Neon Tears

Chapter 26

-Balance Castle Fresh 404's Office-

Fresh 404 rested his head on his arms thinking about his day before filling out reports.  Dinner had gone well, thank Fox for Vita's preference for family style meals Static and Bane were definitely wary of eating anything someone else hadn't had first.  Conversation had been awkward especially when it turned out only Geno, Cerulean, Alter, and himself knew hands.  He had really thought all Sanses knew sign language.

Dusty walks across the desk after settling Larkspur on a large beanbag.  "Are you okay kid?"

"Acting like a grownup sucks."  Fresh 404 sets up and rubs his face ignoring the soft rumble of a small multiverse quake.

"You don't normally let it bother you this much. What is different today?"  Dusty drags a fountain pen over and drops it next to Fresh 404's hand.

"Did I ever tell you Inky used Dream and Core Frisk's codes to make my sister?"  Fresh 404 pulls the multiverse paperwork over first, it was the easiest just a form to fill out.  He had only deleted one UnderSwap copy, the AU type here AU number there.  Reason for deletion, residents removed, residents killed, and done.

Dusty drags the form over to the out box while Fresh 404 looks at the pile of paperwork for the AU.  "You mentioned having a sister, she is in stasis right?"

"Right, retreated completely into her own little dream world when we were put in stasis and dad was never able to draw her even close to the surface.  Well 347 looks like a Frisk.  It just hit a lot harder than expected when the swap Frisk from today's AU wanted to rejoin the cycle of life and death."  Fresh 404 reads the report in front of him three times then opens a code panel and fact checks it.

Dusty walks over and sets on a stack of envelopes watching Fresh 404. "No wonder you have been acting stressed.  That must be as hard for you as a genocide run is for a regular Sans and you are younger than they normally are when that starts."

"We know she wasn't 347 but it is not all that different is it.  What, they chose 347 to sleep without waking and swap Frisk to continue on to eternal rest or whatever comes next for them."  Fresh 404 put the report in a tray labeled wrong do over.

It was quiet while they finished the rest of the paperwork together Dusty occasionally reminding Fresh 404 to get a drink or stretch.

Fresh 404 lays down his fountain pen finally finished with the paperwork and scoops up the two bitties from his desk teleporting to his room.  "Come on, let's get to bed it is late."

-Dream's Room-

Dream curled up in bed reading letters from his brother from a time long gone.  Full of excitement for his baby and Error, new recipes he was trying and castle building.  The limitations of the AU and gardening.  Tears rolled down Dream's cheeks; this was the Nightmare he remembered from before the village.  Happy, full of life, excited for the future.  When he got to the last letter in  the packet and it talked about Error opening DreamTale's codes so Nightmare could read it himself.  Dream sobbed softly. 

Dear Brother,

   Dream I never want you to blame yourself for what happened.  The apple incident is written into our very codes.  Our AU was damaged from the start and all other paths closed to us.  None of this was your fault, and though we can't be together anymore.  You will always have a place here with me no matter how dangerous it is.

   Yours Always,  Nightmare.

Powder lighter knocks on the door before letting himself in carrying a tea tray with a slice of pecan pie, a pot of herbal tea, and the sleeping potion from Vita.  "Hey Dream I brought you a snack with the potion from Vita."