Chapter Text
A battle rages on in Underfell number 137.
Nightmare’s gang had invaded the AU in a planned raid and had already dusted most of its citizens when the Star Sanses had shown up to ruin everything. Nothing unusual there...
Why Ink had decided to create so many copies of this particular AU they would never know. They knew the artist was out of control anyway, always creating new AUs and consistently putting the balance of the multiverse in jeopardy. Time and time again they had tried to explain to him, to everyone that the multiverse had a balance that needed to be protected. No one would ever listen to them of course. The so called “Dark Sanses” were frowned upon and attacked wherever they went despite being the ones who actually protected the multiverse. This is because Ink lied to others about them, telling them that they destroyed simply because Nightmare was insane and forced the rest of his gang to do his bidding somehow. None of them are there against their own will though. If they didn't want to participate then Nightmare wouldn't make them. He'd never push his boys into doing anything.
The rest of the multiverse is unaware how the gang take care of each other like a family, something they try not to show openly in front of others for fear they'll use it against them. Nightmare had found all of them broken, their AUs created by Ink who didn't care how much damage he caused to each one of them as he left them to suffer alone in the mess he made. Nightmare had saved them and given them a new purpose, a home, a family. He had helped them and in return, they gave him more meaning his life. Now, he had something worth protecting. His life is much better now than it was back when he lived with his brother. Nightmare misses how he and his brother used to be, but he would never consider giving up his new found family to be with him again, especially now that Dream doesn't even see him as the same monster anymore.
Dream presumes Nightmare is totally corrupt from the negative apples he consumed back in Dreamtale and that he uses the other Dark Sanses like puppets. He never sees how much he cares for them or how much they all care for him in return. They would kill to protect one another. Monsters like them have to stick together, after all, who else can they rely on? They worked with Error to corrupt and destroy AUS that threatened to tip the balance. If there were too many of them, the AUs would collide, resulting in mass destruction. If too many of them collided, there would be no multiverse left... The AU they find themselves fighting in now is one of the universes that is close to colliding to another similar Underfell AU.
Nightmare finds himself fighting Dream as usual. Looking around him, he can see Killer and Horror fighting Blue, and Error and Cross tag-teaming Ink. Earlier, he had sent Dust on a separate mission to gather some supplies in another AU while they dealt with this one. With Error joining them to also empty the AU this time, they had hoped his presence would allow them to get through it faster and leave before back-up arrived, but the Star Sanses had somehow detected their presence quick enough to arrive before they could do so. Dream is unfortunately getting much better at detecting the negativity they cause when doing their jobs....
The Star Sanses showing up now is just a minor setback for them. This Underfell AU is still going down regardless of anything that happens now. They've already killed the main boss monsters, including the Sans and Papyrus of the AU. The Star Sanses really need to pick up the pace if they wish to save the AUs they're supposedly trying to protect.
Nightmare dodges all of Dream’s arrows that come flying his way without problem. After fighting his brother for so long, he had found Dream has become quite easy for him to predict. Both his attacks and 'heroic' speech have become extremely repetitive at this stage, so he instead chooses to watch the rest of his gang fight while Dream tries to use the same attacks on him repeatedly. His gang comes first after all, so he always tries to keep an eye on them during these battles to make sure none of them get into trouble at any stage. If one of them got injured, he would leave the battlefield straight away to bring them back to the safety of the hideout.
Dream becomes more frustrated as Nightmare seamlessly dodges all his attacks with ease. He doesn’t even seem to be paying attention to the fight anymore as his gaze travels around the clearing. Despite his brother's distraction, Dream still can’t seem to lay a finger on him. Doesn't he care that they're fighting at all? Maybe now he can try to talk some sense into his brother now that he doesn't seem interested in fighting? It's worth a shot...
“Nightmare..." His brother finally meets his gaze when he calls out to them, his cyan eye light burning brightly as he glares at him. "Please brother, why are you doing this!? You have to stop all this destruction! Please... I... I know the real you is in there somewhere..."
He takes a hesitant step forward, reaching a hand out to his brother. Nightmare scowls at him, glowering suspiciously at Dream's offered hand. The guardian isn't deterred by his brother's hostility as he continues to try to plead with him. "Come home with me and we can be happy together, just like we used to be before..." Dream is unable to complete his sentence as he clenches his hands tightly into fists at the memory of what happened back in Dreamtale. "Just let the others go, Nightmare. Give them their freewill back and let them live their own lives. Please brother, stop all this destruction and let me help you! Ink and Blue will be willing to help you all too if it means a stop to all this!”
Nightmare laughs insanely at Dream’s speech, looking him directly in in the eye lights as he does so. Oh, if only he knew how wrong he was about him and the multiverse.
Protector of everyone’s hopes and dreams? Dream isn't doing a very good job of protecting anything. By allowing Ink to create all these AUs, he's helping him to destroy the multiverse, which is thus accomplishing the exact opposite of what he's going for. Whoops.
Nightmare on the other hand does what he has to in order to protect millions of others... and keep his family safe. Besides if Ink didn’t create so much, they wouldn’t be doing this song and dance routine again for what is most likely the millionth time.
Also where did Dream ever get the idea that he's forcing the others to do things against their will... Ink probably... He'd do anything to paint him as the bad guy after all. Nightmare wonders if Ink really believes that. He wouldn't be surprised if the creator had just convinced himself that is the truth so he could find a way to give everyone an excuse to despise him more... including his own brother. The idea that he can manipulate the minds of others is absolutely absurd and the fact they think he'd do that to his boys... Unthinkable. He'd rather let the multiverse rot than abuse the others like that.
Nightmare sharpens his tentacles in anger, showing his brother exactly what he thinks of his offer. Dream knows nothing about what's best for him and his boys. He wishes he would stop assuming he does.
“Sorry, brother” he hisses at Dream, causing him to recoil at his rage. If the other really wants to make a peace offering with him, he can do so after he's learned about the balance and about the real him. He won't risk putting his family in danger by agreeing to any sort of peace offering until then. Who knows how the Star Sanses would take advantage of that?
Nightmare gets into a fighting stance, his smile wide as he looks into Dream's anxious eye lights. “I'm not interested in anything you have to offer. I have a job to do.”
Meanwhile in another part of the clearing, Killer and Horror are working together to keep Blue on the defensive, so neither of them are in danger of getting injured. Killer uses a mixture of his bone attacks and his knife, while Horror mainly uses his axe to swing at their enemy.
Blue is probably the easiest of the three to deal with and although he's a member of the Star Sanses team, he tends to be more sympathetic towards Nightmare’s group due to their friendship with Error.
The two had been friends ever since the whole kidnapping incident back when Error had still been insane and would destroy any AU he came across. After befriending him, Blue had convinced Error to let him go back to his universe where he had found Ink trying to restore it. Blue tried to convince Ink that Error had changed, but Ink presumed that Error was still insane and had only let Blue go because the destroyer found the cheerful skeleton annoying and couldn't stand another second in his presence. Blue had given up trying to tell him soon after that, instead beginning to pester Ink about joining Dream and him in their mission to defend the multiverse from evil. And soon after the Star Sanses, the 'heroes of the multiverse' were born.
Despite being on opposing teams, Blue and Error still meet in secret from time to time. They sometimes travel to Outertale or some other special AU that the destroyer likes, where they can just sit and chat for a while. It's the only time the two can meet in peace and not act like they hate each other’s non-existent guts like they do in front of Ink and Dream. It's something they find they both need, a breather away from their constant battling. Mentions of fights or asking the other questions about why they chose a certain side are strictly banned during these meetings. Both skeletons stuck to that rule, neither wanting to lose the friendship they'd gained.
Still, Blue can't help but to be curious about Error and his motives. He isn't insane anymore... so why would he continue to destroy AUs with the gang's help? The destruction is at a much slower rate than before sure, but why would Error participate now? It seems whatever the reason, Error is determined to make sure Blue stays in the dark about his reasoning. Blue is sure Nightmare must have something to do with the reason why Error won't tell him...
He lets out a gasp and ducks for cover as Horror's axe flies through the air above his skull, snapping him out of his thoughts. Perhaps he should focus more on this battle than thinking about the guardian of negativity for the time being...
Elsewhere on the far side of the clearing, Error and Cross attempt to force Ink into calling a retreat, but the artist doesn't seem interested in leaving the battlefield anytime soon.
Ink is coming at them with everything he's got, swinging his brush repeatedly towards them with rage. As usual, it's been coated in his personal favourite paint for dealing with them; a red colored one that can burn bones like acid. Cross and Error dodge and block attack after attack, occasionally coming to the other's aid when they're too slow to dodge. It's quite noticeable to the two of them that Ink is being particularly brutal with his attacks today. He isn’t giving them much of an opportunity to dodge his swings and they're finding it's getting really difficult to keep up with his onslaught. Both of them are wondering what the heck is up with the artist today...
Ink has had enough. It seems like every time he creates a new AU, the Dark Sanses would always go out and attack another one just to spite him. He's so sick of all this destruction. This needs to stop them before it's too late. The gang are clearly out of control and at this rate they're going to destroy the entire multiverse with their antics. This is the fifth AU they've destroyed within the past week and he's furious about it. How dare they destroy everything he's worked so hard to build! Don’t they know how hard it is to come up with all these different interesting ideas for creation? Of course not, because he's the only one who has to create the AUs! And what thanks does he get for it? None whatsoever! Instead he gets these maniacs showing up where they're unwanted and constantly trying to destroy everything!
Ink is determined to put a stop to the gang once and for all. But how? He always tries to put a stop to them whenever he finds them out destroying one of his universes, but do they ever listen to him? Nope. He's tried being peaceful with them and talking it out and he's also tried being violent by letting them know through the use of his brush how he feels about them destroying his AUs. Sure sometimes if they got injured enough they would retreat to their hideout and wouldn't show their faces for a few days after, but they always returned eventually. Nothing ever worked to stop them for good. He needs a more... permanent solution.
Does he have any plans that can give him the upper hand? Ink can't recall if he's been working on anything in his spare time to stop them, but perhaps he just simply forgot? Maybe he'd written himself a note somewhere of his attack ideas recently? Pausing slightly in his attacks, he studies his scarf for any new notes he might have written down and forgotten about.
...
...
.....
OH! He had forgotten about a very important plan he had been working on for a few months now. It had come to him in a ‘Eureka’ sort-of moment and he had basically dropped everything else to work on it right away. He had even paused the creation on an entirely new AU for this! Getting rid of the Dark Sanses threat had become a top priority for him lately and he was willing to do anything to stop them from messing with his creations.
A N Y T H I N G !
He looks down at his sash through his different vials and studies them for a moment. There should be a special something hidden amongst them...
Ah yes, there it is! Ink pulls out a vial that is unlike all the others. He knows it does not contain any of the paints that he needs to feel emotions. This one is a sort of rainbow concoction, a mixture of different ingredients that he had collected (none of which he can remember now) blended together to create a magic potion. A label on on the vial marked with purple ink tells him this is exactly what he was looking for.
Project XS.
Ink smiles insanely, the paints he had recently taken causing him to feel mischievous and smug. This is going to work. He just has to get to his target quickly and get the potion into his system.
That shouldn’t be too hard.
Teleporting over to Error while the other is taking a quick breather, Ink swings the back end of the brush into his rib cage and sends him flying into some nearby foliage. He doesn't miss the cracking sound coming from the others bones when he's hit. There's a good chance that he's cracked or perhaps even broken a few of Error's ribs, meaning chances are he won't be getting up to help his comrade any time soon.
Now it's just Cross and him left.
Perfect~.
Cross watches in horror as Error is sent flying through the air, crashing through the leaves and branches of several trees before landing in a messy heap at the bottom of an spruce trunk. No sound comes from the other skeleton as he just lays there, sprawled out on the floor... unmoving. What the hell Ink?!
“ERROR!” Cross yells in a complete panic, turning towards his fallen friend to help. He has no time to react as something smacks him on the back of his skull, hard. His legs buckle beneath him as his vision blacks out. The last thing he sees is Ink’s red eyelights staring down at him. Ink looks as if he's finally lost it. Shit, is Ink planning to kill him?! Is he going to die here?!
Nightmare had heard something crash through the trees but had presumed it was Ink or Blue who had been thrown through them. He'd been preoccupied with his brother to check in that moment. It wasn’t until he had heard Cross’s yell that he had turned his skull around to see Error slumped against a tree trunk and a second later witnessed Ink whacking Cross in the back of his skull using the back of his paintbrush, knocking him out almost immediately. He's now standing over Cross's unconscious body, holding something small in his hand. A vial? What is Ink planning to do Cross?! The youngest member of his gang is in danger! He needs to get over there and protect him. Fast!
Dream used his brother's distraction to take a couple of shots at Nightmare using his arrows. He's able to get three decent hits on the dark skeleton, though he doubts that will slow him down much. He had also seen what Ink had done to Cross, but he trusted the artist to know what he was doing. Dream knows he isn’t planning on killing anyone. He isn’t going to kill someone who isn't in control of themselves as it would make him look like an evil Sans in the eyes of the council that they meet up with to discuss and deal with the multiverse's issues. No, it seems like Ink has another plan and Dream is willing to trust him with it. He just wishes Ink would tell them about his plans occasionally so they can help too.....
Nightmare winces as he's struck with the positivity arrows, although he does not feel as much pain from them as he normally would. Seeing his boys hurt makes him very angry. He's running on pure fear and adrenaline now. His tentacles writhe behind his back in fury and his face twists into an insane smile. Oh he is going to make Ink suffer for hurting one of his boys when he gets over there. And he's going to enjoy every second of it.
Killer and Horror had also heard Cross’s shout and had paused their attacks to see both Error and him face down on the ground. They're both heavily injured, their skulls cracked and several other bones bruised most likely. They know Nightmare is going to make Ink pay for that.
Blue is really confused. Why had Ink done that? The artist had never attacked Cross so viciously like that before. Hadn't the two been friends at one stage? And Error... he really hopes his own friend is alright. What does Ink think he's doing?!
Ink knows he'll have to act fast for this next part of his plan before any of the other Dark Sanses get to him. Opening the vial, he pours its contents over Cross’s skull, allowing it to get into his eye sockets and mouth. Great, it's all going according to plan!
This only takes him a split second before he's wrapped in Nightmare's tentacles and instantly thrown against one of the nearby trees in a blur of movement. The tentacles constricts any movements he tries to make but Ink kept his face blank and expressionless regardless of how tightly Nightmare squeezed him. Now all he had to do is wait for the potion to do its work.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO CROSS!!” Nightmare furiously screams in Inks face, restricting the tentacles even further and causing his bones to creak under the pressure. He wanted to KILL this bastard. How DARE he do this to Cross, the youngest member of the gang who never killed anyone, the one who used to be Ink's supposed friend at one point.
Ink struggles to speak or move with so many tentacles covering his body. “Something... I should have tried... a long time ago.”
Just then, Cross’s body begins twitching as the effects of the potion begin taking effect. All of a sudden, Cross starts thrashing and screaming in pain, immediately causing Nightmare to panic. Something is clearly going on internally to Cross and Nightmare has no idea what it is. He needs to get him back to the castle NOW before it gets any worse. Throwing Ink around the clearing a few times satisfies his need for bloodlust and with one final throw he lets him go. He knows he won’t be walking around or creating any Aus for a while and is satisfied enough with this. If he had had more time….
Well, let’s say Ink would have come off much worse.
Killer and Horror had made their way over to Error in that time and now carried his unconscious body between them. Although he's currently knocked out with several cracked ribs, they know Error has been through worse and would be able to get back up after this. They have no idea what is wrong with Cross though. His face is contorted in so much pain as he screams in agony. They know they have to get home quickly.
They make their way back over to Nightmare who is using his tentacles to gently pick up Cross. He shields him away from view as he holds him close trying to comfort the sick, shaking skeleton.
Nightmare opens up a portal back to the AU where their hideout is located before looking back over his shoulder at the artist slumped on the floor. “This isn’t over Ink. You’re going to pay for hurting Cross and if the liquid you gave him was poison and it kills him... well..."
“YOU’RE GOING TO WISH YOU NEVER EXISTED!!!”
With that threat looming in the air, the Dark Sanses step through the portal, leaving Blue and Dream to attend to Ink.
Arriving back at the castle they set to work trying to heal themselves from the battle and then nursing the others back to health.
Nightmare's rage had now faded so he could feel the painful sting of each positivity arrow stuck in his body more clearly. He quickly pulled them out, trying not to let out a hiss at the pain each one caused him before attending to the rest of his gang. Although he's weak and tired now, he can heal his own wounds and rest later. Cross and Error need to be looked after first.
Killer quickly set Error up in one of the spare rooms, applying healing gel to each of his cracked ribs and skull, then leaving him to rest. He knows Error just needs some sleep and then he'll be fine.
Cross however is really causing the gang to panic. They had put him up in his own room, attempting to keep him warm by wrapping him in some blankets. He had stopped screaming, but his body still thrashed around in pain from time to time as if he was having some form of seizure. Nothing they tried seemed to calm them. His breathing was erratic and at times he seemed to be gasping for air. They had applied the healing gel to his wounds, especially to the large crack that had formed at the back of his skull which was healing nicely now, despite everything. Nothing seemed to be able to fix what was going on internally though.
Finally, after a couple of hours, Cross’s breathing returned to normal and his body stilled, calming the gang and allowing them to finally get some rest. They agreed they would take it in shifts to watch over the two sleeping skeletons and promised to wake up the others should Cross get worse again.
Hopefully Cross would wake up in the morning.
They didn’t want to think of the possibility that he might never wake up...