Error's POV a week later

Aaah, sweet relaxation...

I smile happily, relaxing in my antivoid. I sit on my beanbag, crafting some new puppets. I could hear yells in the distance. I don't mind it all, knowing it's just Paps working on another side of the antivoid. He located some of the hitmen that got hired and is....strategically getting info out of him.

I smile happily, seeing things taking shape with the puppet. Then I hear a scream growing louder. I get up, glancing around. Then I get knocked forward, landing roughly on the ground as tentacles hang in my face.

What the hell? Did Nighty land on me? Maybe his teleportation messed up...

"Where...am I?"I hear a voice say

"Do y0u m1nD?"I ask

"Oh! My apologies!"He says, getting off of me.

I glance to him and quickly catch onto the fact that this isn't Nighty. How? Well maybe it's because he is in a dress and has a more...female frame of his body. And of course the look of confusion he is giving me.

(credit to cakesmelons on tumblr for their Frozen!Dreamtale AU)

"What is this place...? Who are you?"He asks

"HeLlO, tHiS iS mY hOm3. I aM ErRoR. ArE yOu aLrIgHT?"I reply

His gaze trails to the top of my head where the crown rests. He jolts and smiles, then bows.

"Hello there, Error. It is nice to meet you. I, Nightmare, give my upmost apologies for intruding on your home kingdom. I don't quite know what happened. I was outside my kingdom a few moments ago, then this hole appeared under me and I landed here."He says

"UmMm...YeAh, tHaT iS oDd. QuiCk qUeStIoN, dO yOu kNoW tHe tErM AU?"I ask

He shakes his head no.

"Your kingdom is very....empty."He says

I sigh, shaking my head, already knowing that today is going to be a long day. I check for his code but gets denied. I try again and I get to see it but it all looks blank. Something is blocking it from sight...Maybe it is the portal that he fell through. But without his knowledge on AUs where he can tell me what AU he is from, I can't send him home.....

Then I can sense the balance between destruction and creation getting threatened. Ink wasn't creating any new AUs, but he is tampering with AUs. By now Paps and his "guests" have gone quiet and I can tell that this version of Nighty is very uncomfortable in this empty space. It would be wrong to leave him here....

"I hAv3 s0m3th1nG t0 haNdl3...Y0u cAn c0m3 w1tH m3 b3f0r3 tH1ngS gEt f1gUrEd oUt. BuT y0u'Ll hAv3 t0 b3 cArEfuL n0t t0 aTtrAcT aTtEnt10n. It iS dAnGeRoUs aNd i d0n't wAnT y0u g3tTinG hUrT."I tell him

He nods, his eye twinkling at me. I even see him blush a bit. Then I watch his tentacles fade awayas his white bones are revealed. With a snap of his fingers, his clothes get replaced with a purple gown and veil impossible to see through.

"This better?"He asks

Well that will certainly keep him from being mistaken for Nighty.

I open a portal and lead him through to the AU. I find a safe area and tell him to stay there. He nods, then I got to work handling Ink. As always, getting rid of him was harder said then done but I managed it and worked to restore the AU. Of all AUs, why did he go after UnderNovela to ruin? For his fun as usual probably. I got so caught up in handling things that it doesn't cross my mind to check my phone.

Now to make sure Nightmare is safe. He was easier to find, surprisingly speaking in Spanish fluently with some bystanders. I go over to him and the bystanders leave.

"Y0u kNoW sPaNiSH?"I ask

"I learned various languages to prepare for my kingdom duties."He says with a nod

That got us talking as I explain what this "kingdom" is like as he curiously asks about it and what I like about it. Then I realize that we should leave before Ink hunts me down here for trouble. Which he definitely would.

"You look stressed, Error. Is everything okay?"He asks

"NoT eXaCtLy, bUt w3 cAn g0 t0 a r3laXiNg pLaCe."I say, opening a portal

We go through and I shut it behind me. I smile at the beautiful view of OuterTale, already placing ourselves in a secluded area so we won't be bothered. I feel calmer already and he is busy looking around in wonder at the view so I sit down to clean my glasses. He sits beside me.

"This kingdom is beautiful..."He says

"WhAt iS y0urS liKe?"I ask

"It's a wonderful, beautiful place honestly. But I never got to see much of it since I was kept inside to prepare for my duties of ruling....And working on my ability to conceal the darkness. It was the best for the people, most of all my brother. You want to hear something crazy? We hosting the first ball in forever with foreign guests and my brother asked me if he could marry someone he met that same night! So naive...He is way more open to socializing but isn't completely aware of the dangers or tricks that he is vulnerable to."He explains to me

"I sEe...YeAh tHaT sOunDs wAy tOo fAsT. WeLl siNcE yOu hAvE baLls, haVe yOu dAncEd bEf0r3?"I ask

He shakes his head, then gets to his feet. He pulls me to my feet, grabbing one of my hands and setting his other hand on my shoulder.

"I think it goes like this.."He says, pulling me along through the dance steps.

My glitching picks up a bit but not at its worst.

"UuUm, wHy ar3 w3 dAnc1nG?"I ask

Well, he was following the steps of a waltz but still.

"It's a formality in my kingdom. I read that balls weren't just for fun but for negotiations and peacekeeping with foreign leaders. I'm sorry again for the intrusion and thank you for looking after me in these kingdoms."He says

I smile, nodding.

"Of c0uRsE. AnD d0n't w0rRy, I w1lL f1nD a WaY t0 gEt y0u bAcK t0 y0uR k1nGdoM."I say

"Thank you..."He says

He continues to lead me through the dance steps.

"So who rules in your kingdom? Do you have a queen or king by your side?"He asks

"I hAvE mY bRoThEr wItH mE aT hOmE bUt n0tHinG liKe tHaT."I say

"How do you not have any suitors? My brother can't get away from them!"He chuckles

"Oh i dO, a vErY sPecIaL OnE. I jUsT hAv3n't r3aChEd tHe mArRiAgE cHaPtEr 0f oUr rElaTiOnShIp tO rUlE liKe tw0 k1nGs."I say

"Taking your time with the relationship, smart. Much smarter than my brother's love life."He chuckles

"GLITCHY!"I hear a familiar voice yell

I glance over, seeing Nighty running over. I see Nightmare glance over and quickly break away from me.

"How is that stranger embracing the darkness so well?"He asks quietly

"Oh r1gHt. ThAt dArkNeSs iS pr3tTy n0rmAl t0 b3 s3en iN tHeSe k1nGd0ms, w1tH g0od aNd bAd vi3ws 0f tHoSe w1tH iT."I reply

"Really? That's amazing!"He says, taking the veil off.

I see Nighty run over and examine me carefully, able to see how my glitching picked up.

"Why weren't you answering your phone? I was getting worried! Where have you been?"He asks

"InK wAs k3ep1nG mE bUsY bY meDdl1nG s0 i hAd mY hAnDs fuLl. LaSt 0n3 hE aTtAck3d wAs uNdErn0v3lA. i cam3 h3r3 t0 relAx."I say

"And you were dancing with him because?"He asks

"It's a formality where I come from. He said he'd get me home and I wanted to thank him. It's quite simple, really."Nightmare says, transforming back to his other form

Nighty watches in shock, seeing his clothes stretch as he hides his tentacles.

"Now who are you to bother Error? And what's a phone?"Nightmare asks

Nighty looks to me in confusion.

"He g0t l0sT fr0m h1s h0m3. i aM tRy1nG t0 fiGur3 oUt h0w t0 g3t h1m baCk h0m3."I tell him

"Which I greatly appreciate!"He says, hugging my arm

He pauses, thinking for a moment.

"Should we return to your kingdom?"He asks

"ThAt w0uLd b3 b3tTeR aS tHiS gEtS exPla1n3d...AnD i d0 haV t0 cHeCk 0n mY br0tHeR."I say, opening a portal home

"Kingdom?"Nighty asks

"Yes! Can't you see the crown? Error has a lot to handle as he rules his land! Are you coming or not?"He snaps back

I chuckle, shaking my head. Then I feel my other arm get grabbed and see Nighty hugging it close to him, glaring at his other self.

"I want cuddles with you."He whispers

"Y0u aLwAyS d0."I say, pulling the two through the portal.

I glance around, noticing how quiet the space is. I don't hear my brother.

"I haVe t0 cHeCk sOmEtHiNg."I say

They both let go of me and I wander to where Papy last was, finding him reading with three of the hitmen tied and unconscious.

"ThEy aRe s0 eAsY t0 kn0ck 0uT bUt hAvEn't g1v3n anYth1nG vAlu3aBl3."He sighs, glancing to me

He smiles at me and I sigh with relief that he is okay.

"ThInGs g0t qu1eT sO i diDn'T kNoW iF sOmEtHiNg wEnT wRoNg."I tell him

"YoU dOn'T hAv3 t0 w0rRy, bRoThEr. wE hAvE eAcH oThEr aNd tHaT wOn'T eVeR cHaNgE. ShAlL wE mAkE pUpPeTs?"He asks

"I hAvE sOmE cOdE tO ChECK bUt sUrE."I say

He walks me back to where the pair are and I see them glaring at each other in complete silence. I facepalm.

"Oh! DiD nIgHtMaRe sPliT aGaIn?"Paps asks quietly

I shake my head.

"AnOtHer vErSiOn oF hIm g0t l0sT hErE."I say

"As soon as Glitchy returns, he is MINE."Nighty growls

"Oh how desperate suitors have gotten."The other him sighs, looking down on Nighty while looking a bit antsy as well.

I facepalm.

"ShOuLd wE eVeN aPpRoAcH? I d0n'T wAnT yOu t0 cRaSh."Paps says

"I leArNeD fROm lAsT tImE, PaPs. We aRe hOmE aFtEr aLl."I say, pulling myself up into a string hammock.

He smiles, getting lifted up as well. The two begin to argue and I shake my head.

He is literally fighting himself...Unbelievable!

While they're distracted, I take the veil and lift it up to examine the code it has, trying to find the AU it origins from. Then the two glance up, seeing me working away. They glance at each other, then nod.

Ooh great, what are they planning now?

"If yOu wAnT CUdDlEs Or t0 g0 hOmE, yOu bEtTeR lEt m3 w0rK iNstEaD oF wHaTeVeR y0u'r3 sChEmInG."I warn them

The two of them cross their arms, pouting. I shake my head.

"Who even is he?"Nightmare asks

"My b0yfRiEnD."I reply

He chuckles, glancing at Nighty.

"Have fun ruling this kingdom one day. Just...don't lose control of the darkness like I have or you'll hurt someone you love."He says, his tone turning sadder

Then the two start quietly talking, seeming much friendlier now. Paps sits between them and I finally find some code linked to an AU. It's a variant of Dreamtale obviously. I copy the code and use it to open a portal.

"HeY! I tHiNk i g0t y0uR wAy h0mE!"I say, lowering myself down.

He glances through, seeming to recognize his AU.

"Thank you so much! I'm sure we both have things to tend to so I'll be going! Thank you!"He says, hopping through

As soon as the portal shuts I get yanked into Nighty's lap and he buries his head in my shoulder, grumbling about something.

"Sorry...for snapping at you in OuterTale...Thought the crown failed again..."He says

"Oh iT w0rKeD, jUsT n0t iN tHe wAy y0u eXpEcTeD. It'S 0kAy, NiGhTy."I say

"Se3iNg y0u arGue w1tH y0uRsElF wAs tH3 w3iRdEsT tH1nG i'Ve s3eN t0dAy th0uGh."Paps says

I chuckle as Nighty groans, his head still in my shoulder.

"I am getting my cuddles though."He says

And he does.

Little did we know how much we had to savor those moments.

TBC