Existing was easy when you lived in the dark.

Seriously- Bracelety knew. She spent so much time in that massive, metal box, that she had begun to lose that drive of hers- the one that guided her daily routines. Clueless about the events that unfolded outside, life began to feel boring- an emptiness that made the rubber bracelet bored of, what should have been, something jubilant.

There was nothing. And with nothing, she did not live- she was merely existing.

At least, until she heard that voice.

Such a soft, and gentle voice- Bracelety couldn't help but try and investigate who had been on the opposite side of the wall that day. And boy, she did not regret it one bit.

Getting to know Ice Cube sparked that passion back into Bracelety, her heart beating with the admiration she had for her. There was so much to Ice Cube, so much that led the currents of love directly into Bracelety's heart. And despite the situation that she found herself in, she promised Icy that she would be there for her, no matter what.

The walls of the TLC may have separated their physical forms, but their souls had united as one, intertwining with the melody that came from their enamored heartbeats.

But they day she stopped hearing Icy, was the day that the melody had been lost.

What followed was the endless attempts at breaking free from the prison that held them. And when Icy's friend- Bubble, was it?- also stopped speaking, the confusion that hung over them morphed into a crushing panic, and unruly anger.

With her drive now restored, and her passion blazing through her soul, Bracelety spent months to break free; to find that missing melody of her lover, and keep her safe.

And they did. They broke free- escaping into the city which had been abandoned once more. The sunlight replenished their aching bodies, and that familiar autumn breeze was the gentle reminder of their newfound freedom.

At least, for everyone except Fanny and Bracelety. The two immediately tried to search for their missing lovers, with the others quickly joining in their efforts. Hours turned to days as they realized that they had a large region to search and cover through.

Yet, it all came to an end when that garden was found.

It was Bracelety who stumbled onto the path, with the dirt road calling to her as it snaked through the trees. A part of her didn't want to go, but that call.... It was too powerful for her to try and ignore. She had to see what was at the end of this road.

To this day, the others still couldn't recall her reaction. Especially when the hands had come into her line of sight.

With that, their search had ended. The two found the woman that they had searched oh so desperately for, but... not in the way that they had hoped.

Bracelety knew that her fateful conversation with Icy would result in a coup de foudre, one that would bloom as they would finally reunite in the garden, that was, their relationship.

She never imagined she'd see her lover dead, holding her lifeless face when she had always dreamed of cradling her, and feeling the gentle beats of her heart.

She saw her cadaver before she could even see her eyes for the first time.

It destroyed her; a piece of her soul nearly died that day.

But as she saw Ice Cube's name blinking on the screen, she could barely contain the concern, anxiety and joy that buzzed in her mind. She could feel the heavy palpitations of her heart as Tennis Ball activated the recovery machine.

She was ready. Ready to fulfill the promises she had made, ready to finally give Ice Cube the love she had deserved after all this time.

Tottering on her feet, Bracelety's hands trembled, causing her to flap and wave them excitedly- but a nudge quickly made her stop, turning to the figure beside her.

"Bracelety," Fanny's stern tone made the girl frown. "I get you're excited- but remember. This is not the time."

"But she's back- s-she should be okay once she realizes it!" Bracelety whispered, fidgeting with her fingers.  "We're all here- I'm here!"

"Bracelety."

"I can calm her down, Fanny! Trust me!"

"You SAW how she was left. Do you think she'll recover with a smile on her face?!"

As harsh as Fanny could be, Bracelety frowned, as the gravity of the situation was slowly beginning to settle in. She couldn't help but feel ecstatic- having the chance to see her lover alive was all she could have ever dreamed of. But when she remembered how her team had reacted when they first recovered...

She grimaced (this is a normal word guys! shocking, I know.). This wasn't the time.

A part of her wished that she could shower Icy with all the love she had to give, but the poor woman had to live through something so utterly horrifying, that the bracelet knew that she wouldn't ever be able to understand.

A ding. A thump. Silence... then gasps.

Rumors had been spread about the state of Ice Cube's body when she was found. Some had thought that she was beaten and shattered- others heard that she had been skinned alive.

None of them had expected to see the cracks and scars that painted her pale body, with some running deeper into her flesh than others. Her sides were jagged, some pieces of her missing and unaccounted for.

There was not a single area that was left untouched. And the faint scars on her legs solidified that.

Shivers went down Bracelety's spine. For a mere second, Bracelety swore that she could see an indent that, what might as well have been, in the shape of Pin.

She could only hope that the revived didn't see it.

A listless aura radiated from Ice Cube's eyes. Like the others, dark circles hung underneath them, carrying the untold story of the hell that she had lived through.

Bracelety gulped. She looked to the side, relieved to meet Fanny's reassuring gaze. The electrical fan gave her a simple nod, her plug tail giving her a pat on her back. She knew that Bracelety understood the situation now- and with that, her girl needed her, more than ever before.

Quiet footsteps echoed through the air, as Bracelety approached Ice Cube, containing the hurricane of emotions that blazed through her mind. Those who had been recovered watched silently, an endless curiosity filling them as they couldn't help but question what she had gone through after their deaths.

They weren't sure what was worse- dying in the way that they did, or being the final one standing, watching every object die around you, as your death was moments away.

Book clutched a fresh hand towel close to her chest, as she watched the scene unfold before her. There was a part of her- this tiniest, foolish part of her- that wanted to go to her, and comfort her to the best of her abilities.

The two were friends, after all. They had been through thick and thin together, from enduring frigid nights on the roof of the clubhouse, to surviving Pin's wrath as they tried to run some errands for Pencil. And this strengthened the bond that the two had carried.

A friendship that would last forever, as some may say. But in Book's case, it was a friendship that ended with her being given away, leading to her haunting demise.

And Icy? She got to live. She got more time- something that Book could have used to finish the recovery center.

Was this anger? Betrayal? A sadness that couldn't be fixed? Book's chest ached. She couldn't deal with another heartbreak today, not again.

But as she looked up, she immediately met those familiar, frosty eyes of hers.

Ice Cube didn't move. In fact, she sat so perfectly still, almost as if she were a statue.

Repressing the urge to reach for her, Book frowned, watching as Icy's lips began to quiver.

There was so much she wanted to tell Book; her best friend, someone who gave her the stars of hope that illuminated their darkened paths. She wanted to apologize, to hug her, to tell her how much she meant to her, but the sentence escaped before she could even realize:

"It hurts."

That was it. A heavy tremor overtook Book, before a hushed sob broke past her mouth. Her hand flew over it to try and keep herself quiet, but the bloodied tears had come out of the dark, trickling over the faded scars that reminded Icy of what she had done.

"It hurts.." Icy whispered once more, tears blurring her vision as she watched Book cry. She noticed Ruby shakily reaching towards her, using her remaining bits of strength to try and comfort her dearest book- but Book harshly pulled away, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah," Book sniffled, "Getting shredded hurt too."

The hearts of those who had watched, dropped in unison, once they heard Book's words. Pencil held her mouth in shock, as Ruby turned away, beginning to cry into Flower's arms. Fiery clutched Leafy protectively, flinching at the heaviness of the situation.

Pin- the damage you have caused, the sins you have brought upon yourself- what did we do to deserve this?

For a moment, Ice Cube tried to shift, wanting to go towards Book and-

"Ice Cube?"

Wait... That voice....

"Bracelety?" Ice Cube's voice was now reduced to a mere whisper, as she turned to face the blue bracelet.

Their first gaze, now tainted by the pain that could never be washed away. There she was- the girl she had fallen for, the one who swept her off her feet, and reintroduced the feeling of being loved.

No scars or bruises were on Bracelety's beautiful face. Her posture emitted such a comforting warmth, a protective barrier that Icy could retreat to at any time, avoiding the blazing inferno, that was reality.

She was here. But...

Pin had lied. She lied to her. She was told that she would destroy the TLC, and use Bomby to burn them alive.

She gave Book up - for nothing.

Nothing at all.

And the reality that awaited her was one where this decision would haunt her every passing thought, for the rest of her days.

The guilt opened like a stinging wound that refused to heal. Her throat closed tight, and the tears that stung at her eyes would immediately cause Bracelety to rush to her side, carefully wrapping her arms around the shorter woman.

Their first hug,

But instead of laughter and loving exchanges, there was the agonizing sobs that carried the bitter taste of the past.

B-U-B-B-L-E.

UGH! Fanny HATED falling in love!

Especially when the timing CLEARLY isn't right!

She watched as Bubble emerged from the recovery machine, and the moment she caught a glimpse of those sky-blue eyes of hers, her heart skipped a beat. Such a gentle blue- getting lost within Bubble's haze was a thought that made the blush burn on Fanny's cheeks.

Ack- blushing?! She HATED blushing!

Once she emerged, there was silence, as all eyes fell on the final victim of the massacre. Pencil's face turned pale at the sight of her. Leafy winced, having to look away.

Every object that had been recovered had some sort of scarring that served as a reminder for their brutal end. But Bubble's body was clean, untouched by the damned weapons that had been used by Pin. It looked completely normal, a familiar sight that the others weren't expecting to see.

But the lack of marks were made up for, as Fanny's eyes slowly fell onto her arms. Scars etched around the entirety of Bubble's arms- the most gnarly being on the arm that had been severed and broken, in which the thick scar snaked around her elbow.

There was no part of her arm that was left unscathed- and this horrified the others. Bubble stood in front of the watching crowd, but no sounds or movement came from her or the lab; at least, until a snicker broke that silence.

"You've got to be joking- SHE managed to kill Pin?!" Blocky stifled a laugh, crossing his arms. "I don't believe it!"

"She was the last one we spoke to, idiot." Fanny snapped back.

"And what? Did she use the power of friendship and ask Pin to stop?"

"Blocky, it doesn't matter!"

"Cmon'! The crybaby should've been the first to go! I'm telling you- she's just trying to label herself as a hero from this mess, when she's actually FAR from it!"

"SHUT UP!"

The sound of Blocky's laughter filled Fanny with rage. Not the time, she would think to herself, right now is not the time.

As she approached her, she would carefully move around Tree, who had been watching the recoveries with a heavy heart. Every victim that returned filled his soul with trepidation, as he knew that the stories of their deaths would be nothing short of terrifying.

This all took place while they were in the safety of the TLC- and if that thumbtack had gotten to them, would they have made it through to tell the tale? Or would they be the ones, staggering away from the recovery machine?

He shivered, clutching Bottle's hand close to himself. Seeing her turn and give him that trademark smile- a smile that made his heart melt every time- only reminded him of how thankful he was that they were all safe. Bottle couldn't help but wrap her arms around him, as the two would watch as Fanny attempted to approach her lover.

"Hey, Bubble...?" Fanny spoke softly, using her tail to carefully caress her pale cheek. "Look- it's me..."

Silence.

Fanny's lips tightened with worry as she noticed how stiff Bubble was, not even giving her a simple glance. The others would catch onto this, and they wouldn't hesitate to try and help their dearest friend, in order to bring her back to reality,

"Bubble- we're all here now..." Leafy called, staying in the comforting embrace of Firey's arms. "It's all over..."

"Cmon' Bubb. Snap out of it." Pencil encouraged, fighting the tears that threatened to spill.

"We're in the lab- the recovery center is working again." Tennis Ball assured her.

But even with all of this, there was nothing that came from the poor soap bubble. And despite the tired expression that was on her face, it began to annoy Blocky to no end.

"Okay- this is getting annoying." He murmured under his breath. He began to move, but he felt someone grab at his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

He didn't expect Pen to be the one trying to stop him. This was the guy who usually rooted for his pranks- a friend who supported his funny doings, day and night.

But today, Pen was tired.

Pen was tired out from having to calm his sister down. Being the younger of the two, it was usually the opposite- he remembered the times where Pencil would begrudgingly check his closet and beneath the bed for the monster that plagued his childhood. He remembered the time she let him drag his sleeping bag to her room, after being awoken by a terrible thunderstorm.

Sure, she refused to let him lay a finger on her bed sheets- but having her near was comforting enough to lull him to sleep.

Now, she was the one who wailed in terror. She was the one who refused to let her head go, convinced that it would roll right off if her grip became loose enough. There were nightmares plaguing her view, and he didn't know how to stop them.

Eraser was there for him, of course. Giving him advice on how to go about caring for her, he would offer his boyfriend a helping hand when it came to his family. But Pen couldn't help but feel guilty.

Hesitantly, he tried to stop Blocky from saying anything else, but the other had no plans of keeping his mouth shut.

"Blocky..!!" Pen frowned, trying to reach for the red block. Blocky slid right past his grasp, tutting as he would make his way to Bubble, standing right in front of her.

"Hey- crybaby. Why don't you snap out of it and get to talking!" He snapped, a scowl on his face.

No response.

"Dude- let's just leave her be." Pouting, Eraser would carefully approach him. "She isn't going to-"

"No! I'm not moving until she tells us the truth- of what REALLY happened to Pin! Cmon', you stupid crybaby- say something!"

"Blocky!"

"Helloooo??? Did you recover without a brain?? Answer me you stupid bitch!"

Nothing. Even as he shouted and snapped his fingers at her face, the woman did not respond to his harsh words.

And this infuriated him.

"Alright! You asked for it- I tried being nice, but we're just going to have to do the old "kill and recover" treatment! Don't say I didn't warn you, BUBBLE."

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Bubble's pupils shrank.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

They slowly locked onto the red figure below her.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

No.

Don't say I didn't warn you...Bubble.

Her heart dropped.

No.

Not again.

NOT AGAIN!

Fear struck at her heart, and Bubble immediately swung a hard punch at the wooden block's face. There was a loud crack that reverberated around the room- mixed with the panic screams that soon drowned in the whirlpool of Bubble's panicked thoughts.

It was Pin.

Pin was back.

She was back-

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE, PIN!" Bubble screamed, forcefully shoving the red figure to the ground. All she could see was that red thumbtack trying to regain herself, but Bubble wouldn't let her- forcefully hitting her down. She then began to throw punch after punch, her swings becoming harsher and heavier.

"NO, PIN! NO!"

Her strength grew.

"I WON!!"

Blood splattered on her fists.

"I WON AND YOURE GONE!! LEAVE US ALONE- JUST LEAVE US ALONE!"

She didn't know where she was.

She didn't understand why she was back.

But that was Pin.

Pin was back too.

And she refused to let her KILL HER AGAIN-

"BUBBLE, STOP!!"

She would suddenly be yanked away by her wrist, a tail wrapped around it tightly as the world around her slowly fell into place. Her final glimpse of the garden began to vanish, and the view of the lab immediately replaced it, with objects coming into her line of sight. She could see Needle- who was backing away from her in shock as she held Teardrop in her arms. Fries stood in front of Gelatin and Coiny protectively, having Puffball settle with the singular fry in his carton. Freesmart- oh, man- they had all tried to break up the fight (excluding Match, who was frantically fanning herself in the spot that Pencil had left her in).

How- when did they come back..? Wasn't the recovery center ruined?

Bubble looked down, and in an instant, her stomach turned. The red figure- which she had mistaken as Pin- was lying on the ground, writhing in pain as his friends were worriedly catering to.

Blocky.

Black and blue bruises struck from his usual red coloring. His eye was now swollen shut, and the floor around him was now stained with the blood that came from the skin that had been busted open.

Everybody had always thought of Bubble as fragile. All they could see was someone who was weak, someone who was timid and could barely lift a stick. But now, that vision had long died- as they realized just how strong this object was.

She defeated Pin, after all. She may be a gentle soul- but everything that had transpired in the past few months had destroyed that sense of peace in her mind.

As she began to adjust to the scene around her, the sound of a door swinging open caught the attention of the others. Grassy quickly scampered into the crowd, excitedly holding a glowing rock in his hands as he made his way to Basketball. Robot Flower quickly chased after him, trying to contain the child, but her efforts proved to be futile, as she gave herself a facepalm.

"Basketball!! Look!!" he exclaimed, waving the mystical rock in her face. "Look at what Grassy found!"

"Grassy!" Basketball gasped, immediately trying to step in front of the shorter object. Desperately, she tried to shield his line of sight from the chaos that had ensued before her, but her efforts were in vain, as Grassy would shift from her view, his eyes locking onto-

"Blocky...?"

The joy that could usually be heard from his voice had vanquished- leaving behind a mere whisper. Grassy's blades began to curl up in fear, as he watched Snowball carefully lift Blocky upright, using his hand to try and close the bleeding wounds.

Blood?

Oh no, Basketball winced. She knelt down, carefully pulling him close.

"Hey," She spoke quietly, caressing his blades, "He's okay! I-I promise- it was just another-"

"Blocky!!" Immediately, Grassy would sprint from her hold, dropping the rock from his hands as he immediately threw his tiny arms around the block. His blades trembled with worry, and even if his arms weren't able to go all the way around, he still squeezed him tight, terrified.

Despite the aching wounds on his body, Blocky slowly looked down to find the little grass guy in his hold. Every movement brought a new wave of agony to crash into his every muscle, but he grunted, slowly wrapping his arms around him, cradling him close. Snowball would try to protest against it, but Blocky shook his head, holding him closer.

"Hey," Blocky uttered, giving him a weakened smile, "I-..I'm okay..."

"Blocky's hurt! Blocky is not okay!" Sniveling, Grassy buried his face into his chest. "Grassy's scared!"

"Grassy.." He lifted the bundle of grass, taking a deep breath to power through the pain. "Even if I'm not okay- there's still nothing to be scared about... don't you remember who I am..?"

"..Blocky..?"

"That's right- the strongest contestant, someone who won't let anyone get in his way."

"But what if you get hurt again..?"

"Then I get back up. Life is that way, kiddo- and sometimes... you just have to shove life right back to the ground. Our funny doings won't be threatened by anything- o-or anyone... no matter what."

"No matter what..?"

The worry in his voice; it nearly made Blocky's heart break. He shut his eyes, gently clutching the younger object close with ease.

"No matter what."

Watching from the distance, Basketball sighed in relief, letting Grassy stay with Blocky. She had to admit- she didn't want the guy to get any more stressed than he already was. Getting beaten up in broad daylight was nothing short of embarrassing- but he knew that Grassy's presence would help keep his head up.

As the two continued to comfort one another, she would turn towards the opposite side, letting Bubble come into her line of sight. The others had to back away, out of fear that she would hurt them in the process- but Fanny was still right by her side, quiet words being exchanged between the two women.

"Bubble- Bubble, can you hear me..?"

"W-We.. aren't outsoide..?"

"No.. look- we're in the lab... we're inside.."

"I-..I thought she was-"

"She's gone, Bubb.. She's gone- and we're going to keep it that way..."

Fanny was not one to make promises. After all, she hated them! She knew that they would be broken, or forgotten about, and she was not in the mood to experience it.

But seeing her lover, trembling with the unease and fear that carried into her revival made Fanny's heart ache.

"Oh, Bubble.." Fanny's voice shook, as she carefully caressed Bubble's cheek with her plug tail. "We.. we got you.. I got you.."

It was always Bubble's voice that settled the anger and tense aura that came from Fanny. But now- Fanny's voice was enough to bring a ray of light back into Bubble's view. The tensity in her bones slowly fell loose- and her head would gently melt into the feeling of her tail, tears finally making their way up to her eyes.

"..Foinny.." She whispered, carefully wrapping her arms around her. Fanny shut her eyes- sinking into the softness of her lover.

The love that these two had for one another- Basketball could practically see the hearts in Fanny's eyes. She heard their conversations when they were trapped in the TLC, and despite the harsh exterior she likes to front, there is a deep core of care within her heart, one that only the closest of objects could come to discover.

And Bubble seemed to be the first.

As Bubble's gaze fell down onto Fanny, Basketball watched as her soft smile began to vanish. The gentle happiness that she was carrying slowly began to vanish, and Fanny didn't seem to notice- as she was too busy waving off Snowball.

Seems like stress of everything was getting to her- and she wanted to help, as much as she could.

But the sound of Golfball's voice made her freeze.

"What was that little TWERP doing in my ARCHIVE?!" The smaller scientist snapped, angrily making her way towards her. "WHY is he here?!"

Basketball rolled her eyes. "We're taking care of him."

""We're"?!"

"Basketball and I." Robot Flower's mechanical tone interjected through their conversations, crossing her arms as she stood beside Basketball. "Figured we wanted to try and make sure the kid didn't see anything we had to see."

"Good for you- but again. Why did you feel the need to have him in my lab?!"

"Do you not understand what "watching over" means."

"He was looking through my archives!! That room is OFF LIMITS- to EVERYONE who ISN'T ME OR TB!"

"Well, you weren't around."

Every comment Robot Flower made fueled the anger in Golfball's mind. How dare did they make such a foolish mistake- what if he had broken something of VALUE?! Something irreplaceable! GB could feel the migraine coming on.

"I want that kid out." She murmured, glancing back up towards the two. "I don't trust having his grubby little hands all over my stuff. Look- he took the yoylite out of its display!"

"It's not the end of the world, Golfball. You got it back." Basketball sighed.

"And it's in one piece." Robot Flower chimed in.

Well- they weren't wrong. Even as Golfball inspected the yoylite chunk in her hold, she began to wonder if she was taking things too far. But holding the stone was enough to soothe her mind, and she looked up, giving them a slight nod.

"...Well. I'd like to ask if you both could respect my wishes."

The fact that she was asking with such ease made Basketball smile. She wouldn't say no to that now- returning with a gentle nod. Golfball sighed, simply returning to Tennis Ball, immediately slumping into his hold as her exhaustion immediately ate away at her mind.

And from there, everyone had returned. Those from the TLC couldn't help but try to converse with the newly recovered- to try and make sure that they were ok, and to see if there was anything they could do to help.

But their responses were all the same. We're okay. We need to be alone. We just need time. Over and over again, it was clear that the fear was still there, especially in the way that they held one another just a little tighter.

Yet, with this, there was Bubble. Despite the mishap earlier, the name, "hero", began to break from the lips of those around her.

"You're a hero..." Leafy said quietly. "You stopped her from doing more..."

Bubble shook her head slowly. "I didn't, mean to..."

"We know. But- you stopped her. And that's what matters."

Hero.

She never wanted that name.

Hero.

She lost everything in the blink of an eye.

Hero.

Hero.

Hero.

As Basketball carefully helped Golfball, Tennis Ball and Rocky get comfortable in their lab once more, Robot Flower would lead the others outside.

"Alright everyone- let's help you settle in. There's a lot of houses- we want to make sure that you all can get back into the swing of things."

Freesmart couldn't face the clubhouse anymore.

"We'll be right here, and if there's anything that comes up- don't feel shy to get our attention."

The sight of Fries's garden made his heart drop. That fence- he couldn't help but cover Gelatin's eyes.

"Recovery won't be easy. But we'll do whatever we can to get you through this."

I trudged up the stairs. There was so much in my mind- I just wanted it all to stop.

Everyone looked so... tired. We all had the chance to talk again- but, what more was there to say..? There was nothing- and all we wanted to do, was rest. Everything hurts. I fought- I really did. But now my body has to pay for that.

I'm happy we can do so now. After everything- I want to be with everyone again. To rest, knowing I can see them tomorrow again.

Jeez- there's snow.

Last time I saw the outside-... it was all so- different...

Was I even here..? Everyone said they watched my recovery- were they lying to me..?

Oh- is this real?

Am I alive...?

'Yes.

'You're here now, dear.

'And personally.... I'd like to welcome you back, my friend.

'We have so much to discuss.'

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laugh out loud.

hello!

It's been ages since. I had silly authors notes omg.

How is everyone doing? Is everyone enjoying Fear Garden 2 so far? :)

ANYWAYS. Yeah. Cannot believe we're back but that's just me being silly (the adhd was adhding and it won.)

I also finally finished the death order! I can sleep with ease.

OK. Enough of me- thanks for reading!

-ice