Start Over {An AU Fanfic}

Chapter 9

"There you go! All bandaged up!" Dream says, smiling at his brother. Nightmare smiles back, though it isn't completely real. He still is upset about before and the voice in his head has been growling louder ever since Dream moved into Nightmares room. Since then, Dream had been checking the cracks that had formed in his skull and hand a lot more, and Nightmare has started to realize that Dreams healing ability isn't working on this, and it's starting to make him a bit scared. All he has been thinking about now is his dreams and what they mean, what they're trying to tell him, and now that Dream knows about them too, will he help him figure that out? Or is this something Dream wants to forget?

The two eventually leave their room and head downstairs where Ink and Blueberry are sitting talking to each other. When they see Nightmare and Dream come down, they go quiet and watch them come closer until they finally sit down. They are mainly looking at Nightmare, causing the purple skeleton to tense up. He's use to this by now though, he had been here for about a week and a half and everyone still feels a bit awkward around him. 'You think they'll help you? One mess up and they'll kill you right here. Why? It's because they'll never trust you after what you've done..'

Nightmare tries his best to mute out the voice as it continues to taunt him, he knows it's wrong. 'You can't ignore me forever Nightmare.. you'll learn the truth eventually..' The voice goes quiet as they chuckle and Dream speaks up. "So.. has Error or any of the others attacked recently?" He asks, turning his attention to Ink. Nightmare learned that Error was the glitched skeleton in the group with Cross just yesterday when he had attacked an AU in attempt to destroy it, but Ink said there might have been something else to the fight because he noticed something off with Error when they were fighting.

Nightmare looks at Ink with the others as he starts to speak, his tone as serious as it always is around him. "Not yet, I still haven't got any warnings from the Doodle Sphere. But something tells me the reason is they're planning something," He continues, glancing at Nightmare. "And it includes him," 'Of course it does..' Nightmare sighs to himself, hiding his face with his hand. Dream looks at his brother with sympathy in his expression. He can tell how upset his brother is about all this and he doesn't know what to do to help. Ever since he got here, Ink has been giving him the cold shoulder and showing him no respect at all. 'Ink, don't you realize treating him like this is going to make the chances higher that he'll turn back..?'

Blueberry is the one to speak next, his voice concerned and calm. "Whatever their plan is, we need to be ready for it, who knows what they'll do to get Nightmare back.." Nightmare is still uncomfortable about the topic of his past, even if he can't remember it. But from he knows, he was corrupted and fighting his brother for some reason. He couldn't imagine himself doing that, hurting Dream. The yellow skeleton was the only one that ever believed he could be more than just the creator of negativity and even now he thinks that still.

Nightmare continues to listen as the three talk to each other, almost forgetting he was there as they do so, or maybe they're starting to trust him a little. 'Fat chance of that,' The voice growls as if it is sitting next to Nightmare. 'You've seen how Ink has been trying to prevent you from knowing anything,' He forcefully shoves the voice to the bottom of his mind as Ink continues to speak, now suggesting a plan. "If it's Nightmare they want we obviously need to keep him here. But that also means we're at risk of exposing our bases location," He says the last part with a sigh, looking back and forth between all of them. Dream and Blueberry glance at Nightmare as Ink says this, causing him to get uncomfortable again.

"Nightmare, you need to control your emotions if you want to stay here," Nightmare flinches as Ink speaks to him, and quickly nods in response. "I'll try my best," "Don't try. You need to do it," Inks tone changes to a stern one at this, and Nightmare can sense his annoyance. Dream speaks up at this, his expression serious. "Ink, you can't just expect him to just be able to stop that, right?" "No, but he's risking our safety by just being here," "Please Ink..! There's more to it than him just getting angry or upset..!" "And what is that?" Suddenly, Dream goes silent, hiding his head a little. He promised Nightmare he wouldn't tell the others about what he told him and now he can't get out of this.

Nightmare looks at his brother, his eyes shrinking a bit as Dream speaks up. "W-Well.. he probably.." "Dream, what have you been keeping from us?" Ink says, a small tint of concern in his tone. Dream looks at Ink, now feeling worse than before. He has known Ink longer than his brother now, and Ink has grown to trust him and he has back. He looks at Nightmare, his eyes saying 'I'm sorry,' as he continues. "..He told me he's been having dreams signaling to his past and a voice has been trying to trick him into joining his old gang again..."

Nightmare feels a shot of betrayal as Ink and Blueberry's expressions change as they look at him. "Why didn't you tell us this? What if that voice is him? What if he is still in there?" Ink growls, his eyes flickering red for a second. Nightmare doesn't respond, and the voice starts laughing to itself. 'Would you look at that.. what did I tell you, Nightmare?' Dream looks at his brother, shaking his head. "Nightmare.. they had to know.. they can help you-" "No. No they can't," Right as Nightmare says this, Ink pulls out his paintbrush out and hits him in the face with the handle, knocking him backwards.

Before he can react, blue bones shoot up all over him, and Ink steps towards him. Nightmare can't hear what they say now, all he can hear is ringing and the voices laughter as everyone starts surrounding him, looking at his motionless body on the floor. By now, his left eye is blue again, and he can feel a pain ebbing in his chest, clawing at his soul. 'Even your brother betrays you, for what? He isn't helping you, he's just making up excuses,' Nightmare tenses, causing him to take damage from the bones, and his hand to get loose. 'Do it, before they stop you!'

Ink almost immediately notices his free hand and swings his paintbrush down, blinding Nightmare with paint. Nightmare lets out a gasp before a normal bone stabs threw his hand, breaking it more than it was before, and making it go numb. All Nightmare can do is sense the shock in the three skeletons expressions after this and the voice speaks up. 'Aw, thanks Ink.. don't worry Nightmare, I'll handle this,' Suddenly, at that, past all the ringing, he hears a snap of fingers and realizes they're is own as he hears his brothers muffled voice yell his name as it slowly fades into the wind and he realizes that he is now alone.

His focus slowly regains itself as he lifts his head and looks around. He's now in a snowy woods, like most AUs from what he's heard of. What gains his attention though is his hand that he had unconsciously used to teleport here. He stares at it in horror as he realizes that it is covered in the black goo from before. He quickly tries to wipe it off, and does this for a long time before he figures out that the bone once there is gone, and the reason he doesn't remember snapping his fingers is because someone else did, and that someone is the thing that he was told about, that he was warned about. The voice starts suddenly speaking again, their voice dark, and somehow familiar. 'I hope you're ready.. because this is a fight that you'll never win,'

                                   ~{TBC}~