Aconitum

Purpose, as in a Reason to Exist

Nightmare was feeling nice after spending the majority of day out and about in different aus. His power came like a vial. He needed to fill it with negative emotions and he'd burn through the contents of the vial while using magic. There was a level of concentration that the magic required on top of that. It was a lot of effort gathering those emotions, but he managed.

He headed home after his day of gathering. It was a surprisingly easy to find negative aus, the ratio to bad to good was about 70 to 30. Even in the good aus there would be some sort of negative emotions in some lonely corner. Nightmare was there in that corner too, subconsciously making it worse by existing.

One of the things that kept him up at night was the morals of his very existence. If ones purpose is to cause pain is it okay to continue to exist? Well there was one other person in the multiverse who had to deal with that as well.

"Error?"

"What do you want?"

"How do you live with yourself?" Error sat up in offense.

"What."

"You heard me. How do you live with the fact your existence is to harm people?"

"If you're trying to play therapist you should know it won't work. Ink already tried. You know how that went for him." Error chuckled darkly

'Error always has to be such a dick.'

"I get it you harm Ink for fun, but the question wasn't regarding him. How do you live with yourself knowing your purpose is to cause harm and only harm?" Nightmare rolled his eyes at the stupidity.

"I don't care. I'm also in the right. I harm others because they deserve it. Plus-" Error tapped his temple, "It helps when you have a ton of cheerleaders."

"Well, you have been incredibly helpful." Nightmare oozed with sarcasm, "Have a splendid day."

"Tell Ink I said hi." Error matched the tone Nightmare used, and Nightmare took that as an opening to leave, heading back to his own house.

Horror was in the kitchen cooking something, Killer was in his room and Dust was outside. Horror, clearly being the most available for conversation. Night approached him.

"Hey man, whats up?"

"You seem to like cooking quite a bit." Horror halfheartedly laughed, trying to keep the mood light.

"You've been to my au."

"I have, it's conditions made me think you'd not be a good cook. Although I was wrong. I do enjoy your cooking."

"Thanks, and when you don't have a lot of food, you learn to make what you do have good."

Nightmare and Horror became silent after that. Horror involved in his cooking and Nightmare trapped in his own head. There was a long pause before Nightmare escaped.

"What would you do if you could only cause pain?" Horror looked over, confused.

"I... I don't think that's possible?? Everyone could do good. They just need to make a choice to do so."

"It's more complicated than that."

"Is it really? Or have you just convinced yourself it is."

"I'm not sure." Nightmare mumbled.

"Then there's your answer." The god continued to hover in the doorway to the kitchen, "and you don't only cause pain."

Nightmares face went completely flat. Trying to hide whatever that made him feel, and how little it felt like for so much.

"I appreciate it Horror." He had no reason to stay any longer, leaving to the living room instead. Horror probably was gonna pity him for a while longer. Nightmare didn't want that. He wanted to be viewed as normal by the others.

He returned to reading, a new book this time. A gift from Ink. The man seemed to know that reading was the only hobby Nightmare ever bothered to pick up and wanted to encourage it like a third grade teacher when one of their students shows interest in reading.

It was a book about a kid with an absentee father who turned out to be a god, with him and some friends trying to prove that he is innocent of a crime he didn't commit. It was clearly a children's book. Not that Nightmare had room to complain. Plus if Ink gave it to him it probably wasn't going to be some life changing experience.

Not that he meant it as a insult to Ink, just Ink wouldn't have much time to read a complex book.

'okay that sounds insulting too. Apples Night, can't you just be grateful?'

The book was good. Not something Night would read normally. He was glad Ink gave it to him unprompted.

"Hey boss whatcha reading?" Killer must have walked in at some point

"Just a book Ink gave me." Nightmare shut the book and set it down on the table, "what brings you out here?"

"Got bored. Also Horrors normally done cooking by now."

"That makes sense I suppose." Night was just glad it wasn't for any type of snooping.

"Were you doing anything other than reading?"

"Not particularly." What a dry conversation.

"Sounds boring." Killer dug through his pocket until he materialized a lighter into his hand. Which he promptly lit and started moving his hand through the flame quickly.

"Is that safe?"

"Nothing's safe. This is just fun while being dangerous." Nightmare wasn't impressed with the explanation, "What boss? You look like you have a burning question."

"You know I don't have a question, you just wanted to tell a joke."

"So? Is that a crime?"

Nightmare looked at Killer, unimpressed.

"What? That joke was lit."

"I cannot stand you." Killer knew it was meant in a playful way, even if Nightmare was to deadpan to tell most jokes.

"Awww, I lava you too."

"That wasn't even a fire pun."

"I only have so much material to work with." Killer put away the lighter

"Did you only pull out the lighter to tell puns?"

"Mayhaps."

"One day I will simply kill you."

"Sure ya will boss."

~~~

Moral delemas and puns!

Also sorry this chapter took longer. I was literally murdered and then revived and I still have school after all of that!