Birthday Oneshot: Falling into Hallownest

Hornet x Reader

You had never once in your life, thought it possible to be quite so literally sucked into a video game.

Not the metaphor that parents use, no. You had powered up your device one fine Saturday, excited to play some Hollow Knight, when the title screen began glitching. You attempted to troubleshoot the issue, but nothing seemed to work. You just selected 'play', hoping the glitches wouldn't affect the actual game.

Oh, how wrong you were. The instant you started the game, it crashed. You tried your very best to fix it, but nothing happened, until the screen suddenly flashed white, and you felt as if you were being... tugged?

You shut your eyes to block the intense light, and when you opened them...

You were not only two dimensional, you were sitting on a bench in dirtmouth. Bretta was beside you, seemingly waiting for the knight.

Wait a minute... how was this possible? You looked at your hands, which were still human ones. It seemed no one had noticed the very obvious difference in appearance and lack of a carapace.

Figuring that this could actually be pretty interesting, you went down the well into the crossroads. Inside were only a few tiktiks and crawlids, which didn't try to bite you at all. The vengeflies flew away from you, squeaking at being disturbed. This wasn't the hostile world you had imagined. What ending had been attained, if any?

You walked towards the black egg temple, intending to find out. Upon reaching it, you noticed all the seals were gone, and someone was standing outside of it.

Two someones, to be precise. You noticed a bright red cloak, and figured one of them was Hornet. The other was far taller, leaning on an old and chipped nail. The Hollow Knight? Well, then the ending was clear. Embrace the Void.

Carefully, you approached. Either could likely kill you.

"Sibling, little ghost isn't coming back. It belongs to the void now. We cannot stay here forever." Hornet is trying to convince her larger sibling to leave.

The Hollow Knight stood there, staring into the open doorway of the temple.

"Hello?" Hornet whips around, looking at you. When she had determined that you were not just a lost and confused citizen, she threw her needle at you. The silk connected to it yanked you towards her.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?"

"My name is Y/N, and I come from the human world-"

"Humans? Is that why you're extremely fleshy and soft?" Hornet pokes your arm, and recoils when the flesh retracts after being pressed.

The Hollow Knight had turned around, noticing you. It cocked its head, stepping towards Hornet and yourself.

"Sibling, stay back. You are weakened, and we know not if it is dangerous."

"Actually, I'm female. And that needle of yours could easily turn me into bloody ribbons, so how about releasing me?"

"You are rather soft to be an actual threat." Hornet unwound the silk, but kept her needle in her hand.

"How far is the human kingdom from here?"

"Let's just say I broke a wall I wasn't supposed to."

"I have not time for poetry! How did you get here, human?"

"...Spontaneously?" Hornet sighs.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Yup."

The Hollow Knight walked closer, kneeling near you. It still was a good bit taller. It set the nail down, a single hand reaching towards you.

You didn't think that you'd ever be poked by The Hollow Knight, but eh. To hell with logic.

It looked up at Hornet, making a single motion with its hand.

"Sibling? You think she is safe?" The Hollow Knight nods, poking you again. Its hand was cold.

"Again, I have no battle training or armour."

"I'm surprised you even survived the journey into Hallownest, then. I suggest you go either into dirtmouth, or you could come with my sibling and I. Be warned that I do not carry the weak."

You give her a thumbs up. This was the only characterization you'd be getting until silksong, so why not?

"I think I can handle myself."

"Good." Hornet grabs her sibling's remaining hand, tugging on it.

"We must go now. Mourn not little Ghost, it was their choice." The Hollow Knight nodded, giving one last look at the black egg temple.

Never in your life did you expect to be walking through greenpath with Hornet leading you, and The Hollow Knight stopping every few seconds to look at the flowers.

This seemed to be irritating to Hornet.

"We have not time for this, sibling. You may stop later." Hornet tugs on them, and they lightly push her away.

"You know, if we get to the destination faster, Hornet will stop bugging you." Did you just pun? Why yes. Yes you did.

"That joke was awful, traveller."

The Hollow Knight seemed to like that idea, walking along with very few stops now.

You eventually reached a small camp, with two tents. One seemed properly set up, and the other seemed hastily erected. That one was quite a bit bigger.

Hornet led The Hollow Knight to the larger one.

"Here is where you rest, should you need." She went to her tent, bringing out a smaller throwing needle.

"I will hunt for our food, traveller. My sibling cannot eat, nor does it have the need. While I am gone, make sure it does not stray too far from camp." Hornet threw her needle, dashing away.

That was how you spent what you perceived as the afternoon picking flowers with The Hollow Knight. You had even taught it to make crowns, but it didn't seem to be able to do it with only one hand. So you made them, putting them on its horns.

It was very pleased looking when Hornet came back, a dead squit and two lifeblood seeds in her hands.

"The lifeblood is for you, traveller. It is the one food that is certain not to poison your stranger systems." Hornet did indeed have mandibles it seemed, as she bit into a part of the squit like one would a chicken leg.

"Don't just stare at me, eat." She tossed the seeds, which had stopped struggling some while ago. She also gave you a smaller needle.

"Puncture the membrane and sip the juices." She resumed eating the squit.

You did as she said. The juices tasted strangely like watermelon.

If anyone had told you earlier this morning that you'd eat dinner with Hornet inside the kingdom of Hallownest, you'd have asked what kind of crack they were on.