing stains of remorse to his face that he knows will stay far beyond his attempts at wiping them away. 

Because he did. He did. He did hate him, more than anything. But that’s just the thing, isn’t it? Did and do separate who he is now from who he was then. And now? He wishes he could do something to save him. 

Blood Moon stares at nothing. Their eyes do not see. Their auditory receptors do not hear beyond a distant ringing- constant, overwhelming, like the emotions that churn within them. Both shout at each other, screaming things they do not mean in their grief. Grieving seems so redundant for them. One of them is convinced that it’s pointless, that these feelings are temporary and shouldn’t hold such significance. The other is furious, confused as to why they never felt these things for anyone else, after all those bodies decorated in claw marks that perfectly fit their own. 

Why now?

Despised is an understatement. They loathed Eclipse, wished death upon him numerous times in various ways that someones deviated from killing him themselves, desperate to have him gone by any means possible. Both halves thought in sync when it came to Eclipse- he deserves to die, for all that he has done. Trying to train us like dogs, treating us like pets. 

But then they listened to him talk to Lunar, heard him get so close to apologizing in the same way that they themselves do, struggling to get the last word out as if it is a curse. They were there to protect Lunar, to make sure that Eclipse didn’t lash out, and the sincerity in which he spoke was the one thing that convinced them that there might be something else, something beyond the violence Eclipse acts with and created Blood Moon to act upon. 

They never needed his approval. Never craved it like Lunar did. But something they did share with Lunar was this feeling- this helplessness and absurd amount of shame that comes with the consideration of ‘why didn’t I talk with him?’ 

Because that’s one question that they can’t answer. A plague in their shared headspace, a constant reminder that neither tried to see past Eclipse’s mask, or what lies beyond. And now they know that there is something else there…but they didn’t get enough time to see it. That …might just be the most frustrating thought of all. 

~

The world spun. Pools of black and white, each vent an overbearing chore. Pain so intense he could feel it burn away at every part of his body, fire arching into the cavity that he swore should’ve been filled. So many systems offline that his tilted vision was void of any warnings. 

A chilling presence, like a ghost hanging over his head, death’s wide smile now more than a vivid memory. 

A distant hum, so far away, lilted voice carrying a careful melody that is achingly familiar. A tempting pull, a smooth talker that never says a word. 

He turns his head, unsteady gaze settling on white, gray streaks scoring the surface like cracks. It whispers to him, a language he cannot understand. Words, yet not, like a song simplified into a melody. 

He coughs. Oil spills out of his mouth, trails down his face, and one hand reaches out towards the light. He barely manages to lift his limb, so tired despite having just woken up. 

His fingers connect with the orb. It is warm to the touch, like a generator filled with insurmountable power. He soaks up that warmth, desperate for something other than the suffocating chill of the world around him.

His mind is slow, incoherent thoughts crowding every corner of his head. But his fingers find solace in this grounding light, binding him to reality. 

His mind clears, if only for a moment. His eyes widen, even though only one is capable of sight. His hand is still outstretched, caressing the object in silent wonder as he realizes what it is. 

The star. 

Right as that thought surfaces, it darts towards him, and the light it emanates is replaced by darkness as he feels himself slip away once more. 

~ 

Everyone goes silent, startled by the sound of a CRASH and BANG! Moon moves first, slipping into the room with wide eyes and frantic movements as he turns this way and that in search of the sound. Everything appears the same, except…

Eclipse isn’t on the bed anymore. He seems to have tumbled off, since his limbs are in a bit of a twister situation and his face has made contact with the floor in the least majestic way possible. For a moment, all Moon can do is stare. He feels a rush of air behind him, and then Lunar is there, eyes wild with panic and filled with remaining tears. 

“How’d he fall off?” Lunar asks frantically, moving forwards as if to untie his older brother from his position on the floor. Moon follows, looking from the bed to where Eclipse now lays. No one was in here. Eclipse didn’t even have a damn power core, so how-

“MOON!!!” Lunar shouts suddenly, bouncing eagerly to his feet before he surges forwards, grabbing Moon by the shoulders, shaking him with an intensity that ends up making him a bit dizzy. 

“Wha-wha-STOPstopstopokay what? What’s your deal?” Moon asks, shoving Lunar off of him so that he can speak properly. Lunar waves his arms to steady himself, then turns in an excited circle.

“He’s alive!!” Lunar exclaims, throwing his arms into the air as Sun comes to stand in the doorway, as well. Sun and Moon share a quizzical glance, then look back to Lunar with differing looks of sadness on their faces. 

“Lunar, bud, he...he isn’t coming back, I don’t-” Moon starts, but Lunar has grabbed him by the arm and pulled him closer before Moon can finish speaking. He eagerly shoves Moon’s hand onto Eclipse’s chestplate, which…is now closed again? And in better shape than it was a few hours ago?

All his skeptical thoughts are brought to a halt, however, by the sensation of…of turning gears, and whirling mechanisms, and-

Moon’s expression brightens, previous questions leaving his mind in an instant.

“There’s no way-” Sun murmurs from the doorway, but Moon’s smile as he turns to look at him makes him give pause.

“There is! There is, Sun! He’s…he’s alive!” 

Sun stares dumbly at his brother, then glances to Eclipse. He stares for a moment, then moves forwards, kneeling by his counterpart’s side. His own shaking hands hover over Eclipse, though he pulls them back before he even needs to touch him.

“He’s…generating warmth again…” Sun can’t seem to believe his own words. Soon after, a smile begins to grow on his face, a laugh bubbling up from his chest as he throws his arms around Moon.

“You did it! I knew you could do it!” He exclaims, but, just for a moment, Moon’s smile falls at that remark. His eyes drift back to Eclipse’s still form. He didn’t do it, that’s the thing. 

He didn’t do it. 

So, Eclipse is moved back onto the bed, Lunar keeping him company until he wakes up. When he does finally come to, Lunar is ecstatic, throwing his arms around his brother’s neck with giggles of pure joy as Eclipse stiffens and asks quiet questions about where he is and what happened. It’ll take some time for him to be able to fully recover, but that isn’t exactly what Moon is worried about. 

The sound of the movie Lunar picked is drowned out in the background. Sun leans on his shoulder, sound asleep in the half-light of the room, the tv screen being the only source of illumination. Blood Moon and Lunar are curled up under Eclipse’s blanket, all three of them piled in different positions on top of one another. Eclipse has not looked Moon in the eyes since he woke up. He only has one eye to look now, but Moon knows it isn’t out of shame because of his partial blindness. 

Moon’s own gaze casts over to the ruptured power core, still sitting sadly in the chair across the room. 

A cold sense of dread settles in his chest, replacing the warmth his own core generates. When he looks back to Eclipse, their eyes meet, the ghost of an orange iris glinting in the other’s shattered eye. 

The two halves of kill code stare at each other, silent amongst the background noise of the movie. Lunar shifts under the blanket, drawing Eclipse’s attention, forcing him to break eye-contact as he glances down and whispers something to his little brother, a small smile adorning his face. Blood Moon leans over Eclipse’s back, inserting themself into the conversation, as per usual. 

The power core taunts Moon as he tries to focus back on the movie. 

He has Eclipse back, just as he wanted. He thought that he’d give nearly anything!

That’s the point though, right? The subtle things, words thought last second, an instinct he doesn’t control.

An instinct that covers nearly everything.  

Nearly.