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anfie-in-the-box · 4 months

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X-tra Dark Cream third anniversary

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I never mentioned it, never even payed it any attention, but the universe decided to remind me that one of my beloved works turns three on the twenty third of December. I don't celebrate any holidays at all, but sometimes I like to use them as a deadline that's not really strict and write something for my followers, and this time especially for @orange-dreamzer. Hope you enjoy!

。。。

It's fun to decorate the coffee shop for some local festivities, especially with a good company. There's five of them — Nightmare, Killer, Dream, Cross, and Ccino himself. They work faster together, even with the cats getting in the way and all of Ccino's helpers having no clue where to put what. He ends up directing them more than actually decorating, but he doesn't mind; it's new, but not a bad kind of new. He used to be the one helping… But the past is in the past. He has a family now — something he'd never dreamed of, not since his hopeless, dangerous love for still corrupted Nightmare bloomed. That's also in the past. Ccino's better now. All of them are.

“Cross, I need you to put these lanterns above the door outside and a few inside as well. Do you mind me using blue magic on you?” Ccino says, getting the lanterns from yet another box. When Cross takes the lanterns and nods in confirmation, Ccino closes his sockets for a second, deeply breathes in and out, and then pulls. It's been a while since he had to use blue magic. Cross’ soul feels weird, part-human and part… something else, something more than soul traits, something that allows Cross to alter reality. Ccino doesn't understand that power, not even grasping the basics, but he thinks that's okay.

While lifting Cross higher, Ccino calls, “Dream, please place the origami I prepared on the tables. Be careful not to wrinkle them, alright?”

Dream asks anxiously from behind, “Are you sure I should be doing this? I'm not used to handling delicate things…”

Ccino can't help but soften. The curse has done a lot of harm to both twins, and it's crucial to remember that they don't realise just how loveable and reliable they are. If only they learned to love and trust themselves… But Ccino will support his family all the way. So he smiles, even though Dream can't see it — he can feel it, though, — and says with all the warmth and attentiveness in the world, “I have every confidence in you, Dream. Just try and put a few in their places, and then, if it doesn't work, I'll ask Nightmare. Okay?”

Dream hums an insecure “Okay,” and there's that. Ccino smiles and redirects Cross closer to the middle of the room.

“There are hooks everywhere,” Cross notices. “Are they for the lanterns?”

Am I doing this right? He doesn't ask, but Ccino understands nonetheless. He replies, “Well, yes. And for Christmas lights and tinsel, for example. All sorts of decorations.”

“How'd you do all this before?” Nightmare asks curiously. “Without someone to use magic on to put everything on the ceiling? I know you love this place, both Dream and I can feel it. But how?”

“I have a ladder,” Ccino admits. “But it's much easier and safer to use magic now that you're all here. Cats don't get in the way at all. Do they, Cross?”

“They certainly can try,” Cross laughs. “Your blue magic is so gentle, you know? I was trained to be precise and effective, as a Royal Guard. To feel how different it can be… It's eye-opening.”

“Thanks for trusting me,” Ccino says. Dream adds from behind, “Thank you for your care.”

“Hey! Can someone come see this?” Killer calls suddenly from behind the counter; some time ago, he asked several questions about the festivities and hid with his favourite knife.

“What have you got?” Nightmare responds, and then Ccino replies at the exact same moment, “A few more lanterns!” They don't apologise for interrupting each other, laughing instead. Barely a few seconds later Ccino hears Nightmare gasp in awe.

“Didn't you see what I was doing? It's just a look over my shoulder, and you'd see it!”

Yeah, Nightmare and Killer are both behind the counter, but while Nightmare uses his impeccable penmanship to write well wishes on sticky notes and put them on the cups, Killer has promised a surprise.

“Well,” Nightmare replies in a patient tone, “You asked for privacy, so I gave that to you. Besides, I have my own task to do.”

Killer makes a noise in half-embarrassment half-gratitude. “It's ready. Now you can see.”

Cross calls, “Hey Ccino, all done.” He puts him on the floor instantly, though carefully as usual, and together with Dream they all go to see what Killer has for them.

It's wooden figures of different animals, so small they'd fit in the palm, yet finely detailed, so beautiful it takes Ccino's breath away. “How long have you been working on these?..” he whispers, afraid to ruin the moment — or the miniature figures. Killer shrugs and waves his hand, “Since you explained to us how this whole festivities thing works.”

Ccino's eye-sockets begin watering. He feels… happy. So very happy, and so very loved. He hugs Killer, murmuring, “Thank you.”

“I didn't know you could carve,” Nightmare admits.

Petting Ccino's head, Killer explains, “Didn't really come up. It's a hobby for the times my LV acts up. Turned out to be useful now.”

“I'm so proud and so grateful. This is amazing. You are amazing, Killer!”

“I agree with Ccino. Very clever,” Nightmare adds, just a little bit stiffly, and for once Ccino doesn't hear any guilt in his voice. Only serenity and love.

“So we did it, right?” Dream asks. “How about a small celebration?”

“Excellent suggestion!” Ccino exclaims, reluctantly letting Killer go. “You go sit, I'll handle the rest!”

。。。

“Tea? Coffee? Or a dance?” Ccino offers half-jokingly.

“Can I have more than one option?” Killer perks. Ccino nods seriously, “I don't see why not.” His hands tremble slightly, and he feels the heat of extra magic under his cheek bones. What's this impossible skeleton up to this time?

“Well then, I'd like to order a dance and a cup of my favourite herbal tea right after.”

Oh. Ccino's never danced in his life; maybe as a kid, but he barely remembers his childhood, so there's that. There's also not that much space between tables and chairs. Yet he can't refuse, and takes Killer's hand, lowering another on Killer's shoulder as if they are waltzing. He quickly realises they're doing exactly that, just in one place, not moving around.

“Shall we also give it a try?” Cross suggests.

Dream hesitates, “But Nightmare would be left alone…”

“That's not true,” Nightmare interrupts. “I'm still here with you, all of you, peaceful and content for once.”

Ccino can't help but agree. And then Cross and Dream join Killer and him, waltzing between a different set of tables.

Tomorrow's festivities have nothing on this lovely, so very lovely night.

。。。

Credits

Ccino © black-nyanko

Nightmare and Dream © jokublog

Shattered Dream © galacii-gallery

Cross © jakei95

Killer © rahafwabas

Dark Cream © @zu-is-here

X-tra Dark Cream © me (anfie / anfie-in-the-box)

。。。

Notes

Is this canon in the actual Turns, twists, and paradoxes? Is the curse finally lifted? Is Fluffynightkiller a thing already? So many questions, so little answers!.. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Also, this piece started from Ccino's phrase "Tea? Coffee? Or a dance?" and then grew both backwards and forwards. In Russian it's "Чай? Кофе? Потанцуем?", which my relatives and I use rather often.

#anfie writes #x-tra dark cream #ccino!sans #cross!sans #dream!sans #shattered!dream #passive!nightmare #killer!sans

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kristinhateslife · 2 months

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For Valentines day i present to you: Creek, Fluffymare, and- OMG IS THAT LARRY FROM CLOWNING AROUND????

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idiototheinternet · 5 months

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So I have an idea for a spin on the idol au

Hear me out: Highschool clubs

Bad sanses are a band with

Horror as the bass

Dust as the piano

Killer as vocals and guitar

Nightmare writes lyrics

Error can edit their videos, and help with audio troubleshooting in the exhibits for the school

Cross just joined and is the drummer and secondary vocals

And the star sanses are basically just the theater kids

Dream is the script and acts for some of the smaller roles

Blue is the set builder

Lust is makeup and costumes

and ink's just

Because who is ink but an overacheiver to the core?

If anyone wants to ask about my basic story ideas, just reblog with the question

#idol au #horrordust #Criller #cross sans #killer sans #killer x cross #undertale au #utmv #nightmare x his cup of coffee #and maybe ccino later #errorink #cross got into the band by drumming the beat with his hands to a lemon demon song #and killer saw and was like “aw fuck yes”

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koibutcalledapollo · 8 months

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Random doodles I did in a hour!!

#ink sans #dream sans #geno sans #killer sans #dust sans #nightmare sans #ccino sans #ccino x nightmare #ccinomare #fluffynight #dreamtale #aftertale #dusttale #killertale #undertale #sans au #dadmare

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flowerscentedartist · 2 years

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Nightmare: I can't wait to find out what we're having, maybe this one will be a girl!

Ccino: This one?? Got any other kids I should know about?

*Door swings open*

Cross: Boss, Dust won't share his chocolate with me!

Horror: Killer took my last bag of chips!

Dust: I don't have to share, if I stole it myself!

Ccino: Ah, I see.

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lifelyne · 2 months

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A little Fluffynight

.w.

#:3 #nightmare x ccino #killer sans #muah <3 #:) <3

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help-im-a-gay-fish · 2 years

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so in your fnk, who met ccino first? Nightmare or Killer?

He fell head over heels for both of them at once (úwù)

Original ccino belongs to black-nyanko

Original killer belongs to rahafwabas

Original nightmare by jokublog

Studio verse @zu-is-here

@yuriyuruandyuraart cuz studio

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qorecat · 7 months

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some of my fav ships

I decided to make some doodles from my OTP ships in undertale AU, well obviously there's crink, but also a fanchild I made for them, called VioletPaper, bc her blush, and also that she came out from a paper like blueprint so enjoy? and see ya in the next one (maybe I will do Inktobertale so :v)

better cuality xd

#undertale #undertale au #crink #cross sans #dreamtale #error sans #errorberry #driller #dream sans #killer sans #swap sans #nightflufly #nightmare sans #error #ccino sans #cross x ink #ink sans

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absolute-weirdo-inc · 5 months

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UltraVerse Lore

Nightmare

-Nightmare is the main character

-Nightmare was found as a child (post-apple incident) and adopted him

-Nightmare is a genuinely good guy

-Dream basically abandoned him for the love of the villagers

-He is the same person as passive but was controlled ages 6-8 by an evil spirit (basically canon nightmare but a kid) so is now viewed as a villain since the spirit took his body on a joyride throughout the multiverse destroying 7 separate universes along the way

-Nightmare has bad trauma bcus of the villagers abuse

The MTT

-Basically act as one person since they are #codependentasfuck

-Chaos incarnate

-Nightmares precious babys (though NM wont admit it to anyone)

-The fight constantly

-Same lore as canon (No fanon horror ty bbg) ((We stan canon horror))

-Non canon ages (same with everyone else (ages shown further down))

Cross

-A bad guy

-Same canon as usual (obviously underverse isnt a thing but the events of Xtale still happened (this is important for his and ink’s relationship))

-Little brother vibes

-Hates annoying NM but it sometimes happens regardless

-Nightmares favourite child nonetheless

-The most idiotic of the bad guys but trys to act like hes a genius

Error

-Sometimes works with NM bug mainly on game night in the castle not on actual Multiverse shit (bcus ill be dambed if the baddies don’t get to kick each others asses in dumb games of charades (Nightmare kicks the most ass in scrabble bcus hes a fucking nerd and dust is surprisingly good at draw and killer guessing in picturnary))

-BBFs with Swap regardless

-Canon error all the way 0 exceptions (unless its for feather boas)

-Makes dolls for an orphanage in the omega timeline and donates the anonymously 😭

-Hates ink because he thinks he thinks hes a freak (no one on one rivalry bcus he prefers to put his time to good use and not use it on “a dumb looking, emo wannabe who sucks at everything and has the brain of a fucking sloth”… his words not mine bbg”

Dream

-A bit of an ass

-Truly believes he the hero (has no clue he’s fucking up the multiverse with all the positivity he spreads

-His anthem is literally SUI

-Overworks Swap without realising

-Was convinced by the village that NM is evil

-Drinks wine like everyone’s favourite english teacher who has had it up to here because of their incompetent husband (by incompetent husband i mean ink)

-I Stan him fr

Ink

-… underverse except hes dumb and is a dream simp lol

-BUT HES ALSO SO BBG

-hes just a combo of canon and fanon ink with a sprinkle of 💅

Swap

-ERROR BESTIE FOR LIFE AND AFTER (aka he has a childish crush on him and “FINDS HIS EVER SHIFTING FIGURE ALLURING”

-simp

-Left his home because he found out Alphys never planned on letting him join the royal guard and not only felt betrayed bcus everyone in his universe who matters knew but he also wanted to prove himself (in his words “WHATS BETTER THEN PROTECTING ONE UNDERGROUND” Error-“wH4T?”

“ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!” Error- “…’5uCS M3 wh4t?!”)

-Has met his fanon version… blueberry became jam

-Made some official armour

-Lost a bunch of weight after joining, he went from chubby to too skinny even for a skeleton

-Also has insomnia and nothing will help (not me projecting.. not at all

Ccino (yes Ccino is part of this multiverse)

-Basically the same as usual

-Him and Nightmare are best friends (no toxic shit bcus this ISNT FLUFFYMARE

yet)

-Would literally drop everything to have a conversation with one of his cats

-Is close with all the baddies and something joins them for game night (⚠️WARNING⚠️- Dont let this man play Monopoly, he is so cold hearted and will make you go bankrupt IRL, yes he is so good he made Horror cough up 100 gold after Horror landed on two of his maxed out properties in a row (he owns the whole fucking board))

-His brother is still alive and His name is Spresso (IDK where i found this idea for his name but ill hunt it down)

-Spresso is glad Ccino made lots of friends even if they are insane murders

Ships

I dont want to add a bunch of ships but like…

-Fluffymare

-Minor Drink

-Crepic

-Bloodycrop

and maybe more later. Im sorry my pubescent teenage brain wont let me write shit thats not gay as fuck.

Other shit

-There will be other characters like Lust and Reaper (obviously bcus of NMs lore) but i haven’t finished all my lore on their characters

-There is mentioned toxic swadmare bcus i can’t resist the angst

-Like mentioned Nightmare is the main character and since i tend to project he may not act canon (neither will anyone else tbh BUT I WILL TRY)

-this whole thing will be cringe because im a depressed teen who is still doing her GCSEs

-Also the updates will mostly be on my tumblr but i’ll post most of the writing on my ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/52174081

-Please dont hate me :3

[Love you all besties, thanks for your time]

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theundertalefreak · 1 year

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A thank you gift for @help-im-a-gay-fish !

Ccino belongs to @black-nyanko (i think-)

Nightmare belongs to @jokublog

Killer belongs to @rahafwabas

#undertale au #undertale #killermare #ccino x killer #ccino sans #nightmare x ccino #fluffynightkiller

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abhainnwhump · 4 months

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IMYM Chapter 13: Killer's Twisted Surprise: Dream

<- Previous Chapter || Masterlist || Next Chapter ->

“Dream, we got a letter!” Blue shouted.

Dream looked up from his book on the couch. He lay low so he could heal, as much as he didn’t like it. But his friends all insisted, and he was still feeling ill, so he stayed in the Star Sans clubhouse. This was the most exciting thing that’s happened since, but then he noticed something off. Blue usually sounded so much happier at receiving mail. But now he sounded like he had his death warrant.

Dream set their book aside and walked up to Blue, trying to look at the note in his hand. The letter was black with shiny red ink. It lacked the formality of Nightmare’s handwriting and was instead scratchy and rough. It was the same font as one of a horror movie.

Blue took his glove off so he could stick his finger in and ripped the seal open. He threw the envelope down and picked up the small paper in it, red with a black border. He scanned through it and his eye lights disappeared; his determination slacked. “It’s from Killer. Should I read it aloud? It’s not very long.”

Dream nodded and Blue cleared his throat, reigniting his eye lights and reading the note out loud:

Hey Star Shits,

Meet up with me tomorrow at 5 at the remains of Horrortale. I got some information and a present you’re gonna want. It’s about Ink. Trust me, if you care about your friend, you’ll want to know. See you there!

~ Killer Rahafwabas, on behalf of Lord Nightmare Joku.

(P.S: Dream, your brother says hi and to throw yourself off a cliff)

Dream wasn’t even offended by the last part of the note. The only bit that interested him was the part about Ink. What did he mean by a present? Given that the note was written by Killer, the vagueness was worrying. It could’ve been anything from saying Ink was alive and well, to being on the brink of death, to being . . . no, no, he wouldn’t think that word. Whatever his brother did, it could and would be fixed.

“I know it might not be safe, but I’m going with,” Dream said. He flicked his thumb against his balled fist.

Blue furrowed his browbones, looking at Dream with nervousness. He opened his mouth to argue, but he changed his mind before saying a word. "Alright. We need to be careful and have our weapons ready. Ink needs us!"

================================================

Dream and Blue looked around the AU. Dream never liked Horrortale. It wasn’t the monsters that scared him, or the constant danger lurking, or even the violence. No, it was because he pitied it. If it wasn’t for the code and script, he would’ve saved these monsters a long time ago. Most of them were gone, crippled, and lost to starvation. Horror’s brother was one of them. He heard he was eaten alive by a pack of hungry dogs.

Both Dream and Blue wore comfortable jackets to handle the below-zero cold. Even for skeletons, the wind bit at their cheeks and froze their hands. Snowdin didn’t have many monsters still living in it, but the ones who did were bloodthirsty, feral. Dangerous. Like a certain skeleton they waited to meet.

Blue leaned against one of the tree trunks, blowing on his gloved hands to heat them. Dream wrapped part of their cape around him to keep him warmer. Blue smiled, but it slid as soon as a voice caught the Stars’ attention.

“Sunshine and Blueberry! I am so glad you two got my letter and were able to join me. It would’ve been embarrassing if I came here for nothing.” Killer said, teleporting from nowhere.

Dream loaded his bow and Blue summoned his hammer and floating bones. Killer spun the tip of his knife over his pointer finger, by miracle not cutting himself. Unlike the two of them, Killer didn’t bother dressing for the weather. He wore his usual dark blue jacket, black turtleneck, and black shorts. The liquid hate stayed still on his cheekbones, likely frozen solid. Killer looked over at their weapons and sauntered closer. His red target soul glowed and twitched in excitement.

Dream’s fingers tensed on his positivity arrow. The point may have not been to Killer’s neck, but he made it clear that could change. He kept his voice as steady as he could. “What did you do to Ink? Where is he?”

Killer flicked the nearest floating bone aside. His fingers bled from the sharp edge, but he didn’t even wince. “Hey, can’t a guy talk? Maybe if you put the weapons down, I can explain.”

“Ironic coming from the guy named Killer,” Blue said, holding up his hammer. The Gaster Blaster on it glowed blue.

“Yeah, yeah, tell me about it. But seriously, if you don’t put your little attacks down, you will never find out what happened to your little Inky.”

Dream looked at Blue, then at Killer. He didn’t like his tone of voice. Dream cleared their throat, not looking away from Killer. “Blue . . . drop your bones.”

Blue looked at him with suspicion and concern. “Are you sure? He could attack him!”

“I know, I don't trust him either, but we have to hear him out.”

Blue still didn’t look sure about this, but he lowered his bones from the murderer’s neck. He glared at Killer. “Fine, we’re going to give you one more chance. Where is Ink and what did you do to him?”

Killer grinned like a child who had too much sugar. He held his hands up in mock surrender. “I can give you a two-for-one answer. He’s behind that rock.” He pointed at a massive boulder to their left.

Dream and Blue both didn’t know how to answer that. They thought he was making another joke. Dream couldn’t sense any aura and he knew Ink would make at least a little noise. Barely holding back his laughter, Killer walked over to the boulder and picked up a box. He tossed it over to the Stars and Blue caught it in his magic. He looked the crudely wrapped package over and opened the lid. Dream peered over and caught his breath. He reached inside and pulled out the sleeve of a ripped shirt. They reached their hand back in and pulled out more scraps of brown fabric. It was stained with dust and blood. The shade was the same color as . . .

Dream glanced up at the murderer with horror in his eye lights. “Is this-”

“Yep,” Killer smirked, “poor little Inky fought hard. No matter what we did, he didn’t break and kept making jokes swearing to kill us and escape. So we worsened his torture. Whipping, cutting him up, breaking bones, chopping fingers, I even cut his tongue out! Oh damn it, I forgot to bring it. It’s on my shelf in a glass container, right next to a violet eye Horror grabbed in Swapfell.” Dream’s mouth hurt.

“But yesterday, he finally got overwhelmed and had a mental breakdown. He begged us for death, or at least as much as you can when you can’t talk. And don’t get me wrong, I would’ve totally done it, but it was the boss’s call. The two talked for a while before we strapped him up spread-eagle style in the dungeon and had a blast.” Killer covered his mouth, struggling to keep his expression straight. “We cut off his hands first and got rid of all his leftover fingers. Then we tore apart his ribcage. Horror did most of that, giant axe and all. Then he severed his lower spine. But want to know what killed him?” He bit his lower jaw. “Dust took his pistol . . . and shot him threw the skull! Ka-BOOM!” Killer laughed and Dream could see his tongue piercing. Killer wiped away a tear and sighed. “It was a mess to clean up, but he was so fun to watch cry!”

Dream and Blue stared. Blue lowered his hammer, no longer finding the strength to wield it. Dream, on the other hand, felt his eye sockets burn up. His mouth hung open as he stared at Killer. They tried to read his emotions, or at least his expression, in any hope he was lying. But it wasn’t easy to tell. The murderer was unable to feel emotion, which is why his soul is a target rather than a heart. His magic failed to work on him. His charismatic nature was only a persona. One word slipped through Dream’s teeth because he would cry if he said any more. “Why?”

Killer smiled in amusement. “Why what? Why did we kidnap and torture him? We used him as bait and hoped you would rescue him. But you guys were too late or maybe didn’t care enough. I can’t blame you if it’s the latter. He was sooo annoying. I could go into more detail if you want-”

“DON’T!” Blue stopped him cold. He raised his hammer again and yelled a battle cry before bringing it down over Killer’s skull. He dodged to the left. He spun around and grabbed the handle with the same smirk, staring into Blue’s eye lights.

“Go on, hit me again,” Killer said. Blue brought his hammer down. Any bit of strength in his eye lights faded. The murderer laughed. “Smart choice. Now I gotta go or boss is going to wonder where I am. Oh, one more thing. Tell Cross that my schedule is always open if he ever wants to . . . hang out? Thanks.” Killer snapped his fingers and teleported away, snickering as he did.

Dream didn’t move. His eye sockets flooded with tears as he stared at the box of fabric. He screamed, tears streaming down his face in droves. Blue teared up too, but he was emotionally stronger. He crouched down to Dream and hugged him, letting the guardian cry on his shoulder. He could barely process anything that happened. His best friend . . . all his efforts . . . it was all for nothing.

Dream put his bow away; the arrow vanished. He hugged Blue for a long moment, then he spoke. “Blue . . . come on. Let’s go.” Their voice was quieter than usual, almost like there was no soul in it at all. A robot. “We should tell the others to stop the search.”

Blue stood up and nodded with a sigh. His aura stirred, negativity growing. He gave Dream his hand. “I agree. There’s no point in continuing if the person we’re looking for . . . isn’t here.”

Dream took Blue’s hand and summoned a portal for them to walk through. It was a pale yellow portal, lower energy and paler than his regular ones. It was common for monsters to have emotions affect their powers. Especially when their powers came from relied on feelings like Dream.

The two skeletons trudged through the portal. Dream held the box. It had no warmth. Yes, they were skeletons, but they had a little body heat and warmth from their souls. And yes, Ink had no soul but . . . well, it was difficult to explain. Ink was special. No one would never feel that specialness ever again. Dream would never hear him laugh again, or listen to him ramble about whatever excited him. He slammed his fist against his eye socket, gritting his teeth.

Dream looked around the Omega Timeline. A group of little monsters ran around. Dream recognized an Asriel he rescued from a Code Purple, finally smiling again. Oh, what he would give to be an innocent child again. He looked at Blue and took a deep breath. He couldn't be wistful now, they had a job to finish.

The Star Sans duo found Core Frisk giving directions to a group of monsters. They smiled and nodded, walking away. Blue cleared his throat to get Core’s attention.

The child turned around and the calm smile they wore faded. Their body tensed, likely from feeling Dream’s aura. “Something happened.” They said it as a statement, not a question.

Dream nodded his head. “Ink . . .” His voice broke on the simple word. He looked out into the surrounding crowd. Their expressions varied from curiosity to fear. Dream closed his eye sockets in hopes of stopping the never-ending tears. His hands clenched around the box. They didn’t deserve to hear this. Blue noticed and spoke for him.

“We found Ink and . . . he's dead." Blue looked around at the monsters. "The Protector of the Doodlesphere is dead."

================================================

Dream traced his finger down the dark wood of a paintbrush, feeling the carvings under his touch. He took it out of Ink’s room before he left. He kept it in the pocket of his black turtleneck. Now he waited on the couch of Cross’s apartment, waiting for him to finish in the shower so they could go to his funeral. He had a nice apartment. Simple, monochrome, yet welcoming. His perfectionist nature showed.

He wasn’t the only one in the room. Epic sat across from him, wearing a black suit. Cross was the one who told him of Ink’s death. But it was more of a reaction than Cross, who was in plain shock. Almost no sadness at all. Epic hummed to himself, occasionally looking up at Dream. Dream smiled back.

It seemed impossible, but he had to stay positive. If he was suffering from too much negativity, it could affect everyone’s positivity. His magic worked as a balancing effect. If his emotions were too negative, his magic was too negative. If his power was suffering from a lack of negativity, he was prone to depression and illness. Dream slammed his head into his hands. Their eye lights have dimmed to almost being gray, their positive aura dulled to a fraction of what it was.

After a while of waiting, the bathroom door opened and Cross stepped out in a pitch-black sweater. Dream stuck the paintbrush in his pocket, next to a handkerchief, and went to his side.

“So . . . ready to go, bruh?” Epic asked. It was strange seeing him not wear purple.

Cross nodded. “Yeah, let's get this over with."

They left his apartment and made it to the graveyard. Monster funerals didn't work the same as human funerals. Since their bodies turned into dust when they died, their dust was placed on their favorite thing. Then it was either kept by the family or buried underground. Dream chose to have Ink buried. He was old-fashioned in that way.

It was cold outside. The funeral took place atop a hill, a large spot open and off-limits. The only people were two hooded humans and Core giving them orders. An Asgore stood next to them, the funeral director. The surrounding area was filled with gravestones and a thin layer of light gray fog tainted the air. Several dozen monsters gathered around and whispered.

Fresh and Blue were already there, talking amongst themselves among the other monsters. Dream listened to the whispers and wonders of the other attendees. He knew they were whispering about him and Blue. Cross glared at them and he tightened an arm around them. It must have been his royal guard instincts.

Dream walked over to Blue and was about to say something, but then a hush swept over the crowd. The Asgore stood at the podium and cleared his throat, reading from a script. “We meet here today to honor the life of Ink Comyet. We look upon his ashes as we give thanks for his life and wish him well now that their time in this multiverse has come to an end. For Ink, the journey is now beginning. But for us, there is loss, grief, and pain. Every one of us here has been affected. Perhaps in small ways, perhaps in life-changing ones, but his life mattered to us all.”

Dream fiddled with his thumbs, barely acknowledging the funeral director’s words. He only half-listened. More of his mind focused on the future and holding Cross's hand. There was so much to do now. He had to clean out Ink's room, get revenge on Nightmare, put extra protection on the multiverse, and get over his own grief.

The other distraction was . . . Ink's death reminded him so much of Nightmare’s corruption. Both were misguided, both could've been saved with a bit of talking. And both were on a time limit; one that ran out because of his nativity. If he pressured Ink to talk, then they could’ve worked the situation out as a team. If he would’ve paid attention to Nightmare . . . he would be at his side today. Happy, safe, and healthy. He’d almost call it poetic as the brother he failed killed the person he called his friend. Dream groaned.

Something else came to mind he hadn’t thought of before. If Ink was dead, who would be the Guardian of Creativity? To their understanding, a guardian would pass down their power to their offspring. But obviously, Ink had no children. Someone had to set the balance in his place. The question was who . . . ?

Asgore kept speaking. “It is important to acknowledge and accept the Doodlesphere has changed with his passing. We are all grieving. Life as we know it will not be the same, nor should it be."

The funeral kept going on. Dream zoned out after a while, staring at nothing. He turned his head and tried to focus on something else. Why couldn't he pay attention? He was usually excellent at this. But now it seemed impossible. The weight on his chest, in a constant fight to coexist with his positivity magic. The crowd around him cried and their auras made it seem impossible to win.

“-he will never be lost. Unfortunately, he passed alone, but his legacy won't be forgotten. The last guardian died five hundred years ago, so this will be special." Asgore set the box of clothing pieces and blood in the hole. Two monsters with shovels covered it up. Core stepped back, watching them. Once the box was in the ground, a swirl of gold magic with specks flew up into the air. It swirled higher until it grew solid. The air faded and a massive silver statue of Ink standing in a confident pose with Broomie in hand. A plate on the base was written with his name and title. Dream smiled. It looked just like him, smile in all.

The funeral concluded and murmurs came from the crowd. Some of them came to Dream, asking for his thoughts, asking why he didn't give a word, and why he didn't find Ink. Dream stepped back, trying to answer everyone at once but failing. The looks, voices, and auras were too much. Every voice and negative emotion. And the voices only grew louder. They looked over at Core, who gave them a sympathetic look and pointed down a pathway. It was open and an easy exit out. Dream nodded and smiled in thanks. Fresh was the first to make it to the end and waved the others over.

Cross, Fresh, Blue, Epic, and Dream left the graveyard and walked through the town. Dream's head began to clear, even if he was still fighting inside. He felt better with only his friend around. The strongest negative aura came from, surprisingly, Fresh. He was still smiling, but there was no emotion behind it. He disappeared not long after Ink went missing and Dream still didn't know where he went. The funeral was the first time Dream saw him wear something that wasn’t neon. The only part still the same was his sunglasses. But of course he was upset, Ink was his best friend.

“Are da Star Sanses sticking as a duo or are ya getting some new dawgs?” Fresh asked.

Dream exhaled. He hoped to hold the question off as long as possible. He couldn’t stand to think about replacing Ink. It felt disrespectful; it wouldn’t be the same. No, it wouldn’t be replacing, it would just be a new team member. They needed a new Guardian of Creativity.

Blue answered, “Hm, maybe. We already had Core in mind as an honorary member, but . . . nothing official." Dream nodded along. Blue watched him with a sorrowful look. "Dream, are you okay with that? . . . are you okay in general?”

Dream looked up and smiled. “Mmm? Oh, I’m just tired. The last two months have been busy and I haven’t had much rest.” He laughed.

Cross looked at him with worry and skepticism. “And you’ve said that exact excuse for the past two months.” He kept his hand around his. “Ink is gone now, we got that case closed. You don’t have to keep fighting and worrying. The only person who that's helping is no one.”

Dream sighed, knowing he was right. He barely gave himself any breaks or rest time. Now he could take a nap. “I know. But Nightmare is still out there. I need to stop him before he hurts anyone else and get revenge-”

“Dream . . .” Blue had a warning tone.

“But the Code-”

“Dream!” Blue held their arm, firm yet gentle. “If something comes up, we can take it! But you have to stop overworking yourself or you'll burn out again! You’re still sick! What if you get kidnapped next because Nightmare leads you into a trap?”

Dream looked between the concerned gazes of Blue, Cross, and Fresh. Their eye lights bored into him, through him. Guilt entered his mind. They had a point. He was so focused on keeping the others safe from kidnapping, he never considered himself. And he was the most obvious target. He sighed. “I’m sorry. . .”

“Flower, you have nothing to be sorry for.” Cross squeezed his hand. “All we're saying is that we don't want you to overwork yourself or get hurt. Again. Now you don’t have an excuse to burn yourself out.”

Dream nodded. “I understand.” The feeling of guilt, both for making them worry and letting Ink down lingered there. But their reassurance and worried smiles helped him feel better. Dream decided to do something nice, both for their sake and his own. "Well . . . I'm going to get a tea to calm my nerves. Would anyone like to come with me?"

"That sounds like a great idea." Blue smiled. He still looked worried about Dream, but his aura was stronger. Fresh and Cross were also interested, but Epic shook his head and rubbed his neck.

"Sorry, bruh. I got to go back to my AU. Core said they were going to drop me off. Bring me back a hot chocolate!" He said, teleporting in an aura of purple magic.

Fresh's glasses changed to GOT IT. Epic left and Dream made a portal for everyone.

================================================

Dream sipped a hot chamomile tea, leaning on Cross as he did. They didn’t speak much, no one knew what to talk about. But the drinks and pastries were delicious. There was only one person here, so the silence was palpable.

Ccino walked over and filled out a note on his clipboard, then he sat down with the others at the table. “Why is it so quiet over here?”

The four looked at Ccino. Blue took a long sip of his coffee, not caring it was piping hot. "Because Ink died. Wait, didn't you hear about that?"

Ccino paused, hand half-frozen on his cup of coffee. His eye sockets were wide in shock. “No . . . Ink is dead? What happened? When? How?”

Cross nodded. “He was killed by Nightmare and his gang, tortured and eventually executed. I’m not surprised. We had his funeral this morning. He’s been dead for a week at them least.”

“Nightmare killed . . . that doesn’t make any sense.” Ccino stared straight ahead but didn’t look any of them in the eye. Dream sensed an emotion he didn’t expect him to feel. Sorrow, yes. Anger, yes. But the one thing he didn't expect was guilt.

“Ccino . . .” Dream started, “is something wrong? You look tense. Did something . . . happen between you and Ink?”

The barista sighed, holding his face in his hands. “I should’ve said something. A month ago, Ink came here for a coffee. He didn’t look like he was tortured, he was smiling and making jokes. The only thing that was off about him was that he was going on and on about Nightmare.”

“Like he was sufferin’?” Fresh interrupted with uncharacteristic anger in his voice. Dream’s mind went a million miles per hour.

To everyone’s surprise, Ccino shook his head. “No, he was talking about how amazing Nightmare was. He said he was the best boyfriend ever. Then he left on a panic. I didn’t say anything because I was scared. I thought Nightmare was going to kill me or worse. But I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. I still have Ink’s receipt.” Ccino opened one of the drawers behind the counter and pulled out a small sheet of paper.

Blue looked it over as Ccino bit his nonexistent nails. Dream gently lay his hand over his. He knew it wasn’t Ccino’s fault. “Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t feel safe. You’re not the one to blame here. The only ones who are to blame are Nightmare, Killer, Horror, and Dust. We’ll have revenge on them.” Dream thought of the strangest thing. “What did you mean he called Nightmare his boyfriend? That doesn’t make sense. If Ink was being tortured, why would he be happy about it? Why would he defend Nightmare and not ask for help?"

Ccino sighed. He messed with his turtleneck. “I know. I was worried about him and told him to be careful, but he didn’t listen. He wouldn't give me any details either. I tried and . . . I should've known." Ccino put his face in his hands. "You can always tell something isn't right with Ink if he stops talking."

The Guardian of Positivity tried not to think because he gagged. He imagined Ink sitting on Nightmare’s lap while Nightmare pet him like a cat. Then Nightmare betrayed that trust, throwing him away and leaving him to rot. It was even worse than Dream’s most disturbing thoughts. He looked at Cross who squeezed his hand. His eyes spoke the words he didn’t say.

I’ll never hurt you like that, don’t worry.

Dream hugged him. They said the same thing back.

“The pink vial . . . It has to be the pink vial.” Cross muttered, the pieces clicking together. “That’s how Nightmare got Ink. He drugged him and kept him captive until he didn’t need him anymore.”

“How are you making this even more funked up?” A burst of rainbow gas came out of Blue’s mouth at the word funked. Fresh wagged his finger half-heartedly at him before resting his head on his hand. His glasses turned into FRIEND and he frowned. Dream felt his grieving aura and sighed.

They stared into their tea. The effects kicked in and his feelings started to calm down. The others talked around him, but he barely heard. His best friend was the only thing in his mind. Another tear ran down his face, but he managed to smile, just a bit. Ink wasn’t suffering anymore. That was good. Dream’s only wish, besides saving him, was that he could say goodbye.

Dream hoped that wherever Ink’s spirit was now, he was happy and free.

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