Nightmare's POV weeks later

Uggh....My head....What's going on? Where am I? 

I slowly open my eyes and groan from the feeling of a pounding head. I sit up curiously and look around. I feel some twitching underneath me. I shift a bit, finding my tail still here with my big floppy bunny ears still part of my head. I glance around, finding that I am in my room that's on the raft.  I could feel everything rock peacefully back and forth.  

I remember everything. My mind went right to hating Color and only making negative connections or thoughts about him, but then something clicked in me. He was just being rash, stupid, and extreme because he was trying to do the right thing and help Killer. I wonder who that sounds like. Oh yeah, Dream! Who kept acting rash, stupid and extreme because he was trying to do the right thing and help his loved ones. Both failed or are failing due to being misinformed. And under all the rude, mean attitude Color has toward me, he is probably the sweet and friendly buddy of Killer that they are, er, were known to be. Heck they act like brothers and it even seems like they are having a rough patch like Dream and I did. Doesn't make nearly killing me twice and hurting others right, but I can kind of understand his motives.

I get knocked out of my thoughts by yelling and violent noises.

"HEAVE!"Voices yell

"HO!"Voices respond

"HEAVE!"Voices yell

"HO!"Voices respond

"HEAVE!"Voices yell

"HO!"Voices respond

"WHAT THE HELL?"Dust shouts

"I THOUGHT I GOT RID OF THEM!"Fallacy snaps

I peek outside through a window to see that the raft had changed structure. Now it looked more like a giant house at sea. There are walls and roofs built at where the open space would be. The roofs could be walked on and there were still spaces to be in the open, but there was more structure to it. My window was above the first "floor", on the second. There was an approaching ship with oars sticking out the bottom, rowing at a quick pace. Heave's and ho's could be heard from it. Humans on ropes and nets or on the deck of the ship could be seen. They all had paint or masks on or were covered in mud. Somehow Fallacy knew them. 

Is this the tribe he told me about?

I see Encre and Suave on the roof of the first floor. One human spots them.

"You two! Come join us or we will be forced to board and take you!"The human says

Encre and Suave look at each other. The looks they gave just said what-the-FUNK-is-going-on-right-now? I see Jasper come skipping over to them with Shino following.

"Sorry, mister. They are staying with us."Jasper says

"Why do you even want them you pirates?"Shino asks

"They are owed to the former leader, but he got killed. As his heir, they are owed to me."The human says

His crew seems to panic.

"Sir! That is the God of Chaos! He will plague us if we try! The God of Death must be nearby if he is here!"They shout

"FATHER! THE TRIBE WANTS ENCRE AND SUAVE!"Jasper says

"NOT AGAIN!"Fallacy shouts

Fallacy quickly comes over, hugging Encre and Suave close. Reaper comes out with his scythe and looks at the ship.

"Which one is the God of Death?"The human asks

Reaper points to himself. The crew points to Fallacy. Reaper turns his head to Fallacy.

"Quit stealing my reputation and title dude!"Reaper snaps

"Tell them that!"Fallacy says

The ship starts opening fire with canons. I spot Color in a crib-like space. It was a big pen or crib to keep him inside. It is labeled JAIL.

 Unfortunately, this spot was right in one of the canon's firing path. Something in me wanted to go against any sense of anger or reason and protect him. So, with the little strength I had, I made a wall with my tentacles, blocking the blast from him. He looks shocked. Then I use another tentacle to pull him out of danger. He seems shocked. Then I lay back and take some breaths. That took a lot out of me. I hear the door to my room open. I glance over to see Ghastly entering.

"Papa?"He says

I take one last glance outside to see the tribe's ship sinking. I look at Ghastly and smile. He shuts the door and comes running over. I sit up and turn to the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling? I can't believe you're up! Suave said you'd be lucky to wake up at all!"He says

"What do you mean?"I ask

"You were in a coma for weeks! We all feared that you'd never wake up and die! Papa! I love you so much! I'm so glad you're awake! I never want to lose you! I can't believe Color nearly killed you!"He cries

"I'm healing sweetie. It will take some time, but I'm ok. Everything is okay. You should know that I'd never leave you hanging. You'll never lose me, sweetie. I love you too much for that and you know I'd fight anything for you."I say, wiping his tears

He smiles happily.

"How is everybody doing?"I ask

"Everybody has been worried sick about you. They were all so focused on helping you and we left the island since the people there were not so nice. Dad hasn't even asked to be turned back to normal. He wants you to be okay and everybody's main focus. Mister Color seems indifferent and doesn't care in the least about the situation. He keeps trying to talk to Dad or me but we don't want to. He is going to trial as soon as everyone finds out that you are ok. X!Chara is building a case against him with Radier while Uncle E!Pap is going to be the judge. And if things go the way people think it will, Mister Reaper will take Mister Color off of his list. Papa, as bad as Color acted, some good came out of it. Everyone in you and Dad's gang united like family. They took care of us and even nicknamed themselves our uncles. It's just one big family of brothers!"He says

I smile.

"I am not surprised. We always had each other's backs like brothers would. Heck everyone bickered like siblings."I chuckle

Then I try to get up. I felt shaky, but I could do it. 

"Oo! Oo! I made something for you, Papa!"He says

He runs out quickly and runs back in with an outfit. I put it on over my clothes and bandages. I pull up the hood with and smile.

"It's cozy."I say

His smile and happiness was the greatest treasure I've seen.

"I'll go tell everyone that you're up!"He says, running off

I smile and look around. My legs were weakly trembling.

"Okay, Nightmare....You got this. You can do this. Just a few steps."I tell myself

I don't even lift my feet. I'm too wobbly to risk that. I just slide across the floor. I manage to get out of my room. I smile proudly. I start trying to walk properly and that's when I started slipping, tripping or falling. I slowly get up each time. I start trying to cling to the wall for support. 

I could hear someone crying. I peek inside a room and see a human I know to be Killer in there, crying in the corner. Still had the bright red hair, but now wore a light blue shaded dress and his face was tainted with tears.

"Color is wrong.....Nighty isn't gone! I can't lose him....He is going to be ok......"He whimpers

He turns to the wall. I lean in further, losing my balance.

"Kills? Gaah!"I say, then yelp as I fall again

Bang!

"Nighty? Nighty!"He says

I shakily start getting back up.

"I'm okay!"I say with a grin

I get up, sticking to the wall. Killer looks at me in shock, tears dripping from his eyes.

I smile a bit nervously.

"Nighty....."He says

"Hey, Kills."I say

He gets to his feet and looks at me.

"Wow, it's been weeks and you're still a beautiful human.~"I say with a smirk

"Nighty! That's seriously what you comment on?"He asks

"I'm not wrong, am I?"I ask

His face burns up, but he doesn't protest. I chuckle but stop because it hurt too much to laugh.

"Nighty, how are you up?"He asks, coming over

"I dunno, I just woke up. Maybe it was all the noise outside with the tribe's ship. Ghastly explained some things to me. He even has me wear this. I'm still healing but you know I can bounce back. Everything seems to be going o-"I begin

He leans in and kisses me mid-sentence. My face burns up. I jolt and my ears fly up. My tail froze and my nose kept twitching. All I could see was his burning face.

He wraps his arms around me gently, pulling me closer. The shock fades away. I gently grip onto him, giving into the kiss. I feel his hands slither around my body. One gently feels my ears, making them lower for me to relax while the other held me in place. but when I relaxed, I grew weak. My legs gave out but he quickly lifts me over his shoulder.

"You really shouldn't be up and putting weight on your wounds. Take your time and don't rush your healing, you stubborn bunny."He says, sliding a hand down my spine and sending little tingles across my body to make me relax more

My body was too weak and relaxed to really move. It went limp and I dangled over his shoulder, unable to see his face. He did not sound happy. But then I smirk. I did have access to other things. I have more tricks up my sleeves after all.

"Not just any stubborn bunny, your stubborn bunny."I whisper in his ear, then kiss his neck for a moment

He jumps, I could tell it startled him.

"Nighty!"He says with a burning apple-red face

"Hehehe.~ I love you Kills!"I say

He shifts his grip so he can carry me in his arms instead. I smile up at him. He sighs.

"I love you too, Nighty."He says

He carries me out of the room and goes to the lower floor. Heads turned while I just relaxed, snuggling into Killer's hold.

"Nightmare?"A bunch of them say

"Brother?"Dream and Dalilah say

"Hi....."I say

"He's awake but healing!"Killer says happily

Jasper snatches me from him and hugs me. Next thing I know I am getting passed around to everyone for hugs and joy while Felicia drags Killer away to turn him back to normal. When Suave hugged me, he refused to let go.

"Time for a check-up! I am not risking anything!"He says

I get a check-up and then Ghastly comes running over.

"Papa! Did you see anything while in a coma? Stories say that people in comas see things or have weird experiences."He asks

I think on it and my face burns once remembering it.

"Family. I saw family."I say

That's the most I can say.

Ghastly smiles and runs off.

"You seem stable, just need time to heal. I'll get you some crutches."Suave says

The crowd starts to disband and everyone seemed happier.

"Gah! Let me go!"Ghastly yelps

I glance over to see Color grabbing Ghastly roughly by the arm while trapped in JAIL.

"What do you want, you jerk?"Ghastly asks

"Hey kiddo! H-"Color begins

"What happened to me being a brat? Oh! Maybe it's because you realized that you were a moron upsetting everyone with your actions and is being a kiss-up now to save yourself?"Ghastly says in an annoyed tone

"No hard feelings right?"Color says

"You literally used everyone's fears against them, tried to kill my father twice for no good reason, put him in a coma and dislocated my spine while insulting me. Would you forgive yourself if you were in my shoes? How stupid would that sound to you? No wonder you have flames bursting out of you, fires destroy everything of value in its path just because it can like you do."Ghastly says, tearing away from Color

"GhAstLy! WhAt Are YoU dOiNg nEaR hIm?"Error asks, running over and scooping him up

"He was trying to act as if things were okay after what he did."Ghastly says

"DoN'T wOrrY, GhAsTlY. He WiLl nOt BoThEr yOu aNyMoRe."Error says, glaring at Color 

Very few people stuck around. Soon it was just me, Jasper making a court on the other side of the humongous room they made the outdoors into, and Color in his "JAIL CRIB" where he could easily hop over if it weren't for his ankles being handcuffed to the crib. 

PING!

My soul turned blue and I was dragged over to Color. 

Knew this was coming.

"How the hell are you alive and how did you get all this support?"He asks

"Oh ya know, by being a good person and not pissing them off you can get support. Which I did. And I thought you'd be happy that I survived. Now they will have to drop your murder charge down to a double charge of attempted murder charge. How's your defense for the trial coming along?"I say

"Pretty good actually."He says, showing me some papers

I read through them. 

"Explaining to Killer Nightmare's death-

 Explaining to a child who isn't even ten why his father is gone-

Explaining to Radier why he lost his adoptive parent-Just like his real ones, he had it coming.

Explaining to friends why Nightmare died-

 Explaining to Palette and Faith why Uncle Nightmare -

Explaining to Dream why his brother that he finally got back and treasures so much died-Dream you know your brother deserved it.

Explaining to everyone that I used their fears as a weapon to win-It was a sacrifice worth making at the time."It read

Most of them were either opinated or blank. Any responses seemed unremorseful or had regrets

"You really are going to say this at the trial to a child? No, no, CHILDREN, and think you're going to get away with it?"I ask

He is silent.

"And you really think telling my brother this will work out ok for you? Or with everyone's fears as a sacrifice? It is a sacrifice I am willing to make! Good luck being in the dragon's belly Lord Farquad! You do realize this only digs you deeper and you're going up against X!Chara, right? With all these blanks, you're basically asking for a guilty verdict. I get Fresh's shades give a YOLO message, but this is overkill for only living once."I say

"I will let my defense team fix that at the trial."He says with a roll of his eye

"Defense team?"I say

"The one I will surely be given."He says

I burst out laughing.

"That is the funniest thing you've ever said! Oh dear! My ribs hurt!"I say, taking deep breaths.

"Everything okay, Mister Nightmare?"Jasper asks

"Yeah, I just forget that I can't laugh that much. And Color here made a joke that someone will actually help defend him! As if this is a government!"I say

Jasper starts laughing now.

"Oh! That's a good one! This is a trial by a society of friends, not by a government! He has to defend himself! HE is a defense team! There's nobody that wants to defend a moron that commits crimes like him! Maybe he should have thought of that before he manipulated everyone with their fears or tried to hurt you! I gotta go tell Father that one! He will find it hilarious!"Jasper says, then flies off

Suave comes out.

"Here is a crutch for you."He says

I adjust it under my arm.

"Thank you."I say

He smiles.

"SUAVE!"Fallacy could be heard yelling

"Coming M'Lord!"He says

I feel an arm wrap around me. It was Color. He casually waves to Suave while gripping where my wounded ribs protect my soul.

"Bye bye!"He says

For a moment, I was scared of him again. Scared that in my weak condition he may try something. But then I recall that anything that he tries to do to me won't help him. Only an absolute moron would try anything. I smirk.

"You know, Color. I get why you were doing all that. You were just trying to do what you thought was best for Killer. You act like a brother does to him. Trust me, my brother acted the same way toward Killer when I fell in love with him. But you both have one flaw that causes you to get into these situations. You were misinformed. If you take a moment to listen and understand that things are different here, maybe it will help you. Cause as bad as you think I am, I'm not soulless. I don't want a good relationship to be ruined by some misunderstandings that could've been avoided. I had the same issues with Dream and hated having a bad relationship with him. Killer really cares about you deep down, even though he is pissed that you've done this. Please don't ruin your friendship with him when it could be fixed. Not over this. You still have a chance."I tell him

His grip tightens on me. He lifts me up by the collar of my hoodie, making me drop the crutch.

"I don't think. I KNOW. I know every little thing about you. I just simply don't know how you fooled all of them. But I will get out of this and fix this. I will make them understand and know everything that I know about you. There is nothing new with you. You are the most cruel, selfish, soulless thing there is."Color says

(Color:-GETS smacked by Underverse- 

Underverse:Actually it is Ink. Ya know, the one who LITERALLY DOESN'T HAVE ONE?)

"Oh, then why don't you have your argument done yet? Why did you waste your breath asking me questions minutes ago if you know me so well? And boy, that brings up a ton of contradictions that you clearly know about. If you know me so well, how are you so shocked at the amount of support I have? Clearly you'd know how I got them if you're so all-knowing and such a smarty-pants. Mind testing that statements with some questions from me?"I say

He is silent.

"Go on...."He says hesitantly

"Do you know WHY I ate the apple? What drove me to turn into the goopy form you're used to seeing me as? Do you know how I felt? Do you know how many times I panicked or feared losing Killer? Do you know what I've given up or done to protect him and everyone? Do you know the shit that we've gone through while you were gone besides your sudden appearances to screw everything up? Do you know how Dream and I got along again? Do you know what is going on? Do you know why I adopted the kiddos? Do you know how many bad dreams I have, what they are and why? Do you know how deeply I love everyone and what I would give for them to be safe? And final question, why did I save you earlier? Huh? I pulled you out of the canon's way so you don't get hurt, despite all that you've done to hurt me. If anything, you're a threat to me and a waste of my strength to protect when I am healing. So if I am so cruel and soulless or selfish, why did I do it huh? When it would be so much easier for me to just let you get taken out? It wouldn't hurt me. I'd save my strength. It would be a cruel thing to happen, but only hurts you. But that didn't happen, now did it? How come?"I ask

He looks at me as if a realization struck him. He is silent.

"Exactly, you don't know. If you stop and listen, you could know. Then this could all be fixed. You will properly be informed and act properly, fixing your issues with everyone. Instead of blindly jumping to action, think for a moment. It all starts with that one step. And to answer that last question, I saved you because I know that when everything is said and done, Killer would hate for you to be hurt. Anything or anyone important to him is important to me, which includes you. So no matter what you do to me, I will try to help you. But there's only so much I can take. Don't hurt the kids or that emergency help-line will be cut off from you."I say

He sets me down and stares at me. I see a spark go off in his eye, like something finally clicked. He shakes his head.

"So, when did you dislocate my son's spine?"I ask

"Ummm, he tried to stop my plans so I kicked him into a tree that dislocated it and caused him to limp."He says

"Listen here, you hurt my sons again or insult them with names like brat, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY! There will be no place in this multiverse or any multiverse where you can hide. I will hunt you down and make you regret doing it. Cause you can mess with me all that you'd like, try to hurt or insult me with whatever plan you think of stupidly, but NEVER pull my loved ones into it. NEVER pull my kids into it. Trust me, it's not worth getting killed to hurt a child. Am I clear?"I snap

He nods, looking scared for once.

"Now, please give me my crutch. I can't bend."I say, not breaking eye contact

He picks it up and I grin. But before anything could happen, my Kills came.

"NIGHTY!"He shouts, running over and hugging me

Color smiles.

"Hey K-"He begins

"I don't want to hear anything from you! Nighty, did he hurt you? Are you okay?"Killer snaps

"I'm fine Kills, he didn't hurt me. I dropped my crutch and he was giving it to me."I say

I smile and wink at Color. Maybe this will help them get back onto good terms.

"Really? NOW he chooses to act nicely to you? Well it's better than nothing."He says, then takes me over to a some chairs. 

We sit down with the crutch. Once the sun went down,  everyone came and filed into seats. Color sat at a table, unable to do much else.  E!Pap sat on a high stool with a table in front of him. He's the judge. X!Chara sits at another table. Radier and Ghastly sit with me.

"Wait a second! He can't be a judge! He will have bias! Ghastly literally calls him UNCLE!"Color snaps

"Well who do you think would be a better fit?"Cross asks

"Geno!"Color says a bit too quickly

E!Pap frowns.

"Hmmm, then my verdict is guilty. Go ahead, Reaper."Geno says, still pissed with Color

"WITH PLEASURE!"Reaper says

"OK! E!PAP IS FINE!"Color says

"Fitting since he is best with giving second chances and being fair."Ink says

"And he is the new guardian of positivity, including Justice."Cross adds

"Wait what now?!"Color asks

E!Pap hits the gravel.

"Trial is now in session. But before the prosecution starts.....Color, how do you plea?"Edge asks as he guards E!Pap in case something happens to go wrong

"Not guilty."Color says

"Stubborn moron."Killer says

"Pr0sEcUtiOn, plEAsE aDmiT y0Ur wiTneSsEs aNd eVidEncE liST."E!Pap says

X!Chara hands over a packet of papers. E!Pap looks through it quickly.

"We ArE gOinG tO bE hErE a WhiLe. GeT cOmfY eVeryOne. PrOsEcuTiOn mAy bEgIn."He says

X!Chara gets up.

'i'm sure everyone knows why we're here. Color here tried to be a special little heroic snowflake but really was the opposite, costing us all something and nearly someone. Well, I'm going to be straight with this lil attention seeker right now..."X!Chara says, walking over to the table Color sits at

"CONGRATULATIONS, buddy! It's your time to shine! But like any star, they shine brightest before their end. And by the time we're done here, you won't just be guilty, you will FEEL so guilty that your sins crawling down your back will all you sense. Let's ensure you are properly informed shall we?"X!Chara says

Color looks away.

"I'm admitting Evidence Exhibit A. Discretion is advised."X!Chara says, pulling up a peekhole with some code

Everyone covers the childrens' eyes.Others just looked away. It was just a replay of what led up to now. Color was shocked and passed on his counter to it.

The next few pieces of evidence were pictures of memories and things we held dear. The flower Killer gave me, our letters, pictures, etc.

"Now this seems to be quite the opposite of what the defendant claims about Nightmare, the very motive for his actions. But that is simply the start of how wrong he is. He claims that Nightmare has done nothing but hurt others or use them, but the next time period will prove quite the opposite. May I call my first witness, your honor?"X!Chara says

E!Pap nods.

"I'd like to call hmmm....How about, Cross, to the stand?"X!Chara says confident yet casually

The stand was a stool. Cross went to it but placed his hand on the scrapbook that Edge held while holding his right hand vertically.

"Do you solemnly swear on the Holy Scrapbook that you will say the truth, answer with the truth and tell nothing but the truth?"Edge asks

(-The Scrapbook is their Bible confirmed-)

"I swear."Cross says, glaring Color down

Killer squeezes my hand.

"I am so glad you are here to witness karma being given to him."Kills whispers to me

I feel a tap on the shoulder. It's Error.

"NeEd a bLaNkEt? We'Re gOnNa bE HerE a WhiLe."He asks

I nod. He passes me a newly crotcheted blanket. I spread it out after thanking him, wrapping the kids, Killer and I up in it.

"YEET!"Paperjam yells, tossing a blanket to E!Pap

"SSH!"Edge snaps, shaking his head

Paperjam shrugs and sits back down once E!Pap got wrapped in the blanket.

"Tell me Cross, how bad was Nightmare?"X!Chara asks

"Pfft, Nightmare isn't bad. He's no saint but who is? He's just a very good person or friend, family even. Yes, he gets angry or can snap. He used to get violent, but given his past with bullies and such, who wouldn't? But really, he's just trying to do stuff worht his time like anyone in life. He trains us and gets very protective of his gang or anyone he cares about. So the only bad I can think of is a badass protective figure."Cross replies with a smirk

"What is the family dynamic like?"He asks

"Which one? The genetic one or non-genectic one?"Cross replies

"Either one."He responds

"Well, both are close-knit and not that complicated anymore. Dream gets along with him again and we each have each other's backs. But of course there were those times he made us panic by trying to leave to protect us."Cross says

"I see...Now, how did the day of The Incident go? What did The Incident cause?"He asks

"It was just like any other day lately. I was training with Palette when this fog started to sink in. That's when the Incident was starting to cause issues. I saw the gang and Dream all getting killed. Luckily I dropped my weapon or I would've hurt Palette while blinded by my fears."Cross says

"Do you know who caused it? Point to them."He says

Cross points to Color.

"Did you give him permission to do so?"He inquires

"HELL no. And if I had known that he was using it to hurt Nightmare, I would have gone to that lake and waited for him before taking him out. NOBODY deserves to go through the pain he must've went through. Color had no right to use our fears against him as some kind of ammo and he is nobody to judge what someone he hardly knows deserves, especially with their life. Leave that to Reaper."Cross says

"Do you have anything to say to the defendant?"He asks

"Fresh is gonna censor me but FUNK you dude, FUNK you."Cross says

"No more questions."He says

Now it was Color's turn. He got up to do cross-examination with Cross.

"He may be good now but didn't he have a bad past? He was bad in the past right?"Color asks

"What part of he isn't a saint don't you get? And why does that matter? The past is the past, now is different. Holding grudges is bad."Cross replies

"But he's evil! He's done horrible things!"Color says

"Yeah well he hasn't used private information like fears and stuff to KILL SOMEONE! AHEM! So you're one to talk!"Cross snaps

"But-"Color begins

"Your honor! The defendant is badgering the witness!"X!Chara shouts

"ThIs CroSs-ExAmiNatiOn hAs EnDeD! CrOss aNd ColOr taKe yOur seAts!"E!Pap orders

They do as told.

Witness after witness from the gang came up. None of them could be persuaded by Color. They kept saying:He's family. He's a good person. They said their own versions of Cross' tale and Fell even flipped Color off during cross-examination.

"What do you-"Color had begun

"Shut th FUNK up and talk to the finger."Fell had said, shoving his hand in Color's face while sticking the middle finger up

And Horror....He had to be restrained by Edge, Error AND Lust from not making a head-dog out of Color during his time on the stand.

"LEAVE THE KILLING TO REAPER! IT IS NOT WORTH IT!"Lust tells him

"Good point. And like the saying goes, you are what you eat. And I don't eat POOP. He'd probably taste disgusting."Horror agrees, getting censored

Killer was the only gang member that had not gone up.

"Guess he is saving me for later."Killer mumbles

X!Chara did a quick one with Fresh, who called me a "rad, protective broski that is very special." And boy, he gave a warning on cross-examination.

"Never do something so unradical again, okay, bruh? Cause that was the lowest of the low you could go to hurt such a radical friend. Try again and I'll make sure you have a FUNKING unrad time."Fresh had said

After that, Color seemed too shaken up to ask another question. I bet he never knew a time where Fresh censored himself from his anger.

"Now that I knocked the quick ones out of the way, let's introduce some new faces that the defendant doesn't even really know. Lives that have been positively affected by their encounters. To start, I will call Monsieur Encre to the stand."X!Chara says

Encre goes up. I rest my head on Killer's shoulder, unable to stay sitting up anymore. I feel someone grab me. I glance and it's the kiddos. Ghastly and Radier are snuggling me while Etolie continues to watch the trial. I smile at them and they smile back.

"Bonjour Encre."X!Chara says

"Bonjour..."Encre says, seeming a bit uneasy

"Something the matter?"He asks, leaning over

Encre whispers something to him.

"I also call Suave to the stand to translate for him. He has forgotten English from The Incident messing with his head."He says

That's another hurdle for Color to get over. Was it worth Encre's head getting messed with just for his plan to work?

Suave sits on another stool beside Encre. Encre seems put at ease now. 

"Okay. Encre, how did you meet Nightmare?"X!Chara asks

"I met him in my AU. He had left everyone due to being afraid of hurting them. He and I ran into each other in a forest. I didn't have a clue who he was, I didn't even know about a multiverse and all that stuff. He and I talked a bit and he protected me from some bad folks in my AU. As far as I knew, he was just a really nice were-octopus."Encre replies through translation

"Did he ever try to hurt you? Or did anything go wrong with him?"X!Chara asks

"Nope. Everything was okay with him. He was, and still is, very reliable and a good person. The closest thing to something going wrong was the second time he came to my AU by mistake, but that wasn't his fault. A weirdo was after him."Encre says

Then Encre answered the same questions the rest did with the same answers. He had seen his fears and his head was messed with by The Incident.

Color came over to the stand.

"My apologies for what happened, I did not intend for you to lose knowledge or memories."Color says

"Shouldn't have happened in the first place. Oh and he is calling you a multi-colored idiot."Suave says to translate

"Okay....Well you know plenty about your perspective but have you ever tried to see other's point of view?"Color asks

"Yes, he has. He has already put himself in Nightmare's, Killer's and the children's perspectives as well as yours. He can't find a logical reason to explain why a person as smart or nice as you claim would be so stupid, blind and cruel to do these things to everyone or to Nightmare. He also says that you are not an expert on seeing other's perspective sicne you are too stubborn and probably haven't even tried. He dares you to go through what Nightmare has and still find a reason, a good reason, to do what you did."Suave translates

Encre is sent to his seat. X!Chara had Suave go next since he was already at the stand. Except he gets to speak his mind now.

"How did you meet Nightmare? What did you think or know about him?"X!Chara asks

"I first met him when Encre and M'Lord Fallacy brought him to our home. I only had little bits of knowledge about the multiverse thanks to one of Shino's books. But it's not like he hid it from us, he straight up told me who he was and his reputation. But despite that, I couldn't really believe it. I thought that I couldn't find a bad bone in his body. He was just different and I know that when someone is different, others tend to assume that they're bad news. But I couldn't find a bad bone in his body, literally. And from the day we met, he was nothing but nice to me and my friends. He was just a were-octopus trying to protect his loved ones or get back to them."Suave explains

They go through some questions with him. Then X!Chara slides some evidence to him.

"These are your notes after his checkup on his second visit, correct?"X!Chara asks

"Yes, he was wounded very badly. Yet the only thing on his mind was if his child was okay and was willing to throw himself back into a fight in his condition if it meant he could keep his son safe."Suave says

Then the usual questions were done. He would rather not talk about what The Incident caused him. On Cross-Examination, Color seemed confident as he approached Suave.

"Suave, you seem smart-"Color begins

"And you don't."Suave says

I could hear laughing muffled behind me.

"Suave is gonna make things hard for Color."Jasper whispers through giggles

"As I was saying, you seem smart. Couldn't you see a reason why someone would try to get revenge on him for his bad things?"Color asks

"Nope. That person would be stupid. Violence doesn't lead to anything good, just more violence. If they have a grudge or problem, talk it out."Suave says

"Well what makes him so good or whatever?"Color asks

"One sec, I made a list to compare you both to prove that point. Like listing pro's and cons. Where did I put it?"Suave says, checking his pockets

"Is that even allowed?"Color asks

E!Pap nods.

"Here it is!"Suave says, taking out a list

"Please read it."Color says

"Which column would you like?"Suave asks

"Nightmare's."Color says

I saw the most evil smile I ever saw on Suave appear. 

"As you wish, yours is too long anyways. Nightmare:He helps others, is protective, good father, loving, trains the kids, a good friend, among other things and saved my friends and I from our AU collapsing or idiots. He can see other people's views. He is a very nice were-octopus or whatever you may call him. Cons, he has a bad past but that's different. He has always been willing to sacrifice himself for others and seems to put others before him too often. Seriously, I've had to give him checkups in shorter amounts of time than with Jasper and that says something about his character."Suave says, glancing at me

I mouth sorry to him and he chuckles.

"What do you even know about me that makes me so bad on that list?"Color asks

"Hmmm, I haven't known you very long but can tell a lot about you. You are stubborn, arrogant, closed-minded, which blinds you or makes you incapable from seeing other people's perspectives. You give off this vibe or idea that everyone but you has to be wrong. You don't think things through, put your wants before others feelings or privacy. Unlike Nightmare, you have manipulated our private fears or information to hurt others, even ruining parts of our minds, hurt a child, among other things. All without taking a moment to consider if you are doing something wrong or how it will impact others. You remind me of a self-centered hero that tries to slay a dragon but instead destroyed an entire village and killed the king because he didn't wait long enough to listen or think. Or as Shino may put it, a Gaston. And despite how much of a fire hazard you seem to be, I doubt you have ever jumped through LITERAL FIRE to save someone that wasn't yourself. Cause Nightmare has. Except it was a burning castle that he jumped into to save his son even though he couldn't turn into his were-octopus form. THAT is a good person. THAT is a hero. THAT is someone who didn't deserve to die the way you intended him to die. THAT is Nightmare! Now if you have any sanity in you, I advise you rethink your actions and be, oh I dunno, A GOOD PERSON!"Suave snaps

Color's jaw dropped. Everyone was silent. 

"Woo! Go Suave!"Jasper cheers

I saw Edge smirk at Suave. Then he muffled a laugh at Color's shocked face.

"Are we done here?"Suave asks

Color nods.

Suave walks back to his seat.

Felicia went up next.

"Nightmare is such a sweet little darling. He wouldn't hurt anyone, especially Killer. You must really be clueless if you dunno how much they love each other. And you should really not hurt anyone for your selfish desires, no matter how heroic it sounds to you."Felicia says on cross-examination

After the rest of our Vampireverse friends went up, Jasper and Fallacy went up. Color tried any strategy he could with Jasper. Even tried to bribe him.

"You dislocated my friend's back when he was trying to protect his father and stop you from something you knew you knew was wrong and hurting everyone. I'm sorry, wait a second....No I'm not sorry, I don't agree with your claims whatsoever. Mister Nightmare is one of the best people ever. And if you're so upset with the person that has been protecting and caring for Killer while you were in lala land or whatever, then maybe you should have been here instead! Instead of coming after the trouble passes to criticize! That's like coming to a town after a tornado hit and complaining to the survivors that had to live through the storm about all the damage! It's one of the stupidest things you could do! So since you weren't around, how about you shut up with your evil Nightmare rants? It's helping NOBODY! And I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that I am tired of hearing it."Jasper says

"But at least I'm innocent! This is my first time! You can't say the same about him!"Color reasons

"Wrong again. Weren't you the one that Mister Cross caught messing with Mister Killer's head to break him off from Mister Nightmare? While he was having memory issues? Messed with his soul? That's low. And there's one difference between you two. He changed to good. You are reasoning that turning evil is ok meanwhile if it were anyone else it would be wrong. I strongly disagree with your claims."Jasper says

Edge once again muffled a laugh at how he is being outsmarted by a child.

Color's strategies ticked Fallacy off more than it helped him.

"Listen, you seem to not be getting the point. Something doesn't seem to click in that head of yours. Nightmare is good. You are bad. He has literally saved me or Encre. You don't do anything like protection or helping. He protects kids. You break their backs. Hmm, how else can I put this? Ah yes. We vampires have a special time called the Blood Moon. Vampires supposedly lose their minds, but we don't lose our instincts. We can tell a lot from the blood. There are usually three situations that go down on Blood Moon. 1:Go for the ones with good blood, they are good people but don't kill them. Vampires usually like to encounter good people and remember them after the Blood Moon in order to protect them. Getting their blood allows us to know their scent and track them down. 2:Go for the people with bad blood, meaning they are bad people. Kill them, the good people shouldn't put up with that. 3:Follow scents but don't hurt the owner of the scent. That usually only happens with really good people. Nightmare would be in situation 1 or 3 on a Blood Moon and you'd be in situation 2. Does that make it click for you?"Fallacy says to Color

Color quickly ended questioning him.

The next few witnesses went. Geno, S!Pap and Classic gave him sarcastic thank you's for making them go through their feared genocide runs again and messing with their heads. Ink gave a blunt opinion:Color is an idiot. S!Reaper and S!Geno said the same. Reaper told Color that he is at the top of the list. Soon, the only ones not called were mostly the kids, Dream and Killer. Sprinkle, Fury, Blueprint, PJ, Raven, Faith, Goth and Desire went up. 

"Bluescreen, do you mind coming up?"X!Chara asks

Bluescreen looks around and makes eye contact with Color. Color seemed to glare him down. Gradient notices. So does E!Pap. In the blink of an eye, Color's head was smashed into the table by Edge.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"Color shouts

"STOP FUNKING SCARING THE KID YOU DOUCHEBAG!"Edge snaps

"MaY I CoMe Up wItH hIM?"Gradient asks

X!Chara nods.

Gradient brings Bluescreen to the stools, holding his hand tightly.

"He cAn'T hURt You. JuSt SpeAk yOuR mInd. I'm hErE."Gradient says

Bluescreen nods.

"WhErE iS yOuR tRanSlaToR?"He asks

Bluescreen bows his head, muttering something.

"Why didn't you tell me?"Gradient asks

Bluescreen says something as they sit on the stools.

"AlRiGhT. I WiLl tRanSlaTe fOr yOu."Gradient says

"Okay, Bluescreen. How did you meet Nightmare?"X!Chara asks

"HE sAys hE mEt hiM aT ERRoR's birTHdAy pArty wHen PJ cAmE oUt of a box. TheN hE aNd I lEfT to FinD OuTeRtAlE...He FoUnD MiSteR NiGHTmArE aS a vEry NiCE pErSoN."Gradient says

"Did you know the defendant?"X!Chara asks

Bluescreen looks at Gradient, then makes the eh hand gesture.

"He sAyS tHat He mEt MiStEr CoLoR aN HoUr bEfOrE THe InCiDenT. It Did nOt gO wElL. MiStEr ColOr iS tHe oPpOsItE oF MistEr NigHtmArE hE sAyS."Gradient translates

"Would he be ok sharing what happened?"X!Chara asks, intrigued

I look around, that got everyone's attention. We've never heard of trouble before the incident. I could tell that parent modes kicked in because Geno seemed really irritated already, Reaper lost his eye-lights and grips his scythe tighter while Felicia took out a chancla. 

https://youtu.be/xb2fjZa_L74

(OKAY EVERYONE! IT IS HAPPENING! SOMEONE IS GONNA GET SMACKED! GET THE CHANCLA!)

Then again, everyone seems unhappy. I grip my crutch. Color seems uneased. He looks right at me and starts fumbling with his handcuffs. He knows what trouble he is in. We got a future runner.

Gradient looks at Bluescreen and he nods.

"He sAys ThaT hE wAs hEaDiNg HomE fRoM tHe PaRk bUt WaS tOlD tO gO a DiFFeReNt wAy bEcAuSe ThErE wAs A FiRe BeInG hAnDleD. CoLoR cUt hIm oFf and sAid HeLlO. He diD nOt FeeL oK aRoUnd hIm. WhEn hE anSweRed, He couLd teLl tHat MisTeR ColOr nOtIcEd tHe TraNslAtoR. NeXt ThiNg hE kNew.....OH I AM GONNA KILL YOU IF REAPER DOES NOT GET TO, MISTER COLOR!"Gradient says, then snaps at Color

I glance at Error. He looks like a proud father.

"ThaT'S mY sOn gEtTiNg pRoTeCtIvE oF hIS lOvEr."He mumbles proudly

"ExcEpT thE KilLiNg pArt, hE says tHaT MisTer CoLoR sHoVeD hIm tO ThE gRoUnd, BrOke ThE TrAnSlAtOR anD InJeCtEd sOmEtHiNg InTo hIm.  MiStEr ColOr sAiD tHat NoBoDy caN kNoW wHat TheY cAn'T uNdErsTand, eSpEcIaLlY sIncE nObOdy cAn UnDerStanD wHat hE is SayiNg. NEWSFLASH MISTER COLOR: I CAN! AND EVEN IF I COULDN'T, THAT GIVES NO REASON TO USE HIM AS A PRACTICE TEST! AnyWaYs,He BeGiNs To sEe hIs fEaRs anD wHen He fInaLlY snApPed oUt oF it, hE waS lOsT iN tHe fOrEst fOr hOuRs wHiLe tHe fOg hAd tHe reSt of Us uNder iTs iNflUenCe. He sAw wHat hE dId to gHasTlY and feArEd gEtTiNg hUrt ToO, so hE sAiD nOthIng UntIl nOw."Gradient explains

Gradient looks to E!Pap.

"SOMEONE IS LOSING THEIR HANDS!"PJ shouts

I know what he is referencing.

"UnClE, cOulD mUrDeR bE lEgAl fOr a MiNuTe? I wAnNa HavE A gO aT MiStEr ColOr."Gradient asks

"I gOtTa bE FaIr To EvEryOne, sO nO."E!Pap says

Gradient nods, but glares Color down. I teleport outside the "Court room". I lean against a wall and wait, setting my crutch out to trip someone. Within a few moments Color comes running out with a face covered in guilt. The kind that says that he knows he screwed up really badly. But he didn't get far at all. He tripped over my crutch. I grab him with a tentacle.

"Going somewhere? I don't recall hearing a break being called."I say

I toss him back into the room and teleport to my seat. I notice Shino turned around in her seat, looking at me in awe. I smile and wink at her. She giggles.

"Now that's a hustle!"She says

I chuckle, knowing what she's referencing.

I feel a head rest on mine. I glance up to see Killer. I smile. Now Gradient was on the stand. He told about how he isn't from this timeline and how Error adopted him. 

"BuT misTeR NiGhTmAre iS vErY nIce. He anD Dad WoUlD tRaiN uS aNd oThEr kIds, tEaChiNg uS nEw aBiLiTiEs. ThEy aRe VeRy pROTeCtiVe. AnD MiStEr NiGhTmAre GavE mE a VeRy WarM wElComE iNto What DaD caLlS tHe GaNg FaM. He iS pRoBaBlY oNe oF tHe bEsT rElaTiVeS I hAve. I aM vErY hApPy tHat MiStEr CoLor dIdn'T sUccEeD iN gEtTiNg hIm kIlLeD."Gradient says

Once dismissed from the stand, he runs over and hugs me happily. Then he brings Ghastly to the stand. Palette had Ghastly sit in his lap since he couldn't get on the tall stool.X!Chara just let them speak their minds. Color begins to question them both but Ghastly covers his mouth, stopping him. 

"We have questions for you instead."Palette says

"Why did you try to kill my Papa? Why did you try to take my Papa away from everyone, upsetting my Uncle Dream and Dad the most? Why did you think it was okay to trap people in their fears or mess with their heads just to hurt my Papa?"Ghastly asks

Color opens his mouth but shuts it. He is unable to answer

"And how naive can you be? How stupid could you be? This entire time you act shocked at how people are reacting to what you did! What did you expect from all of us? Seriously!"Palette snaps

"Oh thank you, Mister! Thank you for brutally killing my father that raised me from infancy or babybones age! You dislocated my spine and manipulated everyone I care about but who cares? You killed my beloved father in the end! That's completely okay! Such a shame he woke up! Oh what would we do without someone like you? Did ya expect that or something? Oh! Or with Uncle Dream cause you've had so many conversations with him! Thank you for hurting my brother! I finally got him back and have a good bond with him, but I'll let you ruin that! Yep! This is fine! Thanks for coming along and ruining everything!"Ghastly says, sarcastically imitating some reactions

"Thanks for trying to kill my uncle! Thanks for hurting my beloved cousin! Thank you for all that you've done! What goes through your head to think that we will all just be ok with that plan of yours?"Palette asks, sarcastically thanking him

"Then there's Dad of course! You claim that you did it for everyone, especially for him and that you care about him and everyone, yet you refuse to listen to anyone with how they feel or I dunno, HOW WRONG YOU ARE? Then you are shocked that nobody is coming to thank you! That my dad isn't going out of his way to defend you or hang out with you! As if after everything you did he was just going to come over to you like:Hey, buddy. You messed with everyone's heads including mine as well as my soul and bossed me around instead of listening, but that's cool. You tried to kill my Nighty/ husband but that's perfectly okay. Hey, you know what I wanna do? Hang out with you like nothing happened! One sec, let me find all the reasons I like you....."Ghastly snaps

He pauses for a moment.

"They are very acurate."Killer whispers

"Oh wait, I don't like you. Cause you are the worst hero or person ever! You are the hero that does the villain's job because they are too stupid to know the difference! And I dunno, BECAUSE YOU HURT MY FAMILY AND USED EVERYONE I LOVE! I will never get those screams from Papa out of my memory, I will never unsee the looks of fear on everyone and I will never forgive you for what you did!"Ghastly snaps

Palette hugs Ghastly to help calm him.

I shut my eyes, growing tired. I need to rest to heal. 

"I saw some papers you wrote about Radier. To write those things to defend yourself is low and wrong. That's Ghastly brother and my cousin! So if you have any good in you, you'd take ownership of your actions, apologize or face the consequences instead of trying to defend yourself or reason it in a way that makes you sound better than you are just to save yourself."Palette says

"You alright, Nighty?"Killer whispers

"Tired.....Wake me up if something happens or this trial ends....."I say, sleepily dozing off while resting my head on his shoulder

Everything seems to get tuned out. I feel Killer wrap his arm around me. Suddenly I hear yelling outbreak. 

"DO NOT EVEN TRY IT!"I hear Dream yell

"Dad!"Radier shouts

I feel Killer tighten his grip on me. I open an eye to see Dream above me, aiming his bow&arrow ahead while Radier also hugged me. I look ahead, seeing Color right in front of me, his arms restrained by Ghastly's tentacle.

"I don't think so!"Ghastly snaps

Color still fought against the tentacle, but his face went pale at the sight of everyone watching or trying to protect me. His flames even turned white. He gets an arm free and pulled me forward.

"I'm sorry, you all were right. You are a good person."He whispers, then releases me

Then he gets puts back at his seat by Edge. I see Dream sit beside Killer, unsummoning his weapon. At first I was shocked, but then I smile a bit.

"What did he tell you Nighty?"Killer asks

"He....apologized....Admitted he was wrong...."I say softly, then doze off once Ghastly and Palette come over

Ghastly sneaks into the blanket and snuggles me.

When I woke up, Reaper was awake. Yep, he had slept through most of the trial before I napped. He was grumbling.

"I never get to kill any jerks anymore. No fair. No fun."He mumbles

"What did I miss?"I ask Killer

"E!Pap found Color guilty but innocent of a second chance. Instead of being sentenced to death, he got sentenced to Kindness Training. Basically E!Pap is going to teach Color everything he missed, how to be nice, how to judge someone positively or not at all, and how to make up for what he did. Basically a Redemption boot camp."Killer says

I chuckle.

"So that's why Reaper is grumbling. E!Pap does try to see the good in people."I say

Everyone starts to disband. Some to sleep, others to do whatever. The trial is finally over. E!Pap escorts Color away. I make eye contact with him. He mumbles something I couldn't hear. 

"Now, let's get to bed."Killer says, scooping me up

I nod, still half-asleep. He leans in and kisses my cheek. Then he carries me away. I scoop the kids up in my tentacles and soon we are all curled up in bed, sleeping together.

Our happy little family.

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TBC

Sorry if it's too long. I just like writing trials and wanted to show as many perspectives on the witness stand as I could. Hope you all enjoyed this trial like the last(or lawyer X!Chara again :3) More chapters coming soon.