Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sun was inside his room when it first started. It had been quite a tiring day, as the Daycare had been jam-packed with kids all throughout. One stubborn kid hadn’t wanted to leave and ended up splashing an open container of glue on him.

His fingers still dug at some dried-on substance. It had taken him nearly an hour to get it off, and Sun had thanked Fazbear for at least doing something right—making him waterproof.

Sun smiled as he took turns petting his cats, their purrs being one of the few sources of comfort to him.

After Moon had bought the new house, Sun had felt a little less stress. It was nice to not be directly above the multidimensional portal in their ball pit. The lack of the computer was also quite a bonus.

After a few minutes, Sun eventually set his cats down after some words assuring them that he’d be back.

He just needed some fresh air…and maybe to see if Moon was back yet. Hours before, Moon had told him that he needed to get some parts for one of his various projects in the garage. Sun hadn’t bothered to ask; it wasn’t as if he would understand anyway.

Sun didn’t know where exactly his brother had gone, only that it could have been to another dimension. He sighed and glanced at his communication device that he had for this very purpose. Nothing.

Sun wasn’t too surprised, Moon didn’t really contact him at all during dimension travel. Why would he?

Lost in his thoughts, the sun animatronic reached the front door. His eyes detected a weird brown package right outside it.

Huh? Sun thought as the unlocked the door. I didn’t order anything. Unless it’s Moon’s, but that doesn’t make sense either. He would tell me to look out for it.

He stared at the strange box, his other goals forgotten. Should he take it anyway?

What if it was a trap? Maybe a bomb…no don’t think of last year. Or maybe it was Eclipse…

Fuck it.
His curiosity got the better of him, and he grabbed the package and brought it inside. He didn’t know what it was or how bad it could be.

At the moment he didn’t care.

He should have.

Setting it on a nearby table, Sun headed for the kitchen for a knife. He honestly wasn’t sure how Moon would react, but that was a bridge that could be crossed later.

After acquiring what he needed, he came back and after a brief pause of hesitation, he opened up the mysterious box.

It…wasn’t what he had expected. Sun had half-expected some kind of prank, scam, or maybe one of his brother’s interests. He knew that Moon had quite a bit of connections. Maybe it had been a gift for him. But then again, who in their right mind would think to give his brother something out of good gesture? Moon only got things out of deals, like situations with Monty or maybe even Fazbear at this point.

But Moon would never ask for something this casual.

Sun stared at not one, but a pair of VR headsets. He blinked once, trying to make sure his vision was properly functioning. It was.

“Whaa…” he trailed off, not understanding why this was here. Feeling numb, he quickly took both pairs out of the package. They weren’t even in their own box, no logo or brand. Sun briefly remembered the headset that one of them used to play some VR games, such as Help Wanted and the sequel, which he found much better than its predecessor.

Not because he was in it. Not at all.

The new pair were black, unlike their old one, which was a plain white. Sun couldn’t remember the brand, but it definitely had one.

This felt sketchy. Sun felt like he was being pranked, yet the headsets were clearly his. They looked brand-new, as if never touched. So why open them?

Sun saw something else at the very bottom of the box. He reached in and found a PlayStation game.

“Are you serious?” Sun mumbled as the game was the exact PlayStation they had. It also looked new, and yet used at the same time.

He couldn’t explain it.
However, the game itself didn’t look too interesting, only having some sort of maze and minigames on the back. The title was simple; Unreal. That was it, except for having one line of description:

Experience the ultimate gaming experience!

In Sun’s opinion, it sounded like the lamest game ever made. Yet the person who sent this clearly had a different perception.

Oh, well.

Sun was about to throw the game into the trash when he suddenly stopped. Perhaps Moon would be interested in some strange game like this.

With a scoff, Sun took his new possessions to the gaming room.

…

It had taken another hour before Moon arrived. Sun had been sitting on the couch, waiting patiently and quietly deciding how to explain the situation to him.

Moon stood in the doorway, carrying nothing. He walked in, looking a bit tired.

“Hey, Sun.”

Sun stood up from his place on the couch, contemplating his approach.

“Hey brother—hey did you get the parts you needed?” he asked.

Moon nodded, “Yeah, gonna get them delivered about next week.”

Sun pulled on his rays nervously, “Yeah, speaking of deliveries…”

If Moon could raise an eyebrow, he would’ve. “What?”

Sun swallowed, “Well, I got a package today,” he started. When he just saw his brother staring at him, he continued, “A-and I didn’t order anything.”

Moon blinked. “Uhh…well I didn’t order anything.” he admitted. “What was it?”

“A pair of VR headsets.”

“You’re kidding me.”

Sun shook his head, letting out a light snicker. “I’m not–I can show you.”

The pair walked to the gaming room and Sun pointed to the newest additions.

Moon’s eyes widened as he took a hold of one of them. He stared for a good minute before turning back to Sun.

“Well, I guess we have an extra one,” he notes, bending down and starting to dig through the closet.

“Wait—what do you mean?” Sun questioned before blinking, “You kept the old one?”

Moon grabbed a box out of the closet before gazing at his brother. “Of course I did,” he replied.

“But you said you were going to…” Sun trailed off as he saw Moon hold up the old headset.

“I was going to get rid of it,” Moon explained, “Until I saw that our viewers might want us to play some new VR games coming out.”

“Oh.”

Sun wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He remembered that he was quite upset about the possibility of it being gone, considering as he loved virtual reality games, and tried to convince Moon to keep it.

He thought that had worked.

Moon never saw the reason to get a second one, as Sun knew that Moon usually let him play and only commented. The lunar bot wasn’t a big fan like he was. When asked about it, Moon had just said that virtual reality was just what humans could do to compensate for the lack of dimensional portals.

Sun wanted to facepalm; why does his brother act like this?

“So…there was also a weird game that came with it too,” Sun added. Moon perked up.

“Weird game?” he inquired.

Sun nodded, “Yeah, it’s called Unreal—like a game inside a game kind of thing.”

Moon let out a curious hum, “Can you get it?”

“Sure.”

Five minutes later, Sun was sitting down again as Moon fumbled with the game.

“Strange, I can’t find a release date or anything related to the game’s publishing,” Moon muttered.

Sun looked up, “Are you looking on the DVD or online?”

“Both. It’s like the game never existed.”

Sun waited a bit before replying, “Hmm…hey Moon, you know how we’ve been running out of games to play for the channel? Well, I was thinking–”

“No.”

Sun huffed, “You didn’t even let me finish!” he protested.

“You want to play this for our channel video tomorrow,” Moon deadpanned before adding, “Absolutely not.”

“Why? Since this game is likely rare, it could draw a lot of attention!” came Sun’s argument.

Moon let out a heavy sigh, “I always do some research on the games we play; this one is blank. It could have a virus or even be one.”

Sun crossed his arms, inside knowing his brother had a point. “Fine,” he surrendered plainly. A sigh accompanied his defeat. “I guess I’ll throw it out like I was planning to.”

“You were going to do what? I–you know what, never mind.” Moon looked back at the game. “I’m glad you didn’t though, I still need to figure out who sent this.”

“Monty?” Sun guessed.

Moon sighed, “Maybe.” Then he shook his head. “Monty would never pay this much for me unless I gave him something first.”

Sun nodded, standing up. “True,” he agreed, humming. “Anyone else?”

“I don’t know, Sun. Maybe I’ll figure it out later. I’ll make some calls to our family and see if they know anything.”

As Moon was planning to leave, Sun soon realized something.

“Wait!” he made his brother stop in his tracks. “What about the headsets?”

“Uhh…just keep them for now. I guess we can give the old one to someone,” Moon said before resuming his way to his room.

“Alright…” Sun was left standing in the living room, alone. Grumbling, he went to his room, knowing he needed to recharge. His battery was at 20%.

Wait, tomorrow was the weekend! They usually post at 2:30 in the afternoon, but on weekends for some reason they post at 12:30.

Sun felt new stress come over him, how will they ever have time to find and play a game and let their editor edit it?

Did Moon have a plan? Ever since they started the channel, they never missed a post. Besides the takeovers—which seemed to always happen in the month of October. Maybe their fans wouldn’t mind if their daily video was slightly a bit late.

Right, just a little later than usual. Perhaps around an hour max. That should be enough time.

Sun took an artificial deep breath as he took out his plug.

A tiny bit of tardiness never hurt anyone…

Right?

Chapter Text

The next day, Sun blinked his eyes open. With a groan, he reached over and unplugged himself, revealing a battery of 100%.

As he stretched, he wondered if Moon was already up. Probably not, considering his dear brother was not a morning person or bot. Sun figured the demeanor was fitting considering Moon’s lunar appearance. That left Sun no choice but to be the one to get an earful each morning. Every day was the same story.

Sun’s gaze passed on to his two sleeping cats, who's’ purrs echoed throughout his room. In all honesty, Sun didn’t know when his obsession with the felines started. Maybe it was because they reminded him of Moon. Cuddly and friendly on a good day, and vicious and harmful on a bad one. The only difference was that Sun couldn’t exactly understand them, but did he understand Moon? Perhaps there wasn’t that much of a difference after all.

Sun left his room and soon found himself in front of Moon’s. They both agreed to never lock their doors as an emergency could occur. Sun grabbed the handle and pushed it open. Moon was still charging, eyes open, staring creepily at Sun.

Sun shivered, he forgot found creepy both him and Moon looked while they were asleep. Mentally preparing himself, he crept over to Moon’s plug and yanked it out.

Moon’s body jerked as his systems all booted up, eyes blinking rapidly. “W-where what-” he cut himself off as he saw his beloved sibling in front of him. “Ugh, are you serious?”

Sun rolled his eyes, “Moon, it’s eight in the morning.”

“Still too early.”

Sun sent him a light-hearted glare. “Come on, also don't you have a gaming plan for today?” he asked.

Moon did the gesture of rubbing his eyes before blinking at Sun. “Gaming plans–oh.”

Sun placed his hands on his hips, “Yeah, I figured that you had a plan, since you refused to play the one I offered.”

Moon got up from his position before glaring back at his brother. “If you recall,” he hissed, “That game, if you could call it, could have a virus. I’m not risking my tech equipment for channel content.”

Sun looked everywhere but his eyes. “But what are we going to tell the fans?” he cried.

Moon shrugged, “I don’t know, I’m sure they won’t mind. I’ll start looking for something to play.”

Sun sighed irritably before starting to tap his foot on the floor repeatably. “Moon.”

“What?” Moon asked as he settled on his computer.

“You know what,” Sun responded simply.

“How many times do I need to tell you?” Moon growled. “I said no.”

Sun clicked his tongue, “I know how much you hate being late, Moon. If we start recording now, we might be on time.”

The nighttime animatronic was silent for a moment, before a sigh was heard. Moon turned to him. “Fine! Can you stop that annoying tapping?”

A smirk formed on Sun’s face as he stopped the action. “I’m glad you’ve seen reason, brother.”

Moon scoffed, standing up after shutting off his computer. “Whatever, you push my limits Sun.” his eyes suddenly darkened. “However, if anything happens to my tech, you are in deep trouble. Understand?”

Sun nodded, slightly flinching away. “Of course.”

Moon’s terrifying demeanor vanished in an instant. “Alright, let’s get this started.”

…

The two had decided to use the pair of new ones, because why not? Sun honestly thought it was pretty neat.

Moon was in the process of setting up the recording as he always did while Sun was getting the game ready.

He opened the DVD to reveal a game disk, however there were no instructions. No neat pamphlets which told you how to work the game.

Sun shrugged; once it was booted up, the game would probably just tell him anyway. Plus, the game didn’t look too complicated. How hard could it be?

He reached over and turned on the PlayStation that they owned and watched with glee as the familiar logo filled the TV screen. He quickly signed in to his account and watched as the game came on the disk options.

“Moon, are you ready yet?” Sun looked over to his brother, who seemed almost ready.

Moon gave him a nod. “Yeah, you can put the headset on.” he replied. “I’m coming. I’ll start recording once you’re all set up.”

Sun saw the instructions to place the headset on and proceed to do so. Happy to see the world through VR again, it took him by surprise to see another command flash before him.

TWO PLAYERS NEEDED. PLEASE CONNECT ANOTHER HEADSET.

Huh? When did VR ever need more than one player? Oh, Moon won’t be happy about this…

Sun felt the couch move as Moon settled besides him.

“Um, brother?” Sun faced his direction.

“Yeah, I see it Sun,” Moon replied glumly. He suddenly got up. “This seems very sketchy,” he remarked.

“Please?” Sun begged, still trying to figure out where his brother is.

“Why are you facing that way?” Moon demanded from somewhere else. “Just take the thing off.”

Sun fiddled with the back of his faceplate. “Ugh, I think I made it too tight,” he complained. Strange, with the other one, he was usually able to take it off with relative ease. This one feels…glued to his head.

“You need help?” Moon questioned, footsteps coming closer.

Sun brought a hand out in the sound’s direction. “N-no I’m good, I’m not taking it off anyway. Can’t you just play for once?” Immediately sensing his brother’s hesitation, he added, “For me?”

That seemed to do it.

“...Fine. Here, I’ll plug the other one in. Just give me a moment.”

After some minutes of shuffling, Moon’s voice came again, “Wow, these things are pretty tight.”

“Told you.”

Seconds after saying that, the command blinked away from Sun’s vision, replaced by a weirdly colorful loading screen.

During it, Sun heard Moon curse something under his breath.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I forgot to start recording,” Moon started to move around the couch a bit.

“Why are you moving so much?” Sun was getting annoyed by the movement.

“T-trying to get this stupid thing off…it’s like it’s stuck. Can you get yours off?” Moon’s tone was getting desperate.

“Moon, the game is about to start.” Sun said.

“I don’t care–recording was the entire purpose,” came Moon’s reply.

Sun didn’t say anything and just listened to the calming and catchy music of the game.

“Sun!”

Sun rolled his eyes. “Alright, wait a second!” He started to pull his headset off.

Wow, this headset really didn’t want to come off, he thought. He tugged at it harder and yet it still didn’t budge.

Moon started to breathe faster his fans turned on. Sun knew that Moon really didn’t like having covering his vision, and not being able to get this headset off is probably freaking him out.

“Moon,” Sun put on a calm façade, trying to feel for his brother. “It’s alright.”

“No it’s not!” Moon shouted, thrashing around. “This isn’t normal! This is wrong!”

“Moon-” Sun tried again, but was cut off by the sound of laughing echoing throughout his headset.

Alarms were setting off in his head, what was happening?

“Welcome, participants.”

Chapter Text

Sun was frozen as a glitched voice sounded in his processors. It didn’t fit the cute music from earlier, and certain didn’t seem as childish as it looked in its description.

Sun’s screen wasn’t black anymore, but he instead found himself standing in a dark hallway. It was dirty as he could feel the gross sludge on his shoes. Wait-what?

He didn’t even feel the warmth of the couch that he had been sitting on. He was actually standing up, yet he hadn’t himself.

“What’s going on?” Sun whispered anxiously. His eyes widened as a figure appeared out of the shadows. He looked like a generic show host, bow-tie and everything.

The host gave him a bizarre grin, “Ah, our guests are here!” he said excitedly.

“G-guests?” Sun stammered. He couldn’t even feel his headset anymore.

The man’s eyes blinked, before he sighed in understanding. “Right, you don’t understand what’s going on.”

Sun shook his head rapidly, “No not really-” he was cut off by the host.

“Well, allow me to introduce myself!” the host exclaimed. “You can me The Host,” he bowed with pride, as if his name was the coolest thing ever. “I will be your delightful host this evening.”

Sun didn’t like the way he said that. “Wait isn’t it mo-”

“Come! Walk with me!” The Host said, grabbing Sun’s arm. Why can he be physically touched? This isn’t VR, it’s something else…

With those thoughts, Sun quickly tugged away and walked by himself. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw The Host glance at him before looking back ahead.

After a few moments, Sun asked, “Where are we going?”

“Well…to the game show of course!”

“Wait, where’s Moon?” Sun cried, looking around alarmingly.

The Host scratched his head, “Moon…ah! Our second guest!”

“I-is he here too?” Sun played with his ribbons.
“Of course!” The Host replied. “In fact, he’s already there!”

Sun stared at him in confusion, “Didn’t he need a guide too?”

The Host shrugged, then shook his head. “I figured you needed the help, since you’re supposed to be…”

The stupid one, Sun thought. He knew that he wasn’t as smart as his brother, but how could a game know that? If this was even a game anymore…

He sighed, he knew better than to ask The Host that.

Soon, they arrived at two gold double doors. Sun could faintly hear noise behind it. The Host looked at him, a smile painted on his face.

“Are you ready?” It sounded like a question, but Sun knew it was an order.

“Yes.”

The doors opened to reveal the biggest screen that Sun had ever seen. The giant thing had what seemed to be a livestream going on, with a chat and everything. The title, Unreal, was splattered around with posters.

Sun squinted his eyes to see Moon on the huge stage. He could already tell that Moon just wanted to leave whatever this was.

Sun yelped as he was suddenly pushed towards the steps leading to the stage. He felt The Host’s voice next to his ear.

“No time to waste,” he whispered ominously, making Sun shiver.

“O-of course.”

He didn’t even know why he said that. Or why he was being so cooperative in the first place. He was trapped here, wherever here was.

The second Sun got on the stage Moon came over to him and shook him hard.

“Sun, I’m going to kill you,” he whisper-yelled. Sun pushed him away.

“What are you talking about?” he hissed back. “I didn’t do this!”

Moon let out a growl. “If you hadn’t insisted on playing this, we wouldn’t be here.”

Sun scoffed, “Well how was-”

A sudden voice interrupted them. It was The Host.

“Ah, welcome everyone who is watching!”

Sun turned to The Host, who was standing in front of the stage on a podium. He had a microphone in his hand, and had the same grin on his face.

“This is the Unreal Game Show, in which we will be playing games of different sorts, like trivia, cards, and more! These lucky guests have decided to join us for today’s events! Contestants, please introduce yourselves!”

Suddenly, Sun found that he was holding a microphone and was in the focus of a spotlight. “Uh, my name is Sun…” he trailed off uncertainly.

The Host clapped, before the spotlight shone on Moon. “How about you?”

Moon clutched his mic tighter before replying, “I think you already know,” he hissed.

Sun shot Moon a worrying look before The Host spoke up again, “My apologies, what was that?”

Moon glanced at his brother. ‘Just go along with it,’ Sun mouthed. Moon was never good with these things.

“Moon.”

“Wonderful!” The Host cheered as a celebratory sound effect echoed throughout the room. “Alright folks, what game should we start with?” Immediately a poll was up in the stream chat.

There were four options; Trivia, memory, art, and a strange one called End. Sun wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what that one meant.

The two brothers watched as the trivia option had the most votes, with over half the chat voting for it. No one had voted for the last one.

Sun stared at the winning option with dismay. He wasn’t good at knowing things, he was stupid. He sighed, Moon’s for sure winning this round.

“So…it seems that trivia will be the first round!” The Host announced. “Are our contestants ready?”

Sun looked down at his feet, ready to be humiliated. Moon narrowed his eyes.
“Alright! Our first trivia will be about general knowledge! We will start in three, two, one, go!”

The duo stared at the first question on the screen.

Question 1: What type of galaxy is the most common in the universe?

Sun jumped as a red button rose up on a stand in front of him. He looked over at Moon, who had the same thing happen to him.

Sun tried to think. Earth is one of nine-wait eight planets in the Milky Way galaxy, but galaxies have different kinds? He thought about going on the internet but soon realized there was no connection there.

A loud buzzer interrupted his thoughts. He looked over at his brother, who had pressed his button first. Raising the microphone, Moon spoke his answer.

“Elliptical galaxies,” he answered.

The Host looked impressed. “Correct!” he exclaimed, while giving a glance at Sun. He felt a stare of disappointment.

Before Sun could analyze further, a new question appeared before them.

Question 2: What is the coldest place in the universe?

Okay, even Moon looked puzzled. It could be many things.

The Host cleared his throat, “For this one, I will be giving you a hint!” Suddenly something was added to the screen.

(Hint: It’s a nebula.)

What’s a nebula? Sun asked himself. Besides the messenger from the astral bodies of course. Hmm, also why are all these about space?

The buzzing sound returned once more.

“The boomerang Nebula,” Moon responded.

The Host clapped, “Looks like we have quite the smart one folks!”

Sun wanted to groan, this was so embarrassing. And it kept going. Question after question, Sun soon got tired of hearing his brother’s voice answer every one of them correctly. Why did they have to be so hard? Or maybe you’re just stupid, a voice said in the back of his mind.
Sun swore that his button was collecting dust from him never touching it once. He wasn’t even trying anymore. The second that he had registered the question, Moon had already formed the answer. By the time Sun had the answer, a new question was up there.

He couldn’t wait for this round to be over, and finally get out of there. Sun had a feeling that Moon was enjoying this more than he was.

After–oh wait, Sun couldn’t even tell what time it was, The Host closed down the horrid game. Moon had just won fifteen times in a row.

“Alas, the trivia is over,” The Host announced to everyone. He gazed at Moon and pointed, “We have a clear winner this round! Give some applause for our second contestant…Moon!”

Moon looked surprised at the cheers from the chat, but didn’t protest. His voice box must be exhausted from many times that he got to answer.

“Now,” The Host resumed, “Our participants will be given a small break to collect themselves in the break room to the left. The next round will be decided shortly. For now, stay tuned during the commercial break!”

Video games had no commercials…

Sun just shook his head as he walked to the blatantly obvious break room off the stage. This is stupid, but at least it’s not some sort of horror game. You can’t get killed in a game show of all things…right?

As he entered the break room, he had no chance before a strong dark blue hand grabbed him and pulled him to the side.

“We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

“We need to talk,” Moon’s voice hissed. Sun pushed him off.

“Can you stop doing that?” he demanded. It was really getting annoying.

“Do you have any idea on how to get out of here?” Moon asked, backing away a bit.

“No!” Sun exclaimed. “How would I know?”

Moon shrugged. “You’re more of a gamer than I am.”

Sun wanted to burst. “Does this look like a game to you?”

“Good point.” With a sigh, Moon plopped down on a luxurious couch. Sun sighed, then sat next to him.

“What do you think we should do?” he asked.

Moon thought for a moment, before replying, “I think we just need to do it. The show can’t last forever, so we’ll probably get sent back once it’s finished.”

“But what if it does?” Sun panicked, going to fiddle with one of his yellow rays. Moon stopped him with a light smack.

“It won’t,” he assured. “That host looked way too excited for it to be never ending.”

Sun suddenly gasped as an alarming thought entered his mind. “Hey, Moon?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s going to be a winner, right?”

Moon shifted uncomfortably, “There probably will,” he responded.

Sun was going to regret his next words. “What happens to the loser?”

Moon didn’t answer and left Sun with dead silence. “You don’t know, do you?”

His brother turned on him, “No, I don’t,” he spoke coldly. “How could I possibly know?”

Sun stared at the checkered floor. “You don’t want to guess…because you know that I’ll lose.”
Moon sighed irritably, “Sun, do you really think that I think that you’re stupid?”

“No, I know that I am,” Sun retorted. “I can’t do anything Moon, nothing. The only thing that I’m good at is being a distraction for kids.”

“Caring for kids is a–”

“Stupid and unimportant job,” Sun finished, his voice cracking. “That’s why you’ve not even bothered to help me anymore, right?” By the look on his brother’s face, Sun knew that he left his brother speechless. The two just sat there in silence for what felt like hours when an intercom sparked to life.

“Attention constants! Please report to the stage immediately.”

Sun stood up just as it finished speaking. “Well, guess it’s time for me to lose again,” he noted bitterly as he made his way out. Moon followed behind him wordlessly.

The Host was waiting patiently for them as they arrived at the stage.

“Alright! We’re back folks, what’s the game this time?” The same poll appeared on the screen, except the trivia option was gone.

Sun just stood there numbly as The Host droned on in anticipation. He instead focused on Moon, who didn’t notice his staring. Sun snapped back to reality as the game was announced. He only saw Moon’s worried face before he heard it.

“Seems like the art contest is next! Hope you’re ready to get creative!”

Sun blinked. An art contest? He did those all the time with the kids in the Daycare! He had to admit, art was one of his specialties. Maybe he had a chance after all! He almost grinned at Moon’s panicking face. How the tables have turned…

The Host clapped his hands together, almost reminding Sun of Ruin. He tried not to shiver.

“So, this game has a different set of rules,” The Host explained. “There will be three rounds in this challenge, they will be introduced once you finish the previous one. A barrier will be put up to ensure that no cheating is involved. You will be given exactly five minutes to paint the most creative painting while still following your instructions. Good luck!”

Just as he finished talking, a black curtain suddenly glided across the stage, separating the two brothers. A shame, Sun would’ve loved to see Moon struggle at this. He wasn’t the most creative soul.

As he averted his eyes from the curtain, he was met with an easel and a table containing a pain brush, a bucket filled with water, and all three primary colors in their separate jars.

“Your first task is…to paint a butterfly. Could be any color, any pattern, any design…” The Host trailed off, and then a huge timer appeared on the screen. “Your timer starts…now!”

Sun walked over to his station and picked up the paint brush. He gazed over the colors, knowing that all were available if he mixed them. He wasn’t sure which color to choose.

There’s no time for this thinking, this is what made you lose in the first game!

Sun decided to pick the first two colors that came to mind; blue and yellow. He slid his brush over the white canvas, only stopping to clean his brush and change colors. Soon, he stared at his creation. It was…plain. Sun groaned, as he thought of some inspiration. Anxious, he looked at the giant timer.

3:00

Three minutes left. He briefly wondered how Moon was doing, but then shook his head. No time to dwell on that now.

Come on Sun, think, think!

Orange? No, that wouldn’t match. Red? No, that reminded him of Eclipse…and Bloodmoon. All the these colors reminded him of the ball pit, or more like the portal. Wait, the portal! With all those dimensions all feeling connected…it felt like a giant mirror. All the different dimensions were like tiny pieces of it. And every time Sun looks into one, there’s himself looking back. Another version of him. That’s it!

Sun, with a look of determination, continued his fantasy as he used every color that he could think of. Just as he placed his brush down, the whole sounded with ringing.

“And that’s it folks, time’s up!” The Host smiled, as he reappeared from who knows where. “Contestants, can you please turn your magnificent creations around?”

Sun glanced at him with something other than dread and happily turned his easel around for everyone—besides Moon— to see.

Seconds later, the screen became a poll, as both his and Moon’s paintings became options. Sun’s breath hitched, and he fought hard not to drop to the floor laughing. Moon’s idea of a creative art project was to make it as realistic as possible, completely missing the point. It was a simple monarch, alright sure, it did look good, but it wasn’t what was asked.

Sun snickered, this might be easier than he thought.
“So, whose painting fit the instructions better?” The question was answered by votes filling up option one. Sun’s painting. Moon’s didn’t get any.

After a few more minutes of voting, the poll closed and The Host beamed at Sun. “Looks like our first contestant is being serious this round! Great job!”

Sun had no idea why, but he felt a sense of pride from the praise. He shouldn’t be feeling this, knowing that he was still trapped and forced to play this. But an opportunity to show off his skills was nice, and he actually felt somewhat important now.

As the new round began, Sun felt a smirk start to form on his face. He was going to win this, no matter what.

Chapter Text

I was good at this.

The statement had drilled itself into Sun’s mind as his hands had worked skillfully, stroking and grooming the canvas. Countless paintings and works of art completed, Sun could sense that his brush had reached out and painted The Host’s face with a smile. It was nice to have the spotlight for once. It could be argued that he had all the fame when he was totally in charge at the daycare—before he and Moon separated, but he still wasn't all that popular. He never had one of those fancy charging stations that all the glamrocks had. Sun had just been given a small room and some charging cord. He had always craved that fame, and he had to admit it, he was jealous. He took care of kids for hours, every day except for weekends, and the staff had treated him horribly. Here, it felt great to finally show everyone that he was important. That he actually mattered.

“Alright folks!” The Host exclaimed, ending the final round. “That about wraps up the fifteenth round!”

Sun felt himself wipe imaginary sweat off his faceplate. His hands were shaking, and his mind was spinning at how he won all of this. He did this.

“And the winner for this game is…our first contestant! Give some applause to Sun!”

The cheering from the chat was exactly what Sun wanted. He didn’t care that he didn’t know anyone there, or that it was all fake, it was perfect. The black curtain suddenly removed itself from the stage and Sun finally got to see Moon.

Oh boy.

He was furious.

Sun took an involuntary step back. Out of habit. He hated to admit it, but he had always feared his brother’s anger. It had always ended up with Moon smashing or throwing something, at least it wasn’t as bad as it used to be…

“Time for a commercial break everyone!” the Host announced, wiping his head. “Wow, this competition is getting heated! Both contestants are tied!”

Sun quickly got offstage after they were called to their break room, silently preparing himself for Moon’s confrontation. However, before he got there, he saw a small shadow dart behind a corner. Sun stopped in his tracks, his gaze going to the break room diagonal to him, where Moon was probably waiting.

Sun scoffed, he could wait. The more important thing was the fact that was someone else here. The Host had told him that they were the only contestants, right? He couldn’t tell if this made him nervous or not.

Swallowing a little, Sun kept going down the right side of the hallway, hearing a tiny bit of the commercials playing from the main stage. They were actually pretty loud, he thought. If he were to get attacked or something, no one would hear him…

He reached the end of the hallway and there was nothing. Just a dead end.

“Huh?” Sun pondered out loud, wanting to scratch his faceplate. “I’m sure that I saw someone down here.”

Suddenly his eyes locked on to a small brown door neatly hidden on the left side of the hallway. It was covered by a wall that was sticking out. Maybe it was hidden for a good reason. Sun knew that The Host probably didn’t want them down here, but…

Perhaps it was an exit.

Reaching out, Sun pulled open the door without a second thought. The world flashed white around him, like that visual effect in video games when you discover a secret. Ironic.

As Sun’s eyes blinked to adjust, he saw two things; posters of his and Moon’s show and The Host…wait, what?

“Ah, hello Sun!” The Host greeted cheerily. He was sitting down at a desk in the room which seemed more like an office.

“I-I-um,” Sun sputtered out, his mouth gaping open. He stared at The Host in horror, however he seemed unfazed. Hadn’t Sun just been caught?

“Right, you must be confused,” The Host looked him up and down. “I forgot that you real beings cannot harness the power and knowledge of true a.i.”

Despite his bewilderment and shock, Sun felt a little anger. “Um, excuse me, my brother and I are machines with-”

The Host waved him off, “Yes, yes, I know all that already. However, you still are real-world beings.”

Sun blinked. “I beg your pardon? What the **** is that supposed to mean?”

“Come and have a seat.”

Sun spotted a perfectly sized chair for him across from The Host. He didn’t really want to be seated with this lunatic.

“Actually, I think I’ll pass,” Sun rejected immediately, taking a few steps back. Maybe he could just bolt out of this room and get to Moon.

His smiling faceplate became more of a nervous one as he heard the door slam closed. Oh boy…

“Sit down.” The Host was becoming more impatient. He sounded nothing like the façade he had on a minute ago. Sun felt like this psycho could be friends with Ruin at this point.

Still, Sun hesitantly walked over to the chair and sat down, staring at The Host uneasily.

“Great, now we can have a little chat,” The Host beamed. The façade was back on.

“W-what do you want to talk about,” Sun stuttered.

“Hmm…” The Host put a finger to his chin as if actually thinking about the question. “There are many topics of conversation, but the topic I had planned was you.”

“M-me?” Many thoughts flew around Sun’s head. Was he about to get killed for disappointing The Host in the trivia round? Wait, can he even get killed?

“Yes. You have always interested me, Sun,” The Host smiled, staring directly into Sun’s eyes. He didn’t like where this was going.

“Why?”

“Because you have always been a true gamer!” The Host laughed, throwing his hands up in the air. “Haven’t you noticed that being good at video games is just another form of intelligence in itself?”

“No?” Sun never thought that playing games was ever that smart. It was Moon that was always helping him with the puzzles and logic components. He just liked playing them.

“Oh Sun, you have a lot to learn about the data world, don’t you?”

“The data what now?” Sun asked, before adding, “Does Moon know about this?”

“Moon? Oh, your dear brother?” The Host chuckled before shaking his head. “Not a clue that one, even though he is of a curious sort.” His tone dropped a few octaves. “Maybe a little too curious.”

“I still don’t understand what all this has to do with, hm, I don’t know, trapping us here!” Sun stated impatiently, slightly raising his voice.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry about the whole… transportation service here,” The Host replied, masking a regretful look on his features. “I’ve got a lot of feedback saying that wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences.”

“I wonder why,” Sun scoffed under his breath, before suddenly realizing something. “Wait, you said others? W-what others?”

“Well, you aren’t the only ones, of course. In fact, there have been too many to count,” came the answer.

To be fair, Sun was scared. Utterly terrified. It wasn’t just The Host that unnerved him, but the fact that the commercial was lasting a lot longer than last time. Moon must be really wondering where he was. But he would get through this; after all, the amount of times that Sun had to be in front of a psychopath have definitely prepared him.

He wasn’t stupid. The world just liked to believe that he was.

After realizing that The Host had just been staring at him all this time, Sun awkwardly coughed before clearing his throat.
“I-um if you don’t mind, can I ask a question?” he asked.

The Host smiled widely in return. “Ask away,” he offered.

“Do you have a name?” The question seemed to make him freeze for the first time since Sun had arrived.

“I’ve already told you what you can call me,” The Host stated calmly.

Sun wanted to facepalm, he was pushing it. “No, I mean an actual name,” he explained. “Something personal.”

The Host tilted his head, a small grin forming on his face. “I am an A.I.,” he laughed, “I can name myself whatever I like. Do you want me to have a ‘real’ name for your own preference?”

“I-uh…I guess?”

Smiling at Sun’s stuttered response, The Host suddenly sprung forward and leaned across the desk, making Sun let out a startled yelp and back away. The Host managed to cup his faceplate and feeling it in his hands before sighing.
“You may call me Nus.”

Sun was quick to ply The Host’s hands from his face, panting in shock. His hands trembled in fear at the suddenly close up. Then the words registered.
“N-nus? That’s not even an actual name.”

The now newly named Nus just smirked before replying, “Every name has never been an actual name,” he stated cryptically.

Sun blinked, this was making less and less sense. “What-”

Nus suddenly interrupted him with a gasp as he looked at his watch that magically appeared on his arm.
“Well, looks like the commercial break is over, dear contestant, it’s time to head back to the stage!” After he had finished speaking, he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.

Sun got out of his seat as he heard the door finally unlock. He suddenly felt extremely unnerved, as he had wanted to desperately question The Ho-Nus about a tiny detail.

The watch that had appeared on his arm had been sun-themed.

Chapter Text

Moon wasn’t happy with him, Sun could tell by the questioning glares he kept giving him. Not that he blamed his brother, he would feel the same if Moon hadn’t shown up. Right? Right. Even if they did have a fight. No, Sun wasn’t like that anymore. He won’t run away from his problems. After all this, he’ll sit Moon down, and they will talk it out.

Everything will be okay.

“My audience, I’m pleased to announce that we’re finally back!” Sun watched with narrowed eyes as Nus stood on his podium, speaking cheerily into his microphone as if they didn’t just have a serious conversation a few seconds ago. As if everything was normal.

Sun couldn’t help but be reminded of his self when he worked in the daycare. Back in the days when Old Moon was still around, they would always fight. Well, mostly Moon constantly stating that his whole purpose was to be an asshole and that Sun was always the clueless one. He hated those days. Sun had always wanted to prove himself to Moon, that he could be just as good as him. Always waiting for a chance. He had one now.

“Sorry for the extra commercials that time!” Nus flashed a bright smile that rivaled the sun itself, “There was a delay backstage. But, now we’re back with an even bigger challenge!”

Bigger? No, no, Sun couldn’t handle bigger. He wanted to get out of there, now. He spared a glance at Moon, who had his eyes narrowed, and yet a small smirk curled on his faceplate, as if welcoming the challenge. His brother wanted to beat him. He wanted to win, and shove it in Sun’s face. No matter what they dealt with, Moon always had to come out on top.

Well, Sun could easily beat him, he had a chance now. They were both even, having scored a point in one game already. He probably had many chances—

“The final game will be a trial in combat!”

Nus’s knifed tongue sliced his thought process in half, cutting it into a side of optimism and despair.

No. Combat? Insane. Beating Moon in combat? Even more insane. This was it for him, he would lose this one for sure.
Wait, maybe he could, after all, it was only a game…

“This is sure to be exciting!” Nus continued on before glancing at Sun’s shaking frame, “I’ve heard that this one is quite a sharpshooter! Perhaps a bow would be best for you.” A wink was given as he finished the sentence. “Hmm, can’t only give hints to only one of my dear constants can I?” Nus turned his attention on the more confident-looking Moon. “You seem more flexible in types of weapons,” he noted before waving his hand in dismissal. “Pick whatever you see fit.”

Moon’s mouth was agape, nearly stuttering in his words, “W-what? What kind of advice is that?” He suddenly faced Sun, eyes flashing dangerously. “What kind of favoritism is going on here?” He took a step closer. “Does it have to do with why you didn’t show up earlier?”

Sun was dreading answering, but luckily he didn’t have to. “Hey! How is the fighting starting before I announce it?” Nus exclaimed in surprise, causing Moon to let out a low, frustrated growl before heading back to his spot. “That’s better.” Confusion seeped into his voice. “Huh, didn’t know you guys were so excited to fight.” Nus suddenly muttered something under his breath, though Sun caught the words ‘brothers more often’ thanks to the magic of microphones.

Sun suddenly jumped in surprise as a rack filled with weapons rose up from somewhere beneath the stage, it being about just as tall as him. He spotted almost every single type of weapon he could think of, including a variety of long-ranged ones, such as bows, slingshots, and crossbows. There were also maces, axes, swords, and even a giant hammer. Sun prayed that his brother wouldn’t pick that one in particular to bash his head in.

“See anything you like?” Nus joked, a faint glim of amusement on his face after seeing their reactions. “Well,” his face straightened out, “Before we get to all the fun, there are a couple of rules to address.” He raised one finger, “Number one, you are limited to only one weapon, though the ammunition for the bows are the only exception. No breaking your weapon either, in case you were thinking of loopholes.” Another digit joined the first, “Second, you will be placed in an arena of my choosing. No matter what, you are NOT to leave it, understand?” At both reluctant nods, he sighed in relief before checking his watch. “Wow! You guys must be bored by me by now, you can pick your weapons.” With that he snickered before going up to the chat and created another prediction poll. Sun didn’t bother looking at what it was.

He turned to grab his weapon when he saw Moon’s eyes pinpointed on Nus’s arm. The watch…probably not good implications there. Sun felt uncomfortable with it, but he had to find a way to tell Moon that it wasn’t even his idea. He opened his mouth, but Moon suddenly turned around and stalked to the rack. Sun watched as Moon’s fingers skimmed eerily over all the deadliest weapons before settling on…wait, what?

He hadn’t realized that there was another axe just barely sticking out from the side of the rack. Moon’s hand curled around it and pulled it up. Sun’s widened in shock as he saw what was hidden. Another blade…it was a double-sided axe. Its silver gleam shined proudly as Moon twirled it around, his face set in a grin. He left the rack with a spring in his step and turned his face—that grinning face—towards Sun. He tilted his head menacingly towards the rack, his nightcap flying from the force, as if daring Sun to challenge him. He wanted Sun to give up, to submit without even trying to defend himself. Like he’s done many times before.

Well, Sun wasn’t going to. Forcing a smirk to form on his features, he straightened his posture before walking with false bravado to the weapons. His eyes scanned every one, before Nus’s words came into his mind. A sharpshooter, huh? Old Moon was always amazed by how well he played shooter games. He noticed there wasn’t any guns of any sort, but he guessed it would be a little too easy.

A few seconds later, Sun walked back to the front of the stage with a bow and a quiver filled with five arrows. He wished there were more, but he’d have to do with what he has. Moon’s hands clenched into fists as he looked at Sun again. His eyes seemed to stare daggers at the gold and red colored bow Sun was holding.

Before Sun could ask, Nus spoke again, “Ah, look at you guys, all armed and ready!” His eyes scanned both their weapons quickly, and he nodded in approval. “I like what I’m seeing here, real promise!” He turned back to the chat, which seemed flooded with impatient messages. “I think we’re ready to begin now, contestants!” His mouth thinned into a flat line as he went into thought. “Hm, what arena would be the most entertaining?” He stood there silently for a few more moments before snapping a finger up. “I’ve got it!” He snapped his fingers and everything was gone.

…

It was dark when Sun opened his eyes. His frame felt as though it was laying on something wet and cold when he tried to move. After a few minutes of adjusting, he realized that he was in a forest. The full moon shone overhead, its light barely lighting up anything around him as the thick amount of trees prohibited it. A sliver of light revealed his bow and quiver sitting just a few feet in front of him, and he quickly stood up to grab it. Sun grimaced as he felt what seemed to be mud sliding off his backside and knew he was in for some deep cleaning later.

Breathing a sigh of relief with his weapon in hand and quiver slung around his right shoulder, he soon realized that he was in danger. He didn’t know where Moon was, or if he had awoken sooner than him and gotten a head start. He didn’t know how big this stupid forest was or if there was some sort of timer.

Sun figured he’d better start walking. The more he wandered through the depths of the woods the more he became aware that he was utterly alone. No crickets chirping, no twigs snapping from animals and no growls from predators.

There was only one predator here.

Sun was about to take a break from moving endlessly when he smelled something other than mildew and mud. Smoke. Smoke means a fire, which means someone had to start that fire.

Sun’s rays twitched anxiously. He’d found Moon.

He traced the smell of the smoke to a small cave opening a little further away. Sun couldn’t see much other than the small campfire inside. He took a step forward before abruptly stopping. What if this was a trap? After all, Moon’s smart enough to know the smell of smoke is strong. One step in there could lead to his demise and—

Wait. Sun widened his eyes in shock at his train of thought. How could he think like that? Even with all this, Moon’s still his brother. Why do they have to fight? Sun thought back to when Nus was encouraging him to win and be better. No, that was a trap, wasn’t it. The game wants a victor. Oh, god, he was seeing this from the wrong perspective. Nus was manipulating him so much that he thought that his own brother would kill him. For a stupid game, absolutely not. If he touched his stuff…maybe.

Thinking with his heart and not logically, Sun ran into the cave. He froze as he saw Moon sitting on a stone, back facing him, his axe nowhere to be found. “So,” Moon started, still looking at the fire, “Why the hesitation? I knew you were out there.”

Sun never knew how much he had missed his brother’s voice until now. The hard thuds of both his bow and quiver hitting the ground were the only sounds in the cave. The action made Moon finally turn his head around, and his hardened expression molded into surprise. Sun boldly stared him in his eyes.
“I’m sorry.” The words just slipped out. Moon was still once more.

“I made it so easy for you,” he murmured softly, so low that Sun barely heard it. “You were so close.”

Sun tilted his head in bewilderment before walking over to sit next to his sibling. Moon didn’t shy away from the approach. “What are you talking about, Moon?”

Moon sighed as he buried his head in his hands, startling Sun who was concerned. “I never wanted to fight, Sun. But I couldn’t tell you that before, not when we didn’t stand a chance.”

“Was it all an act?” Sun asked, starting to fidget with his rays. “Everything?”

Moon peeked up from his hands, “The Host threatened me,” he said. “At the start of it all.”

Sun couldn’t believe it, “What? How is that possible, he was with me and said you didn’t need any help or something.”

Moon snorted, “Well that was a lie,” he retorted. “He showed up for me too, basically told me to embody the ‘spirit’ or…”

“Or what?”

“He’d hurt you.”

Silence. Sun was shaken to his core. This was worse than he thought. How naive he was, to think that Nus was somehow helping him. Helping him to kill his brother.
“Moon…” Sun started, his voice shaking. “It wasn’t your fault, it, it was mine.” Heartbroken from seeing the despair-ridden look on his brother’s face, he decided to stand up. “I fell for it—everything. All the manipulation, all the false encouragement, all so I could beat—no kill you. I’m a terrible brother, for taking that weapon with the goal of—” His voice cracked— “being better than you. I let my own stupid ambitions get the better of me and…” Sun paused his sentence seeing that Moon was silently crying during it.

“I didn’t have the right to get angry at you,” Moon cried. “I was just so frustrated that I couldn’t say anything, and watching you get manipulated like that and getting more competitive.” He breathed a sigh, trying to calm down. “I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk ruining everything because I was too stubborn. I had to wait until it was impossible to wait any longer. I never wanted to hurt you Sun.”

Sun was crying now, and while sobbing, he sat back down next to Moon and hugged him tightly. Moon reciprocated the action, while also playing with Sun’s rays. In return, Sun gently tugged his nightcap.
“I’m so sorry,” they both said at the same time.

“Oh I know,” a sinister voice replied, making both their heads snap up. “I’m sorry too, for the ways that this must end.”