Wounds Heal, Scars Fade

Chapter 9: The New Plan (Dad's)

Dream and the other Star Sanses are protecting Classic, watching over his AU now that the Creator is rouge, brainwashed, and out for blood.

The Bad Sanses are busy tracking down Error and Ink, who both vanished in that snap.

Dream is currently waiting outside as Classic explains to his brother what's going on.

It doesn't make sense.

Dream can't figure out when or how Error could have brainwashed Ink.

Maybe...

Dream sighs. He's been chasing his own thoughts around for the better part of an hour, and he keeps coming back to one thing.

"Imprint."

"You mean that TK!Ink?"

"It's been on my mind for a while. We think Error brainwashed Ink, but the way Ink behaved with Imprint was just so unlike Ink. He loves us, and all his AUs. Why would he ever befriend Error? Why would he ever listen to Imprint's evil plan?"

"So what do you think we should do?"

"Tracking Error will be easy. Find Error, find Imprint and Ink." The two stars jolt when Nightmare's dark and deep voice echoes.

"Oh? But what plan will we have?"

"Hmmm...Two teams. Dream and I bring together a team to track down Imprint and Error by tracking Error's emotional afterprint. Blue, you gather together a group including some of mine to handle Ink."

"Why me?"

"You guys can force him to use his ink magic. Once he uses that, he'll run out of steam fast. I don't care about Classic, all I want is Error." Dream shrugs.

"If you can keep him from destroying AUs, I don't care what you do or want beyond that." Nightmare gives an evil grin, nodding.

"Sounds like a deal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ink sits on a floating island inside of the doodle sphere, quietly watching Error doodle and draw.

"Whatcha drawing?"

"A dr3am I'v3 b3gun t0 r3call."

"What's it about?"

"It's c0mplicat3d. I d0n't r3m3mb3r it all. Just...bits and pi3c3s..." Ink remains quiet, waiting for Error to gather his thoughts.

"I r3m3mb3r...warmth. I r3m3mb3r a par3nt's 3mbrac3, t3lling m3 h3'll always pr0t3ct m3. I r3m3mb3r a tall p3rs0n, but th3 fac3...it..I can't r3call it." Error sighs, rubbing his eyes.

"I r3m3mb3r s0m30n3 lik3 y0u. I r3m3mb3r b3ing cl0s3 t0 him. I r3m3mb3r 0th3rs but...th3y ar3 m0r3 hazy."

"I r3m3mb3r b3ing pull3d int0 darkn3ss b3f0r3 b3ing spit 0ut h3r3 and w3ll...y0u kn0w th3 r3st." Ink nods.

"I'm glad you're remembering your old life." Ink sighs, standing up and stretching.

"What is one thing you wish for? If you could wish for anything in the entire omniverse, what is one thing you'd wish for?"

"I just want this wh0l3 thing t0 3nd. I'd rath3r g0 back t0 n0rmal 0r anything r3ally 0v3r this situati0n." Ink frowns.

"Sorry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ink may go through with the plan I gave him, but that's not our plan."

"....'

"I will talk to Change, and see if she's willing to reach-"

"No need, Imprint. Change has already begun giving him back his memories in the form of repressed dreams. Void has agreed to bring him here."

"Will we refer to him as Lapse or Error?"

"We will refer to him as whatever he chooses to be referred to as. He doesn't remember his time as Lapse, and his time as Error is filled with trauma."

"Okay. Anyways. While Ink is distracting the teams, I'm sure Error will go to Outertale, where the Void lives. I will push him in and then splash ink and head home. We'll see him on the other side." The Gaster slowly nods, walking away as Imprint checks on Error, watching him. Imprint sighs softly.

"You'll be home soon, Error or whoever you choose to become. You'll be free. I promise." Imprint smiles.

"You don't know it, but Dad's missed you all this time." Imprint giggles.

"I don't care about what happens to this horrible multiverse, as long as Karma ultimately gets its just deserts." Imprint holds a glob of ink in his hands, sighing.

"I probably sound sociopathic, but I just...miss my older brother. I miss you so much. I thought you were dead. But I never stopped looking. I wanted to believe you could have survived, and I was right."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Deities are around a table, Fate and Destiny sending daggers at Time, who quietly stands on trial.

"Did you do what they accuse you of doing?" Time releases a breath, smiling coldly.

"I did not corrupt their favored child. If they had bothered actually loving their child, they would have seen he dearly cared for my first son, Lapse, and decided to befriend the young guardian." The room begins to chill as Time continues.

"And I recall there is a rule that Deities can not steal other Deities children. That it's only with a Deity's permission that a child can be moved between multiverses."

"What are you implying?"

"Remember when those prideful pricks begged for a destroyer, and everyone started looking at and offering up people? I never offered up my world or my children, yet my child Lapse was stolen from his home and forced to Destroy, forced to play their sick game, abused and tormented by everyone." The room quickly heats up, Time displaying his first emotion outside of frost acceptance, and it's a parent's love and righteous anger.

"..."

"I do not wish to see war break out. I just want my son to come home."

"YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM! HE'S OUR DESTROYER! WHAT WILL WE DO WITHOUT HIM?!" Time sends a frosty glare, it turning into a blood-chilling smile.

"Your favored child destroyed your strings on Lapse. Your destroyer is already ready, in the body of your precious creator." Time looks back at the higher Deities, who nod.

"You are allowed to take your son home. You may do so now, if you desire." Time bows respectfully, leaving the meeting room as the Deities all turn on Fate and Destiny.

"Dad?" Time had dialed up his second son, smiling as he shifts to Quantumtale Gaster.

"I got permission to take Lapse myself. You do not need to put yourself in danger. I will personally bring my son home. He will suffer no longer. For the first time, he'll begin to heal." Imprint gives out a happy shriek as Time appears near Imprint, who fills him further on the plans, since Time initially wasn't listening. He nods.

"They will be in for quite the shock when they do not find a simple Guardian and instead find a master of time." Imprint smiles.

"You sound happier."

"I'll be happier when Lapse, or whatever he chooses to go by now, is back here, safe from other Deities."

"So you'll lock down the code better?"

"I'm happy I locked his code down so he never really joined their multiverse. This would be nearly impossible, but since my mark is still his, he clearly is mine, and the Deities now know that Fate and Destiny stole my child without my permission. Let us commence Operation Bring Home The Lost Son." Imprint nods, determination shining in his eyelights.