So, been kicking around this AU for a while. It's a little bit more bite-sized than UaD, though I am still working on chapters for that, no worries! Obviously, I don't own Bendy and the Ink Machine or Bendy and the Dark Revival, that honor goes to themeatly and JDS.

A somewhat new cast here, a bit more OC-heavy but I like to think I make up for it with the presence of the toons. Discovering things, entering reality, being traumatized, all that good stuff. 8)

Also, criminal lack of Nightmare Run guys, so I'm changing that, one story at a time.

Scene 1: Entify

It was hard to say if there had been an exact before, at least for her. Looking back on it, there had been no before to remember, but surely there had to have been, right? Humans, at least, didn't come out of thin air.

For the moment, that hadn't been the thought on her mind. Her mind had been simply thrown into the scene of an expanse, the somewhat marshy ground swimming with color over a black slurry. Ink. Somehow she'd known it was ink. The sky was unencumbered, the colors swirling like…like paint above her head. It definitely reminded her of something.

Not that she had more than maybe an instant to think on it, given that immediately her ears were filled by the sounds of something splashing nearby. It almost sounded like someone trying to tread water, which made no sense because the liquid surface under her feet was hardly deep enough to cover her toes, much less swim in. But it seemed like whatever shallower part she'd found herself in, it was much deeper for the smaller frame that she could see just a few paces to her left.

"H-Help! Help me, please!"

The fact that it sounded like the boy was in distress just made her move faster, feet squishing through the swampy surface before slowing a little, hoping not to run right into whatever hole or deeper spot the other person had apparently found himself in. She was able to get surprisingly close, but she still found herself reaching carefully over a small ring around the floundering-child, boy?- as she tried to call out to him.

"H-Here, I'm here! Grab my hand!"

The smaller hand immediately latched onto hers, something about it not feeling quite right but in the moment she had no time to question it. Instead she pulled, there being an alarming moment where the surface of the ink would not give before, with an almost comical pop, the little boy came free.

Though, as she got a look at him, the little boy turned out…well, he was little, but he was hardly what she would call a boy.

At least, how he looked definitely didn't match with whatever loose concept she had in her head of what a boy was. It was hard to really say, but the creature held to her front looked more like a simplified, even cute version of a devil. She might've been more inclined to examine the little one if he wasn't huddled to her, shivering faintly as he coughed and wheezed. The thought of him possibly suffering some long-term issues from almost drowning did occur to her, though before she could even think to ask him anything, another splashing noise caught her ear.

This time though the source was clearly someone, or something, a lot bigger. Her eyes caught the sight of a larger, white-gloved hand, the apparent head just barely above the surface. The other creature's gaze was groggy but panicked as he started to slip under, the silent submergence the perfect image of a person who was drowning.

She didn't put down the little devil, but immediately she raced to her feet, something in her very aware that every second counted. She grabbed at the larger hand, heels digging into the swampy ink as she tried to levy the much-bigger frame to the surface. For a brief, terrifying second, it wasn't clear that what she was doing would help. But, instant by instant, the other creature rose from the ink, before he was expelled upward with one last tug.

This one looked even stranger than the little devil, the towering frame resembling a…an inkwell. From the top of his head came a long, white feather, this trembling as he coughed and choked up wad after wad of ink. Before she could really think, she was reaching out, gently resting her hand on his arm which he was using to brace himself up. He jumped a little at the contact, eyes squinting in her direction though to her surprise his eyes immediately homed in on the little devil still tucked in her arm.

"Wh-What have you done-?!"

"It wasn't me! I didn't do this! I don't know what's going on!" The much smaller creature yelped as he skittered to stand partially behind her, the inkwell completely unbelieving given how he gave a choked snarl and raised his hand like he wanted to grab the little devil.

It was something that made her tremble to her core, more than a little, but she still kept herself between the inkwell and the devil. Reacting purely on instinct, she reached out and caught the inkwell's hand, grabbing around to make sure the devil didn't bolt with her other arm.

"T-To-Please stop!" The words came too fast at first, choked by nerves and more than a little fear at the inkwell's very clear anger that felt like it could very easily be directed her way. "Please stop. He was in trouble too. He, he can't have done anything."

"Y-Yeah, she saved me, she-wait, where did you come from?" The last question was directed at her, the little devil somehow hopping up and leaning over her shoulder to look her more in the face.

"I…I just woke up here…"

"Woke up here?" The inkwell asked, deeper voice the perfect picture of someone who believed not one word of what they were hearing.

"I-It's the truth, I don't even know where here is!" She stammered out. "I don't…even know who either of you are…"

"Well, we can fix that!" The little devil spoke up from where he was perched, coming around and sticking out a hand. "The name's Bendy! Nice t'meetcha!"

It felt like something of an impulse, her hand reaching out to meet his and giving it a quick bob up and down. Either way, it was such an earnest and endearing image she couldn't help faintly smiling.

"Nice to meet you too."

It was a nice moment while it lasted, though she was a little surprised for Bendy to look back at the inkwell, a bit impatiently at first before giving an exaggerated cough.

"…What?" The grinding tone hinted that the bigger creature had no desire to participate, but the little devil's next words seemed to hit some mark.

"Mac, she's a lady. You're gonna let a lady sit there an' not introduce yourself? Especially when she saved your grumpy keister?"

"Wait, hold on-"

"No, no. You, have a point." It almost looked like saying the latter half of that sentence physically hurt. But before anyone could point that out, the inkwell dragged his hand down his face, schooling his irritation into something close to politeness.

"My name is Dewey. It's…very nice to meet you." He seemed to have trouble looking her in the eye, though his hand was proffered regardless. And when she took it, his grip was careful and the motion sure as he moved it up and down as Bendy had done.

"Thank you, Dewey. It's nice to meet you too." It felt pretty standard, but at the words there was a softening in the brusquely polite sort of discomfort that had gripped the inkwell. His eyes looked down, meeting hers properly. There wasn't exactly a smile there, but it looked calmer, more at ease.

At least, it did until Bendy popped up in between them and made Dewey recoil with a growl.

"What's your name, doll?"

It was a simple question, but as she tried to answer it, tried to call out to her brain for some answer, nothing would come.

"…I, I don't know."

A rumble went through the spongey ground, Bendy and Dewey jumping but she was completely lost in her own mind. There was just…nothing. Just blankness, or a wall. What was my name?

"I…" Don't remember, but the words got lost on the way to her mouth as something overtook her mind, a swimming dizziness that made the whole space around feel like it was tilting and swaying. "I don't feel so good…"

There was a sudden shifting, the world around them rumbling before they started awake, limbs flailing as they tried to come to. A catch immediately had her coughing, the acrid taste in her throat feeling like battery acid. She was worried to feel something wet trickle past her lips, and even more alarmed when her fingers came away black.

Her hand was also…wrong. It was wearing a glove, something that felt a strange mix of correct and incorrect as she took in the white fabric. It seemed to be designed for just three fingers, her pinkie sticking out from a hole on the side. Briefly, she glanced over the pair of black ovals on the back, before turning to her other hand and realizing that had a glove too. But instead of the simple white with black dots, this one had a cuff with an actual cufflink. Looking down at herself just brought more shocks. Her clothes had seemingly been taken away, though the body that had been stretched, almost super-imposed over her bones was a very concealing black. Except for the upper chest, which was partially entombed in what looked and felt like glass. A partially completed white arrow was plastered to her front, a letter, or maybe a design?, written on the front, but before she could do more than notice it her hand had wandered to the upper half of her face.

A similar glass shell covered the top half of her face like a mask, with sizeable ovals for her eyes. It stopped just above her nose, though it didn't seem like she really, had one?

"Wh-What's happened to…?" The deeper voice that came from hers, their mouth sounded like Dewey, but it choked off as a gasping sob rattled up. She took control enough to stagger away from the mirror, ripping the piecemeal, patchwork sight from her, their eyes. Their feet took them all the way to the wall, their back making a noise like muffled glass as they thumped against it and slid down to sit.

She felt like she couldn't breathe. Tears were running from her eyes, dripping off of the edge of the glass. Her fingers were digging into her shoulders, frame rocking as she sobbed.

Her head was starting to hurt, words breaking up the sobbing as Bendy's voice began to cut through.

"Doll, d-doll please…please stop…"

The digging, slippery grip turned into a hug, she turning to they as their head pressed into their knees. Murmuring came from their mouth, slipping between all three voices, hers, Bendy's, and Dewey's.

"It's gonna, be okay, it's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay…"

Alright, this'll be the first part, will be getting the second one up momentarily. If you have a minute, please leave me some feedback, especially if you notice an instance where it is not clear which character is speaking as that's an important detail and I want to be as clear as possible.

Thank you all for your time, and hope you're having a good day!