Start Over {An AU Fanfic}

Chapter 5

"Nightmare? Are you there?" Dream says, knocking on the door a little. It is 10:47 in the morning and Nightmare still hasn't come downstairs yet and Dream is starting to get worried. After a while Dream finally opens the door and flinches at the sight before him. "I-Ink!" He blurts out, turning desperately towards the stairs. Ink comes up, a bit confused, but a twinge of anger hits him when Dream continues. "Nightmare... he's gone!"
~—~
"Ok, we need to find out how to get you back to your stronger form..." Cross says, looking Nightmare up and down. Nightmare stays quiet and just thinks about his brother. 'Maybe I heard wrong... Dream would never do that... right?' "His eye flickered blue when he was scared and he totally flipped out on us," The other skeleton that introduced himself as Killer says, looking at Cross. Cross shakes his head in response. "He isn't scared anymore though.. we can't force that emotion," "Hm.. maybe another negative emotion, like anger?" Killer suggests, and the two look at Nightmare.

Nightmare just shrugs in response, not sure if it'll work, but willing to try. Suddenly, Cross punches him in the gut and then trips him. "Wh-What the-" Is all Nightmare can manage to gasp before the air gets knocked out of him as Cross puts his foot under his back, kicks him up, and then hits him straight into a wall. Pain shoots threw his body when he hits it and falls to the floor. "Fight me you b—rd!" Cross growls, taunting Nightmare a little. Nightmare weakly gets up and his left eye flickers blue again. 'Show them who's in charge, prove you can do this,'

Like before, Nightmare grabs ahold of his anger and gets ready to fight. Cross summons the large knife from before and it glows red. Killer seems a bit confused about this, but says nothing. Suddenly, Nightmare gets kicked forward from behind and realizes some others had come in. "Who the actual sh— is this?" The one that kicked him growls, putting his foot forcefully on Nightmares back so he can't get up. "It's Nightmare," Cross states, looking at the newcomers. After a few seconds they start laughing. "Th-This is a joke r-r-right?" One of the others says, his voice sounding messed up.

"You wish I was, but I'm being serious. Killer saw this happen to him," Yet again, Nightmare becomes confused, not understanding what Cross means. Everyone looks down at him, the three newcomers are confused like him. "Really? How did this happen?" "That's what I asked, according to Killer it was some kind of device Dream had," Cross says, responding to the third skeletons question. "Hey, I bet you Sci made it!" "He probably did, meaning he'll know how to undo it as well!" The one that has his foot on Nightmare says, taking it off of his back and helping him up.

"Dust, you and Horror stay here with Nightmare. We can't risk Dream and the others showing up and ruining this," Cross says, signaling to the two as he says their names. They nod in response and Dust, the one that had Nightmare pinned down, turns to him. "Don't worry pal, we'll have you fixed in no time," He says, a small smile on his face, but his eyes have a tint of insanity in them. Nightmare looks at them and remembers the dream he had. 'These people were all in it..'

Finally, Cross continues. "The rest of us are gonna pay a little visit to the little scientist.." Nightmare knows what he means, but doesn't say anything. He starts to question what Cross said about his brother a little bit as well. 'These people seem to have a reputation with Dream.. and something tells me that it's not in a good way..' Horror glances at Nightmare and interrupts his thoughts. "Hey, something wrong Nightmare?" He asks, no sincerity in his tone, just suspicion. Nightmare blinks and looks at the bloody skeleton. "I-It's nothing.. I'm just confused, that's all,"

Horror glares at me for a bit before turning to Cross. "Good luck," He says, and Cross nods in response. "Let's go, Dream probably noticed Nightmare's gone by now," Nightmare flinches a little at that. He imagines his brother opening the door and seeing nobody, he imagines shock flooding him as he goes to get Ink and Blueberry, he imagines the brown skeletons anger as he tells Dream that he knew Nightmare couldn't be trusted. Guilt stabs Nightmare in the chest as he realizes he blew his chance of being accepted by them because of a voice in his head, because of these people he doesn't even know much about.

Cross and the other two that weren't told to stay leave, and silence enters. Nightmare looks at the two skeletons next to him, and he knows they don't trust him, and they don't like him either. 'They're just scared of you.. they know what you're capable of.. you just need to find that out as well..' The voice says, full of temptation like always. Nightmare doesn't respond. Instead, he starts speaking to Dust and Horror. "So.. is Cross in charge here or...?" "He isn't," Horror says, his voice stern. The conversation ends as soon as it starts and they all go quiet again.

They stand their for what seems like hours before Dust decides to try and break the silence again. "Do you remember this place?" He asks, glancing at Nightmare. "..I-It seems familiar but I don't remember ever coming here.." "Hm.. that makes sense I guess. Do you recognize us?" "I saw you all in a dream two nights ago.. Cross was in one last night too.." Dust and Horror look at each other for a bit, and then turn back to Nightmare. "I guess your memories are slowly coming back threw dreams. That would explain how you got here,"

Nightmare blinks, and then does a small shrug. "I also have a question.. about the Star Sanses," Horrors eye hides and Dust looks down a little. "What is it?" He asks, his tone now hollow. "Why do you fight them?" Silence follows this and Dust smiles a tiny bit. "..It's because they are the only ones standing in our way of finally ending this pathetic Multiverse," Nightmare flinches, realizing he was right to be suspicious. 'Cross was lying, wasn't he? My brother isn't trying to use me.. he's trying to save me..!' Suddenly, Horror hits Nightmare hard in his skull with the handle of his axe, causing him to drop down and everything around him to slowly go black.

                               ~{TBC}~