Battle of Wills

Prelude

Dream wasn't stupid, despite what many believed. Sure, she wasn't the smartest person around, but she wasn't an Idiot. She could tell that many used her for her her aura, that they couldn't care less for her as long as her aura made them feel good. She could feel their emotions for stars' sake, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

She wasn't all smiles, oblivious to how most of the AU's that wanted her help only wanted to feel good. She knew Ink used her aura to feel emotions instead of using his paints. She knew that Blue thought she was an oblivious idiot who couldn't tell she was being used.

She knew, but she lived to help people. She always has, from making someone smile to babysitting a kid. She could take out the trash or protect an au from being destroyed, and she would still feel the same accomplishment of helping someone.

That's why it hurt. It hurt to know the people in the multiverse were using her kindness. That they knowingly take advantage of her, thinking she doesn't know what their doing. It hurt to know that because of her damn title and aura, nobody truly cared about her.

Ink only cared that he got to feel emotions, so he was out. Blue was nice, but she knew how he was friends with Error and cared about the balance she and her brother shared and only cared about making it even. The council certainly didn't care about her either, only seeing her as the Guardian of Positivity who would bend to their whims.

Her brother... she had failed her brother, badly. Despite her attempts to stay close to him and protect him from the villagers, it had still happened. They had somehow pushed her brother over the edge, and he had eaten the apple. She had failed her duty to protect her brother.

Back to the point, she wasn't an idiot. She knew about her balance and made sure to keep it as even as possible. Sure, sometimes it would swing to one side or the other, but she wasn't ignorant like Ink seemed to be. She knew Nightmare wasn't ignorant either, considering he and the gang only attacked when the balance was tipping into her side.

She wasn't an Idiot, and when Cross had gone to her seeking 'shelter' from her brother, she let him. Despite the fact that Cross wore a necklace that was submerged in her brother's non-corrupted magic, she took him under her wing. She knew he was probably sent to Spy, but she didn't care.

Honestly, she almost felt insulted that her brother thought she wouldn't notice the second necklace. Or that Nightmare would think she wouldn't recognize his magic. Did he really think she was an idiot? He knew her better than most, so why would he do something so stupid?

She would have to give him a piece of her mind one of these days. It was a pain in the ass to get the council to accept Cross, but with Blues' help, they managed. Cross mostly stuck to her or Blues side in the beginning and obviously had something against Ink.

As time went on, the Ninja boy befriended Epic and ended up getting close to Red and a few others. She could immediately tell Cross was slowly getting Nighmare some insiders, but she honestly didn't care. She noticed how G, Red, Classic, Lust, and Epic started being more neutral rather than proactive.

She could see how Wine was silently judging everything and noticing it but choosing to keep quiet and how nobody else seemed to notice. She also noticed how some of the AU's who used her the most were attacked more often. Cross, despite branching out to others, surprised her by becoming almost like her shadow.

She wasn't sure why. Maybe her brother wanted close tabs on her? Either way, Cross followed her almost everywhere. If she was going to help an AU? He was going with her. If she had some paperwork, he was in the room doing a quiet activity. If she had to go fight off her brother and his gang from attacking an AU, he was right there at her side.

He would always make sure she ate and slept as well. It was sweet, even if he only did it because he was ordered too. Sure, he still hung out with the others, but only after he stuck on a babysitter on her. Honestly, it got to the point that there were rumors about them being in a relationship.

The only time she got to herself was when she slept, and when she informed Cross that she was going on a walk alone. She found it cute how protective Cross acted, but she also needed her time alone. Everyone did. She couldn't name a single person who would be happy surrounded by people 100% of the time.

It was during one of these walks that it happened. Her guard was down as she relaxed on her stroll. On said stroll, she had found what seemed to be some liquid negativity only with a gold sheen by the edge of an OuterTale clif.

When she had gotten closer to get a better look, it had launched itself at her face and seemingly merged with her. Dream, alarmed, had used her phone to check herself over. She had immediately noticed a few changes, such as her one eye being much darker and a black patch around it, and some of her ecto hair being darker. She also noted how some of her clothes had been affected as well.

After that, she had gone home and started using a bandage to cover her eye. When asked about her clothes, she said it was a style change. If asked about her eye, she said she had gone blind after an accident. It ended with Cross being much more protective, but it was better than letting people know what happened. After all, it seemed to only be a physical change... right?