So...you all probably hate me by now. I wouldn't blame you; I have been pretty MIA. I blame the writer's block...I've had it for MONTHS now. Was listening to one of Imagine Dragons newer songs, Cutthroat though, and it sparked an idea in my brain. I'd say something about it but eh...that can wait til the end so I don't spoil anything. Enjoy! (And please...review, let me know someone's still reading this :( )

Shadow woke up with a groggy groan, eyes opening before snapping shut again with a growl at the bright light. One eye opened halfway again, staring in confusion at the room. It wasn't her bedroom, and it wasn't the bedroom in Nightmare and Fredbear's realm either. It almost looked like her childhood bedroom...but that wasn't possible. Her childhood home had burned down a few years back due to one of her mother's ex's leaving a lit cigarette on a bedside table. Getting off the bed cautiously, she almost fell flat on her face due to her suddenly much shorter legs.

"What the fuuuck..."

A dark chuckle greeted her shock from the doorway. Looking up, Shadow froze. She was reminded briefly of the day she met Nightmare...but this black bear staring at her did not look at her in curiosity or kindness...the look she got was the hunger of a predator staring at its prey.

It was taller than the average animatronic while still shorter than Nightmare and his brother. The eyes were an empty black socket with white pinpricks, while glowing white tear tracks trailed down its face, connecting to the open maw with glowing teeth. Its left ear was missing, wires sticking out from the inside of the suits head. Its right hand still had the suit, claws shining, but the left was missing, leaving the endoskeleton on display. The thing that scared Shadow the most though was the hat and bowtie...the exact same shade of red as her own.

A few thoughts flew through her head quick but the one that stood out most was screaming at her to get away. The feeling intensified even more when the bear chuckled again, stepping into the room. Shadow scrambled backwards, back hitting her bedside table.

"Shh now little Shadow, shh."

Shadow froze, eyes wide. Other than a slight mechanical undertone and a darkness that matched its looks, the bears voice matched hers exactly. It grinned wider, chuckling again.

"Ah, there it is. The realization."

The bear stepped forward again, eyes half lidded.

"Your fear smells delicious. I wonder if it can top the taste of the fear we sampled our first night hunting."

Shadow shook her head violently, squeezing her eyes shut.

"No, no, no...that was just a bad dream. A nightmare. It didn't happen. Just like you...that's all this is, a bad dream. You're not real, none of this is REAL."

The chuckles turned into full blown laughter, the bear leaning on the doorframe.

"Oh come now, my naïve little other half. That which you call a nightmare is memory. I do not care if we are half-human, our kind doesn't dream. This is no dream, this is a meeting of the mind, so to speak."

Shadow shook her head again.

"Fredbear doesn't like us much, but Nightmare wouldn't hurt us like that. He cares for us!"

The bear snorted, arms crossed.

"The ones who trained you, who trained US, are DEMONS. Do you really think they would not do what they did? They see us as a tool, and as soon as they are done with us, they will do what our kind have always done to each other. They will end us, and they will take our power. They told you themselves that it is the reason we have to increase our own power, the very chance that another one of our kind could do that to us. The thought crossed your mind that they could do it to us too, that is why I know it. Like it or not, we are one and the same."

The bear sneered.

"By all means though, keep fighting me. Keep us from uniting out of fear you'll turn into the monster you've feared we could be since the revelation of what we are, because if you keep fighting it...it will be inevitable."

Shadow just tried to back away more, glaring. The bear sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, don't trust me. You'll see eventually, when it is FAR too late."

The bear kneeled down, holding a paw out.

"Or, you could trust your instincts. Trust me. Let us join, the two halves of our being no longer at war with each other, but united in cause. I am just as human as you are a demon. Split as we are, we are weaker than we could be. Power we cannot access, knowledge we cannot reach."

Shadow looked down at the ground for a moment before meeting her demonic half's eyes, placing her hand in the outstretched paw. Without warning, excruciating pain shot up her arm and to her head, causing her to double over and scream in pain. Through the haze she could hear the pain filled screech of her other half, before everything went dark.

I apologize now for a short chapter, but this needed to be done before the next chapter. I'm already halfway done it, so you guys shouldn't be waiting too long! Enjoy~