Error's POV

Weeks have passed and I was now in the anti-void with Ink. I opened up a portal to view UnderNovela with him. I smile, as does he. I love these activities with him. I had the Ink puppet dangling nearby. Ink held the puppet of me. Ink's face was bright with a smile and his usual star and oval eye-lights.

Ink then suddenly frowns, his eyes becoming an X and exclamation mark. He looks at me and shook his head.

"Shut it now. Something's coming and I was just hit with a flashback to the bad dream, so I doubt it's something good."Ink says

"O-0k."I comply, shutting the UnderNovela portal.

He clung to me tightly by the arm. We turn around to watch for anything. He held his brush tight and I prepare my strings. I spot a portal open and in walks Nightmare. Nightmare carelessly walks over to us.

"Should've expected you both to be here. Eh, it makes things easier."Nightmare says

"WhAt d0 yOu wAnT, nIgHtMAre?"I growl

"I'm done asking for you to rejoin the gang. And I'm done sending Cross to convince you, since he told me how he failed at that. Sorry about those injuries, dude. But now, I know how to make you. So, come on. Come with me before things get ugly. Or your lil friend there gets hurt."Nightmare states

Ink tightens his grip on me.

"Don't go.."He whispers

I look at him and nod to try and assure him I won't. I look at Nightmare and frown.

"Y0u ain'T mAkIng mE d0 aNyThInG. AnD y0u aIn'T uSinG InK t0 mAkE mE."I snap

"Oh, Error, you do not realize what I am capable of. I've found a way to make Ink no more..."Nightmare claims

I feel Ink's grip on me leave and I saw Ink appear beside Nightmare. He wasn't there willingly though, Ink!Pap was holding him there.

"Hey! Let me go! Agh!"Ink yells as Nightmare snaps Ink's brush in two.

"Do you really want to risk it with Ink?"Nightmare says

I could see tears in Ink's eyes. I didn't want to risk it, I didn't want to lose Ink....I knew what I had to do.

"Fine, I'll cOmE. But I aM n0t bReAkInG tHe tRuCe. Let InK g0."I snap

"Oh really? We'll see about that. Now say goodbye."Nightmare says

"Error!"Ink yells, right before Ink!Pap teleports away with Ink

I felt like part of me died when I saw Ink's expression before he disappears. It was horrible and I hated seeing it and breaking the promise. Nightmare wraps a tentacle around me and drags me into some AU. The gang was there and busy destroying it. Nightmare tossed me aside and ordered me to get to work. I stuck by what I said and just sat there, refusing to destroy. Nightmare did not like this. He kicked and whipped me with his tentacles, but the AU was gone before he could get me to even destroy a tree. I smirk but he dragged me to his base. He threw me into a dark room and continued the beating there. He soon left and I just sat against the wall, hoping Ink was ok. Cross enters and bandaged my injuries.

"I can't see a friend hurt again...Error, I'm gonna make sure Nightmare and Ink!Pap fail at their plan. I don't know how, but I won't let you suffer. You're gonna get outta here and back to Ink."Cross whispers

I was confused.

"WhY hElP mE?"I ask

"Allies help allies. I also want to make up for being Nightmare's puppet that led to hurting ya. Besides, we're in the same boat. We are trying to befriend a Star Sans..."Cross whispers

Dream instantly comes to mind with him, so I nod and quietly thank him. Nightmare always forgets to factor in any allies I might have after all. Maybe Ink's bad dream won't become a reality.

Ink's POV

Ink!Pap throws me aside and I land carefully on the ground, my feet sliding and digging into the ground. I no longer have my brush, it's broken in the anti-void, but that's not a priority right now. Nightmare took Error, and if I know Nightmare from past encounters, he certainly ain't giving Error a warm welcome or anything. I could sense an AU being destroyed by the gang, followed by a character getting destroyed. I freeze, it was Error. I lift the puppet of him that I held up and gaze at it. I wipe my tears and hug it, then securely tuck it under my sash of vials. I look at my brother and glare at him.

"What's with that look brother? Come here and give me a hug."He says

"I won't hug someone so evil, even if they're my brother."I snap

"Evil? I saved you from the evil! Error's bad for you, I know it! He's called a destroyer for a reason. You should be thanking me!"

"No, you did not! You don't know what's good for me! You hardly know me! We haven't even met until you took Error the other day! I won't thank the one who teams up with the leader of destroyers and claims they're good. You're just a big hypocrite! I hate you!"I yell, feeling fresh tears come and roll down my face

That seemed to hit him hard. He steos back and stares at me, frozen in place. His eye-lights were small and tears formed.

"Now if you excuse me, I have a friend to find."I say, swiftly turning on my feet and starting to walk away

"Wait!"Ink!Pap cries

I turn my head and look over my shoulder.

"What."I ask plainly

Ink!Pap takes something out of his pocket.  It was a rainbow soul. He came close and I look at him.

"I made it with some paint myself. I saw your stats and see your soulless. Nobody deserves that. So-"Ink!Pap begins

"I don't want your stupid soul. I may be soulless but I'm still not emotionless. I've gotten used to being soulless anyway and that won't make us best bros after what you did."I snap

I felt a surge of pain and emotions surge through me in the next few moments. He had shoved the soul into me, of which I absorbed. I fall to my knees and cry. I check my stats and sure enough, I had the soul.

"I don't care anymore of what happens. Go find Error if you care so badly. I just want you to be happy. Maybe someday I'll make up for what I've done and become a better brother to you."Ink!Pap says

I was silent. He opens a portal and leaves. I sigh and look at the Error puppet.

"I will find you."I say

I feel hundreds of AUs getting destroyed all at once and get worried. Error couldn't have broken the truce, could he? No, even if he did, nightmare's probably making him. I sigh, worried of so many things. I need help.

I take out my phone and call Blue. I explain everything that happened. He seemed overjoyed to hear from me, even though I had texted him while in the anti-void before Nightmare came along.

"Ink! It's been 2 months! I was getting worried again when I didn't hear or see you! I guess wherever you are runs quicker than my timeline AND your base."Blue says

I was shocked. No wonder I felt so much getting destroyed! 

"Okay....Blue, have you heard from Error at all?"I ask

"No, but Dream and I have seen him when we go to protect the AUs under attack. He's just been sitting on the sidelines, watching it all happen. He's been covered in injuries and Nightmare has even slapped him while fighting Dream and ordering him to destroy. Error...doesn't move. I've heard him mutter your name. He seems to be trying so hard to keep your deal or truce. But Nightmare always drags him away with the gang at every retreat. I fear the worst for him."Blue explains

Error...

"Okay, thanks for telling me Blue. Can you...come get me? Nightmare broke my brush and I don't have anything with me to get anywhere."I tell him

"Oh! Of course! I'm on my way, Ink!"Blue says, then hung up

Soon as he did, I cried. I couldn't imagine what Error was being put through. But I knew it must be bad.  The pain, both physical and emotional, that Nightmare's doing to him. All to keep the truce, the deal, the promise up. To not hurt me. It's my fault. He's doing this for me, after all. If I didn't let him get so close to me, maybe he wouldn't be going through this. 

I look up when I hear footsteps. It was Blue and Dream.  They see me and run over, hugging me and trying to comfort me. Dream checked my stats and was amazed to find that I had a soul. Blue explains what happened to him, knowing that I was currently in no mood to repeat myself.

"Huh, I guess Error wasn't so bad after all."Dream says

"Ya don't say Captain Obvious!"Blue says with a roll of his eye-lights

"Can we just go to my place? I have a spare brush there."I say

Blue and Dream nod, opening a gateway to my home. I run inside and go to my room. I shut and lock the door behind me. I get my spare brush from under my bed. I hug it and think. What to do now? Find Error. Maybe checking the anti-void will be a good place to look. I think on it a bit.

Error's POV

It's been a while. I've refused to destroy and have been beaten continuously for it. Blue and Dream have seen it as well. I've crashed plenty of times. It hurts a lot but Cross keeps secretly aiding me after each beating. Whenever I feel like caving in, I remind myself of Ink. I mutter his name if I must, think of him, the deal, promise, truce, all the good times I've had with him. 

That keeps me going. 

But I've noticed that Ink isn't with the Star Sanses, Blue or Dream, whenever I'm dragged along to attack an AU. I wonder where he could be, or if he's ok. Ink!Pap took him who knows where and could be doing who knows what to him. I just want to get out of here and see him again. I want to smile with him, laugh with him, hug him, tell him it's ok, keep making those good times. 

The door to my chamber opens. In walks Killer with Ink. How'd they get him? I look up and stare in a panicked horror.

"Nightmare says that you need some motivation to destroy, so here it is."Killer says, taking a knife out

"WhAt? No! KilLeR! D0n'T-!"I yell

Killer stabs Ink so many times and then steps back. Ink dropped to the ground, out cold. 

I lost it. I summon my strings while tears swell in my eyeholes. I shoot them at Killer and we fought. He dodged my strings and there were bone attacks or Gaster Blasters fired from both of us. He cracked my skull and the pain got me but I caught Killer in my strings. I toss him out.

Cross came running in with Nightmare yelling my name in the distance.  Cross opens a portal and shoves me through it. The portal shut and Error signs covered my vision.But I knew I was back in the anti-void. I feel my injuries and find that I couldn't move. Not without hearing a bone crack and feel even worse pain, at least. I couldn't see anything. I wondered if they could've really killed Ink. With Ink!Pap on their side, who is unpredictable, I have no idea what could be done. For all I kow, Ink could've been gone this entire time.

I hear a portal open and someone enter. I quickly summon my strings. I hear footsteps so I fire my strings in its direction.

"NiGhtMare, I kn0w y0u're ThEre. Leave n0w."I growl

The strings get smacked by something, I felt. Someone was here. But they didn't answer. I heard the footsteps increase and I feel hands grab my shoulders. I jump and teleport away, summoning Gaster Blasters.

"Leave, NIGhtMarE!"I demand

Still silence.

I fire the Gaster Blasters then send my strings again. I grab something. A soul.

"BluE? DrEaM? FrEsH? GeNo? NiGhtMaRe? WhOeVeR iS hErE, rEvEAl yOuRsElF oR pErIsH!"I threaten

Still silence. I'm about to break the soul, but then I heard something. Crying. Followed by someone finally speaking.

"Error....I'm so sorry for what they've done to you. Let me help you."The voice cries

It sounded like Ink....But that's not possible, he is soulless! Someone's tricking me! This is a fraud!

"Ink? Is it? No...Y0u'Re nOt hIm! NiGHtMaRe sToP tRiCkInG mE!"I say, starting to break the soul

That was when my vision cleared. I look along my strings to find Ink tangled up in them, a rainbow soul tied up in front of him. I recognized him and could tell it was really him. His eyes were a tear and exclamation mark, tears running down from them. The ink thing stuck to his cheek in the same spot as always. His scarf was drooping from around him. His rainbow sash of vials was hanging and had its usual outfit around it. I could see the puppet of me tucked with it. His brush laid behind him. I froze and tried to stop but the action was already done, I was cracking his soul.

"InK! I'M soRRy! It'S a j0y tO sEe yA! I tH0uGhT I lOst yA! I'M s0rRy! I....I....I...I-!"I exclaim, crying

The soul was halfway broken.

"Error, it's ok...It's gonna be okay. I'm just glad I found you and that you're ok. I....I missed you...I love you."Ink cries, smiling.

The soul was completely broken. I ran towards him to try to hug and save him, crying, but all I did was get his scarf. I cry and hold his scarf. Did I really just do that? Did I just kill Ink? though I knew it was pointless, I put the scarf on my self, still picturing his face.