Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Niko opens their eyes to a dark room. There is a window spilling dim blue-tinted light onto the wooden floorboards of the space. Their eyes widen as they look around the room. It is familiar.

The main thing they notice, though, is that there is no computer. There is supposed to be a computer here on the desk, they remember. How else were they supposed to #(**())(%)

In its place, there is a piece of paper. A quite ordinary-looking piece of paper, they might add. They pick it up. It reads:

You found me.

Why?

You’re already too late. Not much of the world remains.

This will be apparent once you go outside.

This place was never worth saving.

…Do you still want to try?

Then, remember this:

Your actions here will affect Niko.

Your “mission” is to help Niko leave.

And most importantly…

You only have one shot.

Niko shivers. They remember this. They remember this. Why are they here again? Wasn’t the last playthrough supposed to be the Player’s last shot?

They clutch their own sleeve endings in their hands, and come to a decision. They have to get the sun again, that way they can ask the Player what is going on.

They enter the bathroom, where they can see their own luminous yellow eyes staring back at them through the mirror. They snap a branch off of a withering plant.

As they walk into the main living area, they’re hit with another wave of deja vu, and their heart races as they try to do this as quickly as possible. There is a room-temperature bottle of alcohol in the fridge, and they can already see the sparks shooting out from the fried TV.

They haphazardly pour a decent amount of alcohol on the branch they had gathered earlier, and then stumble over to the sparking electronic, holding the makeshift torch as far away from themself as possible.

“Ah!”

They throw their flaming branch into the empty fireplace, conveniently not far from the TV. As the rest of the fuel catches alight, they look around for something they know should be hidden somewhere on the floor.

There! A small, shimmering silver key is lodged between two of the floorboards. After some struggle, they manage to wriggle it out. They stare at it for a long second.

Niko turns around and feels around for the door that they know is there. Their hands land on a doorknob, and they feel around for the keyhole, until they feel the key fall into something with a quiet click.

They step carefully down the stairs. The fireplace they lit is too far away to help them here. After all, it can’t even reach the basement door, the short hall blocking the way.

They reach the bottom suddenly. They stumble, expecting another step. They must have been lost in thought.

Niko walks quietly down the hallway, letting their whisker things judge how far away the walls are.

Their feet hit something abruptly. They reach down to pick it up, when it suddenly lights up the entire space. Their eyes used to the dark, they blink rapidly for a few seconds.

It feels warm in their hands. They ascend the stairs, clutching the sun tight to their chest. They close the basement door behind them, and look at their faint reflection in the bulb. They sit down, close their eyes, and rest their head on the warm sun.

“Player? Are you there?”

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Chapter Text

“Yes.”
“Player!” Niko opens their eyes, their words full of emotion.
“What’s going on? I thought we- I thought we-” They look around, their hands still wrapped around the lightbulb. “I thought we fixed the World Machine.”

Reply with We Did

Reply with I Don't Know

Chapter Text

“No.”
Niko is silent for a short second. “Well, clearly you are, if you responded!” They don’t wait for a response before asking,
“What’s going on? I thought we- I thought we-” They look around, their hands still wrapped around the lightbulb. “I thought we fixed the World Machine.”

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Reply with I Don't Know

Chapter Text

“We did,”

“We did? Then why-”

They look around. They hesitate before their next words. “Why am I back here?”

“I don’t know.”

Niko is silent. They pick up the lightbulb and walk slowly toward the door. They hold it up, causing a pattern on the door to glow a dim yellow, along with a little click indicating that it is unlocked.

They step out onto the dimly glowing purple sand. When they look up, they can see the tower in the distance. They shiver. “...”

Niko begins trodding across the land, heading for a run-down electrical station. They can’t see it yet, but it should be over here, if they can trust their memory.

There are several robot parts scattered and half-buried in the sand, lending the space an even creepier aura. They wonder if any of these robots were tamed. They hope not.

The sand feels cold beneath their feet, even with shoes on. It rolls slightly under them, making it hard to go any faster than a skip. They walk easy, however, as if they are more used to the inconsistent soil than is warranted considering they have just arrived.

A shadow looms in the distance. Well, hardly more of a shadow than everything else around, that is. Everything is so dark, it’s hard to tell the difference between shapes in their eyes, and actual real structures.

It seems to be real, though, because it’s not shifting or changing shape in the way a spot in their eye would. It’s consistently getting bigger, closer.

They find the back wall and walk around the perimeter, clutching the sun to their chest.

In front of the building is a tall, shining figure, wielding a long stick in one hand, brushing off long robes with the other. Two receptor antennae on each side of its head twitch slightly with each movement.

He senses the movement before he sees Niko trudging across the sand toward him. The antennae perk up when he sees what they’re carrying. “That lightbulb…! You are here!” His single eye shines with excitement.

“Uh huh…” Niko walks up to him, looking at their feet. When they finally meet his eye, it’s to ask, “You’re Prophetbot, right?” They are sure they’re remembering right, but they feel the need to ask anyways.

Prophetbot’s eye flickers, in imitation of a blink, probably. “Correct!” By the sound of his voice, he would probably be smiling if he had a mouth. “May I ask how you knew?” He stares curiously down at the child.

Niko looks down at the lightbulb in their hands. “I…” They haven’t thought of an answer to this question.

Prophetbot rests his hand on the robes. “I’m sure Player told you!” He answers himself when Niko doesn’t respond.

They nod absently.

“Welcome to our world, friend!” Prophetbot twirls around surprisingly gracefully. “I am most humbled by your presence. Yes!”

They decide to ask the question that’s been boiling in their mind. They don’t know if Prophetbot will be able to answer, but it’s worth a shot. “Do you know why I’m here? Not to save the world- I mean…” They trail off, wondering how to explain what they mean.

He takes a few seconds to process this. “You’re not here to save the world? But you have the sun!” He motions to the lightbulb they’re holding, as if they are unaware.

Niko thinks. “I am… I think. I mean to ask, why…” They trail off again. It might be easier to explain this to someone else.

They gaze at the lightbulb, feeling its warm weight in their arms. “...”

Prophetbot tilts his head a little. “Do you know why you are here?”

“Yes. I have to put the sun at the top of the tower. I just…” Niko tries, through gritted teeth. “I’ve been here before. Why am I back?” They manage to ask.

Once again, Prophetbot takes a few seconds to respond. “I would not know. I have not been tamed.”

Niko sighs. They kind of expected that, but it doesn’t make it any less disappointing.

“Well…thank you, Prophetbot.” They murmur, unsure if the robot even heard them as they walk away.

Niko holds their breath as they open a door. Silver always kind of intimidated Niko, even if she was really nice under the stoic facade. The door creaks eerily on its old and rusty hinges.

“Hello? Robot lady?” They call, before their eyes can adjust to the dark. “Silver?”

Rustling of objects from another room can be heard before a tall woman with long red hair enters through another door.

She narrows her eyes unreadably at Niko. “Did someone tell you my name? I’ve never met-” She notices the lightbulb resting in Niko’s arms. “Oh. The messiah. That explains it.”

“Well..” Niko’s head spins as they try to figure out a way to explain it, again. They’d tried to use simpler terms with Prophetbot in the hopes that it would trigger some dialogue that he had deep in his code, but someone like Silver would need a lot better of an explanation.

They inhale deeply before murmuring, “Listen, I’m from another world, and I…I’ve been to this one before. I’ve saved it before. I know you, but you don’t know me. Do- Do you know why that would happen? Has the sun died a second time?” They grasp hopefully at any semblance of sense in their situation.

Silver stares blankly at them for a few moments. “Nooo, this is the only time the sun has gone out.” She answers that question first, seemingly a little distracted processing the other ones. She blinks slowly at them. “Did you hit your head?” She reaches out her hand, but Niko steps back before she can examine it.

“No! It’s hard to explain. The world, it was on a loop. We finally stopped it, but-” They hold the lightbulb out in front of them. “I think it’s looping again.” They desperately hope that Silver will understand.

“I’m not sure I follow.” Silver steps back, drawing her arm away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Niko’s hands shake, they’re trying not to let themselves get too scared. “Okay, okay.” They take a trembling breath. “Can you…can you take me to the mines, then?” Their last hope for answers was Proto, a robot living in the cave system.

Silver walks past them, glancing over her shoulder. “I don’t know why you would want to go; it’s abandoned. But if that’s what you need to progress…” She shrugs.

Niko thinks as they’re walking with Silver. Did they even expect that to work? They had hoped, but did they really think it would?

They feel like they did the first time they were brought back, before they met Proto, Cedric, or Rue. They feel like something is missing, like something is different, they just aren’t sure what.

They wrap their arms around the sun. “Player?” They can feel Silver glance at them curiously, as if wondering what it’s like to talk to a god so casually. “Do you think this will work?”

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Chapter Text

“I don’t know,”

“Oh…”

They look around. They hesitate before their next words. “Why am I back here?”

“I don’t know.”

Niko is silent. They pick up the lightbulb and walk slowly toward the door. They hold it up, causing a pattern on the door to glow a dim yellow, along with a little click indicating that it is unlocked.

They step out onto the dimly glowing purple sand. When they look up, they can see the tower in the distance. They shiver. “...”

Niko begins trodding across the land, heading for a run-down electrical station. They can’t see it yet, but it should be over here, if they can trust their memory.

There are several robot parts scattered and half-buried in the sand, lending the space an even creepier aura. They wonder if any of these robots were tamed. They hope not.

The sand feels cold beneath their feet, even with shoes on. It rolls slightly under them, making it hard to go any faster than a skip. They walk easy, however, as if they are more used to the inconsistent soil than is warranted considering they have just arrived.

A shadow looms in the distance. Well, hardly more of a shadow than everything else around, that is. Everything is so dark, it’s hard to tell the difference between shapes in their eyes, and actual real structures.

It seems to be real, though, because it’s not shifting or changing shape in the way a spot in their eye would. It’s consistently getting bigger, closer.

They find the back wall and walk around the perimeter, clutching the sun to their chest.

In front of the building is a tall, shining figure, wielding a long stick in one hand, brushing off long robes with the other. Two receptor antennae on each side of its head twitch slightly with each movement.

He senses the movement before he sees Niko trudging across the sand toward him. The antennae perk up when he sees what they’re carrying. “That lightbulb…! You are here!” His single eye shines with excitement.

“Uh huh…” Niko walks up to him, looking at their feet. When they finally meet his eye, it’s to ask, “You’re Prophetbot, right?” They are sure they’re remembering right, but they feel the need to ask anyways.

Prophetbot’s eye flickers, in imitation of a blink, probably. “Correct!” By the sound of his voice, he would probably be smiling if he had a mouth. “May I ask how you knew?” He stares curiously down at the child.

Niko looks down at the lightbulb in their hands. “I…” They haven’t thought of an answer to this question.

Prophetbot rests his hand on the robes. “I’m sure Player told you!” He answers himself when Niko doesn’t respond.

They nod absently.

“Welcome to our world, friend!” Prophetbot twirls around surprisingly gracefully. “I am most humbled by your presence. Yes!”

They decide to ask the question that’s been boiling in their mind. They don’t know if Prophetbot will be able to answer, but it’s worth a shot. “Do you know why I’m here? Not to save the world- I mean…” They trail off, wondering how to explain what they mean.

He takes a few seconds to process this. “You’re not here to save the world? But you have the sun!” He motions to the lightbulb they’re holding, as if they are unaware.

Niko thinks. “I am… I think. I mean to ask, why…” They trail off again. It might be easier to explain this to someone else.

They gaze at the lightbulb, feeling its warm weight in their arms. “...”

Prophetbot tilts his head a little. “Do you know why you are here?”

“Yes. I have to put the sun at the top of the tower. I just…” Niko tries, through gritted teeth. “I’ve been here before. Why am I back?” They manage to ask.

Once again, Prophetbot takes a few seconds to respond. “I would not know. I have not been tamed.”

Niko sighs. They kind of expected that, but it doesn’t make it any less disappointing.

“Well…thank you, Prophetbot.” They murmur, unsure if the robot even heard them as they walk away.

Niko holds their breath as they open a door. Silver always kind of intimidated Niko, even if she was really nice under the stoic facade. The door creaks eerily on its old and rusty hinges.

“Hello? Robot lady?” They call, before their eyes can adjust to the dark. “Silver?”

Rustling of objects from another room can be heard before a tall woman with long red hair enters through another door.

She narrows her eyes unreadably at Niko. “Did someone tell you my name? I’ve never met-” She notices the lightbulb resting in Niko’s arms. “Oh. The messiah. That explains it.”

“Well..” Niko’s head spins as they try to figure out a way to explain it, again. They’d tried to use simpler terms with Prophetbot in the hopes that it would trigger some dialogue that he had deep in his code, but someone like Silver would need a lot better of an explanation.

They inhale deeply before murmuring, “Listen, I’m from another world, and I…I’ve been to this one before. I’ve saved it before. I know you, but you don’t know me. Do- Do you know why that would happen? Has the sun died a second time?” They grasp hopefully at any semblance of sense in their situation.

Silver stares blankly at them for a few moments. “Nooo, this is the only time the sun has gone out.” She answers that question first, seemingly a little distracted processing the other ones. She blinks slowly at them. “Did you hit your head?” She reaches out her hand, but Niko steps back before she can examine it.

“No! It’s hard to explain. The world, it was on a loop. We finally stopped it, but-” They hold the lightbulb out in front of them. “I think it’s looping again.” They desperately hope that Silver will understand.

“I’m not sure I follow.” Silver steps back, drawing her arm away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Niko’s hands shake, they’re trying not to let themselves get too scared. “Okay, okay.” They take a trembling breath. “Can you…can you take me to the mines, then?” Their last hope for answers was Proto, a robot living in the cave system.

Silver walks past them, glancing over her shoulder. “I don’t know why you would want to go; it’s abandoned. But if that’s what you need to progress…” She shrugs.

Niko thinks as they’re walking with Silver. Did they even expect that to work? They had hoped, but did they really think it would?

They feel like they did the first time they were brought back, before they met Proto, Cedric, or Rue. They feel like something is missing, like something is different, they just aren’t sure what.

They wrap their arms around the sun. “Player?” They can feel Silver glance at them curiously, as if wondering what it’s like to talk to a god so casually. “Do you think this will work?”

Reply with Yes

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Chapter Text

“Yes.”
Niko looks up at the sky and smiles, though they’re clearly still scared, they seem comforted. “Okay. I trust you.”

“We’re here.” Silver announces.

They’re standing at the mouth of a dark cave. Jagged rocks stick out from the ceiling and the floor like teeth. Niko stares at it, apprehensively, before heading inside.

Inside, the cave opens up to be bigger than expected. A dim, bluish lantern on the wall casts just enough light to see by. There is an old minecart trail, starting from outside, that leads over a canyon into impenetrable darkness.

“Seen enough?” Silver asks, leaning on the cave wall with her arms crossed. “There isn’t all that much to see around here, anyway.” She stares inquisitively at the kid.

Niko is gazing intently across the minecart rail, as if trying to catch a glimpse of movement in the pitch blackness. They talk slowly without looking away. “I’m just…looking for someone…”

Silver raises an eyebrow. “In the mines? The mines that are abandoned?”

Niko tears their eyes away to glance at Silver. “You were the one that told me he lived here!” They rub their face with their sleeve, brain frying. “Or- or you were last time, I guess.”

Silver sighs dramatically. “I know. I know who you’re talking about, I mean. But it’s really starting to freak me out how you know all of these things.”

Niko looks away. “I just want to go home.” They whisper.

She steps forward to stand beside Niko at the drop. She sets her foot cautiously onto the rail, and it creaks ominously. “It’s not safe for you to walk across this.” She pulls them back a step, back onto safe ground.

“Hmm.” Niko looks up, thinking, and then reaches into their pocket. They realize for the first time that they never checked if they had the journal with them, and briefly panic, before feeling its strangely warm cover between their fingertips.

They pull it out and stare at the glowing yellow clover on the cover. It feels warm to the touch, as if it had been sitting at the bottom of a pile of freshly printed papers. It only ever feels like this when the clover is bright. It’s what usually alerts them to it.

“Okay…” They open it up to a random page, but to their surprise, there is nothing except the words:

placeholder text (I haven’t quite figured out what to put here)

Niko blinks, then blinks a few more times. “What? Place holder??” They’re having a hard time processing this. “Uhm…” They put one of their hands on their mouth inquisitively.

They jump when they hear Silver hitch a breath. They spin around to see her approaching a minecart that most definitely had not been there before.

“I looked away for a second…” She mutters. “Are they fast enough for that?”

Niko glances at the book, which is still glowing. “I guess it still works..”

After Silver’s been inspecting the wheels for a while, she turns to her companion and asks, stoically, “It seems to be in working condition. Want to go pay him a visit, then?”

“Yes, please!” Niko eagerly jumps into the cart, where they put the journal back in their pocket. Silver shoves the cart forward, and as if there’s no friction, it continues gliding across the rail at the same speed as when she first pushed it. She pads casually behind it.

They ride in silence for a long time, so long that Niko nearly falls asleep a few times, the lightbulb so warm that it makes them sleepy if they’re not walking with it. They pull themself back up to a sitting position every now and then, as not to pass out.

They squint into the dark distance, but the light from the sun makes it too hard to make out any difference in the shapes. They turn around to Silver instead. “Can you see anything?”

Silver squints as well. “A little bit. Looks like computer terminals?” She taps her fingers on the edge of the minecart thoughtfully. “Weird.”

They are computer terminals. Niko thought that they had remembered that correctly, but they hadn’t been sure until now. If those are there, then…

As Silver stops to study one of the terminals, Niko runs over to a path leading away from the room. This should be where Proto lives, right?

#)($)(#*$)(*%%*)(%#)*%(*)#(%)(%$

They wander into a room about as big as the one with the computers. This room also has a computer, but it looks slightly different from the ones in the main room.

Standing in the middle of the room is another robed robot, with considerably worse posture considering they don’t have spines. His antennae only flick up when he hears them behind him.

“Proto! Do you know what’s going on? You’re the only person I could think of who would know- I asked Silver and Prophe-” Niko explodes.

The aperture in his eye contracts to give him a shocked expression. “Slow down!” He exclaims as they ramble faster than he can process their words.

Niko shuts up fairly quickly. They look down at their feet. “Sorry…I’m just kind of scared.”

Proto doesn’t comment, just stares calmly at them. “You know my name. Have you met me before?” He questions.

Niko heaves a deep breath. “Yes! I’ve met the World Machine too. And Cedric, and Rue. I don’t know why I’m back! I thought I fixed everything.”

He is silent for a few moments. “You did.” He says, which doesn’t explain anything.

They stare blankly at him, frustration mixing with their nerves. “What happened? Why am I in this world again?”

Proto looks away. “The author was feeling sentimental, probably. Liked this game so much they wanted to write about it.”

Niko squints. “The Author? Like, the one that made the World Machine?” They wish people would just explain these things in a way that they would understand.

He shakes his head, and his antennae twitch reproachfully. “No. Not The Author- the author, not capitalized. The one writing right now. It’s a different person, but they serve the same purpose.” Before they can respond, or even really process what he is saying, he adds, “I’m sure I told you this before, but the Reader has nothing to do with it. They can’t change much.”

It takes a while for Niko to put together what this means. They nearly drop the sun when they do, only just barely managing to catch it before it hits the ground.

They’re trembling. “You mean- You mean we’re in a BOOK this time??”

Proto stares at them blankly, but when he speaks there is a hint of sympathy in his voice. “Not a book. Fanfiction.”

Niko’s thoughts are spiraling. “Am I even the same person?? If it’s a different writer- what if I’m not who I think I am??”

Proto sighs, somehow, despite not having a mouth. “No. You’re still a real person. It’s everyone else that is subject to the opinion of the author. Even me, unfortunately.”

They look incredulously at him. They’re having many thoughts at once, so they all tumble over each other when they try to verbalize them. “There are so many little changes, it’s freaking me out! Didn’t I have to restore your memory card before?? I feel like I’m going crazy! How many times am I going to be taken here?” By the time they finish, they’re out of breath.

He takes a minute to consider which question to answer first. “The changes…they’re either for plot, or because the author didn’t find it necessary to write them out. I’d say that memory card of mine is probably an example of the latter.”

They wait for him to continue, hugging the sun close to them.

After a moment of waiting for them to respond, he says, “If I’m being honest, I don’t have a full grasp on how you get here. I’m sure there are other fictions that include you in them, and if you don’t remember those, they probably weren’t you. The real you. I think the only reason you’re here, in this one, is because the author specifically decided that they wanted that to be true.”

Niko’s vision blurs in front of them as they try not to cry. “But WHY?” They mumble.

“I do not know.” After a moment of them staring intensely at him, biting their lip, he mutters, “Sorry. I am unhappy I have had to greatly upset you, twice, apparently.”

They set the sun gently down on a chair, so they can have their hands free to wipe the tears welling up in their eyes. “It’s not you…it’s just…what you’re telling me…I guess.” They speak quietly. “I’m just scared. How many times am I going to have to do this? This world is cool and all, but-” They stammer, seeming to struggle to articulate what they mean. “It’s stressful! Saving the world, I might even- I might even have to make the decision again.”

Prototype seems to know what they’re referring to. Replacing the sun, or…smashing it, and ending the world. He tips his head sympathetically.

Niko abruptly scoops the lightbulb back up into their arms, and takes a shaky breath. “Player- Reader? I…don’t know what to call you anymore…” They shake their head, cutting off the train of thought. “Did-...did you know it would be like this?” They don’t mean to sound so accusatory, but bigger emotions than they’re used to make their voice sound harsh.

Reply with No

Can't reply with yes because I lost the writing I had for it :,)

Chapter Text

“...”
Niko’s eyes widen slightly. “Player?” They get one of those whole body shivers ,and look down at their feet nervously.
“We’re here.” Silver announces.

They’re standing at the mouth of a dark cave. Jagged rocks stick out from the ceiling and the floor like teeth. Niko stares at it, apprehensively, before heading inside.

Inside, the cave opens up to be bigger than expected. A dim, bluish lantern on the wall casts just enough light to see by. There is an old minecart trail, starting from outside, that leads over a canyon into impenetrable darkness.

“Seen enough?” Silver asks, leaning on the cave wall with her arms crossed. “There isn’t all that much to see around here, anyway.” She stares inquisitively at the kid.

Niko is gazing intently across the minecart rail, as if trying to catch a glimpse of movement in the pitch blackness. They talk slowly without looking away. “I’m just…looking for someone…”

Silver raises an eyebrow. “In the mines? The mines that are abandoned?”

Niko tears their eyes away to glance at Silver. “You were the one that told me he lived here!” They rub their face with their sleeve, brain frying. “Or- or you were last time, I guess.”

Silver sighs dramatically. “I know. I know who you’re talking about, I mean. But it’s really starting to freak me out how you know all of these things.”

Niko looks away. “I just want to go home.” They whisper.

She steps forward to stand beside Niko at the drop. She sets her foot cautiously onto the rail, and it creaks ominously. “It’s not safe for you to walk across this.” She pulls them back a step, back onto safe ground.

“Hmm.” Niko looks up, thinking, and then reaches into their pocket. They realize for the first time that they never checked if they had the journal with them, and briefly panic, before feeling its strangely warm cover between their fingertips.

They pull it out and stare at the glowing yellow clover on the cover. It feels warm to the touch, as if it had been sitting at the bottom of a pile of freshly printed papers. It only ever feels like this when the clover is bright. It’s what usually alerts them to it.

“Okay…” They open it up to a random page, but to their surprise, there is nothing except the words:

placeholder text (I haven’t quite figured out what to put here)

Niko blinks, then blinks a few more times. “What? Place holder??” They’re having a hard time processing this. “Uhm…” They put one of their hands on their mouth inquisitively.

They jump when they hear Silver hitch a breath. They spin around to see her approaching a minecart that most definitely had not been there before.

“I looked away for a second…” She mutters. “Are they fast enough for that?”

Niko glances at the book, which is still glowing. “I guess it still works..”

After Silver’s been inspecting the wheels for a while, she turns to her companion and asks, stoically, “It seems to be in working condition. Want to go pay him a visit, then?”

“Yes, please!” Niko eagerly jumps into the cart, where they put the journal back in their pocket. Silver shoves the cart forward, and as if there’s no friction, it continues gliding across the rail at the same speed as when she first pushed it. She pads casually behind it.

They ride in silence for a long time, so long that Niko nearly falls asleep a few times, the lightbulb so warm that it makes them sleepy if they’re not walking with it. They pull themself back up to a sitting position every now and then, as not to pass out.

They squint into the dark distance, but the light from the sun makes it too hard to make out any difference in the shapes. They turn around to Silver instead. “Can you see anything?”

Silver squints as well. “A little bit. Looks like computer terminals?” She taps her fingers on the edge of the minecart thoughtfully. “Weird.”

They are computer terminals. Niko thought that they had remembered that correctly, but they hadn’t been sure until now. If those are there, then…

As Silver stops to study one of the terminals, Niko runs over to a path leading away from the room. This should be where Proto lives, right?

#)($)(#*$)(*%%*)(%#)*%(*)#(%)(%$

They wander into a room about as big as the one with the computers. This room also has a computer, but it looks slightly different from the ones in the main room.

Standing in the middle of the room is another robed robot, with considerably worse posture considering they don’t have spines. His antennae only flick up when he hears them behind him.

“Proto! Do you know what’s going on? You’re the only person I could think of who would know- I asked Silver and Prophe-” Niko explodes.

The aperture in his eye contracts to give him a shocked expression. “Slow down!” He exclaims as they ramble faster than he can process their words.

Niko shuts up fairly quickly. They look down at their feet. “Sorry…I’m just kind of scared.”

Proto doesn’t comment, just stares calmly at them. “You know my name. Have you met me before?” He questions.

Niko heaves a deep breath. “Yes! I’ve met the World Machine too. And Cedric, and Rue. I don’t know why I’m back! I thought I fixed everything.”

He is silent for a few moments. “You did.” He says, which doesn’t explain anything.

They stare blankly at him, frustration mixing with their nerves. “What happened? Why am I in this world again?”

Proto looks away. “The author was feeling sentimental, probably. Liked this game so much they wanted to write about it.”

Niko squints. “The Author? Like, the one that made the World Machine?” They wish people would just explain these things in a way that they would understand.

He shakes his head, and his antennae twitch reproachfully. “No. Not The Author- the author, not capitalized. The one writing right now. It’s a different person, but they serve the same purpose.” Before they can respond, or even really process what he is saying, he adds, “I’m sure I told you this before, but the Reader has nothing to do with it. They can’t change much.”

It takes a while for Niko to put together what this means. They nearly drop the sun when they do, only just barely managing to catch it before it hits the ground.

They’re trembling. “You mean- You mean we’re in a BOOK this time??”

Proto stares at them blankly, but when he speaks there is a hint of sympathy in his voice. “Not a book. Fanfiction.”

Niko’s thoughts are spiraling. “Am I even the same person?? If it’s a different writer- what if I’m not who I think I am??”

Proto sighs, somehow, despite not having a mouth. “No. You’re still a real person. It’s everyone else that is subject to the opinion of the author. Even me, unfortunately.”

They look incredulously at him. They’re having many thoughts at once, so they all tumble over each other when they try to verbalize them. “There are so many little changes, it’s freaking me out! Didn’t I have to restore your memory card before?? I feel like I’m going crazy! How many times am I going to be taken here?” By the time they finish, they’re out of breath.

He takes a minute to consider which question to answer first. “The changes…they’re either for plot, or because the author didn’t find it necessary to write them out. I’d say that memory card of mine is probably an example of the latter.”

They wait for him to continue, hugging the sun close to them.

After a moment of waiting for them to respond, he says, “If I’m being honest, I don’t have a full grasp on how you get here. I’m sure there are other fictions that include you in them, and if you don’t remember those, they probably weren’t you. The real you. I think the only reason you’re here, in this one, is because the author specifically decided that they wanted that to be true.”

Niko’s vision blurs in front of them as they try not to cry. “But WHY?” They mumble.

“I do not know.” After a moment of them staring intensely at him, biting their lip, he mutters, “Sorry. I am unhappy I have had to greatly upset you, twice, apparently.”

They set the sun gently down on a chair, so they can have their hands free to wipe the tears welling up in their eyes. “It’s not you…it’s just…what you’re telling me…I guess.” They speak quietly. “I’m just scared. How many times am I going to have to do this? This world is cool and all, but-” They stammer, seeming to struggle to articulate what they mean. “It’s stressful! Saving the world, I might even- I might even have to make the decision again.”

Prototype seems to know what they’re referring to. Replacing the sun, or…smashing it, and ending the world. He tips his head sympathetically.

Niko abruptly scoops the lightbulb back up into their arms, and takes a shaky breath. “Player- Reader? I…don’t know what to call you anymore…” They shake their head, cutting off the train of thought. “Did-...did you know it would be like this?” They don’t mean to sound so accusatory, but bigger emotions than they’re used to make their voice sound harsh.

Reply with No

Can't reply with yes because I lost the writing I had for it :,)

Chapter Text

“No.”
“Really?” Niko seems shocked at such a bold answer. They wrap their arms around the sun, instead of carrying it with their hands, which are shaking too much to risk dropping it. “You don’t think I’ll be able to go home?” Their voice breaks.

Reply with I Do

Reply with I Don't

Chapter Text

“I do,”

Niko stares at the sky. “Do we need to try something else, then?” They seem confused by the conflicting answers. They look back down towards the sand ahead of them. “Do we just need to talk to the World Machine again?”

“We’re here.” Silver announces.

They’re standing at the mouth of a dark cave. Jagged rocks stick out from the ceiling and the floor like teeth. Niko stares at it, apprehensively, before heading inside.

Inside, the cave opens up to be bigger than expected. A dim, bluish lantern on the wall casts just enough light to see by. There is an old minecart trail, starting from outside, that leads over a canyon into impenetrable darkness.

“Seen enough?” Silver asks, leaning on the cave wall with her arms crossed. “There isn’t all that much to see around here, anyway.” She stares inquisitively at the kid.

Niko is gazing intently across the minecart rail, as if trying to catch a glimpse of movement in the pitch blackness. They talk slowly without looking away. “I’m just…looking for someone…”

Silver raises an eyebrow. “In the mines? The mines that are abandoned?”

Niko tears their eyes away to glance at Silver. “You were the one that told me he lived here!” They rub their face with their sleeve, brain frying. “Or- or you were last time, I guess.”

Silver sighs dramatically. “I know. I know who you’re talking about, I mean. But it’s really starting to freak me out how you know all of these things.”

Niko looks away. “I just want to go home.” They whisper.

She steps forward to stand beside Niko at the drop. She sets her foot cautiously onto the rail, and it creaks ominously. “It’s not safe for you to walk across this.” She pulls them back a step, back onto safe ground.

“Hmm.” Niko looks up, thinking, and then reaches into their pocket. They realize for the first time that they never checked if they had the journal with them, and briefly panic, before feeling its strangely warm cover between their fingertips.

They pull it out and stare at the glowing yellow clover on the cover. It feels warm to the touch, as if it had been sitting at the bottom of a pile of freshly printed papers. It only ever feels like this when the clover is bright. It’s what usually alerts them to it.

“Okay…” They open it up to a random page, but to their surprise, there is nothing except the words:

placeholder text (I haven’t quite figured out what to put here)

Niko blinks, then blinks a few more times. “What? Place holder??” They’re having a hard time processing this. “Uhm…” They put one of their hands on their mouth inquisitively.

They jump when they hear Silver hitch a breath. They spin around to see her approaching a minecart that most definitely had not been there before.

“I looked away for a second…” She mutters. “Are they fast enough for that?”

Niko glances at the book, which is still glowing. “I guess it still works..”

After Silver’s been inspecting the wheels for a while, she turns to her companion and asks, stoically, “It seems to be in working condition. Want to go pay him a visit, then?”

“Yes, please!” Niko eagerly jumps into the cart, where they put the journal back in their pocket. Silver shoves the cart forward, and as if there’s no friction, it continues gliding across the rail at the same speed as when she first pushed it. She pads casually behind it.

They ride in silence for a long time, so long that Niko nearly falls asleep a few times, the lightbulb so warm that it makes them sleepy if they’re not walking with it. They pull themself back up to a sitting position every now and then, as not to pass out.

They squint into the dark distance, but the light from the sun makes it too hard to make out any difference in the shapes. They turn around to Silver instead. “Can you see anything?”

Silver squints as well. “A little bit. Looks like computer terminals?” She taps her fingers on the edge of the minecart thoughtfully. “Weird.”

They are computer terminals. Niko thought that they had remembered that correctly, but they hadn’t been sure until now. If those are there, then…

As Silver stops to study one of the terminals, Niko runs over to a path leading away from the room. This should be where Proto lives, right?

#)($)(#*$)(*%%*)(%#)*%(*)#(%)(%$

They wander into a room about as big as the one with the computers. This room also has a computer, but it looks slightly different from the ones in the main room.

Standing in the middle of the room is another robed robot, with considerably worse posture considering they don’t have spines. His antennae only flick up when he hears them behind him.

“Proto! Do you know what’s going on? You’re the only person I could think of who would know- I asked Silver and Prophe-” Niko explodes.

The aperture in his eye contracts to give him a shocked expression. “Slow down!” He exclaims as they ramble faster than he can process their words.

Niko shuts up fairly quickly. They look down at their feet. “Sorry…I’m just kind of scared.”

Proto doesn’t comment, just stares calmly at them. “You know my name. Have you met me before?” He questions.

Niko heaves a deep breath. “Yes! I’ve met the World Machine too. And Cedric, and Rue. I don’t know why I’m back! I thought I fixed everything.”

He is silent for a few moments. “You did.” He says, which doesn’t explain anything.

They stare blankly at him, frustration mixing with their nerves. “What happened? Why am I in this world again?”

Proto looks away. “The author was feeling sentimental, probably. Liked this game so much they wanted to write about it.”

Niko squints. “The Author? Like, the one that made the World Machine?” They wish people would just explain these things in a way that they would understand.

He shakes his head, and his antennae twitch reproachfully. “No. Not The Author- the author, not capitalized. The one writing right now. It’s a different person, but they serve the same purpose.” Before they can respond, or even really process what he is saying, he adds, “I’m sure I told you this before, but the Reader has nothing to do with it. They can’t change much.”

It takes a while for Niko to put together what this means. They nearly drop the sun when they do, only just barely managing to catch it before it hits the ground.

They’re trembling. “You mean- You mean we’re in a BOOK this time??”

Proto stares at them blankly, but when he speaks there is a hint of sympathy in his voice. “Not a book. Fanfiction.”

Niko’s thoughts are spiraling. “Am I even the same person?? If it’s a different writer- what if I’m not who I think I am??”

Proto sighs, somehow, despite not having a mouth. “No. You’re still a real person. It’s everyone else that is subject to the opinion of the author. Even me, unfortunately.”

They look incredulously at him. They’re having many thoughts at once, so they all tumble over each other when they try to verbalize them. “There are so many little changes, it’s freaking me out! Didn’t I have to restore your memory card before?? I feel like I’m going crazy! How many times am I going to be taken here?” By the time they finish, they’re out of breath.

He takes a minute to consider which question to answer first. “The changes…they’re either for plot, or because the author didn’t find it necessary to write them out. I’d say that memory card of mine is probably an example of the latter.”

They wait for him to continue, hugging the sun close to them.

After a moment of waiting for them to respond, he says, “If I’m being honest, I don’t have a full grasp on how you get here. I’m sure there are other fictions that include you in them, and if you don’t remember those, they probably weren’t you. The real you. I think the only reason you’re here, in this one, is because the author specifically decided that they wanted that to be true.”

Niko’s vision blurs in front of them as they try not to cry. “But WHY?” They mumble.

“I do not know.” After a moment of them staring intensely at him, biting their lip, he mutters, “Sorry. I am unhappy I have had to greatly upset you, twice, apparently.”

They set the sun gently down on a chair, so they can have their hands free to wipe the tears welling up in their eyes. “It’s not you…it’s just…what you’re telling me…I guess.” They speak quietly. “I’m just scared. How many times am I going to have to do this? This world is cool and all, but-” They stammer, seeming to struggle to articulate what they mean. “It’s stressful! Saving the world, I might even- I might even have to make the decision again.”

Prototype seems to know what they’re referring to. Replacing the sun, or…smashing it, and ending the world. He tips his head sympathetically.

Niko abruptly scoops the lightbulb back up into their arms, and takes a shaky breath. “Player- Reader? I…don’t know what to call you anymore…” They shake their head, cutting off the train of thought. “Did-...did you know it would be like this?” They don’t mean to sound so accusatory, but bigger emotions than they’re used to make their voice sound harsh.

Reply with No

Can't reply with yes because I lost the writing I had for it :,)

Chapter Text

“I don’t.”

Niko doesn’t respond, instead falling down on their knees and burying their face in their hands. Silver walks a few more steps before noticing they’ve stopped.
Silver kneels down next to them, silent except for the slight whirring sound that moving her joints makes. “Are you okay?” She sounds strained, like she’s trying to be comforting but doesn’t know how to.

Niko pulls their knees up close to their chin, still hiding their face. “P-Player says that they think I won’t be able to go home…” They mumble, sound muffled by their sleeves.

Silver takes a second to realize what they said, because they said it so quietly, and mumbled into their sweater. “Well, that was rude.” She comments at last. “If you have to break it to someone that they’re going to be stuck somewhere unfamiliar, don’t do it so harshly.” She harbors a slightly noticeable hint of bitterness in her words.

She pats them on the back, a little too strongly, as it makes them drop the lightbulb into the sand in front of them, but a comforting gesture nonetheless.

They rest there in silence for some long moments. Niko digs their feet into the sand, staring listlessly at the blue-purple specks as they seem to devour their limb.

“Do you think Player’s right?” They ask, avoiding eye contact with Silver. “I mean, I got back last time- but…” Things feel different, they want to say. They trust you, so the bold statement fills them with dread.

Silver breathes out a long sigh. “I’m sorry. I would not know. You’d have to ask someone who knows more about the prophecy about your fate.” She pulls her knees up to her face as well, reminiscent of the position Niko is sitting in. “All I can say is that I hope you can.”

They stay silent for a while longer, until Niko stands up and brushes the sand off of their legs. They scoop up the lightbulb in their arms. “Let’s go.”

Silver picks herself up and continues on without a word. Niko hides their face behind the lightbulb, possibly embarrassed about how they look after having cried, possibly still crying. Silver doesn’t ask, just grabs their arm to guide them while they can’t see.

“We’re here.” Silver announces.

They’re standing at the mouth of a dark cave. Jagged rocks stick out from the ceiling and the floor like teeth. Niko stares at it, apprehensively, before heading inside.

Inside, the cave opens up to be bigger than expected. A dim, bluish lantern on the wall casts just enough light to see by. There is an old minecart trail, starting from outside, that leads over a canyon into impenetrable darkness.

“Seen enough?” Silver asks, leaning on the cave wall with her arms crossed. “There isn’t all that much to see around here, anyway.” She stares inquisitively at the kid.

Niko is gazing intently across the minecart rail, as if trying to catch a glimpse of movement in the pitch blackness. They talk slowly without looking away. “I’m just…looking for someone…”

Silver raises an eyebrow. “In the mines? The mines that are abandoned?”

Niko tears their eyes away to glance at Silver. “You were the one that told me he lived here!” They rub their face with their sleeve, brain frying. “Or- or you were last time, I guess.”

Silver sighs dramatically. “I know. I know who you’re talking about, I mean. But it’s really starting to freak me out how you know all of these things.”

Niko looks away. “I just want to go home.” They whisper.

She steps forward to stand beside Niko at the drop. She sets her foot cautiously onto the rail, and it creaks ominously. “It’s not safe for you to walk across this.” She pulls them back a step, back onto safe ground.

“Hmm.” Niko looks up, thinking, and then reaches into their pocket. They realize for the first time that they never checked if they had the journal with them, and briefly panic, before feeling its strangely warm cover between their fingertips.

They pull it out and stare at the glowing yellow clover on the cover. It feels warm to the touch, as if it had been sitting at the bottom of a pile of freshly printed papers. It only ever feels like this when the clover is bright. It’s what usually alerts them to it.

“Okay…” They open it up to a random page, but to their surprise, there is nothing except the words:

placeholder text (I haven’t quite figured out what to put here)

Niko blinks, then blinks a few more times. “What? Place holder??” They’re having a hard time processing this. “Uhm…” They put one of their hands on their mouth inquisitively.

They jump when they hear Silver hitch a breath. They spin around to see her approaching a minecart that most definitely had not been there before.

“I looked away for a second…” She mutters. “Are they fast enough for that?”

Niko glances at the book, which is still glowing. “I guess it still works..”

After Silver’s been inspecting the wheels for a while, she turns to her companion and asks, stoically, “It seems to be in working condition. Want to go pay him a visit, then?”

“Yes, please!” Niko eagerly jumps into the cart, where they put the journal back in their pocket. Silver shoves the cart forward, and as if there’s no friction, it continues gliding across the rail at the same speed as when she first pushed it. She pads casually behind it.

They ride in silence for a long time, so long that Niko nearly falls asleep a few times, the lightbulb so warm that it makes them sleepy if they’re not walking with it. They pull themself back up to a sitting position every now and then, as not to pass out.

They squint into the dark distance, but the light from the sun makes it too hard to make out any difference in the shapes. They turn around to Silver instead. “Can you see anything?”

Silver squints as well. “A little bit. Looks like computer terminals?” She taps her fingers on the edge of the minecart thoughtfully. “Weird.”

They are computer terminals. Niko thought that they had remembered that correctly, but they hadn’t been sure until now. If those are there, then…

As Silver stops to study one of the terminals, Niko runs over to a path leading away from the room. This should be where Proto lives, right?

#)($)(#*$)(*%%*)(%#)*%(*)#(%)(%$

They wander into a room about as big as the one with the computers. This room also has a computer, but it looks slightly different from the ones in the main room.

Standing in the middle of the room is another robed robot, with considerably worse posture considering they don’t have spines. His antennae only flick up when he hears them behind him.

“Proto! Do you know what’s going on? You’re the only person I could think of who would know- I asked Silver and Prophe-” Niko explodes.

The aperture in his eye contracts to give him a shocked expression. “Slow down!” He exclaims as they ramble faster than he can process their words.

Niko shuts up fairly quickly. They look down at their feet. “Sorry…I’m just kind of scared.”

Proto doesn’t comment, just stares calmly at them. “You know my name. Have you met me before?” He questions.

Niko heaves a deep breath. “Yes! I’ve met the World Machine too. And Cedric, and Rue. I don’t know why I’m back! I thought I fixed everything.”

He is silent for a few moments. “You did.” He says, which doesn’t explain anything.

They stare blankly at him, frustration mixing with their nerves. “What happened? Why am I in this world again?”

Proto looks away. “The author was feeling sentimental, probably. Liked this game so much they wanted to write about it.”

Niko squints. “The Author? Like, the one that made the World Machine?” They wish people would just explain these things in a way that they would understand.

He shakes his head, and his antennae twitch reproachfully. “No. Not The Author- the author, not capitalized. The one writing right now. It’s a different person, but they serve the same purpose.” Before they can respond, or even really process what he is saying, he adds, “I’m sure I told you this before, but the Reader has nothing to do with it. They can’t change much.”

It takes a while for Niko to put together what this means. They nearly drop the sun when they do, only just barely managing to catch it before it hits the ground.

They’re trembling. “You mean- You mean we’re in a BOOK this time??”

Proto stares at them blankly, but when he speaks there is a hint of sympathy in his voice. “Not a book. Fanfiction.”

Niko’s thoughts are spiraling. “Am I even the same person?? If it’s a different writer- what if I’m not who I think I am??”

Proto sighs, somehow, despite not having a mouth. “No. You’re still a real person. It’s everyone else that is subject to the opinion of the author. Even me, unfortunately.”

They look incredulously at him. They’re having many thoughts at once, so they all tumble over each other when they try to verbalize them. “There are so many little changes, it’s freaking me out! Didn’t I have to restore your memory card before?? I feel like I’m going crazy! How many times am I going to be taken here?” By the time they finish, they’re out of breath.

He takes a minute to consider which question to answer first. “The changes…they’re either for plot, or because the author didn’t find it necessary to write them out. I’d say that memory card of mine is probably an example of the latter.”

They wait for him to continue, hugging the sun close to them.

After a moment of waiting for them to respond, he says, “If I’m being honest, I don’t have a full grasp on how you get here. I’m sure there are other fictions that include you in them, and if you don’t remember those, they probably weren’t you. The real you. I think the only reason you’re here, in this one, is because the author specifically decided that they wanted that to be true.”

Niko’s vision blurs in front of them as they try not to cry. “But WHY?” They mumble.

“I do not know.” After a moment of them staring intensely at him, biting their lip, he mutters, “Sorry. I am unhappy I have had to greatly upset you, twice, apparently.”

They set the sun gently down on a chair, so they can have their hands free to wipe the tears welling up in their eyes. “It’s not you…it’s just…what you’re telling me…I guess.” They speak quietly. “I’m just scared. How many times am I going to have to do this? This world is cool and all, but-” They stammer, seeming to struggle to articulate what they mean. “It’s stressful! Saving the world, I might even- I might even have to make the decision again.”

Prototype seems to know what they’re referring to. Replacing the sun, or…smashing it, and ending the world. He tips his head sympathetically.

Niko abruptly scoops the lightbulb back up into their arms, and takes a shaky breath. “Player- Reader? I…don’t know what to call you anymore…” They shake their head, cutting off the train of thought. “Did-...did you know it would be like this?” They don’t mean to sound so accusatory, but bigger emotions than they’re used to make their voice sound harsh.

Reply with No

Can't reply with yes because I lost the writing I had for it :,)

Chapter Text

“No.”

Niko bites their lip to keep from…whatever such strong emotions would make them do. Cry, yell, scratch up their sleeves, but they feel like they’re going to break soon.

“I don’t…know if I believe you..” They murmur guiltily. “I know you’re not controlling anything. I KNOW that. But I still feel mad at you for bringing me back. AM I real? AM I just the product of some kid’s imagination? It’s like I’m back to wondering if I’m just a line of code again. They’re saying I’m real, but if I’m just in your head-” They take a deep breath, suddenly realizing they hadn’t been taking in breaths between sentences. They’re silent for a second afterward, thinking. “It’s scary. It’s making me wonder if I’m only there when you want me to be. Like the rest of my life isn’t real.”