Control. Slash. Delete.

Not so welcomed here

Ink ended up helping multiple A.U.s evacuate to the Anti Void before coming across an A.U. that held a Dream. This one was winged, brightly coloured and had a very straight posture. Ink felt a spark of hope flicker in the fake soul and ran towards this other Dream before stopping at seeing another very different Ink, non corrupted Nightmare, Error and Cross fighting each other. Over a... roster? What?
Ink then yelped as a stray glowing golden attack of some kind just missed them.
"Hey! Careful!" Ink yelled getting their attention. All the others turned to look and stared at Ink before Nightmare yelled.
"Meme squad! Retreat!" Nightmare then scooped up the rooster and ran towards Ink with Error and Cross following at full speeds. Ink blinked and readied Broomie for an attack. The yellow winged Dream and other Ink blinked before chasing after the other group, now all of them was running towards Ink. Ink took a calm breath and a few steps back.
"Wait!" Ink yelled. None of them stoped. Ink then yelped as Nightmare shoved past Ink straight into Error who pushed Ink to Cross. Cross skidded and awkwardly hopped around Ink before continuing to run. Ink stumbled over and tripped on an untied shoelace before falling, and dropping Broomie, onto the ground in front of the other Ink. The other Ink yelped and tripled over Ink sliding to a stop on the ground with a face plant. Dream frowned and flew up into the air over the two Ink's and continued to chase the 'Meme squad'. Ink groaned and rolled over reaching for Broomie as more stabbing pains hit Ink in the soul. "I-I gotta stop it.." Nothing. Nothing.. Nothing...
Nightmare sighed and looked back. "Error, Cross, look after Kevin and get out of here, I'm gonna help the newbie!" Nightmare then handed the roster to the closest of the two and darted back holding the moon based synth up with a battle cry. Dream looked at Nightmare dully and flung golden attack at Nightmare from the wings. The other Ink sat up and glared at Nightmare before joining the fight.
Ink watched on through blurred vision from the pain. Why was it hurting so much. The fighting became blurred and Ink vaguely registered the world around them all turning white slowly then black. It was happening again...

"Once there were two brothers..." Ink started reading over a book.
"Tell another story! You've talked about your one heaps of times! Can't we have something new?" Blue complained a bit.
"Ugh! Fine what do you want to hear?" Ink asked looking at the two other skeletons staying over.
"I want you to wake up." Dream said, voice echoing around.
"Wake up? Aren't I awake?" Ink asked confused.
"You're wasting time Ink!" Nightmare yelled.
"Nightmare?! When did you get here?"
"We need you Ink! We're running out of time! You are running out of time!" Dream cried out. The warm room faded away to white leaving just the feeling of Dream saying to wake up and to hurry...

Ink awoke again in another place completely unknown. It was cozy? Ink hummed. Wasn't there something important? Ink couldn't remember. It was just so relaxing here. Ink yawed and sat up, something felt off. Empty.
Empty.
Why were they feeling empty?
Ink check the paint vials on the belt. They were very low.
"Oh, I gotta refill them soon." Ink commented and looked around the room. It was a very basic room, single bed, desk, door and a roof window. What were they called?
Ink shrugged and then looks at the door as it quietly clicked open. Nightmare manoeuvred their way around the door with a tray of food and then paused at seeing Ink sitting up.
"You're awake." Nightmare commented and placed the tray down onto the table next to the bed.
"You're not corrupted." Ink responded. "Who are you?" Nightmare raised an non existent eye brow.
"I've never been corrupted, and my name is Nightmare." Nightmare responded slowly. "Who are you?"
"I'm Ink! Protector of the Multiverse and...." White flashed. Empty spaces of once amazing and creative A.U.s. All gone. Disappearing into nothing sign no trace. "Oh no I forgot!!" Ink exclaimed and scrambles up out of the bed only to fall onto the ground tangled up.
Nightmare took a step back watching Ink dully.
"What is it you have forgotten?" Nightmare drawled out with a sigh.
"The A.U.s! I gotta save them all and they are being erased or deleted or something! They just turn into voids!" Ink exclaimed trying to get untangled. "And it's started here too! Wait, name, I need to know what this A.U. is called! What is this place?"
"Okay, you are definitely crazy." Nightmare said turning for the door.
"I'm not that crazy! It's true!" Ink cried out, what little of the paint was left was draining very quickly so Ink could act out these emotions. Nightmare stoped but stayed facing away from Ink.
"If you were a true protector you would have gotten everyone out by now. But now, since I guess I know about this issue I will take it into my own hands. So tell me Ink, so called protector of the Multiverse, what is causing this?" Nightmare then tilted their skull back a bit looking up. Ink stayed quiet for a little but too long and Nightmare scoffed. "You don't know do you?"
"No I don't..." Ink admitted quietly and managed to get the tangled brackets off and onto the bed. Ink then stood up. "I've been trying to get the A.U.s' inhabitants out first so I had a better chance."
"Then why are you wasting time?" Nightmare yelled and turned fast glaring at Ink. Ink blinked with no expression.
"Wasting? Ha! Why do you think I came to this world to begin with? I was trying to save you all!" Ink replied.
"Well guess what Ink," Nightmare spat out the name Ink like it was poison. "While you've been out of it, I've been dealing with other issues like trying to stop my brother! You've been out for five hours or longer! So tell me, why is this place fine huh? How many other places and A.U.s are gone because you decided now as the time to collapse for a little nap?" Nightmare was clearly angry and Ink only frowned.
"Five hours?" Ink muttered.
"Yeah. What the-"
Ink cut the rest of Nightmare's chat out to think and concentrate. Now that Ink was low on paint, with very little left, there was no pain, only this meant the connection to the A.U.s was weaker and therefore Ink couldn't tell how many of those A.U.s were still left. This world's Nightmare did have a point though, why was this world fine? What was so special about this place? Maybe it hadn't been effected yet. Or maybe it was and what ever was causing this was playing with them.
Ink quickly shook that thought away. Something playing with them? Ha no. Stuff like this wasn't child's play. Maybe Error was involved? But the truce... Error and Ink had struck a deal about creating and destroying but even then, this felt too out of Error's style to be Error. So what would be causing it?
A glitch? Not likely, UnderTale was completely fine as far as Ink could tell and when Ink did feel it, it caused pain. Unless it was aimed at Ink? Pfft no again! Ink chuckled slightly. Anything aimed at them was silly. Ink could just erase them before they got anywhere with those plans to cause issues for Ink. I mean what?
But if it was a glitch, it could explain the way the A.U.s just crumbled away like a... virus. Ink's eye socket's widened slightly.
"What if it is a virus?" Ink asked zoning back in to a still ranting Nightmare. Nightmare paused.
"What."
"What if the cause for this all is a virus?" Ink asked again. This time Nightmare blinked.
"Unlikely. If it was a virus it would have been dealt with or hit us all by now. So, again, Unlikely." Nightmare pointed out calm. How Nightmare went from mad to calm like that was interesting. Ink smiled slightly.
"Can you travel between timelines and A.U.s?" Ink asked.
"We have a car that-" Nightmare started only for Ink to laugh loudly, cutting Nightmare off.
"Pfft! Ha ha ha ha! A car?! That's so funny!!" Ink laughed. Nightmare frowned.
"And how do you travel around little, Oh I'm the Multiverse's number one protector against all issues but this new thing which has me quite stumped, what do you use? A broomstick like a witch?" Nightmare huffed as Ink kept laughing.
"Ha! No! I use paint portals!" Ink responded.
"How is paint any better then cars? I say it is worse!" Nightmare argued.
"Paint is my thing! Well technically it's ink not paint but still!" Ink laughed. Nightmare frowned more.
"Then leave already. We can protect ourselves just fin-" Nightmare started only for Ink to cut in once again, this time serious and worried.
"Do not fight it! SwapFell already tried! The results are... disastrous." Ink said sobering down into a dreading look.
"SwapFell? What happened to them?" Nightmare asked unsure on if it was a good idea to ask.
"They are mostly gone, SwapFell Sans is only alive because their Papyrus brought Sans back to help in time." Ink told Nightmare. Nightmare nodded slowly.
"Right. So you are just avoiding what ever is the cause for now, sounds like a true hero." Nightmare said voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Thanks!" Ink beamed completely missing the sarcasm. "Do you think you could help?"
"Help with what?" Nightmare asked hesitantly.
"Getting other A.U.s to the safety of the Anti Void of course!" Ink replied and smiled. Nightmare sighed.
"And yet who was the other laughing at the way we travel around?" Nightmare let out being snarky.
"Car's can still hold a few monsters! Sure you'll need to do multiple trips, but still it's better then nothing!" Ink said motioning with a hand like a car going back and forth multiple times before doing a 'Ta da' pose. Nightmare scoffed.
"And here I was hoping we had a good player this time." Nightmare mumbled, arms crossed and watched Ink fully. "Someone who could help stop Dream and the rest of the Justice Reigns group. But no. We just get  crazy jokers and clowns."
"Hey! I'm not a joker or a clown or crazy!" Ink exclaimed.
Nightmare was showing Ink around the house while looking for Error and Cross. It was at this point Ink learnt, or remembered, what this current A.U. was called, DreamSwap.
DreamSwap was massive to the others but with only a few main monsters. Sure there was the random Anon every now and then but still.
Ink grinned. This was DreamSwap. There was still hope to get others out! There was still others who could keep the balance and open portals! It was a victory! Really Ink should have seen it was DreamSwap by the way Nightmare was Acting but oh well, Ink got it eventually.
"This is Error and Cross." Nightmare said bluntly gesturing to the DreamSwaped versions of Error and Cross. Ink waved excitedly.
"Hi!! I'm Ink!" Ink greeted. Error shied away slightly and Cross looked at Ink unsure.
"But... Ink is with Dream and what?" Cross scratched their skull a bit.
"Different Ink." Ink hushed. "Now! Let's get the rest of this A.U. to the Anti Void then work together to help other A.U.s!"
"Are you sure this isn't Blue messing with us all again?" Cross whispered loudly to Nightmare making Ink frown.
"This is too out of the way to be Blue, if it was then Blue would be just strait up be here, not dressing up." Nightmare responded leaning on their crescent moon staff.
"Speaking of Blue. Have any of you seen Blue recently?" Error asked.
"Uh no actually." Cross admitted. Nightmare hummed and glanced at Ink. Ink blinked and tilted their skull.
"What?" Ink asked now unsure of what to do.
"Are you sure you are not Blue?" Nightmare asked with a grin. Ink's eye lights changed to a dot point and a target.
"Seriously. I am not Blue. I am Ink." Ink deadpaned.
"Make strings." Error said pointing at Ink.
"What?"
"Make. Strings." Error commanded. Ink took an unsure step back.
"I don't get it but okay?" Ink hesitated and used Broomie to paint up a ball of blue yarn. "Uh, ta da? Does this prove I'm Ink yet?"
"Oh my stars!! It's Blue!" Cross yelled and jumped back pointing at Ink. Ink sighed with a disappointed look.
"How many times must I say I am Ink for you all to believe me?" Ink asked rhetorically not believing this thing was happening right now.
"Are you sure you are not Blue dressed up as some weird version of Ink?" Nightmare teased, still grinning.
"No! I am not Ink! Wait! No! Ugh!" Ink yelled as Nightmare burst into laughter.
"I knew it!" Error yelled and ran out of the room. Cross just pointed at Ink yelling.
"I told you that was Blue."
"I meant I am not Blue! My name is Ink not Blue! Ugh! Stop laughing!" Ink huffed watching as the small chance at getting help shattered away to dust. Nightmare just laughed, grinning.
"You laughed at us, we laugh at you." Nightmare smirked.
"But that was over something funny! This is not funny! My name's Ink! I am not Blue! Blue loves tacos and wants to be a royal guard and, and ugh! I am not Blue!"
"Na ah! You're Blue! Stop lying!" Cross yelled and Ink face palmed. Ink then looked to Nightmare silently asking for help. Nightmare just grinned and shook their skull. Ink groaned.
"I might as well ask Dream for help!"
"NO!" The other three yelled.
"Why not? None of you are clearly going to help!" Ink responded throwing arms up.
"Dream is a murderer!" Cross replied glaring daggers.
"Dream can still help! Your original counterparts are murderers too, yet here I am still asking for your help! You guys clearly aren't going to so I will ask for someone who might!" Ink huffed cross their arms and looking around.
"You are crazy, if you think that Dream and the rest of the J.R. Will help you for good! Dream is evil, pure evil!" Nightmare hissed.
"Why?" Ink asked titling their skull. Nightmare frowned more and stood up straight, for the first time Ink was there, DreamSwap Nightmare had a straight posture. It was weird.
"Dream is a murderer and calls all those killings justice. So tell me so called Protector," Nightmare hissed out Protector like it was venom. "How can you call a murderer good? For some Protector and Guardian you don't have great morals for the rest of the Alternate Universes to rely on." Ink blinked and frowned. Now that Nightmare mentioned it.... DreamSwap Dream was a murderer to all who did some slight wrong to bring their own version of 'justice'. Talk about corruption much. But what choice did Ink have? The so called good guys weren't doing anything nor planed to help.
"Well, you all aren't giving me much of an option!" Ink huffed out. "Help me then I won't have to ask the baddies!"
"No." Cross and Error chimed in glaring at Ink.
"Gah! Why not?!" Ink groaned throwing their arms into the air with the 'Gah'.
"How do we know you aren't Dream's Ink." Error humed arms crossed too.
"SERIOUSLY?!? Oh! My! Stars! You guys are pointless! Nightmare is the only useful one here right now it seems because you two are so childish! The sake of the A.U.s are at stake and you would prefer to question my identity then help! How many times must I say that I am Ink Protector and Guardian of the Multiverse? I might as well ask Dream and the other Ink for help because you three are doing nothing but complaining on how I should do my job and my identity! Why is it so hard to see that I am who I say I am? Does no one care if we all dust? Because it looks that way because of your two. So! For the last time, are you going to help me or not because I will ask Dream and the other Ink and evacuate DreamSwap before it is too late!" Ink ranted pacing. Error and Cross watched Ink taking a step back before looking between Ink and Nightmare. They silently were asking Nightmare on what to do, when they looked at Nightmare.
Nightmare stoped Ink pacing by placing both hands on Ink's shoulders.
"Calm. Down." Nightmare commanded making Ink stop and blink. "We will help but only if we get a favour, one each. And that includes Kevin."
"Who's Kevin?" Ink asked skull tilted.
"Nightmare's chicken! Kevin is really cool!" Cross beamed.
"Okay, deal, now let's get everyone out of this place before it is too late!" Ink smiled. Nightmare sighed.
"Woohoo." Nightmare dead panned.
Ink ended up blind folded and then carried out the door or something when they all left the house? Was it even a house? Ink didn't know but it wasn't much fun being blind folded to say the least. Error or Cross or Nightmare just have been holding the chicken while they walked because Ink could hear chicken-y noises. Actually Ink wasn't so sure. The noises that the bird made was more of a crowing noise that Rooster's made. Ether way, they had brought the bird.
"Hey are we there yet?" Ink asked tripping over something.
"No." Nightmare answered to the right somewhere.
"Why are you even blind folding me?" Ink questioned again.
"So you can't tell Dream and our Ink where the hide out is!" Cross huffed. Ink sighed and kept walking. Cross was on the left side somewhere.
"How about now?"
The other three there groaned at Ink's question.
"You're worse then Cross on road trips." Nightmare muttered.
"Excuse me!?!" Cross yelled. "Ow! Kevin bit me!!"
"We'll tell you when we get there!" Error huffed at the same time as Cross yelling. Error was on the left side too. "Kevin pecked you! Not bit!" Ink blinked and held back a laugh, imagining the expressions on the other skeletons' skulls. In Ink's mind Error had a pout with the faint annoyed yellow blush that sometimes appeared, Cross had one of those adorable crossed eyed looks while Nightmare was Nightmare. Ink had no clue how true any of this idea was but it was still funny.
"Why are you laughing?!" Cross hissed in Ink's direction.
"I'm imagining how your expressions are." Ink emitted grinning.
"Oh I'm sure it's so funny." Nightmare drawled out with an eye light roll. "Do enlighten us."
"Really? Okay! Well I'm thinking Error would have-" Ink started.
"I didn't want you to actually tell us!" Nightmare interrupted and untied the blind fold. Ink smiled at being able to see again before blinking and tilting their head.
"Why is there a car here?"
"Oh my stars! You didn't pay attention at all did you!? Why are you THE Multiverse's protector when you can't even pay attention!?!"
Ink let out a sigh. "Can we just get everyone out of here?" Ink asked.
"What are we waiting for?" Error questioned. "We should get out of here as fast as possible shouldn't we?" This time Nightmare let out a sigh. It was a sigh of recomposing and of frustration. Error, Cross and Ink all looked at Nightmare waiting for an answer. Nightmare visibly became agitated again at them looking. "Yes, we will." Nightmare answered slowly through gritted teeth. "But first we need to get into the car, then find the others, then get them to come with us. Do you have any plans on how to get them to come along?" The question was directed at Ink with intense eye lights staring down to Ink's core. Ink only shrugged, brushing of the intense stare, and rocked on their feet.
"Well, I was thinking, we could talk to Dream and other me and Blue about how the A.U.s are disappearing and convince them to come with us, evacuating the world hopefully." Ink responded still rocking. Nightmare's eye socket twitched slightly while Cross and Error burst into laughter. Kevin ran around at the base of their feet, pecking at the ground happily with murderous intent to eat what ever was hiding from that sharp beak.
"You!" Nightmare poked Ink in the rib cage with a phalange. "Think we can just, talk. To. Dream?!" Nightmare then turned and paced. "Are you insane?! Dream will kill us as soon as we try to get within attacking range!" Nightmare huffed out throwing their arms into the air with anger, coming to a stop with the pacing and turned to look back at Ink. "How do you not under how dangerous Dream is?"
"Oh I do understand." Ink replied with a blank look. Everyone went silent. Even Kevin. "I can and will talk to Dream, other Ink and Blue, I don't care if you think I am insane or not because it is currently irrelevant. Stop arguing about me and actually do something to save your world. Or are you too much of a coward to do anything? Maybe that's why you are not the Multiverse's Protector and I am."
"Ooh ouch." Cross whispered to Error and Error nodded.
"That's gotta burn." Error whispered back. Nightmare stayed quiet.
"Also, " Ink added. "If Dream would kill you as soon as you all came into attacking range why are you all not dead? You are obviously still alive therefore Dream has not or can not actually killed you."
Nightmare's skull dropped slightly and a sigh slipped through the, slightly less, gritted teeth. "Just get into the car."
Everyone cramped into the one car wasn't fun. It was more then cramped. Let's just say Ink had the advantage by being the shortest being there.
"There's their base!" Cross pointed out with a semi cheer, semi groan. Ink tried to look but found now was one of the times of being the shortest being a disadvantage. Ink couldn't see out the car's front window.
"Who's going in?" Error asked looking at them all.
"Let's send in this Ink!" Cross huffed looking back to look at Ink.
"What? I thought we were going as a team!" Ink gasped grabbing onto the back of Nightmare's seat. Nightmare whispered a few threats to Ink in response and Ink stood in the car.
"Why would we all go in? Someone has to keep and eye on Kevin and keep the car running." Cross responded. Nightmare sighed and turned too to look into the back seat and at Cross.
"Shut up all of you. Ink. Go get the others and if you are not back in half an hour we are leaving with out you. No exceptions." Nightmare commanded. Ink blinked and sat down.
"Fine. I see how it is." Ink said undoing the seat belt. "I just didn't realise you were all cowards." Ink continued opening the car door and swiftly leaving before a response could be said, Ink slammed the door with a loud thud.
Ink didn't even get ten meters close to the entrance before attack appeared around Ink. Ink sighed and griped Broomie tightly. "I've come to speak to Dream!" Ink yelled.
The attack disappeared and a door opened up with the DreamSwap Dream walking out, hand folded behind their back and wings proudly displayed.
"Escaped the others I see Ink." Dream drawled out looking down at Ink. This winged Dream then started to circle Ink with a predatory vibe.
"No, I've come to inform you of some stuff to save everyone." Ink said as DreamSwap Dream stoped in front of Ink.
"How quaint." Dream rolled their eye lights and flicked Ink in the forehead part of the skull. "I already know of this danger that is making worlds disappear. My question is why haven't you done anything about it yet? Leaving it for others to do before claiming it as your own work again?" Ink sighed in annoyance.
"As I've told Nightmare and the rest if that group, I have been trying to evacuate A.U.s so there can be something left to save." Ink repeated with a sense of dread form. Not that is was real of course.  Ink was surprise that the ink viles still had anything left in them to begin with anyway.
"Really?"Dream hummed and circled Ink again this time poking the smaller skeleton.
"Hey! As much as I love attention now is not the time to poke and prod me! We have to get out of here!" Ink protested hitting Dream's hand away. This version of Dream was very freaky. It almost...