Ruins are commonplace on Earth. Partially dilapidated structures, some sitting as monuments to the time before the Darkness, others, as graves unplanned for, a reminder of the loss of life in the Collapse being almost absolute.

However, very, very few structures are as old as what remains of Joey Drew Studios. Not that the name survived at all, it's logo and signage washed away by time and decay. Small and unassuming on the outside, a labyrinthian structure within, empty for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

There's no reason it should still stand at all, considering the building's heavy use of wood. Yet it does, almost defiantly, even as society and everything else collapsed around it.

Not to say it hasn't shown it's age. Moss and plant-life coat nearly everything. From simple moss and lichen, to trees jutting upward, piercing through numerous floors to absorb sunlight.

Nothing but small wildlife live here, it's former inhabitants, both those normal or ghastly, having died eons ago or fallen apart, nothing but the dry ink stains that litter the floor to remind one of their existence.

But then, in a place far away, nearly on the other side of the world, a pulse went out. A great being awaking after being dormant for so long. The Light of it's pulse spreading into every nook, every cranny.

And the depths of Joey Drew Studios were no exception. There, a machine slept, the chains that once held it in place rusted and snapped, the tendrils of pipes below it mostly shattered or bent into unreasonable shapes. But as the Light came over it, something strange occurred. It sputtered. Ancient gears, practically frozen in place from disuse and rust began to grind again.

No power was added, yet it began to churn regardless. It's large nozzle funneling out a layer of dried ink before something else came out. A pile of fresh ink spilled from the machine, and then, just as suddenly as the machine started, it stopped, and the Studio fell into silence once more.

And then, the ink began to rise. First, a hand formed, covered in a set of rather well-kept gloves, four fingers reaching out as another hand too rose from the ink. Then came a head, a thin, almost cylindrical thing, broken by a crescent at the top, forming an almost horn-like shape.

Then came the eyes, a curious set, looking as if a portion had been sheared or sliced off.

And then the mouth, their features looking strained and eyes tense as they pulled themself from the pile. And soon enough, a full lookalike of an ancient cartoon character formed in the bowels of a forgotten animation studio.

A look of confusion and fear formed onto the character's features as they looked at their environment, their eyes darting in every direction, trying to get an idea of everything as they leaned against an adjacent wall.

It was somewhere foreign, a stark contrast to what they last remembered. First, a picnic with friends, and now, only silence greeted him, the laughs of their friends as they joked around with each other seeming so far away now. The character once known to many as Bendy was very, very confused and very, very frightened.

They didn't make a sound until they took their first step forward. They wobbled, suddenly feeling off balance, forcing them to grab a hold of one of the support beams on the wall to stay upright. The beam creaked and cracked as they held it tightly, but surprisingly didn't fully snap.

Everything felt alien, even their own body. Bendy worked their hands down the wall, keeping a hold of it as they stumbled out of the room.

A hallway greeted them, as did sunlight, a hole through the ceiling revealing light above.

Bendy covered their eyes with one hand as they looked upward. The sky was not something Bendy usually looked at, however they could tell from a glance it was different. The sunlight was harsher here, but they guessed by where it was that it was midday. They continued down the hallway, luckily finding a set of stairs leading up.

As they stabilized themselves, they tested the stairs with one of their feet, getting a resounding groan as the rotted wood took the weight. But it didn't collapse, Bendy wiping nonexistent sweat from their brow. Then they climbed and climbed. The last set of stairs upward were shattered, however, remnants of planks being all that greeted them. They huffed, putting their fists to their sides in a slight pout. That was until they turned around.

The upper floor had partially caved in, creating a convenient ramp upwards, causing the cartoon to twist their mouth back into a grin. They headed up the ramp and out the door, into a new world.

Birds greeted Bendy as they finally took their steps outward, the door to the building they started in having fallen apart years ago.

Bendy tilted their head at the sight. They were certainly different to the birds they knew, but their form and feathered nature was unmistakable. They took a step forward, and the birds flew off, shifting Bendy's look upward as they took in their surroundings. The ruins of a town sat here, as nothing but wind and the sounds of fleeing bird greeted them.

Bendy was used to liveliness. It was something that bustled everywhere in their world. Everyone had a spring in their step, nothing ever stopped that. The fact that this wasn't that place was finally full dawning on the character.

"H-hello!?" Bendy called out, their throat feeling unused, foreign, just like everything else.

Their somewhat high-pitched voice echoed through the town in front of them. But nothing answered them back.

Fear crept across their features. They had never really been alone before. There was always someone there. Boris, Alice, whoever else was around. Someone to conversate to, or play a prank on, or… anything.

But there was no choice here. It felt somewhat cruel, but they took in a deep breath, in and out to calm themselves, and began to move along the shattered and cracked sidewalk, beginning their exploration of the ruin looming all around them.

However, from the shadows of long forgotten buildings, something DID hear them. Two pairs of eyes flickered on with a bright blue glow, watching the character's every movement, and others soon joined them.

A hunt was on.

Bendy searched through houses and stores, picking up various things along the way. A small backpack, near perfect for their size now hung on their back, still partially covered in dust and numerous holes. But the character assumed it was better than nothing.

They entered another home, this one slightly different from the others in the fact that it was relatively intact. A sturdy structure, metal and mortar clearly visible as wallpaper had worn away.

However, something seemed off. Running up the walls of the stairs were what looked like… claw marks. They ran all the way up the stairs. Bendy moved toward the stairway, wanting to get a closer look. A thick layer of dust was all over the stairs, along with what looked like pieces of some kind of foreign material.

It almost reminded them a little of bone, but it would be bones of nothing they'd ever seen before. They again remembered they were in some kind of alien world, and hesitated on going up the stairs. But curiosity kept telling the cartoon otherwise, nagging at them and spewing out questions into their mind. They carefully crept up the stairs, ready to leave at a moment's notice if something made itself known. Yet nothing did.

They followed the trail of scratches to the end of a hallway, ignoring the other rooms as they led to a single door. Scratches made up almost the entire thing, digging deep into the outer wood, and piercing into the heavier metal underbelly of it. A single doorknob sat there, taunting them, and they tested it with a jiggle.

Locked, of course. But Bendy wouldn't let this stop them, as they twisted harder and harder, and the ancient rusted metal gave way.

What was inside was not what they were expecting. It was a bedroom, with no windows and little light. However, on the floor, collapsed on a chair was a skeleton. The upper portion of it's skull had been completely blown out, and on the floor next to the corpse was a shotgun.

Bendy had seen guns before, usually wielded by police officers. But they had never seen one fired, they were always used for intimidation, and everyone backed down once a gun was involved.

But they knew they were used for hurting others. Killing others. And as they looked to the scratches on the door, and the scene before them, a dawning realization of horror formed.

They had killed themselves to escape whatever had caused the scratches. Was this place… that bad?

They gulped before looking to the shotgun. It had two barrels, and considering the likely age of it, it looked to be in surprisingly good condition. Shells littered the floor, and Bendy gathered them up into the bag along with the gun itself. It was quite large compared to the diminutive cartoon.

He had heard a couple of things about guns. They were very dangerous, they were very loud, and they could have some real kick if not controlled properly. Considering most he had seen were guns that could fit into his hands, they imagined this weapon had some serious kick to it. They experimented with it, finding the release that opened the barrel up. A single used shell sat within.

They pulled it out, fumbling for two shells from their bag, slotting them in before closing. They hoped this thing still worked. And that it wouldn't break their arms. They searched the rest of the room, finding a couple more shells and some cans, which they put into the backpack.

But then, a noise caught their attention. Footsteps. Their eyes widened as they barely made a sound, simply taking in the fact.

Someone… or something was here. They stiffened. What if it was hostile? Or friendly? Rapidfire questions went through their mind as the noise closed in, coming up the stairs.

They took the shotgun in hand, and aimed it down the hallway, waiting and shivering with fear.

Then, it arrived. It was a tall thing compared to them, perhaps a little taller than the skeleton behind them. It's entire body was covered in some sort of armor. Four arms stuck out, two carrying what looked like an advanced rifle of sorts, the other two hanging back, one hand holding onto what appeared to be a knife in it's holster.

Four eyes stared at them, almost glaring from beneath a mask.

"U-um, h-hello?" Bendy asked fearly, nearly shaking as the creature looked at them, glancing down the stairway for a moment.

"Sloat dan, hus shar dis!" the creature barked in it's foreign, almost guttural tongue. Before Bendy could respond, it's rifle began to glow and Bendy acted out of instinct, firing the weapon in their hands. Pellets flew and impacted into the creature, causing it to crumple into the wall behind as Bendy slid backwards from the force of the blast, their hearing ringing as they tried to take the blast's volume.

A roar came after, Bendy hearing it even through ringing ears. They needed to act. Now.

They forced their body forward, diving into one of the rooms as another creature came up the stairs. They slammed the door closed, locking it to buy a few seconds before looking around. A window immediately jumped out at them, and they peered outside the broken viewport.

It was a fair fall down, but there were bushes below, and Bendy had no other choice.

The door slammed open, the creature's foot kicking it open. But the cartoon was already gone, picking themselves up from the bushes and moving as fast as they could.

Feelings of panic rose quickly, along with adrenaline. They turned the corner from the street they were on, moving deeper into the town as they ducked into another building, a small store from the looks of it, and used the opportunity to catch their breath.

They noticed a small amount of ink oozing down one of their legs. They probably cut themselves on broken glass and didn't realize it, Bendy surmised. They took the shell out of the shotgun and replaced it with another as howling echoed off walls, like their voice did before. So they weren't alone. At all. The cartoon was now wishing it was the opposite.

However, the building wasn't empty. Another creature, quite similar to the previous Two large sword occupied where a rifle was, however The creature bounded over the store's counter with frightening speed They rose the rifle quickly, but not fast enough as it closed the distance fast.

Bendy squeezed their eyes closed, bracing themselves for the incoming pain.

Yet it never came. The creature made a yelp halfway through it's charge, it's body collapsing mere feet in front of the character. In their place was an somewhat less intimidating figure. Two arms, a knife in one hand. The helm was what most stood out, a almost golden thing, it's front crested almost like a beak.

"I'd be half-tempted to ask a lot of questions." the stranger started, their voice somewhat androgynous. "But from the sound of things-"

Echoing roars resounded throughout the streets, sending chills up Bendy's spine.

"-We've got bigger problems. So, i'll give you a choice, here and now. Come with me, answer my questions, and i'll get you somewhere safe, or stay here until the Fallen surround and overwhelm you. I'm really hoping you pick the former." the stranger spoke quickly.

Bendy thought for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, good." they spoke, a sigh of relief barely audible. "Ghost, what's the nearest place you can land our ship?

A small machine of sorts appeared next to the stranger, causing Bendy to tilt their head.

"About .25 miles from here. There's an intact church. We can likely use it's roof for a getaway." the "Ghost" replied.

"Alright. Fella." they looked down to the character before them. "You injured, still can run at all?"

Bendy looked down to the wound, about to mention it to the stranger, however, the wound was gone, just like it was before. They narrowed their eyes for a moment, but nodded at the stranger.

"Alright. Follow me, stay close. If you need help, just holler." the stranger spoke. Their small machine vanished, and they went out the door, pulling out a revolver of sorts. Bendy tentatively followed them, holding the shotgun tightly in their hands as they followed the far stranger through monster-infested streets.

It was a long run, but Bendy had learned a few things about this stranger.

Firstly, they were very, very good at fighting things. These creatures, which the stranger's ghost had referred to as 'Fallen' fell easily before them.

Secondly, they had what Bendy could only guess was some kind of magic. They threw grenades at foes from out of nowhere, knives simply seemed to materialize in their hands as they willed it, only to be thrown into another Fallen's head. They possessed huge agility, seemingly able to leap twice while already in the air.

It was a gruesome but amazing display, and the cartoon knew without this person, they would've died a long time ago.

The church the Ghost talked about was just ahead. The stranger dispatched another two Fallen as Bendy stuck close behind.

The doors to the church were sealed, but the strange merely kicked them open.

Inside were even more Fallen, including a large, more imposing one. It looked as if it were waiting. It's crested helm was far more ornate than the rest of the Fallen, likely marking them as some kind of leader.

"Seems they guessed where we were going." the stranger mumbled.

However, the Fallen didn't attack immediately.

"Zer, yun kles sloat, yun lovos sloat!" the leader spoke, drawing their swords. "Hu do ki, zi dis!"

"As much as a fight of honor would be something i'm interested in…" the stranger flicked their hand upwards, a great gout of flame forming into a gun. They quickly took aim and fired a single shot, the heat of it being able to be felt even by Bendy as a streak of sun completely disintegrated their leader.

"I'm low on time." they finished, and the other Fallen howled, trampling over or swiftly vaulting the many pews between the groups.

The stranger took out a couple before needing to reload, doing so as quick as they could.

Bendy braced themselves as a Fallen came close from the side, firing the shotgun and sliding backwards, though not as much as before. The Fallen fell apart, wisps of gas escaping as Bendy moved back to position.

"Good shot." the strange spoke, finishing their shot. "My turn."

They moved fluidly, firing shots with precision and speed, instinct honed over a long time. Six rounds emptied in around 3 seconds, each finding their mark in the head of a Fallen.

The church fell quiet as the stranger reloaded, but more roars indicated incoming Fallen.

"Alright, let's move." the stranger indicated, Bendy nodding as they moved towards the back of the church and began to head up it's steeple.

A small room was at the top of the structure, a bell hanging above. What was of more note to the stranger were the windows. A fist through them shattered the glass and they crawled out, making a small drop to the church's roof.

However, the Fallen were right on them. As Bendy crawled out of the window, A fallen grabbed their leg, knife raised to do serious damage.

They couldn't use the shotgun in this position, and the stranger had already dropped down. But a thought popped into their mind. Something odd and almost instinctual. They thrust out their hand towards the Fallen.

A pulse of energy went out, along with a burst of ink. The Fallen squealed in pain, gripping onto their face and stumbling backwards as the ink seemingly began to burn away at their armor and carapace. Bendy's eyes widened, but they would figure out such things later. They dropped down, nearly losing a hold of their weapon as their escape plan descended.

It was a spaceship. Something that Bendy had never really thought of before, but it was the only words they knew to describe it. It was a bulky thing, with engines twice as tall as the main portion of it.

It was a goldish copper colour, with the quite distinctive imagery of a wolf painted on the side. Bendy would've said it reminded him a Boris, but this was something far more feral, fearsome, teeth bared and ready to snap at whatever came near it.

"Transmat us in!" the stranger called, likely to their Ghost.

Then, Bendy felt a strange lurching in their stomach, their vision blurring as everything faded to darkness.

Author's Notes

So. This is something. A spur of the moment idea, condensed into... something tangible, somehow. An idea I didn't want to have escape my brain. I have no idea if I should continue this.

I've always wanted to write for Destiny, but the issue always falls on who to have as a main character. I'm terrible with OCs. It's assuredly not my specialty. That combined with Bungie's more recent missteps with the story of Destiny 2 and... well, it just never seemed like it would come to fruition. Yet here it is, ripping a character from another game into this one. Seems to be a running theme, looking back at the poor quality works I had done previous.

Maybe i'll continue. I have some definite ideas for this. No idea what the overarching story will be, but ideas nonetheless.