Bad Apple (Nightmare AU)

Chapter 3 : New Start

As Nightmare watched the blazing village, a monster swigged a knife across his chest making him fall in the crevasse, his sleeve getting caught on the bush of thorns. As he hell dipper in the crevasse known for it's endlessness, his scream swallowed by the darkness and muffled by the screams of monster burning alive.

(I-I can't die now ! I finally fought back, it can't end like this ! I want to live ! I want to live !)

Nightmare closed his eyes as a wave of magic surrounded him.

Nightmare screamed in pain as he landed on his side, shatering his ribs on the cold and hard ground. He laid on his back, tears of pain going down his face and as he looked up he saw... a roof  ? Nightmare stood up looking around in confusion, it was definitly not the bottom of a crevasse.

The faint light of the sun illuminating the stone cold walls throught old dusty windows, it was some kind of old castle. (How did I get here ?) he wondered as he grabbed the apple. Still holding on to the apple, he walked through the castle supporting himself against the cold stoned walls. Opening doors he only found furniture covered in dust but nothing usefull for the moment. Until he opened the door to an office, the wooden floor cracked under his feet as he strugled to keep his balance, like all the other rooms it was dusty with a large library painting the walls. 

Nightmare was so exhausted his legs almost gave in, he walked over to the old chair with difficulty and sat down if he wasn't so light the chair would have collapsed. Nightmare looked up the emotions gone from his face, he just felt numb, he was just tired of everything, he started sobbing and whimpered.

"They were right... it didn't take long for my own... b-brother to get ride of me. H-he didn't deblieve me... I'm not a liar ! I was defending myself ! I-I- I told the truth... He hates me."

Nightmare continued to sob as he keeped repeating this over and over until he fell asleep.

The next day Nightmare woke up, his wounds didn't hurt as much as yesterday, upon looking at them he saw the were now just small cuts and with a sad smile on his face he said "I guess my own negativity was enough to heal myself."

Upon the next few days, Nightmare walked throught the castle exploring it, taking mental notes about the most unstable places, cleaning what he could and reading the books in the old office. The castle was surrounded by a deep forest making the castle more isolated but he didn't mind. He never felt safer, he was alone far from any town or village and he loved it. Among the library, Nightmare picked an intrest in magic spells and started to practice.

Nightmare started with shield magic so he could protect himself, for days ke kelped trying, for days he kelped failing, so much so he would burn his hands. He punshed the wall in frustration.

"Why isn't it working ? I've been studying and practicing this spell for days ! What am I doing wrong ?!" frustration was quickly replaced by the familiar feeling he had felt so many times before. (Of course I can't do it... I can't do anything right... I will never accomplish anything... I'm stupide... what was I thinking ? I'm useless...) 

"No ! I'm done listening ! I'll prove them wrong !"

With a new found determination, he sat on the ground taking the book in his lap.

"I have to stay logic. I missed something for sure but what ? I know the spell and application by heart but I'm not able to use it. It's like my magic was- different..."

Nightmare put his hands over his eye-socket and fell backwards, lying on his back and shouted.

"For the love of the Multiverse ! Of course it doesn't work if I try to use 'normal' magic ! I'm not normal ! I'm the guardian of negativity for Mother's sake !"

After some time letting the frustration out, Nightmare finally got up to try one last time.

"Alright I will try one more time and I'm out for the day. Ok. If you need a shield it means you're afraid to get it, let's try this." he extanded his hands (Ok, fear, focus on fear.)

Nightmare closed his eyes remembering all the times he feared for his safety and eventually his life. He found himself back that day at the tree, flashes of the bullying and attack came back to him, his bloods flowing out of his body, when he woke up blinded by bandages and the attack at there river. Nightmare opened his eyes, tears dripping down his face, he was shaking but still forced himself to look around him.

He was now surrounded by a purple dome, he had done it, he made a shield. As he calmed down the shield disappeared, wipind his tears he looked at his hands. For so long he had feared his magic, his own self, for so long he had listen to these people tell him how useless he was, how he should die but now he felt capable, he could prove them wrong, he had prove them wrong. He was going to learn more magic and keep proving these people wrong.

For the following years, Nightmare studied and practised magic, he quickly got the hand of it. With his magic training he also picked up fighting books to train. If anyone was to mess with him, they would regret it, he will make sure of it and if his brother- No Dream tried to, he would made him fell every single hit he ever received.

It was a promise.

With time Nightmare started to explore the Multiverse, observing from a distance. He fought a lot of people, always mercilessly beat them. Killing them was useless to him, there negativity were much more tasty. He build himself the reputation as a powerful and feared individual. His presence alone would send anyone running away. They only knew his name and reputation nothing else.

At the exception of one particular skeleton, they were known for there destructive anger and feared just as much as Nightmare. They are the destructor of AUs and an adversary not to be mess with.