The "Dear Dolly" Experiment

Part 7: Wilt

The few days after that were rather calm compared to what had been happening. Nightmare would bring one plate of food per day and Ink and Error would figure out how to manage with that. Ink didn't really need to eat now, especially since he didn't need energy for his none existant magic crisis. But Error still made him eat usually just by saying the phrase 'Don't waist something that we're currently privileged to have... They'll stop if you do...' Ink didn't want Error to starve so he would eat. Luckily the food was the only change that happened for them. So with everything going so 'well'...Ink wanted to try and ask about Blue and Dream again.
"Error..."
"Hm?"
"What happened to Blue and Dream?"
Ink saw Error pause and contemplate how to respond to that.
"Please just say you know or you don't and do not say some weird thing, or turn my question into another question. Just tell me the truth...if you have it..."
Error pondered Ink's words, trying to think of the best way to tell him the truth he had been hiding.
"Ok...if you want know then I need you to do something..."
"Ok..."
"Reach in my pocket... And don't scream..."
"I...I'll try..."
Ink reached his hand in Error's pocket and felt something that felt like cloth, of what kind he didn't know until he pulled it out. He had to put a hand over his mouth to keep him from screaming. In his other was a dusty blue bandana, a pin with yellow cloth stuck to it, and a yellow glove. Ink felt tears again start to pool out of his eyes.
"Unfold the bandana...if you want to know what happen..."
Ink was terrified but still saw his hand slowly unfold the bandana, what he saw only made him want to cry more. A few flower petals surrounded a beautiful baby blue flower.
"It wasn't much but he wanted you to have that bandana...and I guess that flower..."
Ink got ahold of himself slowly taking away the shaky hand from his mouth.
"What h-happened Error?.."
"I...I was out there while this was going on. I was order to abduct Blue, Dust accompanied me on the mission... So we got him and he was scared... I didn't think anything would happen, I just thought that Nightmare had some stupid message for Dream or something weird... But I can admit now that I should've probably asked when it all started to get weird."
"W-Weird?.."
"After I left I thought that Blue had been sent back, that was a stupid assumption because if he were with you then I would've noticed. And my suspicions only grew when I heard some noises from upstairs. Compared to the normal this was what I would've considered odd. So I went up there...and saw him...in here... Nightmare was also there and told me to fuck off... So...I did..."
...
"W-WAIT PLEASE ERROR!"
Error had to force himself to look back at Blue. He had blood spilling from his mouth, trembling and bruised legs, beaten and broken arms and ribs, and flowers covering the cracks and bruises on his body. His mouth and eyes in particular were filled with them. Error was confused until he felt something glass break under him. He picked up one of the glass shards and what he read only made him more scared of his friends.
"F-Flower disease..."
He dropped the glass and looked up at Nightmare with a serious expression.
"...Leave Error..."
It wasn't like Error could say no but he didn't want to say yes. So with heavy doubt and terrible regret Error left. He could hear Blue's sad and desperate crys for help, Error tryed his best to ignore them but it was near impossible. He went downstairs and waited for a Nightmare. He didn't have to wait long and Nightmare came down only a minute after seeing Error. Nightmare noticed the glitchy skeletons angered stare and groaned while walking over to him, now forced to explain what had been happening.
"Error-"
"Did you just purpuposly give someone the flower disease!?"
"Error..."
"Any creature that comes in contact with that thing suffers for weeks until they die! What the hell were you-"
"Error shut up!"
Error stopped talking and Nightmare had to keep himself from screaming any louder.
"You want to know what that was? Why that happened?"
"...Yes..."
"That was...a test...I guess you could call it?.."
"You don't even know how to explain your non sensical torture."
"I do have my reasons they are just ones you don't need to know. But you can know my reasoning behind Blue's 'non sensical torture'?.."
"If you'll tell me..."
Error said sarcastically
"Well... Blue is very similar to a flower. Nothing but fradgil, innocent, and pretty. Being that fradigal though means it's very easy to make it start to wilt."
"So?.."
"So when they wilt and they're separated from the other pretty flowers then the whole garden starts to die. And when those flowers try to hold out then we just spray bits of weed killer on them until they just shrivel up and die."
"What are you trying to imply?"
Nightmare chuckled a devilish smile starting to appear on his face.
"Oh that's funny...and here, do this and ponder my words."
Nightmare handed Error a folder, Error began to flip through as Nightmare continued.
"Filling that out is an order got it?"
"What the fuck is this?"
"What can I say, I enjoy hearing my team's input on things."
"I'm not writing you a torture manual"
"You are and if you don't then you will get involved with everything you're trying to avoid for some reason."
"For some reason? I may be a destroyer but it's quick, it doesn't last for days or weeks. And as much as it sucks I know that Ink will just fix it after."
"What if he didn't? Wouldn't that be nice."
"Doesn't...mean I..."
"Hm, ya ok"
Nightmare stood up
"Finish that and I may not make you join our little party. If you don't then this will be a very different story, atleast for you."
Error didn't really know what to say then again he didn't have many options.
"I'm not going to help you..."
"You will, in a different way"
"..."
...
"You...thought of a way to torture someone?"
"That's really all you took away from that story?"
Ink didn't really know what else to say, he was almost to scared to ask and processing it all wasn't helping.
"Did you really not do anything?..."
"Even if I wanted to go near Blue I couldn't... It wasn't like if I did it would've done anything, he was to far gone...died a few days later..."
"Oh Blue...I wish I was there..."
"Even if you were there it wouldn't have helped."
"Still..."
Ink could feel tears falling from his face again, but after all these days he could barely even feel it. There was only pain and sadness that was in his nonexistent soul.
"Ink don't blame yourself-"
"I'm the protector Error! It's my job to help him, and everyone else!"
"...And...I'm the destroyer..."
"Ya...and?"
"And I didn't hurt anyone for once...because for once it got to be to much..."
"You didn't do anything...because you really didn't want to... Why?.."
"Because Ink it was wrong...in the worst ways that I even try to avoid."
"Oh..."
Ink wiped his eyes and tryed to calm down before asking his next question.
"So what about Dream..."
"You sure you want to hear all of this, today?"
"Mine aswell...I want to hear it all while I can..."
"Fine"