A New Era

Chapter 1: Changes

~ Nightmare ~

Finally. Finally, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Nightmare felt free. He could finally feel angry and not be punished for it. He could be fearful or sad and wouldn't be electrocuted for it. He was free.

What really helped was the amount of support he got from the rest of the Council. Classic agreed that it should be left off, Error heatedly agreed and, obviously, Dream demanded they leave it off. He never had to worry about wearing a collar ever again. Of anyone having that kind of power over him.

If course, he couldn't forget the newest addition to the Council: X-Gaster. He had adopted his place in the Council quickly and had become their voice of reason during arguments. He had chosen his assistant to be Justice. Justice unnerved Nightmare. He knew he was another version of Dream, yes, but he also knew that his core programming had a hatred for him. His wings and hard stare were also just as unnerving and always sent slight shivers down his back during meetings.

Then there was the new Ink... He didn't like him.

He hadn't done anything wrong. Yet. Nightmare couldn't shake the feeling that it wouldn't take long for his true colors to show. That's how it had been with the last Ink. He started out nice until he felt safe and secure enough to let his true self show. So no. Nightmare didn't like-no hated the new Ink.

When his mind would go to Ink, he'd shake himself. He shouldn't dwell on the past. Dream had always said that and Nightmare actually thought he finally could. It was a new era for the Center and he was going to get to see a shining future.

~ Error ~

Error was happy to be able to breathe a sigh of relief without it having to taken back by problems suddenly popping up. The old Ink was out and currently rotting in a cell and the new Ink was acting nice. Didn't mean he trusted him, but the new Ink was nice. He was truly in paradise.

He was put back on the Multiverse Destruction Team along with Fatal, who definitely needed the outlet just as much as Error. It was truly freeing to finally let his inner, destructive code be alive. Instead of destroying his room (which never helped), he was destroying multiverse copies which satisfied him. It felt so right and yet... it wasn't.

    He was always worried about the new Ink turning on them all and the people from the Underground unnerved him. He had a brief idea that other versions of him existed somewhere. If anything existed in one multiverse, it existed in the Center. He just never gave much thought to it. Now he was forced to see it.

    Template was... overwhelming. X-Gaster had insisted that a few of the other versions of them should have some place in the Center and Template had been given the job of essentially being the messenger boy. He had to be the least qualified for the job.

    He'd either drop the papers he was supposed to carry and lose a few or would completely forget that he was supposed to deliver something and would cause a pile up. Error had to get into a habit of double checking with the labs and other areas where he would get his paperwork to make sure Template didn't lose any of it.

    He would never say he wished the other versions of himself were still in their Underground, but he did wish that they had appointed more qualified people to areas of the Center.

    He guessed, in the end, all that mattered was that he was safe and didn't have to worry about Ink. A new era was beginning so he might as well enjoy it while it was still fresh and new.

~ Crazy ~

    Crazy was doing great! Business was booming and he was finally being seen for who he was instead of his counterpart. Things genuinely couldn't be better... except that he would now have to focus on other things.