I'll Make You Mine

Every Action has Consequence: Dream

"Any sign of him?" Blue sat beside Dream on a stone bench.

"No," the guardian sighed, looking up at Outertale's night sky. His voice was worn, tired, and scratchy.

One month. They've been searching almost nonstop for over one month. They traveled to all the negative AUs they could, anywhere Nightmare could be hiding Ink. The problem with the Doodlesphere was there were millions of AUs and timelines. If they went through every single AU, not only the negative ones, it would take years. Centuries even, and they assumed he didn't have that much time. Dream couldn't sense Ink's aura in any of them. He couldn't find the other members either. The more time passed, the more he worried.

Dream was on a constant search for their brother's hideout, but now the stakes raised. They knew Nightmare constructed a private AU for him and his subordinates. He had never been to a pocket AU, but he knew of them from Ink. Closed-off, highly secure AUs only monsters who knew the coordinates could enter. Like a house key given to close friends.

Unfortunately, Dream didn't have that key. No Doodlesphere door leads to it. Only Nightmare, Error, Ink, Core, Fresh, himself, and a few other outcodes could make portals. Out of those, only Nightmare and Error could access the pocket AU.

Dream looked over to the skeleton sitting on his left. He worried over Blue. As a mortal, he didn't match the stamina or powers he or Ink had. Yet his determination kept him going, sometimes even more than Dream. And the guardian couldn't be more grateful. He almost had more energy than he did.

Dream ran his fingers down his clipboard, covered in red ink Xs. They traveled to every AU on the list with no results. Nightmare would never keep Ink in a positive AU, it was contradictory to his goal. Dream couldn't hide it anymore, Nightmare was in a pocket AU, and that made it almost fell hopeless.

"Blue . . ." Dream asked, turning their attention toward their friend. They had an idea. "How close are you to Error?"

Blue blinked in surprise and thought about it. "Well . . . I think we're friends. At least in a 'if you tell me there's someone you like, I'll spare their life' way. Why do you ask?"

"Do you think he could help us find Ink?" Despite everything, there was hope in his voice. "He has to be involved with Nightmare's plan somehow. At the very least, he has to know where his castle is!"

"Hm . . . I don't know. Since it's Ink, I don't think he even wants to save him, but I can try. And you need-"

"Trying is all I need." Dream smiled, hoping to avoid what Blue would say next. He still had hope everything would be okay, despite the worrying in the pit of his ribs. The sooner they found Ink, the sooner they could put this behind them. The sooner they could bring Ink home. Dream stood up and the ground spun under his feet. He didn't say anything about it though, both because he didn't want to worry Blue and he was used to it at this point.

Dream spun his staff and created a portal, stepping aside to let Blue walk in first. The Anti-void, while desolate and unnerving, was easy to enter. But his hands did feel numb.

"Error!" Blue called, his voice echoing in the Anti-void. His voice was the only one that answered him. Dream couldn't sense Error's aura anywhere, but he did hear something. A strange buzzing.

As the sound great more distinct, Dream turned around. An oval portal glitched, showing an AU on the inside. Strange, why didn't Error shut it? Did he always keep his portals open? That didn't seem like him.

"There." Dream spoke the obvious and pointed at the portal.

Blue strings dangled all over the AU. Some monsters struggled to get out of them while others ran in a panic. Dream summoned his bow and fired two arrows to free the trapped monsters. Blue used his telekinesis magic to levitate them gently to the ground.