Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The MultiVerse was in chaos.

Ink stood in the Doodlesphere, trying to figure it out, trying to understand what was happening, but he couldn’t remember anything like this happening, not ever.

Sheets of paper from the corners of his sight collided, with immense force. He could hear the screams coming from the AU residents as they were forcibly crushed against one another. Every single time AU touched AU, they shot apart, finding contact with another one.

He couldn’t stop it. He’d never heard of this, never in thousands of years, not once in his long lifespan. This was worse than the time he’d convinced the Star Sanses to watch Nightmare on Elm Street together, because it was real.

Dream ran up beside him. “Ink, what’s happening? Have you seen Blue?!”

Ink shook his head, still dazed and horrified, as he clutched Broomie tighter than ever in his hands. He didn’t even need to drink his vials now. He knew what he should be feeling.

Confusion, for one thing. How? How had this happened? Error couldn’t destroy more than one AU at a time, let alone cause the effect he saw now. The Bad Sanses also could never do something of this scale, even if Fresh helped them, which was a possibility now. The parasite had grown dangerously unpredictable since… well…

His attention snapped to ReaperTale, as a black cloaked figure stumbled out of it. “Ink, what’s happening? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Ink snapped, scared. Yes, scared. He should be scared in this situation, he thought to himself. But it felt strangely real for a god without a SOUL. “I was just drafting up another AU and suddenly things went boom!”

“Ink, I swear to Life herself if you do actually know what’s going on-” Reaper’s eyes went wide as the entire Doodlesphere shook, shoving all the AUs together once more. Dream went sprawling, and Ink had to use Broomie as a crutch to keep himself stable.

“Reaper, please,” begged Dream. “We have bigger problems.”

More shapes erupted from five different AUs, as a Sans burst out of each. Ink took in each one of their panicked faces as they felt the Doodlesphere shake beneath their feet.

“Ink, what in the ever loving fuck is happening?!” growled Red from Underfell, balancing on the quaking floor as best he could. “One minute Boss is telling me to go get him some chocolate, next the whole place is shaking like crazy! And it’s not any better here, is it?!”

Dance balanced easily on the floor, but the look on his face told Ink that he had other problems. “We had the ceiling collapse on us. I think Undyne broke a leg.”

Lust nodded, sharing Dance’s concerned look. “Same with us. I don’t think our AUs have very good builders.”

Sci from Sciencetale was shaking all over, poor guy. He was a younger version of Classic, but easily one of the smartest monsters in the Multiverse. “Are we going to be ok?”

All eyes fell to Ink and Dream. Dream was pulling himself up, wincing. There was so much fear and panic, he could barely think.

Ink paused as he glanced at the last Sans, Classic, who met his eyes. Classic looked as calm as it was possible to be, but something about his stance told Ink that he was worried. He was keeping it together so that everyone else could.

Ink couldn’t lie to him.

“I don’t know.”

That wasn’t the thing they wanted to hear, but as Ink looked around at his life’s work, he didn’t know what else to say.

That was when the last straw happened.

Outer came bursting from his AU, panting and shaking. Eyes swung from Ink to him as he fell, Classic short cutting to steady him. Even surrounded by friends, Outer looked horrified, on the verge of a panic attack.

“Hey, hey, Outer, buddy. What’s wrong? What’s the hurry?” Classic held up his hands, trying to calm him.

Outertale Sans looked up slowly, eyelights blinked out.

“The Void.”

“It’s coming to us.”

The multiverse was doomed, and everyone in it was condemned to a FATE worse than death.

The tragic thing was that below them lay the thing that could have been their salvation. Someone they had abused, fought, mistrusted, taken for granted, and locked away, so even if they knew to look for him, to see that he had been telling the truth for hundreds of years, they wouldn’t have been able to reach the one who could have been their hero.

And looking down on them, a deity with hair that flamed like the magic of a determined SOUL, smiled and chanted, playing with her fingers and red strings that danced between them.

Every good rhyme starts with Once Upon A Time.
Long ago, far away,
Centuries before our day!

The chosen lived,
The taken roamed,
Both shared all the worlds as home.

Yet this peace,
came undone,
War was waged and the chosen won.

Cast below, The taken fell
The chosen trapped him with a spell.

Listen, chosen, to my words:
The void will eat you,
Beware the curse!

Destroyer strings go snap, snap, snap
Now it's all gone and
You can't come back!

Skeleton
Skeleton
Balance unkempt

Skeleton
Skeleton
Do you hear it yet?

Skeleton
Skeleton
Aus crashing down

Errors worries were not unfound.

Oops dropped your heart
Be careful in the dark
Fate might take it, break it apart

Trouble on the left
Trouble on the right
Save them or leave them to the night?

Oops dropped your heart
Be careful in the dark
Fate might take it, break it apart
Trouble on the left
Trouble on the right

Will you save them
Run or Fight?

Behind a barrier of SOULs, the Destroyer slept. And no one could reach him. 

Chapter Text

Child.

Dear, sweet child.

Please…

Wake up, Error…

The voice was quiet and gentle, warming him from head to toe. It was nothing like the others he normally heard. Except he couldn’t now for some reason.

Where were the voices of Fate? Had they left him alone?

He should probably wake up.

Error tried to move, slowly cracking his eyes open. It was hard to focus for some reason. His limbs felt heavy and cumbersome, he hardly had the strength to lift them. Why did he feel so weak?

Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was white. Pure, blazing white, the kind that stabbed into your brain and your non existent eyeballs until you’d happily claw them out if you had them. He was in the AntiVoid then. That wasn’t new.

Blue. That was the next thing he saw. It was like it was cocooning him, though his face was currently pressed against a loose bit. It tied his limbs together, though he couldn’t remember making his strings do that. Was it a training accident or something? God, that would be so embarrassing. Good thing Nightmare couldn’t get in the AntiVoid to take a picture of him.

… wait.

Error thrashed in his strings. “D0Wn! lEt m3 d0wn, n0W!” Obeying his command, his strings immediately fell limp, making Error aware that he was hanging about six feet in the air. He fell to the floor with a painful *crack*.

“0WWwW! n0T LikE thAT, dIPshIts!”

Pulling himself up, Error fumbled in his old coat pocket, reaching for a pair of glasses. He pulled out the red circular framed glasses, blowing off the dust, and put them on, letting himself squint at the ceiling.

… he’d forgotten about that.

Once, the AntiVoid had been infinite to him. At first, he hadn’t been able to come and go. But as his powers grew, he’d learned how to make portals. The whole multiverse had been open to him. But no longer.

Now, a dome arched over his head, golden magic weaving together to create an enclosure the size of a small house, though taller. At intervals, there were small stitches with something stuck in them. Right at the top, the strands wove together to depict seven golden hearts, with multicoloured cores.The one in the very center was red. The colour of determination, the most powerful trait.

Nightmare couldn’t come into the AntiVoid to take a picture of him. Nobody could come anymore. Not even the annoying parasite.

He raised a hand as he looked down. Where deep cracks had once run, all that was left on his black bones were now faint golden markings. “…hOW l0nG wAS I oUT?”

He felt so drained, so tired and weak. Even standing was hard. It was because of his powers, he thought vaguely. He needed the codes to fuel his power. He didn’t exactly have food or water in here either. He was a god, he technically didn’t need it. He could definitely survive without food. But any being used the healing effects that food gave. Especially considering magic. Even after rationing his magic, Error didn’t have much stored up right now. Some food would have been extremely welcome.

Looking to the ceiling, he wondered how they were doing without him. Was Nightmare going insane because of Horror and Dust arguing? Was Cross still using Chara for pure prank material with Killer? Was Blue still cooking his god forsaken tacos?

(He’d never tell him that, though. It was sweet how passionate the short monster was about his food, even though he could definitely use some cooking lessons from Horror, rivalries between their groups be damned.)

He missed them. In all their chaos and entropy, he actually missed them.

Even that parasite. No, okay, fine. Fresh.

He really was going insane.

Error looked to the ceiling, remembering the last time he saw somebody else. The day that they’d trapped him. Someone who they didn’t think they needed, someone they feared.

The day he’d lost what little he had.

Chapter Text

Ink stood in front of all of the Sanses, eyelights an orange scribble and a yellow star. He had drunk from his vials of excitement and anxiety this morning, trying to make sure he’d planned for everything. Absolutely everything. This had to go perfectly.

“Ok! We all know the plan, right?”

Dream sighed, his golden eyelights… duller than usual? “Yes, you’ve told us five hundred times, Ink. Half of it at least, you keep getting distracted.”

“Great, we’re going over it again! This has to go perfectly.” He dragged out his long blue scarf to where he’d scribbled the entire plan in dot points, with a reminder to check his pockets. Eyebrows furrowed, he reached for his pocket with one hand, and pulled out a book of drawings. Right, to illustrate his point! He was good at that. He held it up for all of them to see.

“So, Error is a problem, right? He’s been destroying a ton of AUs, shifting the Emotional balance towards Negativity, away from Dream. Aka, making things sad for no reason! We’ve tried asking him countless times why he does his stuff, but he never makes any sense, so it’s time we try something different.”

He flipped the page over from a very good illustration of Error wrecking an AU and yelling at Ink, to the next one. An illustration of Life standing in front of an Ink with Error’s shattered soul in his hands. 

“But the rules of the gods do say that I’m not allowed to kill him, not without a whole council, and there’s no time for that. So we gotta do something else.”

“… like what? You genuinely haven’t explained this part yet. You keep going back to the start,” grumbled Red.

“Well, it’s simple!” Ink said with a smile. His eyelights shifted to a yellow sun and a purple cross. When had he drunk from his fear vial again? “We just gotta trap him!”

The whole council went silent, and Dance spoke up. “Trap him. We’re meant to take someone who destroys entire AUs, and trap him. Where the heck could any of us muster that kind of power?”

“Using something that all of us already have,” stated Ink with a sly grin. “The Barriers.”

It was like he’d dropped a paint filled balloon onto the entire assembly. Everyone was shouting, trying to be heard. Some of them sat stunned, others looked enthusiastic about the idea. It was only when a voice from the back spoke up that all became silent.

“Ink,” said Classic, the Sans, standing from his chair. “Explain.”

Ink smiled, excited to show his idea. “Well, I got the idea a while ago when I accidentally teleported to the barrier in an AU that was being destroyed. There were six of the souls there, so I grabbed them because the AU was almost dead. I didn’t really think about it, but it couldn’t escape my mind.” He didn’t mention his other ideas. None of them had worked, and the souls he tried to use just faded in his chest. He’d stopped after his third try.

“Every time we fought Error after that, I grabbed the souls that Asgore had gathered and took them out before the AU fully dusted. I have ninety nine right now.”

That caused a dead silence. Many of the Sanses in the multiverse hadn’t been able to escape yet. That kind of soul power could free so many of them, they could see that.

Dream was the first to speak. “Why didn’t you say anything?!” He cried, shooting up from his chair, towering over Ink even though Ink had a small pedestal he used during meetings. “You’ve been… you’ve been collecting SOULs for ages and you didn’t tell your team?!”

“Three months,” said Ink, looking up. “They would have been destroyed without me. I couldn’t let them go to waste. So this is what I think we should do. We need to make a huge battle with Error to weaken him, and then me or Dream need to chase him through his portals when we usually let him go. We’ll get to the AntiVoid, where he lives, and we’ll create a barrier with all the SOULs we have. It’ll be powerful. None of the AUs with whole populations of monsters ever managed to break through it, and that was with seven SOULs. Imagine how much stronger a Barrier with one hundred human SOULs would be. Especially if Dream cast it, he’s great at magic.”

He was met with stunned expressions all around, until Red broke the silence. “Holy shit. That sounds like it could work!”

Muttering broke out among them, as Sanses exchanged opinions, and Ink waited with bated breath. As it slowed, he hedged out his final point. “We just need one determined SOUL, since all of the others I have are the other six traits. Normally it’d be more, but with how many we have of the others, it’d be ok.”

“We’ll find one,” said Lust, a shadow crossing his face. “Somehow.”

Ink breathed out. He’d convinced them. Everything was going to be ok now. He’d deal with the expressions on Classic and Dream’s faces later. And he could explain to Blue why they’d done it later. He’d had a feeling Blue would be more against this than Dream. That was why he hadn’t told Blue about the meeting or anything. And though Dream might object to that whole deal with storing up SOULs to use for a barrier, it wasn’t as though Ink was killing them. In reality, it would be one life in exchange for thousands, maybe even millions. And Dream was always telling him to care about the AU residents more, so it was a win-win!

He didn’t know why Classic looked like that, though. He’d looked disturbed, almost like when he’d discovered Chara was controlling his Frisk through genocide runs. Ink felt… unease at that comparison? Whatever, it’d be fine.

—-

Dream ran after him as they all left the meeting room.

“Ink, what the heck?” Dream blurted, grabbing his arm to stop him.

The eyelights swirled a few times, before settling on blue and light silver. Confusion? “What’s up, Dream?” Ink asked, pausing.

“What- what’s up?!”

“Yeah, that’s what I asked, right?” Ink tilted his head, and Dream felt so confused at how someone so close to him could be so dense when it came to understanding how his partner felt.

“Ink. You collected human SOULs for three months and didn’t tell me anything! Not to mention you didn’t mention anything about trapping the Destroyer before the meeting. A heads up would have been nice!” Dream breathed in, trying to calm himself down. Happy, positive thoughts. It was something he tried to do every once in a while, whenever he was upset. Negativity wouldn’t get him anywhere. He looked the smaller skeleton up and down, trying to see past the brown, stained clothes and long scarf, his cheerful smile and short stature, to the emotions behind him. But as always, he couldn’t sense anything. Sometimes that was comforting. Sometimes it just upset him more. Especially when Ink showed no sign of comprehending what he was saying.

“Was I supposed to? I wasn’t killing any of them, they were already dead. And they would have been destroyed if I hadn’t taken them.” Ink tilted his head to the side, a dark purple moon and a blue circle. Dream might have been fascinated by that at any other time. He loved watching them change, guessing the emotions behind them, not always accurately. That just made it more wonderful for him.

“Ink, you have to tell me these things,” said Dream, gripping harder, willing his partner to understand. “You trust me, and I want to trust you. But if you keep hiding things from me, you’re telling me that I can’t, whether you mean to or not. We’re a team, right?”

He saw something ding in Ink’s mind. “Why didn’t you just say so?” He asked, a small smile on his face as he slipped his hand into Dream’s. “I trust you completely, I swear I never meant to make you feel left out.”

Dream sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“Hold up, I’ll write it on my scarf.” Ink rummaged for a small paintbrush, quickly jotting something down next to his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Dream. I didn’t have it all together as a plan until recently. And I thought you’d be ok with it, and maybe even be happy. After all, after this we won’t have anymore destroyed AUs, at least for a while. But I shouldn’t have assumed, right?”

“Well, yes,” Dream admitted. “I do wish you’d told me beforehand, but I guess I understand why. Thank you, Ink.”

Ink smiled, eyelights changing to a pink heart and gold star once more. “Yay! Love you, Dreamy!”

Dream blushed a little bit, looking away. Although Ink probably had autism or some other neurodivergent trait, they had managed to clear up the romantic tension after Dream had developed a very slight crush, and Ink had happily agreed to a relationship. Sometimes he felt guilty about it. He didn’t think Ink properly understood relationships. But Ink paid attention to him, being sweet and cuddly. And although he was a little bit dumb to feelings sometimes, he never made Dream feel like a burden, and he did his best to return the favour. It wasn’t quite a romantic relationship, it might even have been described as platonic. But it wasn’t that either. It was… a queerplatonic relationship, that was the word? It felt right. It felt good.

All in all, he couldn’t have asked for a better partner.

A small smile grew on his face. 

“So, let’s figure out this plan, ok?”

—-

Classic didn’t know what to feel about this.

Logically, Ink’s plan was perfectly reasonable. Error was a threat, and clearly mentally unstable. He’d admitted to wanting to destroy the multiverse multiple times in fits of rage, he’d destroyed hundreds to thousands of AUs, hell, he probably had a kill count in the thousands. And his LV… Well, Classic’d never gotten the chance to check.

He was insanely powerful, and dangerous.

But Classic’s instincts told him something was wrong.

As a Royal Judge, his whole job was to balance a monster’s intentions against their actions, and come up with a suitable punishment. This meant getting the full picture, CHECKing the person he was judging. Hell, if they had a good reason, he might even let them get off with a warning or a light punishment.

But he had no idea why Error was destroying everything.

Besides that, something about the way Ink was going about it was sickening, to say the least. Even if he hadn’t killed them, he’d collected nearly a hundred SOULs, without telling his partner. And the idea of trapping Error behind a BARRIER?

Every UnderTale AU had a barrier. Every AU had been trapped and helpless, unable to see the sun or the sky or the stars, never able to breathe fresh air until the Barrier was broken, driving monsters mad, even when they had others to talk to who understood the situation. And most Barriers had been, or would be broken, eventually.

Error had clearly been around a long time. He’d survived multiple fatal injuries, to the SOUL and body, as far as Classic was aware. He might not be able to die. If he was left trapped and alone, it was easy to imagine his mind slipping back into that uncontrollable madness that he’d been in a while ago. He had no idea what had snapped Error out of that, but it wouldn’t be pretty if they forced him back into it.

And he wasn’t mad.

Classic had seen madness.

Best case scenario for them, Error was really just rambling and insane and would die in his prison after a few decades.

There were many worst case scenarios.

If Error was immortal and insane, he could wait it out. And solitary confinement wasn’t great for mental health. And eventually, he might be freed.

But if Error was immortal and sane… that was worse. Because if he had a reason for destroying AUs, and he was kept from it…

Classic didn’t know what would happen, but it wouldn’t be good.

He sighed, opening a portal with a wave of his hand. Maybe he could get Alphys to help. She loved answering hypothetical questions and scenarios.

Yeah. They’d figure it out.

Chapter Text

They all stood in a blank AU that Ink had created, and waited. Waited for hours on end, whilst Ink and Dream paced near the front.

It was going to be a simple attack. Most of the Sanses who volunteered would be going to keep the Bad Sanses occupied, buying them time and stopping Error from calling on them for help. Nightmare and Error might not have an official alliance, but they weren’t against each other either. If Nightmare came, he could spoil everything.

Meanwhile, with Ink and Dream, more Sanses waited. The majority of skeletons chosen for this were from copies of UnderFell, UnderSwap, and DanceTale. UnderFell was the most violent and tended to have the most skilled fighters, but UnderSwap Sanses were also good at fighting due to their dedication to training, born from a Papyrus personality. While DanceTale wasn’t as violent as the others, they were the strongest physically due to hours of dancing practice. Even if the Sanses slacked off by DanceTale standards, they would still have regular exercise and be incredibly fit and athletic.

Neither Ink nor Dream had told Blue about their plan. He was too special to both of them, and a mortal. If Ink or Dream got in danger, he would jump after them, risking his life, when out of the three of them, only he could die.

Well, Ink could die, technically, but he’d reform within the Doodlesphere in a day.

“Ink…” Dream started, but then looked down. 

“Yes, Dreamy?” Ink asked, tearing his eyes from the AU access point.

Dream seemed to swallow, debating a decision. “You do know I love you, right?”

Ink blinked, surprised. “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” He cast a worried glance at Dream, unsure. Was he ok?

“It’s just… I’m scared. Error’s powerful, really powerful. What if I lose you? What if he tears your code apart or what if you get trapped with him? I want you to know that I’ll always support you, no matter what happens.”

Ink froze, eyelights turning white for a second. He was… what? He blinked, and his eye lights turned back.

“Dream, I swear, it will be ok. Because I love you too.” He slipped his hand into Dream’s and rested his head on his side. “And I know you’ll back me up.”

Dream looked down, a slight golden blush spread over his cheekbones, and he smiled, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. “You know I will, my artist.”

—-

This was suspicious as hell.

Error squinted at the AU, checking the codes again. Almost entirely empty. But there was one thing, a flower, the core of the AU. He just had to wreck that to destroy the whole AU.

It was too easy.

But he could sense it getting dangerously close to OG Outertale, close to colliding. He couldn’t destroy Outertale, he had to wreck this place instead. And he could handle anything the Star Sanses threw at him. He’d have to.

And so he opened a portal, stepping into the AU.

It was painted so crudely. A rough blue sky, splotches of green covering the ground in what might have been grass, blobby mushroom trees. It looked like a child had created this place, Ink had never been this sloppy before. 

He’d probably forgotten this place existed, Error told himself. He just… moved on, or lost motivation or something. It happens to every monster eventually.

… so why exactly did this place give him the creeps?

He felt a shock run down the back of his neck, and instinctively raised a wall of bones as Gaster Blasters appeared, shooting beams of light, so many of them, and all of them slightly different. Pouring more energy into his shield of bones, Error kept the wall up until the shots disappeared.

Letting them fall, he spun, facing the group of Sanses that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Or shortcutted. Ink and Dream led them, standing only a little apart, Ink with his oversized paintbrush and Dream with his blazing bow.

Their attacks hurt when they landed. Never enough to kill, but still.

He sighed. “iT’$ a TrAP, 1$n’T iT.”

“One chance, Error!” Ink yelled, drawing a vial into his hand. Red. “One chance to surrender. Your last chance. Stop destroying, and we can end this.”

“. .  .” Error let his gaze rise to the sky. “i cAn’t do THaT. I cAn’T sToP a$ l0nG @s y0u dOn’T. WiLL yOU?”

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you.” Ink raised his brush in the air, and Error sensed he was in trouble here. They’d brought their most experienced fighters in an AU they created just because of him. He might enjoy fighting sometimes if it was a good challenge, but he wouldn’t fight for no reason, especially when it was a horribly unfair battle. Unfortunately, it was not for Error to decide whether he was fighting or not. Sanses swarmed him, Dream on his left, Fells on his right, Swaps and Dances behind him, Ink floating above him, raining down paint. He sighed, flexing his strings, throwing them out to create a web. He must have caught five different SOULs, he thought, sensing the tremors as he dodged strokes from all sides. He was good.

Error or not, he was originally a Sans. He knew how to dodge, and he knew how to fight.

He ducked to the left, giving himself a little bit of breathing room, as he saw someone appear. His eyes widened as he recognised the blurry figure in front of him. He wore a blue jacket and basketball shorts, and instantly, he knew, he knew, it was the real deal. 

He only just managed to jerk his strings to miss his soul. “WHAt aRE yOu dOInG HerE?! Do yOU hAVe a fREaKinG dEaTH wISh?!” Glancing behind him, he dodged a graceful kick from a Dance that would have shattered his shin. Instantly, he shortcutted behind Classic, grabbing his arm with only a moment of hesitation, ignoring his glitches and the urge to run, to avoid. To stop the stupid touch. But he had to, and he forced himself to grab Classic by the hoodie, avoiding the bone. Error managed to shortcut away with Classic, behind one of the big blobby trees.

“YOu iDIoT, If You d!3, aLl oF US d!3! WhAT ArE yOU tHinkinG?!?” Error growled, keeping it as quiet as he could, glancing around the tree.

Classic unfroze. He’d seen what he thought Error wouldn’t have. The stroke from the Fell Sans, not his Red, aimed at Error. It wouldn’t have hit the Destroyer. It would have hit him. “Did you- did you just save me?”

Error looked at him with a frown. “SO wHAt? I dON’t wAnt tO d!3 yeT, anD I doUbT yOU do eITheR. DoN’T cOUnT oN iT hAPpeNiNg AGAin.” He swore as a Lust saw him, yelling out. “FOr KaRMa’S sAkE, StAy tHere!” He started to run, and Classic got a horrible sense of doubt as thoughts started to run through his head.

If Error wanted to destroy the Multiverse, he just had the easiest chance to do it. Ever. Killing the Core of the Original Universe, him, would have wrecked everything. It wasn’t even his universe, where a reset could save him. The Fell Sans would have destroyed the world for Error. 

They were missing something. He knew it.

“Error, wait!” Classic yelled, but Error was haring across the crude fields with many other Sanses on his tail. There was no way he could have heard him.

—-

He couldn’t keep this up forever. 

For each Sans Error squeezed in his strings, two more appeared in their place. Already his magic was depleting, Fate draining it to stop him hurting her precious Ink.

He couldn’t win here. He had to get back. 

Short cutting a while away, he waved his hand, summoning the energy needed for a portal. “cOmE 0n, COmE 0N!” He managed to open a portal to the AntiVoid, and as quickly as he could, he darted through the portal, then sensed Ink and Dream crashing after him.

This was wrong.

They never followed him when he retreated.

Something was very very wrong.

Ink dashed his paintbrush on the floor, creating a huge circle of paint surrounding them. Another quick splash, dousing Error in purple paint which snaked around to bind his wrists and ankles, hobbling him. Dream and Ink darted outside the circle.

“I’m sorry, Error, but you’ve left us no choice!” yelled the Creator, raising Broomie to the sky.

He was completely unprepared for what happened next.

SOULs shot up from the ink on the ground, surrounding him. Each one left a trail of golden thread as Dream thrust out his hands, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. The threads wove together, surrounding Error, until there was a nearly complete dome surrounding the Destroyer. 

Error looked around frantically. “WhaT aRE YoU dOiNG.” This worried him more than that fight out there. What were they doing with all those SOULs? How had they gotten so many? Then he looked to the ceiling and realised he had bigger problems.

His strings were coming undone. The SOULs he had previously captured glowed, floating down from their previous bindings. The other Sanses clearly hadn’t planned this, although judging by Ink’s manic grin and his yellow and orange exclamation mark eyelights, it wasn’t going to be great for him.

With a quick flash of clear vision, Error noticed the child standing behind him, her hands resting on Ink’s shoulders. Her blood red hair flowed down her shoulders, twining around Ink’s hands and skull, forming a crown. Fate had decided who the victor of this battle would be, and Error froze momentarily, feeling her cold glare rest on him. Then she was gone, and it was just Ink again.

Soon, there was only one SOUL left. A ruby red SOUL, a determined SOUL.

Error’s eyes widened as he finally understood what was happening, and he fought harder than ever, trying to break free. They were creating a barrier. Trapping him in the AntiVoid.

The red SOUL floated in Dream’s hand, and he sent it floating to the top of the dome, where it latched into place. Error watched in horror as golden magic spiralled down, from SOUL to SOUL, weaving each one firmly into place.

It was a powerful spell.

And with that, his chains vanished as he clambered to his feet as fast as he could, running to the border. And an invisible force threw him back as he connected with the wide mesh of the golden fabric. He was thrown to the ground, unceremoniously.

“N0.” He was up again in an instant, back at the barrier, staring at the two who locked him away. Dream looked faint, probably from the huge spell he just cast.

“N0 n0 NO!” he thumped a fist on the mesh. It was like glass.

Summoning his strings, he tried to shoot them, to tear the thing apart, to do anything, but they wouldn’t work. After five minutes of trying, he stood back, breathing heavily. Ink and Dream hadn’t moved. He turned to them, eyes wide.

“UnDO iT. NoW.”

Dream shook his head, eyes downcast. He could feel everything that Error was feeling. It wasn’t fun. “I-I can’t. The spell is done.”

Error was frozen, in shock and anger and fear. “YOu Can’T dO tHIs. YoU’RE jUsT gO!NG t0 L3Av3 M3 H3r3?!”

Ink nodded, looking him in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Error. We had to.” A blue and lime green eyelight. He was genuinely sad, and surprised that it worked.

“…”

Error began to laugh. A horrible, broken laugh, that gradually turned to a scream.

“¥0U !D!0T$.” 

Both of the others felt their marrow chill as Error stood, perfectly calm now. The Destroyer no longer looked panicked. He looked like a monster with nothing to lose. And that was scarier than a monster who threw around threats and tantrums.

“¥0u’r3  @1w@¥$   g0!ng +0  b1@m3  m3,” Error said dully, his voice glitching worse than either of them had ever heard before. They could barely understand him. “!’m +#3  D3$+r0¥3r. !+’$  m¥ j0b. ¥0u  £3@r  d3$+ru€+!0n.” He tilted his head, and in that moment, even Dream couldn’t guess what he was thinking. His emotions, they were garbled, rushing out from a dam he had hidden them behind for years, where they’d been pent up. He was… amused. Amused, sad, angry, relieved, happy, scared, worried, all at the same time.

“! W0nd3r #0w 10ng !+’11 b3 uN+!1 ¥0u b3G £0R !t.”

Ink turned to leave. Dream only stayed a moment longer.

Chapter Text

Error had tried everything he could think of. His strings did nothing, there were no weak points in the dome, his portals were malfunctioning until he got calm enough to even try that. He couldn’t even access the code.

They’d thought of everything, hadn’t they?

He sat back, studying the weave of the threads. It was magic cloth, right? He made magic cloths sometimes, he should be able to understand it.

… he didn’t understand it.

Dream’s magic was so different to what he was used to. It was golden and shiny and gave you a headache if you looked too long. It wasn’t even woven practically. The most he could figure out was that the first priority was keeping the prisoner inside. Fantastic. Secondly, no magic could affect the dome, or help him escape. That was broad… and the third priority was not letting anyone in.

That wouldn’t really have mattered anyway, this was the AntiVoid. Only he, Ink and 90’s parasite could come in or even find the damn place.

Maybe he could do something. Not to get out, but to say goodbye.

He waved his hand, forcing a portal open to Nightmare’s castle.

—-

Nightmare sat on his throne, alone in the room. His gang were all playing monopoly in the other room after defeating that tiny gang of Sanses, he had no desire to join in. Judging by the sound of knives clashing on axes, it was a good choice.

That was when the glitchy portal opened, facing away from him.

“Error?” Nightmare asked, sitting up. Why wasn’t the glitch leaving the portal? A strained voice came from it.

“NiGHtMare? CoME hErE.”

He frowned. Something was up. Error sounded stressed? Normally he wouldn’t have agreed to stand and come to him, but…

The king of nightmares stood, short cutting in front of the portal, and did a double take.

Error looked like shit.

Multiple bones seemed to be broken, including a crack in his skull that ran over his right eye. He was leaning on the portal, maybe for support? And Nightmare wasn’t sure what to make of his feelings, they were so jumbled and confused.

“Who did this?” Nightmare growled. “Who do I have to kill?” He glanced past Error, and noticed with surprise that he didn’t recognise where he was. A white void, with some kind of weaving in the background. “…where even are you?”

He saw Error shut his eyes, a complicated wave of emotion sweeping over him. “It’S mY hOMe. ThE AntIVoID. I… I mIgHT be stAYinG heRe a WhILe.”

Nightmare frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that.

“I nEEd a FavOUr, NIghT. CAn yOU hElP me plEAse?”

“Error, what aren’t you telling me?” Nightmare growled, approaching the portal. “Come here so we can talk properly.”

“. . . I cAN’T.” A tiny drop of blue traced Error’s tear track markings, falling down. “I’m TRapPed.”

Nightmare stood, frozen, as Error shifted the portal view just a little, enough to let him see the weaving of SOULs. It hit him then. Error wasn’t leaning on the portal to stabilise himself. He was leaning on it to keep it open. To force it open.

Experimentally, Nightmare touched the portal, and it fizzled and cracked with burning, fresh magic. He yanked his hand back, seeing the golden sheen added to the portal.

“I’ll kill them. Every single one of them. How could they do this?!” Nightmare roared, broken from his stupor as his magic flared around him, fuelled by his burst of rage and hatred.

“NiGHt, No. NO rEVenGe. ThIS iS mORE iMPoRtaNT.” Error said, words coming faster. “YOu hAVe tO dEStrOY AUs for Me. I knOW yOU’rE gONna prOtesT, BuT CReaTiOn anD deSTrUcTion aRE a BaLAnce. ANd if AUs aren’t deSTrOyed, sOMeThIng bad wILl hAPpEn.”

“How bad?” Nightmare asked, a feeling of foreboding entering his stomach.

“MUltIVErse DesTRoYinG bAD. IF thE AUs tOUCh, iT’S oveR.”

He tensed. Toriel’s tits, it couldn’t be. “You’re telling me that these… these two faced sons of Temmie turds, they trapped you for saving them. Over and over. And every fucking time you came to us, hurt, that was them, BEATING YOU UP, for NOTHING?!” He felt his tentacles puff up to over twice their original size, smashing into the pillars of his room as his rage grew, and stone began to crack around him.

“NIghTMaRE, sHUt THe FUcK UP!” Error yelled, sweat beading on his forehead. The glitchy portal slipped at the edges, getting smaller as Error tried to keep it forced open.

“TO dEStrOY an AU, YOu’LL nEeD to kILl tHE rESiDenTS aND sTRiP THe CoDE. DeSTroY the COre of thE uNIvErSe. You’LL nEEd Cross FOR tHaT.” Error was speaking faster now. “GeT iN, kILl tHE inHAbItaNTS, aND gEt OUt. BUt dON’t iF tHE Star’S aRE thERe. OutRUn and ouTLasT. Do yOU unDeRstANd mE?!” Error looked up, a burning intensity in his eyes, and Nightmare could only nod.

“I’LL dO whAT I cAn hERe tO gET oUT, Night. I prOMisE. I’lL c0m3 b@cK t0 y0u As SoOn aS PosSibLe. TeLl BlUE whAT haPPened fOR mE.”

“Blue?” Nightmare asked, then saw Error’s hands slip. “Wait-“

“GooDBye unTIL NExt TimE,” the destroyer said softly.

Nightmare lunged forwards, but fell on the cold stone floor. The tiles were still broken from his rage and hate, and he let himself be encircled in tentacles, shielding him from view as he let out a muffled scream of pain and anger. Pure negativity, slamming from him, into every corner of the multiverse, causing every soul, human or monster or animal, to tense up, freezing in place.

He vaguely heard footsteps running to the throne room, and Dust and Cross burst in, bones and knives at the ready.

“Boss, what’s wrong?” asked Dust, eyes widened.

Cross scanned the room quickly, seeing no threat, and let his knife dissipate, walking to Nightmare’s side. “Are you ok?” He sucked in a breath as he watched Nightmare lift his head, real tears leaking from his eye sockets.

“No. I’m not.” Nightmare stood, declining Cross’ hand, standing and wiping his face with a sleeve, something that nobody could have imagined him doing. The boss was usually so calm and composed, and even when he wasn’t, he made an effort to be formal whenever possible. He turned towards the throne. “We’re having a meeting. All of us. Now.”

“We have a new… predicament to attend to.”

Chapter Text

Error sat on the floor now, looking at the blazing magic of the weaving. His eyesight was already shit, he wasn’t going to be able to make it worse, no matter how bright it was. It seemed fainter than he remembered, though. Lifting a hand, he paused to study it.

Rising to his feet, he stepped closer, examining the slot where a SOUL had gone. He reached forwards, touching it with one hand, and was surprised to feel nothing from that point. Just faint throbs from higher in the dome, weaker than normal.

He heard a faint crack sound from above. He looked upright, squinting, and put on his glasses. Right at the top was the pattern of seven SOULs that had arranged themselves when he was put there. But two of them looked different.

Summoning his strings from his eyes, he tested their strength, and shot them towards the ceiling, letting them snag on the weaving. Pulling on them twice, he was dragged up, holding onto the strings very ungracefully until he was right underneath the pattern on top of his cage.

Two of the places had strings dangling from the original fabric, and he could see glints of orange and green inside those slots. Reaching forwards with one hand and clinging to his rope with the other, he touched one of them carefully, brushing the SOUL surface with the tips of his fingers, pulling back as his fingertips burned.

Three more snaps sounded in rapid succession, and he glanced quickly at the other places with SOULs embedded, seeing yellow, purple and light blue.

The magic had grown unstable, quicker than he had anticipated. These SOULs were the last thing keeping them in place, along with the positive magic binding them. The magic hurt to touch, but less than it should have, and Error set his jaw, gritting his teeth as he pulled back, willing his strings to form a harness that kept him in the air, leaving his hands free. 

“YOu’Ve gR0wN sL0pPy, DrEAm,” he muttered, positioning his hands over the yellow and light blue SOULs. Touching them would give him a boost of the traits that all Sanses had, even him. The trait of JUSTICE would give him the PATIENCE he needed to keep him going, no matter how much it burned.

Bracing himself, he dug his hands into the net, gripping the SOULs, and he pulled with all his might.

OW.

The magic of the Barrier, the pure positivity, slammed into him like a wall, threatening to snap the blue strings that held him aloft, as his hands felt like he’d shoved them into an oven. Or worse, a volcano. Gritting his teeth, he swung his feet up to brace against the net part of the barrier, giving him a little bit of purchase, as the traits of the SOULs in his hands flooded through his magic system. 

JUSTICE and PATIENCE. They could be positive, and in theory they were. But unlike Dream’s emotion magic, the forced positivity, they were virtues. They were something he had, and something he could draw upon for good or bad.

He focused on that, feeling the agony tear through his body as snaps sounded all around the powerful magic dome. They’d created it to contain him. To trap him. For a reason they couldn’t understand.

They hadn’t used Justice. They’d been blinded by Revenge. They hadn’t been Patient, they’d been Hasty and rushed in their panic.

The SOULs didn’t like that.

Error felt the worst of the defensive, hostile magic turn away from him, channeling into the very thing it was originally from, as the SOULs helped him, shielded him.

JUSTICE and PATIENCE glowed with shades of diamond and topaz in his palms, and next to them, KINDNESS joined in, pulsing with an emerald light. They didn’t want to be used to trap and hurt. He wanted to escape the prison they’d made, and they would help. The cracks along his hands began to heal, green magic flowing over them.

As he gritted his teeth and fought to keep going, images flowed through his mind as INTEGRITY asked him what he was fighting for. Blue and Nightmare, Killer, Horror, Dust, Cross. A promise made through a portal. To save them from their fate. 

A promise he was going to keep, damn it!

As he gritted his teeth and PERSEVERED through the pain, deep sapphire and amethyst light washed over his face, though he could barely see it. His strings strengthened, giving him what support they could, and he felt lighter, the pain fading slightly. His soul was being held higher, less affected by the forces pushing him to the ground as it glowed deep blue, and if he’d looked, he would have noticed that his strings were now interlaced with purple thread.

He was fighting for those who he cared about, though his enemy was far greater than him. He was being BRAVE. Rays of light, like garnet and tiger eye, shone out from a SOUL the colour of fire. The golden strings had bolts of orange zipping along them now, causing them to snap the second they stilled.

I will get out, and see them again.

Error was filled with DETERMINATION.

In the very centre of the weaving, the bindings around the red heart were burned away by ruby light.

With that, all seven of the original SOULs glowed with their jeweled colours, warm and cold, and he was filled with feelings he couldn’t understand, although somehow… he knew he’d been feeling them in snatches his whole life. His grip tightened once again on the SOULs and yanked with strength he hadn’t known he’d had, and something shattered.

The SOULs were free, and the dome around him began to dissipate as the tapestry unravelled, freeing the other SOULs within, though they seemed broken and twisted. Slowly, one by one, they vanished, leaving a feeling of peace behind. They’d been as trapped as he was.

Error hung from the ceiling of the AntiVoid, watching the golden threads dissipate to nothing, with only the last seven SOULs remaining.

“ThANk yOu,” he said softly, watching them float down from their former prison. “I dON’t th!nK ! COulD hAv3 br0keN iT wIThOut yoU.” The seven souls seemed to vibrate slightly, maybe with some kind of pleasure? JUSTICE then nudged PATIENCE, and all of them floated down to the floor, with BRAVERY nudging him in the side.

“YoU… waNT mE to cOM3?” Error let his strings lower him to the floor, as he walked closer to the SOULs, which had formed a circle in the air. A spark of energy flowed between them, and a portal appeared, not glitchy, but dark and quiet. 

He looked at them, surprised. A small smile stretched across his face, and he raised a hand to them as he stepped through the portal. On the other side, he saw them quietly fade, turning to dust. They’d been trapped a long time, but now they were free.

He turned, and was instantly faced with a grey world. A world without trees or grass, but multiple floating islands.

Error froze, eyes flitting around. He’d been here before. Not often, but during fights with Ink, through the puddles that the squid made before Ink dragged them both to a new world. During the X-event, he’d nearly destroyed the entire place for good in a fit of madness.

It was the Doodlesphere, and it was a wasteland.

He stepped forwards, glancing around, trying to figure it out. 

“Wh- whAT h@pP3n3d?” His voice glitched violently, when he came to a small sheet of paper, torn and ripped. He dropped to his knees, scooping up the AU, and he arranged it, trying to put it back together as best as he could. It wasn’t his sphere of power, he couldn’t do much at all. But when he was done, he recognised it.

It was UnderSwap. The original.

He stepped back, and began to run towards it, his footsteps pounding against the island he stood on. With a leap, he tumbled through the AU, landing in a pine forest.

It was grey.

He looked around frantically, his panic growing. “N-no… nO nO NO!” Error glanced at the path, and took off, going as fast as he could towards Snowdin, and he collapsed as he saw it.

Figures moved around the town. But they weren’t right.

They were all in greyscale, with wide black eyes, and moved around as if not seeing things properly. Occasionally a townsperson would raise a hand to someone who wasn’t there, only to turn around when the person showed up. And then… something would glitch, and both of them would be in their first positions, and the first person would greet them again, and it would happen over and over.

They were ruined. Shattered.

Error turned as he heard the sound of fighting near him, and froze. Inside him, he thought his SOUL must have broken, because there was Blue, training with Swap Alphys, and they were both grey and dead, and their eyes were pure black, unnervingly familiar. Even their magic had no colours.

“BlU3?” Error croaked, his voice betraying him.

The now monochrome skeleton paused at the sound of his name, turning to see Error, a smile on his face. His eyes were wide and filled with the darkness of the Void. “Hey there, friend! Welcome to Snowdin!”

“BlU3, it’S mE. It’S Err0r.” He stepped forwards, trying to wave a hand in front of his face. “W@k3 uP, hElL0?”

“I’m a little busy training with Alphys to become a part of the Royal Guard!” Blue said with a smile, his empty gaze seeming to go right through him. “I can show you around later if you’d like!”

Error’s gaze fell to Blue’s chest, and held out a hand. “HoLD oN, BlU3, soMEthIng’S wR0nG…” He made a motion with one hand to summon Blue’s soul, and he felt his own SOUL stop.

Blue’s soul was broken. Maybe a quarter of his SOUL was there, but it was torn to pieces, or maybe shattered like someone had taken a hammer to it.

How was he alive?

Because he wasn’t. He was there, but he wasn’t there.

Error felt his grip on Blue’s SOUL slip, and Blue glitched before his eyes, appearing in front of Alphys again. The same moves from both of them, the same steps.

Blue’s eyes flicked to Error, and he smiled. “Hey there, friend! Welcome to Snowdin!”

Error stopped breathing as he sank to the snow. Something wet was leaking out of his eye sockets. And he hadn’t hurt this much when he fought pure magic to break out of the Barrier.

He stayed there for a long time.

Chapter Text

Error stood shakily, wiping his eyes with his hands. The tears gathered on his fingertips, stretching into brand new threads, and he sighed, yanking them off a little too hard.

It didn’t hurt much. But it still hurt.

He turned away from Blue, who had just started his next ‘reset’ glitch of fighting with Alphys. Staying here couldn’t help him.

“WhAT cAn I dO?” Error asked himself quietly.

Option one: cry.

Been there, done that.

He huffed, tearing his eyes away from the town.

“What ELSE cAn I dO.”

He should leave. Maybe he could try to find any unaffected AUs. Or the AntiVoid; maybe Fresh or Ink would have had the sense to go there?

Be realistic. Ink has no fucking sense. And Fresh isn’t much better.

Maybe he could find the Omega timeline. Core had never let him inside it, but they’d formed a bit of an alliance. He let them save whoever they wanted, and in return, Core refused to tell the Stars about him. His location or any information he might accidentally let slip.

“Cor3?” He said, glancing up. “I coUld uSe yOUr HelP.”

Error waited.

And waited.

And… waited.

“… C0r3?” Error leaned against a tree, scanning the scenery. They liked dramatic entries, right? Surely they were going to appear directly behind them in three… two… one…

Seconds turned into minutes, and Error grew more and more agitated.

“F!n3, iF yOu won’T hElP mE, I’Ll fIguR3 iT out wIthOUt yOU!” Error yelled into the forest, his voice cracking and glitching. He coughed for a second, touching his neck, then thrust out a hand to open a portal.

Nothing happened. 

He tried again with a frown, then waved his hand to the left, trying to open a coding screen. Nothing happened, and his eyes widened. If he couldn’t open the codes or summon portals, there was no way he could destroy a single AU, let alone fix whatever this was. He couldn’t even hop between AUs now!

Error buried his head in his hands, sagging against the tree, falling to the ground. He really was trapped in the worst way possible. Technically free, with nobody to fight him. But so powerless, and utterly alone.

“I ne3d fO0d,” he said quietly. But as he glanced towards the town, with the shops displaying their grey foods, he felt a shiver run down his spine. Every instinct on his body yelled at him that it wasn’t safe to eat that. It wouldn’t be good for him, because it had been corrupted somehow. At best, it might make him feel unwell. At worst… he didn’t want to think about it. There was nobody who would, or could, save him.

Save.

His mind snapped back to that one word, though he didn’t know why. 

Save.

Should he try to save them? How could he save-

Oh.

“Oh. OH!” Error bolted upright, skull cracking against a low hanging tree branch, which proceeded to dump a shit ton of snow on him, but he was too worked up to care, or even feel the pain that shot through the new crack in his skull.

“Th3 s@Ve Scr3En!”

It wasn’t a part of any universe, technically. It existed beyond the AUs, and wasn’t accessible for most. But there was one who literally lived there. He wouldn’t leave it, he couldn’t if he wanted to.

He wasn’t necessarily fond of Error, and yes, the feeling was mutual. But it wasn’t bad feelings either. It was mostly just awkward as hell, for reasons that neither of them could explain. Whenever Error looked at him, he felt so weird for no apparent reason. It was also why he avoided destroying AfterTale copies as often as possible. Destroying them felt… wrong, somehow, and being there always made him feel like he was forgetting something.

But he knew, he knew that Geno wouldn’t want the rest of the multiverse wrecked and destroyed, and having someone there, anyone, would make him feel so much better.

(Except Ink. He wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.)

Hopefully Geno’d had the sense to stay in the Save Screen, even when things went to shit.

He needed to get to AfterTale as soon as possible. But if his portals weren’t working, maybe due to low magic levels, the only thing he could do was to exit UnderSwap through the entry point. It still took magic, but far less.

He had a plan now, and he pulled himself up properly, glancing back at Snowdin one last time, at Blue.

I wonder if Nightmare told him about the Barrier? Error wondered, a little upset at the thought. He hoped that he had. At least then Blue wouldn’t have thought that Error had abandoned him when… that had happened.

“I’Ll fix th!s,” he said quietly. “I pr0MisEd NigHT thAT I’d c0mE B@cK tO aLL of Us.”

And Error kept his promises.

Pulling his scarf over his face, he began to trudge back into the forest.

Chapter Text

Error stood in front of the messily ‘fixed’ AU, in front of AfterTale. He’d gathered as many pieces as he could, and used his threads to pull them together. 

There wasn’t really a way that he could describe what he felt, although he’d always thought that would be Ink’s problem, not his. It was ironic, honestly. But maybe he’d lost touch with his emotions after a while. Maybe locking them away in that Barrier of feelings had made them strange to him.

He breathed in, remembering the feelings of the traits, comparing them to himself. He wasn’t feeling brave, exactly, and not determined or kind. He was technically persevering? But he wasn’t sure if that counted as an emotion.

“… m@yBe I sHouLd CHECK mySelF.”

Error stepped back, away from the AU as he took a moment to think. He wasn’t sure what he was going into. He didn’t even know how much HP he had, or magic. He might as well prepare himself as best he could.

With a sigh, he reached out a hand, summoning his SOUL.

It looked strange to him. 

It used to be white, floating upside down like a normal monster SOUL, and messily stitched up with red and blue threads. If you looked closely, you would have seen a faint golden and blue glow surrounding it, but the cracks were the most alarming thing about them. If you weren’t used to them.

Now it still looked like a monster SOUL, but the deep, bleeding cracks had lessened, the red threads growing looser and looser. Maybe Fate didn’t care about him anymore. That would be better than heaven, he thought , not entirely sarcastically, but his mood faded again as he studied his SOUL closer.

Black marks outlined the scars on his SOUL, almost as if someone had drawn on it in Sharpie or something. The edges of his SOUL glowed fainter, but with many more colours, all the colours of the rainbow.

Clasping his fingers around his SOUL, Error made the motion to CHECK it.

“Error”

LV ?!?

HP 12/*FILE CORRUPTED*

AT 5(6)

DF 15(12)

MG 157 (?!?)

EXP: *FILE CORRUPTED*

NEXT: 

Weapon: Strings

Armor: Magic Scarf

Old Coat

Glasses

Gold: 154

KILLS: *OVERFLOW ERROR*

-God of Destruction (forced), Fate-touched

*He is currently extremely confused and upset. Emotionally volatile as he does not know what happened to the Multiverse.

*Weaker than normal due to long sleep and breaking his prison, although the rest partially healed his injuries along with KINDNESS.

*4% corruption

He only had 157 magic?!

Error stared at it. No wonder he wasn’t able to make a portal. His magic stat was usually in the thousands, if not millions, and portals required at least three hundred magic points to cast one if not in a special place. Normally that was nothing.

And… twelve health. With no items, and not even his coding attacks. 

Geno had better be fucking friendly.

He sighed, dismissing his portal. His good old scarf would give him adequate defense, and it was lucky that Geno would only have one attack point.

If only he had some chocolate or something. That would be so good right now. It would heal all of his health, and give him a kick of magic too. Plus it had been so long since he’d had some of that ambrosia. Food of the gods indeed, especially if it was from Red’s universe.

That was when he glanced down, eyes snapping to the last thing.

Corruption?!

“Who0P-de-FUCK!NG-Do0. JU$T whAt I nE3dEd to W0rRy abOUt.” Error sighed, facepalming as he unsummoned his soul. Back of the brain for now, it wasn’t going anywhere in the SAVE screen. 

He stepped back, pulling up the AU so it hung in the air, and took a deep breath. “Y0u bEtTer be THerE, GeNO.” Error began to run towards it, launching himself forwards so that he tumbled through, landing a little bit more gracefully this time.

“N@Iled It.” He smirked, then his smirk fell as he glanced around the AU. 

It was mostly held together with his strings from where he’d used them to pull the AU together in the Doodlesphere. They were the only colour there, a deep, pristine blue among the greys and whites. It was sad, somehow, how dull it looked.

He stood there in silence for a moment, then turned abruptly, heading the opposite way from Snowdin. Nope, nope, nope. Not going there again.

He should get to the Ruins. Access to the Save screen was easier there, always, due to it being the starting point of the Resets. He didn’t even have to be at the hole the human fell down, just being surrounded by that stone would help.

He paused at the ruin door, seeing a slumped over skeleton sitting in the snow.

Must be the Sans that replaced Geno, Error thought, then looked at the Ruins, brows furrowed. How to get past them…

“Hey, um, buddy? You need something?” Asked the Sans, looking up as he spoke in a thick voice.

Oh. He’d been crying? Error paused. “I-I nE3d tO gEt In. Do yOu knOW hOw?”

“Why?” 

Error hesitated. “WeLl, I ne3d to VisIt an… aLly. Th3 waY in Is On th3 oth3r sIde of th3 d0or.”

“Heh. Good luck with that, buddy, but if you’re looking for a pal in the Ruins, you’re going to be pretty bone-ly.” The Sans chuckled for a moment, and Error saw a look of incredible sadness on his face. Loneliness. So this was AfterTale after all. But this guy… he didn’t have Pap’s scarf, not yet at least. “There used to be a lady here. I haven’t heard her voice in a long time.”

Sanses never sounded this lonely on their own. They were liars, masking their emotions with happiness or apathy. This one was unique.

“… tOr1el, rigHt?” Error looked down, and something in his SOUL hurt, something that he was missing, clearly. “I’m n0t loOkInG fOr hEr. SomeONe… elSe…”

The Sans shrugged. “Go ahead. There’s an entrance at the side. You can’t hurt her anymore.”

Error nodded to the grey skeleton as the slumped figure began to glitch, badly. Within a few moments, he was sitting in the first position again, not looking at Error. “Hey, um, buddy? You need something?”

“…” Error backed up a little, feeling his sins crawling on his back. There was something at play, bigger than himself. Was this all because he failed at his duty?

Hah. That was ironic.

“I’M go0d. G3t s0mE slE3p.” Error turned, leaving the broken one in the snow as he began to glitch again.

Error began to walk, slowly at first, then faster as he noticed what the guy had been talking about. A cave entrance, like a crack. Narrow, but not impassable.

Stepping forwards, Error slipped a hand in, testing the area, when he just shrugged. “FVck iT.” With two more steps, he was in the Ruins themselves, and he thrust out a hand to open the small portal. It didn’t take much magic at all, just a spark.

He trailed his hand down, and the split in the air opened, like a void.

With a swallow, Error walked into the darkness of the Save Screen.

Error fell about three feet onto the ground, face first.

“OW!” He yelled, then swallowed. Reaching a hand to his face, he didn’t feel much. It was just a bruise. Pulling himself up, he dusted off his coat, careful not to tear it any more than it already was.

With a wince, he took off his glasses, putting them in his pocket. He should get a case for them, it was a miracle that they weren’t cracked beyond repair, between his job and all the times he was falling from mid air recently.

He squinted at the darkness around him, unease beginning to grow. This felt awful, god damn it. As bad as the AntiVoid, or worse. At least he knew why the AntiVoid gave him the creeps. This place just… made him shake.

There was meant to be some kind of flower patch nearby, right? With gold and green. Error couldn’t imagine going far from there if he was stuck in the Save Screen. Surely Geno would share that kind of opinion with him.

Beginning to walk, slowly, he tried to think. Where was he?

That’s when he stopped mid step, and a small smile began to touch the corners of his mouth.

There it was, the center of the save screen. And it had colour.

That tiny circle of green and yellow in the centre of the darkness was clearly visible for ages, and Error drew closer, cautious. Where was Geno?

“GenO?” He called, looking around. “I ne3d tO talK to YOu.”

He waited, breathless, for a response, when something in his skull tingled, like a warning sense, and somebody launched into his back from behind. 

Chapter Text

Error felt himself get thrown to the ground, someone on top of him, grabbing him as they tried to hold him down. 

He felt his head cloud with glitches, as pain filled his body. He yelled out, thrashing back and forth, trying to fight it and get out, get out!

He felt his whole body glitch severely, and he felt himself get torn to pieces, painfully, landing back together about three metres away. He fell to his knees, panting, reaching his hands to his eyes, throwing out strings. “GeT theM.”

The magic responded, coming alive and launching behind him, and he heard a slight cussing sound, and the sound of struggling. Slowly, he pulled himself up, turning to face his attacker, though he felt sick for some reason.

It was a skeleton, a curious mix of a Sans and a Papyrus, maybe. He seemed shorter than normal, yet not as short as Ink or Blue, and he seemed thin too. While his bones were thin and maybe not quite proportionate to his body, his eye sockets were large like a Sans, with one eyelight visible, a navy blue one with a red center and golden speckles. His clothes were simple, a sort of dress like Sans and Papyrus had in the HandPlates AUs, but in a shade of dark green. A red scarf was tied around his neck with a pin. But that wasn’t the thing that caught Error’s attention. It was the wings.

Long and sweeping, they were slightly extended as they were tangled in his string, and they grew worse as the stranger struggled. They were really dark, almost black, but not quite, with hints of navy blue at the tips of each feather and speckled with white all over.

Error blinked as the implication sunk in. They had colour. Shaking his head to clear it, he walked in front of them.

“WhO aRe yOu?” He growled, looking them up and down.

“Why should I tell a Voidling anything?” The stranger asked, eyes narrowed. “You’re just gonna kill me anyway. I just don’t know how you got here.”

Error blinked, tipping his head. “WelL, thAt’s a StrAng3 !nSulT.”

“Voidling?” The stranger questioned, finally growing limp in the strings. “Well, no, it’s not an insult. Though I’ve never heard of one with any colours at all before, you glitch like one.”

“ThaT’S jUst SomeTHinG I dO,” said Error with a small frown. “WhAT is a VoiDL!nG?”

They blinked, startled by the question. “Well, that’s the thing, if you weren’t one, you’d know. It’s a Soul who got… badly… touched by the Void. Kinda like a shardling, but way more severe. Like, way.”

“The… Vo!D… oH s#!+.” Error’s eyes widened as he began to put pieces together. He’d thought the multiverse was just affected by some kind of virus or something that he should have cleaned up. But if the phrase ‘Void touched’ was anything to go by, then… it was worse than that. The Multiverse must have truly fallen into the Void, and he didn’t know what to do.

He felt his shoulders start to shake a little, and he turned away from the stranger as his eyes began to blur with glitches and tears. Damn it! Had he really lost everything so quickly?

He felt the stranger watching him with curious confusion. “Well, that’s new. Never seen one of them cry before.”

“It- eXcUse m3, I’vE ju$t hAd @ R0uGH c0UpL3 of D@ys!” Error snapped, turning back as he wiped his face furiously with a sleeve. “RuD3!”

The stranger’s wings seemed to sag a bit. “Um… you need a hug or something, buddy?”

“NO.” Error scowled at them, then turned away, trying to think.

“… for what it’s worth, sorry for attacking you. You don’t act like a Voidling.”

“aM I meaNt To s0uND grAtEFul? You’R3 nOt th3 fIrsT to try to k!lL me, YOu won’T bE THe l@sT.” He crossed his arms as he crouched down to try and rest his head on them.

“Why are you here anyway? If you managed to exist in a safe space, why would you leave it?”

“… pERsOnal. I wAs lO0kIng for GenO, bUt I guES$ he’S not hEre.” He felt the other one stiffen in his strings, looking more alert by the second.

“You knew my dad?”

Error’s head snapped up, and he shot to his feet, whirling to look at the stranger again. That scarf… it was a Papyrus scarf, with spatters of blood and dust coating it, and the edges ragged from a corrosive liquid. Determination.

And his eyes flicked to the pin holding it on. It was familiar too, though he hadn’t recognised the significance of it. It was shaped like a dragon skull, a Gaster Blaster.

Like the one Reaper had.

And oh gods, something hurt, though he didn’t know what or why.

“Why dO yOU hAve thAt?” He asked softly, stepping forwards, looking at the small skull charm. Looking up, he narrowed his eyes. “You’Re nOt a SaNS or a PaPYruS, aRE yOu? You’R3 sOMeThinG else.”

She swallowed. “Yeah. My dad raised me here, before he… um. He went to look for my father.”

“AnD hE didN’T cOme bAck.” Error sighed, turning back. “So thIs waS fOR nOthiNG afTer alL.” He walked to the Save screen centre, sinking into the soft grass.

“…You left me strung up. After a very nice heart to heart.” Error could feel the judging stare on his back, and just shrugged, to a mock offended gasp from the other one.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” They said, in a strange tone. Maybe confused, but also teasing? It reminded him of Ink, how he’d always yell and bluster, but this person was much calmer and gentler.

“I doN’T hAve MucH to SaY tO yOu,” Error muttered. “I’m JUst ThInkING.”

“Ah. Ok.” They stayed there in silence, before the trapped one spoke up. “I’m Raven, by the way.”

“Co0L. DidN’T aSK.”

“… are you going to tell me your name?”

Error hesitated. If this was Geno’s and Reaper’s kid, then there was a chance that they had heard of him. And he had no idea if this person would attack him, or blame him, or anything. “ThaT’S PersONaL. I dOn’T kNOw Why I WoULd TeLL gEnO and ReAPer’S sON mY nAMe.”

“… I’m a girl, but ok.”

Oops. “SoRry.”

Skeletons didn’t really have a great concept of gender. Or sexuality. Any two skeletons could make a soulling together, so it wasn’t unnatural. Gender was usually expressed by clothing, but the dress that Raven wore had thrown him off, as he’d seen countless male identifying Sans and Papyruses wearing something very similar in HandPlates AUs.

Hold up, when had Geno and Reaper had a Soulling together? Error’s thought track swung to that as he stiffened. “WaIT a MinUTe. WeRE yOu bORn befOre the VoiD thIng happeneD?”

He turned, looking Raven up and down uncertainly. She looked young, true. But… this was the Save Screen. 

She looked away, clearly uncertain on how to answer. “… no. I was born just after, in here. According to my dad, anyway.”

“HoW oLD aRe YOu.” Error stood, short cutting in front of her, and she cringed back.

“What?”

“HoW. OlD. Are. Y0U.” Their eyes were locked, and Error saw her thinking.

“… I’m a demigod, technically. And I’ve been in the Save Screen my whole life,” she said slowly. “I don’t know how to leave.”

“RaVeN. HoW olD aRe yOu. I won’T ask aGAin.” Error glared into her eyes, and he saw the fear there as she opened her mouth.

“Six hundred and twelve, multiverse time.”

Chapter Text

Raven watched the strange skeleton freeze. He stood, and for some reason, didn’t seem to be breathing. 

“No. nO, ThAt cAn’T be rIGht. IT cAn’T be.”

He brought his hands up to his eyes, and Raven frowned. He looked familiar, somehow. Almost like her dad when he was upset. 

“Hey, um, stranger? Person I don’t know the name of? You good?”

He did not look good at all. 

Raven swallowed as the stranger turned away, seeming to forget she was there. He was glitching a lot at the edges, she could see that. And well, she couldn’t make any sense of his muttering and rambling. 

She should help him, right? But she was stuck in his strings. 

Possibly… she began to focus, and with a few tries, she summoned a bone to her hand, which she immediately stabbed behind her, almost impaling her own wing. Gritting her teeth, Raven waved the sharp edge at the strings, and they broke on contact, freeing her wings.

“Yes!” She hissed, turning the bone on her hands. The strings seemed to be looser with this guy distracted so badly, and within minutes, she was free.

“Hey, um. Are you good?” Raven asked as she dropped to the floor. “Can you hear me?” She walked up beside him, reaching out to tap him on the shoulder.

Her hand glitched right through.

Raven let out a yelp, grasping her hand, studying it carefully. She reached down to pat a flower, and found that that worked. So why didn’t it work on him?

With a moment of consideration, she plucked the golden yellow flower, throwing it at him. He gave a yelp as it connected with his skull. They were heavier than she thought, then. And it wasn’t a her problem, it wasn’t a flower problem, was it a him problem?

She paused, then walked to his side, noticing the glitches in front of his eyes. Could he even see? Raven reached out, waving a hand in front of his face, then pulled back as the wild glitches around him stilled, and a word appeared over his head.

REBOOTING…

Reboot? Oooooo-kay.

Raven sat down beside him, careful to avoid his hands. 

“You’re weird,” she said to him, although now she was sure he couldn’t hear her. “I wonder what made you so upset?” She looked at him closer.

He looked kind of like a weird mix between a beat up homeless person and a kindergartener. He wore three colours, but mostly black. The light glitches floating around his edges reminded her of the time she’d actually seen a Voidling, but he wasn’t quite the same. He was too… colourful. Emotional. 

He didn’t look quite like her dad, Geno, or her father, Reaper, but he was kind of close. To her dad especially.

And looking closer, she could see how many markings he had, crossing all over his bones. Most of them were faint golden lines, but a few were brighter. They seemed almost random.

She wondered if he was born with them.

Who was he, anyway?

89%

94%

100%

Reboot Complete.

She looked up as she heard that, and saw his head snap up, fully at attention.

“Oh hi! You’re awake.” Raven watched him look around, scooting away from her. 

“WtF. WhAT hAppEned?” The guy looked around, clearly remembering some stuff, when he jumped to his feet, staring at her. Raven twitched her wings back, feeling awkward.

“Hey, calm down, ok? I don’t want you to go back to… whatever that was.” 

She saw the guy squint at her. “HoW diD yOU gEt out?”

Raven summoned a bone to her hand, then lowered as he recoiled. “I just… cut the strings. What was that, anyway?” She saw him back away from the question, and decided to change tactics. “You seemed surprised when I told you my age. What’s up with that?”

“…” the guy looked up. “I dIDn’t r3aliSe hoW lOnG it WaS.” At her curious stare, he sighed, and continued. “I… wAs trAPpeD beForE thE mult!vErs3 fElL. SomeWheRE lIkE here. I couldn’T unDErStaND hOw it wEnt tO sh!T so QuICklY.”

“Oh.” Raven hesitated. “Do you know anything about why that happened? I never understood how, and I don’t have anyone to talk to.”

She saw him freeze, like a deer in headlights. “… KinDA.”

“You DO?” Raven asked, fascinated. “My dad told me that nobody knew! Not even the Star Sanses! Though they’re… probably gone now.”

“. . ..”

“After they defeated the Destroyer, they just said that the multiverse wrecked itself! Not even because of the Bad Sanses.”

“D0N’T C@LL TH3M TH@T,” snapped the stranger, eyes glinting as he stood, bristling. Raven squeaked as she realised how much taller than her he was, as he towered over her.

“Th3Y wEr3 th3 b3St pEoPle I evEr knEW.” Within a moment, something flipped, and the terrifying black skeleton now became smaller, sadder. Raven pulled herself up, flapping her wings a little to help. 

“… did you know them?”

“Y3s. BuT iT doeSn’T maTtEr. If geNO lEfT, tHeN I don’t KnoW whAT tO do. I can’T fIx anYThIng, tHAt’S noT my poWeR.”

She watched him, and thought of something. “Are you planning to leave?” At his small nod, she shot up, excited. “What if I came instead of my dad? I can be really really helpful! I can heal and shoot bones and everything!”

“… yoU’Re a KId. I’m NOt dRaGGinG a kId inTO thIs.”

“I’m six hundred! And twelve! I’m not a kid,” she pouted, crossing her arms. “I miss my dad, and I’m going to help find him, and my father too. Besides, you don’t even know what a Voidling is!”

“… thAT wOrD aGAiN?”

“It’s a corrupted SOUL that was already half ruined when the Void touched it. Their souls cracked into pieces and now they’re pretty much murder death weapons.”

“GreAT. Now I knOW WHat a VOidLiNg is.” He turned away, and she shortcutted in front of him. 

“I am NOT spending my whole life in the Save Screen when I could help save the Multiverse, assuming that’s what you’re doing. Or what you want to do, whatever.”

“… I nevER SaId I w@s g0!nG tO save the MulTIverSe.”

Raven stopped, blinking. He hadn’t, that was true. “You implied it. What do you want?”

“… wHaT I WanT?” The skeleton looked like he was going to laugh. “That’S neVEr bE3N imPOrtAnt BeforE. Why shOuLd iT be noW?”

Geez, that was sad.

“Humour me.” Raven looked up, finding she was still a good deal shorter than him, then flapped her wings to be level with him. “What do you want?”

“… I waNT It tO be norMAL agaiN. BUt I alSO dOn’T. I want to keEp my PROmise anD se3 thEm agAIn. I wANt to hAVe sOmEbodY whO caREs. I waNT to BE saFe. AnD I waNT a pInK sTAb HorSe wiTH wiNGs and a CoW taIL and a cHoCOlaTE bAR for gO0d meAsurE.”

Raven paused, then snorted, nearly falling out of the air. “A unicorn?”

He shrugged, sulkily. “StAb hORse.”

With a moment to think, Raven’s eyes lit up. “Wellllllllllll….” She touched down to the ground and walked over to the largest flower in the Save Screen. Scooping away some of the grass, she pulled out an old wooden box that Geno had left behind.

Opening it, she pulled out a singular chocolate bar, pure and untouched, made with pure magic intent, and walked over to him. “Let me come, and you get to have this. All of it.”

Instantly, his expression changed, his eyes lighting up as he saw the chocolate. When he noticed that she looked all too amused, he looked away with a scowl, but held out a hand. “FiNE.”

Raven smiled, handing it over, and noticed how carefully he took the bar from her hand, avoiding her fingers. He held it up, examining it, then turned away from her with his prize. She heard a slight sound, and peeking around, saw five blue tongues poking out from his mouth, grabbing the chocolate. Hurriedly, she turned away again, pretending that she didn’t see anything. 

After a minute, he turned around again, looking a little less grumpy than before. The chocolate was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the wrapper (don’t think about that, don’t think about that).

“So,” she prompted. “Since we’re going to be together from now on, can I know your name?”

She watched him freeze, then he sighed. “CaLL mE ErrOr.”

She smiled. “Let’s go, Error. For the Multiverse!” Raven sang, striking a heroic pose with her wings unfolded, nearly whacking Error in the face. 

“I aM alREadY reGREttIng tHis,” Error muttered, but if Raven had looked, she would have seen him smiling.

Chapter Text

Error stood, backing up from the green grass. “YoU sURe abOUT ThIs?” He asked the younger skeleton with one raised eyebrow.

Raven nodded enthusiastically, bouncing on her feet. “I want to actually be out there, and besides, this way I can help people. Like the St- my dad and Reaper.” Error noticed her slip, looking to the sky.

“YoU caN jUst SaY the Star SaNSes. I mighT thiNK ThEy’Re sTUpiD, bUT yOu do YOu.”

Raven nodded a little. “You… don’t like them, huh?”

“We neVEr saw EYe tO Eye.” Error took a quick glance at his stats. His health was now 45, which wasn’t great, but it was a lot better. And his magic had gotten a huge boost from the chocolate, now at 972. Three portals, if he was careful. With a wave of his hand, the Save Screen opened, and a white portal appeared in front of him, using twenty magic. “AfTEr yOU.” 

Raven nodded, and practically sprinted towards the portal, jumping through, while Error glanced back at the Save Screen. It felt so much… not exactly safer, but more secure. With a sigh, he strode over to the portal, stepping through, only to fall over onto his side. 

“WH@T !S !T W!TH @LL TH3S3 P0RT@LS DUMP!NG M3 0N TH3 GROUND?!” Error yelled from the ground. A familiar face appeared over him as Raven flew down. 

“Um, are you ok, Error? That looked like it hurt.” Raven landed gracefully, her huge black and blue wings folding in.

“… I’M fINe. GIve mE a SeC.” Error just lay there for a minute, contemplating existence, staring at the Underground ceiling as Raven looked around in wonder.

“It’s so big! And there’s so much!” She flicked her wings open again, lifting off to examine a pine tree and its needles, when she saw a thick blue string. Reaching for it, she frowned. “Error, you had strings like this, right?”

Error sat up, recovering from his bruised spine (and bruised ego), and walked over, seeing what she was referencing. “YeAH, it’S mIne. I hAd tO tRY to DraG thIs plACe bACk togeTher bEforE I couLd gET in.”

“You can do that?” Raven asked, fascinated.

Error shrugged a little. “I’M drAIned RiGHt Now. I cAN’t dO as muCh as I’D lik3.” He looked up at her. “We shOulD gET wAlkIng to thE mAIn AU aCcESS pOint. We cAN plAn oN thE waY.”

Raven nodded, glancing around as Error led her away from the Ruins, when her eyes fell on the Sans slumped against the door.

“Wait, Error.” Error watched Raven swoop over to the guy, landing in front of him. The guy seemed barely aware of anything, and Raven crouched beside him, looking sad.

“RaVen?” Error asked, walking over.

“It’s a shardling,” she said quietly.

Error raised an eyebrow. “Um?”

“A soul shardling. That’s what happened to most of the AU residents. Their souls splintered when they fell. Error, can you… you can fix things with your strings, right?”

Error stopped, looking down at him. “Um… thAt’S nOt realLY my skILLsEt, RaVEn. I cAN do rouGh wOrk, bUT not That. BesIDes,” Error drew out the guy’s SOUL with a flick of his hand. “TherE’S nOt mUCh to Fix.”

The Soul was the same kind of mangled mess that Blueberry’s was, with chunks of it missing and displaced. Error watched Raven’s expression flick to horror. 

“Where’s the rest of it?” Raven asked, softly.

Error shrugged. “KaRma KnoWs.” With another flick of his hand, the SOUL vanished again. “CoME on.” He turned, beginning to head to the point he’d come in through. Raven tucked in her wings and hurried after him. 

“So… what happened to the multiverse?”

Error paused in his stride for a moment, then continued, his steps shortened to let her keep up. “It wAs OVerCrowDed. The MUltivErSe isn’T inFinIte, it cOUldn’T hOld aLL the AUs. LikE a BoWL thAT’s bEInG filLed oVEr a LonG perIoD of TimE. So ThEy all CrASheD ovER the Edge.”

“… a bowl?” She looked up, squinting. 

“Y3s. It mIGht hAvE bE3n OKaY, bUT thEY trApPed the oNLy one whO knEw anD caLleD hIm insAnE.” Error hesitated, then added, “M3. I kEpT the bAlAnCe wiTHouT hElP for yeARs.”

“You? You kept a balance? Oh. OH.”

“. . .. You’RE gOinG tO leAv3 nOw?” Error asked, glancing at her. Now that she knew the truth, she’d probably react the same as everyone else.

“Nah, but wow. You’re the Destroyer? Really? Actually that makes sense.”

“HaS aNYonE evEr told yOU thAT yOu ask a LoT of quEsTIons?”

“Oh, sorry.” Raven fell silent next to him, then said quietly. “I really want to ask more though.”

“WhY arEN’T yoU scAred oF m3?” He asked quietly.

“Well, you kind of… did have a full blown panic attack in front of me. And you seem ok. And you’re obsessed with chocolate apparently. Doesn’t seem like a total bad person trait to have.”

He let out a small laugh. “I guEss. I dId nE3d iT thOugh. I hAve baREly eATen in over haLF a miLLenIa.”

“… touché.” Raven laughed, then turned serious. “What are we gonna do?”

“No cLUe.” Error shrugged, looking up. “NevEr sE3n thIs sORt of th!ng before. I don’T knOw hOw to FIx It.”

“Well you’re diddly darn helpful,” she muttered. “Well, what if you just destroyed a bunch of universes? If there was too many, then maybe making less of them happen would help?”

“I cAN’T. I spenT 600 yEaRs trApPed. I’D ne3D to RenEw my PoWers bEfoRe I could Do thAt.”

“Renew?”

“I gET my pOWers frOm UndErTale. All oF uS dO. BuT I doN’T eVEn know whEre UnderTale iS riGHt nOw. ThE Multiverse is A mEsS.”

“The first universe, right?” At Error’s nod, Raven lapsed into thought. “Wait, you said you could renew anyone with their whole soul, right?”

“I dID not. WeLl, MAybE I coUlD, bUt it’D be RIskY. I mIGht EveN deStrOy thEm enTirEly bY miStake.” Error tilted his head searching her up and down.

“What if we found the pieces of the Classic Sans’ Soul?” Raven said, watching him freeze.

“… wHAt? Did yOu jUst hear mE?” Error asked incredulously.

“No no, hear me out!” Raven smiled. “Dad didn’t disappear right away, he went out a few times. And he told me that he nearly found Reaper like five times. But they weren’t all of him.” She saw Error stop walking as he processed this. “What if they were all different sections of soul, and that’s why he never found the full him? So if we found the different sections of Classic’s soul, wouldn’t that help his AU? And the whole multiverse as well? Cause Classic is a core of his AU, right?”

Error looked down at the other one. “ThIs is crAzy. ANd it’s bASed off soMEthing your daD toLd YOu When yOu wERe litTle?”

“Do you have a plan?”

“…” 

“…”

“OK, No, I dOn’T. BuT we shOUld trY iT on sOmEOne elSe fiRst. SomEOne I trUsT, wHo cAn hELp.” Error hesitated, going through options in his mind. His immediate thoughts were Blue or Nightmare. 

Blue was plenty strong, and a hard worker. He had Gaster Blasters, and bone attacks. Error trusted him with his immortality.

But he was a mortal, and they’d need a stronger SOUL if they wanted this to work. An immortal soul. Besides, he’d made a promise.  

“We’Re gOIng to NighTmaRe.”

Chapter Text

Error opened the portal to the Doodlesphere, a purpose clear in his mind, as Raven hurried after him, stopping as she saw the ruined DoodleSphere. 

“Is this… did this happen when the AUs fell?” Raven asked quietly, wings twitching back. Error glanced at her, noticing her discomfort.

“It’s aLRigHt nOw. NoTHinG’S bE3n hErE in a LOng TIme,” Error murmured, stepping to the centre of the area. He paused, a hand reaching to the air. “UnDErTale Used To BE herE.” 

Now there was just a small scrap of paper, with a human SOUL scribbled on it. Raven trotted up next to him, gazing at it. “Wow…. Can we touch it?”

“… if yOU’Re cAReFul,” Error said, seeing her fascination. “IT’s unSTabLe, I dON’T want yOu acCideNtaLLy pOrtALlinG in.”

Raven nodded, reaching forwards, cupping her hands around the scrap. “Should we… take it with us? I mean, there’s a bunch of AU scraps around us, it’ll be hard to find it again. And if we find more pieces, we can put it back together!”

Error nodded, slowly. “GIvE it hErE.” He took the piece of paper from Raven gingerly, careful not to tear it, and tucked it into a pocket.

“Is… that a good idea?” Raven asked.

“MY gLaSSes haVE sURvIved, I’M sURe tHis wiLL too,” Error said stubbornly. “N0w, We sh0uLd try to find eITheR DreAMTale oR NIghtMarE’s BasE. I dON’T knOw whErE elSe. YOu’lL kNoW thEm whEN yOu sEe thEm.”

Raven nodded, DETERMINATION sparkling in her singular eyelight. “Ok, sure! We can do this!”

For a moment, she looked so much like… someone…

Error shook his head, dispelling the thought. Sure, she looked like a Sans, and she might act like Blue, but she wasn’t him. For a moment, he’d been transported back into the AntiVoid, with Blueberry sitting next to him with a set of knitting needles and a ball of thread, laughing when Error got frustrated, but patiently showing him how it worked.

He turned away from her. “GEt GOing, THere’S a LoT To seARch Thr0UgH. CaLL mE if YOu finD onE,” he stated abruptly.

He strode to one side of the Doodlesphere, beginning to check through the shards of the AUs, when he found the remnants of ReaperTale. It was bad, with all the parts torn into smaller pieces. He couldn’t thread it together if he tried, and with a sigh, he pushed it away, searching more. 

He began to recognise more AUs, torn into many different pieces, but strangely never the same amount. DanceTale, LustTale, UnderFell, SwapFell, LittleTale… his hands stilled a little as he found OuterTale, torn into quarters. Not as bad as some of them, but still not good. 

Bringing it down, he noticed the edges of the paper looked weird. Like weird weird. Black and warped, sort of like a rotten fruit. He shivered as his finger brushed it, ever so briefly. This was wrong. It shouldn’t be like this. 

Picking up the quarters, he carefully laid them to the side. He’d find them later.

That’s when his gaze fell upon the canvas.

It had been painted with all sorts of colours once, but had lost them long before the AUs shattered. Despite the way its code had corrupted, Error had never been able to bring himself to destroy it properly.

It was a painting of an elegant tree, apples high in its branches. A slash of paint marked the trunk near its roots, and one of the two apples at its roots was blacked out.

DreamTale.

This one wasn’t so bad, only torn into three different pieces. The edges looked slightly off, as they had with the OuterTale one, but it was faint, non substantial. There hadn’t been enough in the abandoned AU for the Void  to warp.

Grabbing the pieces carefully, Error drew them together, reaching into his pocket to search for some kind of needle.

He hissed as something drove deep into his bones. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, seeing where the needle had pierced a finger, and he froze, looking at it.

His marrow-blood stuff was black, and his fingertips were losing colour.

He wasn’t immune to the Void effect after all.

In a fit of panic, he reached for his SOUL, motioning to CHECK it. 

“Error”

LV ?!?

HP 45/*FILE CORRUPTED*

AT 7(6)

DF 15(12)

MG 957 (?!?)

EXP: *FILE CORRUPTED*

NEXT: 

Weapon: Strings

Armor: Magic Scarf

Old Coat

Glasses

Gold: 154

KILLS: *OVERFLOW ERROR*

-God of Destruction (forced), Fate-touched, allies with Raven

*Error is currently panicked due to his SOUL being Void touched.

*Weaker than normal due to long sleep and breaking his prison, although the rest partially healed his injuries along with KINDNESS. Raven also gave him a chocolate bar.

*7% corruption

Effects: AntiVoid protection, Void corruption

Well, THAT was new. 

Error swallowed, looking at his SOUL. The black marks seemed more prominent now. He would have some time before he corrupted, given that he was a god and that… AntiVoid protection? But… he had to hurry.

He unsummoned his SOUL, grabbing the DreamTale paper, when he hesitated. He should wrap up his hand. It’d help the injury heal and he… didn’t want Raven to see this.

She shouldn’t worry about him. 

This thought in his mind, he tore a thin strip of fabric from the hem of his coat, before roughly bandaging his finger. “RaVEn? ARe yOu donE?” He paused, trying to listen, when he heard a yell from the outer reaches of the Doodlesphere.

It was Raven.

Whirling around, Error began to run, shoving the canvas bits in his pocket, when he saw her, and why she’d screamed.

“MoTHeR FU-” Error cursed, reaching his hands up to his eyes to draw out his strings. 

It might have been somebody once, but it was rather hard to tell who. They were pretty much a silhouette that dropped goop everywhere, the outlines glitchy like Error’s. A white eye shone as it grabbed Raven by the leg, although she tried to fly above it.

His strings in hand, Error made them shoot forwards to grab the creature by the SOUL, only to have them barely snag on something.

What?

Only Ink had ever been able to do that. And Floweys, they were slippery little fuckers. At least the attack had drawn it’s attention away from Raven. 

Was she clutching something in her hands?

Error took on a stance, dragging some more strings out. Was this a Gaster, maybe? 

It turned to face him, and he caught his breath.

Somewhere in those shadowy features, he saw a goat snout.

“ShiT.” 

It- no, she stepped forwards, dragging Raven by the leg as she tried to get back, away from Error. Error tried to think. Toriels couldn’t dodge. They weren’t aggressive, and they preferred fire to hand to hand fighting. Maybe this was a Fell Toriel?

Then, his eyes flitted over her once again. She might have been a Fell Toriel once, but she sure as hell wasn’t one anymore.

“Lady, I’M g0inG to hAvE to aSk yOU to BacK oFF,” Error growled. He shot his strings at her arm, the one which held Raven, pulling it down. Raven squeaked as she got slammed into the ground, and he winced. Yikes.

Toriel raised her free arm, and white fire burned around them. It was her turn. Error yelped as fire singed his sleeve, ducking under some other fireballs. She was powerful. More than she should be.

Error slashed out with his strings, making them latch around Raven, yanking her clear of the fire. 

“ThIs isN’t a g0Od maTChUp fOR mE!” he yelled, making sure she heard. The fire would burn his strings unless he put magic intent into them. But he couldn’t muster up the focus to do it properly, damn it!

Raven flailed around. “Error, it’s a Voidling! Be careful!”

A what?

Oh, right.

“MuRDer scARy dEaTh weAPon?”

“Yeah, that!”

Fuck. Error backed up a little, feeling his health start to dip. “WhaT aRE theIR weAKneSSes?”

“Um, I don’t know, death?”

“… and YOu caLLed Me UNhElPful.” Error ducked around it, summoning a bone attack that plunged right through her. “GoT… iT…”

She was barely affected.

Error whirled around, trying to figure out how the fuck to beat this thing. He couldn’t grab her soul, his strings were burning, and his bones weren’t affecting her enough. Was death really it’s only weakness?

“… wAIt. RaVEn, dO yOU haVe deATh mAgIc fROm ReaPEr?!”

She paused for a second. “Well, I can’t kill anyone, but… I can make them kinda sick if I touch them? But she’s defending herself now.” Raven gestured to the Toriel, who was now surrounded by fire. 

“GO0d En0uGh.” Error used his strings to grab Raven around the soul, filling them with protective intent, and lifted her into the air. Within a moment, he threw her in a slight gap in the defenses.

Raven yelped, flailing to try and avoid the fire, but seemed to realise the plan as her eyelight disappeared, and everything seemed to turn darker around her. Opening her wings, she boosted herself forwards, grabbing the Toriel’s arm.

For a terrible moment, nothing happened. Error tightened his strings, ready to yank her out if he had to, when the Toriel suddenly paused in her attack as Raven kept clinging on. If she’d had colour, Error would have said that the Toriel was looking rather green.

The next few moments weren’t pretty. The Toriel started to retch, twitching and thrashing as Raven clung on. The monster tried to push her off, but she was strong.

That’s how the Doodlesphere earned a brand new pile of black, staticky vomit on the floor. 

Error winced, stepping back, as the Voidling kept throwing up, for a long time, until Raven let go. The monster looked up weakly, eyes faded to grey. 

“… thAT was lUCky.” Error crouched down in front of her, suddenly realising that she wasn’t oozing goop anymore. Had she thrown it up? “R@VEN, D0N’T T0UCH TH@T.”

Raven looked up guiltily, jumping back from the pile of vomit. “Sorry…”

Error reached forwards, using his strings to lift Toriel’s head. She looked at him, and Error had a sudden feeling that this was clarity for her. She tried to speak, croaks coming out of her voice.

“ShUsH. QuIEt nOw.” Error looked at her, puzzled, when a portal opened next to them. He glanced at it, startled. “RaVEn? Did you lEArn hOw to POrtAl?”

Raven shook her head, eyes on it. “It’s not you?”

“My pORtalS are gLiTChy.”

He narrowed his eyes, making out a slight grey figure. One that was familiar to him, though now they wouldn’t look like anything special. 

“C0R3?”

Chapter Text

The small grey child stood on the other side of the portal, and they were moving a lot more than usual? Error couldn’t make out details at this distance.

“Error? Are they inviting us in?”

“I doN’T fUcKinG kNOw, are thEy?” He squinted towards Core, silently wishing that he was wearing his glasses. It seemed to be Core though, although more energetic… was there a chance it was another void touched Frisk?

Also, Core wouldn’t invite him into the Omega Timeline, assuming that’s where they were now.

Raven shrugged. “If you know them, that’s good enough for me.” She glanced down at the Toriel, then at the portal, and ducked down under the Toriel’s arm. “Let’s take her too.”

Error face palmed. “She’S c0RRuPtEd, rAVen.”

“Yeah, but they want me to take her. Can’t you see them pointing at her?”

“No. My eYEsiGhT is ShIT,” Error said curtly, avoiding her eyes. He could feel her surprise, and he didn’t like it. Nope, not at all.

“Are you blind?” Raven asked, seemingly fascinated, but then both of them froze, turning around, as they heard a slight sound coming from behind them. 

More Voidlings. So many more. Some of them looked small and had tails like Alphys, some of them were tall and stocky like Asgore, some of them had only one eye shining, just like Undyne. And Error’s soul froze when he recognised tiny, pudgy figures that could only be Sanses.

“We’Re gOIng thrOuGh that pOrt@l,” Error decided, using his strings to grab Toriel around the soul, lifting her into the air. Raven squeaked agreement, turning to run through, when a white light pierced her leg. An Undyne spear. Error muttered a very nasty curse under his breath, scooping her up as well, when he felt something. Someone familiar at the back of the army, though he didn’t know who.

“Error, come on!” Yelled Raven, her voice laced with pain. Error mentally shook himself, turning to run for the portal, crashing through as he shoved Toriel and Raven through as well.

As was his custom (seriously, what was up with portals these days?!) he fell forwards, managing to catch himself on an arm, hissing as he felt it snap. Error pushed himself up, meeting the eyes of Core, and he could tell now that it was really them, there was no mistaking them at this distance. He scooted back a little, then waved a hand to let down Raven and Toriel, still keeping a grip on Toriel’s soul.

Hang on. Hadn’t he felt it… broken? 

Core smiled. “Hello, Error. I’m glad to see you.”

Error legitimately snorted. “SuRE yOu aRE. And thAT’S whY I haven’T hEArd sh!T from y0U siNCe I woKE uP. BY the w@y, whAT thE fUck, Cor3, whY didN’T yOu resPOnD tO mE when I calLed yOu in UnderSwAp?!” He glared towards the smaller being. It was kind of funny how much taller he was, exactly. They looked up, their wide black eyes… sad? Scared?

“I cannot enter the Void, lest I wish to lose myself. None of my friends can, for the Void would claim them instantly.” 

Error paused, feeling a little guilty. “oH.” There was an uncomfortable silence between them, and Raven piped up.

“Hi! Your name is Core, right? Where did you bring us?” She pushed herself up to a sitting position. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“You’re in the Omega Timeline, a haven for all,” Core explained as Error coughed incredulously into his hand. It had never been a haven for him, and he was also still confused about why Core let him in. “All who lost their homes during Error’s time of destruction.”

“HeY, I l3T you s@ve theM, diDn’T I?” Error growled, annoyed.

Core chose to ignore him. “It’s one of the last safe places from the Void, but I can’t shield it forever.” They sighed, looking upset. “The Void creeps in more and more every year, and we lose more to sickness, and we have to let them leave so they don’t hurt any of the others.” Core turned, walking to the Toriel. “But this is new, even to me.” Error felt them draw out the Toriel soul, and he stood, stunned. The soul shone pure white, free of corruption, and seemed to be drawing itself back together, with thin blue threads still wrapped around it..

That was not meant to happen.

Raven tried to draw herself up next to him, and Error crouched down. “RaVen, gEt dOWn. You’Re hUrt, bADly.” Glancing at Core, he asked, “dO yOU hAve heALerS?” 

Core nodded, then seemed to pause. “I’d appreciate it if you stayed out here. My people… they may not react well to you in their midst. You understand that, don’t you?” Core looked at him, pleading, and Error sighed.

“FInE! Fin3, se3 if I car3!!” He threw up his hands, turning around to go find a nice tree to sulk in.

“Error, wait. Before you go,” Core began, then they hesitated. Continuing slowly, as if choosing their words, they said, “I’d like to talk with you later, so we can exchange information. Would you like that?” 

Error hesitated, just for a moment, then grumbled, “wHAtEver, dO whAT you wAnT.” With that, he stormed away, with huffy little steps, as Raven looked after him, confused. 

“Why’s he mad?”

Core hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “He’s not accustomed to this kind of situation. He might also be feeling some kind of… guilt? In any case, I shall talk to him later. Come with me, Raven, and I’ll show you the Omega timeline.”

Raven flapped her wings, lifting herself off the ground. “Ok, let’s see where this goes.”

—-

Holy bologna, this place was amazing. 

Raven stared around, wide eyed. She’d never seen so much colour before. In the save screen, it was mostly black, with that small patch of green and gold. She knew what red looked like, because of Error and her dad, but she hadn’t known there were so many shades anywhere. 

She was flying next to Core, surprised to find someone shorter than her for once. And, well, Core was surprising. Almost as much as Error.

They were extremely grey, yes, but they seemed to be themselves, without a glitch anywhere. Surely… “Um, hey, Core?” Raven asked. “Are you Void touched?”

“In a way,” they replied, looking up with a smile. “I fell into the Core of my world long before the Multiverse fell. And hey, it has its perks! I can see anywhere in the Multiverse, through Time and Space!” Their smile changed to a pout. “I can’t go out there anymore though, it isn’t great for me.” They held out one of their hands, and Raven gasped. The fingers were blackened and twisted, though not fully corrupted.

It looked strange on the otherwise neat, solemn child, although you’d never notice it unless it was pointed out. Yet once it had been, it was impossible to miss.

“I’m so sorry. Did it hurt?”

“A bit. I’ve kept all of myself in the Omega timeline since then, fighting back the Void from the sidelines. This is the last truly safe civilisation, and I am keeping it that way for as long as I can. Although that may not be much longer, for we lose more every year that passes. I think I mentioned that, right friend?”

Raven smiled, a little bit uncertainly. “And, um, one more question. I’m sorry, I hope this will be the last one! What did Error mean? He kind of… made a face when you said it was a haven.”

“He did?” Core paused. “Give me a moment.” The kid seemed to freeze for just a second, then unfreezing. “I believe he was referencing the way I didn’t let him in.”

“… why?”

“Because this place was specifically made as a place for people who’s AUs were uninhabitable for them. In nineteen out of twenty cases at least, that means refugees from the AUs he destroyed when he wasn’t quite… sane.” Core glanced over, noticing Raven’s lost look. “He hasn’t told you about that? I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m sure he doesn’t like thinking about that time. I suppose I can tell you.”

“A long time ago, Error appeared out of nowhere. At first, he was just a confusing mess. He seemed to grieve and hurt, but his first fights with Ink changed him. He grew more desperate, and as time went on, it became worse and worse. I don’t know what tipped him over the edge, but… it happened. He began to destroy far more frequently, tipping the balance the other way. It was like he was enjoying it.” Core shivered, their black eyes half closing. “The Omega Timeline grew fuller than ever, yet I didn’t have enough time to save all of them. I never learned what snapped him out of that, but I believe it was the friendship with Nightmare and his group. For someone with such a horrid reputation, Nightmare had a knack for gathering people who needed his support, and knowing how to help. Error also grew close with Blue, the Sans from the original UnderSwap. That sort of friendship snapped him out of it.” Core glanced at Raven. “Does that help you?”

“… yeah. He appeared out of nowhere?”

“I believe you said no more questions,” Core teased with a half smile.

“Gah! Sorry!” Raven was tiring a little, she wasn’t hugely practiced at flying. Not like here.

“Well, not quite out of nowhere,” Core admitted. “He is unique, an anomaly without an AU, but I believe it was not always so. He seems to match to a Genocide Sans closer than any other, and there was one who disappeared a few years before he appeared.”

Raven literally fell out of the sky, yelping as she fell on her leg. “What?!?!”

Core turned, appearing in front of her. “Have you injured yourself further?”

“I-I don’t think so, but Error was a Geno? Like my dad?” What the heck?! Did this mean Error was like her dad? Or an uncle, or what?

“Possibly. I have no idea if he knows though.” Core raised their arms, a little brain dead blep on their face (like this :p).

“You know less than I thought…”

“He lives in a place shielded from my view, and if he doesn’t say it, how am I meant to know? I’m no telepath,” Core said, looking a little huffy.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that!” Raven apologised, suddenly realising what she said wrong. “Do I tell him about this?” She spotted a trickle of sweat running down Core’s neck as the outcode froze.

“Ahhaha… how about no. How about neither of us ever tell him this so I can keep my limbs in place.”

Raven laughed, surprising herself. “Deal, Corey.”

Core looked her up and down. “… Corey?”

“Yeah, like a nickname!” Raven smiled a little. “Do you like it? After all, it’s special, right? Not named after the big spooky place where you got pushed.”

Core looked down. “…yeah. I guess it is.” A small smile touched their face as they helped Raven off the ground, leading her to the doctor.

Chapter Text

Error was still stomping away from the Center of the Omega Timeline. 

“StUPid Cor3. StUPid TimeLiNE. MaY nOt reACt welL to my preSenCe, tOuGH fuCKinG luCK, bo0 h0o, WaH wah.” He kicked at a rock, sending it bounding across the meadow, towards a tree. Error looked up at it, then shrugged. Might as well.

Kicking off his sandals, he grasped the trunk of the tree with his hands, beginning to tug himself up as he jammed a foot into a crack of the trunk. 

It wasn’t as easy as it looked. He’d watched Nightmare climb trees a few times, looking like he’d been born to do so. But then, the core of his universe was literally a huge tree, so… 

It took him a few tries, and a few times of thudding onto the ground, but he finally managed to heave himself onto the top branch, panting. 

“MaDE it…” Error sat up, looking over his shoulder.

The Omega Timeline was quite pretty, Core must have made some renovations, he thought. There were fields of flowers, with a setting sun shining onto their multicoloured petals. Soon it would be night, his favourite time of day.

Error looked at his hand, the one he had bandaged up, and slowly unwrapped it. The corruption seemed like it was spreading, leeching the red and gold out of his fingers, and Error winced slightly. It looked wrong, and it was starting to feel wrong too. Like it had fallen asleep, with pins and needles. Or like someone had injected… something into his bones. Like… snow? He shook his head, trying to think.

If it got… worse, what would happen to him? Would he become one of those faded echoes, like Blue or that Sans at the Ruin door?

Or…

It’s a corrupted soul that was already half ruined when the Void touched it.

It could be a lot worse. Because Error couldn’t think of many others whose souls had been warped to the degree that his had by his long, long stay in the AntiVoid.

He shivered, remembering the blank white gazes of all of the Voidlings.

Was that going to happen to him? Would he become a broken, mindless puppet?

“You mean more of a broken, mindless puppet?” A light voice teased from behind him, and Error froze, not trusting himself to speak as he recognised her.

The branch didn’t creak. Surely she wasn’t here physically?

“Come on, Glitch,” the being cooed, walking forwards to sit next to him, within his field of vision. It was her, her eyes shining like rubies, her hair the colour of determination. “You remember me, right?”

“F@t3,” Error managed to croak, willing himself to move away from her. Glancing at the ground below, he wondered how badly it would hurt if he fell. Either she would push him, or he would slip.

Fate smiled a little, her skin as pale as snow. She looked almost like a child, in a short skirt and a heart shaped locket dangling from her neck. Her hand started to curl, and a ruby knife formed in it. “I knew you’d remember widdle old me. Maybe you also remember how you failed your job.” Her voice grew colder, and Error swallowed. She was pissed.

“!-! c0ULdn’T h3Lp !t, !nK tr@pP3d m3…” Error whispered, his voice nearly failing him.

“You walked into it, like a fool.” Error winced back as Fate reached forwards, grabbing his face, touching him, and not gently either. His glitches began to grow wild and uncontrolled, running up and down his body, beginning to hurt. Her other hand reached for his wrist, holding him with an iron grip. “I hope you suffer to the worst corruption my brother can offer.” With a slight tightening of her fingers, Error felt his wrist bones snap, and he choked back a pained cry as Fate flickered out of existence, and Core was there instead, reaching for him, yelling his name.

“Error? Error!” He flinched back from them, nearly falling off the damned branch, grasping his injured wrist in pain.

“B@Ck… gEt baCK…”

Thankfully, Core seemed to realise this, and scooted back, out of reach. Error could almost have cried, from pain or relief, he didn’t know which.

Fate was still watching him. He was still her fucking plaything. He growled, frustrated, eventually feeling his glitches grow less panicked as Core watched him with wide eyes, even for them.

“Who were you talking to?” They asked softly. “I couldn’t see them.”

“YoU wouLDn’T be aBLe to,” Error muttered quietly, tearing his gaze away from them. “ShE doeSN’T like oBSerVErs.” He froze, realising what he’d said, too late.

“She?” Core asked, the word barely a whisper.

Error shook his head, eyes downcast. “DOn’T asK mE to TeLl yOu more. PleASe.”

Core seemed to hesitate, then nodded, and for once Error was grateful for their infuriating knowledge and wisdom. Sometimes it gave them a know it all attitude, especially when it was to people they disliked, but sometimes it was comforting, how they knew to not push a subject.

He hesitated, cradling his wrist to his chest, and Core seemed to notice it. “You’re injured?” Without hesitation, they reached into their eye socket, pulling out a small carton of chocolate milk. 

Error glanced at it, almost beyond surprise. They were being… Nice to him? “… tHAnkS.” He accepted it as Core handed it over.

“Anyone would do the same,” they said quietly, prompting a bark of laughter from Error.

“No. ThEY wOuLDn’t and thEy dOn’T.” He popped out the plastic straw, starting to sip on the chocolate milk.

A short silence stretched between the two of them as they just sat there, looking at the sun dipping below the horizon.

“… You know of the corruption. Yet you still go on. You could go back to your hideout. You could even reverse it, for the Void effect won’t survive in your home. The AntiVoid is its opposite. Why do you stay if you know that?”

Error shrugged, feeling his bones mend, knitting back together. “I mADe a ProMIse to soMEonE beFORe this sHIt stARted. And I MIghT nOt LOoK like iT, bUT i’M a Sans. I taKE prOMisEs seRIouSlY.” He started to play with the straw, fidgeting it between his fingers. “BesIdes, I’M sUrE as fUCk nOt gOIng doWn unTiL I sE3 a feW cerTaiN peoPLe’s FAceS when thEy reALise theY wEre wrONg.” Core let out a startled giggle, smiling behind their hand, before they turned solemn again. 

“I cannot heal that kind of wound, but I might be able to talk to someone who can help you. Find your friend. He’s in three pieces right now, one for each section of his AU. One in his first home, one in his found home, and one in OuterTale. You’ve drawn soul shards together once now with Toriel, you can do it again.”

“… waT. I dID?” Error glanced over, confused.

“Raven dispelled the corruption, but the strings that you shot were the things to bring her back together.” Core smiled slightly, then turned stern. “And Error? Take care of yourself, and go easy on your magic. It will only speed up the process, and we can’t bring you back if things go wrong.”

“NoTEd.” Error swallowed, then asked, “did yOu hEAl RaveN?”

“Yes, of course I did,” said Core, seemingly amused. “Did you think I wouldn’t?” They lay down on their stomach, kicking their feet. Error just shrugged.

“Go0D.” They both sat there, when Error crumpled up the chocolate milk carton. “ThANks for thIs. AnD the InFO.”

Core smiled, sitting up. “My pleasure.”

Chapter Text

Error glanced down, seeing Raven knocking at the foot of the tree. 

“Error? Core? Knock knock?”

Error saw Core give him a mischievous grin as they replied, “who’s there?”

Oh lord. Patience help him, there were two of them now.

Glancing down, he saw Raven hesitate, then go for it. “Peas.”

“Peas who?”

“Peas come down, I’m lonely,” Raven joked nervously, with a slight smile.

She had nothing to worry about. Core burst out laughing, smiling all over their face. They simply couldn’t contain themselves, while Error froze. Oh no.

“Oh mY AsGOro, thAT waS hoRRiBlE,” he groaned, slumping back and covering his face with his uninjured hand. “WhY mUsT you do THis. WhY.”

If anything, Core just laughed harder at seeing his reaction. “I thought you were a Sans, how can you not like jokes?”

“I hAVe hEaRd so mANy pUNs, I swEAR- aLL by pEOplE trYinG tO kILl me and tURn it InTO soMEthIng fUnnY. ForGIve me If I loST my sense of HUmour alONg the wAY.” Error pulled his scarf over his face, relishing in the comfort of not looking at anyone, though he couldn’t erase the way Core and Raven had suddenly quieted as he felt their stares on him.

After a solid half minute, he relented, throwing the scarf down again. “WH@T?!”

He saw Raven and Core exchange a glance, and he freaking hated it.

“Are you traumatised, Error?” Raven asked, squinting up at him.

“ShUt up.”

“Do you need a hug?”

“N0.” Error scooted away from the edge of the branch, eliminating the chance of Raven flying up and trying to make that happen. “I d0n’T LIke hUGs.”

“You don’t?” Raven and Core asked at the same time, looking baffled, and in Raven’s case, horrified. Error was tempted to slap her, but figured he’d probably regret it if he did. There was something so regrettably unslappable about Raven, and he couldn’t figure out what.

“NOpe.” Error shrugged. “We shOUld gET moVIng so0N. ThE l0ngER we wAIt, thE haRDer it gETS to gET gOinG.” Hesitantly, he stood on the branch, debating on whether or not to head back to the trunk to get down. It only took him a moment to decide, because it had been hard enough to get up the stupid tree. It would be harder to get down.

Yanking a long thread from his eye, he flicked his hand up, and it automatically attached itself to the branch above him, tying itself into a firm knot. Tugging it twice, Error leaned back off the branch, letting him pull himself down.

Reaching the bottom, he tugged at the thread once, and it untied itself, falling to the ground. Turning to Raven, he noticed that she looked slightly different now.

She’d exchanged her raggedy green dress for a light blue shirt and black and blue Sans jacket, and a deep purple skirt with layers. She wasn’t wearing her scarf around her neck anymore either, but tied as a sash around her waist, with the skull charm in front. She’s also managed to acquire a good set of leggings, with light blue shoes that a primary school girl might wear. She looked good. Better than she had in those old clothes.

“Neat trick,” said Raven, looking down at it in interest. 

“YoU cAn kEEp it. I cAn makE more.” Error turned to Core, who chose to just disappear and reappear at the bottom of the tree. 

“Go to DreamTale last. It will be easier to bring him back in his home territory.”

He nodded, meeting Core’s eyes, and a flash of understanding passed between them.

“We’lL go to hiS hIDeOUT fIrsT. Then OUterTale. ThEN DreAMTale,” Error decided. “If onlY wE hAD thE hIDeoUT aU.”

Raven smiled smugly, and reached into one of her new jacket pockets, pulling out a few sections of paper. “Am I good, or what? I managed to get this before Toriel attacked us, she’s better now by the way, did you know? I was holding this most of the fight.” She held them out, and Error immediately recognised the shape of the castle on the drawing. His eyes widened, and a slow smile grew on his face.

“YoU gOT it! FVcK yEAh!” Error pumped his fist in the air, then suddenly became aware of Raven and Core looking all amused at him, and he drew back, self conscious. “I meAN, GooD, wE can GO nOW.”

Core smiled, waving a hand, and a portal appeared, leading to the Doodlesphere. “It is hard for me to open pathways to AUs, but if you need them, say my name three times. I will hear you, and bring you here.”

“Thanks, Corey,” said Raven, smiling slightly at them. “If we need you, we’ll call. And we can hang out after we save the universe.”

Core smiled back. “Go. And good luck.”

Error waved a hand to them, stepping through the portal, with Raven following.

—-

Behind them, the portal closed, and he turned to Raven, holding out a hand. 

“GiVE me THe PIeCES, aND I’LL thReAd thEm toGEthEr so wE cAN gO inSIDe.” Raven nodded, holding out roughly five different pieces of paper, and Error took them from her, squinting. He couldn’t see them properly in this light, so with a reluctant sigh, he drew out his glasses, putting them on.

Raven gasped, covering her mouth. “Oh. My. Gods. They look so cute! And good on you!”

“Oh, SHut UP. ThEY’Re tO hELp Me sEE, nOThINg eLSE,” Error growled, drawing the needle out of his pocket, averting his gaze from Raven, even though she made a SoundTM.

Turning away from her, he drew a long, thin string from his eyes, threading the needle. “You cAn wATch, bUT doN’T diSTraCT me.”

She nodded, sitting behind him as he positioned the pieces of paper properly, letting them float in the air due to the magic of the Doodlesphere. Narrowing his eyes, he punctured the paper once, drawing the needle almost all the way through, then began to sew the pieces together, pulling the stitches tight. They were neat and precise, and he tried his best to avoid the drawings.

Within ten minutes, he was done, and he picked up the paper, careful not to damage it. His hand nearly went through to the AU.

“CoM3. W3 cAn Go now,” Error said, turning to Raven, who looked up.

“Yay!” She jumped to her feet, wings flapping, and bounced over to Error. “Can I go first?”

He hesitated. “BeST tHaT I do. I caN tRAp anY amBUsheRs. But fOLlow me IMmEdIateLY.” At Raven’s nod, he stepped forwards, through the portal into the AU. 

At least he didn’t land on his face this time, or the ground. He slammed into a wall.

A FRICKING WALL.

“Ha hA, FaTE,” he growled under his breath. “FUCk yOUrseLF.”

He felt a chill sweep over his bones, then pass as Raven stumbled in after him. Naturally, she didn’t stumble on the same rock he had, and righted herself.

“Is anyone here?”

He shook his head, straightening upright. “NoT as FAr as I’M awaRE. ThE shArdLIngs wILl bE in the CAsTLE.”

With his glasses on, he glanced around the area. They’d appeared in the gardens, which looked far more desolate without their colour. The castle looked to be a good walk away, yet not out of sight. Error sighed, then paused as he saw a skeleton with a broken skull tending the garden.

Horror, huh? He looked so happy and peaceful in his monochrome world, watering grey tomatoes with a watering can. 

He’d always looked either crazed and manic or stoic and silent whenever Error had seen him. But this was a side to him that Error didn’t normally see, Horror in gardening boots with a straw hat and a trowel. 

Yet it felt… exaggerated, somehow. Error squinted, moving closer, and saw no bags under Horror’s eyes, none of the extra cracks around his skull that happened if he ever put stress on it. He wasn’t tired or hungry or making sure Dust was actually eating. He was in the place where he was happiest, tending to food in the garden of his home. Almost like he wasn’t actually feeling anything else, and for a moment, Error was reminded of the Sans at the door in AfterTale.

This was a shard of Horror’s soul, but was it a shard of something else as well? Like… his personality? When a SOUL split, did its owner’s personality split too?

Was every shardling a fraction of their true self?

Error glanced up at the castle as Horror glitched back to his starting position, a feeling of dread beginning to settle in his bones. 

“Wh0 wILL we b3 deALinG with?” He breathed, barely audible. 

Nightmare was almost always calm and serious, but there were times when he seemed sad or enraged beyond belief. Surely in his own home, he’d be calm, right?

“Error?” Raven asked quietly, at his side. “Are you ok?”

He snapped from his speculation, realising suddenly that Horror was once again in front of him. Huh. He was spacing out a lot lately. 

Was there a reason for it? Voices whispered at the edge of his hearing, voices that were all too familiar, and his injured and cold hand gripped at his coat unconsciously.

“S0RrY, I’m jUSt… thINkIng,” Error said quietly. “I nEVer ReALly sAW HorRor thIS haPPy. Do yOu thINk it’s a pARt of HIm? His hAPPieSt part?”

Raven seemed to get what he was implying, looking at the shardling in new light. 

“Maybe. Did Nightmare have a happy part?”

Error shrugged. “In a WAy. He wAS… cALm soMEtiMEs. He cARed.”

Silence lapsed between the two of them, when Raven broke it.

“We should get going. The longer we wait, the harder it gets to get going, right?”

“… DId- did yOu jUSt QUoTE me?”

Raven shrugged with a small laugh. “Hehehe! Maybe!”

Error shook his head, bemused. “I do nOt unDErSTand yOu.”

“Well… last one to the castle is a rotten egg!”

Raven unfolded her wings, beginning to run.

“No FAiR! You CAn FlY!!” Error began to run after her, and despite himself, a small smile crept over his face.

Shaking his head, bemused, he began to chase after her. Momentarily forgetting his worries, while somebody watched.

Chapter Text

The castle was… bigger than he remembered. Error frowned, looking the walls up and down.

“HaVE we EVen thOUght aBOut how to cAPTurE NiGHtmAre’S LIterAL sOul? The gUArdIan of NegATiviTy?” Error asked, accidentally turning down the wrong hallway for the third time in a row.

“Nope!” Raven muttered, glancing around. “Maybe you should put your glasses back on. I mean, maybe if you can see better, we’ll find where we’re going?”

Error scowled. “It’S fine. I oNLy uSE mY glASSeS for SewINg. AlWAys have.” He peered back, brow furrowed. That was Killer’s old room, right? It had the target carved on the door.

Nobody had enforced the rule, but it was a tradition among Nightmare’s group to mark their living spaces, and stuff which they owned specifically, with a marking. Nightmare had an apple, Dust had a triangular shape with a bone poking out the top, Killer had a target, Horror had chosen a frypan, and Cross had the easiest one of all, just an X marking. 

Error hadn’t seen much point in it, but had played along. The whole group had decided to give him a chocolate bar marking. A chocolate bar, for god’s sake.

He’d never confirmed what it was from, but suspected it to be from the… incident just before Cross officially joined. It was not something they spoke of lightly, but it involved Horror, Fell and a shit ton of balls of wool

He frowned, his numbed, greyed hand twitching away from the mark. He’d lost himself in his thoughts again. What had he been doing?

… shit. Where was Raven.

He whirled around, eyes narrowed. 

“RaVEn?” Error called softly.

“Yeah?” Raven called back from further down the passage, poking her head out of a room. “Have you found something?”

“WheRE did yOu go?” he hissed, his voice quiet.

Raven frowned, scanning him up and down. “Error, you told me to go check ahead. Just a minute ago. Don’t you remember?”

Error blinked, startled. He had? But… why didn’t he… he growled, annoyed at himself. “We’Re nOT in THe righT seCTioN. We nEEd to go FUrthEr back.”

“Error, are you good? We just came from there.” Raven moved in front of him, a concerned look on her face. 

“I… I haVEn’T bEEn hErE in a WhiLe,” he said uncertainly. “The LAyOUt’s chaNGed. He muST have rENovatED.”

He wasn’t convincing himself, and the cold pangs now shooting up his arm weren’t helping reassure him either. From the edge of his hearing, he heard voices, whispering over each other, and over the top of them, a cold, cruel laughter.

Raven moved in front of him, taking the lead, and Error was grateful. Something was weird, and he wasn’t sure what. Something that was impacting his senses, something he should be able to think about, but…

He glanced down at his hand once more.

Ah. Of course it was fucking with him.

With a swallow, he moved after Raven, only pausing when they got somewhere he recognised. 

“UP these stAIrs,” he said softly, pointing to the right, and Raven nodded, glancing at them, before taking them two at a time, only to end up at the huge double doors with a massive racket going on behind them.

She stopped, letting Error catch up behind her. “… If the shardlings are shards of their personality, I don’t think we caught this guy in a good mood.”

Swallowing, Error agreed with her. He couldn’t tell what was going on exactly, but he heard a lot of smashing stuff. Crashes and breaking sounds, only for everything to freeze after a minute or two and start at the beginning again.

“We hAVe to be rEAdY for a FIght.” Error stood straighter, breathing in and out, trying not to think about who- what was in there. “ArE yOu rEAdy?”

Raven met his eyes with a determined nod, and he smiled grimly. “Let’S go.”

Grasping the handles, Error shoved open the doors, and strode inside, bracing himself.

The throne room was creepier in black and white. Cracks zigzagged the stone everywhere, and the tall pillars and arches seemed less stable than normal. Wrenching his eyes upwards, he could tell why. 

Curled up in a fetal position on his throne, the shard of Nightmare was barely moving, but fuck, his tentacles were. Error had rarely seen him get into a mood like this, and it wasn’t pretty.

His normally four tentacles had split off into eight, then sixteen, growing and multiplying as the rage grew and grew. They lurched out violently, smashing into anything and everything, destroying stone and glass like nothing. 

Error heard Raven let out a squeak of fear, stepping back behind him, and honestly he could understand her as the tentacles froze, the entire room glitching, resetting to just four, with the room undamaged. 

He’d never seen him this angry, or upset.

“NoW, R@V3N!” Error yelled, hoping to snap her out of her stupor. Eyes darting around the room, his brain began to whirl as the tentacles focused on him. And her.

Error ducked just in time, yanking Raven to the ground by a wing, as a tentacle slammed into the spot where they’d been standing. 

This seemed to snap her out of her trance of paralysed fear. Raven yelped, falling to the ground, then spun so she was on her stomach, wings raised slightly. She was now truly ready.

Error nodded, then dodged, just a bone away from having his ribs impaled. Glancing up, he engaged the enemy.

Raven lunged forwards, in front of Error, summoning a bone to her hand to deflect an attack. “What do we do?” She yelped as a tentacle grazed her arm, but stayed firm.

Error shrugged, mouth dry, reaching to his tear marks to drag blue strings from them, throwing them to the sides, so as not to hit Raven. They connected with the negativity, dragging a few tentacles down. But there were still more, engaged and ready.

His disadvantage here was that he wasn’t used to fighting like this. He was used to blind rages, able to hurt anyone and anything in his path, taking down the AU with him. But he couldn’t do that here. Not with Raven and Nightmare.

A slight sound dragged his attention to Raven. She was in the air now, flapping her wings, using her bones. They didn’t seem to be too effective, but they held the tentacles off for a time. Sending up more strings, he pulled a few more back, away from her.

That’s when the glitch happened again, with a loud painful screech, dragging the entire set back to the start, excluding Error and Raven, who stood in the centre of the room now.

That’s when they had to strike.

Error grinned, feeling the magic pump through his veins. He could beat Nightmare, he knew it. He could kill him, end this threat here and now. He was the Destroyer, literally created to do this. Voices yelled at him, telling him to stop holding back. End it. Now.

But…

They didn’t want to kill him. They wanted to catch him.

And Nightmare was his friend.

Raven glanced down at him. He looked up at her.

“Error, duck!” Raven yelled, diving down. Just in time, he fell to the floor as she swooped forwards with a loud crash, grappling with a tentacle that would have speared him.

He jumped up as she backed towards him, and they found themselves back to back. The air was cold and windy, pulling them back and forth from the windows that seemed to be thrown open. It was impacting Raven, snatching at her wings, throwing her off balance, and Error glanced at her, worried, yet couldn’t help. He was too busy himself, as the wind was throwing his strings around too.

He hissed, feeling one sweep his legs, probably breaking three bones, but jumped back to his feet. He hated hand to hand combat, god. He hated grabbing people, fighting them at close rang, when they could grab him back. But he had to.

It was already so much, he didn’t have much left to lose. He was on the brink of crashing anyway, might as well take it to the very limit.

Grasping the tentacle with his hand, his gaze flicked up to the skeleton on the throne.

The voices were louder now, screaming at him, yet he couldn’t understand a word.

They were telling him to kill, and hurt and destroy, when that had only ever gotten him a prison.

It was like the eye of the storm, and everything slowed around him, quieting. He couldn’t hear the voices, nor Raven’s panting breaths at his back, not his own Soul beating in his ribs. He wouldn’t be able to reach Nightmare with the tentacles surrounding him. He had to try something else.

Clutching the tentacle tighter, slamming it to the ground, he felt the world glitch around him, tearing the tentacles apart, and he let himself glitch with it, literally ripping himself to pieces.

He did it himself sometimes, when he crashed. He’d never done it with someone else before. It was easier somehow, like the pain wasn’t his burden. 

And when Error reappeared beside the skeleton, Nightmare’s mouth opened in a soundless roar. Error suddenly understood what part of him this was, because he had seen this expression on Nightmare’s face before.

It was the feeling of a parent torn from their child, and a person learning that the world had done them wrong. Someone left alone when they’d been promised companionship and comfort, forever. It was a feeling of helpless, pure rage and grief.

Had Error’s disappearance affected him that much?

He remembered the look on Nightmare’s face, centuries ago, through a portal that neither could cross. They couldn’t comfort each other, they were isolated.

And as Error saw the bright, shining droplets leak from Nightmare’s singular good eye, he knew what he had to do.

Not fight, but act.

He’d fought for as long as he could remember, maybe even before that. Maybe he should try something else.

Bracing himself, Error knelt next to him, wrapping his arms around Nightmare, ignoring the glitches running up his arms. It wasn’t bone to bone contact, it would be fine. Please, let it be fine. He couldn’t afford a crash, not now.

“I mISs yOu,” he whispered, where Nightmare’s ear would be, feeling the negativity around the shardling still, slowly. “I’M hEre, NiGHt. It’S mE.”

Error felt his arms shaking, his whole body shaking, trying to stop touching Nightmare, but he also felt Nightmare’s rage lessen, the tentacles pulling back into his body. And just for a moment, the other skeleton looked into Error’s eyes with such clarity, the tears welling in the singular eye, and Nightmare smiled.

So softly.

His outline grew fainter and fainter, shrinking as Error stepped back, and there was just a small collection of shards floating in the air.

Error sank back on his heels, head bowed, as he heard Raven flutter to the floor.

“WOAH. That was awesome. He just needed a hug?” She grinned, seemingly ecstatic, then paused, seeing how quiet Error was. “… you good?”

Error shook his head, rising to his knees to cup his hands gently around the soul fragments. The pieces of his friend.

“I w!LL b3. JuST g!v3 m3 s0Me T!M3,” he said thickly, feeling his glitches tear through his voice. “G!V3 Me a MInUt3, R@V3n.”

Raven nodded, looking towards the door, eventually deciding that outside might be a better place to wait. 

Error felt something drip from his eye sockets, splashing on the fragments, which glowed in a soft teal light. They were strangely beautiful, and for a moment, he felt someone beside him. Soft, calm, and familiar.

A tentacle curled over his back as he heard just a whisper. The faintest echo. But there.

Thank you, my friend. I hope to see you soon.

As quickly as he’d appeared, he vanished. And Error smiled, sadly.

“I h0PE to See Y0u sOOn TOo, friENd.”

Chapter Text

Error stood, slowly, hearing the door creak open, and a familiar face peek out the other side. Raven looked on, seemingly uncertain. 

“Error, hi. Are you feeling better?” She stepped forwards, ducking between the doors just before they slammed shut.

He gazed at the shards in his hands, feeling the aura they emitted. The light sadness, somehow comforting.

Clearing his throat, he tested his voice. “I d0n’T knOW,” he said truthfully, closing his hands over the pieces and shoving them in a pocket, hiding the grey fingers. “ThAT fElt… oDD.”

He glanced down, unwilling to meet her eyes. He’d been so close to flying completely off the handle back there, ruining everything. He might have destroyed the pieces of Nightmare and his only ally, draining himself. It felt familiar, and he felt a chill run down his spine as a pair of smallish pale hands closed around his throat. For a moment, he felt Fate behind him, but she said nothing, vanishing away as quickly as she came. Something about her seemed decidedly smug, he thought, chastened. Even when she said no words.

Although she’d been saying plenty during their fight with Nightmare. Screaming at him with all of her voices, urging him to kill. And laughing. He was sure that that had been her.

He shivered, ever so slightly, and noticed that Raven was so much closer now. When had she moved? She was reaching for him, and he stepped back, only half a pace.

“N0, RaVEn. I dON’T liKe ToUCh.”

Raven’s hand fell to her side, as she hesitated. “Sorry, Error. You just… seemed sad?” Her wings drooped, and Error made a quick mental tally of how much time they’d spent outside of the Save Screen. It was hard to tell like this, honestly, with all the grey and looping time.

They spent maybe half a day in the Omega Timeline (or the borders of it in Error’s case). And possibly four hours in this AU? With also the time outside of it being around two hours.

It seemed like a long time to him, although it wasn’t huge. But Raven had spent her whole life in the Save Screen, an odd place where you simply didn’t need food or water or sleep. Being outside of it and feeling hunger and fatigue for the first time must be exhausting.

“LeT’s sTAY hErE foR a WHilE,” Error suggested quietly. “Re$T aNd REchARg3. YoU nEEd it.”

“Nooooooo… I don’t wanna, I’m fine!” Raven insisted, eye lights glinting as she glared at him.

“YoU’RE mOrtAL,” Error grumped. “We cAN conTInuE afTEr yOU get sOMe sLE3p.”

“… only if you do too.” Raven pouted, puffing out her feathers to make her look bigger.

“I’M a GoD. YoU knoW iT woN’T d0 s#!T to m3 if I d0N’t sl33p. I knOw mY bODy can handle it. YoURs, hOWeVEr?” He shook his head. “BeSIdeS, I slEPt fOR litERalLy ceNTurIEs beFOre waKIng uP.”

Raven kept holding his gaze, refusing to back down. “Nope. Even you’ve… god-da get tired at some point.”

Error narrowed his eyes at the pun. “SToP.”

“Should I?” she dared, pushing forwards. “Oh god, maybe I should. But then again, I do think that it would be better to sleep on trying.”

“Y0U caN’T juST thRoW w0rDs at m3 and EXpEcT iT to bE a GO0d pUn.”

“Give it a rest, Error. Surely you find my puns humerus?”

“.  .   .” Error facepalmed. “No. N0. I d0 nOT.”

“Do you wanna hear more? I’ve never had many people to practice on before, only you and Corey.” Raven smirked. “Six hundred years of nothing to do but puns.”

That smirk… she really was Reaper’s daughter. That smug, smug smirk.

“F!N3! F!N3, I G!V3 UP!” Error yelled, throwing up his hands. “FaTE spARe me thAT. Let’S JuSt gO. My oLD rO0m iS thIs waY.”

“Not through five different corridors this time?” Raven teased gently, and Error growled, his eye twitching.

“W!lL y0u shUT up?! I @m tRY!Ng mY be$T!” Error yelled, spinning to tower over her. Raven squeaked, drawing back. She’d hit a nerve she hadn’t meant to. “I sWEar, aLl yOU p30Pl3 aRE ExACtlY the sAMe! TeASinG and TE@$!Ng, nEv3R OnC3 Th!NK!Ng!” Spinning round, he stormed off, hands shoved in his pockets.

Raven hesitated, looking after him, then began to run to catch up. This place was a maze, she realised, glancing around. The stone must have always been that dark grey colour, but there was a light carpet on the floor. It was strangely sad, somehow.

She peeked at Error, who was still stomping ahead, muttering to himself under his breath. His glitches seemed to have intensified, especially around his hands. What had she said wrong exactly?

She didn’t know, and Error looked too grumpy to tell her.

He stopped at a door with a rectangle carved into it. Like a chocolate bar, she realised, noticing the smaller squares marked in it.

Even his friends had noticed his obsession with chocolate? Huh.

He flung the door open, storming inside, and Raven followed.

There was a bed with soft covers in one corner, and a fluffy rug on the floor. A small bookshelf stood behind the door, with what looked like a sewing kit. Other than that, the room felt mostly empty.

The best thing was the window. It was large and spacious, near the foot of the bed, with its curtains thrown open, thick and dusty. They hadn’t been shut in a while.

Error turned, heading for the bookshelf, rummaging through it for a little bit, before moving to the empty corner, bringing his hands to his eyes. Raven watched, fascinated, as he drew out several metres of good rope, directing it to the ceiling. After less than a minute, a functional hammock swung there, and Error climbed on, rolling over so as not to look at Raven too long.

Despite that, Raven noticed that he had glanced at the bed first. 

He’d left it for her.

She smiled softly, walking over. Her limbs did feel very heavy… she wasn’t used to the feeling. Maybe some sleep wouldn’t be so bad.

She curled up under the covers, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Error lay awake for much longer, listening to Raven’s breathing slow. Once he was sure she was truly asleep, he buried his face in his hands.

Why had he snapped like that?

His eyes were met with grey. More intense on his right hand, but crawling to his left as well. The corruption was spreading, and maybe that was why.

Was that why he felt so much more untethered? Why he’d gotten lost so easily, and why he’d been so quick to anger?

He didn’t know.

Fuck, he didn’t know.

Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off to sleep.

—-

He wasn’t himself.

Reaching out a hand, he saw a head thump to the ground, felt a sharp prick in his soul. Like a needle.

He didn’t know whose head it was. It was disfigured and shadowy. And he saw the figure behind them, cloak like a starless night, with an animal skull as the clasp. Reaper. Coming to claim him.

A flutter of red fabric, growing and falling towards him. He reached out, grasping it in his hands. Surely this was a mistake, right? The powder on the scarf looked like snow. But it wasn’t, and the fabric came alive, wrapping around his arms, blinding him until it fell away, and he was surrounded by red and gold, being attacked on all sides. 

A slight figure shimmered, turning from a human to two different skeletons, tall and threatening, one with a brush that was like a pillar, the other with a cruel bow. They both stood over him, eyes dark, and he couldn’t move.

He couldn’t breathe, as all their colour leached into him. Red and gold, becoming his fingertips, with shadows like his bones. 

His gaze fell upon the small figure behind them with wings that seemed to reach the sky. He locked eyes with her as her colour faded, and her soul was visible, cracking into pieces.

He was choking as his hands began to lose their stolen colour, being drained, crumbling into dust, and he was aware, suddenly, of red crowns of thread, encircling the heads of the two tall ones, and the small winged figure.

He felt the same threads become a noose as they stared at him blankly, the threads thrashing and multiplying, and he became aware of a hand on his shoulder. 

Nightmare, with a red crown and eyes like blood. His tentacles were like spider legs behind him.

His gaze swung to Ink and Dream as they drew closer, each grabbing an arm, with their bloody eyes. It was leaking now, like tears, and Raven was the last to move.

Her eyes were blank, but her voice was chillingly familiar.

“You failed.”

“Because of you, we’re all going to die. You know that, right?”

“She likes me better anyway.”

His gaze fell to the golden heart locket that Raven wore like a trophy around her neck, when the chain changed to a rope, yanking her into the air, cracking her neck. 

“N0-“ Error cried, when he felt Ink and Dream tighten ropes around his neck, and Nightmare grabbed the last one, tying a noose around his own neck, and Ink raised his brush and Dream raised his bow, pummelling pure positivity into Nightmare as he watched him melt into pieces, chunks of bone and gore flying everywhere.

He was speechless, eyes beginning to fill with tears that threatened to fall, that threatened to overflow, and they ran down his cheeks, turning to threads that joined the ones of Fate, as Raven’s corpse looked down from the ceiling.

“You deserve it,” Fate spoke through the mouth of a friend, and that was the last thing he saw.

—-

Error awoke screaming. He felt his strings grow tighter in response to his emotional surge, and he screamed and choked, feeling them wrap around his mouth to muffle the noise, slowly stopping as he registered his surroundings.

Raven hadn’t woken. Somehow, he didn’t know how. He sat up, rubbing his head. Already his dream felt faint and hazy in his mind, but he hadn’t forgotten it. Not a single detail.

He willed the strings to let him loose, and he felt his eyes fill with tears, liquid and non thread. They didn’t try to hang him either.

Reaching out a hand, he examined it. Black and grey completely on the right, with a little bit of red left on the other one. They weren’t crumbling, and not tied with some psycho scarf.

He heard the murmuring at the edges of his earshot and tensed.

“HeLL0?” He whispered, softly, and he instantly heard hundreds of voices, clashing against each other, happy to be heard.

His eyes widened, and he pressed his head in his hands again, trying to block them.

He’s awake? And he can hear us again?

Sweet! Missed talking to the guy! He failed his job though, didn’t he?

Yup… she wasn’t happy about that. The other voices seemed to titter in his thoughts. You going to go kill something?

I thought you were going to kill Nightmare! One voice cried, seemingly excited. That would have been a plot twist!

“… shUT uP…” he growled under his breath.

What’s that on his hands?

He doesn’t look so good.

Error stared at the weaving beneath him, eye twitching. He’d never missed hearing the voices of Fate. They were annoying, loud, and constantly there, intruding on his decisions, and he suspected they were more aware of him than they claimed. 

“I s@!D SHUT UP!” he yelled, surprised to hear his voice clear for a moment.

The voices stilled.

“I’M noT thE dEStrOyEr anYMoRE,” he muttered. “FiND yoUR entERtAInMenT sOMeWhERe elSE.”

There is nowhere else, one voice reasoned, clear and high pitched.

Nowhere unglitched! Though that might not apply to you anymore, bad choice of words, another one piped up.

Error pushed himself off the hammock, landing on the carpet. “ThEN juST shUT up. I dON’T giVe two sHIts.”

A small debate between them, then an agreement seemed to be reached as Error stalked out of the room, needing to go.

To leave.

Chapter Text

Opening her eyes, it took Raven a few minutes to realise where she was. 

This wasn’t the Save Screen?

Then she shot upright, accidentally whacking her wing on the windowsill.

“Ow!” Raven yelped, grabbing it carefully. Bruised, but ok. She smiled as memories came back to her, about Error and Core and the multiverse.

Speaking of which, where was Error?

Raven looked over to the hammock, only seeing a pile of strings dumped on the floor.

“Error? Are you in there?” She pulled herself out of bed, walking over, only to realise that there was only blue in that pile. Error must have gotten up before her.

Where would he be?

Raven frowned, remembering how he’d stayed in front of the throne for such a long time after they defeated Nightmare. “He’s acting strange,” she said softly to herself. 

She perked up, realising where he’d most likely be. “Would he be there again?”

It seemed like that was the best option, so she stretched, walking out the door towards the throne room.

It took a while of walking, backtracking a few times. 

“I’m sorry for teasing you about getting lost, Error,” she muttered under her breath. It was quite possible that the castle was designed like this on purpose. Most of the corridors looked identical, with high arching windows and sturdy pillars, in a kind of gothic style? It was extremely cool, even if it wasn’t her style. 

She hesitated, passing a door with a target marking scratched into it.

“I’ve passed this one twice already-”

Sighing, she moved to one of the windows, unfolding her wings. She should get more used to them.

The Save Screen was huge, but it simply had no wind to fly with. She’d never gotten the chance to use her wings properly before coming out. She could fly for a little while, but not long or well. Pushing on the window, Raven made it open, fluffing out her huge wings. She’d get so freaking lost if she kept on going inside the castle. Maybe in the sky she’d get a better view. 

Backing up a pace, she took a breath, bouncing on her feet before launching forward, out of the window. Snapping her wings open, she felt the wind instantly grab her from beneath, stopping her fall. She cried out in exhilaration, flapping her wings to feel the wind caress her, and maybe… something else she couldn’t identify.

Stretching her wings all the way out, she dived down, past Horror and his tomatoes, letting out a whoop as she soared higher and higher, now well into the clouds. 

This felt amazing.

Looking down, she noticed just how graceful the dark building truly was. It looked sinister and forbidding below, but it was actually quite elegant, with towers spiraling into the sky.

Her eyes met those of a human, standing on a balcony in the centre of the palace.

He was slightly built, yet taller than her by the looks of it, and she couldn’t quite make him out fully. Like her brain wouldn’t comprehend him. 

His skin looked dark, maybe freckled, and he wore a hoodie and jeans, as well as a cloak and a pair of round glasses. He looked up at her, and a chill ran down her spine, along with the calming feeling of gazing at a quiet night sky.

This guy could easily hurt her, but for some reason, she didn’t think he would.

She swooped down, fully intending to talk to him, but blinked in surprise.

The balcony was empty now. And as she looked behind the doors, she saw the throne room, with Error sitting on the steps, mumbling softly to himself. The guy had led her exactly where she wanted to go.

Brow furrowed, Raven stopped herself from opening the window that separated them and listened. He seemed agitated, carrying a conversation with someone she couldn’t see or hear.

“N0, wE’r3 nOT dOIng THaT. ThAT’s a BAD iDEa. I dON’t CAre, sHE cAn sUCk it.” He growled, seemingly frustrated, and Raven squinted.

Heh?!

“FoR th3 L@sT tIMe, NO. I’M n0T tELLing hER. We jUSt haVE tO gEt NigHT bAcK and ThAT’s it.” Error narrowed his eyes, turning to the balcony.

Raven backed up a little. Had he heard her? But she hadn’t made any noise.

“R@Ven?” Error said softly. “Wh@t aRE you d0!ng hERe?”

He reached forwards, brushing aside the curtain, and coming face to face with her. 

“Error, hi,” Raven said nervously, watching as his face closed down.

“H0W mUch d!d y0U hE@r.”

He sounded so guarded, so closed off. Raven swallowed. “Nothing that made any sense. Who were you talking to?”

Error stayed still, giving no indication of answering her.

“Error?” Raven said, her voice barely audible.

The black boned skeleton towered over her, seeming to glitch more randomly, his eyes clouding over with white error messages. He seemed so distant, so far away, angry but silent.

She gazed at the marks on his bones, golden and blue. 

The golden marks… seemed like cracks. How had she not noticed?

And the blue marks were just like tears.

He had red marks on his hands, right? Did they look like anything.

Her eyes dropped down, but he swept his hands behind his back before she could look properly.

“Error?” She asked quietly, and the black skeleton blinked, eyes clearing.

“It’$ n0t imP0rT@ant, R@V3n.” A shadow seemed to fall over his face, and with a strange insight, she realised he was hiding something. From her.

Stay quiet, some thought whispered to her. Don’t let him see anything wrong.

“Oh, ok…” Raven said, swallowing back words. “Did you get some sleep?”

Error just shrugged. “N0T muCH. BuT S0m3. Now, whAT iN KaRM@‘s name w3rE yOu doInG ouTSidE thE winDow!?”

Don’t lie, the voice warned, soft and yet urgent at the same time. 

“I… I woke up and couldn’t find you anywhere,” Raven said. “I tried going around inside the castle, but I got lost, so I decided to try flying outside when I saw-” a hand fell lightly on her shoulder, and she tensed as they whispered.

Not that part.

Error was looking at her, squinting. “Wh@T? Wh@t d!d yOu seE?”

She swallowed. “The balcony. And I came down to check it out, and saw you from the other side of the curtains.”

Raven was so tempted to look at who was grasping her shoulder, so gently yet firmly. They felt strong, with long, thin fingers, but Error wasn’t reacting to them. It felt strange, honestly. But she felt like he wasn’t here to hurt her.

He?

She knew, somehow, it was a male. And the fingers weren’t bones either, yet not furry or scaly or ghostly. The fingers were warm and sturdy.

Like a human.

Eternity seemed to pass, both Error and Raven standing there awkwardly, with the invisible presence at Raven’s shoulder, before Error coughed lightly. 

“We shOUld gEt goINg sooN. T@kE a LIttLe tiM3 iF yOu waNT. PrEPare.”

Raven nodded, sweat trickling down her neck as Error turned away. “Thank you. We’ll get more soul shards before you know it.”

Error paused, seemingly surprised at the maturity of her answer, then moved on without another word.

Raven spun around, trying to glimpse the person she had simply sensed there, the one who had spoken to her. But the balcony was empty, except for one thing.

On the floor, just behind her, was a feather. One that was deep purple at the roots, fading to the darkest black at the end. Like a shadow.

She reached down to touch it, hesitating, but grasped it in her hand, examining it. With just a moment’s pause, she drew a thread out of the hem of her scarf, threading it through a hole in the feather, and dropped the new necklace around her neck, hiding it under her jacket.

It felt like a promise.

Chapter Text

Error was fucking procrastinating.

For once in his life, he didn’t want to go to OuterTale. He’d seen how bad the edges had looked when he’d grasped the AU, even briefly. It was one of the few AUs with Void in it to begin with, so he could already guess it wasn’t going to be a pleasant waltz through space with peaceful echoes of the past surrounding him.

Then again, when was his life a waltz? If it was a dance, it was the kind of dance with complex, fast steps, when everyone else could hear proper music and he just heard a garbled mess.

Probably from the stupid voices screaming in his stupid skull.

He sighed, not really sure where he was walking anymore. Raising his hands, Error swallowed as he studied them, seeing that they were both entirely grey now.

It was just luck that Raven hadn’t already seen them. Especially since he was 99% sure that he was being mentally affected as well. The voices may be normal, but… he never spaced out that much. That was Outer’s job.

Wait. Fuck.

Error groaned, slumping back against the wall. For all he knew, he was acting like a total jerk and making a fool out of himself. He’d just made a pun, dammit. Even if it was mental.

He didn’t know how much time he had left. He had to use the time he had to its fullest potential.

Pulling himself up, he blinked as the room swam around him, throwing out a hand to steady himself.

“E@sy THere, ErrOR,” he told himself. “OnE sTEp at a TIme.”

Taking deep breaths, he stood on his own, starting to walk towards the throne room. Time to get Raven and get the fuck out of here.

Pushing the door open, he squinted in her direction. “YoU reADy?”

Raven looked up, startled. “Wow, you’re quiet.” Error sighed, rubbing his temples. “And yeah, I’m ready to go. OuterTale now? I wonder if it still has stars like my dad told me.”

“DOn’T eXPecT tO0 muCh. It w@s oNE of thE onLY AUs tHAt alREadY haD vOId in It. It’s g0inG to bE dANgerOUS.” Error turned away from Raven, reaching out a hand, concentrating hard as he felt his magic drop, and a glitchy portal formed in the air in front of him. Stepping to the side, he tilted his head to Raven, inviting her through.

“L@DieS firsT.”

She giggled into her hand, stepping past him, and Error walked through after her, wiping a bit of sweat off his palms. That had taken more magic than he’d thought.

They were in the Doodlesphere now, close to where the Voidling had attacked them. He glanced around, searching. “ThE oUTerTaLe AU waS tORn in QUarTerS. DO N0T, unDEr aNy cIRCumStaNCEs, touCH it bEfORe I draG it TogETher.”

Raven nodded, opening her wings. “I’ll have a look from above.” Crouching, she jumped up, beating her wings hard to lift herself into the air. With a mock salute to Error, she started scanning the higher up Aus.

Glancing around, Error faintly heard the buzzing of Fate’s voices in his skull.

Hm, you sure this will work?

You might be doing this for nothing.

After all, we don’t know if you’re going to succeed.

You don’t even know if your powers will work for this. This isn’t any kind of destructive work, and that’s what you’re built for.

The other voices hummed in agreement. Like bringing a folding chair to a fencing match. Oo, nice metaphor. I like that one.

ShUT Up, Error mentally growled at them. ThIS wILL WoRk. It HaS to.

They quieted, ever so slightly, and Error realised that they seemed much softer than they’d ever been before his imprisonment. Yet he heard one whisper, which was… nicer than normal?

Sorry, Error. For what it’s worth, some of us do think you can do it.

Error stopped in his tracks. They’d never been… nice to him before. Usually they just yelled abuse at him, but… this felt better.

To the left.

TAKE IT BACK NOW Y’ALL.

Oh my Satan, shut tf up.

Error glanced to the side, seeing what the voice had been trying to tell him about. OuterTale, neatly split into quarters, right where he’d left it.

“ThANk yOu,” he whispered slightly, a small smile on his face, before glancing up. “R@Ven! FoUNd IT!”

He watched her flap to a stop, glancing down at him with a nod, as she began to circle down, only to land with an inelegant crash on the floor.

He couldn’t help but snort, and she looked up, offended and panting.

“Ha ha,” she grumped, pulling herself up. “There wasn’t any wind in the Save Screen, so I’m not a great flier.”

“YEaH yEaH,” Error said, barely concealing a small smile. “VeRy elEGanT. TeN oUT of tEN.”

“I’m just winging it,” she shot at him with a smirk.

He groaned, rolling his eyes, then turned to the AU. Dragging some strings from his eyes, he stepped closer, pulling the needle from his pocket, when he heard something odd.

Everything was quiet.

Even the voices. 

Everything was… silent…

When sound roared in his head, so vibrant and panicked and garbled that Error lost his footing. 

QUICK-

No-

CAREFUL-

DANGER-

ERROR, THERE’S-

RUN.

That word resonated in his head, hundreds of voices screaming at him until he felt like his skull was cracking. Losing his balance, he fell down, crashing on the floor, glancing up to see shadows, growing and growing and growing, gathering fast behind Raven.

His eyes widened, and he swung to the AU. It wasn’t fixed, it was dangerous-

But that thing was more dangerous, an instinct told him, pricking at his neck. There was something, somebody, in the center, commanding the masses. Someone familiar, filled with danger.

“R@V3N!” Error yelled, stumbling to his feet. He watched her look back with terrified eyes as he pointed to the AU frantically. “T#R0UG#! N0W!”

“B-but you s-said-“

“JU$T D0 !T!” Error roared, lunging forwards, using his strings to grab her wrist, yanking her through the AU shards, turning to dive through as well.

Weird darkness surrounded him. Dark but light at the same time, and he felt someone grab his arm, yanking him up, exclaiming at his glitches as they grew and grew, spreading towards his chest. Wings surrounded him, was it Raven?

Without warning, he was dumped on the ground, the person letting go of him as he tried to breathe, to calm down, but something was weird, he was on the edge of a reboot, no no n-

Everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Raven stood, a few paces back from Error, watching him twitch in a helpless panic. 

He must have thrown her into a point where the two sections of AU met, because she’d been tossed into a section where everything seemed blank and dark. Almost like the Save Screen, but this felt… hungrier.

How could shadows feel hungry, for god’s sake?!

She might have been lost, falling into the cracks, if she hadn’t had her wings. And once she saw Error falling, she’d grabbed him as fast as she could, dragging him up with huge effort.

Which was when she’d realised what was happening with his glitches, making her drop him on an island.

God, what was she meant to do?!

She stepped forwards, but slowed as a familiar word appeared over his head, and Error stilled, his glitches calming once more.

REBOOTING…

A memory flashed across her head from the Save Screen, and she sighed, both in relief and in irritation.

He could not have picked a worse time for this if he tried.

She stepped forwards, and attempted to roll him over, but her hand glitched right through, like it had before. Swallowing, she glanced around frantically. Would anyone trying to follow come in the same place as them, or… could they come from anywhere?

Her feathers ruffled at the very thought, and she swallowed, feeling her soul beat faster.

“Crap crap crap,” she muttered, her throat now dry. “What am I meant to do, what can I do?!” 

Some slight sound caught her attention, and she saw black ripples edging closer to them, surrounding them, although slower than in the other area. Closer to her, and to Error, who wasn’t responding at all.

“Get back,” she tried to shout, but her voice cracked. The shadows flared a little, as if tasting something. Like… fear, maybe? Or maybe it was like they could sense her weakness.

She felt her eye sockets blur with tears, and she wiped them furiously. She was not going to die here.

That’s when something caught her attention, from the very corner of her eye.

A portal, very much like the one Core used. Raven wondered briefly if it was them, or if she should run, or call Core’s name like they’d told her.

But that would mean leaving Error behind.

She stilled as somebody stepped forwards, through the portal, to stand at her shoulder.

“Having a little trouble?” He asked, voice soft and maybe… amused?

“What does it look like?” Raven asked, voice quavering as she edged around, trying to keep herself between the hungry shadows and the guy and Error, all at the same time.

“I could help,” they offered, and Raven caught a glimpse of a smile at the corner of his mouth. She still couldn’t make him out fully, even at such a short distance. Like her brain wasn’t registering him properly.

“You should go,” she said, a little forcefully. “It’s not safe, I can handle this.” Or… try, she added mentally.

He stepped forwards, remaining just outside of arm’s reach, and Raven wondered if it was to make her feel safer, or to stop her lashing out at him.

“Oh yes,” he said, and Raven got the distinct impression that he was smiling wider. “You’ve got everything under control. You clearly can’t move him, and you plan to fight back the Void until he wakes up?”

“If I have to,” she said, but her voice was still shaking. She didn’t know this person, and despite his offer, something about him still set her on edge, no matter how calm he looked.

“C’mon, Raven,” the stranger said, smile dropping. “Trust me on this. Or…” He glanced around at Error, and Raven felt her soul stop, just for a moment.

The shadows were right at his hands, winding their way around them, close to his bones. She could see through them, and his hands looked… grey… In moments, they could grab him, and… she didn’t know what they could do.

Raven’s eyes blazed as she summoned a bone attack, trying to dispel them, but they just inched closer to him, when Raven summoned a Gaster Blaster, a dragon skull aiming at the shadows.

The stranger grabbed her hand, alarmed. “Don’t! You will hurt him. Just let me help.”

Raven let the blaster dissipate, then glanced between them. The stranger and Error.

The Void grabbed his arm, and Error cried out in pain, and she made her choice as his glitching grew darker.

“Do it!” Raven yelped, and the stranger’s mouth twitched, as he raised a hand to the air, stepping in front of her, over Error.

Purple light blazed through the air, coming from his hand, and the shadows shrank back as the stranger’s eyes gleamed a fiery violet under their hood. 

A fierce wind began to roar, and Raven threw herself to the ground, wings shielding her as the gale ripped through the darkness, dispersing it, and the stranger stood, their hand still outstretched, in the eye of the storm.

He grinned, expression almost manic, hair whipping in his face, as a purple shield settled around them, like a transparent bubble, none of the shadows inside, all of them raging at the barrier stopping them from getting their prey.

The light died slowly, and Raven sat up, slightly awed.

Black hair fell over the stranger’s face once more, and he lowered his hand, turning to face Raven.

“Pleasure to meet you, Raven. You may call me Percy, and I do apologise for leaving in such a rush last time.” He bowed low, quite dramatically, then straightened with a small laugh. 

“How did you… how did you do that? And how do you know my name?” Raven got up, accepting Percy’s hand.

“Let’s call it magic,” he said with a small wink. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you. The Void isn’t a safe place for… almost anyone at the moment, really.”

Both of their smiles fell as they seemed to register the truth of the statement.

Raven looked closer at him, trying to discern his features, but it wasn’t very successful, even at such a short distance. Was he hiding himself somehow?

Percy was tall, almost as tall as Error, and he seemed to wear some strange clothes. The cloak faded into the darkness, and she couldn’t make out any of his facial features besides a quirked grin. Black hair hung messily in his face, quite loose, over a pair of wide round glasses, sort of like Error’s in a way.

Yet he wore an ordinary looking purple hoodie, with two heart charms dangling from the strings used to tighten the hood, and long skinny jeans with dark sneakers.

“… almost anyone?” Raven asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

“Well, other than me and you,” Percy amended. “I’m a… mage, you might say. You’ve heard of those, right?” At Raven’s head shake, he continued. “A soul with magic and traits. Humans have them, mostly, but occasionally… eh, not important.” They shrugged. “I was casting a spell when this happened, so it didn’t affect me. And hasn’t since. Pretty sure it can’t.”

“But… me?” Raven asked, trying to shake off the baffling way that this guy had shown up.

“Well, you were born after the collapse,” said Percy with a shrug. “You’ve lived your entire life surrounded by Void, even in the Save Screen. The Void can never harm you. Apart from the Voidlings, but yeah. It’s also something about your scent, I think. You smell like one of them.”

“I do?” She lifted her sleeve to sniff it, and Percy laughed again. 

“Not noticeable to you. Your friend is the thing giving you away, I think.”

“Error!” Raven was suddenly struck with the realisation that he was still there, and she turned, looking at him. 

Error was still glitching heavily, but the number above his head was increasing. It was at thirty percent now. But… his hands were still grey. The shadows had done that, right?

… right?

“You said both of us were immune to the Void effect. What about Error?”

Percy met her gaze, silent, before dipping his head slightly. “That’s not for me to tell you.”

“Percy?” Raven whispered.

He sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose, moving slightly closer. “We don’t have much time before he wakes up. I’ll have to go when he does.” Percy raised a hand, signaling her to stop as she began another question. “There’s a… friend of his that I don’t want to know I was here, talking to you. Besides that, I don’t fully trust him yet either. I’m going to show you how to do something, ok? But I’ll need your permission.”

“My… permission?”

“It’s why I didn’t help you until you said I could. If I’m going to help you, there are certain… rules I have to follow. Don’t ask me to elaborate on that, it’s pretty much I can’t do anything to help you without you telling me I should.”

Raven frowned. That was… odd. “Is that normal for mages?”

“It is normal for my kind.” Percy was speaking far quicker now, glancing between the number over Error’s head and Raven. It was at 45 now. “Hold out your hand.”

Raven hesitated, but obeyed, when Percy murmured, “May I see your soul?”

Raven caught her breath, but whispered, “Y-yes.”

His smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, as Raven’s SOUL flickered to life above her palm, with its core of Determination inherited from her dad, and Patience and Integrity around the edges. It was smooth and unmarked, with other colours flickering like opals.

Percy hesitated, glancing up, and Raven nodded. He then held out a hand, lightly touching the soul, just as a purple flicker was at its strongest, and Raven felt the Perseverance grow, being drawn to the surface.

“Focus, Raven,” Percy whispered, hypnotic. “Take over the magic, and form it into a pathway.”

Raven shut her eyes, feeling magic flowing through her whole body, and saw in her mind what he was asking, though she was almost certain she shouldn’t be able to. Moving her hands so her soul was hovering between them, she drew on her magic, coercing it into what she wanted, although she’d never done it before. 

She opened one eye tentatively, then gasped. 

Percy’s barrier was now gone, and a new one was taking its place. It was like a bubble, like his had been, but the colour was richer. While his was a light purple, hers was almost indigo as her soul flared with magic in her palms. Looking at them, she saw his eyes alight with pride, gleaming from under his hood.

“You got it, just keep focusing. And when he wakes, direct it to where you want to go,” Percy said, beaming. But his smile faded, ever so slightly as he turned away. “Raven?”

“Yeah?” She asked softly, taking her eyes off the soul briefly.

“If you wouldn’t mind, please don’t tell Error about this. Again, I don’t want people finding out we talked.” He looked calm, but when Raven looked closer, she saw his hands fiddling with the edge of his cloak.

“Are you… scared?” 

“… sort of. On edge is closer to the truth. Please, promise me this. It only has to be until after you bring back your companion. Then I will introduce myself to all three of you.”

She swallowed, then nodded. “Ok. I won’t say a word.”

Percy’s mouth quirked into his smile, and he saluted to her. “I’ll see you, Raven.”

And before she could say goodbye, he was gone. Like he’d never existed.

100%

Reboot Complete.

Chapter Text

Error’s limbs felt so heavy.

He was tired.

Geez, why was he so tired?

Voices clamoured at the edge of his hearing. Like normal. Whoop de doo.

I thought he died for a second.

That was scary!

Jesus Christ, man, listen to us next time!

Seriously, all of you felt that guy, right? It was so lucky the portal was right there. They might not have escaped otherwise.

…they might not have lived.

All of the voices went quiet, and Error tried to catch up. He could barely move, what the fuck?! When his mouth didn’t work, he tried calling out mentally.

WhAT hAPpeNED? ArE wE s@FE?!

Don’t worry, we’re ok. I think you are too, but idk.

. .  . You guYS cAn’T d!E. YoU are lItERaLLy diSEmbOdiEd vOices.

He could almost hear them all shrug. Pulling himself together, he cracked open his eyes, to be met with blazing purple magic.

“WhAT iN tHE ENtiRe FUck.” Error pulled himself up, glancing around, seeing Raven sitting with her soul in her hands. He quickly averted his eyes, but noticed her looking over at him.

“Error, you’re awake!” Raven jumped up, running over.

“ApParENtly. WhAT hAPPenEd? WhY… pURplE?” Error asked, waving his hands around.

Very succinct, word master, a voice whispered sarcastically, only to grunt in some kind of… pain, maybe, as another voice… ribbed them?

“I… well, you threw me into OuterTale without fixing it, and fell through afterwards. We spawned in some kind of hole in the world, and I had to grab you to stop you falling, bringing you up here, which, by the way, was very ow. My wings hurt now.” Raven winced, rolling her shoulder, then turned serious again. “The… the Void tried to follow us through, but, um, my magic reacted. Not fast enough though, it- it got to you for a little bit.” She glanced down at her soul in her hands.

Error’s eyes widened as he fumbled for his pocket, drawing out Nightmare’s soul shards. He sighed in relief. He’d forgotten about them, and judging by Raven’s quick intake of breath, she had too. They seemed to glow with annoyance, and Error’s relief turned to prickly defensiveness.

“D0n’T gIve mE tHAt, wE wERe bUsY!” The shards pulsed, somehow conveying some kind of sarcasm, even without a face. How could pieces of magic be so expressive?! “NuH Uh, sHUt THe FuCK Up, BitCH.”

He could almost imagine Nightmare rolling his eyelight at him, when the shards went dormant again, and Error sighed, drawing out his glasses. Even when it was only a tiny piece of him, Nightmare was ever full of salt and sarcasm.

Raven watched him, bemused. “You just yelled at soul shards.”

“Oh, NOt yOU too.” Error rolled his eyes, putting on his glasses, suddenly realising something. He turned away from Raven, rolling up his sleeves, soul nearly stopping as he saw the normal red of his arm bones was completely gone. 

Fuck. It was spreading, fast. 

He dropped his sleeve, turning back to Raven, averting his eyes as he saw that her soul was still in her hands. “C@N yoU PL3AS3 puT THaT aWAy?” Error growled, face hot.

Raven tilted her head. “Why? I’m using it?”

…

Error muttered something under his breath, and Raven frowned at him. “I didn’t catch that?”

“… YOu dON’t nORmAlly shOw yOUr SoUL to AnYOne. OnLY… coUPlEs do ThAT. It’S LIke… NOt wEaRIng cLOthEs.”

Raven flushed bright red, immediately shoving her soul under her jacket. “Nope. Nope nope nope. Never happening. Like, I like you, but ew.”

“Ew iS pReTTy aCCurAte. YoU’re nOt mY tyPE.”

Raven glanced over at him, brow raised. “You have a type? Oo, what is it?”

Error blushed as voices cascaded in his head, clamouring over each other.

Ooh, ooh, I wonder who it is?

Maybe someone like Cross?

Or Dream?

Error involuntarily made a gagging noise as he pulled his scarf over his face.

EW, he yelled at them. NeVEr In a MILLioN yEArs!

They tittered at him under their breath, then went back to theorising.

Hmm, perhaps it’s someone like Blue?

Nah, too young for him. Lust flirts with him often, maybe?

No fucking way. That’s like saying it’s Fresh.

It’s Reaper.

All the voices went silent, weighing up their options.

He’s dating Geno, though, one whispered, then gasped. Ohhh.

That’s genuinely sad.

It’S… it’S noT reALLy HiM, Error thought to them. LiKE, soRT of? It doESn’T mATTer AnYmoRe.

He became aware of Raven watching him, and realised with a start that he’d spent several minutes with his face pressed into his scarf. He pulled it down with a cough, trying to cover it up, when another voice piped up.

Do skeletons have dicks? I bet Ink’s would be rainbow.

He couldn’t help himself, he nearly threw up.

EW. EW EW EW. THAT WAS WORSE THAN BEING SHIPPED WITH FRESH.

The voices were silent for a moment, then burst out laughing.

He stood up, face burning. “It dOEsn’T maTTer wHAt mY ‘tyPE’ is. We hAVe a MIsSion, rEmEmbEr?!”

Raven pouted, but stood up. “I’m maintaining this um, ‘path’, and I think it moves with us, so… let’s go?”

Error nodded, stepping forwards, and saw that Raven was right. “HoW lONg can yOU maINtaIn thIs?”

“As long as I need to,” Raven said stubbornly, although she already seemed sweaty. “I’ll do it until we’re safe.”

Error nodded. He hadn’t expected any less. “GoOd gIRL.”

They both began to walk together, heading for pathways that seemed more whole than others, and Error frowned. They must be close to Waterfall… his eyes lit up in realisation. “ThIS WaY,” he said, heading to a subtle path, Raven following.

“Where are we going?” She asked, breathlessly.

“TherE’S a PlaCE thAT I shOWed hIM onCe,” Error said quietly. “If pARt of hIS souL is in OUterTALe, it’LL bE thERe.” He led the way through chunks of rock and sculpted trees, right until they arrived, and Raven stopped as she saw the shardling pass within her barrier.

It was Nightmare alright, but he was so much calmer than he’d been in the throne room. He just sat there, looking at the sky, barely registering that there were people there.

And when they looked past him, they could see what he was looking at.

Even in greyscale, the sky was magnificent, shining with hundreds of stars. This place had always been Error’s favourite place, and after showing it to Nightmare, it had become his favourite too. Error hesitated, then walked forwards, sitting beside the shardling of Nightmare. Raven followed suit, sitting on Nightmare’s other side.

“Isn’t this place beautiful?” Nightmare asked, eyes still trained on the sky.

“YEaH.”

They all were quiet, gazing upwards. 

“A friend of mine showed me this place,” the shardling said calmly. “He’s an idiot, but he has good taste. I wonder where he went.”

Error swallowed, feeling the wet tingling in his eye sockets, as the voices hushed.

Oh.

So Error’s type is tall, dark and scary?

Shut up, you’re ruining the moment.

He was grateful to them for shutting up, even if only for a time. “I cAN bRinG yOU to HIm,” he whispered, softly. The shardling slowly looked away from the stars, eyes meeting Error’s.

“If you would, then I would be grateful,” he said.

“… WiLL yOu gIVe mE yOUr souL?”

“If it means I can see him again.”

Raven sat beside them, looking them up and down, measuring with squinted eyes. Error smiled softly. “YoU wILL. I pROmIsEd, dIDn’T I?”

Nightmare smiled, ever so slightly, and the shardling outline faded, leaving only fragments of soul hovering in the air. Error reached out, catching the shards in his hand, feeling the lightest touch brush his face. He didn’t shy from this one, but smiled, softly and sadly as Nightmare whispered to him.

“I will see you again.”

Chapter Text

Error stood, glancing at the sky, the shards in his hands. “WE shOULdn’t sTAy in hEr3 lONger thAn we hAVe tO. We hAvE TWo oF thrEE sOUl shARds, we ShOUld geT tO DreAMtaLe anD fix iT as s00n as POssIbLE.”

Raven nodded, sweat beading on her brow. “Yeah… I don’t know how much longer I can hold this path.”

He glanced at her. “WhY are yOu cALLinG iT a PAth?” He questioned, curious, only to see her shrink back a little.

“Well, it kinda… looks like one, I guess…” Raven coughed into her hand, and Error frowned. 

“IT lOOks LIke a bUBBle, nOt a PaTH.”

She flapped her hand, then winced a little. “Potayto, potahto. Can we get going?”

Error nodded, striding ahead of her, navigating through the greyed Outertale. He kept seeing things that were familiar, and he was honestly surprised that the Void shadows slipped off the ‘path’ so easily. The voices were being quiet, maybe playing a card game or something, judging by the occasional triumphant shout of “Draw four” or “Uno”.

It sounded like it was annoying some of them, and Error thanked his lucky stars that they weren’t physically there. Otherwise he might get dragged into the bloodbath.

Though now that he thought about it, how the hell were they playing cards in the first place?

He shook his head. Some things weren’t meant to be dwelled upon.

He glanced back, furrowing his brow. If he had the magic strength, he’d call a portal straight to DreamTale. It might be safer there, after all, it was an uninhabited AU. But he could tell that it would be far too risky. Magic use sped up the Void corruption, right?

They were nearly to the portal point, when he stopped with an exclamation of disgust and disbelief.

A wide chasm yawned in the world, fuzzing with static at the edges. Like the one that he and Raven had nearly fallen into. It stretched a long way, too far to jump, and it would take ages to find a way across.

Time that they might not have.

Raven nearly bumped into him, which startled her back to attention. “Hey, what- oh. Oh damn.”

Error rolled his eyes to the sky. He could almost hear Fate giggling to herself in the background. Really funny, bitch.

“FaN fUCkINg tasTic.”

Raven frowned at him. “Well, it’s a little annoying, but I’m sure it’s ok! I can fly, remember? And well, you’re heavy, but not that heavy. I could carry-”

Error stiffened. “N0, RaVEn. It’S nOT a GOod IdeA.”

She fell quiet, then asked softly, “What’s wrong? Is it… the physical contact, like touch? Why do you hate it so much?”

Error sighed, rubbing his temples. “I… ! D0n’T fUllY rEmEmbEr. All I knOW is I cAn’T tOUch pEoPLe witHOut gLItcHinG, or EvEn crAShiNg. It’S… paInFUL, rEb00Ting LIke tHaT. It reWiREs mY coDE.”

She stayed quiet, then hedged, “Is it just bone to bone contact? Is it with like, clothes as well?”

He shook his head. “D3pEnds. ClOThes aRe fINe, but nOt pEoPLe.”

Raven went quiet, fiddling with something around her neck. “Well… we could make a harness or something? That way I don’t have to touch you. Would that help?”

Error glanced at her, surprised. She wasn’t questioning it, just… accepting it. Figuring out ways around it. She wasn’t telling him something was wrong, trying to make him better. She was just… supportive.

That felt good.

“… yEAh. ThAT’d hELp. I cAn mAKe oNe qUIckLy, cAn yOu keEP waTch?”

Raven nodded, giving him a salute. “Sir, yes sir!” Then she spoiled the effect by giggling slightly.

Error turned away, pulling his hands to his eyes, yanking out strings.

Be light. Supportive. Strong, he told his magic, shaping it into what he wanted. 

The magic came out slightly paler than normal, with an amethyst tint, but he ignored it. This would work.

Tying it around himself, he nodded to Raven, passing her the strings. “JuST… dOn’T drOP mE. GeT gOIng beFoRE I ChANge mY mINd.”

She nodded, dutifully accepting them, and wrapped them around her hands. “Okie dokie.”

Error moved to her side as they approached the edge, and they stood in silence for a moment, gazing at the drop.

“Welp. Time to go!”

“NO, wAIt, mAyBe thIS is a BaD iDE3@AAA-” Error shrieked as Raven jumped forwards, pulling him with her with surprising strength. For a few terrifying seconds, he dangled, helpless, as Raven beat her wings, gaining altitude.

Then it straightened out, and he flipped the right way up, breathing heavily as Raven soared on wind currents, the purple bubble still surrounding them. 

“NoPE, nOpE, nEVer aGAiN, If I dIE beCaUSe of thIS YOu’re NOt geTTing SHiT frOm me in my wILL-”

Raven laughed from above him, grip tightening on the strings. “Come on, it’s fun!”

Error covered his eyes, refusing to look down as Raven started to drop lower. He didn’t want to know, he was being laughed at by the voices right now, thank god Nightmare wasn’t with them yet, he would be laughing his fucking ass off-

Then he felt his feet touch the ground, and Raven released her grip on his strings.

“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Raven said, touching down beside him.

“NeVEr dO thIS to mE aGAIn or I WILL wrECk yOUr LIfe when wE gET baCK by tElLinG GeNO yOu diD drUGs.”

“Yes, sir!” Raven said, slamming her mouth shut.

He put a hand to his head with a grunt, and dipped into his depleted magic levels. With a wave of his hand, a portal appeared, and he stepped through, not bothering to wait.

He fell six feet from the air, but this time, he dragged Raven with him.

“Gah!” She yelped, trying to pull the last bits of his strings off her fingers, but it was too late, and they both toppled into the Doodlesphere.

Error grunted, pushing her off him as fast as he could before his glitches got too wild.

Wrinkling his nose, and choosing to stay silent and remain some shred of dignity, he yanked the portal pieces to DreamTale out of his pocket.

Raven stumbled to her feet, shaking her head. “Are you going to fix it?”

He nodded, drawing the strings out, threading his needle. Slipping on his glasses, he gazed at the portal, squinting.

The DreamTale AU was quite beautiful, although he didn’t know the story. There were only three people who would, Ink, Dream and Nightmare. He wasn’t about to ask Ink or Dream, and Nightmare had shut down the topic as soon as he’d asked.

The tree was strange though. What was its significance in this AU? And why were there apples all around its base?

Drawing the needle closer, Error worked quickly, ears alert for the sound of anyone approaching. He could also tell that Raven was keeping watch, although he hadn’t asked her to. For someone so childish, she seemed to have a strange sense about things, despite her lack of knowledge of the multiverse. 

He frowned, finishing the last stitch in the paper. Tacky, but it would do.

“RaVen, I’M doNE.” He glanced up at the shield getting more translucent and pale, especially noticing how pale Raven looked. She glanced up at his voice, yet her eyes seemed unfocused slightly.

“Great,” she said, smiling faintly. “We should go through. I can’t… hold this much longer.”

Error nodded, moving to her side. It must take a lot of magic to maintain this kind of shield, and he grasped the edge of her wing with a moment of hesitation, pulling her upright. His glitches didn’t seem quite so bad when he was touching feathers instead of bone, and he was grateful.

“CoME on.” Supporting her gently, they walked to the AU together, stepping through.

Chapter Text

They arrived on a field of grey grass, with an open cloudless sky. The surrounding area might once have been beautiful, but now…

In the nearby village, not a single house was left standing and whole. The shapes were twisted and blackened, perhaps by a fire, and even with the shattering, there was nobody in sight.

Error glanced up as the purple Barrier fell, and Raven slumped to the ground, tired out. She looked horrible, like she hadn’t slept in weeks, and Error cursed himself mentally as the voices yelled at him.

Dude, you have to take care of her!

She’s a mortal, Error, demigod or not. They have limits, you know.

You should have seen that earlier!

“YEaH, I knOW,” he grumbled, kneeling down, only realising that he’d spoken out loud as Raven gave him a strange look. “YoU nE3d soME MOre slEEp. YoU USed a LOt oF mAGiC bAcK thERE.”

She nodded, eyes drooping. “A nap… wouldn’t hurt. But if you find Nightmare, don’t revive him without me.”

He nodded, agreeing. “LeT’S fInD soMEwhEre sAFe tO lAY loW.”

Standing up, he surveyed the area again. The village seemed deserted, but if something happened, it was quite remote and he wouldn’t be able to hear her or see anything wrong. There were a few spots in the barren land that looked promising enough, but what caught his attention was the stump.

It was high on top of a hill, and seemed to be the centre of the AU. It must be the one in the painting, although it looked dead now.

…

It seemed promising.

He glanced down at Raven, pulling some threads from his eyes to hoist her up. “C’MOn, nOT fAr NOw.” Half dragging, half supporting her, he stumbled up the hill, pausing as he reached the top. 

A small skeleton sat, hunched over, face shielded by his arms. His clothes looked fancy and proper, with a loose, button up, long sleeve shirt and dark pants, yet he wore no shoes. A glint came from his head, revealing a crown. It was interesting, honestly. A simple band with a plate on it, a moon cut out of that.

It was… intriguing.

Error frowned, studying the skeleton up and down. If he didn’t know better, this skeleton might be Dream. Did he have a costume change or something?

Leaning down, he settled Raven among the stump roots, glancing at the rise and fall of her chest. Somehow, she’d fallen asleep even as he carried her, and he managed a smallish smile. She really was a kid, huh.

Pulling off his trench coat, he laid it over her, pulling his red cardigan sleeves over his hands as he turned to the skeleton, brow furrowed.

“HeY kID,” he said, wincing at his voice. “HaVE yOu sEEn a GoOP c0VEr3d skElETon anYwhERe? LiTTlE tAlLeR thAN yOu, fOuR tenTAclES?”

The kid tensed up, shoulders shaking, and Error glanced back awkwardly. The kid was crying. Was he meant to do something here?

“UM.” He sat down, between him and Raven. “WhAT’S uP?”

“… they were being mean again,” choked the kid. “And Dream’s not listening to me. Are you going to be mean too?”

Error sat there, silent. There was nobody around, nobody to be mean to this guy. But… it seemed like a memory. He was seeing something from the past, maybe.

“NaH. I dON’T thInK I wILL bE,” Error said, quiet.

The kid raised his head, wiping his eyes furiously. “Why isn’t it fair?” He snapped, eyes glinting. “I’m not a bad person, why do they hate me so much? I just… do what I’m supposed to. Guard the tree, and the apples. Why do they have to punish me for it?”

“.  . .” Error glanced at the kid, quiet, as he continued his rant.

“It’s not fair! They treat me like I’m the problem. A disease, or a parasite.” He choked on the word, spitting it out like poison. “Just because I do my job.”

“I knOw whAT thAt’S LIk3,” Error said, glancing down, feeling the shardling’s eyes turn to him. Seeing him clearly.

“You do, don’t you?”

They both stayed quiet, and Error looked up, meeting the other in the eyes. Somehow, they were so gentle, so soft. Like Dream’s almost, but… more tired. And that said something, the Guardian of Positivity was surprisingly non cheerful behind his facade of smiles. 

Error still remembered the one time he’d caught Dream smoking. Smoking, for fuck’s sake. He hadn’t known he was being watched, but…

Error blinked, bringing himself back to reality.

“WhAT’s yOuR nAMe, kID?”

“Nightmare,” he whispered, softly.

Error blinked, looking the skeleton up and down.

No way. Nightmare was not that short.

And where was the goop? The tentacles and everything? Why was he so… so much like Dream?

They’re brothers, a small part of him whispered. It makes sense that they used to be more alike.

He swallowed, clearing his throat. “I… I kNOw sOMeOne by thAT nAme. He’S stRAnGe, bUt suRPriSingLy swEEt wheN yOu gET to KNow hIm.”

An awkward silence passed between the two of them.

“Really?” Nightmare asked, looking up. “That’s pretty cool.”

“YeAH. I wAS lOOkIng fOr hIM. BuT I guESS I caN stAY a LITtLe LOngER.” Error hesitated, reaching for his pocket, only to realise that he’d left his coat with Raven. He glanced over, reaching out, gently pulling out the rest of Nightmare’s soul shards.

The shardling watched, curious. The tears on his cheeks had dried, leaving tracks on the bone. “What are those?”

“… thEY’rE piECes. PieCEs of a FriEnD.”

Nightmare shuffled closer, peering at them. “They look cool. Like pure magic, almost.”

Error nodded, drawing them up, brow furrowed.

The soul shards had a strange shape, now that he saw them together. The pieces pushed apart from each other, almost like magnets, but they were clearly not made like a regular heart shaped soul. There were too many curves, and didn’t seem to fit together properly.

“WhAT thE-”

Did Nightmare have a different soul to other monsters? And how was he meant to put together the soul without knowing what it looked like?

The shardling watched, frowning softly. Then, he sighed, settling back down. “Hey, do you think… that anybody can find friends? Even somebody… bad?”

Error snapped to attention, blinking a few times. 

Friends?

Past Nightmare is depressed, geez, a voice whispered.

Error took a breath, searching for the words. “WeLL… I’M noT thE bESt pErSoN tO ask. BUt… I thInK yoU’LL finD pEoPlE. EveNTuaLLy. SpECiAL pEOplE wHO wOUld do ANyThInG fOR yOu.”

Nightmare looked up, eyes wider. “Really?”

Error nodded. “DoN’T let aSShoLes gEt yOU doWn, kId.”

A soft smile touched the corner of Nightmare’s mouth. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He began to glow, softly shining, with his outline becoming hazier and hazier. A set of shards became more visible within Nightmare’s chest, until they clattered to the ground, glowing softly.

Error hesitated, then picked up the shards, holding the entirety of Nightmare’s soul in his hands. That’s when he saw the banner, previously covered by Nightmare.

It might have been purple or blue before, but in the centre was a crescent moon. And right where the points of the moon met was an apple, embroidered onto the fabric.

His eyes widened, realising the truth as he held up the shards in his cupped hands. 

Apples were an important part of this AUs lore. It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that Nightmare’s soul was shaped like an apple as well.

The surrounding area quivered, and he held the shards closer, glancing around uneasily.

The AU was unstable. The core of the universe was unstable, and the other pillars that held up the code were fractured and broken.

“RaVEn, wAKe Up. We nEEd to Go,” he said, turning round to her. Dropping to his knees, he yanked off his coat, dropping the shards in his pocket, pushing her shoulder lightly. Her eyes opened, and she looked up, rubbing her eyes. 

“But the shards?”

“I hAVe thEM,” he said abruptly, standing up. Raven scrambled to her feet, understanding the gravity of the situation.

They both turned, and Error raised a hand to summon a portal, when Raven whacked it with a wing. “Remember what Core told us?”

It is hard for me to open pathways to AUs, but if you need them, say my name three times. I will hear you, and bring you here.

“RiGHt, I’m JUst aN iDIoT.” He smacked his forehead, stepping back, and Raven cupped her hands around her mouth, taking a deep breath.

“CORE, CORE, CORE!!!” She yelled, and Error winced. She was impressively loud for being so small.

And like clockwork, a white portal opened in front of them, and they both ran through.

Chapter Text

Both of them stumbled into the green fields of the Omega timeline, Core standing in front of them. They closed the portal, and turned to both Raven and Error expectantly. “Did you get the pieces?”

Error nodded, digging into his pocket to draw them out, gazing at the soft glow.

Core smiled slightly. “I am glad. It’s good that you both survived.”

Raven bounced forwards, wingtips flapping in excitement. “Does this mean I can meet Nightmare soon? I wonder if he knows me? Like, are his shards conscious?”

Error met Core’s gaze, both of them sharing a slightly amused look, when Core’s darkened to concern.

“You’re not better yet. You seem to have progressed your corruption by a long way,” they breathed, voice solemn. Error caught his breath as Raven glanced at him, slightly confused.

“Corruption? Core, what are you talking about?”

Error shut his eyes, silently praying as he felt Core’s gaze on him, measuring him.

“You haven’t told her yet?”

“I wAS gETTinG to It,” he growled. “It’S nOT iMPorTaNT anYwAY, we hAVe NightMaRe’s SoUL shARds. We cAn bRiNG hIm back, aND thAt coULdn’T waIT.”

Raven was silent, looking up at him with a strange expression on her face. “…Error?”

“I’LL eXplAIn lATer, AFTeR we HEaL NIGhtMare. ThAT’S the ImPOrtAnt thINg, anD it’S goINg to BE hArDEr nOw thAT DreAMTaLE is… CoLLapSed.” Error averted his eyes from Raven’s, putting the shards back in his pocket. “YoU hEAd to thE OMeGa TiMELinE, rECovER. I’LL do WhAT I can HEre.”

Core glanced at Raven, nudging her hand. “Come on, he’s right. We can regroup back here.” They turned to Error, hesitating for a moment. “I believe I mentioned to you that I was going to talk to someone who can help. If you still want it, and I believe you do, I managed to get in contact with them. You revive Nightmare and catch him up to speed, and afterwards I can bring you to my… acquaintance.”

Error blinked, startled. Acquaintance? “I aPPreCiaTE thE oFFer, CorE, bUt who aRE yOu taLKinG abOUT?”

“…somebody very powerful, who even I don’t understand. If anyone can help you fix your situation, it’s him. I won’t disclose any more information, as they value their privacy.”

Error nodded. “Go oN.”

Core grabbed Raven’s hand, leading her away from Error, as Raven looked back at him. He breathed in, drawing out the soul shards, careful to keep them seperate before laying every piece on the ground like a puzzle.

Drawing his strings from his eyes, he got to work.

—-

Raven yanked her hand from Core’s after they were far away from Error, although not quite in the Omega Timeline.

“Corey, what the heck are you two not telling me?” she demanded, eyes narrowed. “Corruption? His situation? Is Error ok?”

Core stood, bangs over their eyes, staying quiet.

Raven blinked back tears, feeling a lump in her throat. “Why aren’t either of you telling me anything?”

“It’s not because of you,” Core said, eyes downcast. “He isn’t sure how to handle it, and I’m not going to violate his privacy. I don’t know why he’s so hellbent on keeping secrets, but I know he cares.”

Raven looked down, folding her wings over herself, like she was giving herself a warm hug. The feathers felt soft and cool, blocking out much of the outside world. 

Core reached out, gently pushing aside a few so they could see Raven’s face.

“You’re upset.”

“Duh.”

“… it will be ok, Raven. You’ve gone through a lot recently, but you’re still standing, aren’t you? And so is Error. You’re both stronger than you give yourselves credit for.”

Raven wiped her nose, looking up at Core. They weren’t telling her things, important things. Things she should know about. She was sad, and she should be angry too, right? But… she wasn’t.

Did she know how to be angry?

Not really. Anger felt bad, and hollow, but it wasn’t ever true anger for her. It was more complex than that.

“Do you ever get angry, Corey?”

“Not often. And not anymore. I used to be angry, in my own way. After I fell into the Core. But it was my own fault, and I grew to recognise that,” Core answered, honestly. “Do you?”

“No. I don’t think I really know how to be angry. Like, I’m sad, and hurt, but… I don’t feel angry,” she mumbled around her feathers.

Core nodded, sitting beside her. “I understand.”

“… I don’t think you do, but thanks for trying.”

They smiled at each other, and Core reached out, pulling Raven into their arms. Begrudgingly, Raven accepted, burying her face in their shoulder. 

“So I’m really not getting to find out?”

“You will. When he gets over his pride and admits to actually needing help, which might take a while.” Both of them snorted, and broke apart the awkward hug. 

“Let’s go get something to eat.”

“I am very hungry-”

—-

Error stood, holding the shards in the air with his magic. They all seemed to be in place, yet not slotted together yet. The shards all repelled each other, like magnets, yet he was sure that with enough magic, he could bind them together again. 

It looked like a black apple. It was fine. Yet when all the pieces were closer together, they seemed to radiate negative energy, glowing with a teal light. 

Error slowly drew his strings from his eyes, with a deep breath. This was important.

What to imbue his magic with?

Protection may not work here, since it wasn’t the goal to protect, but to bring together. And most kinds of reinforcement magic would classify as positive, which might not be a great idea, given that Nightmare was the Guardian of Negativity. Binding him together with positive energy? Hahaha… no.

But negative energy… 

Harming, maybe. Toxicity. Anger.

But they could do damage as well. So something… milder. Something that drew you together.

What would help Nightmare? Error thought.

Well, what was Nightmare? He’d seen the most exposed parts of Nightmare in the past few days. Rage, guilt, calm, grief, loneliness.

Error shut his eyes, focusing himself. Grounding himself, as he cupped his hands around the soul. Blue strings threaded around the apple, forming a web, and he forced his hands together, making the pieces collide with each other.

Instantly, he felt an explosion ring within his skull, making his hands vibrate violently as he struggled to stay upright. Gritting his teeth, he focused his magic like a beam, and for a single moment, everything went still before darkness rippled through the surrounding area. Familiar darkness, which radiated sadness and anger, yet also safety and calm.

Growling, Error reached back in his mind, pulling out his emotions, laying them bare. His fear, his confusion, his hopelessness, all of the things that had grown and grown during his imprisonment, he channeled the energy they gave him into his fingers, feeding them to the soul.

Wake up.

WAKE UP.

He couldn’t stay upright much longer, he felt his legs shaking beneath him as he pulled the soul closer to his chest, only to freeze.

It wasn’t shifting anymore.

Cautiously, Error pried his hands apart, and a brilliant flash of light shone through the clearing, blinding him, making him shield his eyes, only to realise the soul wasn’t in his grasp anymore.

Head snapping up, Error squinted into the light, only to see it fade, leaving a figure standing in front of him.

A skeleton, with goop running down his bones and splitting off his back into four tentacles. A singular teal eye shining in his face, with an expression almost like pride on his face.

“Hey, Error. Did you miss me?”

Chapter Text

Nightmare paced back and forth, tentacles frantic even as he tried to bring them under control. He could literally feel the worry radiating off his team, all sitting on chairs around the meeting hall, as well as more subtle combinations of feelings added to the mix from each person.

Dust was enraged, although his face gave barely any hint. He was careful to keep himself composed, but Nightmare could tell that he wanted to tear Ink, Dream, and the entire multiverse to pieces. It was understandable, honestly. If it weren’t for Error’s last request, Nightmare would be absolutely destroying every AU, neutral or not.

Horror was more concerned with the rest of his team’s wellbeing, as always. The terrifying looking skeleton was actually quite gentle, when you were on his side that is. Nightmare felt his sadness, mixed with quiet support, radiating off him in waves as he tried to get Dust to eat.

Cross was panicked, understandably so. Error had specifically mentioned his hacking abilities as necessary in taking down AUs, yet they hadn’t yet figured out how that worked properly. None of them had Error’s natural ability to look at the codes of worlds, and yet Cross specifically was being called on to do something way beyond his abilities. Despite this, he kept trying, desperately trying to help as the team pulled the AUs apart piece by piece.

Killer was by far the calmest, but even so his jokes and attitude were muted, and Nightmare could sense a deep sense of regret and guilt at his very core, although Killer buried it as far down as he could. He was keeping a brave face for everyone else, yet nobody could mask the absence of Error.

None of it was helping keep Nightmare calm, especially when all of their worries were centred around… well, him. They were missing him sorely, and despite their best efforts, they simply couldn’t keep up with Ink’s constant creation sprees. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t replace him.

The worst thing wasn’t even the sadness and worry. It was the joy. Most of the multiverse was celebrating, ecstatic that they’d trapped the Destroyer of Multiverses. Whenever Nightmare ran into Ink and Dream, he could feel that despite Dream’s misgivings, he thought that they’d done the right thing. Just because they’d avoided killing Error, it was worth imprisoning him for who knows how long.

Nightmare’s hands balled into fists just thinking about it.

“Boss, you’re spiralling again,” called Killer, not looking up. “Cross, to your right.”

Nightmare looked up just to see Cross summon a hack knife, stabilising a vase that Nightmare’s tentacles had knocked over.

He just hissed his annoyance, turning his back on them.

“We need a new strategy. We’re falling behind. They’re simply too much, even without Blue on their side.” The small Star Sans hadn’t been seen ever since Error had disappeared, and even Nightmare hadn’t been able to track him, despite no lack of trying.

“Yeah, it’s not exactly going well, huh?” Killer commented, flipping a knife in the air. “Not Crossy’s fault, honestly. It’s a damn nuisance that the entire multiverse is celebrating the lack of Destroyer. It’s giving Dream an advantage, even when we outnumber them five to two.”

“And no matter what we do, the positivity isn’t stopping. Everyone’s hopeful, even when their AU is being ripped apart.” Cross sat back down, gazing at his hack knife in his hand.

And that was the real problem. Even with such superiority in numbers, thanks to the overwhelming positivity in every AU Nightmare was far weaker than he should have been, and Dream was stronger than ever. That meant that they all had to deal with Dream and Ink, plus destroying the AU in the process. It was harder than it should have been, and Nightmare was baffled how Error had ever done it all by himself, time after time, against three enemies at once.

“We need to make them feel fear, anger or sadness. Try to pull the balance back in my favour, otherwise we’ll never get anywhere.” Nightmare tapped his chin, brow furrowed. “And I’m open to ideas.”

The room fell quiet, the only sound being Killer’s knife tapping on the windowsill.

“We could… try and ambush some of the more positive and influential AUs?” Horror suggested, frowning. Dust shook his head, reluctantly accepting the spoon Horror offered him.

“Won’t work. The Stars will sense us, and that extra positivity might give Dream enough of an actual advantage to take one of us down. Besides, we’re pretty much doing that with smaller AUs and getting our asses beaten.”

“Well, maybe some negative ones?” Cross asked, tilting his head.

“There are barely any left. Even AUs like Horrortale copies have been more cheerful,” Nightmare muttered under his breath. 

“We could try and recruit some more members,” Killer offered. “We can’t be the only psychopaths in the multiverse, right? Even Fresh, he’s been upset ever since-”

Nightmare’s eyes widened as he felt his power instantly surge, growing and growing, out of control. He fell back, trying to steady himself on a table, clutching his head with one hand as his tentacles multiplied, all of their power growing tenfold in less than two seconds.

All of their eyes swung to him, Killer and Cross springing to their feet as he reined in his magic with huge effort, forcing his tentacles to shrink back to normal. Nightmare’s gaze darted around the room as he tried to define what had caused that… outbreak. 

Then he froze as he sensed the negativity levels. They’d swung from practically zero to a hundred in no time at all.

What could have caused a shift that big when he wasn’t even trying to cause mayhem?!

Dust was the first to sense it, eyes widening as he grabbed the arm of his chair. “Get down!” he cried.

Dust was normally so calm, so composed, so when he called out in a sense of fear, actual fear, nobody wasted any time arguing, diving for the floor.

The entire world was shaking, like a toddler had grabbed it in a giant fist and was throwing it around. Rocks fell from the abandoned section of the building, and they could all hear roofs collapsing, crashing down like thunder.

With no hesitation, Nightmare threw out his tentacles, grasping all of them, yanking them close. He was not losing another one. Not again.

The shaking kept going, growing worse and worse, yet they all grew accustomed to the shaking, stumbling to their feet. Nightmare ran to the window, looking out, eyes widening as he saw flashes in the landscape. One moment it was pink and childish looking, like Candytale, then the sky tore open, revealing a starry night, like Outertale. 

His tentacles drooped as he instinctively knew what was happening, and he cursed Ink and Dream bitterly under his breath. Error had warned them, protected them, and they had caused this. 

The Multiverse was crashing and falling, and as his gang joined him at the window, he could tell that they all knew exactly what was happening.

Nightmare shut his eyes, not wanting to watch, yet couldn’t help opening them again. He gazed at the shadows leaking in from the cracks, and a strange calm washed over him. 

He should say something.

“Well… I suppose this is it,” Nightmare said, and was surprised to feel something moist in his eyes. He turned, looking at all of them in turn. “Thank you for being the most annoying pieces of shit in the multiverse. My pieces of shit, my real family, the ones that always stuck by me. I hope this isn’t… I hope it isn’t goodbye.”

Somehow, every single one of them knew exactly what he was saying, and they all looked around at each other, somehow… understanding each other for the first time. They were all family.

Killer broke the silence. “Well, if we’re going down… this might be cheesy, but can we go down hugging?”

They all nodded, murmuring under their breath, and Nightmare opened his arms, reluctantly agreeing as they all came over, squeezing in, and Nightmare wrapped his arms around them, shielding them.

And everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Honestly, Nightmare wished it stayed dark after that. But somehow, the darkness didn’t stay for long.

It felt awful, honestly. He could feel things, yet he could tell they weren’t quite right. They were too… black and white, he never felt two things at the same time. And although his shattered self could barely feel emotion, he couldn’t feel anything physical either.

Nightmare couldn’t really control himself either. It was all loops, fragmented loops that got boring after a few tries, even though they never quite stuck in his memory. It was almost like he was a ghost, but he wasn’t quite sure about that. He wasn’t in the fragments of himself exactly, but he was viewing things through their eyes, either from their bodies or outside them.

He could switch between his consciousnesses too, almost like changing a channel. He hated hanging around the old castle, for it was too… painful, somehow, watching himself so angry, especially since he felt all of that as well. Dreamtale was even worse, the despair crushing him, like the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

That’s why he spent most of his time in Outertale. 

The fragment of himself there was much, much calmer, happier even. It seemed to represent all the moments with his true family, with Error, Horror, Killer, Dust and Cross. 

Every now and again, he tried to check on them. He knew that Horror had a piece in Horrortale, in his garden, and in the kitchen, whilst he never found most of Killer’s pieces. Cross was probably mostly in the remnants of X-tale, along with the couch in the castle, sitting between Dust and Killer.

He couldn’t go far from his pieces, leaving a strangely large amount of guesswork. Although his greatest mystery was finding out where the heck Dream had gone.

Not that he was ungrateful. He was glad he didn’t have to be stuck with him. But… he’d never found Dream in Dreamtale. Nowhere, although he’d scanned almost the whole AU.

Time was also very strange. He tried to keep track, but he never managed to truly register it. A loop would reset, and he’d lose count of whether he was up to four or five.

That’s when he sensed something new, for the first time since this had happened.

What was it exactly? It seemed to be coming from the castle AU, so he opened his eyes to the familiar scene in the throne room. 

He sucked in a breath.

There were new people there. Two of them, by the looks of it, though he couldn’t quite see their faces, though he felt like he should know one of them, by the way that he stood, and the way that he fought…

He saw the taller, maybe familiar one wrestle a tentacle to the ground just as his fragment restarted the loop, dragging him to Nightmare’s side, although Nightmare knew he couldn’t see him.

Nightmare watched him kneel down, embracing the fragment, and Nightmare heard the words he spoke, eyes widening.

It couldn’t be.

But it was.

Nightmare smiled, eyes dampening as he gazed down at his friend, the one he had lost, the one who was here again. His chest emptied of the pure rage, the guilt, the hatred, and he felt something softer enter for the first time in… he didn’t know how long.

He was here.

Ever so gently, he curled a tentacle over Error’s back.

“Thank you, my friend,” he whispered, voice hoarse from lack of use. “I hope to see you soon.” 

And he saw him smile, sadly.

The fragment was gone, and he felt a little bit more free. So Nightmare sat beside Error, staying with him as he sat, still. Numb, almost. Yet not.

Slowly, the memory faded from his mind, leaving him with a person he couldn’t recognise anymore, yet a firm certainty that he should stay with him. No matter what, he wouldn’t fail him, not again.

He stayed with the new people after that, only occasionally switching to the other parts of himself. It must be because of the shards that he carried in his pocket that he could even go with him, and yet he couldn’t interfere. It hurt, somehow. 

Nightmare couldn’t show him where the pieces of paper were that he looked for. He couldn’t warn him about the danger he sensed, prickling in his spine, long before it appeared, nor about the enemy in the centre, someone who should stay away from his friend if they knew what was good for them. Someone who had been warped beyond recognition.

Nightmare couldn’t catch him as he fell through empty space, just for the other to yank him up, causing him pain as he fell unconscious.

He couldn’t warn him of the horrifying danger he sensed in letting the shadows get too close in his state, entering his very core.

Nightmare had to watch the other one save the familiar one for him.

It was painful, just being able to watch, especially when every now and then, he felt himself slip along with all the other pieces of himself, losing the valuable information he gathered.

Before he knew it, time slipped, and he was back in Outertale, stargazing as the other two sat beside him. He sat there, talking to them, calm and relaxed. This place was special.

Yet he sensed the other parts in the pocket of the taller one, and felt them call to him.

They asked if he would give them his soul.

He knew in his heart that that wasn’t even a question. If he could see him again, then…

Nightmare felt himself lighten as he stood, barely a breath away from him. From Error. 

How had he forgotten so easily?

“You’re so close,”  he murmured, reaching out, fingers barely brushing against Error’s jaw. He felt Error stiffen, but he didn’t pull away. “I will see you again.”

Soon.

He was closer than ever, yet he was still tethered. Still looping, as he had beforehand. It took much longer for him to lose the name again, yet… he held it close.

Time was untethered, he knew, and he couldn’t tell how long it took for them to get to the final area. His shards were really tingling now, sensing how close they were to their final pieces. And although he felt so much freer, he couldn’t help but still feel… trapped. Worthless. A feeling that only grew as he switched to his final piece.

He was small. Worthless. Broken.

Guardian of nothing.

He clenched his hands into fists as he watched himself cry until he was senseless, then loop and start it all again.

When the friend arrived, it was such a relief for Nightmare. Even if the… familiar one, the friend didn’t understand the pain yet, he still tried to help, sitting beside him, softly talking to the shardling once he realised who he was.

“WeLL… I’M noT thE bESt pErSoN tO ask. BUt… I thInK yoU’LL finD pEoPlE. EveNTuaLLy. SpECiAL pEOplE wHO wOUld do ANyThInG fOR yOu.”

People… who would do anything? Like… like his gang. His family. His pieces of shit.

He wasn’t sad anymore. He felt happier, calmer, and a final burst of clarity hit him as the shards fell out of the final fragment, clattering to the floor.

Nightmare couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten. Time and time again. And somehow, he still didn’t know everything. But he could recognise him. Remember Error’s face, his voice. And hopefully, he wouldn’t have to forget. Ever again.

He watched them both flee his AU, watched them split up, though his mind barely processed the words.

He watched Error take out Nightmare’s soul, clasping his hands around it. Nightmare felt the power shimmer through his whole being as he was pieced together.

Wake up, Error called.

So wake Nightmare did.

Opening his eyes, he stood on real, green grass, feeling wind on his face for the first time in what felt like forever, across from Error, whose emotions felt complex and vast and real. It was almost like he was going to cry, although Nightmare couldn’t begin to guess why. It could be joy or grief. Yet it didn’t feel bad.

“Hey, Error. Did you miss me?” 

Chapter Text

Error and Nightmare stayed out there for a long time, talking and catching up, sitting on the grass.

“I sTill CAn’t beLIeve it acTUaLLy workeD,” Error said, gazing out at the Omega Timeline. “HaLF of ME waS scARed thAT it woULdn’T, hONesTly.”

“Well, I didn’t doubt you,” Nightmare said with a shrug. “Though I confess to having no idea what you were doing most of the time.”

Error folded his arms, pouting a little bit. “WEll, cOmE on, cAn yOu bLAmE- waIT a sec. YoU knEw?” He stared at Nightmare, suddenly realising the gravity of the statement. 

Nightmare had been watching them?! 

“… sort of. It was strange, and I don’t think I still remember all of it. I was conscious, but… also not. A muted existence. You did catch my attention, though I wasn’t sure why at the time.” Nightmare looked upwards, avoiding his gaze, but played softly with the grass under his fingers.

“OK, yOu sAW aLL of THaT. WeLL, tHaT saVEs sOMe expLAnAtiON,” Error muttered under his breath. “We’RE prETTy mUcH tRYing tO gEt CLassIC bAck.” At Nightmare’s curious glance, he elaborated, fumbling over his words a little bit. “His aU is THe cORneRstONe of the mULtiVerse, RigHT? If WE reVIve it, I cAN gET a pOweRboOsT frOM the COde, rIPpLe eFFecTs tO the REst of thE mULtivERse, and, wELL, wE’re nOt suRE abOUt the REst.”

“Well, that leaves me with questions. Do you know if you can actually revive the Multiverse? What if it’s… permanent?” Nightmare asked, brow furrowing in worry.

Error shivered. “NoT tHInkINg abOUt thAT.”

Silence lapsed between them for a moment, when Nightmare continued, “Also, is it just you and me?”

Error glanced up, surprised. He didn’t know about Raven?

“No. We hAVe anOTher alLy, dIDn’T you See hER?”

Nightmare shook his head, and Error frowned. That was odd. Nightmare would have surely noticed that Error had a companion, right? He was always so analytical, the first to notice anything odd or new.

“WeLL, we DO. She’S- righT ovEr tHErE…” Error caught sight of Core and Raven in the distance, walking fast towards them, and Nightmare turned, trying to see them clearly.

“Wings?”

“YUp. ShE’S ReApER anD GeNO’s Kid. I fOUnd hEr in thE saVE scREEn whEn I weNT lOOkiNG for GenO.” Error pulled himself up, glancing at Nightmare, who used his tentacles to help himself.

“Reaper and Geno, huh.” The guardian of negativity looked thoughtful for a moment, probably filing that information, when Raven caught sight of them, wings fluttering with excitement. 

“Hi, hi, hi!” She yelled, practically bouncing over, holding out her hand for Nightmare to shake. “I’m Raven, it’s great to meet you!”

Narrowing his eyes, Nightmare scanned her up and down, glancing at Error for a moment, an unspoken question in his eye. When Error nodded, Nightmare accepted the outstretched hand, shaking it.

“I am Nightmare, guardian of Negativity. Error was just catching me up to speed… mostly, I think.”

Raven grinned, shaking his hand extremely enthusiastically, nearly pulling Nightmare off balance. “That’s good. There’s been a lot, though… and, uh, I’m pretty sure nobody has any idea what we’re doing.”

Rolling his eyes with an amused sigh, Error stepped forwards. “RaVEn, bAck uP, ok?”

At his word, she let go, and Nightmare held his wrist in his other hand. “Strong grip.”

She smiled, not at all affronted. “Yeah, I know.”

Core stepped forwards, gaze solemn. “Hello, Nightmare.”

Meeting their gaze, Nightmare nodded stiffly. “Core.”

“It is good that Error managed to bring you back,” they said, chin raised so they could still look the (considerably taller) skeleton in the eye. “But that is not relevant at the moment. That person I mentioned earlier? He says he’s ready to meet you. But he’s not necessarily in a good mood.”

At Nightmare’s curious glance, Error shrugged. “YoU kNow WHat we DO. PrACtiCaLLy NothINg. JuST thAT thIS pERsoN is poWErfUL, appaReNTly.”

“Not ‘apparently,’” Core said sharply. “He is. And he can be unpredictable. Just don’t make him angry, and you will be alright.”

Error, Nightmare and Raven exchanged a glance.

“Great, wonderful,” Nightmare said, throwing up his hands. “Less than an hour out of whatever that was, and I’m already being dragged back into bullshit. Lead the way, I guess.”

Raven snorted, a little of the tension evident in her posture relaxing. “Well, who knows. It might be cool?”

Error slipped his hands into his pockets, a little nervous, yet somehow eased by their presence. “We’R3 rEadY.”

With a tense nod, Core turned their back to them, holding a hand before them. A white portal opened under their fingertips, and they turned back.

“Uh, Corey? Any other advice?”

“…” With a moment of hesitation, Core turned back to the others, lip quivering. “He can be tricky with his words, even if he’s a good person overall. Be cautious, but take care not to… well. Be cautious, but be polite.”

Raven nodded, ever so slightly. “Thank you.”

“See you soon.”

And Error stepped ahead of the others, followed by Raven, and Nightmare bringing up the rear. 

They’d be fine, he told himself, clenching his fists in his pocket. They had to be.

Chapter Text

They stepped into a large room, which looked surprisingly cosy. A dark purple fluffy rug laid on the floor, with some ivory coloured armchairs. A bookshelf stood to their left, a crackling fire glowed with silver flames in a stone fireplace was in front of them.

More than that, a low coffee table sat in front of the biggest armchair, a vase with a single black rose perched upon it.

Error frowned, glancing around the room, yet saw nobody.

“WhERe is hE?” Error asked softly, confused.

Nightmare had relaxed his tentacles, walking to the bookshelf in curiosity, while Raven sat at the fire, examining the colour.

“I can’t understand all of the writing on some of them, but this person seems to have good taste in books,” remarked Nightmare, reaching out to trail a finger along the titles of old, leatherbound volumes, as Error walked up beside him, squinting at them.

“Why, I appreciate the compliment!” an unfamiliar voice behind them said, a slight edge of amusement to his tone.

Error and Nightmare spun around, Raven also snapping to attention, as they all registered the presence of the fourth person in the room, who had definitely not been there two seconds before.

The new person was tall, almost level with Error, with a dark cloak and purple hoodie. A pair of round glasses was perched on his nose, though his face was in shadow.

“Now, excuse me.” The person stepped between them, slotting a book that he’d been holding into a spot on the shelf, before turning to confidently stride towards the armchair.

Error and Nightmare shared a baffled look.

Yet before the stranger could quite reach the chair, he paused, mid stride. “I’ll warn you once that I don’t like eavesdroppers, nor people dropping in without an invitation.” His smile faded as they glanced back at Error.

“CoRE inVIteD us. ThEY saId tHEy tAlkEd to YOu,” Error started, only to stop as he raised a hand.

“Not you. Her.”

All three of them, Raven, Error and Nightmare, froze. 

“Me?” Raven asked, voice a squeak.

“No, the three of you arrived with an invitation. And I would like to remind your friend-“ he jabbed a finger at Error- “That this is not her territory. It’s mine. And I reserve the right to ask her to leave.”

Error froze, sensing a presence behind him. A presence whose hair was blazing, whipping around her head as she stalked forwards. 

Fate.

“You can’t ask me to leave,” she hissed. “He’s my chosen, and I’m allowed to-”

“With all due respect, which is none, I don’t care,” said the stranger, scowling. “It’s still my territory, which you are intruding on. Feel free to take it up with your dear brother.”

With a hiss of rage, Fate vanished, and Error stared at the stranger, hearing the voices in his head die completely.

“HoW dID Y0U- I hAVe nEVer told thEM abOUt hEr. I HavEN’t TOld ANYon3 abOUt HEr,” Error snarled, pacing forwards until he was face to face with the stranger, who continued to keep his head held high.

“I am familiar with her,” they said, calm.

“YoU coULd oNLy bE fAMiLiaR wITh hEr if YoU knew hEr pErSOnaLLy. If yOu woRKed wiTH heR.”

“Error-” Nightmare began, starting forwards, but Error threw out an arm, holding him back.

“ThAT mEaNS thE cOLLaPse waS alSO your FaULt.”

The words hung in the air, otherwise so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.

“No,” they said, and beneath the hood, their eyes blazed. “Take that back.”

“ThEN tEll me hOW y0u kNOw h3r!” Error yelled, feeling his magic spike, strings leaping to his fingers.

“Error!” Nightmare growled. “For god’s sake-”

He fell silent, eyes falling to the strings. They were lilac, not their normal blue, and Error couldn’t move them.

The stranger raised one finger, and the strings leapt back at him, binding his hands together.

“You do not know what you are doing,” snarled the stranger in a low voice, shadows leaching from every corner in the room, surrounding his hands and arms. With a tug, Error felt his SOUL pull from his chest, hovering between them.

It looked horrible. The black cracks were deeper and more numerous, the strings covering his soul taut, the colours diminished, and Nightmare and Raven both caught their breaths looking at it.

“I think you should know that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, stopping me from simply ruining you,” the stranger whispered, raising his hand higher so that his shadow covered fingers were a millimeter away from the pitiful soul. “You cannot die now. Even if you weren’t a god, Elysium’s chosen is incapacitated. But shattering is far worse than death. Do you want to test that?”

The silence was deafening, as Error tried to twist from the outstretched fingers. But the strings were now latched to the floor, keeping him in place.

“Percy, no!” Raven cried, jumping up from the floor. Her wings shot open, a light gust of wind gusting through the room, and as Percy turned to look at her, his hood slipped halfway down, revealing his face.

It was lean and angular, with surprisingly pointed ears poking out from his black hair. Behind his glasses, his dark skin was lightly freckled.

And his eyes were blank white.

He cursed, drawing his hands back to pull his hood back up, but sighed, the shadows around his hands dissipating and the strings holding Error captive fading.

“One chance,” he said. “If it weren’t for the company you keep, you would already be gone.”

“RaVEn, yOu kNOw hIm?!” Error asked, brows drawn together. 

“Not well,” she answered softly, averting her eyes.

“Well, that’s true,” Percy replied, turning to sit in the armchair. “We met while you were unconscious in Outertale. I was the one who taught her how to use the paths.”

Error blinked several times, looking at Raven. “… yOu dIDn’t TeLL me?”

“I asked her not to,” Percy said calmly. “Because of that *friend* I had to send away. I couldn’t risk it. Although you aren’t one to talk.”

Error averted his gaze, feeling Nightmare and Raven staring at him.

“Are you going to tell them?” Percy asked pointedly.

“.  . .”

“Let me put it this way, you tell them, or you simply break.”

Error muttered something under his breath that neither Nightmare nor Raven could hear.

“Error, what is he talking about?” Nightmare asked.

With a sigh, Error looked up. 

“I’m… nOt iMMune tO the VoID.”

Chapter Text

The room was silent, and Error squirmed under the disbelieving gazes of Raven and Nightmare.

“You… what?” Raven’s voice was small, timid.

“I’m nOt iMMunE to thE VoiD,” Error repeated. With slight trembling, he lifted his hand out of his pocket, displaying the greyed fingers. “I… dIdN’t wAnT to…”

“You didn’t want to what?” Nightmare asked, brow furrowed. “Let us know that you were in danger?”

“… mAYbe? I doN’T kNOw!” Error buried his face in his hands with a growl. “It fEEls shIttY, hOnEStly. BuT we NeeDeD to fInD yOUR piEcEs. AnD it wAs iMPortAnt, aNd sTILL is. I’LL be FinE once wE fIX thIs meSS anYwAY, I didn’t THinK it mATTerEd.”

“Error… why wouldn’t it matter?” Raven asked, coming closer. “We care about you, we want to know-”

“It wOUld haVE coMprOMisEd tHe mISSiOn,” he said bluntly. “We cAN’t aFForD thAt.”

He heard a soft chuckle coming from the armchair where Percy sat, and looked up sharply. Yet Percy looked… sympathetic, maybe?

With a slight cough, Percy drew attention back to him. “Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the armchairs. “We have things to talk about.”

Nightmare glared at him. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Percy said, getting up and walking to a small cabinet that Error could swear hadn’t been there before. Rummaging inside, Percy pulled out a tray and some cups.

“…” Raven nudged both of them. “I think we should do as he says.”

Reluctantly, they all complied, sitting around the coffee table as Percy came back with some steaming mugs.

“Tea, hot chocolate, hot chocolate and coffee.” He passed the mugs around, earning confused glances from Error and Nightmare as he gave the tea to Nightmare, the hot chocolate to Error and Raven, and kept the coffee. Walking back, he sat on his chair.

“It’s not poisoned,” he added, taking a sip from his mug. “None of you can die, remember? Not with Reaper’s corruption.”

Exchanging glances, Error looked down at his mug, steaming hot. With reluctance, he brought it up, sipping the liquid, only to widen his eyes with pleasure. That shit was good.

They all sat in silence for a little while, when eventually Nightmare broke the silence. 

“Why the change of heart?”

Stirring his coffee, Percy paused, tilting his head. “I want to note that it was Error that started the hostility. I merely replied in kind. However, I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. I’m still not sure, honestly.” He let out a short bark of laughter. “But I definitely wasn’t going to trust you until you trusted them.”

“HuH?” Error looked up from his mug. “WhAT?”

“If you were keeping secrets from them, there was no doubt that you would try to keep them from me. For what I have in mind, I’d like us to be honest with each other. Either honesty, or nothing.”

“Naturally, only our honesty?” Nightmare asked, wryly.

“Of course not. I don’t like sharing details about myself, however I can sense when I need to make exceptions. Which leads me to propose a deal. We all talk honestly, answering questions, for five minutes each. That is the minimum, although we can carry it forward if all goes well.”

All three of them shared a quick glance.

“No STriNgs aTTacHed?” Error asked, suspicious.

Percy’s lips twitched at the accidental pun, and Raven snorted into her mug.

“No strings attached,” he promised. “Although I’d appreciate it if you started.”

Error was about to protest, but Nightmare ribbed him, sharply. 

“We accept,” Nightmare replied, raising his chin.

“Alright,” said Percy calmly, pulling an egg timer from a drawer in the coffee table. “Five minutes. First off, why are you really up to save the multiverse?”

“For my gang,” Nightmare said simply.

“My dads,” Raven murmured. 

“… I guEsS fOr hIs idIOts,” Error grumbled. “And bLUe.”

“Alright,” Percy said, a slight smile on his face. “Who are you chosen by, Nightmare?”

Error started, eyes swivelling towards Nightmare. “You’RE cHoSEn?”

Nightmare raised an eyebrow. “You are?”

Error nodded, scowling. “WiSH I waSn’T.”

“Anyway, I was chosen by my mother,” Nightmare said, looking up at Percy. “Feelings, Deity of Kindness. She’s gone now, though.”

Percy nodded, expression thoughtful. “That explains it… I had some gaps in my knowledge of the AUs. And I didn’t think you would be picked by Karma or Courage. They never had chosen to my knowledge.”

Nightmare gazed at him, interested. “Did you know her?”

He shrugged. “Now, Raven.” Percy glanced at the egg timer, and Error checked it too. Not much time left.

“Raven, if you had to choose between a friend and a Multiverse, what would you do?”

Raven froze under his serious gaze. “Choose… between them?”

“Yes,” said Percy, pushing his glasses up his nose. “This is important, Raven. More important than you know. Which would you save, if you could only save one?”

Raven glanced down, fiddling with the skull charm around her scarf. “Why do I have to?”

“Just answer,” he said.

“Well… I’d save them both if I could… but I suppose if I really had to… fine. The multiverse.” Her wings drooped, and the little egg timer went off.

Percy smiled. “Thank you all for answering my questions. You may start asking me questions whenever you’re ready.”

Nightmare glanced at the other two. “Let me take the lead. He’s hard to read, but I can tell what he’s feeling. I’m an empath, remember?”

Error paused. “Y’knOW, I acTuaLLy fOrgOt thAt. But I hAvE to Ask HIm soME shIt toO.”

Raven nodded, solemn. “I wanna clarify some stuff he said.”

“So we’re agreed,” Nightmare murmured

Error turned to face Percy. “First off, how do you know… well, she’s not my friend. But her.”

“If we’re talking about the same her, I’ve known her for longer than you’ve been alive. She’s annoying and a piece of shit and I share your sentiment in not being friends with her.” Percy took a deep drought of his coffee. “All that being said, we were created in similar time frames. Yes, I say created. I don’t know how.”

Nightmare frowned lightly. “Have you told us any lies?”

That prompted a hesitation. “I don’t believe I have today. While I must apologise to Raven, for I did lie to her upon meeting her,” Percy said slowly.

“What?” Raven asked, sitting up straighter. “What did you lie to me about?”

“Well, my name for one thing. That was a cautionary measure.” Error watched Percy glance down at his coffee, and he felt a sense of foreboding enter him.

“WhAT’s yoUR nAme.”

He watched Percy jolt, like properly jolt, accidentally spilling some coffee over himself.

“Damn it,” he muttered. “To answer your question, Percy was an alias I created years ago, just in case. It stands for Perseverance, my trait, and well…”

“GeT to It,” Error said, eyebrow raised. “WhAT is YOur NamE.”

“…”

“Congratulations. You just picked the one question which tells you the most about me,” Percy said, looking up with a wry smile.

“My name is Void.”

Chapter Text

Error nearly dropped his mug on the floor. “VoID?! As iN, tHE VoID?!”

Percy- no, Void, shrugged. “My name’s technically Void, Deity of Perseverance, but I prefer to keep a low profile in case people get the wrong idea.” His face closed down, and he put his mug back on the table.

Error felt sick. That meant that he had literally been millimeters away from being like Blue, or worse. And if Raven hadn’t stepped in…

“Before you do get the wrong idea yourself, please keep in mind that I had nothing to do with the collapse,” Percy said, head still tilted down. “And I couldn’t stop my void corrupting the AUs.”

Error glanced at Raven, whose mouth was slightly open. “So… you can’t help it?” She asked, seemingly sympathetic?

Percy sighed, and gestured over to the rose on the table. “I can’t even go outside my void, and I had no idea of the impending crash until it happened. I’m stuck in this situation as much as you are,” he said morosely. “I drained this room of as much void as I could, so that Core and I could talk once they discovered me. That rose is the only part left.”

Instinctively, Error scooted back a pace, distancing himself from the flower. Great. Just great.

Glancing at Percy, he saw him in new eyes.

The deity wasn’t just tall, he seemed to be shifting every few seconds until he found a height he liked. That cabinet he’d grabbed the tea from was gone now. And the fire in the fireplace seemed to not give off any sparks, just warmth and light. He couldn’t even tell if it used fuel.

But what he really noticed was the clothes. Specifically, the round glasses, the cloak, and the hoodie.

The glasses seemed innocent, but they were exactly the ones that the fallen human with the Perseverance trait wore when they fell into the underground in the Original Universe.

The cloak was so much darker than he’d realised, beyond black. It was like the shadows in the room were drawn to it, and every now and again, whenever Percy moved, he could hear feathers rustling.

And the hoodie… it was almost normal. Except for two glowing heart charms dangling from strings.

They were the palest blue, and they seemed to be filled with something. Something that sloshed around.

“So. Are you going to turn back, or try and get what you came for?” Percy asked, eyebrow raised.

Nightmare coughed. “If you know anything that could help us, we would appreciate it.” And Raven nodded beside him earnestly.

“Please, Percy,” she whispered. “It would really help.”

Reaching up, Percy pushed his glasses up his nose. “Look, I wasn’t lying to you, Raven, when I said there wasn’t much I could do. Dynamics between me and my… siblings are complicated, so we set out a lot of rules at the beginning of the Multiverse outlining what we were allowed to do. I can’t directly interfere with my sister’s chosen unless a chosen of my own asked me to. And I don’t have one. Besides, I can’t drag it out by myself.”

“… cAN yOu exPLaiN?” Error asked, edging upright. “WhAT’s stOppINg yOu frOM drAgGinG the MulTIverSe out of yoUR VoID?”

“I’m not saying I don’t want that,” Percy said slowly. “It’s that my abilities aren’t honed for that. The collapse of the multiverse made my void a lot stronger, and I mean a lot.” With a bitter laugh, Percy stood up, moving to the bookshelf, just barely swerving around Nightmare’s tentacle laying on the floor. “But stronger means harder to control, and far wilder. I can barely contain it for small uses. And for something of the scale you’re suggesting? I wouldn’t have the control to deliver it safely out. I would have to literally slingshot it out.”

A silence fell between all of them, when Nightmare said, carefully, “So there’s nothing you can do.”

“Not without a chosen,” Percy said, tapping his fingers together, choosing a thick book with a deep blue wooden cover and dots carved into the spine.

Error watched him, thinking. “And yOu caN’T hEaL me.”

“Not after Outertale. You literally exposed your code to the most dangerous AU that I corrupted. That really was a terrible place to reboot,” Percy said dryly, striding back to his chair.

…

“You said you can’t do anything without a chosen. What’s stopping you from getting one?” Raven asked quietly.

Error stiffened, attention snapping to Percy.

“The only thing stopping me is a lack of candidates. None of them enter the Void and remain whole… except for one.”

“N0. Y0U arE NOT draGGinG heR iNTo tHiS, yOu-“

“Watch your words, Error,” Percy said darkly. “I understand your misgivings, but think about it.”

Error took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Lo0k, nO oFFenSe, bUt yOuR siBLings SUcK.”

“Error!” Nightmare hissed, mortified.

“SoME of THem ArE deADbEaTs, sOme arE doWNrigHT aBusIVe and InCOmpEtEnt, anD I dOn’T kNow yOu. I apprECiAte thE oFFer, bUt wE cAn do it OUrsElf.”

Percy was silent, sitting across from them. “You don’t understand what denying my offer could mean for you.”

“I knOW enOUgh aBoUT yOuR kINd,” he said, turning away. “WE’Ll be fINe.”

Raven looked between them. “I’m confused. What is he offering?”

“To claim you as a chosen child,” Percy said, sitting back on his chair. “And honestly, I’m a pretty patient guy. I literally run the afterlife, Patience’s job. But seriously, you’re testing my patience.”

“I doN’T gEt why yOu haVE to ClaIM heR to do sHIt!” Error snapped. “You’Re a dEIty, foR fuCK’s saKE!”

Nightmare let out a little groan beside him, burying his head in his hands. “You idiot, what are you doing?!”

“To answer your question, I can’t interfere unless I’m asked, and I’ve told you that,” Percy growled under his breath. “There is literally nobody else I could claim, and without help you’re going to crash and burn. Why can’t you see that, damn it?”

“BeCAuse, eXCuse me, I doN’T trust YOu.”

Percy fell silent, fingering the carving on the spine of his book. “Don’t say I never warned you. Raven, you still have my calling card. When you realise that you made a mistake, then break it. Now, excuse me. I think you’ve overstayed your welcome, don’t you?” Standing, he turned away. “And Error? I don’t know how you’re still alive if you were claimed by my sister with that attitude. I expected better.” His voice was tinged with disappointment. 

Error started to his feet, almost ready to yell at him again, but the scenery swirled around them, dumping them back into darkness.

Chapter Text

Nightmare stood before the others did, turning to Error sharply. “Idiot! Why were you acting like that to a deity?”

“. .  .” Error looked away, hands clenching, as Nightmare’s visible eye narrowed at him.

“You don’t have to like them. But couldn’t you at least have tried not to tempt him to throw you out a window?!”

Raven stood, rubbing her tailbone. “Why were you so mad at him?” She asked quietly. “He was trying to help, didn’t you hear him?”

Screwing his eyes shut, Error thrust his head into his arms, not looking at either of them.

They had no idea what he thought. They didn’t know what it felt like to have Fate watching over his every move, what it felt like to be trapped under somebody else’s will. He could almost feel her now, though he knew her attention was still fixated elsewhere due to the fact that her voices were still quiet.

“H3 wAs tRyINg to Cl@!m yOu, RaVEN,” he growled under his breath. “YoU tHInk yOu w@nT his HElP? TrY agAiN. BeINg Cl@!m3D iS not sOmETh!nG you wAnT.”

With a shiver, he felt Nightmare’s gaze on him, so piercing, like it was looking through him. And he probably was, Error realised, a chill running down his spine as he remembered Nightmare’s empathic abilities.

Concentrating fiercely, he pulled himself back, wrapping himself in thread as he watched his hands shake. Calm, he told himself. Numb. Don’t let them see.

Weakness isn’t something you show, a dark part of his mind whispered. Not unless you want to see your brother slaughtered.

Right, his- what? He didn’t have a brother.

… right?

“St0P trYiNG to RE@d m3, NiGHtmARe,” he hissed under his breath. “I c@N fE3L yOu try!nG TO aND iT’S aNNoY!Ng.”

Nightmare didn’t try to deny it, just sat down quietly beside Error once more.

“What did she do to you?” Nightmare said, quietly.

Error jolted upright, eyes widening as his gaze swung to Nightmare. “W-wh@T?”

“My mother was the deity of Kindness, you know,” Nightmare said, eyes scanning Error from head to toe. “She was not a present mother, apart from at the start. She left a while later, leaving Dream and I to take over her duties. The Guardians of Feelings.”

Raven and Error’s eyes were both fixed on the dark guardian as he looked to the sky.

“Her spirit resided in the tree at the core of our AU, and for many years, she never came out. We could feel her at first, but she grew more distant as time went on, and on, and on, until we… I knew she was gone. She wasn’t a great mother. But she never did anything that made me hate deities like you do. And the fact that you didn’t tell anyone of your corruption, continuing on when it was hurting you more than anything else… you don’t get that sort of instinct from nowhere.”

Error dropped his gaze, unable to hold it any longer, when Nightmare moved to stand in front of him, dropping to a kneeling position. He felt a soft, liquid, tentacle grasp his hand ever so softly, bringing it up so it rested between them.

“What did your deity do to you, Error?”

Error felt their eyes on him, curious, pitying.

He could stand curiosity. But he hated the pity.

“Sh3 tUrnED mE into a G0d,” he murmured under his breath. “A pOWerFul bEiNG wh0Se onLy pURpoSe in LifE waS to pICk uP sOm30ne eLS3’s mEsS. I dON’t eVEn reMEmb3r a LIfE wiTHoUt hEr. My fIRst mEmORy? WaKIng UP in tH3 aNTiv0Id wiTh hER scREamInG in mY eAR to GeT UP @nD D3$TR0Y.”

He felt their gazes on him, confused and shocked, and now that he’d started, he couldn’t seem to stop, starting to ramble like a madman as he saw Raven’s horror, Nightmare’s quiet, forced calm.

“I d!Dn’T eVEn kNoW hOw to gET oUT. AnD onCE I fiGUrEd iT 0Ut, I f0uNd m0r3. Sh3 didn’t JUst tUrN m3 inT0 a G0D, sh3 m@d3 mE imMoRtAL.” A small, insane smile twitched at the corners of his mouth as Error started to laugh, small chuckles that felt like acid in his mouth.

“Immortal?” Raven whispered, gaze swinging to Nightmare, whose eye was now twitching. “Aren’t gods already…”

“No,” Nightmare said decisively. “Even a god dies eventually. There have been a few in recorded history… few, mind you. It takes a lot to kill us, and our lives are lengthened considerably.”

Error snorted. “Sh3 shOulDn’T h@v3 d0n3 it. It’$ noT sOm3THinG g00d, anD it’S nOt a bl3$$iNG. I can sURviVe anYtHIng, mOnTHs wiThOUt f00D, dIreCT hItS to thE sOUl, evEN haVIng mY bODy r!pPed tO piEC3s. And it b3cAme aPP@RenT whY 0H $0 QU!€K1¥,” he growled, laughs turning to heaving sobs.

He could feel their gazes on him, as they both were still as rocks. As he bent over, stuck between hysterical laughter and muted screams, instinctively shielding himself.

“Br3@K a r!B? JU$T ST!€K iT bACk 0N! SoUL stABB3d? IT w0N’T bl33D! JuST kE3p fiGHtiNg! Lo$T s0Me LiMb$?! U$3 yOUr m@GIc, ther3’$ a R3@Son I gave It t0 y0U, s0 y0U cAN h0P oN on3 l3G @nD uSE y0UR sTr!NG$ t0 D3$tr0Y tHaT AU, 3V3N iF y0U N0 L0Ng3R h@V3 H@nD$!! Y-Y0Ur SKU11 C@N B3 CRU$H3D INT0 HUNDR3D$ OF P!3C3S, JU$T $H0V3 THE FR@GM3NTS T0G3TH3R @ND F33L TH3M GR@TE T0G3TH3R F0R3V3R B3C@US3 TH3Y N3V3R H3@L!!”

“Holy shit,” Raven whispered, watching him.

“‘I 0wN y0u,’” Error quoted, staring at his fingers numbly. “T0 h3r iT nEvER mAttErEd. It dIDn’T maTTer iF mY wh0Le b0dY w@s cRUshEd inT0 hUndrEds of PieCEs, aS lONg as I coUlD dO mY jOB. All bEcAUse hEr fAvoUriTe was TOo naïVE tO grASp a SImpLE FU€K!NG RU13 IN H!$ T!NY BR@!N!”

Grasping his hands into fists, he punched the ground, over and over again, not entirely sure what he was doing, only knowing inside that maybe, somewhere, he deserved it.

“It d03sN’T m@TT3R IF @ll y0U w@nT is f0R iT to sT0P. F0R… 3v3ryTH!nG t0 st0P exIStIng. F0R… y0U to $t0P… ex!$T!NG. 3v3N WH3N Y0U kN0w tH@t you can’T. 3V3N if yOu… try.”

“… I’m s0 t!r3D, NiGHtLIght.”

His actions faltered, and without warning, Error crumpled forwards, clasping his hands over his ears as he curled into himself, trying to hide.

He wasn’t crying. He’d just released centuries, quite possibly way more, of pent up emotions. After all, he didn’t know shit. Not how old he was, not his previous life, not where his feelings came from and why they left so suddenly…

His mind didn’t feel dark. It felt bright. Bright and jumbled, hundreds of thoughts and fragments of memories rushing from corners of his mind that he’d kept buried, carefully, for so long. That one question had brought tumbling down.

Everything was so much, every thought, every colour, every sensation.

And Error’s breaths weren’t coming to him properly anymore. His hands… they didn’t feel like his. They should be black, gold, red, no they should be white, but he couldn’t- he couldn’t remember-

He couldn’t protect anyone.

Not Blue, or Killer, Horror, Dust or Cross.

Not Raven, not Nightmare.

He couldn’t protect… he couldn’t protect…. Gods, he couldn’t even remember everybody he failed.

How useless was that?

Why did anyone put up with him?

Why did anyone… want…. Something that shouldn’t even…

Without warning, he felt a large pair of feathered wings swoop around him, enclosing him. Raven’s wings.

They were dark, and warm. Black, familiar, and so soft.

They didn’t hurt…

And Error raised his eyes, meeting a singular teal one, whose tentacles wrapped around him, embracing him, and protecting him.

They leached everything negative away, somehow, and beautiful calm swept over him.

“You’ve been through so much,” Nightmare whispered to him, softly, sadly. “Sleep, my dear, and let me protect you. Be at rest, and free of worry.”

Something in the offer was so… so tempting… Drowsiness swept over Error, and he relaxed into the tentacles of somebody who he knew cared.

His eyes closed, and he knew no more.

Chapter Text

Raven stood, folding her wings back, staring down at the small form of Error curled into Nightmare’s tentacles.

He seemed so tiny, and all the creases in his face had smoothed out. She hoped that he was having some proper rest. It was definitely better than… that almost manic fit.

With him asleep though, her gaze shifted to Nightmare, who looked sad, using his tentacles rather than his hands to shift Error to a more comfortable position.

Sinking to a sitting position, she tapped her fingers together, stimming quietly by holding her breaths and releasing them in little gasps of air.

“… so, d’you know what that was about?” She asked Nightmare, quietly.

He shook his head, gaze still trained on Error. “I do not. Although this does explain some things. His reckless behaviour, for one, in both the past and the present.”

“What was that even?” She asked.

“I believe it was a form of a panic attack. I am used to seeing them in my group, but somehow I never expected to see one from him.” Nightmare diverted his gaze, glancing up at her, and an awkward silence stretched over them, when he asked, “Is that Reaper’s pin? And Geno’s scarf?”

“Yeah,” she said, pulling it off and holding it up for him to see. “My dad- Geno, was in the Save Screen with me while I was a kid. But he got worried and left to look for Reaper. He gave me these.”

“And he didn’t come back.” Nightmare said, reaching for them, fingers brushing the charm and the scarf it held. “A Papyrus scarf… To most Sanses they hold great significance. Not for me, though. The closest parallel that I can think of would be the crowns my brother and I shared when we were young.” A strange look clouded over his face. “Though.. now that I think of it, he wasn’t in our AU. It feels strange. Shouldn’t he have been there?”

Raven frowned. “Probably… I think shardlings were mainly in places important to them, does that match to you?”

He nodded, a slight crease to his brow. “Places that defined us.”

The conversation lapsed into silence once more, and they both glanced to Error.

“Listen… Raven was it?” Nightmare said, head tilted to the side. “This moment… what we just saw… we should not share it. It is not our story to tell, not to anyone else. If Error does not bring it up, we will not either. Agreed?”

She nodded, head bouncing, as a slightly threatening smile grew on his face.

“And if I EVER sense any deceit from you on this, and find that you’ve betrayed him to Ink or Dream or Geno or Reaper, I will tear you limb from limb and scatter your dust so far across the Multiverse, that nobody will ever find even two of your particles. Do you hear me?” As he spoke, his grin fell, eye fixing unblinking on Raven’s, and she gulped. 

He was darn intimidating when he was pissed.

“I would never do that, I swear!” Raven protested, wings ruffling. “That was awful and I’d never, ever, ever say anything that he didn’t like. He’s like an uncle!”

Nightmare blinked. “A little soon to say that. How long have you known him? A day, or two?”

Raven hesitated, shrugging. “Look, the point is, I’d never. And if you can read emotions, you’d know that.”

He surveyed her for a few moments, then sighed. “You are very trusting and extremely naïve.”

“I prefer loyal and kind,” she said with a slight smile. “And NOT backstabbing.”

“And… small.”

She gasped. “I am solidly average height! I am offended!”

“That is with Ink bringing the average height down by about two feet all by himself,” Nightmare said dryly, chuckling as she put her hand over her heart.

“You wound me. How dare you.”

Both of them held back for a few seconds, then looking each other in the eye, they simply couldn’t hold it in, laughing softly, so as not to wake Error.

“I know a very annoying gremlin who would get along very well with you,” Nightmare said thoughtfully. “Now to ensure that you two never meet. The world is not ready for you and Killer.”

She shrugged. “Oh well. So, do you want to plan, or…”

“We can try. I currently have a very tired and stubborn skeleton clinging to my tentacles like teddy bears, so I cannot exactly move.”

Despite the grouchy words, Raven looked him up and down with keen, squinting eyes. There was something about the way he said it that robbed the words of their harsh edge.

Memories flashed behind her eyes. 

The way Error had been so hell bent on getting Nightmare back. To keep a “promise”.

The way he’d flushed on the edge of the cliff, avoiding questions about his type.

That flipping hug he’d given Nightmare when they’d encountered the first, angry soul shardling.

And on Nightmare’s part, the protective, concerned instinct that he’d shown, time and time again, though he hadn’t been with them long. 

The minute distance between his and Error’s fingers as they sat in the Omega Timeline together, despite Error’s fear of touch.

The words “my dear” as he comforted Error!

“Oh my stars,” she breathed, a delighted grin spreading across her face, and Nightmare’s eyes narrowed as his attention snapped to her, maybe because of the sparkles in her eyes.

I ship it I ship it I ship it- she thought, wildly ecstatic.

“Why is your… face doing that?” Nightmare asked, squinting at her. 

“No reason,” she answered, squashing her grin down as best she could, while trying to think sad thoughts to mask herself. Um… dead AUs. Grumpy people? But ship! No!

Control yourself, Raven, she told herself fiercely.

“Let’s plan.” 

Chapter Text

The figure stood at the large set of double doors, breathing in and out, carefully curling his hands into fists and smoothing them out again.

He was nervous, true. His meeting with the three hadn’t turned out like he’d hoped. But at least it hadn’t been a complete fail. He would never have been able to convince Error of the importance of having a chosen. He had been too ruined, too abused. He was narrow minded, and didn’t know the rules.

Yet the other two, Nightmare and Raven, they could see more. Raven was very trusting, kind and sweet. Willing to listen to people she thought she could trust.

Nightmare was less so. He was cautious, yet he understood more of the deities than the other two. He knew that they weren’t all like their sister, despite their flaws. And although his empathic nature made them uncomfortable, it made him able to see through an individual with high success.

Percy hoped it was worth it.

Worth the annoyance he was about to face due to it.

And… 

Unconsciously, he grasped the heart shaped charms dangling from the hoodie strings. 

Hopefully it would all be worth it. Although he couldn’t turn back time.

With a final sigh, he reached forwards, knocking twice on the doors, which opened for him immediately as he strode inside. 

“Karma, Fate,” they said with a cool nod in their direction. “You look fine today.”

If only they knew.

“Solvent,” hissed Fate, sitting up in her chair, her voice like poison, and Percy sighed, annoyed. She always wanted to push people’s buttons.

“That’s not even close to my old name. I go by Void nowadays, not Resolve.” They paused, hearing Karma cough uncomfortably from the edge of the dining room table he sat at.

“Void, it’s been a long time,” he said, quiet. “If only the circumstances were different.”

“The circumstances are bullshit, Karma, and you know it. What rules was I supposed to have broken?” Percy raised his chin, feeling the uncomfortable aura surge from Karma, and the frustration from his estranged sister.

He heard Karma stand, walking to him, holding out a hand. “Void, it really has been a long time since we caught up. You’ve been busy since Elysium passed, and rarely talk to any of us anymore.”

And this is why, Void thought, closing his eyes under their hood grumpily. “Brother, I do still have a job to do, despite the… inactivity in Fate’s multiverse for quite some time. I would rather get this over with.”

Stay composed, he told himself. Don’t get angry, they can’t punish you for anything. They don’t… they can’t prove shit.

He could almost see the sad twinkle in Karma’s eyes. “As you wish, brother.”

Dear old Karma. Trying to stay out of trouble, staying out of the way of his siblings as much as he could. Yet his job was to serve justice, and when Fate complained to him, he had to listen. Take it seriously. Though he never would do so if it was against her.

Percy checked around the room. Sparsely furnished, yet decorated with tapestries on the walls. Showing the histories of hundreds of universes, some woven in blue thread, some in red.

“So. The charges?” Void prompted.

With a sigh, Karma looked up at him regretfully. “Fate told me you were interfering with her chosen, Error. Communicating with him, and his companions. You’re not allowed to interfere unless asked, none of us are. Not without getting approval from at least two other siblings. You know this. Can you explain yourself?”

“Yes, I can,” Void said promptly. “I didn’t interact with them. They interacted with me. At least, as far as Error was concerned. A mutual acquaintance, Core Frisk of the Omega Timeline, they led them to me. In short, they requested to see me. They asked.”

He could tell that Fate was swelling with rage, although he hadn’t even glanced in her direction. She might look like a bullfrog right then, he thought, but no, Fate’s anger always manifested in spiked hair and flushing, and he was barely able to stifle his amusement at the image of the short, feisty deity with her cheeks as red as her hair.

“And you still interacted with a mortal!” She accused. “And threatened me!”

“No,” He corrected coolly. “Core is not a regular human, they were scattered across my Void, which in a way, makes them one of my creatures. Besides, again, they called for help. I simply answered them.” Void turned to Karma, brow raised, although he knew Karma couldn’t see it. “Am I allowed to withdraw now? This has been a waste of time.”

Karma sighed, waving a hand. “I’m sorry, Void, for any inconvenience we may have caused you. Will you come for dinner sometime?”

“I’m a busy deity,” he answered, closing his eyes behind his hood. 

He heard Fate storm out, clearly in a foul temper. Waiting until she was gone, Void hesitated, then took the plunge.

“Yet I cannot deny, she has broken more rules than I have. Why do you refuse to judge her?” He muttered under his breath, knowing that Karma could hear him.

“Void, I understand your anger-“

“You DO NOT understand anything,” he hissed. “If you did, you would stop babying her. She isn’t a child, and her actions have consequences that affect others. If she had stopped favouring that chosen, even informing him of the balance, instead of insisting that he should have the freedom to play, none of this would have happened! The multiverse would be fine!”

“Void,” Karma said, stepping forwards so that they were face to face, and Void swallowed, tilting his chin so he could meet Karma’s gaze.

He seemed tired. His normally coordinated attire was jumbled and messy, and though Karma hadn’t worn his hat or gun in many centuries, he still was so much further from what he should be.

A deity of Justice.

Hell, he’d stopped being a true deity of justice when he’d first overlooked the youngest child’s actions. A desire to stay out of trouble had weakened his ideals, turning him from the brother Void knew and loved into a tired wreck.

Honestly, he couldn’t feel further from him if he tried.

“You have a duty, Karma,” Void said quietly, firmly. “It’s in your name. You can’t ignore the rules when they suit you, just so you can avoid conflict and have a semi-peaceful time. Not when they hurt many others.”

“You shouldn’t tell me how to do my job,” Karma said, raising his chin. “I understand that Fate upset you, but it is just one multiverse. The collapse into your Void was unfortunate, it’s true, yet I know you can handle it. You’re a being born of the Void, it won’t affect you.”

“Then you’re a fool,” Void growled. “You shy away from doing your job, your job as a Deity and a Judge. Your duty is to the people that Fate abandoned, not to her. And if you can’t see that, then you should be neither deity nor judge.”

Void turned, striding out the doors. He could feel Karma’s gaze on his back, yet their brother didn’t try to call his name.

And that was fine. He preferred that anyway.

… well. Time to go.

Chapter Text

Waking was slow. But the first thing he felt was the warmth wrapped around him. Surprisingly soft, yet a little bit… um. Sticky. 

Error frowned, confused. The warmth was nice, true. But what was that stuff? It didn’t feel like strings, not even spider strings. Too thick.

They were more like… tentacles…

Eyes shooting open, he scooted back, cheeks flushing furiously. 

Raven and Nightmare looked up from where they were talking quietly, barely a metre away. As Error glanced down, he saw that Nightmare’s tentacles had been laid flat on the ground, forming something almost like a bed for him. 

“You’re awake!” Raven said, a grin appearing on her face. “Are you ok? How was the rest?”

Error squinted, trying to piece it all together. They’d saved Nightmare, and met… Percy. Then they’d arrived here, and…

He swallowed, remembering the rest.

Shit. 

“… dID yOu USe yOUr pOWerS oN mE, N!GHtMar3?” Error asked, glancing at him.

“Yes,” he answered, unashamed. “You had a panic attack, and began to attempt to harm yourself. You needed some time, and rest.”

With a wince, he glanced down at his hand, noticing the cracked bones and leaking black marrow. “I dID THaT?”

All three of them fell silent, awkwardly. 

Yes, he remembered. Vaguely, it seemed… weird, in his brain. Nightmare asked about… Fate. About what she’d done. And he told them.

“IdIOt,” he growled at himself. “DuMB, DumB Id!0t!” He facepalmed, burying his head in both hands, then winced as his injured hand twinged.

“Careful!” Raven yelped, shooting to her feet and running to his side. “Don’t make it worse!”

He looked at her, eyebrow raised. “I kn0w. I’M n0t tWO.”

“You would not let me get close enough to heal it,” Nightmare muttered grumpily. “Even in your sleep.”

“@nD?” Error frowned, glancing around. The green grass was an instant clue to their location. “Th!S iS thE oMEga TImeLinE?”

Raven nodded, glancing behind them. “The edge of it. I think… back there is where it ends.”

He peered back, seeing where she was talking about.

The edge of the Omega timeline was a clear split between shadow and light, although not literally. Green met grey, the colour fading noticeably every few minutes. Not many flowers grew here, just… weeds.

“It’s not pretty, is it?” a voice asked behind them, and Error jumped, whirling to face Core.

“HoLY- AnN0uNcE yOuRS3lf! Pl3@SE! WhY is eVEryOne snEAkiNg up oN us?!”

Core sneezed into their elbow, but he could see their shoulders shaking. And as they brought their arm down, Core was still smiling. “Apologies, Error. May I ask how the meeting went?” Their manner flipped from cheerful to worried, serious, as Error, Nightmare and Raven exchanged glances.

“Not exactly well,” Nightmare said, awkwardly. “Void… was not in a good mood. And tensions ran high quickly.”

“Well… you learned his name. That’s more than I expected,” Core admitted. “He values privacy, to an extreme level. Possibly a result of his family.”

“Of dEItIes?” Error asked softly.

Core’s brows shot up. “You did learn more than I expected.”

Raven coughed, awkwardly. “Well, we didn’t… form an alliance with him. Or anything. But he said… he said I could call him, once I realised that I made a mistake. I don’t think he closed us off.”

“True,” Nightmare mused. “A calling card?”

Error saw Raven’s hand reach for her neck, but she stopped herself. “Yeah,” she said with a swallow. “I think I know what he means by that. So if we really need him, I guess…”

“N0. I toLD yOu whY,” Error said, quite bluntly. “YoU thiNK it’S a GOoD deAL, bUt tRUsT me. ThERe’LL be SomEThiNg yOu mISS. SoMEthIng yOu l0sE. And It’S not wORth it. BecAUse dEItiEs waTCh yOu unTiL thEY knOw whAT to Do tO get inTO yoUR miND, anD thEY u$e THaT.”

He noticed Raven’s eye lights drop, and Error paused. “SpEAkiNg of wHicH, wErE yOu stALkinG us bEforE? JusT… waTCh!Ng wiTHoUT talKIng?” he asked Core sharply, swinging his eyes to them.

“Oh no, you caught me,” said Core with a shrug, smiling dryly. “Was I supposed to drop in during the panic attack or while you were comatose?”

Raven snorted into her hand, and Error blinked, not expecting the sass from Core.

“… w3LL. FaIR enOUgh.”

Core grinned, plonking themselves down next to Raven. “And… did you tell them about…” They hesitated, nodding subtly to his hand.

“! L3t thEM kn0W abOUt thE VoiD coRRupTiOn,” Error said with a sigh, and Core sagged in relief.

“THANK you. I didn’t want to dodge around their questions anymore.” Core smiled, wryly. “And sorry, Raven. I wasn’t going to intrude where I wasn’t meant to.”

“That’s ok, Core,” Raven replied, glancing down. “I get it.”

Nightmare coughed lightly into his hand. “Very nice. Now, can we all get onto the matter at hand?” Error glanced at him, noticing Core and Raven do the same. 

“Core, can you see where the pieces of Undertale are?” Nightmare asked directly. “If you can’t, then we’ll have to figure out how to locate them ourselves. Which could be tricky, given that we don’t know how many pieces there are.”

“You have one,” Core said, pointing to Error. “You picked it up in the Doodlesphere, remember?”

Error nodded, drawing out the AU scrap from his pocket. “YeAH. It wAS whERe th3 wh0Le pAPer uSEd tO bE.”

“Well, that’s one of seven pieces,” Core said quietly. “All located in the Doodlesphere.” Scooting in front of him, they pointed to the red heart scribbled on the paper. “The Classic Sans may not be in every piece, but he’s not outside of Undertale at all. Which is… well. He didn’t go outside the AU as much as others did. Too risky. If something happened to him, the Multiverse would become unstable, and a Load couldn’t help.”

“Well… DreamTale was torn into three pieces,” Raven said slowly. “And Nightmare had three shardlings. Does that mean Classic has seven?!”

With a quick nod, Core moved back from Error. “Seven. And… in locations that defined him. His sentry posts, perhaps. Or the Judgement Hall. Although… I can’t see that yet, it’s too fractured.” They wrinkled their nose, displeasure flitting across their face. 

Error stood, beginning to pace. “SeVEn pIEcEs. In UNdERtaLE, whERe doES SaNS haNG oUT?” With a slight frown, he began to think, hard.

Voices rang in his hearing, yet muffled, as if he was hearing them underwater.

. . . Well. There’s his room?

Yeah, true, another voice muttered. If I was split, I’d want to be in my room.

His room, and maybe Paps’… but then there would also be…

Three sentry posts, right? And maybe the judgement hall?

Oh, the Ruins! With the door! That’s got to be something! It’s a big thing!

And where… Papyrus was killed.

Error tensed up, almost seeing it in his mind’s eye. A snowy forest, with pale powder flying through the air. Yet as you turned the bend, you’d see that it wasn’t snow. It would be… monster dust… with the human crushing Papyrus’ skull beneath their foot.

“ThAT… mAkeS seNSe,” he murmured under his breath. “SeNTry poSTs, thE rUIns, thE… thAT plAce. HiS rOOm. JuDGemenT haLL. AnD… GriLLby’S. I beT thAT’s IT.”

He suddenly became aware of three sets of eyes staring at him. 

“Impressive,” Core remarked, glancing at him with a slightly… knowing, yet puzzled look. “Not many know the lore in that much detail. But don’t forget, what about the surface? After all, that was important too.”

Error cussed slightly under his breath. “D@mN. WeLL, I guESS he WoULdn’T be AT alL thREE pOsTS. MosT LiKelY onE.”

“How do you know Undertale’s lore so well?” Nightmare asked, softly. “And where Classic would be?”

… how did he know that? Apart from the voices. They’d told him, but… he knew each place. He could see it, in his mind’s eye. Detailed and accurate, yet… some parts were hazy.

Error shrugged, uncertain. “I… dON’T reMEmBEr. I gUEss bECauSe I stUDieD so mANy AUs oVEr thE yeARs. I neVEr juST pIcKed rANdoM onEs to DeSTroY. I chECkeD ovER theM fiRSt.”

“But we still don’t know where the pieces of AUs would be,” Raven chimed in. “Seven pieces, in all that? Well, six. But the Doodlesphere is massive, and infested with Voidlings, right? We’d need to move fast.”

“Why… why seven?” Nightmare whispered, softly, almost to himself. “It’s a rather random number. Hard to tear something into seven pieces, unless…”

All eyes swung to the Guardian of Negativity as he stood, stepping over to Error, glancing at the paper in his hand. 

“It was torn along something,” Nightmare breathed, running a finger across all the ragged edges. “Guidelines. And it makes me wonder, what were they?”

“Traits,” Core whispered, eyes widening, and Error and Raven caught their breaths. 

“Determination, Bravery, Justice, Kindness, Integrity, Patience and Perseverance. Do they have… AUs that aligned to those traits?”

“Dreamtale!” Raven blurted, straightening. “It’s your home, right? And… you’re a guardian of feelings, right?”

“Of the Deity of Kindness,” Nightmare confirmed. “But Bravery could easily mean Underfell.”

“… paTIenCE woULd bE REapErTaLe,” Error muttered. “ReaPEr waS chOSen by tHAT dEiTy… ElYSiUm.”

“… Integrity is Aftertale. Void told me his sister favoured the Geno there,” Core mumbled, averting their eyes from Error’s as they mentioned his name.

“Random, but ok,” Raven said, tapping her fingers. “I met Percy in Outertale, that seems likely to be the Perseverance place, right?”

“That leaves Determination and Justice, and I believe Undertale would be the Determination AU,” Nightmare said softly, nodding to the paper. “It’s the core of the Multiverse, after all, and Determination is the most powerful trait.”

“… unDErswAP wouLD be THe lAsT onE. It sEEms mOsT liKeLy,” Error said, smiling slightly. “MaYBe KarMA wOUld hAVe LIkeD BlUe.”

“Well,” Core grinned. “That’s where the fragments will have gravitated to. Places that embody the traits, right?”

“We have an actual plan,” Nightmare said, looking satisfied. 

“Well, kinda,” Raven chimed in. “But it’s like three ideas in a trench coat that kind of resemble a plan, so I think we’re doing good.”

Core smiled, holding out a hand for Raven to high five. “The trench coat never fails.”

Error and Nightmare snorted softly.

“YoU kNOw, wE miGHt acTUalLY geT tHIs,” Error said softly, glancing at Nightmare. “We mIGht acTUaLLy fIx evERYthIng.”

“Well, I suppose so,” Nightmare whispered back, watching Raven and Core fondly as Raven tagged Core, leaping out into the grass. “And… Everything could go back to normal.”

“I aM sO gOInG to enJOy InK and DrEAm’s fACes,” Error said with a slight grin. “BuT gOInG hOMe woULd bE beTTer.”

“Back to Killer, Horror, Dust and Cross. And with you by my side,” Nightmare said, softly.

What was Nightmare thinking? Error wondered. It was so quiet now. Inside his head, and outside it. The world seemed to slow, and Raven and Core’s playful shouts died out, and it was just him and Night.

With him by his side, huh?

“ThAT soUNds lIke pARadiSe,” Error whispered, leaning his head against Nightmare’s tentacle, cheeks growing warm and SOUL beating faster. Feeling Nightmare’s pulse jump to match his.

They stayed like that for a long while.

Chapter Text

Sitting up, finally, Error glanced at Core and Raven who were both running back, Raven just a little bit ahead.

“Are we ready to go?” Raven asked, skidding to a stop with wings flared, only to yelp as Core crashed into her, making them both tumble down.

“Oops,” Core said sheepishly, sitting up and hopping off Raven. 

“WhO aRE yOu aNd wHAt haVE yOu dONe wiTh C0r3?” Error asked, pulling himself to his feet with slight difficulty. “YoU nEvER aCt thIS CHilDiSh?”

Core shrugged. “Should I apologise? I’m having fun, honestly.” Reaching down, they helped yank Raven to her feet. “Besides, technically, I am a child.”

“… yOU’rE iMmORtal, aNd pRObaBly as OlD aS m3,” Error said, raising an eyebrow.

“Shh. Not in front of the kids, Error,” they chided, earning a quiet chuckle from Nightmare.

“Are we ready? Actually, hold on, before we go I want to check something.” Nightmare glanced at Error, seemingly apprehensive. “I know you said that you could handle anything. But how bad is it really? The Void corruption?”

Error hesitated, just a fraction too long. “I cAN deAL wiTH it. It’S nOT too bAD yEt.”

“You’re dodging the question,” Nightmare said softly.

With a shiver running down his spine, Error couldn’t hold Nightmare’s gaze. “I hAVen’T cHEckED mYsELF in A WHile, bUT… I’ll bE fINe uNTil we fiX tHIs mESS.”

Raven and Nightmare exchanged glances, clearly debating on whether or not to lecture him, yet Nightmare just sighed. “At least let me heal you first.”

Slowly, Error nodded, holding his arm out, and Nightmare glanced him up and down. “That’s not all of your injuries. You aren’t putting much weight on your leg.” Error’s eyebrows shot up as he glanced down.

“BeFOre yOu YEll aT mE, I gENuiNelY forGOt abOUt thAt,” he muttered, reaching down to brush his pants away from the cracked bones that wearily leaked marrow onto the grass. When had he done that?

Right, when fighting the first shardling of Nightmare. A tentacle slammed him.

Rolling his eyes, Nightmare gestured for Error to sit one last time, then hesitated.

“Didn’t you have something… against healing magic?”

“NiGHtLigHT, dEAr, yoU’rE goINg to hAVe to bE mORe spEcIFic,” Error grumbled sarcastically. Yet he cast his mind back to what felt like an eternity ago, frowning, trying to recall.

It couldn’t be an allergy or something, right? It was magic, pure magic, that kind of thing just didn’t happen. But now that Nightmare mentioned it, he vaguely remembered something, pain before… darkness.

“. . . FuCK it. JuSt dOn’T uSE muCH aNd it’LL B3 fIn3.” Error stretched out his leg as Nightmare crouched next to him, hand outstretched, his normal teal magic mingling with a royal purple. As he waved his hand, slowly, over the cracks in Error’s leg, Error felt a slight nagging sensation in his skull ease.

Yet he felt something else get far, far worse.

“$T0P, $T0P!” he grunted, tugging himself back as Nightmare’s magic eased.

A silence fell around the group as Error tried to take shallow breaths, easing himself, yet his vision was growing worse, he felt like he was about to throw up, and in front of Nightmare, Raven and Core…

With great effort, he swallowed the magic bile rising in the back of his throat, with only a trickle of green glowing magic , interlaced with primary blue, flowing from the corner of his mouth.

“HeRE’s hOw iT’S goINg to GO,” he muttered, standing on his leg, which had been knitted, at least, though it still felt fragile. “We’RE not goINg to wAStE mOr3 tIMe quEStiOniNG whY I’M fUCked UP. We’Re goINg to g3t gOIng, fINish the STupId miSSion, thEN quEStioN aLL thIs shIT. CaPIcHE?”

He glared at them all, letting his eye sockets glow with magic, yet Core was the only one to nod.

“But… your hand is still broken,” Raven said, glancing at Error’s greyed fingers. “Shouldn’t we try…”

“RaVEn, I’Ve hAD w0rSE,” Error stated plainly. “LeT it GO.”

Her gaze fell, and he turned to Core. “OpEN thE dAMn pOrtAL. We shOUld g3T gOinG, we’RE wasTinG tiME.”

Core nodded silently, thrusting a hand in front of them, and quickly a portal opened, white and blank.

“SeE yOu laTEr,” Error said, pulling himself to his feet, and he walked in front of the others, hands in his pocket.

And as he turned to where Underswap was, his eyes widened as he saw a faint white and grey blur flash in front of him, hazy yet familiar. 

They froze, and both of them stared at each other for a good few seconds.

Who was he? Error couldn’t make him out properly, not without his glasses on. He was too far away for that. But…

The figure turned, rummaging through paper scraps, and drew one out, holding it between his fingers. And Error’s attention snapped to it, seeing a glimpse of yellow flashing from the paper.

A yellow heart. A scrap of paper amongst Underswap’s ruins, with colour, a yellow heart, the symbol of justice-

And the figure turned, turned away from Error without a word, beginning to run. 

“H3¥! G3T b@€K H3R3!” Error yelled, sprinting after him. Yet the figure was fast, heading towards Underfell.

Reaching for his eyes, he sensed two people running beside him.

“Who… are we chasing?” Raven panted, wings flapping to give her more speed.

“H3 H@$ @N UND3RT@13 FR@GM3NT!” Error yelled, and he sensed the shock radiating from both of them, and without warning, Raven crouched, launching herself into the air and lunging past them, summoning a bone to her hand.

Nightmare was lagging behind, Error realised, glancing back. 

“Did you see him?” Nightmare gasped, putting on a burst of speed to match Error.

“N0T w3ll. H3 juST grABBed thE onE from UNderSW@P aNd stArteD ruNNing!” Error snarled back, drawing strings from his eyes.

Trap, he told them, focusing his magic. Catch the one with no wings, and bring him to me.

Yet… as he launched them, they fell flat, as though deflected by a magic shield.

“Wh0 eV3N aR3 y0U, bASt@Rd?!” Error roared, magic fuelled by hatred and rage.

The figure didn’t slow, darting past Underfell with an outstretched hand, snatching something from the ruins. A shimmer of orange.

Raven barreled in front of them, wings flared, trying to block his path, but he just melted into shadow, leaving her with a shocked expression on her face as she whirled, trying to locate him.

“There!” Nightmare growled, tentacles lashing outwards at Dreamtale and Reapertale as they darted between them, graceful and fast.

Hauntingly familiar somehow, although he didn’t know why.

“He got Kindness and Patience!” Raven cried, spotting the other papers clutched in his fist.

Four. Four scraps of seven. Error’s mouth was dry, soul beating fast. “R@V3N, 0UT3RT@LE!” Error roared, hoping that she’d understood the message. Raven was fastest out of the three of them, and if this figure was targeting Undertale’s au scraps, Outertale, where the Perseverance scrap would be located was at the other end of the Doodlesphere.

She didn’t disappoint, shooting over their heads like a blur as the figure appeared in front of Error, grabbing for his pocket. Error lashed his strings around their wrist, pulling them down, wrestling him to the floor, yet froze.

He did know this person.

He knew and hated this skeleton, so badly, yet…

He knew him from the snapped brush he carried on his back, to the paint smear on his cheek. The way he struggled under his hands, the way he fought.

It was Ink.

Chapter Text

Error’s breathing stopped as Nightmare appeared at his side, staring numbly at the Creator of AUs.

“What the fuck…” Nightmare breathed, eyes flicking over the struggling, tiny skeleton.

He looked like shit, yet… unique, somehow. Different.

Ink had no colour. But the Void shouldn’t have drained him like this. 

Yet Ink’s eye lights were blank, darkness dripping from his mouth, and an empty stare met Error and Nightmare, even as he fought like a cat. 

“Sn@P oUT of It, BItcH!” Error growled, slapping him across the face, and a slight crack came from Ink’s jawbone as the force between Error’s attack broke a bone.

He couldn’t deny that that wasn’t entirely because of the way Ink was acting. That slap was really, really satisfying. Yet Ink barely reacted, even as his mouth fell limp, instead yanking a brush from his bandolier, where every single rainbow vial that usually rested there was missing.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Ink dipped the paintbrush into a puddle of pure black shadow beside him, and splashed the Void at Error, where the black substance hit him straight in the face.

0W! 0°øŵW OôW 0Ŵ!

Error screamed in his pain, rearing back as the void burned into his eye sockets, blinding him. He couldn’t get it off, ow ow ow!

This was worse than Ink’s red paint. That stuff burned, but this… this ate into his bones.

He became vaguely aware of Nightmare yelling next to him, even as Error went wild, magic growing out of control. He wasn’t keeping a rein on it, so it simply… rampaged all around him, tearing and trapping, wrapping everything it could in nearly indestructible blue strings.

Error’s breathing was so shallow, so ragged, as he fell to his knees, clutching his skull with both hands, and for a singular moment, he saw something, even though he was still blinded. Even though he never saw anything this clearly even when he was truly… conscious? Not dealing with crippling pain in his eyeballs?

Red. Red strings wrapping around everything. ABSOLUTELY everything, even though he saw nothing of Nightmare or Raven, he could see their silhouettes struggling through the knotted strings.

And as he whipped back frantically, he saw his enemy, hands and neck completely tangled in the threads, causing them to bleed darkness.

Error’s eyes widened as Ink raised his head, meeting his gaze, an expression of pure despair annd panic all over his face, even though his eye lights were darker than the darkest shadow.

He mouthed one word.

The god of creation, Creator and Protector of AUs, partner to the guardian of Positivity and beloved by almost the entire multiverse, Error’s sworn enemy, was asking… no, begging… for…

Were his lip reading skills up to scratch? Error wondered, eyes narrowing.

He felt someone slip her hands around his injured hand, and he froze, eyes clouding with error messages.

He knew who that was, too.

She wasn’t laughing, but worked quickly, even as he tried to yank himself out of her reach. 

Fate reached for a thread, quickly looping one end over the wrist she held firm, and with a chill of terror rippling down his spine, Error realised that he couldn’t move.

He couldn’t move his hand at all.

With renewed desperation, he tried to fling himself away from her as Ink watched, immobile. Wrapped in those same red strings.

His eyes began to blur as she yanked the string loosely knotted to his arm, and his hand swung around, grasping the other in place.

“N0. N0 no N0. N0t aG@!n, pl3@se, pl3@Se F@te! I d!d mY jOB, I d!d evERythIng y0U asK3d mE t0!” Error begged, feeling tears run down his cheeks, and struggling to pull himself away as she knotted the second string in place. “D0n’T… pl3@$3 d0ṉ’T ḏ0 ït…”

He couldn’t move his body. Not either of his arms, nor his legs. He was frozen in place, and the only things that worked were his mouth and his tears.

“Void is being a little shit,” she said, stepping in front of him, with her long, flaming hair casting shadows over her eyes. She seemed to loom over him, a figure from nightmares. “I won’t let him wreck this place any further, for it’s already difficult enough to work with. And if that means utilising all my playthings, so be it.”

Error pulled his head back, trying to get away from her as best he could, soul and mind racing.

He had to tell Raven. He made a mistake, he was stupid. He let his pride get in the fucking way, and he was going to pay for it. But he wouldn’t- he couldn’t live with himself if…

“R@V3N!” he cried into the darkness, straining back, nearly snapping his neck. “B3 c@R3FUL, Y0U H@V3 TO-”

With that, Fate dropped the loop of silk-like ruby thread over his head, and he stilled, his whole body relaxing.

It was all his fault, he thought, but he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t blink or scream or cry, he was hers, hers again.

A stupid, broken puppet.

And everything went dark once again.

Chapter Text

Nightmare stared down at the skeleton that Error had trapped under his hands. 

Ink looked like a freaking mess. 

Half his brushes were broken. His clothes were dirty and torn. And though Nightmare could not make any sense of the strange, muddled emotions Ink was projecting (which was weird, as he could normally never sense a thing) pain was radiating from every bone on the so- called Protector’s body as he clutched five fragments of the centre of the multiverse in his fist. He seemed so broken, yet also twisted and warped.

Error was yelling something at him, right? Nightmare blinked as a crack rang through the air, jumping to attention as Error slapped Ink across the face.

Nobody could say that Ink couldn’t deserve it, but what… what could have reduced him to this almost pathetic state? Fighting like a cornered animal?

Something was wrong.

And Nightmare didn’t react in time as Ink’s previously empty hand lashed out, with shadows on the tip of a small paintbrush, right into Error’s face.

The scream was heartbreaking. Nightmare’s eyes widened as his attention immediately swung to Error, who fell back, hands clawing at his face. 

“Error?! Error? Are you ok?” Nightmare yelled, and he felt his soul stop as Error’s hands fell away, for only a second. 

The shadows were covering his face, dripping down his front, mixed with red. Red blood. And pain slammed from Error, directly into Nightmare’s brain.

How… how was he still conscious?

Nightmare felt his magic surge, the pure pain fuelling it better than anything he’d ever felt. With superhuman speed, he lunged for Ink, grasping both wrists in his hands, snapping them like twigs. 

“WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.” He felt his voice grow, his tentacles grow, his soul grow with power as his own rage was added to the mix, and he yanked Ink to the floor, singular eye blazing with teal and purple magic.

Ink lay there, not a single expression on his face. Not a word left his mouth, and Nightmare’s eye twitched as his corrupted magic surged to the surface, growing more powerful by the second.

“YOU’RE MEANT TO BE A FUCKING HERO. AND THIS- THIS IS WHAT YOU DO?!” Without a thought, his tentacles grasped Ink, lifting him six feet off the floor and slamming him into the ground once more, hearing at least six cracks in rapid succession.

Something penetrated his consciousness. He wasn’t sure what. Maybe a sound of pain. Maybe a subtle emotional change from Raven or Error. But his gaze flicked behind him, and he froze.

Error’s magic was going crazy. Hundreds of navy blue strings dripping from the black stuff on his face, coming alive, launching at insane speeds around the entire Doodlesphere.

With not a second of hesitation, Nightmare raised a shield around him, sweat beading on his brow as the strings nearly cocooned it.

Yet he could still see through it, to the skeleton in the centre, still clutching his face. Error.

Something about seeing him so helpless made Nightmare want to cry. And he couldn’t even see Raven. She must be trapped in the strings, and with a quick glance behind him, Nightmare could see Ink sitting limply in the strings, right in front of Error.

Error tilted his head down, so that his gaze would have aligned with Ink’s, had he still been able to see. And a look of pure shock crossed his face.

He began to twitch, as if fighting an invisible enemy, almost as if he was having a fit. Like he was trying to wrench himself to the floor, but half of him wasn’t moving. Nightmare’s eyes widened as Error’s right hand moved, grasping his left wrist and pulling it close to his body, yet the movement was clumsy.

Error wasn’t shocked anymore, Nightmare could clearly feel that. He was terrified.

“N0. N0 no N0. N0t aG@!n, pl3@se, pl3@Se F@te! I d!d mY jOB, I d!d evERythIng y0U asK3d mE t0!” Error cried, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. “D0n’T… pl3@$3 d0ṉ’T ḏ0 ït…”

“Error, what in the actual name of the deity of fuck is going on?” Nightmare said, fear beginning to grow in his core. Yet Error couldn’t hear him, and his other arm and leg froze in place, only his face still moving. It seemed… so unnatural. Horrible. And more than anything, wrong.

Gritting his teeth, Nightmare dropped his shield, letting himself melt into goop, forcing himself to reform in front of Error. With only a moment’s hesitation, Nightmare used his sleeve to wipe away most of the shadows covering his face, managing to pull most of it away, yet Error’s eyes remained unfocused and wild as he seemed to try and pull away from Nightmare. 

“R@V3N!” Error cried into the darkness, straining back. “B3 c@R3FUL, Y0U H@V3 TO-”

He froze.

Nightmare stared at him

Error wasn’t seeing anything, he could tell. His eyes weren’t focused, like Killer’s were sometimes when he refused to admit the damage the HATE leaking out of his eyes was causing.

But that wasn’t the scary thing.

Error’s face was blank. Completely blank. 

Gone was the sarcastic smirk, or even the grumpy frown. His eyes weren’t wide, but not narrowed either. Neutral. 

Slowly, Error straightened, walking over to Ink, who was still stuck in the strings. Nightmare couldn’t do anything except watch as Error crouched, undoing a singular knot, and freeing Ink instantly.

“What…”

Both of them stood, facing each other, and Error dug into his pocket, pulling out the small scrap of paper with the minuscule red heart on it. Jerkily, he held it out to Ink, who took it without as much as a nod.

And they both turned, with the exact same expression on their faces.

Nightmare had no warning before in unison, they attacked. 

Ducking down, he just managed to avoid a faceful of paint like goop, and cried out as the strings below his feet came alive, rearing up like snakes, ready to strike.

Just in time, he jumped in the air, landing on his tentacles, blasting corrosive hate at them until the strings withered. Yet he had no time to make a move before Ink appeared behind him, whacking him hard in the back with the splintered Broomie.

With a grunt of pain, Nightmare fell to the ground, pulling himself up. Eye darting around, he saw nothing he could use, he only had Raven as an ally and she wasn’t close enough to help.

So he had to fight against two gods alone.

One of which he really didn’t want to fight at all.

“Error, please!” Nightmare yelled, fending off shadows with one tentacle. “Snap out of it, I don’t want to hurt you!”

Wait.

Hadn’t he said something… important?

Error had tried to tell Raven to do something. But he’d also been pleading with something… someone…

Someone Nightmare couldn’t perceive.

His mouth fell open. 

“Raven, we have to retreat! Now!” Nightmare shouted, voice breaking. Don’t cry, don’t cry. We have to survive, and find out what to do.

A whoosh of wings, and she was by his side. “I really should have tried shortcutting out of those stringy things earl…” Raven’s voice faltered as her eyes met Error’s for the first time. “… Error?” she whispered, in a heartbroken voice.

Nightmare grabbed her by the shoulders, yanking her out of the way. “Raven, we have to run. To leave, now. I don’t think that’s Error, I think that’s…” his voice faltered, and Nightmare swallowed thickly. “That’s Fate. That’s who owns Error. Fate, Deity of Determination.”

“Congrats!” A dry voice said, chiming like bells in a graveyard.

A subtle shock rang through the air, and Error and Ink both froze, still as statues, strings and paintbrush still raised.

Nightmare looked behind them, and felt himself go numb with shock.

Fate was here. And she wasn’t here to play.

Chapter Text

Fate radiated power. Her hair was as red as rubies and garnets, the colour of Determination, glowing with a harsh light. Each individual thread spiralled off into the world, making Nightmare feel smaller than an ant, even though Fate was only a head taller than Ink himself. Like a child. Though the magma coloured eyes and the red knife she held were not very childlike.

“It was fun,” she said with a small smile. “But honestly… it’s been getting quite boring and tedious as of late. I can’t really play as well as I used to, not with my stupid brother-” her eyes narrowed, flaming like lava- “getting in the way all the time with his incessant whining.”

Void, Nightmare thought, eye widening. “He sent you away, didn’t he?”

“And he’ll pay for that, oh he will,” Fate breathed, like a promise that she’d relish keeping. “I don’t know exactly what you all talked about behind your fancy doors, but I have to say, it won’t do anything. All I know is that he’s been a right pain in the butt!”

Nightmare blinked. Butt. The deity of Determination, of fate itself, an abusive piece of shit, who was apparently manipulative, said butt as a swear word.

“He’s always going, ‘But it’s affecting everyone!’ and ‘Grow up!’ He has to grow up, he still reads fairytale books sometimes, for FUN. Who does that?!” Fate ranted, face darkening. “Sure, I like to play. But it’s one multiverse. More than that, it’s literally my multiverse! I’m allowed to do what I want with it!”

Nightmare swallowed, glancing to the side, where Raven stood with one hand tucked under her wing. As she saw him looking, she tipped it slightly, revealing a tiny scrap of paper with a purple heart drawn in.

He swallowed, carefully aiming a mental message to her, speaking in a whisper.

Don’t let her get it. If you have to, leave me behind, but don’t let her get it.

Raven’s eyes widened as she shook her head, horrified. 

“Hey, are you even listening to me?!” Fate yelled, scowling at them.

“Of course we have been,” Nightmare said quickly. “So, what are you even expecting to get out of this? Bragging rights against your brother?”

Fate shrugged. “This multiverse is boring, for god’s sake. Nothing ever happens anymore, just slow burn romances, and ew. Same old fights, nothing new. I think it’s be better if we just… started again, don’t you?”

Nightmare and Raven froze.

“Yeah, you get it!” Fate said with a grin. “It’s been kind of fun, watching Solvent flip his head over this, but he’s gotten worse. More boring. A new set of characters could help, maybe? All I need is the Core to the Multiverse, and I can remake it! No more people failing their singular jobs, just my favourites staying behind. Or if that doesn’t work, I can just break this multiverse and find a new one.”

Raven made a choking noise. “You can’t… you can’t just… you’d be killing everyone. Just because you’re bored?!”

“Well, yeah.” Fate pulled out a few strands of hair, weaving a swing which hung from nothing, and ignoring the crying that came from somewhere far away as somebody’s fate ended. “You’re the least boring thing to happen in years, actually! New person, somebody my favourite didn’t create! Ooh, I have an idea! We could make a deal!” She clapped her hands together, absolutely ecstatic, and Nightmare’s soul dropped.

He glanced at Raven, whose emotional turmoil was immense. She was so lost, she didn’t know what to do, and honestly, Nightmare couldn’t blame her. She was young and sheltered. Error had been supporting her so far, but now he stood, unblinking and lifeless, a doll…

“What sort of deal?” She asked, softly.

“Well, you give yourself to me, and I claim you as a chosen child!” Fate said, excited. “In exchange, I’ll leave your friend alone. You for him.”

And in a flash of insight, Nightmare guessed what she was thinking.

Fate was triumphant. She thought she was going to win, that Raven wouldn’t be able to resist the deal if it meant saving Error. But Error…

Nightmare squeezed his eyes shut, stopping the wetness leaking out of them.

Error wasn’t the “he” Fate was offering to spare the life of. She wouldn’t put so much effort into shaping his life if he wasn’t a favourite plaything, so she wouldn’t let him go. Fate was offering to spare Nightmare.

“You’d be giving her nothing,” he said, surprised by how strong his voice sounded. “Deities can’t interfere with the chosen of other deities. I know that. And Feelings chose me a long time ago, even though she’s dead now. I don’t think you could touch me even if you wanted to, not unless Error or Ink asked.”

He smiled tightly as the fury raged from Fate at the realisation that Nightmare had seen through her plan, and the shock from Raven. Raven had been about to accept, he knew. Yet now… she wouldn’t.

Good.

“Listen here, you little-” Fate began, but Nightmare had no intention of letting her finish.

“Run, Raven!” he yelled, tentacles flaring. 

And without a second thought, Raven opened her wings, beating them hard, soaring into the air.

Nightmare turned to Ink and Error, eyes narrowing as Fate jerked a few strands of her hair and the sprung back to life. 

He couldn’t last long. Not against two gods and a deity. He could only buy Raven time to get away with the Perseverance fragment. But with a calm certainty he knew that that was what was supposed to happen. They’d brought him back from a meaningless existence, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to have that happen ever again.

So they sprung into battle.

Chapter Text

Raven flew, flew, flew, as fast as her wings would carry her. The Doodlesphere may not have much wind, but it had some kind of magic which made flying easier, she could tell. She flew even though tears were blurring her vision, making it almost impossible to see where she was going.

She could still hear the fight. The noises hadn’t gone quiet yet. Nightmare was still holding his ground, yet she knew he couldn’t hold it forever.

She could hear thoughts swirling in her mind, things she’d heard. From Error, Nightmare, Percy…

“SoME of THem ArE deADbEaTs, sOme arE doWNrigHT aBusIVe and InCOmpEtEnt, anD I dOn’T kNow yOu. I apprECiAte thE oFFer, bUt wE cAn do it OUrsElVEs.”

“Even a god dies eventually. There have been a few in recorded history… few, mind you. It takes a lot to kill us, and our lives are lengthened considerably.”

“This is important, Raven. More important than you know. Which would you save, if you could only save one?”

“Not without a chosen child.”

Raven hesitated in mid air, pausing as Nightmare yelled in pain.

He’d die.

He’d die if she kept flying, and she’d be alone again, just like the Save Screen.

Except she’d have lost two people who she could try to help now.

Unconsciously, she reached for the feather under her jacket.

She had the power to call someone to help her, even if she lost a bit of herself. She could help in a way that truly mattered, just as Nightmare had helped her by pointing out the loophole in Fate’s manipulation, and how he was helping her now by fighting two gods by himself.

That was freaking brave.

And Error…

She felt a tear drop down her cheek. 

Sweet, sarcastic, grumpy Error. The Error who showed her what outside was like, who had already saved her more times than she could count.

He was helpless right now. And if he killed Nightmare, or helped kill him, Raven knew he’d never forgive himself.

She could help them, if she just made a choice for herself.

Time to make a choice.

Slowly, she pulled the necklace with the feather over her head, clutching it in one hand, when a roar of pain came from Nightmare’s direction.

And without any hesitation, she made up her mind, streaking towards the source of the sound, dialing up her inherited death magic to the highest level she could use, rocketing straight into Fate.

Ink and Error froze, seconds away from tearing into Nightmare’s soul, as Raven hung on like grim death to Fate’s arm, feeling the poison working through Fate’s veins.

It wasn’t strong enough, she realised, and her eyes blurred with tears. She wasn’t taking her down, because a deity was more powerful than a demigod.

“Raven, what are you doing?!” Nightmare hissed, springing to his feet.

“Saving your butt!” she called back through gritted teeth, screwing her eyes shut as Fate started yelling and trying to shake her off.

Fate.

“You tried to kill my friend,” Raven snarled. “You’re trying to ruin my world because you were bored. And you abused my Dunkle.” Forcing her eyes open, Raven felt a burning sensation flood through her soul, through her chest, filling her with anger. Determination. Justice. And Perseverance.

“You little shit!” Fate managed to grunt, as she began to retch, throwing Raven off, and Raven thanked her lucky stars she’d hidden the fragment AU in her pocket (with a zip. It was probably safe). She thudded against the floor, and Fate loomed over her, raising her strings.

“It probably won’t matter. You’re not claimed. You’re nothing. You aren’t even a favoured child,” Fate snarled, her hair curling dangerously close to Raven’s wrist. “Lucky you. You’re about to find out what it means to be important.”

In a burst of panic, Raven grasped the feather in her hand and tugged with all her might, and instantly, a shockwave rang through the Multiverse as it snapped with ease.

Behind Fate, shadows gathered, forming the shape of a person, tall and gangly, with round glasses and dark purple clothing.

Percy was literally thumbing through a book.

Percy (or… Void?) glanced up all of a sudden.

“Whoops. I don’t think this is the kitchen…” his easy going tone grew dark as he seemed to register the situation, instantly vanishing and appearing next to Raven. 

“Sister. I would say it’s nice to see you. But given that it’s been roughly five hours since I last had that displeasure and honestly, I’m still angry at you, I don’t think I will.” His smile had turned to a slight frown, dark and menacing.

“Fuck off, Void,” Fate hissed, growing several feet in seconds to match him. “You can’t do anything. You might have avoided getting punished with Karma, but trust me. I don’t think I’ll be quite as lenient.”

“As he is with you?” Percy said coldly, standing to his feet. “I can’t do anything without a chosen, true. But you might as well not be so condescending about it.”

He reached down, helping Raven to her feet, tilting his head towards Error, Ink and Nightmare. Although Raven couldn’t see his eyes, she thought he looked… sad.

“Raven, I’m so sorry. I can’t…”

Swallowing, Raven thrust out a hand. “Claim me.”

Silence fell over the whole group. Nightmare seemed stunned, Fate enraged, and Percy… disbelieving.

“I’m… sorry?” he asked.

“You heard me. Claim me as your chosen. You said you wanted to help?” Raven questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Muted, Percy nodded. “You’re… sure? You’re not… scared or anything?”

“Oh boy,” Raven laughed. “I am so flipping scared right now, I’m pretty sure I’ve gone crazy, even considering this. But I’m also pretty damn pissed, and I’m choosing to be brave. So if you’re going to help, then do it.” She gazed up at him. “I’m ready.”

Hesitant, Percy reached for her hand, when Fate broke out of her stupor, lunging for her.

Two deities tried to claim her at once.

Yet the warm brown hand slid inside hers, just before the strings looped around her other wrist, and darkness grew around her. 

Chapter Text

Raven blinked, suddenly in a place she’d never seen before. A dark river, yet the surface somehow shone with light. 

Deep blue green grass crunched beneath her feet, and the river sung a lyrical song, yet it seemed so quiet. No birds sang, no animals scurried between the moon-pale flowers.

Shouldn’t a place this beautiful have life?

“I know, huh?” Percy said, coming up behind her.

She started. “Wha-Percy? Where did you take me?” A surge of panic rose within her chest.

“Relax,” he said softly. “I didn’t take you anywhere.”

“But- the others! Nightmare, Error! Fate’s there, she can hurt them!” Raven yelped, turning frantically.

“They won’t even notice,” Percy said, a slight smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. “This is a part of the Claiming between a deity and chosen. We're both going to wake up, and not a moment will have passed. After all, this is just a memory.”

“A… memory?” Raven asked, watching the river dance. “But I’ve never been here before.”

“No,” Percy agreed, voice hushed. “But I have. Too many times to count. But I believe this memory will be… the first time I found it.” He dipped his head, somehow seeming exhausted, and years older than he appeared.

“What happened here? What is this place?” she murmured, walking to the river and dipping her hand in it.

“This is the kingdom of death,” Percy whispered, yet his voice was clear and loud. “Every soul that dies will cross this river, the river of Rodeal, bathing in it in order to begin their afterlife. If you ever see it in real life, you should maybe not do that.”

Raven yanked her hand out. “Noted.”

“And… it’s where…” Percy reached up, grasping the heart charms on his hoodie. “It’s where I nearly died.”

Eyes widening, Raven spun to face him. “You can do that?!”

“Of course,” he said, eyes fixed on the water. “Everything should die eventually. For deities… it is special. We are the deities of the traits. And one day, we’ll be destroyed by them, one by one.”

Swallowing, Raven crouched next to him. “… do you go in there when you die? Deities, I mean?” she asked, pointing to the river.

“No,” Percy murmured. “Rodeal is for mortals and gods. Their souls are cleansed, and they live there for as long as they can bear.” He turned, gesturing upriver, and Raven’s jaw dropped. 

She hadn’t known there were this many colours in the world. It was an entire city, built of glass and gems, with the sun shining on paved streets. Laughter rang, every soul she could see looked so happy.

“The river cleanses the soul of all evil. The worst grow weak as their souls have the worst traits stripped away, either recovering healthy and kind, or fading for a peaceful second death. But that’s not what we’re here for.”

Percy grew silent, pointing to his left, downriver, without even trying to look.

Raven turned to see, only to see a transparent Percy approach the river, looking for something, perhaps?

He looked so different. His hair was neatly clipped out of his face, his glasses shone, and his hood was down. He had no heart charms on his hoodie, nor the shifting cloak. Already, he seemed years younger than the Percy sitting beside Raven.

And as he turned her way, Raven felt her spine tingle.

This Percy’s face was clearly visible.

His ears were tilted up, slightly pointed, giving him a mischievous, elfy kind of look, and he looked well rested, not tired at all. And his eyes were a deep and warm chocolate brown.

“I thought you had…” she started to say.

“Just watch,” Percy responded, head in his arms, not even glancing up.

She stood, walking towards the younger Percy, when she caught sight of something he hadn’t seen yet. 

A delicate, caramel coloured hand, stretched out from behind a rock. 

A dreadful feeling settled over her as the younger Percy caught sight of it.

“Elysium?” they whispered, voice hoarse. Running over, he dropped to their knees, shoving the rock away, and Raven gasped.

An absolutely beautiful woman lay there, kind and sweet. Her skin was medium colour, but her hair was like sunshine, spreading around her like a pool, with a ribbon tied in it, which was long enough to flow to her feet. She wore a simple, elegant cyan dress which swept to her feet, rippling just like the river, changing every moment. Her open eyes were a light blue.

She was dead.

Raven’s hands flew to her mouth as the younger Percy fell to his knees, shaking her. “E-elyss? Th-this isn’t funny. Come on, wake up!”

Raven crouched next to the young Percy, saddened. “Who was she?”

“My sister,” older Percy muttered, pulling himself up and walking to her. “Elysium, Deity of Patience, Deity of the Afterlife. The best person I ever knew.”

Raven watched the memory Percy curl up beside Elysium, crying into her robe. When he finally sat up, he glanced at the afterlife.

“I’m so sorry, Elyss,” he murmured. “I can’t help you.” Reaching out, the memory tucked Elysium’s hair behind her ear, when he glanced at the ground. 

Cyan blood was spreading across the floor. No, not blood- magic. Elysium’s body was dissolving, slowly, turning into pure energy.

And Raven felt the ground quake.

“What was that.” she demanded, eyes wide.

“Elysium’s magic kept the afterlife together,” Percy said, clearly. “The afterlife needs somebody to rule it, it’s not like Courage’s domain, where he just had to inspire bravery. Without a leader, it falls apart. And this is how I made the dumbest, rashest decision of my life.”

Raven watched, wordlessly, as the memory scooped the liquid up, eyes widening frantically. “No no no…” 

Then, he froze, eyes narrowing. “Humans can’t absorb humans,” he murmured, repeating something he’d learned to heart. “Monsters can’t absorb monsters.”

Glancing at the collapsing heaven, young Percy made his choice, although Raven could see the older version of him clenching his fists.

And he cupped his hands, dipping them into the magic, and drank. 

Raven watched, horrified, as immediately, the younger Percy started to scream, the rest of Elysium’s body dissolving until there was only her ribbon left, the magic flowing like a tidal wave into the young deity’s body. Older Percy just turned away, pulling a pair of earplugs out of his pocket.

“Oh my god,” Raven breathed, watching the magic crash relentlessly into Percy’s body.

“I thought I’d be best suited to it. Best suited until we found another candidate, ha!” Older Percy chuckled mirthlessly, bitterly. “No. The damage was done.”

Raven watched the deity grasp helplessly in front of him, a spark of magic in his palm that launched out, grasping shreds of magic before they formed back into the powerful magic, trapping them together. 

“Patience and Perseverance are in some ways complementary. In others? They’re opposites. Both require you to endure. But Patience means waiting for an opportunity. In Elysium’s case… she never took the chance.” Percy’s voice broke, ever so slightly. “Perseverance means pushing through the pain, no matter how hard it is, until you can go no more. Understand?”

“They don’t work together?” Raven asked.

Percy shook his head as his past self clenched his hands into fists, and the trapped patience magic was forced into another shape. Two glass hearts. Charms.

And as the young Percy raised his head, panting and sweating, his eyes were dead white.

“I-I… I can’t… why is everything dark? I can’t… I can’t see!” 

Raven’s mouth fell open, staring at Percy, who looked grim.

And he lowered his hood, his blind white eyes staring at nothing.

Chapter Text

Raven stared at him, mouth open. “You’re blind?! But… you wear glasses. And you read books. And… you’ve fought before, you seem to know where stuff is? How?!”

“The glasses are sentimental, and I had a few close calls, such as nearly tripping over your negative friend’s tentacle,” Percy admitted dryly. “As for my books, if any of you had opened one of them, you might have noticed dots on the pages. A useful little invention called Braille. And I’ve had to adapt over the years. My job isn’t a peaceful one, and it helps that I have full awareness of my Void at any given moment.”

He shrugged, half heartedly, as Raven glanced down, brow furrowed.

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked softly.

“For a few reasons,” Percy stated. “For one thing, this is what this is for. This current state of consciousness that we share. I get to know you, and you get to know me. All of our memories are currently linked, and even after this ends, we can do so again.”

Raven blinked. “So… you can see all of my memories.”

“I skimmed through them,” Percy said. “Not too in depth, and I promise I could not help it at first. Then I came to find you.”

“And… why else?” Raven asked, brow furrowing. “You’re a private guy. Have you even told anyone about… Elysium?”

“Who would I have told?” Percy countered. 

“Any of your siblings. Well, not Fate, obviously, but there’s still five, right?”

“Three are gone, including Elysium. Karma is spineless, and I haven’t seen Destiny since it happened. I can’t leave the Void, Raven. And this happened before the Multiverse collapsed into the void. Hundreds of years before that.”

“Right. Immortality.” Raven looked up at him, into his eyes, yet her gaze fell to the heart charms. “And… why those?”

Percy hesitated. “What?”

“Why did you collect the magic and create charms out of them?” Raven wondered, reaching forwards to tap one, only for Percy to step back.

“Do not touch those,” he warned, tone soft and dark. “If you must know, they are what’s actively keeping me alive.”

…

Raven looked at him with stunned silence, as he growled to himself, annoyed.

“That brings me to my second reason for showing you this memory. I’m powerful. Technically, since I have Elysium’s magic as well as my own, my magic is far above average. But my limitations still exist. In a flat out battle, I don’t have time to check where everyone is all the time. I could easily kill one of your friends by mistake. I brought you here because now that you know of one of my limitations, you can protect your friends from harm.”

“That… makes sense. But what does that have to do with those?” Raven asked, pointing to the charms.

“I told you that deities succumb to their traits. I survived here on the river because I delayed the inevitable,” Percy said clearly, bending down to pluck a flower. “I trapped some of her magic before it entered my body. And that saved my life. But should the charms break, the magic would continue on its way.”

“… and you’re WEARING them?!” Raven demanded, completely confused. “Lock them in a safe! Or in twenty layers of bubble wrap!”

Percy’s lips twitched, and he snorted into his hoodie sleeve. “Pfft… bubble wrap?”

“Laugh all you want, it’s a good idea.”

“Look, I don’t want to put them out of my… blind sight. There’s not a great expression for it,” said Percy with a shrug, twirling the moon pale flower in his fingers. “Fate is… one example as to why, she’d probably do something incredibly stupid with them, whether she realised their purpose or not. I prefer to keep them where I know they’re safe… ish.”

…Fair enough.

Raven looked down again. “Look, it’s just… how are we going to beat her?” she asked softly. “I don’t want Error or Nightmare to die. And Fate has six AU pieces, and she’s the deity of determination. And she owns Error, for god’s sake!”

The words felt so much worse when she spoke them aloud, and Raven felt her core stir with emotions that she was just beginning to understand.

Grief. Fear. Anxiety. And she felt her eye sockets begin to blur, with soft tears overflowing and silently spilling down her cheeks.

She was scared.

And Percy tilted his head at her, and with only a moment of hesitation, he stepped to stand in front of her, placing the flower he carried in her hand.

“It’s not all up to you,” he said, softly. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that way. But you’re still young, Raven.” She looked at him, as he reached up, wiping her eyes softly. “You’ve been so, so brave.”

“No, I haven’t been brave,” she whispered, voice thick. “I wasn’t fast enough to make any difference.”

“You have been brave,” Percy said firmly. “You saved Error’s life in Outertale, and you just saved Nightmare’s. But you know what?”

Raven looked down at him as he knelt on one knee, head bowed.

“You won my trust, Raven. I’ll support you now, for you are my chosen, and I am yours. Forever, I’ll stay with you.”

And as Percy spoke, his cloak rustled with the strangest sound of feathers, unfolding, and a set of huge wings, soft and dark, stretched to the sky. Yet they were shimmering with tiny flecks of white, just like the river, just like the stars. 

Her mouth twitched, and before she knew it, Raven was beaming with eyes blurred once more, not with tears of sadness, but of inexplainable joy, her own wings spreading, though they were only half his wingspan.

“So take a leap of faith,” Percy said, holding out his hand, and once more, Raven accepted it, and without any warning, the world spun, and they were back to where they started.

Chapter Text

A burst of magic exploded from Raven and Percy’s joint hands, throwing Fate and her strings back as they both opened their eyes. Spinning to face Fate quickly, wings flaring, Percy glanced at Raven.

Right. He needed her to ask him to interfere.

Raven swallowed, throat dry, but managed to say, “Percy… Void… help us. Please help in any way that you possibly can.”

Percy bowed low dramatically. “Your wish is my command.” Yet as he glanced up under his hood, he muttered something only Raven could hear.

“Get the fragments of the Original Universe back,” Percy hushed under his breath. “Ink still has them. And then put it back together and get Classic’s soul shards. Fate will be trying to use Ink and Error against you, but I’ll hold her off as long as I can. And above all, stay out of the way.”

Raven nodded, pulling her hand back as Void stretched his wings to their maximum wingspan, expression cold, as Fate pulled herself up. 

“You,” she hissed, eyes alight with fury. “You will regret this.”

Flinging out both her hands, over a dozen knives, sharp, gleaming and scarlet, flared into existence, hovering, ready to attack, as Fate grasped two in her hands, ready to fight.

“I’ve regretted many things,” Percy said calmly. “Stopping you will not be on that list.”

With no further warning, both deities launched into action, and Raven stumbled back at the sheer speed and power which they both possessed.

Fate fought ruthlessly, yet with fire and finesse. Her knives were sharp, and her mind didn’t seem any duller.

But Percy fought with calculated precision and strength, calling the void to life around him, using it for varied attacks, whether it was catching Fate for a few seconds in a web of shadowy strings, darkness surging over her head, drenching her, or a shield that caught her knives. He knew his limits, and he stepped just within them to use his power to its fullest potential.

Yet she didn’t have time to reflect on that, and Raven spun, diving for Ink.

The god didn’t move, not even as she bowled him to the floor, trying to pry his grip open as Error and Nightmare stood over her. One who couldn’t move, and one who was lost for words.

“Come on!” she shouted at Nightmare, gesturing frantically to Ink’s clenched fist.

With a blur of movement, he appeared at her side, noticing what she was grappling for.

“We can’t stitch them together without Error!” He growled. “The plan’s not going to work now.”

“Just trust me. We have to get them, and soon.” Raven looked up at him, their gazes locking, until Nightmare sighed. 

“We’re going to talk about your earlier recklessness later,” he warned, pushing her hands aside and taking her place. “Even if you saved my life.”

“Dangit, thought I was off the hook,” she tutted, then her eyes widened as Fate cursed behind them, and Ink came alive under their grip. Thrashing and bucking, he fought to escape, face blank, and Raven had to throw her weight onto him in order to keep him down. Nightmare cussed, wrestling Ink’s hand to the floor, then smashing a tentacle onto it, several times.

Raven winced as she heard bones crack, yet the hand released the scraps of paper they held. “Was that really necessary?”

“Yes,” Nightmare growled as Raven lunged for the scraps, grabbing Kindness and Patience quickly, jumping back as Ink threw her off, reaching for the other four pieces with his good hand.

And she cursed mentally as Error grabbed her around the middle, lifting her off the ground, pinning her arms and wings painfully to her body, even as she struggled. 

Bringing up her foot, she winced for a moment. Sorry, Error. And she kicked back as hard as she could, feeling her foot connect with his knee, hard, causing him to stumble. And before he could recover, her wings shot open, and she was free as she flew above the battlefield, diving down to stand back to back with Nightmare.

She didn’t know how to fight properly. She’d never been taught how to, although she’d trained her magic in the Save Screen for hours on end until she was pleased with it.

“Is this a bad time to mention that I’m not a great fighter?” Raven asked, looking nervous as Ink materialised from a goopy puddle in front of her, brush in hand.

“Seriously?!” Nightmare growled, facing Error cautiously. “You couldn’t have mentioned that earlier?!”

“I’m sorry!” Raven yelped, ducking under Ink’s brush. “I didn’t know how to say that! I never got trained!”

“I can’t help, I have my own battle to deal with!” Nightmare said, exasperated, ducking as Error pulled strings from his tear marks, lashing them at him.

Ok, that was fair. Raven scanned Ink from head to toe, desperately trying to find something to help.

His right hand was still crushed, and there was a crack in his skull, but he was still in good condition, fast and strong. 

Raven was faster, but not nearly as strong as he was, she could tell already. And he still had far more experience than her.

Swallowing, she unfolded her wings, tilting them to cast shadow over her. And as Ink aimed the brush at her, she grappled it in her arms, wrenching it out of his grasp.

She nearly fell over at the surprising weight of it. Error didn’t weigh as much as this brush did, and he was tall.

With a grunt of effort, she aimed it back at him, whacking him across the face, hard.

He went flying back three metres, and she ran forwards, grabbing Bravery and Justice from where Ink had dropped them. Yet she paused for a moment, looking Ink in the face.

She’d done more damage than she meant to, and cracks zigzagged across half his skull. Yet his face showed no sign of physical pain still. It was eerie, and her gaze fell between the bandolier with the slots and the darkness still dripping from his mouth. 

Was that… important?

Gritting her teeth, she tried to think as she and Ink circled each other. 

Hand to hand fighting, no. But magic… she just needed to calm down. Emotionally charged magic came at its own risks. It was far wilder, more unpredictable, and dangerous even to the holder. So she took a deep breath, focusing on her soul. Her breaths.

She was fighting for Error. Nightmare. And Percy.

For her dads. 

She felt her eyes flare with magic, deep blue and purple, and she stood straighter, holding her arms out to summon bones. Ink was small. He’d be fast. So she just had to be faster.

Crouching, she sprung forwards, lunging behind Ink and spinning, throwing them at him, as more appeared behind her at her command. She was controlling them, from a thought to a twitch of her wing, they knew what she wanted.

Ink’s eyes widened for the first time, as bone after bone began to rain down on him, the ends all pointed, driving into his body, and Raven winced as if she was drawing every bone into herself, willing them to ease, yet Ink still stood, seemingly unaffected. But his face…

It was contorted with something that she couldn’t understand, a deep pain that bordered on agony.

Raven hesitated, as Ink opened his mouth, voice hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it in years. 

“H-h… he… hel…p…” 

Raven stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him, as with some invisible effort, Ink’s hand slowly pried open, letting the last two AU shards slip to the ground.

His dark eyes, devoid of eyelights, were fixed on hers as he was frozen to the ground, his whole body covered in cracks. Yet Raven knew she hadn’t caused all of them.

“T-take… th…em…” he whispered, eyes haunted and sad and yet filled with something she couldn’t quite grasp. But not devoid of life, as they had been before. “F…i-ix it.”

Raven stepped forwards, crouching to pick the two fragments off the ground, the little dark blue and red hearts pencilled onto them. Yet as she looked up, she saw every bone in his body trembling, and though she hesitated, she wrapped her arms around him.

“We will,” she murmured to him, drawing him close, and was surprised to feel him holding her back, tightly.

And when he pushed her off, she watched his expression shift to that emotionless state once more, posture relaxing as if he’d just been given a triple dose of morphine.

“Nightmare!” Raven yelled, turning to face him, and he glanced up from his deadly dance with Error, both of them trading blows with incredible speed and strength. Raven jerked her head to the side, and he got the message, pulling Error close, only to strike him hard across the back of the head with a wince. Error crumpled to the ground quickly, like a sack of potatoes. 

Nightmare faded into shadow, appearing at her side.

“I have seven,” she whispered, not taking her eyes off the small, battered skeleton in front of her. “We have to put Classic’s soul back. And soon.”

Nightmare nodded, melting into goop, only to reappear behind Ink and whack him hard on his already damaged skull, knocking him out instantly. “What are we waiting for?! Let’s go, before either they wake up, or Void loses ground.”

Nodding, Raven felt her soul spark with Determination. 

Time to fix it all.

Chapter Text

Drawing out all of the paper scraps, Raven let them float in the air, all seven of them. Looking them up and down, she quickly started rearranging them, when Nightmare growled under his breath.

“Not there, trust me. Determination is in the centre, god.” Striding to her side, he adjusted it quickly. “I think the second one, the one at the top is Bravery. Then Justice, Kindness, Patience, Integrity, Perseverance. See the colours? Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple. Like a rainbow.”

Raven glanced at it, unsure, then her brows raised as the pieces slid together. “You’re surprisingly good at this,” she noted.

Nightmare rolled his eyes. “… I suppose I should try piecing them together. I don’t think you’d have the raw power to do something of this scale, let alone the experience.”

“Fair enough,” Raven acknowledged, stepping to the side. “Go ahead, octopus goop lord.”

“…” Nightmare glared daggers at her. “I hope for your sake that you did not just call me that.”

“… okay, nope, I never did,” Raven said, sweating a little. Holy crud, Nightmare could be intimidating.

Disgruntled, Nightmare turned back to the Original Universe, then flexed his hands briefly before placing them directly on the scrap of paper.

Immediately, negativity flared around them as his eye glowed with teal and purple magic, and Raven slowly came to recognise the aura as the same as when he’d healed Error, but much, much more powerful. 

Slowly, the fragments drew together, bonding tentatively as sweat beaded on Nightmare’s brow. They didn’t snap back together completely, yet they were bonded, with the cracks less visible.

Nightmare stepped back, the aura fading. “That… will have to do. We don’t have time to complete the process.”

His words were true, Raven realised, glancing back at the fight between the two deities which was growing faster and brighter and more intense by the second. 

Swallowing, she gestured for Nightmare to take the lead, which he did, plunging through immediately, leaving her to follow, hoping against hope that Percy would guard the paper.

They emerged at the door of the ruins, where a figure sat, reading a book. A skeleton, with a hoodie and basketball shorts, surprisingly pudgy for a monster with no flesh.

Nightmare looked down at him, unsure. And Raven could guess why. Nightmare can’t have had many friendly experiences with Classic Sans over the years, even though he was mostly neutral as far as the multiverse was concerned. Besides, he hadn’t approached a shardling like this before. 

“Let me,” she said, resting her hand on his shoulder. “You go ahead and try to find other pieces of him.”

With a slight nod, Nightmare turned, then hesitated. “If Error or Ink come through the portal, call me, for the love of the stars. Just my name will do. If you say the name of a god, they tend to sense it, so I’ll know. Don’t fight them alone.”

At her nod, the guardian of negativity turned, beginning to stride down the path quickly.

Raven hesitated, then sat beside Classic, looking over his shoulder. He was reading a book of puns, naturally.

“Hi,” Raven said, and he looked up, noticing her for the first time.

“Heya. I’m Sans. Sans the skeleton.” Glancing down again, he flipped a page, and Raven thought for a moment. What was this part of Classic Sans?

The book said it all.

“I’m Raven…” she began, tentatively. Glancing around for inspiration, she noticed the snow all around them. “It’s… ice to meet you.”

The skeleton snorted, glancing up. “You’re a pun lover too? Cause snow one around here appreciates humour.”

She giggled into her hand, but paused. “Look, I need your help and I don’t have much time,” she began seriously, and quickly. “There’s a huge problem which I need to help fix, and we think that you’re important.” She became aware of Sans hanging onto her every word, eyes fixed on her unblinkingly. Judging.

“How snow?” he asked, and Raven blinked.

“It’s important, Classic,” she said, emphasising the nickname which the multiverse had given him. “Don’t you want to be whole again?”

“You… know about the multiverse,” the Classic shardling said, scanning her up and down. “… it’s important, huh?”

Raven nodded, glancing towards the Ruin door again. “Please.”

“…” Classic Sans scanned her up and down, before getting to his feet. “Well, Raven, as long as we’re not just wing-ing it, I guess birds of a feather flock together, huh?”

She smiled, half at his horrible puns, half with relief as his outline grew fainter, turning into a tiny fraction of a soul. Reaching out, she grabbed it, putting it in her pocket, just as Error had done a lifetime ago with Nightmare’s shards. 

This had to work, for him.

And Raven opened her wings, beating them hard to soar between the trees, following Nightmare’s footprints. She came to where Nightmare stood, quickly landing beside him.

“… he’s fucking sleeping,” Nightmare said, bemused. “Literal end of the world, and he’s at his sentry post, snoring away.”

Raven snorted, following Nightmare’s gaze. The same skeleton, but a different shardling of him, lay snoozing on the bench of his post.

“We don’t have much time,” Raven said quietly. “Watch me now, and we’ll split up, getting all the pieces individually.”

Nightmare nodded, albeit hesitantly, as Raven walked up to the sentry post, clearing her throat. “Hey, Classic? Can you wake up?”

“Go ‘way, Paps,” he grumbled, turning over. 

“Very effective,” Nightmare commented, a touch too amused.

“It’s not Papyrus,” Raven said, shooting a glare at Nightmare. “We need you to wake up, ok? It’s kind of a problem. And we need your help.”

“Bring it up with Undyne,” Sans mumbled.

“So you’re trying to convince him to help?” Nightmare asked, moving to her side. “I see. Just give me a moment.”

Nightmare vanished out of sight as the Classic shardling ‘glitched’, moving back to his starting position. And a moment later, he came back, holding a void touched bottle of ketchup.

Raven stared at him as he slowly opened the bottle. “What are you doing?”

“Most Sanses have a peculiar obsession with this condiment, such as Horror from my team, or Dust or Killer,” Nightmare said with a smirk. “Just watch.”

Moments later, Sans twitched, eyes flitting open, and glancing over to them.

“Help us,” Nightmare said, a small, cocky smile on his face. “You will get some of this.”

Immediately, the outline of the Sans faded, and Raven stared at Nightmare as he put the bottle down on the post. “Never fails,” he said.

“How?!” Raven demanded.

“Like I said, my team are all obsessed with it,” Nightmare said dryly. “It does not come from nowhere, it seems. So in order to get the soul shard, you simply have to offer them what they want. Not too tricky.”

“You are very impressive and sometimes bloody terrifying,” Raven said, wings shivering. “I’ll look at Grillby’s for him, and I can do the house and… crap. Error never told us about one of the places, remember?”

Nightmare sighed, face palming. “We’ll have to search for it. Possibly the Core? But… it seems unlikely. I shall search for the unknown piece, and we can meet at the judgement hall.”

She nodded. “Good luck.”

Nightmare returned the nod, melting into goop once more. And Raven scooped up the shard from the table, dropping it into her pocket alongside the other one, when she heard someone whisper to her, seemingly from the shards.

“Be careful. They’ll come soon,” Classic said, his voice barely audible, though the words were clear.

Swallowing, Raven looked to the rocky roof of the Underground. “I know,” she whispered back. “But we’ll fix it.”

Chapter Text

Flying was much faster than walking normally. But unfortunately, the roof to the cavern of the Underground was low. Too low.

So Raven was stuck sprinting through the snow, darting between trees, painfully aware of how much time she was losing, and how Void was fighting for their life. 

Reaching a bridge with wide wooden bars, Raven sprinted through them, noticing a taller skeleton with a scarf happily tending to some puzzles. A Papyrus shardling. Yet she ran past him, only skidding to a stop briefly.

“Is Grillby’s near here?” she asked, panting. 

Looking surprised, the Papyrus nodded. “Hello there!” he said cheerfully, waving to Raven. “You must be new! And Grillby’s? It’s just down the road, but if you want something healthier, you could come over for some spaghetti! The Great Papyrus is always happy to provide!”

“Great okay thanks bye!” Raven said, sprinting off down the path. Opening her wings, she let them catch any slight breeze to help boost her along, when she caught sight of a cheery looking house with people moving around inside it. Laughter was coming from it, along with some strange music that she’d never heard before.

Hesitating only briefly, she pushed the door open, stepping into the grey shop. 

A man made of fire kept shop, that must be Grillby. And talking and laughing with a small group of people was the skeleton she was growing to recognise easily. 

“And then I told her to ketchup, hehe.” The small group around Sans laughed at the joke, and Raven sidled up, trying to not look suspicious.

Was this like… an extroverted Sans shard?

A Sans who was good at reading the room, and getting people to listen to him. In Geno’s stories, he’d always been like that, Raven thought with a sad smile. But maybe Sans just knew when to use that ability.

“Hey,” she said, clearing her throat. “Can I talk to you?”

The shardling looked up. “Sure, what’s up? Don’t think I’ve met you before. Am I famous?” Sans joked with a wink and his signature smile.

She heard the group laugh, and she swallowed. “In private.”

The smile fell just a bit, but Classic just stood up. “Sure. Grillby, just add it to my tab.”

The fire man at the counter (so Raven was right, that was Grillby) sighed, fire dimming a bit. “When are you going to actually pay it?”

Classic laughed, the rest of the group laughing with him as he picked up the bottle he’d been drinking from. Stepping away from the group and turning serious, he scanned Raven up and down. “What’s so bad that it can’t be said out there?”

“Look, Classic, you know this isn’t right, don’t you?” Raven pleaded. “You’re not right. The entire freaking multiverse isn’t right.”

Classic held her gaze. “I know.”

Raven froze. “Wait, wh-what?”

“Something’s strange. I don’t know what it is, but ever since Ink carried through with his plan to trap Error… Nightmare’s group has been more frequent. Desperate, even.”

Raven breathed a sigh of relief. That was scary for a moment. She thought Sans knew about the collapse. And given that shardlings never seemed to know what was going on… that would have been very worrying.

“… did you know about Error?” Sans asked, gaze keen.

“Yes,” she said softly. “You shouldn’t have trapped him. Nobody should have trapped him, you know. He was doing the right thing. He had to-” Raven took a deep breath, curling her hands by her side.

“Look, I don’t know what he was doing,” Classic’s shardling admitted. “But that’s the problem. I don’t. He saved my life once, did you know?” Raven glanced up, curious. “Yeah. The Destroyer of Universes missed a chance to destroy the multiverse by letting one of the main cast of the original universe die. Really makes you wonder, huh?”

“Do you want to return the favour?” Raven asked softly.

His gaze locked with hers, neither backing down.

“Yes,” he said quietly. And his outline grew faint once more as she reached out, catching the shard, striding out the door quickly as she pocketed the third shard.

Four to go.

—-

The skeleton brother’s house was really amazing. 

Lights twinkled on the porch, and the entire place looked so cosy and welcoming. 

Glancing in through the window, Raven swallowed as she noticed a Papyrus shardling cooking spaghetti. She couldn’t have more delays, so that meant avoiding the front door. He’d hear her, and invite her to have some food, when she didn’t have any time to spare.

So she checked around the house, eventually finding the window to a bathroom just big enough for her to squeeze through (although the wings were a tight fit).

Tiptoeing to the door, she peeked out into the corridor.

Two doors to her left. And stairs to her right.

One of the doors was neat, though a few signs were posted on it. The other had caution tape all over it, and looked like it was rarely opened.

Guess that was Sans’ room.

Stepping lightly, she tested the door handle, surprised when it opened easily. Given the tape, she’d expected it to be locked at least.

But glancing down, she noticed a faint glow coming from under the door, and she swallowed, nervously. Pushing the door open, she peeped inside, closing the door behind her.

Sans sat in the corner of his room, blankets pulled over his head as his magic surged around him. Raven could hear his breathing, hard and fast, more like panting as his eye flared with power, though no bones had been summoned yet.

Everything felt oddly light, and Raven suddenly noticed herself beginning to lift off the floor. Grabbing the wall, she pulled herself closer to Sans, reaching out and touching a hand to his shoulder.

He leaped to his feet, hand outstretched, and Raven yelped as two giant dragon skulls appeared out of nowhere, light pulsing in the backs of their throats.

Gaster Blasters.

Raven managed to dive to the floor, just as two beams of light shot right where she had just been standing. She’d never faced them before, and they were terrifying.

“Hey! H-hey, it’s alright. I’m not- I’m not going to hurt you.” She stood, slowly, tucking her wings in and doing her best to look small. With a start, she recognised the look in his eyes.

It was the look Error… the look that Error wore when he was… scared. Upset. Like when he’d had that panic attack, or when he’d faced Ink. The look of a hurt animal. And a pang of nostalgia and grief hit her right in the soul.

“I-it’s a friend,” Raven said softly, willing her voice to stop shaking. “I’m Raven.”

Sans’ glance fell to her outstretched hand, seeming to slowly come to himself again.

“Uh… sorry about that.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just… had a dream. Nothing big. You startled me, that’s all.”

“No problem,” Raven said softly, sitting down on his bed. “… what were you dreaming about?”

Classic seemed to freeze, then laughed awkwardly. “Hehe, nothing too important, kiddo. Just a bad dream.”

“…” She knew he was lying, but before she could call him out on it, his brow furrowed, although his grin didn’t fall.

“Why are you in my room, anyway? Did Papyrus send you to get me?”

She shook her head, slowly. “Um… it’s weird.” She glanced away, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. “I need your help. Because I don’t have much more time. Somebody’s out there fighting for me, risking themselves for me, all so I can get you. So I can help.”

Sans shut his eyes softly. “Multiverse shenanigans again?”

“… how did you know?” Raven asked with a wet laugh, then coughed awkwardly into her sleeve.

“There aren’t many skeleton monsters in the underground,” he said, waving her up and down. “Me and Paps are the only ones here. So whenever it’s a skeleton I don’t know, I assume it’s multiverse shenanigans.”

“You are right about that,” Raven mumbled. “So please. Please come with me.”

“… well. I guess I don’t have anything better to do,” Classic said softly. “Is it that urgent?”

At her nod, he sighed, sitting back on his mattress, outline fading until only the slight sliver of soul was left.

And Raven took it, carefully, only to hear his whisper again, stronger this time.

“They’re coming. You don’t have much time.”

She sucked in a breath. “Ink and Error?”

“I think so. Be careful, kid.”

With that, she felt his presence fade, and she swallowed, running to the door, pelting down the stairs and into the snow once more.

Chapter Text

. . .

Nightmare trudged through the snow, all his senses active, searching, as he muttered to himself.

“Sure, locate the one seventh of a soul which nobody has any idea where it could possibly be. Give me the easy job, why don’t you,” he grumbled under his breath. This would be easier if the shards seemed to have stronger emotions. But half of them barely emitted any signal of emotions, and if the shard he was looking for was positive, it wouldn’t help at all, he wouldn’t sense it properly. “Why did I sign up for this again?”

Because… Error needed it.

His fist clenched in his pocket, and he tried to block the thought from his mind.

He was still thinking about the expression on Error’s face, just before Fate had ruined everything. That terror. That pure fucking terror.

And it matched his earlier panic attack. When he confessed what Fate had done- what she’d done to him. Made him immortal, only to suffer.

Deities above, Nightmare really wanted to punch her. Or something more permanent, he wasn’t picky. As long as it was slow and painful.

Nobody did that to his-

What am I thinking?! Nightmare quickly cut off that train of thought. Error wasn’t his. They were colleagues, even friends. Nothing more.

AND THIS IS A CRISIS, NIGHTMARE, he yelled at himself, forcing his attention away from… that.

It didn’t seem like Sans would be in Hotlands, he thought, pausing. Nor Waterfall. And Classic didn’t have proper connection to Gaster in this timeline, soo… Snowdin seemed like the best bet.

And he caught something. Faint, yet oh so powerful.

Nightmare closed his eyes, melting into his negativity, only to bring himself back to where a small figure crouched in the snow, drowning in grief, holding something close as powder flew everywhere. White flecks, not like snow. But dust. Monster dust.

Oh.

Classic was clutching a scarf.

Nightmare hesitated, accidentally breathing in some dust, and choked mildly, coughing. That stuff burned.

And yet the shardling barely reacted. It was like he wasn’t even aware that Nightmare was there.

And while that was… preferable in some ways, it was also not practical. Nightmare didn’t have time for this. Error didn’t have time for this. Hell, Void didn’t have time for this. Raven seemed to think that he had a chance of winning, but in Nightmare’s soul, he knew that Void wasn’t a match for Fate. Perseverance wasn’t a match for determination. Even in this universe.

All it had taken was one soul with Determination against a monster with six souls of all the other traits.

All Void was doing was buying them time, and Nightmare was going to fucking use it.

Slowly, Nightmare walked forwards, sinking down to sit next to the shardling.

“Your brother?” he asked softly, and after just a moment of hesitation, Classic nodded, hood drawn over his head. 

“… yeah.”

They sat in silence, and Nightmare softly cursed himself. Where was he meant to go with that? Sorry?! Oh, but in almost every universe Papyrus is fine, no need to worry, pat pat?!?!

“… You okay?”

“Fuck no,” Sans responded softly, wiping his eyes. “Everyone else has evacuated. It’s just me here. And it’s not even the first time! Why does the human want to kill everyone so badly?!”

Nightmare swallowed. “…”

“… why does the world suck?” Sans whispered, voice breaking, and that actually prompted a chuckle from Nightmare, albeit a bitter one.

“No idea. I know what you mean, though. I had a brother once too.”

Sans looked up, rubbing his eyes. “What happened?”

With a pause, Nightmare considered his answer. “I don’t know where he is now. In a way, he didn’t leave. I did. But it was coming for a long time.” It was even true. He didn’t know what happened to Dream now. And Dream hadn’t changed at all, not since they were children. 

It was Nightmare who changed. Nightmare who turned from bitterness to hatred, who finally gave in to the taunts. And Nightmare knew, he freaking knew that while Dream claimed that he’d done nothing wrong, Dream had done nothing at all.

And that was worse, wasn’t it?

“Yet I still wonder,” he murmured. “How it could have turned out if I had just acted differently.”

Sans was silent, face still wet. “Paps was amazing. And they still killed him.”

“What can I say? Life’s a bitch,” Nightmare chuckled. “But he’ll be back. And it will be alright if you keep going.”

And looking down, Classic clutched the scarf to his chest one last time as his outline faded, and the shard of his soul hovered in the air for Nightmare to catch, ever so gently.

…wait.

It was soft at first. A sensation. But Nightmare could feel it tugging at his skull. 

Somebody had called his name. And he had told only one person to do that.

Without delay, Nightmare vanished, clutching the shard like a lifeline, only to appear facing three. One pinned to the ground, the other two holding her down.

Chapter Text

Nightmare swore under his breath as Ink raised his broom, right over Raven’s spine. Yet he stopped, not dropping the heavy weight that would probably shatter her spine if it fell. The message was clear.

Don’t come any closer.

If you do, we’ll kill her.

Nightmare froze in place, eyes flicking between the empty faces of Ink and Error, and the small skeleton pinned to the ground. There was no way she could move, as Error stood on her outstretched arm and wing, his strings binding her legs together.

Raven was gasping for breath, eye sockets wide as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was moments away from irreversible damage, even if death wasn’t permanent right now. At best, she would be crippled for the rest of her life. At worst, the moment the Multiverse was restored, she would be reaped by her own father.

“Nightmare… I’m so sorry, I wasn’t- I couldn’t…”

“Hush,” Nightmare said softly. “You did all you could.” 

His gaze flicked to Error until he could bear it no more, and he tore it away again, settling on Ink.

“What do you want,” Nightmare asked, frost and poison lacing his tone. “And don’t pretend. Why have you gone to all this trouble, kidnapping Raven?”

Ink’s mouth opened, and a voice that wasn’t his spoke through him.

“Why, to delay you of course!” Fate said almost cheerfully. “You’ve been really annoying and as soon as I’m done beating my brother, I can finally use the Core! But I can’t have you trying to do anything stupid, so I sent them to stop you.”

Nightmare’s hands balled into fists as he did his absolute best not to lunge forwards and rip Ink’s fucking head off.

“… you need professional help,” Nightmare spat. “Like therapy. Or a psychiatric ward.”

Rolling her eyes, Fate twirled Ink’s brush. “Well, come on. It’s inevitable anyway. And before you ask, I’ve ordered them to kill you two the second you step out of line. I wonder how Error would react to waking up with dust and goop all over his hands? The dust of his boyfriend?”

Oh, she didn’t.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” he hissed, ignoring the heat in his face.

“Testy, testy,” Fate teased lightly.

Gritting his teeth, Nightmare tried to think. How to get out of this?! It wasn’t like he could just knock Ink out, Error would be onto him instantly. And he’d probably drop the damn brush anyway.

With that, Raven looked up slowly with a deep breath, and Nightmare’s own breath caught as she looked him straight in the eye. 

Her expression said ‘I’m about to do something really stupid’. Or something along those lines, he didn’t know her that well yet, but it matched Killer’s expression whenever he was about to wreck shit EXACTLY.

And with a blink, she was gone, reappearing behind Ink as she “shortcutted”, grabbing the brush with both hands to try and pull it off him, and Nightmare flung his tentacles out on instinct, grabbing Error and holding him fast.

Error struggled, and sweat beaded on Nightmare’s brow as he tried to keep him contained. Error was powerful enough to be a threat, even in physical hand to hand combat with no magic, and Fate was making him pour every scrap of strength he had into it.

Suddenly, Nightmare’s gaze fell, noting Error’s legs.

(Author’s Note: Not in that way, you perverts)

The usual red had leached away.

How had he not noticed that?!

And with a slight hesitation, Nightmare made the motion to CHECK Error.

“Error”

LV ?!?

HP -3/*FILE CORRUPTED*

AT 9(6)

DF 15(12)

MG 1276 (?!?)

EXP: *FILE CORRUPTED*

NEXT: 

Weapon: Strings

Armor: Magic Scarf

Old Coat

Glasses

Gold: 154

KILLS: *OVERFLOW ERROR*

-God of Destruction (UNAVAILABLE), Fate-touched

*… Are we sure this is Error?

*Suffering from a loss of HoPe.

*83% corruption

Nightmare stared at the stats, lost for words.

These were not normal stats. The glitching and errors of them was bad enough, but he- Error, he was on negative three fucking health. That was literally impossible. Even Nightmare would be dead by now. It must be because of Error’s immortality.

But… eighty three percent corruption…

As Nightmare watched, the number went up by 2%. 85%.

Whatever Fate was doing was making it go faster, fuck.

He had to stop this. Somehow. Yet the only way he could think of that would do that…

“Raven, it’s time to go,” Nightmare said, quickly knocking Error into the floor. “We have to get the last shards and fix it before it gets worse.”

Raven swallowed, but nodded, darting away from Ink as Nightmare grasped him around the waist, throwing him into a tree. With a snarl, Nightmare turned away from them, beginning to run and sensing Raven at his side. 

“I’ll- I’ll go find the shard on the surface,” she said, wings flicking open. 

Hesitating, Nightmare grasped her shoulder, dropping the soul shard into her outstretched hand. “Put it with the others. I’ll go to the judgement hall. And for god’s sake, be careful. Error and Void would maul me if anything happened to you.”

Nodding, Raven launched into the air, flying low, and Nightmare watched for a second before grasping at his magic, melting back into negativity and reappearing in a place of red and gold.

Looking around quickly, he noticed Sans and the human almost immediately, locked in a deadly dance that repeated over and over.

And over.

And over.

For whenever Sans speared the human straight through with a bone or straight up vaporised them with a Gaster Blaster, a flash of light beamed from the entrance of the judgement hall, and Frisk would reappear, knife clutching a knife in hand with the locket the shape of a heart slung around their neck.

They had SAVEd, and they were relentless.

Something about the scene unsettled Nightmare, and badly. Something which he should be able to grasp, about the unending battle, bloody though it may be. But it hovered just out of his reach, and he didn’t know what it was.

“Classic,” he said, voice ringing clearly across the hall, and he watched both Frisk and Sans turn, registering his presence as he stepped forwards. “It’s time to go.”

“Like that’s going to happen, I’m kinda busy here pal,” Sans panted, deflecting another attack from the DETERMINED human.

“You aren’t even fighting them,” Nightmare growled. “Not in your real life. This is just a memory that stuck with you. And you know what, I don’t even have fucking time for this.”

Eye glowing with magic, he stepped forwards, drawing all the anger out of the air. All of the negativity he could sense, he stole it, projecting a feeling of calm.

Sans and the human were both frozen.

“Who… are you?” Sans whispered, voice hoarse. 

“You know me. Or you did,” Nightmare said, stopping just out of arm’s reach. “When you were whole. Not just a fragment.”

“A… what?” The confusion was so clear in Classic’s voice, yet Nightmare held out a hand.

“Come with me. Or this world is doomed, and all others will follow in its wake.”

Nightmare waited, until Classic hesitantly took his hand, and he faded from the air, leaving a glowing sliver of soul behind as Frisk glitched, reappearing in the entrance to the hallway.

Gaze flitting upwards, Nightmare knew what he could do to buy them time. To slow down Ink and Error. And with no delay, his tentacles lashed out to the side, smashing into the pillars of the hall with brute strength, crushing them easily, and walking down the hall, he repeated this process.

Over and over.

And glancing at the Determined human one last time, he aimed his magic at the ceiling’s weakest point, lashing out, and the hall instantly collapsed in on itself as he made his exit.

Chapter Text

Raven flew past the room with the throne in it, passing the golden flowers everywhere. She flew all the way up to where the Barrier has been, passing it with no problems and rising to soar over the surface.

It was huge. Buildings everywhere, an entire city. The sun was rising, casting rays of light over the skyscrapers.

And below her was a line of monsters, standing on a ledge, watching the sunrise. 

The king and queen. The captain of the guard. The royal scientist. The human.

Papyrus.

And a small, pudgy skeleton at the very end, his hands in his pocket and a soft smile on his face.

She noticed their attention turn to her and she swallowed, suddenly realising that it might not have been a good idea to just come out without checking first.

“Oh my!” Queen Toriel exclaimed, putting a paw over her mouth. “I don’t believe we have met. My name is Toriel. And you are?”

“Um-” Raven hesitated, looking for a way to get out of this, but… she didn’t have time. She just had to play along. “Raven, your majesty.”

She glanced down the line, past them all, trying to catch Sans’ eye. But he hadn’t noticed her properly yet.

Meanwhile, the fish lady, captain of the guard, looked very interested.

“Hey, I didn’t know there were other skeletons! Other than Paps and Sans of course,” she said, striding closer and examining Raven from head to toe. “I’m Undyne, captain of the Royal Guard.”

Raven smiled nervously. “Um, right, Sans. Can I just… talk to him? Quickly?”

“Why though?” Undyne looked her up and down with her singular yellow eye. “Say, skeletons are pretty strong, right? I know Paps is. But I’ve never even heard of a skeleton with wings before. Can you use ‘em, punk?”

“… yes?” Raven tried. “Look, I just really, really need to talk to Sans. It’s about… um… training! I wanted to ask about some moves! Totally.” A bead of sweat trickled down her spine as she finally saw Sans look her way.

“Yeah, sure,” he said quietly. “Alphys, make sure Undyne doesn’t start a war with the humans or something.”

The yellow lizard monster, the royal scientist, squeaked a little. “O-oh, o-okay. I m-mean, maybe Asgore would be better suited to that… it is k-kinda his job…”

“You or King Fluffybuns, I don’t mind,” Sans joked, prompting a long suffering sigh from the taller goat monster with the long cloak. 

“Asgore, Sans. Just call me Asgore. Not… that.”

“Anytime, Fluffybuns. Anytime.” With a wink, Sans walked towards Raven, following with a raised eyebrow as she lead him out of sight. “You planning to off me in an alleyway or something?”

Raven started, turning abruptly. “Wha- no! It’s just I don’t have much time and I couldn’t explain it to all of them as well.”

“Explain… what?”

Raven swallowed. “I need your help. The real you. Not just a fragment of you.”

Sans’ eyes widened. “… The real me?”

Reaching into her pocket, Raven brought out the five soul shards she currently had, only to feel something behind her as Nightmare appeared, holding a sixth. 

“Got it. And it was not fun to get.” Nightmare glanced up at Sans, noticing him. “So. You found the last one?”

“Yeah. I… don’t know what to do here though,” Raven admitted, looking Sans in the eyes. “I thought I would.”

Nightmare nodded. “Let me try. I was one of them, I think… I think I can help.”

She passed him the shards she held cupped in her hands, and he took them gently, approaching the last piece of Classic.

“You recognise these,” he said softly, holding the soul shards out to the shardling. “Do you want to be yourself again? Because this isn’t you. It’s just a piece stuck reliving the same moment again and again. I know you realise that.”

The shardling reached forwards, fingers brushing against the pile of shards. “They… they’re so… I want to say weird.”

“Yes,” Nightmare murmured. “But accept them, and you will be yourself again.”

Classic hesitated, looking around with new eyes. “This isn’t real, is it?”

“No,” Raven whispered. “But if you help us, it can be real again. Just take the shards.”

Classic swallowed, hands shaking, but with no further hesitation he grasped the shards, which Nightmare poured into his hands.

And the second that they made contact, his soul became visible, floating above his chest, and Nightmare stood forwards without communicating with Raven, and she stepped back as purple and teal magic flared through the air, blazing from Nightmare as he drew on his healing magic, inherited from his mother.

And for just a moment, Raven could almost see her behind him, with her long chocolate coloured hair half tied up, half tumbling down her shoulders, her emerald green eyes glowing softly. She wore a long sleeved shirt, button up, and a flowing apron tied around her waist. And she laid a hand ever so softly on Nightmare’s shoulder, and his magic glowed brighter by the second.

And the second Raven blinked in astonishment, the ghost of the deity vanished once more.

Nightmare had straightened, tentacles retracting, and he stood tall as his magic flowed around the pieces of Classic, guiding them together.

And all seven pieces slotted together, and light flared, so bright that Raven had to throw up her arms, averting her gaze.

Yet she felt the blast ripple through the Multiverse, and Nightmare stepped back with a soft gasp, watching as the colour began to flicker between grey to green in the scenery.

And Classic opened his eyes, his jacket bright blue once more.

And he stared at them.

“What the fuck?!”

Chapter Text

He couldn’t move. 

He couldn’t blink, breathe, or stretch.

Error could easily remember the last time this had happened, and he hadn’t been able to get out of it himself then either. The only reason Fate had let him go back then was because Nightmare and his gang had grown closer, and it simply wasn’t convenient to puppeteer him every second of the day.

But now, she wasn’t pretending that Error was himself.

So he was stuck, alongside Ink.

Of all the indignities…

Error glanced over at the skeleton as they both pulled themselves up. 

Neither of them talked, but he faintly saw an outline of another skeleton beside him. And with a start, he realised that it was Ink, outside his body for some reason.

The faint figure ran up to Error, falling into step beside him as they began to walk.

“Error?” he whispered, softly. “Is it really you?”

Error couldn’t reply even if he wanted to, and the faint figure face palmed after a second. “Right- you can’t really talk. I wonder if you can even see me… this kind of form is better than that, but…”

Ink paused, looking sad. “You know I’m sorry, right?” he said softly. “Was this what you were thinking when you destroyed, all those years ago? Were you… just trying to help?”

Y3s, Error thought, gaze downcast. 

“And… no apology will make it better, will it?” Ink sighed, looking to the ceiling. “It’s done. I wrecked everything.” And Error was surprised to see Ink’s dark eyes fill with tears, tears that threatened to spill onto the floor. “I never thought that you… god I sound stupid. I never once thought that you could have been right. And I’m so, so sorry. I wish I knew that you could hear that.”

Unconsciously, Ink’s hand reached for his bandolier with none of the vials attached.

“… I don’t have a soul,” he said quietly, almost to himself, and Error’s eyes widened.

What?!

“I don’t think you knew that, huh?” Ink laughed softly, but it died in his throat. “I technically don’t have emotions either. So I used my paints to give me those emotions. Each vial meant a different emotion. Red for anger, orange for curiosity or anxiety, yellow for joy, blue for sadness… but after the Multiverse collapsed, I couldn’t… refill the vials anymore. And I definitely would not be telling you this if I thought you could hear me! God, how embarrassing.”

Error winced internally. It wasn’t as though he could tell Ink that he could see him. He was as trapped as Ink’s body was, as Error marched alongside it.

Although in a way, Ink not having a soul explained A LOT. His strange fascination with new things, his blindness to emotion, and his mood swings.

And Ink went quiet beside him. 

“Not having a soul meant that the Void couldn’t corrupt me,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know what had happened. And it didn’t take long for the vials to run out. So I… I tried something else.”

The skeleton shivered, dark eyes half closing.

And Error glanced at him, unsure of what he would say, even if he could. 

“Turns out that even if you don’t have a soul, your body can still be ruined,” Ink breathed, barely audible.

And something clicked in his mind. Ink hadn’t had his emotion vials, and they must be what changed his eyelights. But right now his eyelights were black. Was that even possible?

It would be, if he drank something else.

And Error’s eyes widened, as he took in the darkness in the void.

Turns out Ink was just that stupid.

When he felt something change in the world. He stood taller, ripples of colour flickering through the universe. And both versions of Ink, the faded and the empty, looked up, sensing it too.

They’d gotten to Classic, Error realised, and despite himself, managed a slight smile, before Fate tugged her strings and his expression fell blank once more.

Win, he thought to them, softly. Do it for me, and for everybody else.

I know you can.

Chapter Text

Classic stared at Raven, and she swallowed. “Hi, Classic.”

Shaking himself, he blinked, looking between Raven, Nightmare, and the surrounding area, still blinking between grey and colour. “I’m sorry, what?! What exactly is happening.”

Raven swallowed. “So, I’d love to be able to have a nice long chat to fill you in, but unfortunately… I don’t know how much time we have. So to start, I’m Raven. And you know Nightmare?”

Nightmare nodded. “We have met. And I think I should attempt an explanation.” Taking a deep breath, he paused, gathering his thoughts. “To begin with, we’re not your enemy here. I might be the Guardian of Negativity, but right now, we’re on the same side. Clear?”

Classic nodded, dumbly. “Ok, so what just happened?”

“You were shattered,” Nightmare said. “Think of it this way. The Multiverse got too full. Because there isn’t an infinite amount of space, and Ink often goes on constant creation sprees. Error’s job was to ensure that there was enough space for most of the AUs to survive.”

Classic’s eyes widened, and Nightmare instantly sensed a strong wave of guilt and shock rolling off him. He drank in the negativity, closing his eyes, feeling his power boost slightly.

“Oh. Oh my lord.” Classic stared at them. “So he’s… he was trapped in the Barrier for nothing?”

“Yes. But he’s not there now. The Barrier broke, less than a week ago.” Nightmare opened his eye, meeting Classic’s gaze. “But that’s not all. Because when the AUs touched, they fell into the void. And every AU shattered, every person. Raven escaped because she lived in the Save Screen. Error escaped because he was trapped in the AntiVoid. And both of them brought me back.”

Raven coughed. “Yeah, that’s not the problem. Classic, do you remember your shardlings?”

With a slight frown, Classic seemed to think back. “I… think so. Not clearly, but you mentioned needing my help?”

“Because Error’s not exactly himself right now,” she stated, looking nervous. “The truth is, he’s owned by a deity. Named-“

Nightmare shoved his hand over her mouth, ignoring her mumbled protest. “Shh! For god’s sake! What did I tell you about names? Names have power, especially for gods and deities. If you don’t want to attract her attention, don’t say her name.”

Raven nodded sheepishly as Nightmare removed his hand. “The… deity of determination? Does that work?” And Nightmare nodded slightly, letting Raven continue. “She apparently has the mentality of a small and bored child, and wants to use your universe to either reshape the Multiverse or destroy it. Oh, and since she owns Error she’s forcing him to fight us, and she’s got Ink too. We brought you back to try and get the Multiverse in better shape, and right now Void is fighting… *her* for us to buy us time. The deity of the Void, and Perseverance.”

Classic nodded slowly, still looking slightly baffled. “This is the weirdest thing to happen to me in a while. So let me get this straight. We a-void Ink and Error and… mystery McMysteryface, but on our side it’s us three plus this guy named Void.”

“Classic… now is not the time for puns,” Nightmare sighed.

“I’m sorry! It’s my coping mechanism!” Classic threw up his hands. “So you want me to fight?”

Raven hesitated, moving to his side. “You don’t have to,” she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. “But it would really help. I don’t have much fight training, and Nightmare can’t fight Ink and Error at the same time. And that’s not even taking her into account.”

“… no worries. I mean, it’s not like I can back out now right? She wants to mess with the Multiverse. My universe. Besides, I think I owe Error an apology.” With a slight smile, Classic cracked his knuckles. “I’m pretty… determined to put it right, huh?”

Nightmare sighed, facepalming for a moment. “Well, at least you’re tagging along. Even if that includes the awful puns. I want you to stick with Raven though, ok? She has strong magic, but not much experience. You two can cover each other.”

Both of them exchanged a glance.

“Well… I suppose we can *wing* it,” Classic joked with a wink, glancing at Raven’s feathers. And Raven snorted, trying not to laugh, as Nightmare looked on.

Error would be so mad, he thought with a small smile, but it fell as he remembered. “… we should get going,” he said. “Into the Doodlesphere.”

Classic nodded, slowly. “I’m with you.”

Raven grinned next to him. “And you know that I am too.”

Nightmare smiled slightly. “Well. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

They plunged into the Doodlesphere, Nightmare leading, Classic in the middle, and Raven at the back. Yet Raven was the first to see the attack of shadows headed their way, and quickly tugged the other two behind a floating island.

Void and Fate were still fighting, although their attacks had definitely slowed. Void had cuts over his arms, tearing through their hoodie, and his breathing was heavy as he swung round to Fate.

She seemed mostly uninjured, except for a bit of rawness on her wrists, like strings had rubbed against them too hard. And though her attacks had slowed, Raven suddenly had a flash of insight as she watched the way she deflected Percy’s attacks.

Fate was not panting, although her attacks had slowed. She danced out of reach of almost all his attacks, spinning and weaving gracefully, and Raven heard a noise of disgust from Nightmare.

“She’s playing with him,” Nightmare snarled under his breath. “She could have ended it and come after us, but she’s oh so hellbent on beating her brother and making it into a game.”

Classic frowned thoughtfully. “She likes games, huh?”

“Apparently,” Raven said with a dry smile. “Entertainment, maybe. She wanted to try and claim me because I was new to her.”

Nightmare froze suddenly, gaze locked behind Raven and Classic. “You two… might want to turn around.”

Raven spun, wings flaring (accidentally whacking Classic to the ground), immediately registering two skeletons.

Ink and Error, faces blank. And Error yanked his strings from his eyes, lashing them around her foot and tugging, hard.

Raven nearly went sprawling, and would have done so if Classic hadn’t summoned a bone to tear the strings in half. Meanwhile, Ink melted into shadowy paint, reappearing in front of Nightmare with his brush raised.

Quickly, she bent down, helping Classic to his feet again. “Thanks.”

“You too,” he replied, gaze narrowing at Error. “Follow my lead, ok?”

Raven nodded as Classic raised a hand, summoning a large Gaster blaster behind him, beam of light beginning to grow at the back of its throat. And copying him, Raven quickly summoned two smaller ones, all of them trained on Error.

The beams of light shot from the jaws of the blasters, and Error was forced to duck back, weaving past them, pulling up a bone of his own to block it.

And her eyes widened as he vanished, glitching out in front of her, and Raven suddenly felt a grip on her throat as Error’s peculiar mismatched eyes stared into hers.

Classic started forwards, but with one hand, Error dragged his strings forth, snaring him in a blue web.

Letting out a choked gasp, she saw Percy’s attention flick over to her, as he was distracted for only a second.

But that was all it took as Fate took advantage of the momentary pause to summon a ruby dagger, flicking it at him with ease.

It slipped inside his guard, and hit him straight in the chest.

Raven’s eyes widened as Percy tilted his head down, coughing up some of his purple blood, hand reaching up hesitantly as Fate stepped forwards, a sadistic grin on her face.

“Are you going to keep fighting, brother? When you know that you will die for some people who you’ve known for a few days? You could leave. Go back to your home, tail between your legs.” Summoning a kitchen knife, she began to flip it between her fingers with practiced ease. “It’s your choice.”

Percy looked up, a slightly pained smile on his face, though Raven didn’t know why. “I’m the deity of perseverance. And I’d be a pretty shitty one if I just let you kill me.”

And he stood, scratched and bruised, and Raven knew, she knew that he couldn’t keep fighting, for he had told her himself that he would die because of his trait. He couldn’t win. Not by himself.

If you say the name of a god, they tend to sense it.

Nightmare had told her that, hadn’t he? And Percy had mentioned… Well. If they lost this battle, she had nothing else to lose. 

Pulling back from Error, she yelled out two names. Two words.

“Karma! Destiny!”

And three cracks sounded through the air, instantly breaking through the sounds of struggles between Ink and Nightmare, Classic and Error’s strings, and Fate and Void.

Three gunshots.

And all eyes were on Raven, so she was the only one with eyes watching Error as three golden flashes cut through the air above him, and garnet threads, tattered and torn, fell to the ground.

Error blinked, eyes widening as he stepped back from Raven.

“WhAT…”

And Raven could have cried, but she looked over his shoulder. Past Nightmare, who looked like he didn’t dare to believe it. Past Classic, who was instantly let to the floor.

Past Void and Fate, one of which looked stunned, the other almost fearful.

To the two deities, one still holding the smoking gun as he placed a wide brimmed, neat hat on his head.

“I believe it’s time for a long overdue judgement.”

Chapter Text

Error couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t.

He’d been so trapped, so afraid, trying to pull the strings off him with no success for weeks last time she’d taken control. He’d never managed to escape.

But within seconds, he was surrounded by tattered threads, and he was staring down at a golden bullet which dissolved into mist, and the tension around his arms and neck dissipated entirely until the cuts were the only things left.

Turning, he gazed up at the two newcomers.

Karma and Destiny.

Karma was tall and slight, his brown hair falling softly in his face to be pulled back in a ponytail. Eyes as bright as gold shone from his face, and he still held a gold embossed, smoking pistol in one hand. His leather vest and boots were decidedly… western, yet the hat on his head was even more so. 

While Destiny, his sister, was shorter than him, it wasn’t by much, and she stood with grace and elegance on tiptoe, with silvery ballet slippers. While her skin was almost as dark as Percy’s, her hair was darker, chocolate brown with blue highlights in the front, and it hung loose to her waist. Her skirt flowed down almost to her feet, layered with many ruffles, but she seemed so warm, her ocean blue eyes meeting Error’s with warmth and hope in her gaze. 

Not fiery like Fate, not cool like Void.

She seemed familiar somehow, yet Error had no idea why.

And turning around once more, he looked Fate in the eye.

She looked almost afraid.

He’d never seen that expression on her before. She was always childish, arrogant, laughing. But something about finally being outnumbered seemed to actually strike a chord in her.

His gaze fell to Nightmare, and was stunned at the sheer emotion that he saw there.

“Error?” he whispered, voice barely audible even in the silence that rang through the chamber.

“… NigHTliGht…” Error mouthed back, smile breaking onto his face, and Nightmare vanished, reappearing in front of him and tackling him with a fierce hug.

Error froze up, ever so slightly, but did his best to hug back, despite his glitching running wild once more. He stayed like that as long as he could bear, but Nightmare was the first to step back. 

“… sorry… I should have asked,” he murmured quietly. “I know you don’t like contact.”

“JuSt tHIs onCE I’LL aLloW it,” Error promised, but they were interrupted by a slight cough behind them.

Percy was looking them both up and down, bleeding badly from multiple wounds. One of his eyebrows was ever so slightly raised, and everyone else seemed to snap back to attention, Fate especially snapped from her stupor.

“A judgement?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, looking up at Karma. “You can’t kill me. You know that.”

“No, I can’t,” Karma agreed, levelling his gun at her. “But that doesn’t mean this will go unpunished. Not again.”

“… well.” Fate looked up, seeming to regain a touch of composure as her eyes flared red. “I’m not going down here. I didn’t want to kill all my siblings today, but since all of you decided to gang up against me, so be it.”

With a flash of magic, a volley of knives materialised out of nowhere, ranging from daggers to shortswords. They were pointed in every direction, from Karma and Destiny, Classic and Raven, Error and Nightmare, and Void, who stumbled back, clutching his side.

And within a second, a skeleton rose from the Void to stand in front of her, paintbrush in hand, shielding her. 

The graceful deity, Destiny, looked down at Fate, her soft smile turning to a light frown.

“Still hiding behind your poor child?” Destiny said, her voice melodic and gentle. And Error started. He knew that voice. He’d heard it before in the AntiVoid.

Fate scoffed, raising a hand, and Void melted into shadows, standing beside his siblings. “You actually came,” he said softly.

Raising a hand, Destiny brushed his hair behind his ear, smiling softly. “You’ve done so much, Perseverance. But you’re hurt now. Let us handle this, and go rest. Recover.”

Reaching out to hold her hand, Void grasped it tightly. “Very well, Integrity,” he whispered with a sad smile. “If that’s what you want.”

And he stepped back, letting Karma and Destiny face Fate as he stepped between Raven and Error, slumping to the floor.

The three deities looked each other in the eyes, and after a few moments of silence, Fate lifted her hand, all of her knives launching at her sister and brother.

And Karma raised his gun, beginning to shoot with incredible marksmanship as his eyes blazed to match hers, and Destiny danced between the knives, not one even coming close to grazing her.

Error watched, stunned. They were incredibly good. Fate had kicked her fighting up a level, finally not holding back, but Karma and Destiny were fast and precise. That’s when Fate tugged at her hair, and Ink came to life once more, spinning to face Destiny with a brush in each hand while Fate refocused most of her efforts on Karma, summoning a knife to each hand to dive into the fray.

Error’s eyes lit up as he spotted the flaw in her thinking immediately. “ShE’S aTTacKinG th3 lONg RAnge fighTeR wITh a meLEe wEAp0n. Sh3 HAs to GEt clOSe, but He CAn SIt bAcK and sh00t aT hER.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “You’re right… say, do you think we should join in?”

Percy looked up. “You can, but I think Destiny in particular is enjoying herself quite a lot.”

It was true, the dancer was smiling as she avoided Ink’s attacks with ease, before raising one hand, eyes shimmering an ocean blue.

And Ink lifted off the ground, suspended a metre or so in the air as he struggled, all his brushes and pencils pulled off him by her magic.

It was powerful magic, and extremely precise. And with a flick of her finger, she brought Ink closer to her, caressing his cheek lightly.

Then she turned to Error, and held out a hand. “Sweet child, can you keep him down for me?” she said, voice calm and steady.

Error blinked. “I knOw YOu. H0w Do I kN0w yOu?”

“I’ll explain soon,” she said, stepping forwards lightly and smiling at him. “I’m sorry she took you, but I hope to get to know you again soon.”

Her gaze flicked over the rest of the group. “Raven, Nightmare, Classic, thank you. For helping him when nobody else would.”

And Classic smiled, slightly abashed. “I’m pretty new here, heh.”

“Yet you are helping,” she said. “And that counts for more than you know. Raven, you were so brave. I know my brother has been made proud.”

Raven’s wings flicked up. “You… you think so?”

“I literally told you that,” said Percy with a slight smile as he nudged Raven. 

“And Nightmare… I know you’ve had much on your mind. But my sister, your mother, would be ecstatic to hear of this, were she still with us.”

Nightmare blinked, and Error was surprised to see a slight wetness in his eyes. “…thank you.”

“Hey, Dest!” Karma yelled. “Mind giving me a hand?”

She laughed softly, dropping Ink in front of Error. “I will be back,” she promised, then turned to run swiftly back into the battle, her magic rising like a tidal wave. 

Summoning his strings, Error lashed Ink’s wrists together, making him sit down, and settled beside him.

“I cOUld hEaR yOu,” he whispered to Ink, gaze fixed on the overhead battle. “AnD yOU’rE riGHt. I nEVer wAnt3d To d3sTroY. She… sHe mAde me. AnD I won’T tEll aNYonE aBouT yOuR sOUl. PrOmiSE.”

And he could almost sense Ink’s exhale of relief, even though he couldn’t see the faded version anymore.

He watched as Destiny kept ducking and spinning, dancing through every attack, like a Sans almost. Maybe she liked them. She liked the Geno in Aftertale, right? Core had said that.

And Karma was a steadier fighter, staying in one place more, but shooting every knife that tried to come near him.

They were gaining ground, and Nightmare stood slowly. 

“I think I shall join them. I owe Fate a good kick in the-” his gaze fell to Raven. “Butt.”

“I mean, you can say ass if you want. I’m not that pure,” she said, looking up mildly. “I’m tempted to join you. Classic, coming?”

“I don’t think ass is what Nightmare was about to say,” Classic said with a grin. “Probably some very obscure, extremely rude insult which translates to ‘where the sun never ever ever ever ever shines because it’s about twenty centimetres up your butt.’”

“… something like that. You in or not?” Nightmare asked, brow raised.

“Sure, why not.” Classic stood, stretching, his eye beginning to flame blue. “But if I start getting tired, I’m backing out. I do not need another bloody slash across my chest. Although it might be ‘knife’ to get some special attention.”

Error shrugged. “… I thINk I’LL sTaY bACk. Ne3D to kEEp an EyE on SQuIdwArd herE.”

That prompted quiet laughter all around, and Classic said jokingly, “Dangit Error, stop being funnier than me.”

“ThAt’S nOt vErY hArD,” he remarked, to an offended gasp.

“You wound me. My puns are state of the art.”

Error just shrugged, then hesitated, eyes locking with Nightmare’s. A thousand words seemed to pass between them, although none were spoken. A thousand things that neither knew how to say properly.

“KiCK sOm3 dEiTy aSS for mE, ok?” Error said softly. “AnD doN’T yOu dARe get kiLLeD.”

Nightmare chuckled. “Not planning on it. And I’ll make sure your rascal of a niece doesn’t get too out of hand.”

Raven and Error both blinked.

Niece?!

“She literally called you her Dunkle. Don’t know if she realised it. But she did. So I suppose you’re an uncle now.” Nightmare chuckled to himself, and Classic looked on with an awed expression. Meanwhile, Percy laughed to himself in the corner.

“…” Raven and Error exchanged an embarrassed look, until Error shrugged. Might as well own it since Classic would dangle it over his head forever. 

“ThEr3 aRE woRs3 tHinGS tO bE.”

And Raven smiled softly, and Nightmare, Raven and Classic all turned away, running (or flying in Raven’s case) towards the battle, leaving them behind.

Chapter Text

It was just Error and Percy now, watching Nightmare, Raven and Classic join in the fight, cornering Fate as she fought desperately.

“… yOu kNOw I’M sOrRy, RiGht?” Error said softly.

“Well, that’s not a word I thought you knew,” Percy replied, leaning back carefully. “Apology accepted, and I offer one in return.”

Error blinked. “I’m sORRy, wHaT?”

“I know you had your reasons for disliking me,” Void said calmly, tilting his cloaked head to Error. “My sister is the worst of our kind, and you had only ever met her before. I didn’t exactly try to curb my temper when we met either… much.”

“C0mE on, I haD tHis wh0lE spEEcH,” Error complained, rolling his eyes.

“It’s not necessary,” Percy repeated. “Although in the end I did claim Raven, it was entirely on her terms. I will never take control of her like Fate did to you, nor do I think I have the ability to. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.” He sat up straighter, wincing slightly, and Error hesitated.

“C0Me hEr3,” he sighed.

Percy gave him a quizzical look as Error summoned some soft strings.

“I’M n0T a mEdIC. But I kNoW a LiTTle shIT frOm thE fiElD. AnD yOu aRE kInd oF bL33DinG ouT afTeR pRotEctIng my… frIenDs with COmplIcaTed cOnnOtaTioNs.”

Reluctantly, Percy scooted over a little, and Error wrapped his hands around the knife handle in his chest.

“It’S gOiNG tO huRT like a BitCH, nOt gONNa LiE. Fe3L frEE tO yeLL FucK, I won’T tELL anYonE.”

With a slight snort, Percy looked up. “One, it already hurts. Two, I know, but you’re making bleeding out sound like an appealing option.”

Error rolled his eyes. “On thREe. OnE, tHReE.”

Percy yelped as Error ripped out the knife, and panted as Error wrapped his thick strings around his ribs like bandages. When Error was done, Percy sat up with an accusatory glare.

“You missed two.”

“OopS, gUesS I diD,” Error said sarcastically. “I knEw tHaT iF I dId iT pRopErlY, yOu’D prOBabLY bAck oUT.”

“I would not have,” Percy grumbled under his breath. “But thanks anyway, I guess.”

They fell silent, and Error reached for his glasses, putting them on so he could see the battle clearer. 

And he saw Destiny raise her hand next to Classic, their eyes glowing blue in unison as they trained their magic on Fate, and the Deity of Determination buckled under the combined weight of their gravity magic, as she was forced to the floor, unable to move.

“It’S oVEr,” he whispered. “We W0n.”

Percy’s head snapped up, and a slow grin began to spread across his face. “Let’s go join the fun, huh?”

And Error nodded as Percy pulled himself up, cloak unfolding into a huge set of wings, and they walked down, Error using his strings to drag Ink along.

And when they reached the bottom, Error blinked, feeling his vision slowly deteriorating as everything spun, until a wing folded around him, gently and carefully, as Percy guided him to the bottom. “You’re getting worse,” he said softly. “You don’t have much time left until the void corruption completely overtakes you.”

And Error could sense many sets of eyes on him, until Destiny spoke quietly.

“We should get the Multiverse out of the void first. Let everything heal. Karma and I can pin Fate down until we can hold a proper trial. Although it will be tricky to come up with a proper sentence…”

“What’s tricky about it?” Nightmare asked, brow raised. “She tried to kill you. Shouldn’t you just… kill her?”

“Normally we would,” Karma said quietly. “But consider this. I have the power to shoot my guns that will never run out of bullets. Destiny can manipulate gravity. Void can create paths. These are all powers gained from our traits. What do you think Fate can do?”

Classic was the first to get it as all three deities exchanged grim looks. “No way. No. No, no, no.”

Raven and Nightmare glanced between the rest of the group as Error understood next. “YoU hAVe GoT to bE kIddIng.”

“I am… slightly lost,” Nightmare admitted. 

“Yeah, DreamTale didn’t have a determined human!” Error shot at him. “Are you three suggesting that Fate can reset?”

“She cannot save or load,” Destiny murmured. “She can reset time upon her death, and only then. But it causes a multiverse wide reset. Even for us.”

“All the way to the beginning of time,” Karma stated, looking exhausted. “It’s why judging her before now has been so damn difficult.”

Void hesitated. “Yeah, that reminds me. Karma, mind coming here a sec?”

With only a moment’s pause, Karma stepped closer to Void. “What?”

And without a second of hesitation, Void kicked out as hard as he could with extremely impressive aim, right between Karma’s legs. To his credit, Karma didn’t scream, although his eyes became extremely shiny.

“THAT’S for waiting until I was BLEEDING OUT to come and give me a hand, even though I asked you for help only a little while ago. You shithead. You COULD have stopped this shit EONS ago and then I wouldn’t have a fucking hole in my chest, you witless, fuckass, cowboy hat wearing shit slug!” With mild interest, Error had noticed that Void’s sneakers had changed to steel toed boots at some point.

Classic began to laugh hysterically, followed by Destiny, neither of them even trying to hide it. Nightmare and Raven were trying to be more restrained, and failing.

Karma blinked several times. “You know what, I deserved that,” he admitted in a pained voice, straightening. “Destiny had to pull my head out of my ass.”

Destiny grinned, smugly. “Someone had to, Karma. Someone had to.”

Void’s mouth opened. “Did you…”

“I did,” Destiny confirmed, and Void began to laugh too.

“This is why you’re my current favourite sister,” he managed, wiping away some tears of mirth.

“I should hope so, Void. I should hope so,” Destiny deadpanned. “Considering your options.”

The mortals/gods exchanged confused looks as Void regained his composure. “Anyway, let’s get this place out of the Void. Honestly, I’m looking forward to my magic being at a manageable level again. And for this, I think Karma can watch our bitch of a sister, cause I’m going to need your magic, favourite sister of mine.”

“I’m listening,” Destiny said, smiling warmly.

“Here’s the plan.”

Chapter Text

The plan was actually pretty simple.

Destiny would use her magic to make the Multiverse lighter, lifting it higher. Classic could help with that, and help ensure that the AUs didn’t snag on anything. Meanwhile, Void would take advantage of that and channel his magic carefully into pushing the Multiverse out.

“There are a few slight issues,” he admitted. “Raven, I’m going to need your assistance in channeling my magic.”

Error’s brows raised. “WhY? It’S yOUr mAGiC, cAn’T you cOnTroL it?”

“I told you that the Void is wild right now. An extra consciousness directing it should help keep it under control,” he explained calmly. “Besides. I can’t exactly see where I’m directing it.”

All eyes swung to Void, including Karma’s, Destiny’s and Fate’s.

“I’ll… explain that later,” he murmured, seemingly self conscious as he reached up, tugging his hood lower over his face. “The point is that I could use your help, Raven. I’ll be with you every step of the way, and nothing will change because of it. I swear.”

Raven nodded, reaching up to his shoulder, and Error caught a glance of mutual understanding between the deity and their chosen. “I get it. Don’t worry.”

Nodding his gratitude, Percy turned to Error with a moment of hesitation. “Do you think you can muster up the magical energy to use your strings to keep the AUs together?”

Error hesitated, looking down at his hand, greyed all the way up. Even his clothes had lost most of their colour, with only his blue scarf remaining. And he didn’t think his face had lost colour yet, not his tear marks or his eyes. But he didn’t know if he could spare the energy it would take to keep every AU together.

And as he glanced up, Nightmare laid a tentacle on his shoulder, ever so gently.

“I will lend you my magic,” he said softly, and Error’s eyes widened. “I won’t be using it for this. And I want to help you.”

“… yOu’Re sERioUs?! NiGHt, tHaT’s RiSKy!” Error swallowed, staring the calm guardian of negativity in the eyes.

“Of course it is,” Nightmare said calmly. “There’s a reason it isn’t done often. Among mortals. You know that we’re not mortal, so I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t work. As long as you’re careful, I’ll be fine.”

Error stared at him, hoping for a sign that he was kidding. Because lending magic was extremely dangerous. Monsters were made of magic, and not built for magic that wasn’t theirs. Even if the magic you were using was compatible with your own, it was too easy to use too much of the borrowed magic, and then… you couldn’t give it back to them. Because if you drained their soul, you couldn’t fix it.

“Do we have another choice?” Nightmare asked, watching Error open his mouth. “That isn’t you blindly driving yourself past your limits.”

Error shut his mouth.

“… I d0N’t wAnT to Do thIS. Can’T wE thINk of aNYthIng elSE?”

He cast his gaze around the circle, seeing nobody talking, only Raven’s mouth open.

“RAvEn?”

She hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor. “Do you think that you could pull it off? Because I don’t want to lose either of you.”

Nightmare smiled softly, walking over to her, nudging her shoulder. “Error can do it. I trust him. After all, he did put me back together once already.”

“Yeah, but are we absolutely sure this is necessary?” Classic asked, eyebrow raised. “Cause sharing your soul is a risky business.”

Percy looked down. “I wouldn’t suggest it. But pulling the Multiverse together would be a huge help. I don’t want us to accidentally lose an original AU. And Underfell, Red’s AU, is right near the edge.”

Classic mimed zipping his mouth shut, turning away so that only Error glimpsed the slight blue blush. (Kustard, y’all.)

Error looked at them, dumbfounded. “He cOUld dIE.”

“But I won’t,” Nightmare replied, turning to him. “This is necessary, Glitchy. I promise that I’ll be ok.”

Error flushed. “…GliTChY?”

Nightmare’s eye widened, and he coughed, blushing, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked to the ceiling. “Pardon me, I… I misspoke.”

“… nO, it’S fINe,” Error murmured softly, reaching forward to brush Nightmare’s fingers, hesitantly.

In the background, Raven watched with wide, excited eyes as Classic smiled slyly.

“10 gold saying that they’re dating by the end of the week,” he muttered to Raven out of the corner of his mouth.

“Shh,” she chided, whacking him with a wing. “But I bet 20 that it’ll be sooner.”

And Error hesitated. “You’RE suRe?”

Nightmare nodded, meeting his eyes with calm certainty. And Karma coughed into his hand. 

“I’m taking Fate to our hall,” he said to Void and Destiny. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her out of sight. Good luck.” And he grasped Fate’s shoulder with one hand as she rolled her eyes, and they both disappeared in a flash of golden light.

“Let’s do it then,” Destiny said calmly. “At least the semi stability of the Multiverse Core will make it easier.” She moved to Classic’s side, a hand falling to his shoulder. “We’ll get in position, alright? Error, please set up as quickly as you can.” And her eyes met Error’s once more, filled with something he couldn’t understand, just sadness and hope and warmth.

And he nodded, turning to Nightmare. 

Percy and Raven turned, their wings unfolding as they headed down, down towards the base of the Doodlesphere together. And he sensed Classic and Destiny turning away, walking to the centre, giving Error and Nightmare some privacy.

He looked at Nightmare, helplessly. “I’M s0rrY. ! wISh ! couLd D0 !T by MYs3Lf. BuT I c@n’T anD yOU’r3 geTTinG drAGGed IntO this anD it’S n0T faIR.”

“Error,” Nightmare said softly, reaching forwards, yet pausing before he got too far into Error’s personal space. “I don’t regret it. You need help, so what? I needed help, and you saved me. Let me help you now. Because gods forbid, I care about you.”

“JuST cArE?” Error murmured, looking Nightmare in the eyes.

And Nightmare froze. “No,” he admitted, soft as the sound of falling rain. “So much more than that.”

And Error reached for his tentacle, feeling their pulses jump to match each other, and he pulled Nightmare close. “I kN0W,” he whispered, clutching Nightmare’s jumper as he felt gentle tears spring to his eyes.

And they stayed like that, Error and Nightmare, Nightmare and Error, and before Error knew it their hands were clasped together and he was kissing him, softly on the mouth, ignoring the glitches, doing his best to ignore the fear. And they sunk into it, Nightmare kissing him back.

He tasted like apples and warm tea, holy shit.

And Nightmare was so, so soft and whole and himself, beautiful in such a bittersweet way, like the end of a movie that you loved, the ending of worlds, the parting of two friends who finally were brought back together.

And they broke apart a few seconds later, gazes locking, filled with emotions that neither understood. 

It was quiet in Error’s mind, but his soul, oh, his soul felt so full.

“… yOu bETTer Not dIE noW,” Error whispered thickly.

“I won’t,” Nightmare replied, ever so softly, reaching out a hand. And a black apple sprung to it, hovering over his hand. His soul.

And he reached out, carefully putting it in Error’s hand, and his eyelight faded as the negativity mostly ran off his body, pooling at his feet. Until he looked just like he had at the tree, yet with one major difference, because his skull around his left eye was melted and warped, the side usually covered by a flow of liquid

So Nightmare stepped back, looking so much smaller without the black goopy negativity covering his body or his four tentacles, yet he still smiled. 

“Go on,” Nightmare said, and Error was surprised at how much clearer his voice sounded, even in the exhausted state he was in. “You don’t have much time. Please.”

“AlrIGht,” Error said softly, clutching the apple in his hand. “Go and find Classic and Destiny. They’ll make sure you’re ok.”

And as Nightmare, his Nightmare, nodded, Error turned, reaching up to his eyes to drag teal and purple strings from his tears, instead of his usual blue. And he got to work.

Chapter Text

Classic glanced up as an unfamiliar skeleton stumbled towards him and Destiny in the centre of the AUs. 

He was small, smaller than him, shorter than Ink for ketchup’s sake, with one eyelight that was a strange mix of washed out teal and purple, and half of his skull was the worst mess that he’d ever seen. Even worse than Horror’s, and that was saying something. Half of this kid’s skull, all the way down to his jaw, was a melted mess, which contrasted with the neat clothes he was wearing, a strangely familiar purple turtleneck and coat, though they were a size or two too big on him.