Work Text:
Earth was yelling. She was exhausted, not thinking straight, and her patience had finally snapped. For too long she had carried everyone on her shoulders—defending the Pizzaplex, protecting her family, fighting when others refused to lift a finger. She was done being their unbreakable Golem.
She didn’t care about anything else right now. She just wanted Night dead.
“From now on, you make the decisions,” she snapped, her voice sharp with years of built-up frustration. “I don’t care if you kill him or not. I’m done with everyone. I clearly want him dead.”
She pointed at Night, who was strapped tightly to the bed inside the machine in the Parts and Service room. Mars couldn’t argue back. This was the first time he had ever seen Earth truly lose control like this—his big sister, the one who always teased them, always looked out for them, now shaking with rage.
“Yes, Earth,” he said quietly.
Earth turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, her Christmas outfit looking strangely out of place against the fury on her face. Lunar felt a heavy weight in his chest. He couldn’t even bring himself to joke in a situation like this. Mars sighed deeply. He didn’t want to kill Night—Night was still their best lead for capturing Day. But he also couldn’t bring himself to defy his sister, the one who had protected them all for so long.
Mars approached the restrained Night, his voice soft but laced with genuine sadness.
“I hate how this is going to end for you,” he said. “Your running off finally cut the last thread of Earth’s patience. She’s carried all of us for too long while some just hide behind her. I won’t kill you physically… just emotionally. You’ll stay alive, but you won’t remember who you are. You’ll only remember your name and your old objective as a daycare attendant.”
Night looked at Mars and nodded slowly, as if some part of him understood the weight of what was happening.
Mars stepped out of the machine and began typing on the computer.
“Goodbye, Night,” he whispered.
Night stared up at the ceiling. Ghostly children appeared around him, scratching desperately as if protesting the reset. Night closed his eyes. The good memories flashed first: the date with Day and Andromeda, the silly movies he used to watch that everyone teased him about, and all the children joyfully jumping onto him.
Then the darker ones came—how he choked Andromeda, how he kidnapped Lunar, the fire, and the terrified face of the child he had kicked into the flames.
All of it vanished in an instant.
Night woke up confused and gasping for air. He was back in his cage. He couldn’t feel his legs. He didn’t know who he was or why he was trapped here. His mind kept repeating that he should be in a daycare.
Then he heard a soft voice.
“Hello, Night.”
Night slowly turned his head and saw Mars and Lunar standing there.