{⋆｡‧˚ʚ| 𝕸𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖚𝖒 𝖎𝖌𝖓𝖆𝖛𝖎 |ɞ˚‧｡⋆}
(my rewrite for tlaes. Specifically the recent, what felt like season, ending. In this one, their planet isn't getting blown up, just most of the pizzaplex for Prez. Earth's plan. She didn't wanna risk alerting any astrals of their dimension. She may be powerful but it's not like she actively wants to endanger a dimension where THE soul creator, Virgo, is staying. She's not stupid enough to think that wouldn't cause even certain Rezs to turn on her and call for war)
(title should loosely translate to "The Coward's Mantle" in latin according to Google translate and lingo jam.)
(tw: descriptions of animatronic gore, mentions of blood and a human death, and character death.)
It had all started happening pretty fast after Lunar had sent alerts to them. Bombs. In their own goddamn home. In a place where so many innocent people could've been. But the panicked part about the end about Dazzle is what had sent Starlaugh barreling from parts and services with Night not far behind, carrying Millie in his arms.
The ghost child was confused, asking questions as she tried to be put down, only for Night to quietly shush her and push her face into his shoulder, he didn't want her to see when, or if, the explosions would start going off.
They made it towards the elevator, Starlaugh was darting her eyes around like crazy before turning to him. "Take Mills to the lab, then go make sure Virgo got warned. I'll go check for the others. I'll meet you down there." She didn't mean to practically bark the order, but Night didn't hesitate to nod and run off. The faint jingle of bells punctuating each step.
Starlaugh watched for a moment before rushing towards Rockstar Row. To Monty's room. No, that asshole wasn't Monty, she had known it and now she was right. Whoever he was.... he would be a dead man when she was done with him. Her internal cooling system working overtime to accommodate the sudden strain on the system. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ran like this.
The star-themed animatronic rounded a corner, having to catch herself as she skidded so she didn't hit the wall, bracing herself with her hand before pushing herself off to run to the green colored room. She felt herself pause and her breath hitch as the door gave way, almost falling with how quickly she stopped.
Lunar was sobbing, holding the badly damaged deer animatronic in his arms, mumbling sorrys that Starlaugh couldn't fully understand. Fabric and casing ripped open at the chest, cables and wires torn in such a violent manner. Oil all over her, her outfit, and Lunar too as he sobbed and hugged her. Even her endoskeleton was dented. This child. This poor baby.... Why? Why do this to a child?
The taller unit almost felt like she remembered this scene, looking at Lunar crying holding a child so close... because what felt like just yesterday, it had been her. Holding a crumpled, bloody, fleshy corpse in her arms as she sobbed and was told by that horrid man in the purple suit "It had to be done".
However, Starlaugh forced herself to pull out of that memory and run to Lunar, pulling him and the body up into her arms. "C'mon, we have to, we have to get to lab, it's the safest area. C'mon." She muttered, trying to quiet him as she ran, carrying them. Halfway there, she bumped into DJ, who had a few of mini music girls scrambling after her.
The spider animatronic looked at the two forms in Starlaugh's arms and took Lunar and the body into her four ones. "I'll take them down to the others, you go find Comedy Bot and Mars. I think they were at the raceway." She urged, having already probably gotten the emergency texts as well.
The star-themed woman hesitated, but nodded and let it be taken from her and rushed to go to the raceway. Thank whatever gods there were that the pizzaplex was closed right now. Her system begged for relief or break, struggling to keep cool. Steam venting from her joints and the gaps in her casing. She closed her eyes to try and focus as she ran before opening them again.
Her balance was thrown off as the building shook suddenly and a loud BOOM! No. They were starting to go off. She caught herself on a railing on the entrance to the raceway as the building was rocked by the explosion on the other side. Was that maybe from the kitchens? The lobby?
She could feel the ringing through her endoskeleton, like it was happening inside her instead. She closed her eyes, feeling her own artificial breath speeding up in a bad way. Then, a hand on her shoulder.
She shot up, almost punching if not for it being stopped. "STAR! STAR! IT'S ME!" The familiar gruff, Cajun accented voice caught her audial senors and her eyes finally focused on the grey wolf in front of her. It's Roxas. Just Roxas. His eyes were filled with panic as well.
"I- Comedy- Mars- I have to-" She stammered. Why did her mouth feel dry? Roxas just nodded and pulled her up. "We gotta. Let's hurry." He reinforced. Starlaugh steeled herself and nodded. The falls of the footsteps pounding in her ears.
It didn't take long to find the two, Comedy Bot was struggling to get up the stairs and Mars was helping Folly after she had gotten injured from some fallen rubble. Looked like on of the ceiling light beams had fallen onto her leg.
Starlaugh let Roxas handle Comedy Bot as she knelt by Mars and Folly. She was vaguely aware of Mars panickedly trying to say something to her about being unable to lift the rubble but she couldn't fully hear it and turned to Folly. "We're just gonna have to disconnect that leg, okay? We don't have time." She explained. There wasn't time to try and salvage it.
Folly just nodded, having been trying to claw the leg off already. Thankfully, Day had used a similar method on her joint connection that Millie's model used, so it was easy for Starlaugh to disconnect it, leaving her left leg gone below the knee.
The jester-y bot pulled herself up, adjusting to the new balance, helped by Mars steadying her. "I regret coming here today." She gritted out in a hiss. Starlaugh couldn't blame her. She looked at Mars. "We need to get to the lab." She ordered, maybe a touch too sternly. She couldn't help it.
Mars stammered, panickedly. Starlaugh was trying so hard to be patient but she snapped, slapping him across the face. Her own voice coming out staticked as her voice box struggled to maintain the volume used. "BUCK UP FOR FIVE MINUTES! PANIC WHEN YOU'RE DOWN THERE!" The fear in his eyes made her feel a twinge of guilt, but she only felt relief when he nodded and started to leave with Roxas, Folly and Comedy Bot. She'd apologize later. When they were all safe.
The star-themed daycare attendant paused, taking a deep breath. She could feel the adrenaline running through her system. She needed to let it settle for a moment to stop her shaking. She took a deep breath again, adjusting her hair before following after the others.
She shut the door behind her as she landed in the lab, struggling to do so as the backup power was even struggling to keep up the lab's equipment. Once she was sure it wasn't going to open, she glanced around to do a headcount.
Waffles and Lady were huddled in a corner, on edge and looking like they'd probably attack anything that got within five feet. Starlaugh couldn't blame them. She guessed the shell on the box next to them was Gaia.
The mini music girls were clinging to their mother's skirt, asking questions and scared. "Mom, when can we go back for our stuff?" "Mom, what about the tunnels?" "Mom, I forgot my doll! I can't leave her up there!" DJ was trying her best to keep them all calm and quiet, hushing and avoiding answering. What could she really say?
Comedy Bot was panicking in one of the other corners, wheeling around in a circle as Mars was trying to get up the security system and back up power generators going. Folly was seated on a stack of crates, seemingly growing antsy at being unable to move, muttering something about 'my friends'.
Lunar was in the back, he still looked like he was in shock. His voice box barely managing noises of apology to the body he was still holding. Dazzle... oh Dazzle. Earth was next to him, seemingly just as stunned and struggling to process it. To kill a child was one thing, but in such a violent manner? They gave Day a less painful death.
Roxas was trying to keep Millie and Evelyn distracted, with a poorly formulated story that was just barely keeping their attention off the scary situation. Virgo, Night and Harvest were no where to be found though. Did they get caught in the rubble? Are they-
A hand placed on her shoulder brought Starlaugh out of that headcount mode. Her head snapping around to meet the concerned eyes and face of her brother. A frown on his beak but relief in his eyes as he just wordlessly pulled her into a hug. Starlaugh felt herself almost fall before managing to hug him tightly back. He was here. They were both here.
The moment was ended by the sudden opening of the door and Night helping Virgo drag in a damaged Harvest. He was twitching due to some disconnected wires and snarling under his non existent breath. It looked like someone took a shotgun to his chest, like Dazzle. Fortunately for him, due to his bulkier materials, it wasn't as bad.
Virgo was quickly pulling him away as she looked at the others while Night was scrambling to quickly shut the door again. "It's the gator! He's following us!" She shouted, voice cracking and wavering. To hear an astral, like her, an all powerful celestial being. She wavered. Her voice cracked. She was crying.
Starlaugh has never felt such deep seated dread go through her core, or at the very least not in recent memory. But her body moved anyway. Just in time too, as the door was starting to be kicked and attacked from the outside.
Starlaugh was pressed against the door with Night, both barely able to push back against the fucker banging to try and kick it off. Everyone huddled in this small room.
Starlaugh's eyes darted about the room. To everyone there, her brother in the area with Evelyn, Millie, the damaged Harvest and Virgo behind him, Comedy Bot and Mars having panic attacks as Andromeda and DJ tried to calm them down, Earth looking frozen and in shock, and Dazzle's unresponsive body still so tightly clutched in Lunar's arms.
She couldn't believe this was happening, not to her home. Not to her people. Not her family. She couldn't let this happen. She felt her own breath hitch, a determined look suddenly crossing her features.
IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T. IT WOULDN'T.
She looked at Earth, at the others. At frightened faces and eyes searching for hope. "I think I can kill this guy." She managed to breathe out. It was funny, how her chest felt so tight to even think of doing this, even without organs.
Earth looked at her, normally killing would've been a last resort, but Earth was probably too panicked to process that specific wording. "How-" "I'll need someone to distract him. Bait.... I .... It's gonna be dangerous-" Starlaugh couldn't bring herself to look the others in the eyes as she said it, and she could hear Night's audible suck in of breath, as if he was silently saying 'You don't mean that, do you?' She was usually the one who avoided the risk of others lives after all.
She'd do what she'd have to, if no one volunteered, she'd do it herself. It'd be harder, less likely to work, but she had to try. She honestly hoped no one would offer. "I understand if none of you-"
"I'll do it." The words from the cajun wolf came out choked, like he was forcing them out as much as he could. Spinel pink eyes finding topaz yellow. It was a single moment of eye contact, a single moment yet both of them knew what the other was thinking. Seeing each other fully for the first time in a long time.
They both nodded.
The gator hadn't been expecting any of them to come out, let alone the wolf. He scoffed as he was reloading his shotgun. He had back up a bit to do so, so he didn't care that the grey animatronic was walking towards him. "Really? You comin' out here to fight? Thought you were the coward." He mocked.
Roxas shrugged, feeling the urge to run, fighting against instinct with each step. "And we thought you were a guy who wouldn't brutally kill a child. I guess we both had surprises." He snarked. No. He snarled. His voice was dripping with the hatred and malice. There was no love lost here. No kindness to be found.
The 'Monty' shrugged as he reached for some bullets. "Just business. Nothing personal." He replied gruffly. Business would've been just doing what they did to Day. Why give a child a more violent death than an adult? He was expecting to see this coward run past him, so he wasn't paying much attention. It was one animatronic.
However, when he raised the shotgun, the green animatronic was surprised to see the wolf standing there, still as an oak, with the barrel at his chest. ".... Ain't you supposed to be running?" He questioned, raising a brow behind star-shaped glasses.
Roxas laughed, grinning in a way that made the gator pause. "Oh, I ain't running this time. Besides, I just needed to keep you in one spot and the gun pointed at something other than her." He replied. Monty would've asked a question but a sudden sharp pain in his neck making it turn just caused him to pull the trigger by instinct, forgetting it wasn't aimed behind him at the threat.
Bang-crack!
The body fell to the ground, knees first. The noises as wires sparking from the empty neck. Starlaugh didn't even make a sound as she held the head in her hands. The casing felt like nothing under her hands. She glared down at the pretender.
But then she glanced towards the wolf. And she dropped it and rushed to him. The shot had gone through his chest. "Wha- ROXAS! I- I told you to make him point at the ground- I-" The babbles came out in fear as she tried to find a way to stop it.
She always talked big game about not caring about sacrificing one person for the greater good, but she always chickened out. That's what she was at her core after all, a chicken. Her crest of feathers at the back of her head flared up.
But the paw over her hand and tired laugh made her still. "I know... But-" His voice was cutting out, body jerking occasionally. "I figured it'd be better if he had one target to be trained on- he c-coulda got you-"
Starlaugh stammered, feeling the adrenaline kick in, the panic she had been holding back starting to kick in. "That was my risk-" "Y-you're got folks that need ya-"
She blinked back oily tears as she looked at him. "What?" She questioned. "M-Millie... Ch-Chico... they need ya... you c-can'- can't deny that." He stated. "Me? I'm an- an- an ass. I acknowledge that. This wa-was my ri--sk- you 'ate me any-" "Don't say that! Please! I-" She swallowed thickly.
"I don't hate you. I'm an asshole. I can't forgive people, I've never even forgiven myself. I want to, but I never can forgive anyone." She choked out. The damage was so severe. She knew it couldn't be fixed but some part of her hoped it could. They could fix this. They could. They had to. She couldn't lose someone.
Roxas hummed, though it sounded distorted as he leaned back against the wall she helped him sit next to. "Then g-g-grant- a dyin- dying- dying dog forgiveness. I'm sorry. For everythin'." He managed, voice box dying out. The light in his eyes flickering.
Starlaugh swallowed back another sob, a thick lump in her throat that wasn't actually there. She closed her eyes and looked away, she couldn't look at him in this moment. She barely heard it from her own voice box. "....I forgive you, Wolf."
She heard the jerking and twitching stop. And she just sobbed as she heard footsteps, her own system going into a reboot from overheating. The last thing she saw was those unlit topaz eyes as she hit the ground.
@titan-tsams , boom, FINISHED!