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Chapter Text

The day Dream was put in prison, everyone had a different reaction.

Tubbo and Tommy were excited and were shouting happily. Everyone was glad he was finally gone, the tyrant had been trpped in a cell of his own creation. At least, that was what Punz convinced himself of. No one else felt like that.

...

As for Dream, he didn't take it well. He was trying to keep in his tears. It wasn't his fault, really. He barely remembered what happened the past year and months. Dream shook his head and then looked around. There was a chest, a cauldron, a lecturn, a clock hanging on a frame and a bed for him to sleep in. The bed came as a surprise, he didn't really expect that.
The dropper that gave him food was in the farther corner. He looked inside the chest and there were a few books. One of them was glimmering so he grabbed it and opened it. It was just a book talking about the rules of the prison. Dream couldn't believe he was dumb enough to fall for it.

Meanwhile, outside, everyone was celebrating. There were banners and ribbons and bits of confetti all over the place and on people.
Tubbo and Tommy were really into the party and were dancing along, happy about the fall of the SMP' s "tyrant". Puffy was watching from the sidelines, smiling every now and then so she didn't look like an odd one out. Sapnap and George weren't exactly happy nor sad, they were disgusted by the things Dream had done and were extremely glad that he was in the prison.

Punz felt nothing. He remembered all the things Dream had trusted him with and he had used it against him. Dream had told him about his life, past, family problems, everything. Instead of looking weak though, he kept a strong face and joined in with the celebration.

The feeling that all their troubles were gone was there, yet it was far from true.

...

Eight years later, they faced some... complications.

The decision to keep Dream in prison was the worst one they had ever made, apparently.

Chapter Text

Eight years.
For eight years Dream was in that prison. Most people had forgotten about him in that timespan, or so they said.

Seven years before, they were given a reminder that he was still there. Wilbur had been revived, then Quackity went to visit Dream everyday with an axe. A few people had gotten suspicious, but Quackity quickly debunked these rumours. The only person he had told the truth was Tommy, who, of course, kept it a secret. Sam couldn't stand the shrieks from Dream's cell everyday, so he quickly gave Quackity the instructions on how to enter and left to live a nice life with Ponk. Bad was there as well, so he helped with getting Quackity in the cell but quickly went back to his own shenanigans with the Egg. Sapnap and George started a country, which many people joined. So did Tubbo and Quackity. Sapnap and George created Kinoko Kingdom, Tubbo created Snowchester and Quackity created Las Nevadas.

Technoblade tried to help Dream so he tried at least five times to break him out but failed all five times. Phil had helped Techno, but stayed at the sidelines. The rest of the Syndicate, expect for Ranboo, did as well.

Dream had an automatic food dispenser so Sam didn't have to come. He really was miserable, he had only done this on €£¥₩!&$'s orders.

Seven years before his release. No specific date, Time: 10:08 am.

One day, when Quackity came for one of his "sessions", as he liked to call them, he saw Dream curled up, holding a glimmering book. Thinking that today would be his day, he went him and said, 'So, are you ready to give me the book?' Dream looked up at him with his broken mask. One of his eyes could be plainly seen and it showed fear. Surprisingly, Dream nodded. His grip on the glowing book was tight. 'Is that the book?' Quackity asked. Dream didn't say anything, just nodded. He was looking straight at the lava. Quackity grabbed him by his hair and shouted, 'ANSWER ME, YOU FUCK!' 'Y-yes, sir.' Dream answered, whimpering. His mask covered half of his mouth as well. His clothes were tattered and torn, baggy after weeks of constant torture and starvation. The mask was in half, and cracked. His hair once a  short beautiful blonde, now was overgrown and brown. "Well then, give it to me." Quackity spoke sternly. Shaking, Dream slowly handed the book. Quackity snatched it with a smile.

Before turning around, he sensed that Dream was a little sad. "What's wrong, Dream? Wanna get out of here?" He asked, tauntingly. Dream slightly nodded. He looked up with dull green eyes that once used to shine like a thousand stars. "C'mon, tell me. Do you want food or..." Quackity trailed off. He was getting more annoyed by the minute. "JUST FUCKING TELL ME!" He grabbed his hair and pinned him against the wall. Pain hit Dream like a tidal wave. Tears started forming in his eyes with the urge to fight back, but he refused. He had been such a monster, that he felt he should accept the punishment. "I-I will, sir!" He managed to say that through the pain. Quackity let go. "Well, hurry up," he said, tired of this. "I-I know y-you would leave after I g-gave the b-book, an-and I don't want you to l-leave me a-alone here! P-please..?"  he slowly said, sobbing hard. He was scared of whether his 'sir' would do something to him. Quackity was surprised, to say the least. He thought that Dream didn't want him to torture him, so he gave him a promise that he'll leave once he gets the book. But if this was the case then...

"Oh Dream~" He said, trying to calm the hysterical man. Through the sobs, he could see that he was really broken, but clearly not enough.

And he knew exactly what to do.

Chapter Text

Two years before his(?) release. No specific date, Time 05:02 A.M

"Get up," was all Quackity had to say. Dream stood up almost immediately, like he knew the entire time.

"You have a lot of work to do today, and I expect it to be finished by the evening." This was basic routine for Dream, he was used to it after two months.

After he gave the revival book with no chance of getting out of here, he succumbed to being a sort of slave to his master. He was used as a machine to do menial jobs, and if he didn't do it, he would get a punishment. The severity of the punishment depended on how much he didn't do.

Quackity put handcuffs on Dream and dragged him to the bridge. But before he got on, he looked at Dream's face and narrowed his eyes. "Where's your mask?"

Shit, Dream thought to himself. His mask had been repaired and given back to him, and he was supposed to wear that all the time as 'an act of gratitude'. "Get it and put it on. You know I hate seeing your face, you ugly asshole." Quackity rolled his eyes and let go, letting out a sigh. Dream rushed back to his chest, took out his mask, put it on and went back to him as fast as he could.

"Why can't you move faster..." Quackity muttered under his breath, which Dream could hear easily. He grabbed Dream's handcuffs and pulled him towards the bridge. Why didn't I do that? Why couldn't I have done it faster? Why? Am I that useless? I should've worn my mask straight after I woke up Why am I like this? These thoughts ran through Dream's head as they made their way across the lava.

A few minutes later, they went through a door and down a secret staircase that not even Sam knew about, because they had built it a few weeks ago, just so that Dream could get to Las Nevadas without anyone noticing. He tried not to make eye contact with 'Sir', as that was one of the rules he had to follow. He was shivering a little, not because of the cold air coming from the vents, but because of fear.
Fear that he would be punished.
Fear that he would be killed.
Fear that he would have to starve for as long as his 'Sir' wanted.
Fear that he would be used as a toy for his master.
Fear that he would not be able to complete his tasks.
Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear Fear-

"Hey!" A shout from Quackity brought Dream back to reality. "You hear me?" Dream simply nodded. Another rule imposed was that he should not talk without being asked to, which was now engraved in his brain. "Good, because these are the tasks you have to do." They stopped in front of a door that said in bold red 'Do not enter: danger'. He gave Dream a roll of paper. He took it and opened it. "Do you have any questions?" Quackity questioned. Dream, pale, shook his head. How am I going to complete all this by the evening? I can't even have a lunch break! No. Monsters like me shouldn't even deserve to eat. What am I complaining about?

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get in!" Quackity pushed him through the doors and left. Dream was left in the cold room, scared. He had so much on his plate, he had to complete it by evening, or...... He shook those thoughts from his head, and started focusing on his work. The room was basically a mini factory, with no roof. There was a tiny farm where you could grow basically anything. Near it was a small water source, so that the plants would get enough water. There was a chest, full of bone meal, so the plants would grow faster. A small cave was located at the corner of the room, for mining coal, cobblestone, etc.  A stable was there as well, with all animals. Pigs, cows, horses, you name it! It's all there.
With a nether portal, from where you could get gold and most important, netherite.
But the main star was the dark grey building in the middle, where everything was made. From axes to complicated materials such as enderchests and more, it was created there and only there.

This room is from where the country's entire supply came from.
This is where they get all their weapons.
This is where they get their food.
This is Las Nevadas' most important room of all.
This is...
The Factory.

But enough chit-chat, let's talk about the person who runs the factory, who just completed 10 of his 80 tasks to do.

Rushing through the empty corridors, Dream was trying his best to be faster and complete it faster. Carrying a bucket of water and a huge sack, he went to the crafting room, where everything you needed for creating anything was there. He reached the crafting table and laid out all the materials needed for crafting a hundred netherite axes. As he did that he looked outside the window and saw that it was a bright day with the sun right up. Shit, shit,shit! It's already afternoon. I have to do it all. Nononononononononononnonononono-
He tried focusing on his work, fear killing him. As he carried on, he looked at the sky once or twice to see whether the sun was going down or not.

A few hours later...

As he was doing the 75th task on the list, the bell rang. Oh no, was all he could think of. He couldn't complete the last five tasks, which were the most important of all. He was as white as someone could get. He heard footsteps coming from outside the door. He felt so scared, he couldn't move, it was like he was a statue. The door opened. And outside stood Quackity, with no expression. Dream got up. He was so fucking disappointed in himself, he had even taken extra hours from his lunch break. "Well? Did you complete it?" Quackity asked. Dream silently shook his head. "I expected nothing more from someone like you." He sneered.

"Come on, you know what's going to happen." Quackity turned around and walked back. Dream looked up, eyes widened. He let a simple and soft "no" slip from his mouth, loud enough for Quackity to hear. He stopped for a minute, and turned his head around. "What. Did you say?" Dream realised what he just did. No, no, no,no,n-

His thoughts were interrupted with Quackity slamming him into the wall. "Tell me what you said, you mutt!" He yelled. Dream was way too scared to even open his mouth. Quackity growled (🐶) and tore his mask off his face, revealing dull, scared and teary eyes staring at him. He took he shears out of his inventory and stabbed Dream in the stomach. A yell of pain came from the mouth of the dirty blonde. Pain was the only thing he felt. A ringing sound came in his ears, like white noise.

"Tell me! Come on, say it again, bastard!" Quackity yelled. "P-please! I won't do it again, I-I promise.." Dream managed to get those words out through the unbearable pain. Quackity raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? You 'promise'? How many have you already made, you fucking animal?" He twisted the shears still in his stomach, making Dream cry out in pain. "P-please.... I-i sw-swear..." Dream weakly pleaded, coughing out blood. Quackity pulled it out, letting Dream collapse to the floor, coughing out blood. "No food for a month. Tell that to Bad."

He got up and grabbed Dream from the collar of his shirt, dragging the unconscious man back to prison.

Chapter Text

One year and eight months  before his release. No specific date, Time 08:36 A.M

Why is sir not coming? What did I do now? Dream curled up into a ball and cried. Ever since he accidentally broke one of the rules, it hadn't been the same since. For one thing the punishments were harsher than before and he had been killed and revived at least five times by now. His health wasn't good either. He was extremely thin, and he didn't eat much as well.
Dream felt lethargic most of the time, but he still did what he had to do. He heard the click of a lever, and looked towards the lava. It started dropping, revealing the other side. But there was no Sir. He pulled on his mask and got up. There were three people, one of them was Bad. The other two he couldn't recognise. He could make out that they were in a heavy discussion about something. Wait... I shouldn't listen to them, he remembered and just looked at the lantern, trying to not look at them.

Other Side...

"What do you mean there's something thing wrong with him?" Sapnap questioned Bad. "He looks normal to me. Like an asshole," he added, just looking at the masked man made him angry. "Language, and there is. If you don't believe me, spend some time with him, you'll understand." Bad was urging them to visit Dream, because he knew that the prisoner needed a visit from people other than Quackity. "Look, we're not getting on that platform until you tell us why," glared George. He hated Dream. Ever since he was dethroned, he despised himself for being so blind to what he did. "Is it because of the egg? Are you tricking us?" Sapnap interrupted. Bad was now getting annoyed. "Just go and talk to him for a while, it's going to be fine," he pleaded. "You already reached here, so it would be a waste of time going back without doing anything, right?"

Sapnap sighed. "Fine, but if he tries to hurt any of us, I'll kill him right there." The duo turned around and walked towards the platform.

"Yay! You'll see what I mean," Bad cheered.

The cell...

Dream then saw them coming towards him. He was a little frightened, for he had no idea who they were. Even if he did, it was probably because he hurt them in some way. Badboyhalo The Guard came along with them, to make sure everything was alright. He had new orders from Quackity not to call the Guard by his name, as it would be disrespectful. He was racking his mind for any reason why they would come to him. Maybe they'll get me out of here- Yeah, fat chance that'll ever happen. Or maybe Sir is unwell and they've come to substitute him. He knew it wasn't good. "Dream, you have some visitors!" The cheerful voice of the Guard rang through the silence. He looked up and saw two people staring at him like he was some kind of animal. He gulped, wondering what would happen to him now. Would he be tortured, or much worse, was something he couldn't decide. But he was a little stiff nonetheless. Sapnap and George, however, were just looking him back. Parts of his dirty blonde hair had a whitish tint - similar to Tommy's - and his clothes were torn and baggy, mask cracked and arms with uncountable bruises, scars and cuts. He looked pale, like he hadn't seen the sunshine in months. Which, of course, was true, since he was in prison. But the duo felt that something had changed, whether good or bad they didn't know.

Bad just watched from the corner, biting his lip in anticipation of what would happen next. Mixed emotions running through his mind, he stood there and watched. Sapnap was the first to break the ear-tearing silence, saying, "So.... how's it going, Dream?"
Dream was a little surprised to be asked that question, but he knew what to say. Him and Quackity and revised it for hours on end. "I'm fine, really," was he had to say. They could make out from the tone that it wasn't true, the sugarcoated voice wasn't exactly convincing. But they acted like they didn't notice, with their patience starting to drop. Dream could sense that they weren't believing him. Shit, that's not good, he tried thinking of other ways to restart the conversation. "W-what are you all doing?" He asked, fucking terrified. He just broke one of the most important rules again, and was scared to know what would happen if Sir knew. George raised his eyebrow, getting a little suspicious of the masked man. Sapnap, trying to cover it up, said, "Oh, nothing much. Just trying to stay sane in the hell you made, Dream."

Dream stiffened. What... I didn't mean to do it, did I? I mean, @&₹#^* % made me do it, or else I wouldn't have, I-I swear... I didn't mean to hurt you, I promise. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry
Sorry
Sorry
Sorry
Sorry
Sorry
S o r r y
S  o  r  r  y
SORRY-

"Dream?" He jumped a little. Sapnap was now questioning his behaviour. "Y-yeah?" The dirty blonde responded. "Are you okay?" George asked, patience running low. "Yeah, absolutely," Dream replies, still a little shaken up. Fuck... Why didn't I pay attention? Now I'll be starved again. "You sure?" Said George. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Dream replied with a smile on his face. For which there was no need, because they were hardly concerned about him. Plus, he was wearing the mask, so even if they were, they wouldn't see it. Bad could easily make out this wasn't exactly going as well as he'd planned, so he tried to get them to talk. Maybe they'll realise what's happening then, right? "Well, Sapnap, why don't you tell him what you're planning, huh?" Bad nervously told Sapnap with a look in his eyes that plainly said, Talk to him you muffinhead, to which Sapnap replied with a stare that told Bad, You think I wanna talk to him? He's an asshole, why should I? I thought you brought me here so he could apologize but instead, THIS is what I get? Bad gave him a smile that said, At least you can try..?

Sapnap sighed angrily as he told Dream - while glaring at Bad- everything. "Oh, I'm just having fun, you know, without you, 'cause you're here and everyone else is happier than they've ever been when you're here," he was really stressing the fact that no one gave a shit about him, which Dream clearly understood. Maybe it's better if I stay here, since everyone is so happy, Dream darkly thought. "Well, enough about us, what are you doing here?" Asked the colourblind (b)rat. Shit, I didn't expect that. So, back-to-back, questions were asked to have a friendly talk, raising suspicion in all outsiders involved. And finally, one hour later, Sapnap and George went back, tired of the conversation. Dream was disappointed in himself, knowing that Sir would kill him if he knew what just happened.

Bad couldn't help but grimace. All his efforts had gone down the drain. Now it was useless...

Or so he thought.



With Sapnap and George....

"Don't you think that was weird, George?" Sapnap asked him, confused. "What do you mean? He's just acting like he wants to befriend us, the tyrant," replied the angry George. "Why're you asking?" This was one topic he didn't expect to come up. "I dunno, but there was just.. something that was... off," Sapnap stated, trudging along the soiled path. George just followed, tired. He thought these talks were over one year ago, but turns out it wasn't. He sighed as Sapnap continued his talking.

Great. Thanks a lot, for whatever the fuck you did, Dream.

In the prison...

Dream shivered. He felt hopeless. Now, he knew what happened if Sir found out. Just then, he heard the lever click once more. He looked up. The lava started dropping, and in the other side stood a dark figure with an axe in his hand. Quackity. Oh shit oh shit oh shit...

He felt like he was going to die as Quackity crossed over to Dream.

Chapter Text

One year and seven months before his release. No specific date, Time 04:28 PM

The sound of his pickaxe digging into the hard cobblestone was all Dream could hear as his time was about to end. Ever since the last... misfortune of his, it's worse, to say the least. In fact, that exact day, Quackity was in a bad mood from the start, facing some problems he did not want to deal with.

So let's just say...
Shit went down.

The blonde looked at the nearest clock and stopped. He picked up a sack, put the last piece of cobblestone in it, and went out of the cave. There he saw Sam and Bad entering the room. Confusion arose in Dream as he had never seen anyone else except Quack- Sir in the room. But he acted like he didn't notice and continued on with his work.
Sir forbade him from talking to others unless he was told to. And Dream knew everything that he told him was for his own good.

Right?

He could feel their stares on the back of his neck. Why are they looking at me like that? Did I do something? Are they here because sir told them to? Will they hurt me?

He tried to focus on his work, but he was slightly shivering, which - I think - the duo saw. He went inside the crafting room, which had six crafting tables, eight double chests which had a shitload of supplies, and ten furnaces. He took out all the iron he got, along with tons of sticks, and made pickaxes.

It seemed quite useless to people who've never been to Las Nevadas, but it's all part of Quackity's plan, or so he says.

Las Nevadas is one of the most successful countries currently in the Dream SMP, even beating L'manberg. There are thousands of people who live here, and you can see their happiness radiating from the country as a whole, with the citizens giving their trust to the government wholeheartedly. This is only because of one reason— the people depend entirely on the 'promise-keeping' government. They don't get their own supplies or food, Quackity gave permission to 35 people in total to keep check of the country: 10 people for the military force, 10 people for the national finance and economy, and 10 people for inside problems, with an extra five people for the markets and all.

Of course, there wasn't a group to make all the supplies like the rest of the sects.
It was only one single person.
Dream.

Bad was oblivious to this, as he thought Quackity took Dream to his office to torture him even more. He couldn't say anything about it, because his job was to only guard the prison to make sure that Prisoner 001 didn't break out. Plus, he took this job because his Egg campaign had almost terribly failed, and the only thing keeping him from staying with the prisoner was to keep an eye on the prisoner.

It was only when Sam asked where Dream went with Quackity. "Bad, the entire reason we are guards is to make sure the prisoner does not leave the prison. And you let him go with Quackity?" He tried controlling his anger, but it would be visible to even a five-year-old at that point. "Oh, now it's we?! I've been taking my part of the shift for more than half a year, and now you, of all people, try to blame me?!" Bad was getting agitated, the half-demon not caring about the consequences of his words.

"That's because everyone else told me to leave the prison! I didn't want to, but he- they made me." Sam realised he messed up. Bad looked at him in the eyes. A long silence followed that, until Bad said, " Who's he?" "Nothing." "Bullcupcake." Sam took a long time to register what he just heard. "...What?" Bad ignored him and continued pressing on. "Who's he, Sam?" He let out a sigh. "I'll tell you later. First, we have to find Dream."

And that's what they did.

They stared at him from the entrance, eyes wide. Bad felt sick to the stomach, how could he have let this happen. Sam couldn't move, tears starting to pool in his eyes. "That prick!" Bad growled, kicking a small pebble away. Sam couldn't care less about what he just said. He could only see red. The creeper hybrid turned around and asked the half-demon with little to no emotion in his voice, "Did you know about this?"

The half-demon scoffed. "If I did, do you think he would be here?" Sam felt guilty for blaming him. But he also felt anger bubble inside him that was directed towards Bad for letting this happen right under his nose. "Whatever, lets go back before he sees us." "Before who sees you?"

That voice made the duo freeze. It was Quackity, standing behind them. "You son of a bitch," Sam said, gritting his teeth. "Oh, so now you're defensive? You weren't here half the time, and when you were, you turned a blind eye." The duck hybrid said cockily. "Well, it was inside the prison when I was here. What if he had broken out? Then what?" The creeper hybrid shot back. "Oh, please. Look at the state of him, you really think he could?" Quackity laughed.

Bad turned around and saw Dream holding a sack that looked extremely heavy from his perspective, shaking. It made his soft and sensitive heart hurt. "How could you? I trusted him in your hands and then you do this?" Bad cried. Tears appeared in his eyes, which showed the hurt as well as visible anger. "Well, you put your trust in the wrong person, didn't you?" Quackity said nonchalantly, shaking it off. Bad was left speechless, tears now streaming down his face.

"Now, excuse me, I need to meet my worker." The duck hybrid pushed his way through the two and went towards the the masked man, who was trembling. "Wait! We want to speak to him," Bad made up an excuse to talk with the blonde, he wanted to see how hard he got to slap Quackity. "Speak with him after I get the supplies I need for tomorrow," Quackity snarled, getting irritated. "Bad, we'll see later. Just... calm down," Sam suggested. "...Fine." Bad rolled his eyes.

They watched from afar, as Quackity crossed his arms and said some things to Dream. Bad noticed all Dream did was nod, trembling, while Quackity spoke to him. What is going on over there? he thought, convinced that something was off about the two.

A few minutes later, Quackity came back. Bad and Sam were waiting anxiously for him, expecting an answer, but all they got was— "No." Bad's jaw dropped, "What is 'no' supposed to mean?!" "He himself does not  want to," The duck hybrid said through gritted teeth. "Do we look like we care? We want to talk to the prisoner. In person."

"Fine. Your prison, your. Goddamm. Problem," Quackity rolled his eyes and went outside. Sam looked at Bad with a worried expression, and walked over to Dream, who was fiddling with his fingers.

"Hey, Dream." Bad smiled nervously, to which Dream cocked his head. "How are you...?" Sam continued. "...'M f-fine," Dream croaked, before going into a coughing fit. "Hey, hey, chill... drink this," The creeper hybrid said as he gave him a water bottle, which Dream hesitantly took. The duo watched as Dream slowly took small gulps, before giving it back. He didn't dare make eye contact, they noticed, through the wide crack in his mask. A few seconds passed, and Dream whispered, "Thank you..." His voice was raspy, vocal cords almost shredded after countless hours of screaming during torture sessions with Q-Sir.

Bad winced at his voice, it was completely different from the voice he had before prison. He remembered how he was before all this drama and war, and his heart panged. "What were you doing here, Dream?" Sam asked ignoring the terrible state of the masked man. "I... Sir... Tasks—" "Woah, woah, woah. Who's 'sir' and what are the 'tasks'?!" Sam yelled brusquely, making Dream flinch and instinctively raise his hands up to cover his face. Bad could only stand, watching the poor soul. Sam was shocked, mouth slightly ajar.

"D-Dream?" Sam stuttered out. "Mm?" The prisoner barely opened his mouth, seemingly terrified. "I'm sorry..." The creeper hybrid spoke, surprising Dream.

...But you should've paid me more.

You fucker! I don't give a damn if you die in that hellhole!

What the hell is wrong with you, Dream?

You're fucked up in the head.

Just give me the damn book!

Don't you think it's time you remember your manners?

No, no, no, no no no no nononononono— Dream started hyperventilating, unable to breathe. His hands reached for his matting hair(ew), and pulled at it, forcing himself to calm down. "I— I'm— So—Sorry—" he stuttered out, tears now flowing down his scarred face.

Weak.
Worthless.
Monster.
Tyrant.
Asshole.
Bastard.
Useless.
Dumb.
Slow.
Worthless.
Monster.
Tyrant.
Monster.
Monster.
Worthless.
Weak.
Useless. Useless. Useless. Useless. Useless. Useless. Useless. Useless. Useless useless useless useless useless useless useless useless useless uselessuslessuselessuselessuselessuselessuselessuslessuselessuseless—

"Dream!" Bad yelled, breaking the dirty blonde out of his trance. "It's okay, calm down. We're here, we promise," Bad patted him on his head, not minding the fact that he flinched at the touch. The masked blonde took in deep breaths to get himself under control, he could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. Once he finally calmed down, he wiped away the tears which were still running down his cheek with his muddy orange sleeves.

The half-demon angel slowly and gently pulled him into a hug, Sam following suit. "Wha— what are you—" he stuttered. "Shh, you don't need to worry, nothing's gonna happen to you,"  Bad reassured him softly, stroking his head. "I— I don't—" he was once again interrupted by Sam placed his finger on his mouth. "Be quiet. Calm down," he, too, said in a soft voice. The creeper hybrid wasn't as good at feelings as Bad was, but he had some experience from calming down the Bench Trio. (Ranboo *crying emoji*)

Soon, the walls that Quackity put around Dream seemed to crack in their loving warmth, allowing —though just a little— enough emotion to break through to show the underlying trauma and sadness he had pent up inside his frail body throughout his time in the prison.

As Dream crumbled, he put his head on Bad's shoulder and grabbed his clothes for support. The half-demon angel looked up at Sam, giving him a look that said, "He's not okay, we need to get him out of here."

Sam returned the stare with a sympathetic glance, "I know, but what about the others?" Bad sighed, realising there was no coming back at that. He wrapped the broken man in a hug even tighter and bit his own lips. His heart was in his throat, how could he have let this happen under his own nose?

Meanwhile, from afar, Quackity could only glare as the duo hugged his slave. He knew they'd have an effect on Dream, then there was a chance that he would retaliate against his control over him, and then he'd lose his only worker. Shit, this is bad, he cursed himself. He racked his mind for any ideas on how to stop this 'uprising' and pressed his hand against his mouth. Until a thought came. Of course, how could I have not realised? He grinned to himself from the dark doorway, his eyes set on the three people a few meters away from him.

...

"We'll take him back to the prison, President." Sam said sourly, sugarcoating his words as much as he could. Bad was holding Dream's hand, who's eyes were slightly puffy and nose red— if anyone would notice through that chipped and broken mask of his. "Actually, I have some... business with him," Quackity said, glancing at the two guards. "Well, I'm sure that 'business' of yours with Dream can happen in the prison itself, Quackity," Bad gritted his teeth, staring at him threateningly. Though Quackity was unmoved.

"Ah, I'm afraid it can't. I need to take him to my office. It won't take long, I'll give you your prisoner right after I finish my job with him. How does that sound?" He chirped, clapping his hands together, at which Dream slightly jumped, Bad and Sam didn't notice it. They hesitated, before Sam sighed and said, "Fine." Shocked, Bad hastily looked at Sam, with a questioning look on his face. Sam gave him a sign, which plainly read, Just wait and watch.

"Thanks," Quackity smiled, before grabbing Dream's hand and dragging him out of the hallway. Once he was out of hearing range, Bad shouted, "What was that?! Are you crazy?!" Sam sighed, "You don't understand, do you?"

"Of course I don't, why do you think I'm asking you right now.?"

"Because, if Quackity hurts him, we can use this as bail to let out Dream."

...

The two walked towards the president's office, Dream slightly trembling. They took a secret passageway from underneath the country, and entered the building through the basement. They climbed three sets of stairs before they reached a door, which only led to two more stairways. By the time they reached the end, Dream was partially exhausted. Quackity led him to another door, this time with a plaque on it that read, 'President's Office" in gold. He opened the door and showed Dream inside.

Dream could only open his mouth in amazement. For the masked man who hadn't been anywhere except for his prison cell and the room, it was beautiful.

(REMINDER! Quackity's office isn't lore-accurate. I based it off my imagination on what it could've looked like.)

The walls were made of grey bricks, the carpet a lush and deep red, mesmerising the masked man. There was a huge table in front of him, with a chair that had delicate carvings on it, pictures that Dream couldn't care less about at that moment. Behind that was a large fireplace, the wood crackling and warmth spreading all over the place. It made Dream feel slightly sleepy, as thought it was hugging him.

What he didn't notice at all were the sharp metallic objects that Quackity would use on him near the fireplace, heating up as the duck hybrid let him explore the place.

Above the fireplace was a huge portrait of Quackity, Sapnap and someone Dream couldn't recognise. He had brown hair, and weird clothes that the masked man couldn't describe. He turned to his left and looked outside the magnificent window that exposed the entire country. As he looked down, he saw people happily walking down the streets, people entering and exiting shops with their friends and family, children chattering away busily with their parents and friends. It was a beautiful place, Dream felt. So why was that feeling of something bad happening taking over his senses?

Near the window were seats that had soft, fluffy cushions decorating the shiny carved wood. "Take a seat, and draw the curtains," Quackity ordered the prisoner, and he did so. Unexpectedly, the door to the office burst open and came in a man that Dream had never met before.

"Quackity of Las Nevadas, it's a pleasure that you're back! And this time you've even brought Dream, brother of XD and Niki!" Exclaimed the creature. It's skin had a eerie texture, with green slime covering it like a shield. "Ah, there you are, Slimecicle. Where were you this entire time?" The black-haired male asked as he stoked the fire, to which 'Slimecicle' replied, "I was making plans for next month's festival with Fundy, son of Wilbur Soot, sir!" He replied happily. So even he calls sir 'sir'. I thought I was the only one, Dream tilted his head, mouth slightly ajar.

"Oh, then that's alright. You can continue," Quackity smiled. I want him to smile at me like that too, Dream thought sadly, Maybe if I do everything he says properly, he will, won't he? Dream hypothesised. Don't you get it? No one can stand such an ugly creature like you. You're useless. A waste of space.

His heart sank. Those were the words that Quackity himself had told him, so now there was no chance of that ever coming true. It was like a fever dream that would soon die out and get lost in the galleries of memory. 

"Oi, come here," Quackity called out, beckoning him with his hand as he examined the hot metallic brand. Unsuspecting of anything bad, the prisoner obeyed and meekly walked towards the duck hybrid. "Sit."

"Turn around and unbutton your shirt." What? Did I hear that correctly? Dream frowned. Regardless, he did so, taking off the torn and blood stained shirt, revealing a scarred and emaciated body, ribs visible, scars littering his upper body. He felt the president place his hand on his shoulder and whisper, "Do anything like that again and I'll make it worse."

Eh? What is that supposed to mean? Am I going deaf? Was I not supposed to talk with them? Was that all a test to see if I do follow Sir's orders? Too afraid to do anything, Dream could only tremble in paranoia. He heard him take out the metal from the fireplace and hold it steady. The blonde couldn't bear it anymore...

But he didn't have to wait.

The next moment, he felt a scorching pain on his back which made the masked prisoner screech in agony. He could feel his flesh burning and smell it cooking. "I hope you understand what you've done, you fucking idiot," Quackity stressed, as he kicked the unfortunate man away from him, groaning at how filthy he was. 

Chapter Text

[𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑! 𝟖 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚'𝐬 𝐕𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭. 𝐄𝐫𝐠𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝(𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝).]

Sᴛᴀᴛᴜs:

•Dream:
   alive, in prison.
   current age: 29
   role: prisoner
   relationship(s): N/A

•Quackity:
    alive, at Las Nevadas
    current age: 27
    role: president of Las Nevadas
    relationship(s): Sapnap and Karl Jacobs (fiancé's).

•Badboyhalo, or Bad:
     alive, lives in the Badlands.
     current age: 34
     role: guard at Pandora's Vault
relationship(s): Skeppy (partner), Sapnap (adopted son).

•Awesamdude, or Sam:
      alive, lives in Las Nevadas. One of Quackity's    most trusted.
       current age: 33
       role: guard at Pandora's
       relationship(s): Ponk (partners), Purpled {unclassified relation}

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪ: ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴡ
chapters 1–4 [COMPLETED]

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɪ: ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏғғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀᴛᴀɪɴ
chapters 5–(N/A)

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇᴅ:
   Dream
   Awesamdude
   Badboyhalo
   Quackity
    (??)
    (??)
    Sapnap
    Georgenotfound
    Niki Nihachu
    DreamXD
    Wilbur Soot
    Slimecicle.

I ∴∷𝙹ℸ ̣ ᒷ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ᓭ𝙹 ⍑⚍∷∷╎ᒷ↸ꖎ||. S𝙹 ╎ ᔑ!¡𝙹ꖎ𝙹⊣╎⨅ᒷ ↸ᒷᒷ!¡ꖎ|| ╎⎓ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ ᓭᒷᒷᒲ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ʖᒷ ᔑリ|| ᒷ∷∷𝙹∷ᓭ ╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ⎓╎ꖎꖎᒷ∷. T⍑ᒷ !¡ꖎ𝙹ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓵꖌᒷリᓭ ᔑᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ ∴╎ꖎꖎ ʖᒷ ℸ ̣ ∴𝙹 𝙹∷ ᒲ𝙹∷ᒷ ᓵ⍑ᔑ∷ᔑᓵℸ ̣ ᒷ∷ᓭ ᔑ↸↸ᒷ↸ ╎リ ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᓭ ᓭℸ ̣ 𝙹∷|| ⎓∷𝙹ᒲ ᓵ⍑ᔑ!¡ℸ ̣ ᒷ∷ 5 𝙹リ∴ᔑ∷↸ᓭ, ╎リᓵꖎ⚍↸╎リ⊣ ᔑ ʖᔑᓵꖌᓭℸ ̣ 𝙹∷|| ∴⍑╎ᓵ⍑ ∴╎ꖎꖎ ʖᒷ ᓵ𝙹⍊ᒷ∷ᒷ↸ ╎リ ᓵ⍑ᔑ!¡ℸ ̣ ᒷ∷ᓭ 5 ᔑリ↸ 6 ᒲ𝙹ᓭℸ ̣ !¡∷𝙹ʖᔑʖꖎ||. N𝙹∴ ꖎᒷℸ ̣ ᓭ ᓭᒷᒷ ╎⎓ ↸∷ᒷᔑᒲ ∴╎ꖎꖎ ʖᒷ ꖎᒷℸ ̣ 𝙹⚍ℸ ̣ ᓭ𝙹𝙹リ 𝙹∷ ╎⎓ ⍑╎ᓭ ᓭ⚍⎓⎓ᒷ∷╎リ⊣ ∴╎ꖎꖎ ᓵ𝙹リℸ ̣ ╎リ⚍ᒷ! :)

—__ᓵꖎ𝙹⚍↸ᓭ𝙹⎓ᒲ||ᓭℸ ̣ ᒷ∷||__ ⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ, ᓭᒷᒷ ||𝙹⚍ リᒷ ̇/ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ╎ᒲᒷ!
   
ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɪ Sᴛᴀʀᴛ—>

Chapter Text

One year and two months before ____
Wednesday, 6:34 p.m.

"Wh—what do you mean 'you don't need us'? We're the guards of the prison that isn't yours!" Sam yelled at the grinning man standing in front of the doors to the prison. "When I say that, I mean that I've replaced the both of you with my own people," Quackity sneered as he beckoned two people behind the former guards towards them. "Why— why are you doing this?!" Bad screamed hysterically, tears close to falling down his face.

"Because I can," The duck hybrid could only control his laughter at the sight of their misery. It was hilarious for him, seeing the two innocent men in shock and despair. "You two, hurry up, would you? You all need a tour of the prison, don't you?" Quackity smiled, though inside he was annoyed at having to deal with this.

The two looked very strong with broad shoulders, muscular arms. They looked alike, the only difference being that one of them had electrifying grey eyes while the other had innocent amethyst. They walked towards them, faces expressionless, body stoic. Bad seemed that they were very demeaning. Their hair was very greasy yet a beautiful auburn, combed back neatly into a man-bun. Their eyes were large and cold, concealing mysteries that streaked curiosity in Sam. When the saw the two, they bowed down in respect. The other guards were taken aback. They hadn't expected such well-mannered people to take their place.

"Now, will you all please hurry up? We don't have all day," Quackity said, and Sam understood that by we he meant himself. "Yes, sir," Sam mocked him, enraging the duck hybrid(lmao sad life). The guards turned around and led their 'successors' inside to show them the way and whatnot, leaving Quackity alone in front of Pandora's Vault.

...

"—and from here we reach the main cell," Bad smiled, though inside anxiety was building inside until he couldn't keep it inside anymore. "What are your names?" Sam asked them, eyebrows raised. Bad looked at him directly in the eye that spoke, "What do you think you're doing?"
"It's fine, nothing's gonna happen."

Clearly his judgement was wrong.

"I'm Luke Richardson, and him here is my twin, Amare , " Said the one with grey eyes, as 'Amare' bowed once more. "No, no, please! It's alright!" Bad was embarrassed as he too bowed down awkwardly. "R—Richardson, you s—say?" Sam asked, the feeling of familiarity closing in on him. "Yeah. There any problem?" Luke asked nonchalantly. "No, of cuh—course not," The creeper hybrid stuttered. Though it may have fooled the twins, it certainly didn't fool Bad, who could feel the nervousness emanating from the other guard in the room. "Let me d—drop the lava. A—Amare, wasn't it? Come I'll show you how," Sam trembled slightly as he called the amethyst-eyed man. Something's wrong, it's obvious, Bad thought grimly as Luke seemingly started opening up.

"I heard that you're names were Bad and Sam, so is it okay if I call you all that?" Amare asked softly as Sam flicked the levers. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, my name's Awesamdude and him over there is BadBoyHalo, also known as Bad," Sam said as he continued showing him the way to close off the lava from the droppers, though he was still slightly shaking. A few minutes later, they heard a click and the lava stopped flowing.

They had to wait some seconds before it finally drained. When the curtain of lava disappeared, it revealed a small obsidian box in the centre of the room, making it look like it was levitating. From that far a distance, the twins could only make a vague distinction between the objects in the room. They could also see large red splotches all over the walls, along with a person in orange on the floor, head tilted slightly backwards. Sam pulled another lever and a bridge came upwards, the floor of it marked with dried muddy footprints with tinges of blood.

Amare felt chills down his spine as he looked around. The prisoner and his cell is in terrible condition... don't they.. uhm... try to clean it? Don't they let him take a bath or something? He thought, biting his lip.(mitsuri vibes lmao) He felt a rough hand hold his shoulder, and looked around to see his brother give him a comforting look.

Soon enough, they reached the box. "Wait for a few seconds, the bridge is not properly anchored yet. There's a chance it could.. y'know, fall into the lava," Sam awkwardly added. He finally allowed them to cross over to have a better view of the prisoner, who — at the moment, and due to lethargy — was unconscious. "What a shame you don't get to talk to him. I'm sure he'll be awake soon," Bad said, trying to smile(smile through the pain). "I— sure, I guess," Amare mumbled, albeit feeling down. "Well, then, let's go back," Sam broke the deafening silence that followed the amethyst-eyed's response. 

...

"Such complicated working! I feel like I won't be able to understand any of this," Amare sighed softly, his brain not being able to handle all the input.  "It may take some time, but I'm sure you'll be able to do it!" Luke laughed and slapped his back, which startled Amare before he joined in. In front of the two, Bad leaned close to Sam and whispered softly, "They seem like such close brothers, no?" That apparently was not such a good idea, because it looked like the creeper hybrid almost jumped out of his skin. "I- oh, it's you. Yeah, yeah, I agree." he licked his lips and continued walking. Bad could tell something was off, but he decided not say anything. He could see Sam wouldn't be comfortable even if he tried to talk about it.

...

"Oh, look at the time. Sir is probably waiting for us!" Amare smiled sheepishly while looking at his watch. "Sir?" Bad asked. "Yeah, Sir Quackity, I guess. It must be weird for you guys to listen to us call him that, huh?" The amethyst-eyed man grinned, embarrassed. "Uhm, no! Not at all, we've heard other people call him that," Sam added before Bad could react. "Well, we should take our leave now. I wish you a good afternoon," Luke bowed his head formally. "Oh, no need! Stop being so formal," Bad shook his hand, startled and embarrassed. "Well then, we'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Mr. Halo and Mr. Sam!" Amare exclaimed with a smile on his face as he was dragged away by Luke.

Once they were long gone, Sam quickly nudged Bad and said, "Listen, Bad... I-- We need to talk. T-there's I need to tell you," he cleared his throat before beckoning inside. Bad followed him silently, anticipating a hurricane of memories from the creeper hybrid. They reached the control panel room when Sam finally stopped in his tracks and turned around. "I... need to tell you something," he let out before breathing heavily. "Yeah?" Bad looked at him in the eye, before reaching out to grab his hand. "That- that name..."  

"What name..?"

"Ri-Richardson..."

"What about it?"

"T-they..."He gulped, his breath hitching, unable to continue with his talk.  "Hey, hey-- calm down. It's okay, just take your time. These things can be hard to unpack," Bad rubbed his back, at which the creeper hybrid tensed. "Sit down. You want some water?" the demon-angel hybrid grabbed a bottle and poured the contents into a glass. Sam clasped the glass and finished it in a gulp. "Thank you," he gave it back before clearing his throat, "And, uhm-- about the Richardson thing, well-- you don't have to listen to it--" 

"No, I do want to. Not to come off as rude, but what I mean is that you need to let this off your chest. That's healthier than keeping it inside you like a burden. So, say what you wish to, Sam."

The other man looked at him dead in the eyes, before breaking out into a fit of strained laughter.

"I suppose I have to, considering your angry outburst," he laughed. "Oh, shut up." Bad joined in the laughter at this. They continued laughing like this until Sam finally sighed and let the shadow of a smile completed disappear, it turning into a grimace as he gulped again. "The name 'Richardson' has been haunting me for 21 years. I was 11 when my father died, and he was a hybrid like me. My mother had married another man, whose name was Clyde Richardson. He was so nice to us at first. He was kind, and helpful, and a cheerful and amazing person."

Then one day, he just... changed. He started hitting both me and my mother, and went out in the evenings to return back late in the night or in the mornings. My mother, though he was abusive, still loved him. She thought there was something wrong with his work and let it go. But not the going out at night. One day, they both got into a huge fight and things started flying around a-and..." he let out a shaky breath. The memories he spent so long trying to forget so abruptly came back. He couldn't handle this, no it was too much. He rest his face on his palms as he leant down. 

May 14, 2007. 7:26 PM. Richardson House, Lennox-Hawthorne Street, Caligo.

"Clyde, where the hell are you going?" Aurora shouted from behind as he made his way to the mahogany door. On the dining table, Sam fiddled with the mask he got for himself last year, eyeing the two. "None of your damn business, bitch," He spat out as he grabbed a coat from the rack. "Tell me what you're doing, Clyde. Come on, why don't you trust me?" 

"Will you shut up? Nagging wretch."

"You're probably just going out to sleep with that fucking slut, anyways, aren't you?"

That stopped him in his tracks. He slowly turned around, eyes wide with veins popping on his forehead. "What, think I'm that dumb a bitch to not hear those rumors?" She cocked her head sideways as she walked towards him. Unable to take it, he slapped her right across the face, sending her sprawling on the floor. At the noise, Sam jumped in his seat, eyes widening. 

"Don't you say that to my fucking face ever again, you whore!" Clyde started kicking her and stamping on her abdomen as Aurora screamed and cried out. Scared, the young creeper hybrid ran out, still holding the mask, to protect his mother. "Stop hurting her! L-leave her alone!" he cried as he pulled on his step-father's hand. "Get away, stupid mutt!" he roared at the poor thing as he pushed him away, sending him flying backwards. 

In his rage, he took out a pocket knife and...