abhainnwhump

[abhainnwhump]

IMYM Chapter 30: Captive to Queen: Ribbon

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For the fifth time that day, Ribbon adjusted his new ruby necklace.

Nightmare didn’t want him to take it off, he never told him why. All he said was it had to do with his mortality problem. Since talking about the guardianship issue made him so upset, Ribbon kept his mouth shut. He didn’t question anything he said, although he always did that. Nightmare was always stressed, especially after Error escaped. Ribbon offered help in any way he could. He made him tea, offered cuddles, did extra chores, and always let Nightmare hold him on his lap. Ribbon couldn’t be happy unless Nightmare was happy first! The head pats were nice too, Ribbon made sure to purr at those, Nightmare liked that, he always wanted him at his side. And all this pressure a week before they got married too!

That’s why Ribbon was here, singing for him in private in his office.

His dress spun around as he twirled. Nightmare leaned back in his leather chair and watched him. Ribbon didn’t know the words to this song very well, it was in French, but Nightmare said it was one of his favorites. It was from somewhere in the seventeenth- no, the eighteenth century? Ribbon forgot. Nightmare went a long ramble about it when he taught Ribbon the song.

Ribbon kept his eyes on Nightmare’s tense face. Yeah, Ribbon was upset about Error running away too. He tried to be good to him! He tried so hard to be his friend and Error always said no! But Nightmare took it way harder. But luckily, Ribbon watched as his face softened. It was working! His soft little soprano voice was helping!

“Thank you, my little bear. That was lovely.” Nightmare said with a slow clap when he finished. Ribbon curtsied, blushing at the pet name. At this point, Nightmare used pet names to describe him more than his real name, even to other people. Nightmare booped his nasal bone with his tendril.

“I just didn’t want you to be stressed out.”

“I’m not. Everything is under control. However, I do need your help to pack the last of the decorations." Nightmare stood up from his desk chair and gestured for his doll to follow. Ribbon studied his stance and vibe. Tendrils relaxed, aura calm. Good, he was genuinely happy. The doll skipped after him, smiling knowing his job was done.

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

The big day has finally arrived.

Ribbon scrunched his face as he did his best to fill his back with paint. He used a mirror to help him see what he was doing. Strange, Nightmare always remembered to help him with this. It could be because there was so much other stuff to do today. Still. Ribbon struggled to fill each compartment on his spine, arms shaking. Yellow paint and pink paint had to be the strongest, . That’s why he could. He couldn’t even feel emotions without him!

But he figured it out after about five minutes of trying and failing. His spinal compartments dripped with all shades of the rainbow. Nightmare wouldn’t notice with his back screwed back up. Ribbon left his room and walked through the dark hallways. He met up with the other four members at the front entrance. Horror and Dust whispered to each other. Killer stared out the window, holding a wreath under his left arm.

The entire Villian Sans Squad teleported to the venue. Each member carried a different tote of supplies. Ribbon carried the lightest one.The building was the size of Nightmare’s ballroom and had two floors. The first floor was the actualplace they were going to marry. Twenty-six long benches lined a massive space with a triangular roof. Three stained glass windows with pictures of the monster-human war lined the back.But that wasn’t important right now. They had to decorate the second floor, which was where the celebration was going to be.

First, Ribbon went to help Horror with the food. The kitchen area was a room behind the bar. It was small and periwinkle. Horror dropped a cooler and a tote of supplies by the entrance. Ribbon looked up. Why was this place so cold?

Horror frosted the cake, going slow to get every peak right. It was four-tiered and covered in white frosting. Each tier had black fondant acting like streamers and roses to hold them up. Horror’s massive hands didn’t look like they were fit for holding the tiny frosting, but they worked. The top had a little fondant display of Nightmare and Ribbon dancing. Dream's circlet sat at Nightmare's feet, covered in dust.

“Tryin’ . . . follow boss’s plan.” Horror pushed a drawing toward Ribbon. Ribbon looked between the two. Nightmare had amazing drawing skills.

“It looks perfect! Good job!” Ribbon grinned and bounced. Horror’s mouth curved up in a half smile. He looked over and spotted leftover frosting left in the bowl. He wanted a taste, but he knew Nightmare would say no.

Horror looked over and gave Ribbon a nod. “You can . . . have it. Better than letting it . . waste.” His comment was technically permission, so Ribbon took a spoon. He took a scoop of the white buttercream frosting and licked it up. It wasn’t too sweet, but the vanilla was strong. And there was something else. Cinnamon? That had to be it. The cake was apple spice, so it made sense.

"Do you need any help? That's . . . that's why I came in." Ribbon asked, wiping the frosting off his face with a napkin.

Horror shook his head. "No. 'M fine."

Ribbon nodded. He checked that off his mental checklist and dashed out of the room. He went back to the main decorating room. Nightmare and Killer worked together and Ribbon joined in. He shuffled through a tote until he found some fake flowers that had to be hung up. Nightmare used his tendril to help Ribbon go up and tie purple flowers to the walls. Ribbon wrapped bows around each bouquet. The chandelier at the top of the room glittered.

“This is a little . . . brighter than I expected my wedding to be, but I still like it.” Nightmare said, looking around the light purple and black room. The streamers the flowers held up looked just like the cake.

"I did this intentionally. Your dress will be the brightest thing in this room since you're the brightest thing in my life." Nightmare chuckled and nuzzled Ribbon, making him blush.

Dust knocked on one of the wood benches to get Nightmare's attention. "Hey boss, I got a situation with the guest list. I need your help."

"Of course. Wait here, my doll," Nightmare said. He dropped Ribbon and followed him. Ribbon focused on ground decorations instead, at

Ribbon hung up a banner as Killer dropped one of the roses. He wore his best man suit with a knife lapel pin on the chest. Ribbon designed all the outfits, the weeks of sewing hurt his hands. Well, made them ache at least, it was hard to feel much pain without nerves. Ribbon picked it up and handed it over to him.

“Thanks, dollface,” Killer said. He set the rose back in the bouquet. Then he poked a petal. “Do you think I can get Cross to do this with me one day?

Ribbon paused and looked down at him. He pulled his heart charm. “Um . . . I don’t know. Maybe. Why Cross? Do you like him?”

Killer laughed, which was more of a mix between a scoff and a wheeze. “Have you seen that guy? I’ve liked him since boss brought him into the castle. Cross hid his face with his turtleneck when he introduced us and it was adorable. I saw him training for the first time a week later, shirtless.” Killer fake-fanned himself with one of the napkins. “He has a really nice body. One time he put his knife to my throat after a battle . . . you should’ve seen the look on his face. It was hot as hell.”

Killer giggled to himself. Ribbon couldn’t help but giggle with him. It was silly.

“What would this be about?” Nightmare stepped into the doorway with his arms crossed. His tendril lashed out and grabbed Ribbon. He was yanked back like a pull-string into Nightmare’s arms. He held Ribbon with one hand on the back of his head and the other wrapped around his back. Ribbon couldn’t see Killer with his face pushed into Nightmare’s chest.

Killer held his hands up. “Woah, boss. I was just joking with him.”

“Well don’t joke. Not . . . Ribbon doesn’t need to be agitated. He needs to be in a calm mindset before the ceremony.” Nightmare turned around and walked with Ribbon, holding him close. Ribbon couldn’t breathe and looked up, taking in a big breath. He squirmed. Nightmare loosened a little bit, only when he realized he was suffocating him. Nightmare kissed Ribbon on the cheek as he sat him down on a bench. No one was around but them. “Aw, I didn’t mean to choke you.”

Ribbon nodded. “Mm hm, I’m fine! I forgive you.” Ribbon looked at the clock on the wall. He couldn’t read it very well. He asked Nightmare for help before, but he just said he didn’t have to learn. He would do that for him. “How much longer before I have to get ready?”

Nightmare looked around like he was nervous someone was watching. But why? Nightmare was stronger than everyone here combined! Nightmare set a finger on Ribbon’s mouth. “Now. I hired some maids to help you get ready. So don’t be scared of them.”

“Okie!” Ribbon exclaimed. He forgot about Nightmare taking him from Killer, that wasn’t important right now.

“Good. Now remember where the bridal’s suite is and go put your dress on. Killer, Dust, and Horror will greet the guests while we get ready.” Nightmare turned Ribbon around by grabbing his shoulders. He leaned down and whispered in Ribbon’s nonexistent ear with a grin. “The next time I see you will be on the altar. Traditionally, it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. The same goes for your seeing me, so go on.” Nightmare let go and melted through the shadows.

The doll did remember the suite from their tour. Ribbon walked down and listened to the sounds of arguing from Killer and Dust. Nightmare scolded them. Ribbon found the wood staircase and walked up it. It was one of the thin ones that forced him to tiptoe so he didn’t slip. It led him through another hallway.

Ribbon entered the bridal suite. It was a mix of periwinkle and pink. Big cushy sofas lined the room. Framed photos of previous brides lined the walls. He walked to the back and sat on a soft ledge, looking out at the busy Mafiatale. Ribbon looked into a small subsection of the room and spotted a group of seven maids, all in matching white dresses. Nightmare didn't tell him much about this, so he didn't know what he was getting into. Bridesmaids? Maybe.

"Queen Ribbon!" One of them exclaimed. She walked up to him and held his hand. Ribbon assumed she was the oldest being the tallest with long black hair and blue eyes. But she didn't have a name tag or anything like that, so he wasn't sure what to call her. The maid grabbed him by the shoulder, something everyone seemed to like to do today, and brought him over to a small bathroom. It was at least gentler than what Nightmare did, somehow. "Would you like any assistance?"

"I can do it myself. That- that's okay." Ribbon didn't like the idea of anyone seeing him naked except his soon-to-be husband.

"As you wish, your highness." She bowed before him and went back to the other girls, who all seemed to be invested in some kind of drama. Something about a secret cannibalism ring. He didn't want to know.

Ribbon took his dress off and set it aside, along with his shoes, stockings, and beret. He would get to pick it up later, once all of the party and noise and action was over. He climbed inside. He turned the right setting on and a wave of hot steam blew onto him. He poured porcelain cleaner on a scrub brush and

Ribbon washed himself in the shower, taking deep slow breaths. The steam felt nice and helped him clean. Since it was only vapor, it didn't damage his porcelain body like liquid water or ice. He couldn’t believe it. Less than three hours from now, he would be Nightmare’s queen and wife. His hands jittered with excitement and anxiety. He had to make his porcelain body shine and glitter.

Ribbon didn’t know anyone, they were all Nightmare’s connections and friends. But he remembered what he said. He wouldn’t need to talk so much. It would be like his singing; he wouldn’t need to talk directly to people. He took another deep breath. His mechanical heart pitter-pattered in his chest.

The doll finished cleaning himself and was grabbed by two maids. They dragged him over to a dressing room. The walls were periwinkle with brown trimming. Was there any heating in here? Ribbon shivered from the cold. Maybe it wasn’t the building’s fault and only his porcelain body.

“Your Highness?” One of the maids asked. Muscle memory forced Ribbon to curtsy. "Can you stay still so we can get you prepared for Lord Nightmare?"

“Um . . . go ahead.” Ribbon wondered how much he was allowed to talk to them.

Ribbon stood as still as possible in a t-pose. Soft material slipped over his head and something clicked on his neck. The only time he moved was whenever one of the maids adjusted his limbs. Either to slip his arms into sleeves or to tilt his head this way and that. Several times he had to resist peaking. Ribbon could’ve opened his eye sockets whenever he wanted, but he tried to keep it a surprise. He struggled not to giggle when the makeup brushes tickled his face. The room smelt like vanilla and roses. It felt like it went on forever, though it couldn't have been longer than fifteen minutes.

Once they slid his veil on, a maid gripped his shoulders and guided him to what he guessed was the mirror. One of her fingers pushed something out of Ribbon’s face saying, “Open your eyes, your highness.”

Ribbon stopped repressing his smile and followed the order. He looked in the mirror and smiled with a gasp.

The maids dressed him in a long-sleeved silk white dress with a long train. The heart-shaped bodice revealed most of his chest. His breezy skirt had a medieval-looking corset. The sleeves were made of lace and dropped down. Tight around his neck was a white choker with his heart charm peeking out from above it. His chapel-length veil was semi-translucent and lined with white lace. Rose-gold flowers covered both that and his dress in a long chain. Light blush and eye shadow tinted his face, along with highlighter on his cheekbones. His ‘nails’ were painted light pink. Ribbon reached up and touched the last piece of the outfit. A silver tiara with a lavender diamond-shaped gem in the middle. He put it on, smiling. He did feel like a queen.

Yes, Nightmare’s beautiful queen, as you were always meant to be. This is who you are.

Ribbon bounced and clapped his hands. He looked in the mirror and watched as the maids giggled with each other and left through the back. As disappointed as he was, he kinda understood, they didn't know him. Or at least, he didn't know them. It was a job, that's it. What if Error was here? He would stay! He would be his friend here and say something nice. Error seemed to care . . .

The doll looked at the one thing that was left, a bouquet of black dahlias. They were real flowers, not fake ones like the decorations. A little note hanging off one of the stems said 'Good luck!' with a smiley face. Ribbon smiled and picked it up. He opened the bridal suite and left.

Ribbon walked down the hallway. The walls were white and the floor was darker tan. It was empty besides a few windows and vases here and there. He could have sworn he heard footsteps, really angry ones. But then he looked around at all the guards. Nightmare said he would be safe, so he had to be safe. His silly doll brain was just overthinking. Ribbon puffed up his sleeves and adjusted the flower chain on his dress.

Finally, he stood in front of the door. Both sides were engraved with humans down on their knees and praying. Ribbon listened for any strange sounds, but he didn’t hear anything. This was it. Once he walked through the door, there was no going back. He had to face the scary strangers. His hand shook as he grabbed the door handle.

Ribbon took a deep breath and stepped through the entrance. Rose pink petals fell down from the ceiling and onto his head. One fell right on his nasal bone, but he shook it off. He did most of the decorating, and it still looked great. The banners were the same ones Nightmare put up after taking down an AU.

The orchestra played a soft tune while he walked down the aisle. His veil and dress trailed behind him. He looked at the monsters and humans whispering and staring at him. There had to be eighty at least. They were mostly Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Chara, and Asriel variants. Ribbon waved with a nervous smile.

It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s my wedding. I’m safe.

He wasn’t sure, but then he saw Nightmare and all his panic faded away. His back was turned as he talked to the officiator, an old Gaster, but he must’ve sensed Ribbon’s aura as he looked at him. The only word he caught from the conversation was ‘legal’. He wore the suit Ribbon made as he promised. The embroidery shimmered in the light and made it look like it glowed. He only added one more thing to the outfit, a crown. Well, it was more like Dream’s circlet. It was the same silver as Ribbon’s, except with a fancier moon design. A crescent moon was in the middle and was surrounded by waves. Ribbon’s soul fluttered; his cheekbones exploded in blush. Stars, he was perfect.

Ribbon walked down the rest of the aisle. His body was fuzzy all over. If he squeezed the bouquet any tighter, he would’ve snapped those rose stems in half.

He made it to the altar. Nightmare offered a hand to help up the steps. Killer gave Ribbon a wink. He stood as Nightmare's best man. The maids that cleaned him stood as bridesmaids. Ribbon ignored them though and only focused on Nightmare. He stared into his eye as they held hands.

Nightmare brushed his thumb against his knuckles before kissing them. “Are you ready to become a queen, princess? You look perfect, precisely as I imagined you.”

“Very ready,” Ribbon said. His scared jitters turned into excited ones, but he kept his emotions in control for Nightmare’s sake.

A sigh came from Killer. “If you two are done being sappy with each other, let’s get this show on the road.” He glanced up at the door. “And Horror will get here at some point. I don't know where the hell he went. Last time I saw him, Horror went to investigate some sounds he heard. Don't ask me what, I have no clue. I didn't hear anything."

"Interesting . . ." Nightmare eye twitched. Ribbon rubbed his arm to remind him to calm down. What if there were angry noises and he wasn't imagining it?

The officiator cleared his throat. “We gather here today to join Nightmare Joku and Ribbon Adela in marriage. The bonding of two souls is a practice as old as monsters lived, as these two immortals should know.” Ribbon tilted his head a bit. He knew that wasn’t true. Only Nightmare was immortal.

“Within the circle of love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and counselor. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher, and commitment is stronger. Now, please join hands and look each other in the eye.”

Ribbon and Nightmare followed the order. Nightmare’s eye glowed a bit, both with teal and pink. The officiator looked at Nightmare. “Do you, Nightmare, take Ribbon to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Nightmare said. Killer gave a thumbs up.

The officiator nodded. “And do you, Ribbon, take Nightmare to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Ribbon couldn’t stop grinning.

At that moment, Dust walked down the aisle. He carried a small silver pillow surrounded with lace. Their rings glittered on it. He wore a suit like Killer’s, using an embroidered cloak Ribbon made for him to make up for his hood. He went down on one knee and held out the pillow. He didn’t look all that happy.

“The two of you have chosen rings to exchange with each other as a symbol of your unendin’ love. As you place this ring on Ribbon’s finger, repeat after me. ‘With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever.’”

Nightmare took the black ring and slipped it onto Ribbon’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever.” Dust didn’t even look up when it was Ribbon’s turn. He stood up and walked to stand by Killer.

Ribbon grabbed the black and silver band and did the same thing. “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love now and forever.”

“If there are no objectifications to this marriage,” he shut the book, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Nightmare pushed his veil aside and pulled him in. Ribbon wrapped his arms around his shoulders. He’d kissed him a million times before, but none came close to this one. He wasn’t kissing his boyfriend anymore. He was kissing his husband.

The crowd clapped and cheered. Killer whistled. The rainbow glass from the window shimmered onto them. Nightmare’s face was lit with green, red, blue, and pink. His mind went blank; his eyes glazed over, flickering between lilac and blue. The doll’s tiara and ruby necklace also caught light. Nightmare chose the perfect time for the sun to hit. Queen Ribbon Adela Joku, he liked that title. Though the idea of being a queen worried him. Would he have a lot of new responsibilities? Was he good enough for it? Would there be more once they took over the Doodlesphere? Could he handle it without breaking down? But lucky for him, Nightmare would always be there to help when he was too dumb and weak to do so.

Nightmare broke the kiss and pulled back. His tendrils wagged. One of them traced the outline of Ribbon’s black cheek mark, absently thinking. “Well . . . shall we begin the festivities, my sweet wife?”

Being called ‘wife’ made Ribbon blush and go back to that dreamy feeling. He felt it the whole time, but now it was at its peak. He was walking on cotton candy clouds and he couldn’t be happier. He pulled his string, being sure not to get it tangled with his necklace. “Yes, Nighty! I’m ready for-”

Ribbon stopped as the back door flew open in a field of dust. Ribbon coughed and his husband held him. At first, Ribbon thought it was something Nightmare set up and planned. But he looked shocked too, something was wrong. Very wrong. From the cloud, a glitchy skeleton wearing a red scarf and battle armor strode out. Blue’s body was covered in blood and dust. Ribbon couldn’t tell which was his own. He screamed and burst into tears. The doll didn’t know what else to do with all the stress.

If it couldn’t get any worse, Dream followed Blue. He’d never seen him that angry before. His eye lights blazed with anger. They made eye contact with Ribbon, which softened their gaze, but only a little. He was covered in less blood, but that didn’t make him less scary. Were they here to kill him? Or Nighty? Neither of them said a word. Nightmare’s tendrils raised and Killer and Dust summoned their weapons.

Everything was perfect. Everything was going to be perfect. Now they ruined it. Blue summoned his hammer with a huff, pointing at Nightmare.

“I OBJECT!”

#IMYM #whump #whump writing #whumpblr #creepy whumper #conditioned whumpee #intimate whumper #Ribbon!Ink #ink sans #nightmare sans #killer sans #dust sans #horror sans #dream sans #swap sans #blue sans #undertale #undertale au #whumper x whumpee #inkmare #nightink #ink x nightmare

[abhainnwhump]

I feel like every Ink variant seems to have a weapon similar to one of the Splatoon 3 weapon classes.

Original Ink: Brush.

Ribbon Ink: Brella.

Could you go to Inkipedia and pick out a brella for me to use?

:P

Sorry if this is too much of an ask.

Interesting ask, but here you go:

Sorry if this isn't what you meant, I know nothing about Splatoon. Given the premise of the game, Ink would probably play it.

#IMYM #Ribbon!Ink #ink sans #not whump #splatoon #asks

[abhainnwhump]

whunmpee that breaks my heart the most isn’t whumpee that is terrified, but whumpee that is happy — not a feisty kind of happy where they laugh and mock whumper, but an innocent, childlike and naive kind of happy where they don’t know what is about to happen to them. they still think that they are safe, even when they’re held captive by whumper, because they are so pure and innocent that they don’t know there are bad people in this world.

they don’t understand what they did wrong when whumper tortured them. they don’t understand why any of this is happening. they were literally smiling innocently when they were escorted to the room in which they’d be tortured.

this literally fucks me up. I need caretaker to come save them asap :(

#Ribbon!Ink #except he broke into being innocent and happy after torture #he used to be more snarky and defiant but oh well #whump #conditioned whumpee #reblog

[abhainnwhump]

Thank you to you both. Good to know.👍

If someone dies from melting to death (like a popsicle, not a metaphor for heatstroke), do their clothes melt with them?

I asked my real life friend this and his eye only twitched in response so . . . I don't have answer.

#whump #reblog

[abhainnwhump]

If someone dies from melting to death (like a popsicle, not a metaphor for heatstroke), do their clothes melt with them?

I asked my real life friend this and his eye only twitched in response so . . . I don't have answer.

#whump #whumpblr #noncon body modification #fantasy whump #body horror whump #whump question #body horror my beloved #whump community

[abhainnwhump]

Whumpee is so used to only being allowed to eat when they have permission, they don't eat at all once they get home. They keep hoping Caretaker gives them permission to eat, but they never say the word. So Whumpee waits.

Being ignorant and not assuming the torture was that bad, Caretaker assumes the sweaters are for their insecurities. They don't like their body anymore with all the scars and bruises. That's true, but they don't know how thin Whumpee is underneath. It comes as a complete surprise when Whumpee passes out from dangerous amounts of starvation. Then they have to rush Whumpee to the hospital.

#whump #whumpblr #whump writing #whump tropes #whump prompt #starvation whump #conditioned whumpee #brainwashed whumpee #whump aftermath #recovery whump

[abhainnwhump]

does ribbon have a favorite song ? if he does , what is it ?

Ribbon would mostly listen to the classical music Nightmare makes him sing. Nightmare doesn't let him listen to modern music. He's one of those pretentious people who thinks he's above everyone else because he listens to the 18th century's top hits.

Ribbon likes soothing orchestra, no intense strings or percussion. He also likes music boxes and how they sound. I don't have a specific song to mention, sorry, but if you look up "1 hour music box", you would have a good idea of what Ribbon listens to.

But for a specific song loosely related, I have an animatic idea with Ribbon with this song. Except instead of turning his enemies into living pigs, they're plush ones. Ribbon is Circe, Cross would be Eurylochus, and Blue would be Odysseus. (I can not recommend EPIC: The Musical enough please give it a listen.)

#IMYM #Ribbon!Ink #asks #not whump

[abhainnwhump]

Whumpee gets an invite to a party hosted by Whumper. Whumper is their crush they've been longing for for months, so this is the dream. But when Whumpee gets to the event, there's nothing there. Not lights, not other people, nothing. It was all a lie to humiliate Whumpee.

#I got spoofed for a party and Im upset about it #now Im going to torture a fictional characters to make myself feel better #OH DREAMTALE TWINS~ #whump #whumpblr #whump writing #whump prompt #whump tropes #psychological whump #domestic whump

[abhainnwhump]

IMYM Chapter 29: For Our Future: Nightmare

(Content warnings: Domestic abuse, lab whump, brief mention of suicidal ideation. I feel like I should have this tagged as something else but I don't know what.)

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“I see . . .” Nightmare copied the address down from the letter in his hand. He spoke to no one but himself. He wrote a list with his quill pen. “Perfect.”

He finished the reservations for his and Ribbon’s wedding. The venue would take place at an old chapel in Mafiatale. He toured the place recently to make sure everything was as expected, and it was. Ribbon liked it too, though he liked anything he did. The list was almost complete. Outfits, reception, catering, cake, photographers, florists, the guests, the vows, and the honeymoon. He even hired extra guards. Nightmare didn’t want to risk his bride getting hurt or abducted. He couldn’t have anything go wrong on this day, his wedding needed to be perfect. Nightmare wasn’t interested in battle on his special day, especially for as much work as it was to set it up. Speaking of . . .

Nightmare looked around and tried to sense Ribbon’s aura. He couldn’t find him. Nightmare stood up and left his office. He couldn’t help his apprehensive building. The dark king walked until he felt a nervous aura. It was difficult to believe that wasn’t Ribbon. Not even Error’s uneasiness was this extreme and he had been torturing him for over two months.

He followed the aura until he walked to the entrance of the castle and opened one of the massive doors. Nightmare looked down. Ribbon sat on the front steps of the castle. His chin rested on his palm as he stared into the distance, ignoring his fiancé behind him. His aura was a mix of emotions, dominated by anxiety. His other hand played with the skirt of his dress.

Nightmare sat next to him. His tendril rested on his hand and squeezed and Ribbon jumped. Nightmare smiled. “It’s just me, no need to panic. Is something bothering you?”

Ribbon pulled his string and rubbed the charm. “Um, no. I’m okay, Nighty! I’m just a little sleepy . . .” Chuckling, he blushed and looked away. His permanent smile looked tense.

“No lying to me Ribbon, you know that’s against the rules. And did you forget I could read emotions? I know you are dim-witted, but you’re not that dim-witted.” Nightmare pulled Ribbon closer to him, pushing his head onto his shoulder. He put one finger on his chin and made him look up. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I don’t like seeing you this upset.”

Ribbon bit his lower jaw and looked up with his soft lilac eyes. “Promise you won’t get angry?”

“Depends if it will make me angry, I doubt it will.”

“I don’t think so, but I’m not sure . . .”

Nightmare sighed. “I promise I won’t be angry at you. Now tell me what’s bothering you. That’s an order.”

Ribbon rubbed his arms. “I’m scared. I have wedding jitters. I want to get married to you, I do! But I don’t know. Marriage is a big thing and before I met you, it’s something I never planned to do. What if I mess up? What if you don’t like me as your wife? You deserve a perfect wedding and if I start stumbling over the vows or trip in the aisle-”

Nightmare raised his right hand. He worried Ribbon wanted to back out, which if he did, Nightmare would never allow. His tendrils stroked Ribbon’s leg as he moved closer to him. “Ribbon, nervousness is a normal thing to feel and I’m not mad at you for it. If someone mocks you or hurts you, they’ll lose their hands. I know how shy you are, it’s one of the things I love about you. The only monster you will have to talk to is the officiator, you can stay silent for the whole reception. All you would have to do is smile and look adorable. And I have an exceptional plan for the honeymoon. But I won’t tell you, it’s a surprise.”

The doll beamed. Nightmare planned to take Ribbon on a week-long cruise. No stress, no work, just the two of them spending time with each other. He’d take a hiatus from his multiversal destruction. He looked forward to having Ribbon in general, it felt . . . special, important.

Nightmare caressed his face with his hand. “If it will ease your anxiety, remember that you don’t have to make any of the difficult choices. I will choose your wedding dress and veil, I will tell you what to say, and all you will need to do is listen. You made some excellent choices. I knew you would pick out something beautiful.”

“You thought it was beautiful? I- um, thank you! I don’t have many ideas right now, but I’ll think of something! I’ll make it pretty for you.” Ribbon nuzzled up to Nightmare. He held him close, rubbing his shoulder.

Nightmare took Ribbon’s hand and held it out in this. He touched his ring with his fingertips. Ribbon cuddled closer and Nightmare kissed his head.

“Have you thought about kids yet? I don’t mind them, I’ll . . . I’ll do it if you want me to.”

Nightmare pondered it. He hasn’t considered children. He practically had three with Killer, Horror, and Dust. He imagined Ribbon against an oak tree, laughing with a little skeleton. It would leave him with a true heir. As an immortal, Nightmare didn’t believe he would ever leave the throne. But the idea of having a successor, whether a prince or a princess, did interest him. It would make him look more powerful. “I would like a baby, at least one. It’s a simple spell, we have to combine our magic and willpower to summon a soul and take care of it. You would be an excellent mother, my little doll. A child of two guardians . . . it’s never been done before. Hm, creativity and negativity would be interesting concepts to mix . . .”

Ribbon’s aura darkened and his voice lightened. “Um . . . Nighmare? Do you have to be a guardian to be immortal?”

“No, but why do you ask? You are a guardian, albeit only partially. Unless . . .” Nightmare’s tendrils tensed up, curling. “Ribbon . . . what did you do? Tell me now.”

Ribbon rubbed his hands together. “Um . . . I was talking with Error again and he was nicer! He let me pet him! But he was also mad at me. Before you took him, uh, I broke this big sphere. It was like, six or seven months ago? Error said it would’ve my guardian powers in it and he couldn’t read the code in it.”

“I’m sorry, what did you do?”

“I didn’t know, I’m sorry! It scared me! It made me think bad thoughts and I panicked! I didn't tell you because I was scared of punishment and I didn't realize it was that bad.”

Nightmare’s soul beat faster. If Ribbon destroyed his guardianship, that made him a mortal. His time was limited. Nightmare didn’t know how long that period was. The Lord of Negativity struck Ribbon across the face.

Ribbon rubbed his cheek. “You- you promised you wouldn’t be a- angry.”

“The promise was only about telling me your fears. I don’t count this as part of it.”

“But-”

“No buts, I don’t know what has gotten into you today. You hid crucial information from me, and now you’re talking back? You know how to be good, act like it. Do you realize you ruined my entire plan for us?”

Ribbon lowered his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. You’re right, I should’ve told you. I was a stupid, stupid little doll. Please don’t call off the wedding!”

Nightmare tapped three fingers together and Ribbon switched to being on his knees. Nightmare couldn’t help but feel bad. The doll’s big teary eyes and trembling stance beneath him softened his soul. Nightmare pat him on the head with a tendril.

“I said nothing about calling off the wedding. You’re fine. But if you ever hide something like this again, I will punish you much harsher.”

Ribbon nodded quickly. “Thank you, Nighty. I'm sorry for making you mad . . ." He smiled up at him. “Can I go on a walk in the garden? Please?”

“Don’t get your dress dirty, don’t hurt yourself, and be back in an hour, no later.” Nightmare stood up. Ribbon’s reveal tore at him, no matter how much he tried to say otherwise. If it was anyone else, even another romantic partner, he wouldn’t care. No one would be or would ever be the same as Ribbon. A redrawing of someone else’s art would never be the same, and was often inferior. Nightmare considered all of this as he walked to his office. He sat down and set his head on his hands as he considered this.

Ribbon was running out of time.

The concept haunted Nightmare. The idea of his perfect, helpless partner dying within years while he lived for eternity. He had come to terms with it happening to the Murder Time Trio. As much as he cared for them, they were always mortal, they were always going to die. But Ribbon . . . he was supposed to be immortal like him. Nightmare imagined him having to hold Ribbon’s hand and watch him die.

The logical part of his mind understood he had little to fear. The doll body had to keep him alive longer, yet he was uncertain. The surgery was so experimental that he wasn’t sure if it could be out one day. Artificial body parts stopped working as soon as the person died, so Ribbon must be the same. Yet the paranoia wouldn’t fade. How long did Ribbon have to live? It could have been anywhere from days to decades. Nightmare clenched his fists. He despised not having an answer and he hated not having control.

Nightmare clutched his skull with his tightened fist and shook. The fuzzy feeling in his spine and soul became unbearable. His tendrils lashed out behind him, wrapping around whatever was close by. Sludge dripped and leaked down his body. His arms felt numb yet full of energy. Everything burned with the strange pain he couldn’t put a finger on. He couldn’t think. All he felt was pain and the burning need to protect.

“Boss?” Horror’s voice sounded farther away than it was. “I heard . . . something crash.”

Nightmare didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer. He looked down and realized he shattered his quill ink glass. Black liquid spread across the floor like the blood his torture victims would be drenched in. The same color as Ink’s blood.

Horror ended up checking the other side of the desk. He was at least a little surprised to see his boss so tense. He grabbed Nightmare’s shirt collar with his massive hand and pulled him up. It helped Nightmare snap out of his trance. “You . . . alright?”

Nightmare took a deep breath to calm himself and clear his head. “I’m- no, I’m not. Help me up and check my soul for signs of damage.”

Horror looked confused but followed the order. He lifted Nightmare with ease. “Uh, something’s wrong.”

Nightmare looked down at his black apple soul. An aura of pink magic floated around the apple. He knew what it meant, yet it's never happened before. If a soul overloads on emotion, it would begin to glow. Nightmare's soul burned with desire and euphoric love. Whatever these strange emotions were, it was all for Ribbon. It was killing him. A thought came to mind. Nightmare opened his top left drawer and removed a black compact. As he expected, he had heart-shaped eye light. His eye twitched as he thought about Ribbon.

Horror's breathing became more audible. “I’m . . . not that good with emotions but . . . I think you're overwhelmed, boss.”

Nightmare snapped the compact closed. “Elaborate.”

Horror took a moment to gather his thoughts. “I'm guessing . . . this is 'bout Ribbon. You're only like this . . . with him, whenever it's 'bout him. You . . love Ribbon. I don't know why . . . you're ticked, what he did, but . . . it's making you act weird. We did this for the . . . multiverse. We have to . . . stick to that first, we're close."

“Wait . . . that’s it,” Nightmare gasped, the pieces clicking together. A vision of Error flashed through his mind. “I’ll take advantage of what I have. Horror, keep Ribbon distracted for a few hours. He’s in the gardens, I’m assuming by the roses, he adores those. Play with him, understand?”

Horror looked confused and skeptical, but he obeyed his boss. As soon as he left. Nightmare wasted no time. He pictured the book page in his mind and went to the castle library.

Nightmare went to the spell book section and his tendrils pulled books off the shelves. He flipped through five texts at once, trying to find the right one. He read every spell book in this library, he knew it existed. It took several books before he found it. The book had no title, no author, only a caduceus with a skull on the top. Nightmare grinned, checking the table of contents before flipping to the correct spell. The one that would ensure his teddy bear would never die in his arms.

Seelen-Reset

This is one of the highest-risk and most difficult spells in this book, yet most effective. Only the most powerful souls can perform it. Seelen-Reset empties a soul and it’s memories, experiences, and any modifications. The only pieces will be core magic skills and remaining lifespan, including immortality. Unlike Memoria Alteration (see pg. 124), it overwrites a soul’s entire history instead of a single event. It is also far more dangerous; the spell has a 75:25 ratio of failure. The soul can be transferred to another body with this spell without the identity taking over. This spell can treat monsters with souls damaged beyond repair. However, it will cost the life of the former soul owner. Their body will melt and die. It is unknown if these monsters will reach the afterlife.

Seelen-Reset can be cast in two ways. The first is to use a verbal curse, the second is to create a tonic. The recipe is on the following page. The tonic works soonest when shot with a syringe to the soul, yet drinking it will also work. The injection takes three minutes to go into effect and drinking will take twenty. The verbal curse makes the removal less painful for the previous owner. Rather, the tonic is easier to create as long as you have the correct ingredients. The final step for either method is for the new user to wear a blood ruby.

Once cast, it is impossible to reverse. I have yet to find a remedy. The victim may become defensive as a part of their subconscious knows something is wrong. Other side effects may include headaches, fatigue, confusion, codependency, paranoia, and migraines. If the spell fails, the victim could experience paralysis, loss of cognitive skills, and madness. The key signs of failure are incoherent mumbling, glazed eyes, persistent confusion, and lack of response to stimuli. The only way to cure them is to dust them.

If the spell succeeds, give them time to adjust to their new soul and offer painkillers if necessary. Keep them away from stressful situations or bright lights to prevent more migraines. Hypnotherapy has also helped speed up the healing process.

To perform the verbal spell, follow the scribe below. To create the tonic, follow the recipe under it.

Nightmare had cast this spell only once, two hundred and eleven years ago. He attempted to use a soul to heal one of his allies. But his magic fell short and it cost him to go insane. The tonic recipe under the words seemed safer, he was only missing one ingredient, the blood ruby. He knew he could find those easily in Moltontale, they grew like dandelions if you knew where to look. Knowing this would protect his beloved Ribbon soothed the feeling in his soul.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Nightmare speed-walked to his office, analyzing the spell and planning the ingredients. His mind raced as he read and couldn’t help but read some of the others. Due to Ribbon’s help in corrupting AUs, he grew twice as powerful as he was without him. Another reason he must keep him safe and close.

Nightmare entered the medical room and stepped into a smaller space. Dust enjoyed working in this section; it was full of magic plants and chemicals. Dozens of AUs made up the collection. Nightmare laid the spell book down and pulled out a beaker. He filled it up with hot water and gathered the needed ingredients.

Glancing out the window, Horror, Killer, and Ribbon walked through the garden. Nightmare pressed his mouth into a hard line. He knew he shouldn't feel jealous over such a frivolous thing, Ribbon loved him and only him. But the way Ribbon smiled and awed when Killer put on his theatrics . . . Nightmare's mind spiraled, twisting deeper into the dark abyss it already was. Ribbon belonged to him, not them.

Once he finished the potion, he needed to choose a soul to take. Obviously, he would take Error's. His soul was the safest and most stable out of the three guardians remaining. Core's soul was scattered across space and time. Nightmare couldn't even infect it with his parasite, his magic needed a soul to latch onto. Dream's soul was the highest quality, but it meant Ribbon would always suffer. It wasn't worth giving up the multiversal control for something like this. Error's soul was a glitching mess, but he knew the glitches would lighten when he was injected.

In any other circumstance, he would be against sacrificing Error. He was a powerful ally who served him through times of need, even if he was never on his team. But Error betrayed him the moment he tried to steal his doll.He deserved his death. Nightmare picked the petals off a dried eclipse rose.It was a rare plant but now was a worthy use. Ribbon's life was almost worth the multiverse.

Nightmare paused as he regarded it. What if the tonic failed and it drove Ribbon insane? Nightmare's hands switched to fists and he smiled. He could always retrain Ribbon. Yes, he could go through the conditioning process all over again. It didn't matter if the doll was in pain as long as he was the one doing it. It meant he had the power. All Nightmare cared about was having Ribbon alive and having him here, no matter the risk.

Nightmare had his attention only focused on the potion. However, he did spot Dust from the corner of his eye light, wrapping his palm with bandages. Nightmare considered if he should hide this, but he decided against this. One of them would have to wonder where such a crucial soul like Error went to. He forced himself to calm down. “Dust, is there something you need?”

The murderer jumped and looked into the room. It was lit by nothing but Nightmare's eye light and a single candle. “Yeah . . . I was gettin’ some rubbin’ alcohol and bandages because I sliced my hand open. I got a knife through it. What are you makin'?”

“Something for Ribbon. He lied to me, so I'm going to fix him."

“Boss . . . he can't get sick.” Dust hovered the book over with his telekinesis. "Forbidden magic, why am I not surprised this is for Ribbon."

“It's necessary. I would appreciate your help. I need you to measure and cut the rest of those plants. If he does, then I will deal with him.”

Dust read it over and looked at Nightmare from the corner of his gaze. "Oh."

Nightmare expected Dust to argue or call him insane, but he went along with it. It wasn't the most illegal experiment he had ever done on Ribbon. Nightmare remembered how he first discovered Dust's passion for science and experiments. Only three weeks after he brought him to the castle, Nightmare caught Dust tinkering with beakers. The murderer revealed he was making poisonous bullets for his pistols. Nightmare believed it to be ludicrous. But to his surprise, they worked on his targets, and quite well. He assumed Dust learned from the years he spent alone in his AU. His silent nature was also appreciated. Nightmare was proud of Dust. Someone who once wanted to throw himself off a cliff changed into one of his most useful servants. Ribbon never would be who he is if it wasn't for him.

When the final leaf was added, the tonic bubbled and glowed with red and white streaks. Nightmare switched the liquid into a syringe, pattting Dust on the shoulder with his tendril. Dust sighed. "Thank you for your help, Dust. But I will need to do this last part alone. I need to think."

"I saw that part on the bottom, I know. Fine. I'm staying here so I can finish what I started." Dust said. He picked up his bandages and finished wrapping his half-healed hand. Nightmare ignored him. He picked up the syringe in one tendril and the spell book in another. Nightmare's head pounded. He almost shattered the tonic from sheer strength and emotion. He feared his death if he waited too long. All he wanted now was a damn answer to Ribbon's lifespan question.

Nightmare only had one piece left of the spell to complete, then he could inject Error. He focused his energy on the syringe and summoned magic from the pits of his black soul. His fingertips glowed dark gray with streaks of blue. Streaks of pink mixed in and shot his finger toward the syringe.

The magic flowed from both hands with ease. The tonic glowed a bright blue and Nightmare could’ve sworn he heard a crash of lightning, despite the lack of rain. The light faded until the syringe was its normal color. Only the touch was an obvious change; it was far colder.

Nightmare clutched his chest in pain. His soul beat faster; the pink aura glowed brighter. The complicated spell drained his energy. His eye socket fluttered and he fell unconscious on the office floor.

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

“Nightlight? Are you okay? Please be okay . . .”

Nightmare opened his eye, looking around his bedroom. His coat and shoes were missing and he was tucked under the covers. Ribbon looked down at him with a worried expression, which was adorable with his frozen smile. Nightmare sat up. “Ah, Ribbon. Yes, I’m okay. Could you tell me what happened? I’m afraid it’s a blur.”

Ribbon lay against him and nuzzled by his side. “I went to check on you a few hours ago to see if you were still mad because you were in there for a while. I walked into your office and you fainted on the floor! I used some of my paint to help carry you here, I'm too weak to carry you. You also had a book half-opened on the ground so I put it back on your desk. Oh! And I made you some tea. Lavender is your favorite, right?”

“Right.” Relieved Ribbon couldn’t read, Nightmare lifted the cup from the nightstand and took a sip. He gave him a head pat. “A tad lukewarm, but it tastes perfect. Thank you.”

Ribbon sighed in relief. His ring glinted as he wiped his porcelain cheek. Nightmare touched that hand, giving it a light squeeze. He looked up at him. His face had sparkling pieces of dried resin, his tears.

“Have you been crying?”

Ribbon looked ashamed. “I . . . I wasn’t sure if you were going to wake up. I tried shaking you and calling your name but it didn’t work! You were barely breathing and were dripping a lot of goop.”

“Aw, my little lamb. Come here.” Nightmare opened his arms and Ribbon crawled in. He rested his skull on his chest. Nightmare scratched where his ear would be, listening to the clockwork in his head. A steady creaking. It didn’t matter if he overreacted, the curse was already cast. Ribbon wouldn't die unless Nightmare gave the command, which would never happen.

Ribbon relaxed and peeked up at the Lord of Negativity. “Are you still mad at me for lying?”

“No, I'm not. I found a solution to your mistake. I'll tell you when the time is ready." He traced a finger down his chin. "You would never try to leave me correct? Leave me for . . . someone else?"

Ribbon shook his head. “I'd never leave you! Where else would I go? I'm too dumb and weak to survive on my own and most of the multiverse wants me dead. I need you!" He clung to Nightmare's arm.

Nightmare kissed him on the skull again. Nightmare tapped his fingers together and Ribbon went limp. He set him on the bed and cuddled him, taking in every part of his body. His tendrils tickled his neck and Ribbon burst into giggles. Nightmare smiled. His happiness was the only positivity he could tolerate. No, not just tolerate. Adore. Crave. He couldn’t get enough of the strange feelings Ribbon gave him. It made him feel fulfilled and happy, more than any amount of negativity could give him. He couldn’t imagine living without it.

Holding Ribbon relieved the aches and pains in his soul. He was here and no one could lay their hands on him. Dream couldn’t lay his hands on him. No one would take his source of positivity away. Not even death.

Nightmare stopped cuddling him and sat up, still holding Ribbon in his arms. He stood up and helped him off the bed. "Come on, let's fetch the Murder Time trio. I have a mission we need to begin."

"Ooh, a mission? Okay!" Ribbon bounced. "I'll grab Blossom!"

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

Moltontale was a difficult AU to traverse and take over. The ground was made of scorching rock and obsidian. The monsters were all made of fire or fire-proof flesh. Gaster Blasters were useless here, the hot magic beams were useless.

Nightmare stormed through Moltontale, spreading negativity and corruption wherever he stepped. He used his tendrils to move faster, gliding across the hot terrain. One of the tendrils carried Ribbon, Nightmare refused to let him be on his own. Killer, Horror, and Dust fought and murdered.

Nightmare searched one of the massive caves he found. Ribbon looked around from the tendril he stayed in. The rubies had a distinct glow that was almost pink. Ribbon helped look around, narrowing his eyes to see better. Nightmare ended up staring at him longer than he searched for the rubies. This would be Ribbon's final mission, he couldn't put him in more danger or risk. He would always stay inside the castle unless Nightmare needed him for business or singing.

Bright orange lava lit up the pure black caves. Nightmare took advantage of the light to find the gems. Ribbon began to squirm in his tendrils and pointed to the left. "Night! Is that what you're looking for?"

Nightmare turned around and spotted the gems. He was tied up in a snowbank and shivering in thin clothes. Nightmare pulled a small chisel from his coat pocket and stabbed it into the rocks. The gem gleamed with the same color as fresh blood, hence the name.

The lava began to turn into a mix of black, teal, and purple malice. The air turned colder, the negative aura of the AU grew. Nightmare let Ribbon go. Ribbon looked at the gem in awe. "Ooh, it's so pretty! What is this for anyways?"

"It's for you, my sweet little doll. I have it all under control." Nightmare's eye glinted with a mad light. All he needed now was to inject Error and everything would be according to plan.

#IMYM #whump #whumpblr #whump writing #creepy whumper #conditioned whumpee #intimate whumper #nightmare sans #ink sans #Ribbon!Ink #horror sans #bad sanses #undertale #undertale au #immortal whumper #immortal whumpee #inkmare #nightink #ink x nightmare #whumper x whumpee #dust sans #lab whump

[abhainnwhump]

Whumpee was created in a lab as one of many experiments. They're just getting to know the world and develop a personality when Whumper comes in with a syringe. They lock them in a cell away from the other lab rats.

Whumper holds the syringe to Whumpee's wrist. "Sorry, we already have plenty of subjects. You are taking up too much space we don't need."

#whump #whumpblr #whump writing #whump prompt #whump tropes #creepy whumper #lab whump #lab rat whumpee #implied death #nonhuman whumpee

[abhainnwhump]

my wattpad looked like their was a blossom behind.. could it beee.. a ribbon takeover ? :3

Quite possibly. To reference some dear commenters on AO3, this would be the AU where Ribbon never destroyed his guardianship and turned every new AU into a pastel pink paradise that Error has to destroy.

#IMYM #Ribbon!Ink #not whump #asks

[abhainnwhump]

This art style is perfect for Ribbon's bubbly cutesy character. I like the bubble letters and the extra doodle of Nightmare is cute too. It's always fun to see them next to each other because of their opposite aesthetics.

Toys Don't Talk is probably my favorite chapter in IMYM. The second two are The Battle for Birdtale and Mind Sickness. Thank you for the fanart!

uhhhjjFANART :333 i just rlly like ribbon for some reason. doll!ink belongs to @abhainnwhump andd i rlly love toys dont talk😭😭😭 💞💞💞🎀 (art so shit im sorry)

#IMYM #Ribbon!Ink #ink sans #not whump #reblog

[abhainnwhump]

had a dream where i logged in to ao3 and saw this

so i'm manifesting it for every author who sees this

likes charge reblogs cast, rb to wish kudos and comments upon your favorite fics

#that would be my dream #ao3 #whump #sort of whump #reblog

[abhainnwhump]

Whumpee destroys a precious prized item of theirs because it reminds them too much of Whumper. It hurts to keep it and to destroy it.

#whump #whumpblr #whump writing #whump prompt #whump tropes #conditioned whumpee #whump aftermath #psychological whump #domestic whump

[abhainnwhump]

Whumper uses an immortal Whumpee as an infinite food source for their demons/zombies/army/etc. They have a personal hatred of Whumpee so it's satisfying to watch them be ripped into every day and devoured. Even if the limbs just grow back and they look good as new.

#whump #whumpblr #whump writing #whump prompt #whump tropes #nonhuman whumper #possibly #immortal whumpee #nonhuman whumpee #multiple whumpers #cannibalism whump #body horror whump

[abhainnwhump]

If I ever stop putting this man through emotional torment, you know something is wrong.

#sorry Dream is too easy to whump #optimism/naivety + horrible childhood + extreme pressure and responsibility + almost a god #perfect whumpee #whump #whump meme #whump humor #dream sans #underverse #reblog

[abhainnwhump]

IMYM Chapter 28:

New Ally, New Plan: Dream

(Content warnings: A lot of talk about torture, body horror, addiction, smoking, sort of emeto)

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Dream checked off a day on one of his now several calendars, using the board once used for Ink. Two months since Blue has been in a coma, Fresh died, and Error went missing. He disappeared not long after he, Cross, and Core took Blue to him. It couldn’t have been longer than three weeks. He hadn’t spoken to Epic or Core since their argument. He spoke to Cross seldom, but it had always been tense. Dream thought it was strange Error went so long without attacking an AU. Outer hasn’t seen him, the Anti-Void was empty, and no AUs were destroyed.

It wouldn’t make sense for him to abandon Blue. Blue spoke good things about Error and how he treated him after he destroyed his AU. Dream was a hundred and one percent certain his disappearance had ties to Nightmare. The question lay in what, how, and why . . .

Error may not have been someone he was close to, but Dream was still worried. He never left the Anti-void when he. He could have been dead, it would make sense. They feared choosing a new Guardian of Destruction after what happened to Fresh. At least if both positions were down, neither side was stronger than the other. The balance was in check.

Almost.

Dream opened his window and looked around to make sure no one was watching. He searched through his nightstand drawer and removed a package of cigarettes. He used to be very against smoking, but now it was one of the only things that calmed him. Dream lit the end and took a long puff, blowing it into the air outside. He watched the smoke cloud drift into the sky, melting into the air with an orange hue. A bird flew through the sky and landed in a nest, adding sticks to the woven pile. At least the sunset and the beauty outside never changed when the world went dark.

Dream inhaled again and looked to his left. His nightstand held a photo of the three heroes after a victory. Dream held their bow in the air, Blue held his hammer, and Ink held Broomie. A faint smile appeared on his face as he remembered that day, back when everything was okay.

Blue . . . oh, he hasn’t seen him in a week.

Dream blew his cigarette out. Tossing it in the trash, they made an entrance to the Anti-void. He snapped his fingers four times before a portal appeared. They looked down at their soul again. Math wasn’t Dream’s specialty, but he assumed he only had about twenty-six percent of color left. It no longer glowed as it used all its energy to stay alive. He wanted to fix it, but he couldn’t with the multiverse filled with so much negativity- combined with his own.

Error still hasn’t returned to the Anti-void. Dream wandered around the white space, studying the blue strings around the place. When he wasn’t in his home, he was here. Someone had to watch over him now that Error was gone. There was a tiny chance Blue could hear him. Dream vented his frustrations, reminisced out loud, and read stories to him. The guardian walked over to Blue’s hammock, only to realize he was gone.

“Blue? Oh no . . .” Dream pressed his nail into his palm. He couldn’t lose another person he cared about, Blue was like a brother to him. Dream looked around in a panic, waking up from the exhaustion taking him over all day.

But luckily, someone shouted at him. “Dream! Hey!”

The voice glitched like Error’s, but was much lighter. A pair of strong arms wrapped around Dream’s body in a hug. Dream didn’t recognize who it was at first glance. But then he looked into his eye lights. He could recognize the look from anywhere in the multiverse. He beamed and hugged him back. “Blue! Oh my stars, you’re alive! You’re okay! You look . . . different!”

Blue let him go and stepped back. His bones and armor turned black like Error’s. Instead of red limbs, his were a blueish-purple gradient. His teeth, eye sockets, and nasal bone turned light blue. He wore a red scarf and boots to replace his blue ones. Three gold stars were tattooed on his right cheekbone and one was tattooed on his left. His eye lights were yellow with purplish pupils.

The glitch that was once Blue noticed Dream’s tense smile. “Dream, don’t tell me you’re scared of me . . .”

Dream laughed for the first time in a while. “Blue, I don’t care how you look! I was just shocked at first. I’m so happy you’re okay!” He hugged him again. He looked over his body. “How are your arms and legs? Do they hurt?”

Blue flexed his arms. They glitched as he moved them. “They’re kinda stiff, but I feel better.”

Dream smiled, but it slid away as fast as it appeared. He hugged Blue again. He wanted to shield him from Nightmare ever reaching him again. “I’m sorry this happened to you. This wasn’t what you deserved. I was worried this exact thing would happen . . .”

“Was that why you didn’t let me go on missions with you?” Blue crossed his arms. “I thought you were looking down on me. You kept pushing me aside whenever I wanted to help. I can fight. I'm a mortal, but we've fought together for years! I just want you to see that!"

Dream nodded, ashamed of himself. Yet part of him also wanted to yell at Blue. He pushed the thought aside and sighed. He was not interested in a repeat of Fresh’s death. “I am so, so sorry. I just wanted to protect you. I hope at least you see that.” He spoke the last bit with a scoff.

"Sorta. But I'm still hur-" Blue raised a browbone and his glitches flared. “What do you mean 'at least you'?”

“Blue . . . a lot has happened. Cross and I are on bad terms, Core and I are on bad terms, Fresh died-”

“Wait, what? What do you mean Fresh died? When? How?” Blue’s jaw dropped.

Dream sighed and explained everything to him. It felt nice having someone to talk to after weeks of shunning everyone. He zoned out and nodded off in the middle of explaining. Blue had to keep squeezing his arms to keep him awake.

“Is that way you’re dressed like that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear a black shirt.” Blue gestured to Dream’s outfit. The guardian sighed. They haven’t put much effort into their appearance lately. Dream couldn’t even recall the last time he took a bath, not even in a river. He didn’t have the energy and failed to see a reason to.

“Yes, yes I am.” Dream said. He decided to change the conversation to something more .positive. “You can come home now, it’s not safe to stay here. The clubhouse has been so empty without you and Ink. It’s not safe to be in here after what happened to Error.”

“Error’s gone too?” Blue looked around the Anti-void. “I mean, I guessed that since I couldn’t find him here.”

“Nightmare has him, there’s no other explanation.” He scowled. “He has everyone these days.” He grabbed his arm and dragged him through the portal he summoned.

They made it inside and Dream shut the portal. Blur stumbled and clutched his ribs. Dream gazed at him, preparing himself for something going astray. As everything else in his life seemed to be. “Is something wrong?”

Blue looked at him. “Yeah, I’m fine! I haven’t eaten or drank anything in . . . however long I was there.”

“Oh, well go ahead. I don’t care.” Dream walked up the stairs back to his room. He lacked the energy to continue talking to him. As he made it halfway up the steps, blue magic stopped him in his tracks. Dream looked down at Blue, who held in him a tight grasp. Drema gritted his teeth and pulled at his magic. "What are you doing?"

"I can read your code now and your soul is losing power. You're not acting like yourself at all, so I thought of something just now! Well, since I woke up in the Anti-void, but it works here. I haven't talked with anyone in months and you're isolating yourself. So . . . how about we both visit him together and we can all talk?"

Dream looked at Blue as if he had two heads. "No! It's only going to make things worse. I'll do it later. I can teleport you alone. I have work to do."

Blue's aura turned worried. "Dream, that's absurd. You two love each other. I don't know how bad that argument was, but you two have been through worse. And you owe me for keeping me out for so long." The glitch reminded them.

Wanting to argue things are worse, Dream thought about the request. He did want Cross back . . . but he said to kill . . . would it even matter? Was he making a bigger problem out of nothing? Was it his own thoughts or his damaged soul speaking? He didn't know. Dream wasn't in the mood to argue. He would take whatever made them appeased. He looked up, not meeting Blue's mismatched stare. "That would be fair. Fine . . ."

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

Fresh purple daises and chocolate filled the air. Dream bought the presents no longer than twenty minutes ago, though he didn't have to. The petals were crisp and untouched. The hall of the apartment was black and empty. Monsters and humans shuffled in their homes. Cross's door was dark black with the number 1010 plastered in silver. His room made no sounds. Dream looked at Blue, then he knocked on the door.

The door opened and Cross stepped out of his apartment. He wore a dress shirt, dark pants, and slacks. His eyes sockets widened at Dream and he leaned against the doorway.

Dream took a deep breath. He kept his anger and bitter feelings inside, he knew he had to apologize. He wasn’t scared of Cross, but he did fear his emotions. He held out the flowers and chocolate. “These are for you. I’m so sorry for lashing out at you. I don't want to fight anymore, not after everything else. You . . . here, just take it.”

Cross took the gifts out of Dream's grasp and touched the petals. He opened the chocolates and chuckled. “Thank you. You even got my favorite brand." He sighed, wrapping Dream in a hug. "I'm sorry too. I should've known how much that was going to hurt you."

Dream leaned into the hold. “Wait, who's that behind you?"

Blue stepped closer as he lingered in the dark hallway until then. His miscolored eye lights glowed in the dark. Cross's breath caught in his nonexistent throat. "Hey, Cross. It's me, Blue!

"No, you look awesome, dude."

Unlike Dream's room, messy with notes everywhere, Cross kept his apartment perfect. Two black couches rested in the living room on a black and white carpet. The walls were white as fresh cream. A bookshelf was littered with trinkets and photographs. Dream recognized one from their first anniversary. Cross prepared a glass vase with a purple bow wrapped around it. He set the flowers inside and set it on the coffee table.

Dream said nothing unless directly asked. Blue and Cross chatted about him becoming a glitch and turning into stone. Dream half-smiled at the two interacting so well. They encouraged him to join in, but Dream waved them off. He rested his head on his hand and closed his eyes, almost falling asleep.

To everyone's surprise, someone knocked on the door. They sounded frantic and like they were running from something. Dream sensed a distressed aura, but they couldn’t pinpoint what was off about it. Then a faint groan, followed by the scratch of nails on wood echoed through the room.

“Dream, stay back." Cross stood up and gripped his sword. “I’ll get that.”

Cross walked toward the door, stepping out of sight. Dream didn't move a muscle and stayed, tapping his fingers on the armrest. Blue stood up from the couch to join Cross.

“Error? Holy crap. Dude, what happened to you?”

Blue rushed ahead of Cross and ran toward the door. “Error! Why do you only have one arm?"

Dream couldn’t hear what Error was saying, but his voice sounded weaker and raspier than usual. It was barely audible.

“- me in. I won’t destroy anything, I swear on the Creators.” Error dragged himself inside. Cross and Blue stepped aside and Dream gasped. Error looked like he walked through one of the darker, gorier AUs without protection. His turtleneck was gone, revealing his damaged ribs. Stained a deep black with specks of purple, Dream recognized as the malice corrupting AUs. His jacket was missing the sleeves. The torn clothing made the moon-shaped brand on his chest obvious. One of his eye sockets was blue, his version of a black eye. Error limped as he walked, glitching more than usual. His left arm was gone, only a few pieces of chipped bone remained. He had a tremble throughout his entire body as if he was both sleep-deprived and high on caffeine. His hand held the worst of the twitching.

Error sat on the other sofa by himself. He looked exhausted and defeated like he fought in a war only to lose. Dream could tell he wouldn’t be able to hurt them even if he wanted to. Black liquid leaked from his mouth, Nightmare’s malice. Dream bit his lower jaw. It was a miracle Error was even conscious, much less alive.

Blue sat closest to him and dropped a blanket over his shoulders. “Do you want me to get you a hot chocolate or something?"

“Yes, sir.” Error clung to the blanket. “I haven’t eaten in days. I don’t get hungry in the Anti-void and I hate it.”

“Sir? I . . . nevermind. Cross, do you still have it in the upper cabinet?” Cross nodded at his question. Blue stepped into the other room. Dream watched Error with a mixture of emotions. His soul ached, assumingly from Error’s malice. He made a fist in case he attacked.

Error put the sweater on and his shivering calmed a bit. Blue came in with a hot chocolate and some toast. Error drank half the mug, even though it was piping hot. He looked up at the Stars and Cross. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want your pity. I- I’m just hungry.”

“It’s not out of pity, it’s out of basic kindness. You’re hurt.” Dream kept his eyes on Error’s missing arm. The shards of bone sticking from his shoulder never received proper medical treatment. “I can heal you a little, may I?”

“Dream . . .” Cross warned him with his tone. “Be careful with your magic, please.”

Error looked skeptical. He tried to move his arm, but it stayed still as ever. Sighing, he moved over and held his damaged shoulder in front of Dream. He lowered his sweater to expose his shoulder. “Don’t touch me.”

“I’ll try my best.” Dream moved closer to the shards. He held his hand over it, summoning green magic. Usually, he liked to hum while performing healing spells, it helped with concentration. But now he didn’t believe it was the time. He hoped he earned Error’s trust by now and he wouldn’t lash out.

Cross kept a tense look on his face, preparing to step in if Error attacked Dream. “Where were you this last month and how did this happen?”

Error grunted, leaning back a little. “I got kidnapped by Dream’s brother and his gang of bloodthirsty hyenas.”

“Called it,” Cross muttered. “So what’s the story?”

“After you guys brought Blue to the Anti-void, I was pissed at Nightmare. We had a deal that he could torture you and Ink as much as he wanted as long as he didn’t hurt Blue. Well, then he turned Blue into stone. I broke into his castle and strangled him, then he insisted we go for a walk. Long story short, I found out how messed up and Ink were. I tried to help Ink and get him out of there, but he didn’t listen! All he did was cry and beg for Nightmare! It was worthless because Nightmare came back anyway. He captured me and beat me up. Even Ink got in to help and smiled while Nightmare branded me! He was happy to be his slave and help torture me. You should have seen his outfit and ribbons, he looked so stupid.” Error smiled for half a second, returning to scowling.

“Ink- no, Ribbon wouldn’t stop smiling. He tried to make me his friend. He talked to me about how ‘good’ this all was and how much he loved Nightmare. He even made me have tea parties with him. That . . . .was probably the best part of any of this. I don’t know who taught him how to bake, but he brought me chocolate biscuits. I almost felt bad, he’s lonely. Nightmare hasn’t allowed him to socialize with anyone except his numbskulls. I kept yelling at him to snap out of it, but that made him cry. And then Nightmare punished me for making him cry. It’s not my fault he’s so damn sensitive! Somehow, I can’t make myself hate him. He’s scared and doesn’t want to get hurt. But I hate everyone else in that castle, especially Nightmare.”

“The worst part was that Ribbon's visits, or playtime as he called it, was the best part. The rest of the time, Killer, Dust, Horror, or Nightmare would torture me. Nightmare wouldn’t stop jabbing me with the sludge he infected AUs with. Then he made me describe the effects. I’ve never been so hungry in my life. In the Anti-void, I don’t get hungry or tired. Blue figured that out. But these guys wouldn’t feed me for days unless it was more sludge. They promised I would get more food and clean clothes if I started ‘behaving’. I spit in their faces and I punched Horror. Then Nightmare blindfolded me and beat me with his tendrils. He even muzzled me most of the time to embarass me. He finally said,” Error’s bitter look slacked, “he would make me into a doll like Ribbon. Dust would've taken my voice and Ribbon talked about making me dresses. He nearly cut my magic strings out of my eye sockets because Dust wanted to experiment on them.”

Error coughed up more black liquid. Dream moved aside to avoid it. “But one day, after Ribbon came down for playtime, the lock on my cage wasn’t closed right. I slammed myself against the bars a few times and the door broke open. I didn’t realize how weak I was and struggled to walk. I was never let out unless it was for me to get tortured or humiliated in some way. I think they were on a mission or something so I was looking around the castle and . . . and . ."

“And then what?” Blue leaned closer to Error. Dream's mind drifted off, not focusing on the entire story. He concentrated on the malice and Ink, how Error described it. His hands shook as he healed Error. The sharpened ends lost their points.

“I found the key to my Anti-magic chains in Nightmare's office. I also found this . . . I don't know, a potion? It was that, a book, and an empty syringe. I broke those stupid handcuffs and got away. I tried figuring out what that potion was, but the book was in a different language I couldn't read. I didn’t have enough time and I didn't want to keep looking. Eventually, my powers worked again, but. Killer, Horror, and Dust fought me and I won. I got here since I felt your soul, Dream. This malice is making me miserable."

Dream stopped healing for a moment. He had a horrible premonition about the potion. With knowledge of Nightmare's history, he feared it was something horrible. His nightmares were always horrible, but he didn't see any potions in them. Yet . . . there was no way Error should have been able to enter the Omega Timeline with Core's defenses. Dream's personal feelings slid into concern.

Error shivered in his blanket. “If I was in there another month, hell even a few weeks or days, I would’ve gone crazy like Ink did. He meant it when he said it’s easier to give into the rewards and stop thinking.”

Dream dug his nail into his palm. He thought back to his final conversation with Ink before Nightmare took him. "How does Nightmare treat Ink? Did he ever hit him or something like that?"

Error sighed. “Weirdly. Sometimes he treats him like a partner, sometimes like a little kid, and sometimes like a dog. Like I said I . . . I didn’t see much in the dungeon, but Ribbon seems used to adapting to what he wants. He was so cuddly with him . . . I can't believe they're getting married . . ." He rubbed his temples. He paused and coughed up more malice, eyeing Dream's chest. His weak soul begged not to fight and Dream covered it with one of his hands.

Cross's aura was shocked, yet mixed. Dream remembered something he told them once, about his soul. Error stole it years ago and it started the X-Event. "Yeah. I hope you're okay, but can you stop coughing up liquid corruption on my couch?" He snapped his fingers and used his telekinesis to drag a trashcan in front of Error. "Keep it in ther- did you just say they're getting married?"

Error looked shocked. “Huh, I thought he would've flaunted that off by now. Nightmare popped the question and he’s marrying him at the end of the month.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a wad of crumpled paper. Dirt and blood stained it. He tossed it to Blue. “Read this, I got it from Nightmare's desk."

Blue unfolded the note and scanned Nightmare's centuries-old writing style. Dream and Cross looked over his shoulder at the black and lavender note. The location was a chapel in Mafiatale. Of course, Nightmare loved to make things official. It fed into his superiority complex. If Ink married him, he would change his name and . . . Nightmare would steal his position, completing his claim on him and becoming a god. There couldn’t be any other reason. Part of Ink's guardianship had to remain, right? Leaning away, Dream finished healing Error's arm, at least the best he could. He lay down from the magic exhaustion.

“There, how does that feel?”

Error touched his shoulder. Once he figured out the pain lessened, he moved his fingers down each point. He pulled his hand away to check for signs of blood. Error smirked and his aura glowed with new positivity. “Thanks, I guess.”

“No problem.” Dream watched as he worked with the arm. “Do you want me to try and help with the malice?"

Please say no.

“No. You can't do anything, I would've figured out how to get rid of it by now if there was something. I can't even stop my damn hand from shaking! I even bit someone on the way here and I couldn't control it!"

Dream sighed. "Error, I think what you’re experiencing is withdrawal. You said they pumped you with poison and starved you, so it makes sense your body grew dependent.” Dream paused as he thought about Ink again. He might be having problems too if he stayed longer and in similar circumstances. He was already addicted to Nightmare’s toxic aura. Dream heard the last bit, but he didn't want to acknowledge it, not now. But his idiot friend beat him to it.

"Who did you bite?" Blue looked into the trashcan full of malice. He paled. "Oh stars . . . did you spread that?"

"Some random monster, I don't know. They looked fine. It made me good after. How do I make it stop?” Error's hand kept twitching. He dug his nails into his scarred shoulder. More black liquid spilled onto the trash can. Cross frowned at the liquid staining the edges. The malice moved inside.

Dream had to remember the course he took on helping addiction victims. The tactics blurred in his mind, too exhausted and too negative to think. "I forgot. Nevermind., you can find out yourself."

Cross stared into the garbage can. "I'm getting Core on this. This isn't normal. Error, if you bit someone and this spreads, shit." Cross wrapped the garbage bag up to keep the malice inside.

Blue seemed disappointed. Dream wanted to take a nap anyways, even if he felt a little bad for Cross. "Error . . . can you teleport me home? I don't have enough magic to use." Dream covered his soul. Error's hungry glare still made him uncomfortable.

"Ugh, fine . . . just because you healed me." Error opened a glitching portal. The ends dripped with black negativity. Dream hugged Cross again and kissed him on his nonexistent lips. Cross returned the embrace, running a hand down Dream's skull. Despite everything, both gave him positivity and helped him feel warm inside.

"I love you, cookie dough."

Cross kissed Dream on the head. "I love you too. We'll take care of this, together."

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

“Error Crayon,” Core said in a polite tone.

“Core Frisk.” Error crossed his arm.

Five skeletons and the Guardian of the Omega surrounded the main table in the Omega Central. Never seeing the Omega Central before, Error looked around in awe. Four nights came and gone from when he showed up. The monster he bit was found and sent to a lab, hopefully for testing. Dream leaned against the wall. He itched for another cigarette, or to leave. His soul ached with misery. He rested between Epic and Blue, keeping his sights away from the main task and Core.

Epic stared at Error's mutilated state and his missing arm. He wore Fresh's glasses on a chain around his neck. "Dang bruh, where's your arm?"

Error glared daggers. He grabbed the strings on his face. “Not. A. Word.”

Cross walked up to the head of the table, wearing his royal guard armor. He rolled a massive sheet of blank parchment and a few pens and pencils on the long table. Each pen was a different color. "So . . . we have a problem. Another one. Nightmare is getting married to Ink, or Ribbon, and he has some plan with a potion. That, on top of whatever this malice infection is.

"So what do we do about it?" Epic asked. "'Cause everything is ending up with someone dying, or worse."

Cross put on his commanding general voice. "We need an attack plan. This could be one our final chances to defeat Nightmare, we need to take down that wedding. If I learned anything from the year I worked for him, it's that Nightmare won't have it be normal. He needs to turn it into a grand spectacle.

"That's true." Blue looked at his arm, flexing his glitching fingers.

Cross closed his eye sockets. “Look, it’s no secret I hate Ink. He’s selfish, cocky, childish, ruined my life because he was bored, and he never apologized for any of it. My friends, my brother, and my world are dead because of what he and X-Gaster did. I don’t forgive him, but not even he deserves to be Nightmare’s braindead plaything. No one does.”

Error grumbled. “Braindead is right, he can't even think for himself. ‘Oh I'm just a little doll!’ That’s a dog bed, bastard. Nightmare has him sleeping in a dog bed and he likes it.

“I’m not even going to ask.” Cross bit the tip of the pencil as his mind constructed plans. He sketched out a castle, shockingly accurate to Nightmare's. He switched his pencil out for a pen and drew attack lines.

Blue looked over at the plans. "Wowie, you're good at drawing."

"Thanks. Ink taught me." Cross sighed. He peered up from the surface and noticed Core Frisk sleeping. Their head was buried deep in their arms. Cross tapped them with a pencil. "Core, wake up. We need your help here."

The child didn’t even seem to realize they fell asleep. Core sat up and looked at the others. Dream glanced out the tall window. He lacked their ability to sense what happens in this AU and he couldn't open code like Error. Despite that, they could tell the aura around the place weakened. The emotions of tension and confusion from the citizens told him.

"I'm sorry, my nightmares have gotten worse. I can't sleep." Core rubbed their eyes and yawned. “Error, if you know where Nightmare’s castle is and can access the AU, why don’t you destroy it?”

Error scoffed. “What? Do you think I haven’t tried? If I could, I would’ve destroyed it a long time ago. Nightmare cast spells and altered the code of that world so I get shocked if I mess with it. Not worth it.

"We don't need to destroy the AU or Cross slammed his finger on the map. "There’s another way. Right here there’s a secret door that can be activated with a lever. The lever is disguised behind one of the rocks holding up the mountain. It would take longer to get in, fifteen minutes instead of three, but it’s our best bet.”

“And how do you know all of this?” Core inquired. “Just curious.”

Cross pressed his mouth into a firm line. “Killer showed me. Sometimes, he, Horror, Dust, and/or I would sneak out at night to cause trouble. We would creep back before Nightmare woke up so we were never caught. Everyone will be too busy with the wedding to check the castle, but it's safer to use that door. Someone can still be there."

“Oh hey, that reminds me. When Dream and I were fighting Nightmare in my AU, he mentioned something about a contract he made Ink sign. Where would that be?” Epic swirled his finger on the map.

“Easy, his office. Nightmare always keeps a lot of paperwork on his desk. That should be around here, so we’d need to take a sharp left. We can get that and the potion at the same time,” Cross said.

“So now that we have that settled, who wants to go?” Blue asked. "I'm going!"

Error laughed. “Oh hell no! I’m not risking getting tortured again, especially not for Ribbon. Blue? Sure, but not Ribbon. And my arm is gone, so I can’t fight anyway. I still think this whole mission is pointless. We need to separate those two, but there’s no saving Ink. He’s too far gone. He described being forcefully stripped and branded to be as bad as a minor argument. He doesn’t think he’s being tortured.”

Dream frowned at that. His optimism stirred in his chest again. He wanted to believe Ink was there, he did. But did he have any proof? Every piece of evidence pointed to him being less and less redeemable. Positivity was what they all expected from him too. He sighed.

“Okay, so let’s say Ink is gone for good and nothing can save him. Whoever is in his body now needs our help. He doesn’t know how to live and care for himself. We can teach him how to be a person again and help him remember who he is.” Dream said with a nervous tone. Error tensed at the word friend. Dream said a silent prayer to the Creators. “But . . . I’m willing to give Ink only one more chance. If this doesn’t work, I give up. I’m so tired of fighting. Nightmare can have Ink if that’s what makes him happy, I don’t care. Just make him stop.” He buried his face in his hands.

Cross put his hand over his, giving it a comforting squeeze. “We’ll figure out how to handle Ink, or Ribbon, when we get there. For now, I say we should focus our attention on stopping Nightmare and saving the multiverse."

Epic fiddled with Fresh's glasses around his neck. “I’ve never been on one of these “save the multiverse” missions of yours.

“Epic, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. We can handle this! We've all done missions before," Blue said.

“Bruh, are you kidding? Of course I’m going!” Epic grinned. “I want revenge on Nightmare for destroying my AU and killing Fresh. And we’re breaking into a wedding, rescuing the bride, and making sure the groom doesn’t take control of every world.” Epic suddenly grinned. “We’re doing a Shrek.”

Dream didn’t know what that term meant, but since everyone else at the table nodded or shrugged, he didn’t ask.

Cross drew two small figures on his plans. "Okay . . . we split up into two teams. Epic and I will break into Nightmare's castle and find the contract and spell. Dream and Blue, you two break into the wedding and stop them from getting married. I don't know the layout of that chapel, so we'll have to research it, okay?"

"Fine." Dream thought back to Aviar’s goggles still on his nightstand. He’s only touched them when they needed to dust them. His gaze drifted to Blue. His glitching never would have happened if not for Nightmare. Dream held his hand over the table, groaning. “For everyone who’s fallen.”

Cross, Epic, Blue, Core, and with string, Error, set their hands atop Dream’s. Cross removed his hand and his eye lights glinted with determination. “Alright everyone, listen up. Here’s the plan.”

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