Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One by one they were picked off. Each death is less surprising than the last, eight toons dwindling to a measly one. No use grieving over them, they'd be back at the lobby when the expedition was finished. Their memory was wiped, so to speak. But one never forgot. 

Poor, poor Astro. Keeping the memory of dying each and every grueling time. He wished he could forget the violent faces of clones of his former friends. 

The silence in the elevator was comforting, leaving him to think. Thinking was dangerous on these runs, but what else did he have to do? He was going down again and probably wouldn't be going up until he died. A shiver ran up his spine. Maybe he could somehow make it back up without dying, but no matter how much he begs Dandy it wouldn't go up.

"It's a one way down elevator, hehe! That is, until there are no more toons!" Is what he had told him. It made no sense at the time but he was slowly realizing why. It was a trap. A death trap. And he was tired of going on it. Could he have stopped it?

Could he have?

...The last time Astro and  Dandy have ever spoken without unspoken tension was before the flower had even discovered Ichor. Once he had found the first capsule he wasn't the same. More violent, impatient, and even slightly hostile. But that wasn't Dandy, was it? What had the viscous black, inky substance done to him?

Going back to the first question, yes. He could have. Astro had been naive back then and thought Dandy had it under control, because he was the eldest! How foolish. The moon toon gritted his teeth. It shouldn't have been toyed with. He should have told him no, that it would lead to killing all of his friends. But he didn't.

A sinking feeling arose in his gut, watching the small screen slowly flick to Floor 17. The elevator rattled to a halt and let out a shrill ding, announcing his arrival. 

Astro got off of the floor and neared the entrance as the door lifted up. The kitchen, he recognized. Once a place full of joy and food was now a place of terror. Just like everywhere else. The moon kicked a can of Pop, watching it clang against the wooden ground and fizzing up. Faint sounds made him perk up. The sounds of stomps.

He tried his best to decipher them, by how heavy they were, if they were metal, or even fast! What he could tell was that it was heavy and slow. Astro narrowed his eye slightly, making his way to a corridor to find a machine.

Bingo, a machine! Astro summoned and turned the valve, watching as the liquid-of-destruction (named by yours truly) filled up the tank. He spun it until the light flickered green with a telltale ding! Why does everything make the dinging sound? He wondered, looking around. Only now did he realize the stomps were getting faster- heavier- and... closer? CLOSER?  No twisted did that without a toon failing a skillcheck except for... except for...

...Right as Astro looked at the parallel doorway from him, a familiar face stood. With it's pale face and ruined blush. Sharp-as-knives rainbow petals in all of its glory.. it couldn't be anyone else than Dandy. Except now he was as big as a small house! With vicious rainbow claws and that eerie smile.

"...Look what we have here.." It grumbled, voice hoarse as if it's throat was blocked. Was it mean to call Dandy an it? Probably. The beast stepped forward, baring his sharp teeth, red eyes full of malice.

Astro's skin crawled and he felt the need to run, looking quick at the rooms other escape. He fiddled with the Pop inside of his blanket. No doubt he'll need it.

Chapter Text

Sunlight. Something Astro loathed due to its too-bright qualities. It messed with his sleep. His maybe too-frequent naps, but it was what he was built for. Healthy sleep habits didn't matter unless you were sleeping too little. Plus, he had a lot of  free time due to his asocial tendencies. He was often standoffish and distant and that made other toons steer away from him. Well, except for a handful. The mains and then him. The star of the show. The titular toon that their whole world was built upon.

Well. Maybe it was a mistake grabbing his attention. Yet he still yearned for it. Like a gnawing at the back of his mind, driving him crazy with each cry. His heart aches just thinking about it.

He can still remember the last fear-free encounter. Can he say he fears him? No. Deep down, he knows the monster today was once a sweet and caring flower. He knows it. Or.. or was the monster hidden in him deep inside and released once he took that first sip.

It probably wasn't safe, but his eyes grew foggier as his mind sucked him up and put him in a warped memory. He knew it was a memory, because he could see himself. 

________ 

Sitting on a beanbag was himself, Astro, with a book on his lap. Dandy was sitting criss-cross on the floor beside him. It felt so real, and he reached out a hand to touch it. His hand phased through his own head, and memory-Astro wasn't aware of the being beside him.

"Astro! I'm glad you like the astronomy book! I got it from the Handlers just for you!" Dandy chirped, his voice sounding too accurate. The rainbow flower reached out a pale green hand and put it on Astro's leg.

"...Mhmm." Past-Astro sounded too quiet and soft for being in a memory that today's Astro wished he still was living. "It's..good." The moon toon shifted his blanket, the glowing blue stars turning a page.

"Say! Do you want to see a cool drink I've found while going into the elevator?" Dandy had said with a small mischevious smile, a sly glint in his eye. The mention of the elevator put off both Astros, even if one was aware what would happen.

Astro glanced up, his face a paler cyan than it had been a second ago. "We're... not allowed there.." He said timidly, searching his friends face. His face had been asking a a question. 'How?'

Dandy leaned in closer as if it was a secret, then put a finger to his lips. He giggled softly, leaning back again. "I can't tell you that, silly! You would have told somebody and then the Toon handlers would block it off again,"

..."Wouldn't you have, Astro?" The flower practically snarled out the words, his voice dripping with venom and malice.

But- wait- he never said that. He- He said...

Astro turned his head to look at Dandy and found the flower was staring straight at him. He looked the same, but his eyes .. the cornea.. the middle of it had single red dots. His petals were sharper, teeth elongating and ending in sharp points. The look in his eyes were straight murderous.

"You're WEAK. You were an easy PAWN. Too quiet for your own good! HAH.. HAHAHAHA." Dandy's voice rattled like a box full of screws being shaken around. His petals moving as he tilted his head. "...Wake up. You can't do ANYTHING. THIS. THIS. Is your fault.."

_______

Gentle hands roused him from his vision. Wasn't it a memory...? 

Astro slowly looked down, being met with two curious, yet kind eyes. His petals looking just as bright as before, and round. Astro searched his eyes, but didn't see anything that he saw earlier. 

Dandy..? Astro sucked in his breath, holding it together.

"Welcome back to GardenView, space boy!" Dandy said cheerfully. Astro hesitantly nodded, looking at his surroundings. It didn't look different from when he went into it. 

What is happening? Nothing felt real anymore..

His head was spinning and he had to sit down.

"You okay? You look like you're about to faint!" Dandy worried, leading Astro away from the machine just like how he left it. The flower kicked a can of pop and a little bundle of gumballs on the floor on their way to the kitchen seating area. He sat Astro on one of the booths, frowning as he observed the moon toon.

Astro squinted, and through the slight slit of vision he saw ichor. On his leg.. running up it. But once he blinked it was gone and everything was normal. Dandy frowned at him, putting his hands on his hips. "Maybe you need a drink! Here! I'll go get you something." The flower bounded away, skipping way to cheerfully.

...His head hurt. He closed his eyes.

Dandy returned with an all-too-familiar capsule, humming a soothing lullaby. One he and Dandy had made themselves when they were younger. Oh, those memories. 

Astro barely even noticed Dandy had unscrewed the capsule and had put it to his lips, gently pushing it back and ushering him to drink. And he felt thirsty. SO thirsty. 

Ichor was sweet. Sickly sweet, so sweet it would make even the most sweet-toothed toons grimace. Sure, it may have been their life source, but it didn't mean they had to like it. It burned his throat, stinging it slightly before fading into nothing. Astro almost felt the urge to yack it up, but like a drug it propelled him to drink more, more, more... until it was gone. 

Then Dandy took it away and patted his shoulder. "It will help you with dozing off, trust me! It's good." He promised with a trustworthy smile that made Astro's heart flutter. And Dandy wasn't wrong, it made his headache ease up enough to think clearly. And then he realized how serious this was. 

Dandy fed him Ichor. The same substance that destroyed the flower inside slowly before spilling over and making him go feral.

...And yet the flower needed sunshine..

Chapter Text

Somehow Astro ended back in his room. He doesn't know how or when he got there or who brought him there. He had a sneaking suspicion it was a certain rainbow flower.. ANYWAYS.

As his eye opened, he took in his surroundings. A queen-sized bed with the fluffiest blankets and the softest pillows (the best fitted for sleep, in his opinion).. L.E.D lights instead of using the already-build in blinding lights.. and an overall dreamy theme. Plain, but comfy like a warm hug. Maybe a warm hug from him? His brain chattered happily at that, but not his own words.

Sleepily, he sat up. Immediately his head pounded, a relentless prodding on the front of his head that spread. Astro tiredly glanced around for something, medication. Until his eye caught a glimpse of a container of the liquid (was it even a liquid? It was too foul to be considered one. How did they even make it-?) he dreaded the most. His top right hand shot out- an action not completely his own- and cradled it into his arm. He stared at the valve at the top. Just one twist and his headaches gone.

....But he resisted the temptation. That's what it wanted. It wanted him to drink so much he turned into a monster. (PSA: Addiction is no joke, kids. Say no to substances.) He could just take some Advil or just rest for the rest of the day. 

The moon toon started to put the capsule into his nightstand drawer when his door flung open with the excitable Shelly Fossilian.

"You're back! How did it go!" She said cheerfully, which on a normal day would cheer him up, but felt like nails on a chalkboard right now. Astro grimaced slightly at the volume. 

"...Fine.. We got a lot of Ichor.." Astro said softly, hoping his quiet tone would encourage Shelly to quiet down a little. Shelly had way too much energy than Astro was capable of having.

"OH! I'm sorry." Shelly thankfully took the hint and quieted her voice a little. "Sprout n' Cosmo made breakfast. You should probably get down." She pointed her thumb outside of the doorway and to the elevator. She looked at him expectantly, her words telling him to get his ass out of bed already.

Astro hesitantly nodded, tightening his blue blanket around his shoulders. He probably looked terrible with the polite side-eye Shelly was giving him. He just hoped she wouldn't ask.. Thankfully she knew better and they walked in a comfortable silence. Just the way the moon preferred.

They joined an elevator with a few other sleepy stragglers. Astro's head hurt too much to process who, and he was too tired to care. Some tried to strike up a conversation with him but he just didn't answer. 

The elevator had a soft buzzing that almost lured Astro asleep before it skidded to a halt, almost making him fall onto his ass. He blinked his eyes open as the doors made way. Toons started heading to the dining area where breakfast was being served. It was bustling with loud chatter, a few notable ones dishing out food. Mostly Sprout, Cosmo, and Flutter (who helped around frequently in the kitchen!). 

They filed in a line, and Astro was near the beginning. He grabbed a plate, got served some simple pancakes, bacon (which wasn't really meat but who's telling anybody?), and some eggs. He wasn't sure how they still had power or enough food ever since the Handlers left.. whatever.

Once he got out of line, he didn't sit with the others, instead opting for one of the abandoned booths that messy, snotty, dirty Handler-young sat in once. It was comfortable enough and had less chatter than the dining hall. It's not like anyone would notice he's not at his regular seat. Nobody pays any attention when he talks anyways. 

He pushed around the pancake with his fork, leaning his palm on his cheek. He even started dozing off before a familiar face sat across from him.

"Heya!! How's it goin' Ast? Good?" Dandy said, putting his own plate on the table as if to confirm he really  was going to sit with Astro. Astro just nodded, his head woozy and he could barely even think.

Dandy inspected him, clicking his tongue and leaning forward. "Say, uh, did you take the capsule I sat on your nightstand? You look sickly!" The flower frowned, putting some notes of concern into his otherwise too-friendly, bland, and probably fake voice.

The moon scowled. How dare he? Acting like it was his mistake! He just.. didn't tell anybody even though Vee, Shelly, and heck, even Sprout was there to help! And yet he puhsed them away, being too blinded by the flower's charm and wits to get what he wanted. But he knew now. 

..."No. I feel they aren't helping." Astro mumbled softly. Dandy just quirked a smile, tilted his head, and slid a paper across the table.

"...You're on extraction duty this afternoon. Don't mess up, alright? We need that Ichor!" Dandy reminded dryly, losing his fake friendly facade.

"We? Or just you?" Astro replied bitterly, his headache getting worse by the second. Dandy's grin faltered into a blank stare. His eyes narrowed slightly and had that same red dot.

"Don't fail me, Astro Novalite." The flower toon said in a voice that wasn't Dandy. It couldn't have been. Dandy wasn't a monster! He wouldn't do this! Astro kept reminding himself so he didn't burst out into tears. 

Astro nodded slowly. There goes his appetite...

Dandy slid another thing across the table. (Seriously, where is he pulling these out of?). It happened to be a capsule. "Just drink it, you'll be better!" Dandy regained his playful chirp before grabbing his plate and scurrying off to who knows where.

Okay. That flower is goddamn insane. Cheers to another day of extracting..

Chapter Text

Dandy sat against nothing, yet something at the same time. Ichor grabbed at his legs and trying to pull him in, but he kicked it away. The flower's petals drooped over time, losing their once bright color. He didn't know where he was, to be honest. After several drinks of the Ichor he ended up here after losing control.. poor Pebble. 

The dog was fine, probably. The flower couldn't hurt a thing!... Well.. he wasn't so sure. Whatever was controlling his body seemed aggressive. His head pounded. 

Dandy stopped struggling days ago. Days? Minutes? He was not sure anymore. Time isn't linear here. 

He closed his eyes. Astro. He can still remember his uneased face once he fought for a sliver of control. He tried to explain, but he was quickly overwhelmed and sent back to this... void? That was the best description. He wants to say "I'm sorry." for actions not his. He's ready to give up. What else is there to do?

...What was that one episode? He recalls it. "Perseverance". Persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Where Dandy and his crew had to figure out how to push through a big problem holding GardenView back. It seemed difficult at the time but with very inspiring words from the star himself they solved it.

Dandy's bones felt drained of any energy. The Ichor had been slowly swapping at it like a parasite, he felt his very soul chipping with each second that passed. Could he die in his own head, assuming he was trapped there? His legs felt like weights, tugging him down along with the Ichor grabbing his ankles. 

The flower could hear words echoing through the void. Words that his fake were hearing in real time that he wished he could. His favorite words happened to be said by a specific moon toon, and he wished he could reply. Ah... stop being sappy, Dandy. This is life or death.

The flower started to step through puddles of viscous Ichor, ignoring the way it stuck to him. He looked around, further exploring his internal prison. Then he saw it.

Himself. It turned around with a speed so baffling it made Dandy anxious. Fake Dandy didn't look too different from himself, just with sharper petals and red corneas. His blush was smudged and Ichor dripped from behind him. Was this his captor?

White hot rage bubbled beneath his skin, and suddenly a bright twinkling sword appeared in his hands. The handle was meticulously created as if the creature had been waiting.

"Dandicus!" It bellowed, its sharp words bouncing off the void-wall-things.

"..It's Dandy." The flower reminded, a heavy bitter tone indicating unhappiness. 

"Are you sure? Why wouldn't you want to be called what you were MADE as?"It growled, voice rattling angrily. As if he were staying past curfew and one of the Handlers caught him. "Didn't you know you had power? Power to rise ABOVE them?" Now, Dandy was no expert, but he wasn't sure if wanting power was good.

"Well, no, but this isn't what I want! This isn't me- isn't you!" Dandy argued, gesturing with his arms wildly.

"And yet your precious creators abandoned you. Scrapped many versions of you to find perfection. Who is to blame here? The only reason you consumed Ichor was to test it. Safety first, yes?" Only now did Dandy realize that its mouth didn't move. At all. He then noticed that the voice is coming from inside his own head.

Was this... thing.. his other conscious? Then why was it so evil? 

"Fight it all you want. Soon, you'll realize this is for the best. This is what you were made for! You need me!" Fake Dandy grinned uneasily, his left eye twitching.

Dandicus charged, sword carried over his shoulder like he was golfing, skidding to a halt just in front of the creature and swung. The fake jumped back just in time to avoid the sharp point. It snarled and lunged for him, big rainbow claws extended out. Dandy side stepped and it crashed to the floor, rolling back onto its feet. They started circling, Dandy had his sword at the ready.

Even if he hasn't fought like this before, he would do anything to correct his mistake. And if this was the only way- so be it. Dandy lunged, slashing quickly before hopping back. Ichor spilt from fake-Dandy's shoulder, hissing and reeling back. 

It moved with a speed and knocked Dandy clean off his feet. Part of his green petal drifted to the floor, leaking the forsaken liquid. Dandy was glad that it didn't pierce his chest or he'd probably die. The flower gathered himself and grabbed his sword, running away from the impostor.

Impostor chased after him, but looked confused as Dandy changed course straight into it. Dandy kicked out his leg, surprising the impostor enough to impale it with his sword. He grimaced as he slowly pulled it out of it's stomach. Where its insides should be is hollow. It fell to it's knees, holding the gaping hole in its stomach. Puddles of the liquid poured out like a dam breaking. 

Dandy backed up, looking at his sword, at the reflection. He saw mostly himself, the liquid warping his image funnily. The void began to tremble, as suddenly he awoke in his room. The big window with artificially made sunlight had its curtains drawn, his bed messy, and the overall vibe of his room shifted. 

The flower felt immense sadness. He wasn't made for destruction! He teaches kids lessons.. he's not a monster. Wiping his tears, he got off the mattress. Dandy passed by a mirror. His green petal still had a big chunk taken out of it, Ichor leaking out of the rest. He grimaced, wondering if he could do anything to get it back or hide it.

Dandy just sighed and exited his room. It was at the end of the hallway, the four mains on either side. Shelly and Vee on one, Sprout and Astro on the other. Pebble of course lived in his room, but he hadn't seen his canine companian! It must be breakfast time, so he made his way to the dining hall. Other toons looked at him uneasily, Boxten namely, fidgeted and backed up. 

Usually Dandy wasn't offended by others backing away, but his emotions must have been influenced because he full on snapped at the poor music box. "The fuck are you moving away from?!" The flower raised his voice, fists clenching at his sides. More toons came to watch the spectacle, but Dandy didn't focus on anybody but him.. why is he in the crowd? He usually hates conflict of any sort. 

They made eye contact and Astro looked like a startled squirrel and started to back up shyly. Dandy followed, whatever that fake did must have terrified him!

"...UH... I don't want Ichor." Astro mumbled, fidgeting and keeping his head down. It made Dandy curious. 

"Oh, buddy! I don't have any!" Dandy giggled, wrapping an arm around Astro's shoulders, not missing the way he flinched. The flower patted his shoulder.

"..Huh..?" Astro scrutinized him, looking mildly concerned. "Aren't you trying to get me addicted to Ichor?" 

"Oh, no, my silly Astro, addiction is bad. Say no to substances!" Dandy winks, and Astro flushes a darker cyan.

"But maybe you should have told someone, bucko." Dandy jokes, giving a knowing look at the reader.

Chapter Text

Astro thought it was over. Why wouldn't it be? He had Dandy back! The object of his affection, right? Well! He scoffed.

The flower still seemed to be oblivious to Astro's obvious as hell feelings, and had the audacity to still call him his "best friend". 

Astro's mind wandered into unfamiliar and unwarranted territory. The memory of his many deaths has been haunting him and nobody else knew about it. They were all.. oblivious. The moon had caught himself distant with the others, always tucked away somewhere else "reading". Or just thinking. Even Shelly had started noticing and  questioned him once before dropping it entirely. 

Every run, every elevator trip, everything was torture. Everyone- except him, conveniently, died and left him alone. Or ran off with their other friends. Astro tried to convince himself he didn't care. He was quieter and stand-offish, only really socializing with toons like Shelly (sometimes, not as often anymore), Vee, Dandy, and Sprout (when the other checked up on him. Again, not as often.) So basically just the main characters of the show. But they were his co-stars! He had to interact with them!.. His last few interactions with Boxten haven't been so well. So the toons closest to the music box started being wary of him too.

Something about those nightmares. He swore he was only giving good ones, but apparently not. Poppy and a few others were still friendly to him, just not as excited to go on supply runs with him. Were they scared of him giving them bad dreams too?... Astro wasn't that mean.

Astro knew the rest of the other toons were busy. But while Dandy was... being strange Pebble happened to stay with him. But he hasn't seen Pebble at all recently..?... He did hear screaming coming from nights before the moon realized Dandy had been apparently possessed. But Dandy wouldn't hurt his dog, even in his possessed state. In short, Pebble was a bright light in his woes.

He hoped the dog was okay.

And he'd hoped the twisteds haven't gotten to him first.

The recovery pods were still working last time he checked. He wasn't that worried.

The moon toon was shaken from his thoughts when a familiar purple box stumbled through the elevator into the lobby. 

His left arm was torn off, dripping Ichor. The inner skeletal structure of his limb was showing. Screams of terror left his throat, gurgling with Ichor. His eyes were a light pink, almost red. His clothes were tattered, showing parts of missing flesh as if someone took literal bites out of him. Said wounds were barely hanging on by a single Dandaid. Many toons rushed to his aid, namely Sprout and Cosmo as the healers of the toons. 

"Boxten... oh my pop... what happened?" Poppy said in disbelief, despair painting every word. She grabbed onto Boxtens remaining arm to comfort him before being shooed off by an apologetic Cosmo. 

"Poppy, please. Give some space." Cosmo said calmly. His partner glanced over briefly before nodding. 

"You heard the man. Step aside." Sprout encouraged bluntly but not rudely. 

The two healers helped Boxten sit down on the nearest bench. 

Astro felt sick. One, how did the music box get back up here without having to be dead. And two, holy shit. He turned away, not being able to watch. How could this have happened- actually that was a stupid question. He knows why. The twisteds, obviously. But the dandaids help more than displayed at this moment.

It only felt like seconds before he heard the awful news that Boxten was officially deceased. Cosmo and Sprout stepped aside for the mourning friends, looking quite shaken and sad themselves. Poppy was the quickest one beside Boxten's body, tears rolling down her face as she let out heavy sobs.

Now, Astro wasn't close to the guy but he felt bad. They all did. What a terrible way to go. 

On the bright side, they have the recovery pod! This was only temporary.

"Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!" A familiar voice rang throughout the center lobby, as a flower pushed through the crowd with barely a care. "Boxten.." 

Dandy seemed actually sad about this loss. He sighed, rubbing his left eye. "I specifically told him not to go on solos, and look what he did.."

Astro frowned. Right. Boxten wasn't on supply run duty. So what was he doing down there? It was an attack waiting to happen. Especially on a solo. Without a solid team, you're screwed.

"Dandy.. if I may ask... why didn't you just send him back up?" Astro spoke up, finding this too important to brush aside. 

"SHUT UP! I HATE BOXTEN DYING, YOU JUST LET HIM DOWN THERE? IDIOT!" Everyone (except for Boxten) let out a collective sigh. Their favorite ray of sunshine has appeared.  

"OBVIOUSLY, BADSTRO, DANDY'S TOO MUCH OF A SELF-CENTERED, GREEDY, PIECE OF SHIT TO CARE WHATEVER TOON IS DOWN THERE! MORE TAPES FOR HIM! MORE SUPPLIES!" Shrimpo declared, jabbing Astro in the chest with a finger. "I WOULD DO BETTER AS THE LEADER! I WOULDN'T LET TOONS DIE!" 

Astro gently pushed Shrimpo's hand away, giving a heavy sigh. "Listen.. whatever happened was an accident. It was nobody's fault.. not even Dandy's." Even as he said this, his eyes darted to the aforementioned flower and saw his remorseful and guilty gaze. If you prove me wrong and this is your fault Dandicus Dancifer I WILL beat your ass. Astro promised himself, feeling irritation creep closely behind sadness. 

Shrimpo pushed Astro more roughly, stomping away. Everyone else (Yet again, except Boxten) let out a breath they were holding in. 

"We still have the recovery pods..." Poppy pleaded. "Right Dandy? They're working. He- He's not dead forever!" The bubble, ever the optimist, says hopefully. Dandy doesn't meet her gaze. 

"..."

Chapter Text

The atmosphere was tense in the run down lobby of Garden View. Poppy was inconsolable, and even the most patient of toons were on edge. The whole debacle with Boxten was now the latest gossip. Or, it would be if the toons felt the energy to talk about it. It was the big elephant in the room and it was constantly looming over them like waves of a tsunami.

The toons were constantly questioning Dandy. "When is Boxten getting revived?", "Hurry.. Poppy hasn't stopped crying!", "Dandy.. please?".

Yet the rainbow flower remained strangely silent, with this somber and sorrowful look on his face as if he were going to deliver bad news. But he didn't.  He wouldn't even tell Astro what was wrong yet the moon already had an idea. Dandy was the only one with the keys to the recovery pod room, presumably found when the humans abandoned them. 

Astro did his best  to calm down the agitated toons by telling them everything was okay and that Dandy had it under control. Every day it got harder to keep them at bay, to keep them from praying too much and finding out what they didn't want to. In truth, the pods were broken. Astro only knew because of some scribbles Dandy had thrown into his trash. Astro had done some totally not creepy  snooping to figure out the cause of Dandy's strange behavior. 

But seriously. Astro was about to beat Dandy's ass. The asshole didn't even try to fix it! He gripped his pen tighter, his incoherent scribbling into his journal barely formed words. His hands were too shaky to even write legibly.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!

Astro jumped before looking up at the cause of the noise. It was the little buzzer Dandy had given each of the mains for a specific purpose. Simple. It was to call them down to the makeshift "meeting" place to discuss topics. Usually about scheduling each toon to a run. Astro barely even showed up to those. He was.. well... unsurprisingly, napping half the time. Dandy had once expressed his disapproval but Astro just shrugged it off.

Astro climbed off of his bed, and almost face planted into the carpet. His head ached, a relentless pounding against his skull and behind his eyes. He had tried to sleep it off, or perhaps take some medication (only to find out Sprout wouldn't let him. Apparently "water would help" or whatever.) A voice that wasn't entirely  his own clawed at the very back of his mind. Dark desires that worried the moon.

He trudged over to the door, swinging it open and haphazardly kicking it behind him. He got some weird looks, most concerned. Astro just ignored them and kept going down the hallway. His body felt sluggish and not just in a "sleepy" way. It was more like the energy was being sapped from each muscle until it left nothing but heavy limbs. Was that worrying? Maybe he'd go see Sprout and Cosmo after this meeting.

Opening the door to the "meeting" room, he was met with each of the other mains looking at him with varying expressions of concern or indifference (which was really only Vee). 

"Astro? You.. Are you okay there?" Dandy said, leaning over the oak table with both hands on either side of a blueprint.

"mm.. as fine as I can be.. I suppose." Astro noticed how his voice sounded more sleepy and slow. Every word blended together like runny watercolor on a slick canvas.

"...If you say so.." Dandy was hesitant on accepting Astro's word for it, but there were more important things to take care of. 

Sprout looked at Astro with those watchful eyes, analyzing him. It was scary how those eyes could detect almost any injury, external ones at least. The berry then shot him a look that definitely said "Come to my room after this. You're not okay."... or "I don't know whether to punch you or congratulate you for making it here without falling down." either one worked.

The moon took his seat at the end of the table across from Dandy and next to Shelly. Vee on Shelly's other side and Sprout next to Dandy. Pebble was nowhere to be seen, the dog bed on the chair next to Dandy's was empty. The puppy hasn't been seen anywhere and Astro knew there had to be a reason. Yet Dandy revealed nothing. He never revealed anything, did he? He loved to keep it inside until it was physically hurting anytoon.

Rage boiled Astro's blood. The conversation around them mixed together and sounded like incoherent gibberish. Then he just exploded.

"JUST TELL US! WHAT ARE YOU HIDING!? WHERE'S PEBBLE?! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH YOU, DANDY? THIS ISN'T YOU." The words that slipped out weren't even his. This.. anger wasn't his. Astro rarely, and I mean rarely screams. 

The room is silent, all eyes on the usually timid and stand-offish moon. Everyone is stunned. Dandy looked the most offput, his eyes darker than usual. Sprout looked pissed. Shelly looked anxious. Vee didn't have a change in expression, though it was now bordering on concern. Embarassed, Astro shut his mouth and sat down, shifting uncomfortably.

"Okay. What the fuck Astro?" Sprout snaps, quickly coming in defense of Dandy. The berry always had the best intentions, but sometimes he went overboard. "We were just talking about the Boxten problem. Were you even listening?" 

Shelly tried to de-escalate the situation. "Alright- Alright! Let's calm down. I ain't seen a reason to quarrel! Astro, ya should apologize to Dandy. He didn't deserve the screamin'."

Astro felt shame overtake his anger. Where did that even come from? 

What happened next was a blur from it happening so quickly. One moment he was in his chair, the next he was on the floor. Dandy was knelt over him, his fist meeting with Astro's cheek. The other three mains quickly got up and tried to break them up.

A newfound strength found Astro's muscles. He punched Dandy in the stomach before his other three hands dealt damage to his face. The one that just socked the flower in the stomach started to pull at his petal. Bitter ichor started to fill his mouth, the inner-bit of his cheek had been cut. He saw red and everything else was a black-out from there.

But when he came to, two hands were situated at his upper two biceps. His hands were covered in ichor, but not his own. His eye darted around and locked onto the flower on the floor. A big chunk of his yellow petal was torn off and leaking Ichor. Astro felt horrified, and even Sprout was giving him dirty looks as he patched Dandy up. He had dealt a surprising amount of damage. Vee looked impressed.

"Damn. Now I owe Brightney 20 tapes." Was all she remarked. Did the television... bet on who would win a fight between Dandicus Dancifer and Astro Novalite? Shelly gave him a comforting squeeze. At least she wasn't angry.

Dandy had atleast a black eye and knocked cold out. Astro looked down at his hands which seemed the same as usual. So... what happened..?

Chapter Text

For once, Astro could not sleep. No matter how much he tossed and turned, his mind would not shut off. The tussle with Dandy replayed constantly and every time he closed his eye he saw the flash of fear in the dandelions eyes. 

But c'mon, sleep was his whole thing! Complete with the dream thingy. But even the dreamscape seemed to be locked down. Every time he closed his eye he saw flashes of something he could not quite decipher. It was something dark, and red, that was for sure. His vision would blur for a second and darken. 

The room itself was illuminated by fairy lights that were a pale blue, casting a soft glow on every surface possible. Usually it would relax him a smidge, but now it was giving him a huge headache. 

He threw the pile of blankets over his head and shifted to lay on his back. What was going on with him? His body grew restless with his muscles aching to get moving. Astro tried one last time to fall asleep.

When that didn't work, he sat up and groaned. He scooted to the edge and hopped off. His body already seemed to know where to go- his legs tugging him to the door of his room. No other toons were awake by now, he noted, not even the night owls. His feet carried him down the hallway towards the elevator and- wait. Why was he heading there..? Ah, yes. Probably to get some warm milk.

Assuming they still had some, of course. Supplies have been scarce after the humans evacuated and abandoned them. The toons have kept their heads up despite this and went scavenging in the lower levels. Why there was stuff down there was not clear to Astro, but it was better not to question it and instead go with it.

Once he reaches the elevator, he looks at the wide arrangement of buttons and clicks the one to the lobby.   Weird, because the kitchen is on the lower floors. Maybe he needs to stop and get something? Most likely. On his way up, he racks through his brain to figure out why his muscles had- well- muscle memory. 

Like he's done this before. No way, because he's been sleeping just fine. Has he? It's all a blur now. He can barely remember what he did yesterday. Dandy and him fighting? No clue of the minor details.

Which was weird, because as quiet as he is, he makes up for it in his observation skills. He is often not one to forget things easily too. Astro chalks it up to sleep deprivation. Seems logical, since he hasn't any experience with it, so how would he know what it's like!

A fog obscures his mind, mixing reality with fiction. Astro doesn't even realize he's made it to the lobby until the ding from the elevator announces his arrival and snaps him out of his daze. Shaking it off, he walks outside of the elevator.

The lobby was scary at night, let me tell you. The tree seems to radiate malice with its shadow and, honestly, size.  He looks up at the stars in the sky, visible from the glass dome surrounding the ceiling of the center. The room looks way bigger during the night.

 He made his way to one of the once brightly colored elevators, now dull and dusty due to the lack of maintenance. Astro wondered how they were still working with how long it has been. He supposed he could ask Vee later, since she was the tech-whiz.

The moon stepped into the elevator and pressed one of the kitchen floors, which they had an abundance of. The music helped calm his nerves. It was a relaxing lullaby installed there for rowdy toddlers, one that Astro had suggested. It also happened to be his favorite lullaby.

Astro's eye lidded half-way, blurring from weariness. Where was he again? Who was he? What was he? His mind scrambled for answers. It was like a magic eight ball (that thought made him giggle. It reminded him of Toodles- did he know a Toodles? That name just seemed significant), the dice rising in the liquid with a random answer. Instead of a straightforward, clear, and helpful answer, the figurative dice only gave him this; "sleep". Yes, like he didn't try that before!

A hysterical giggle bubbled out of his throat, a sudden giddiness filling him despite his tired and fatigued state. Oh, that was hilarious! He should tell all of his friends- who?- David? Sheldon? Vera? Spoon (who names a toon spoon? oh, that rhymed!)?? Pepper? His head wasn't helpful at all.

The elevator dinged upon his arrival and he shuffled out. Right, yes, he was here for milk. Preferably warm.

Astro made his way to the fridge and yanked it open, the sudden exertion on his arm made his muscles ache. Did that level of motion usually make it hurt? His eye drifted to the carton and grabbed it. Of course, he didn't lose all of his wits and checked the expiration date. 19.. 1998? The moon's head was the next on the ache list. 

What day was it? What year? Month? How long have they been stuck in GardenView? That was all they'd ever known, but he's heard of the world outside. It's fascinating! However, the bombard of questions in his head made the ache worse. The world was spinning, or was that just him?

The carton of milk slips out of his hands and clatters to the floor. The bottom splits open and spills its contents all over the tile. A sour, pungent, rotten, and acrid smell fills Astro's senses. Sour milk. Expired milk. He was sure those black-green chunks were nothing but mold. Mold.

Suddenly he's acutely aware of the stale air of the kitchen and dust. No toon has been in here for ages. The room is deathly silent and cold. The elevator has long shut, leaving him without the calming lullaby. 

How did it go again? He can't remember. 

Something wet and sticky - probably tears- runs down his cheek. Why was he crying? Was he that sad?

A crazed laugh laced with hysteria left his lips. No, Astro wasn't sad. Then why was he crying?

Why did his eye hurt? His sight was now tinted a bit red. Looking down, he realized the floor had gotten farther. Strange. He was taller.

How fun! The moon started to repeat the lullaby, trudging along to grab a mop to clean up the delicious milk. No need to cry over spilled milk!

Chapter Text

"What do you mean he's missing?!" An angry voice splits through the air of the otherwise calm lobby.  

"We-well we tried all we could to find him, but there's no traces!" Shelly said nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. The other mains, too, were apprehensive. Dandy wasn't known for his peaceful temper, often blowing up at the toons who weren't sufficient. Or did not buy from his shop.

Vee put her hand on Shelly's lower back comfortingly, giving her a sympathetic glance. "It's like he just... disappeared. His bed was made, the L.E.D lights were left on, and he seemingly forgot his night cap. He was definitely planning on coming back." The television suggested, seemingly unchallenged by the glare she was sent.

Dandy let out a low wolf-ish growl, putting his head in his hands. "Send a team down to the lower levels to find him and-"

"No." Sprout snapped. He clenched his fists and let out an indignant huff. "We're not sacrificing more toons, as much as I would love to find Astro. We have supply runs to do." He pointedly ignored the death glares he received.

The flower, in response, groaned, "No? Then who will search for him? He's a crucial part of the team."

Shelly spoke up after a few moments of being silent, "How about you? You don't seem to be busy. And if anyone can find Astro, it's you!" She said optimistically, eyes shining.

It took a few minutes of considering, before reluctantly agreeing. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I know my way around the lower levels more than any toon. Any ideas what floors specifically?"

The mains went silent. All four (minus Pebble) remaining mains were clearly stumped. How did one just disappear? 

"I'll get baking some cupcakes for your journey," Sprout offered and stood up before briskly leaving. 

Shelly glanced at the other two before also excusing herself. "I think Tisha wanted to clean more fossils."

Without any hesitation, Vee followed suit and mumbled something about a gameshow and Scraps always winning. It almost caused a chuckle to escape Dandy's mouth, Scraps was quite a lucky guesser, that or she loved to play dumb.

The rainbow flower, now left alone, spiraled into his own thoughts. He cradled his head in his hands, an incoming headache pounding against his head. 

Where was Pebble? And where was Astro?

His mind drifted to places he was quite sensitive about. Astro, with his kind eye. Astro, with a calming presence amidst the cause that he just wanted to bask in forever.

Dandy's heart thumped in his chest, which he hoped was just from adrenaline. His face felt hotter and he internally thought it must have been red.

Despite their last hostile encounter, Dandy felt himself drawn to Astro. Infact, the moon toon seemed to fall to the side effects of the ichor. Something about that amused him.

Toons were gullible! All Dandy had to do was act nice and they trusted him. He dwelled on that thought for a second longer. Their minds were weak to the power ichor had on them, except for Dandy. He was the first experiment, and something went wrong making him.

Dandy was the first and the only one who could withstand the ichor and rein it in to do his bidding. But for now, he had a moon to catch.

...

..

.

Dandy shouldered the bag prepared for him by Sprout, filled with goodies like cupcakes and extra heals. It felt less like a death mission and more like a nice camping trip.

A hand clasped onto his shoulder, squeezing sympathetically. "I hope you find him and stay safe, Dan." Shelly said to him with concern. 

"..."

"You'll do great, pal. Just remember to-" Sprout started with that mother-hen voice he used often.

"Yes, yes, I'm aware. Thanks." Dandy cut him off before he could get a full ear-full (if you have ever gotten scolded by Sprout, Dandy pitied you.) He pushed Shelly's hand off his shoulder.

Shelly looked positively offended that she was blatantly ignored, before just simply shutting her mouth and standing to the side. 

Dandy started on his journey by slipping into the elevator and pressing a simple  button.

.

..

...

This was hard on every toon. No healthy toon just disappeared, and with the still recent stinging departure of Boxten, this felt like an insult. Shelly mourned the loss of her friend, even if she didn't know he was dead.

Astro was one of the couple of toons who acknowledged her presence and treated her kindly. But he would do that for any toon. Despite being quiet, he was a kind soul who just wanted to be left alone. She admired that.

The ammonite had observed his steady decline into insanity ever since he went on that one supply run. Some kind of electric tension had sparked between him and Dandy, and Shelly figured it may have been romantic at one point.

Until their fight.

It had shocked every one of the mains, mostly since Astro carefully veered away from conflict. She'd seen that angry, murderous and blatant blood-thirsty look in his eyes while attacking the rainbow flower. It still sent shivers down her spine thinking about it and prickled her skin.

So the disappearance was baffling and no toon felt it was real. Perhaps set up as a prank by Looey or something. But the longer the days and nights dragged on it seemed more like reality than they feared. The longer Dandy stayed down there in the lower levels, panic settled in

"What about supply runs? Who will run them?"

"WHY AREN'T I ON THE LIST! I'M THE BEST!" 

"What do we do...?"

"I should be down there investigating! Harumph!"

Shelly heard it all. The panicked cries of toons as they wondered what was going to happen next, who was going to disappear next.