Broken Phoenix

Chapter Five: Subtle Blaze

"So, Chara is mostly staying in the ruins this run?" Dream asked, nibbling on a hot dog.

"Yeah, I'm glad because I'd rather not have Twilight staying with me during a one of the more dusty runs or a reset," Blue responded, taking a big bite of a taco smothered with ingredients.

Dream peeked at Twilight. The smaller teenaged skeleton was eating fries with a look of pure amazement on his face, following them up with chocolate shake.

Looking to see what Dream was watching, Blue suggested that Twilight dip his fries in the milkshake, and the enormous smile that followed the first bite of that was soul-melting.

'Just... just what type of Dreamswap was it, that he's so amazed by fries and a drink?' Dream thought, troubled.

An amethyst eyelight zero'd in on Dream, making him look away quickly.

He felt guilt eating away at his soul.

Why did he feel guilty?

'Because you know you failed your own brother, in a way that led him to eat the dark apples,' a little voice in his mind reminded him.

OoOoO

Nightmare rested on his throne, a throne that was nothing more then a really awesome chair that Error had given him as a gift, some twenty years ago.

He'd just gotten home from Markettale.

It was strange to think that this was the third Error he had met, one soul incarnating over and again to be reborn back as Error.

It had been a moment of shock when he realized just who the Destroyer had been reincarnated as.

His own face, one he had worn long ago, before he had taken that fateful first bite of a dark apple.

He'd teased Error of course, not wanting to admit that how much it hurt to see a version of himself untouched by the apples, free of the terrible corruption they carried.

He wanted to shake his younger self, to stop that day from happening.

Sadly, one couldn't go back in time.

He couldn't stop himself from eating the apples, or tell Dream just how bad things had become in his personal life all those centuries ago.

He didn't regret killing the villagers, though.

They were more corrupt then Dream would ever know.

Some of the things he'd seen in there houses gave him nightmares, even now.

Back to the topic, though. This Error, having been born from a Dreamswap AU, had a worse tale then his own in some ways.

While he liked Error quite a lot as a friend, he was in no hurry for the Destroyer to return.

OoOoO

Twilight moaned pitifully and crashed on his bed- yes, his bed! Blue had found one he liked at a good price. It was an ebony wood frame with storage below for clothing and other things, a mattress that was comfy beyond belief, and a plush comforter in the same violet hue as his eyelights. It was enchanted, too- it would automatically return to his interdimensional box when the AU reset, so he wouldn't lose it.

If this was heaven, he didn't want to leave, especially after a day with Blue in power shopping mode.

He hadn't even known what power shopping was before today.

In case anyone was wondering, it was hell.

Blue had pouted a bit over the bed, as he was a cuddler and Twilight's size was just so perfect for snuggling with.

The two still shared Blue's room, as the house didn't actually have extra bedrooms and... well, he was definitely not sharing with Stretch.

Exhausted, he fell asleep, too tired to even get under the covers.

Moments later, Blue came in and took another picture to send to Geno, before gently covering him.

OoOoO

Twilight dreamed.

It was a rare occurrence, as he usually wandered the world of dreams while he slept.

But sometimes, one was so tired that even the mind slept.

He found himself in a familiar tree, black and gold apples hidden in the leafy branches.

It was peaceful, and his home, a place he could never return to.

His AU was gone, all of the places he had once called home gone long ago.

The sun was setting, all purples, blues pinks, and oranges at that moment. There were already a few stars poking out, it was beautiful.

He lay there on his branch, knowing this could only be a dream, a fragment of memory.

Of course he enjoyed this, knowing that once he fully awakened as Error these dreams would be just memories of blood and dust.

He didn't want to wake up to that again.

Not that Fate would give him a choice.

Once, he had tried his best not to fully awaken, all he remembered was something angry and waking up as another Sans. That was the life he became Horror.

Fate would not allow him to shirk his duty.

Duty, right...

What a disgusting word. Duty involved choice, but he was a prisoner to these cycles.

One day he would be free, one day..

He would be allowed to truly die.

Once, that dream had been to return to his original AU, but he realized that was a pipe dream. He couldn't even remember his first life, and he doubted it was still around or that anyone would still remember him.

"Twili! Twili!" an excited voice called.

Smiling, Twilight looked down below.

"Heya, Dusk," he called to the memory of his Dream, a Dream untouched by the apples.

"Let's catch frogs in the river!" Dusk suggested.

"Sure, you silly thing," Twilight said, leaping from the tree. His cape flapped in the wind, the crescent moon clasp holding it gleaming in the red light of the setting sun.

Despite the pain, he enjoyed the fading memories of happier times.