Error's POV

I see Dream's spear strike into the ground and frown, still able to sense an overwhelming positivity that isn't his. I reached for the door but it wouldn't unlock and neither would the windows. What had he done?

"LOCKDOWN COMPLETE. ACCESS DENIED! EXIT CHOICE DENIED! AUTHORIZED ACCESS ONLY! AUTHORITY: DREAM!"

What the hell?

Then I see Swad land softly on the ground, grabbing the spear and turning it almost absentmindedly. He shakes his head, then glances at me and grins.

"Hey Error!~ Do you mind opening the door? I'd really love some time with you!"He says

"WhAt thE hElL diD yOu dO t0 dReaM?"

His smile fades and he snaps the spear in half.

"Of course, you only ask about him...for now...I'm sure my aura can convince you to change that...He had to be eliminated, Error. I tried to give him another option. We could've worked together and had some fun. But no, he had to resist my offer to share and perfect you. Had to try and be oh so noble for you and care for you more than you do and claim that you deserve better than that. He had a chance to get a favor returned to him and he tossed it away. But don't worry, you have me now!"

His words send disgusting shivers down my spine. Being shared? Perfected by him? What did he do to eliminate Dream if he never hit the ground? But then there's also his words...returning a favor...

That was part of what I said to him...to justify myself changing to make him happy...I wasn't completely listening to him...How did he feel when those words also left Swad's mouth to persuade him?

"I dOn'T wAnT YoU."

"Oh come on, Error. Of course you do. You want a Dream that will be selfish for once and accept all your hard work at changing yourself for him. I can sense it. You'd do anything to satisfy him and feel good enough. There's a part of you that wants to be molded into something better. You're tired of him thinking about others. Well, here I am. A Dream selfish enough to disregard others and eager to accept you. The multiverse has wronged me enough times to deserve someone willing like you to serve as compensation. Don't you want to stop being what those voices call you and prove that you're enough? You can prove it to me."

I pause, remembering what I had said to Dream.

"QuIt tHiNkiNg 0f oThErS aNd c0nsiDeR y0uRsElF f0r 0nCe!"

"I am, Error. I'm thinking of both of us. It hurts me to think that you feel the need to go down this path. To devalue yourself. I don't want to be the reason you think like that and I know it isn't good for you! I want to be the reason you believe in yourself and love yourself as you are, not break yourself down! I care for you so much, Error! I am not going to enable this hurtful behavior or take advantage of you when you clearly don't get how unhealthy this mindset is! I'm not going to be like those AU residents who took advantage of me trying to be good enough for them! The ones you looked down on, mind you! I can't do that Error! I won't! I'm not going to their level and you can't convince me this is healthy!"

He looked so upset and hurt...I want to make him happy and be good enough to love him but...did I really let the voices influence me too much? I acted like I wanted him to enjoy this...And now Swad's here doing so...Did my words hurt him and make the connection to Swad...?

"I jUsT wAnT t0 b3 g0oD eN0uGh..."

"What made you think you weren't?"

The pain when he said that was as if his soul broke and I just kept pushing...Why did I keep pushing?!

"ShUt UP! YoU dOn'T kNoW aNyThING!"I snap

"And neither do you, you glitching fool. You're the one who took the idea of impressing someone and expanded it into changing everything and breakdown of your self-worth. You used him and your feelings for him to justify the changes into something you never can be. You were trying to become something better based on toxic ideas, weren't you? Hmmm...something toxic and positive...Where have I heard that before? Oh right, those are the main things related to my aura and entire reputation! Don't blame me for simply trying to take advantage where he refused to. You could have it much worse than being with me. And I think you should face the facts, Error. You're not getting him back. You're never making him happy. All you do is fail. But with me, you don't have to be a failure. I can make you into perfection."

I can't even deny that...I let insulting words and voices get to me when I was trying to improve or find ways to impress him and it snowballed into a mess...I used him to explain why I had to...even when he rejected it and was upset by the idea...Was that really our last interaction? Did I fail him that badly that that's what he remembers?

I frown, summoning a blaster outside and firing it at him. He gets knocked away but soars right back.

"That wasn't very nice, Error. Now, open the door for me."He says with burn marks all over him from the blast.

"HeLl nO."

Then he gets sliced by the wings and legs with a few bone attacks as sharp as knives. He drops down in shock, glancing over as my brother walks over.

"Ah...I s3e...a h0usE iN loCkDowN tRaPpIng yOu iNsiDe wiTh a pEsT oUtSiDe. aRe y0u aLrIghT, bRoThEr? DrEaM cAlLeD mE."He says as 404 follows behind him to tie Swad up.

That got my hopes up.

"That is to say, he called before the connection got cut. Sounded like he was in pain and the broken spear I see now is NOT a reassuring sign."404 says

"TaLK."Paps orders, yanking Swad by the wings.

"Agh! Okay but you're not going to like it! I tracked Error here and dealt with Dream first. He could've avoided his pain if he didn't act so disgusted by me and took my offer. Now he's stuck with a worse version of him after I sliced him through his middle. Error here refused to come out."

"Th3 l0cKdoWn fOrbIdS mE."I say, then groan as my head starts hurting.

So many voices start yelling at me and they're talking at once that I can hardly make anything out aside from insults or other comments.

"ShUuT UuUuP! I sHoULd'Ve nEvEr liSTEnEd t0 y0u! If y0u diDn'T sPeAk, hE'D bE-"

"BrOtHeR, aRe The voIcEs bOtHerInG y0u? wHaT aRe yOu sHouTiNg AboUt?"

"ThEy hAv3 b3en b0th3riNg m3 aLl dAy aNd tHe pr0bl3m iS tHaT i l3t tHeM iNflUEnCe Me! If i dIdn'T, DreAm wOuLd bE-!"I say, then hold my head as the voices get louder.

"Failure."

"Worthless."

"Stupid."

"Useless tool."

"Mindless."

"Weak."

"Can you just give up already, Error? Your efforts are pointless. First you insult Dream's feelings and now you try to impress him so poorly that he could be dead because of you! You should just give up! Heeey, maybe you're right! He deserves better than a dumb glitch like you that only manages to hurt him!"

"I think it should be clear to you by now that love is not for you. A DESTROYER is not meant to LOVE OTHERS. You are not meant to fall in love. Nobody FALLS for you. You DESTROY everything you touch. So GIVE UP."

I shake my head, trying to force the voices away but they just get louder. I faintly hear Access granted, welcome Bli- but it was drowned out by the voices. I didn't even notice Paps until he pulls me into a hug, rubbing my back in soothing circles. His soothing voice as he hushes me cut through the voices like a knife until they all went away. He carefully feels my face, wiping tears that I didn't realize were there.

"It'S oKaY, BroThEr. It iS g0inG tO bE oKaY. We wiLl fInd hIm. ThIs cAn bE fiXeD."

Then his phone rings and he glances down.

"S3e? He'S aLrEaDy cALlInG bAcK!"

I smile a bit as he takes his phone out and hits accept. He puts it on speaker but it wasn't Dream that we heard...not our Dream...

"Hello? I see that this number was cut off when it was called before. My apologies but that was the protocol that was activated when there was a detected intrusion. Your friend crashed in here and broke my glass table. It took me a bit to pick the shards out of him and keep his spine from disconnecting his top and lower body from each other. He certainly isn't recovering any time soon. I am assuming you are a friend of this version?"A deeper voice asks

"WhaT dO yOu mEaN tHiS vErSiOn?"

"Why I am another version of him, not that you could tell by my voice. For a moment I mistook him for that Swad asshole if it weren't for the change in wing color...I recognize the mark of Swad's weapons on his wounds though so there must be a problem with versions of Dream..."

"CaN wE tAlK t0 hiM?"

"The only reason you are talking to me is because he hasn't woken up. Getting cut in half takes a lot out of you if you haven't noticed. That and the rough landing against a glass table...You don't sound like an Ink or Swap. Are they alive in your timeline?"

"I aM bLiP, tHe bRoThEr oF eRrOr. ThEy bOtH aRe aLiVe bUt nOt nEaR mE rIgHt nOw. WhErE mIghT yOu bE sO i cAn gEt DrEaM?"

"Oh hell no."

Click.

Paps looks at me as the call ends, then puts on a smile.

"He aT lEaSt sOunDeD cOncErNeD abOuT dReAm'S rEcoVeRy! NoW lEt'S haNdLe thE sHiTtY OnE!"

I nod, following him outside.

Meanwhile, Dream's POV

I slowly open my eyes, finding myself surrounded by darkness. Then I sense a presence that I haven't felt in ages.

"Dream? Oh my poor child...What happened to you?"

I glance around, seeing Nim, er, Mom hovering in front of me as the only light in the darkness. She carefully reaches out, holding my cheek as she examines me.

"You're so scarred...is Fate still pitting you against your brother for their entertainment? Is that what happened here?"

"No, we've ended that mess, Mom."

"You're good brothers again?"

"Yes."

"Then what happened to you?"

"Well...another version of me wanted to eliminate me to get to my...friend."

Her expression dulls.

"Something tells me this isn't just a friend."

"Well..."

She smiles.

"I'm happy for you, hun. But I think your current state means I have to give at least a few complaints. They won't hear the end of this."

I glance down, seeing my lower body completely separated from my upper half as my spine is sliced just below my ribs.

"Is this darkness...? This place...? The end...?"

"No, not for you my child. You have a longer future ahead of you until you join me here. It'll be ages before you have to pass the torch to someone else."

"Pass the torch...?"

"Nothing stays the same forever, my child. Symbols can embody different things over time and meanings over time can change. You won't have to carry the weight of this title forever, my child. You will find a point where you can retire and define yourself beyond it in a life you choose for yourself. The same goes for your brother if I have anything to say about it. Now, you're sure that his not-so-friend of yours? Not just another fixation on your aura? They can understand you?"

I take a moment to process what she is saying....I'll get to...we'll get to live for ourselves...Then my face burns at her question about the not-so-friend.

"Well...I know my aura doesn't affect him. He can understand me...He's also a balance keeper so..."

"Please tell me it isn't someone near or like Ink."

"Well....he isn't like Ink."I say with a nervous shrug and glance away.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's...Ink's counterpart..."

"Dear Stars..."She says, pinching between her eyes in frustration.

"Hey, I don't decide who my soul falls for. I haven't heard anyone have that much control over their feelings...Still learning after over 500 years..."

"Any issues?"

"He...wanted to change for me, Mom. But not in a good way. He didn't care for his comfort or happiness if it made me happy...He wanted me to be happy with that but how can I be happy when it feels like I got shoved into the position of the villagers? The roles swapped sure but I don't want to be in that situation at all, regardless of if I'm the user or the one used! I don't want to use anyone...Then that version of me jumped in at the offer and well...I'm here..."I say

"Hmmm, sounds like he's still learning...This probably doesn't make it any easier for either of you but I'm sure you'll both learn in due time. That said, I am going to check him out. Make sure he's authentic...You'll wake up soon, hun. It'll all get better!"She says before fading away.

I find myself alone in the dark for what feels like hours. I can't do much other than float here with my thoughts as my only company. Then I feel my spine snap back together before a bright flash blinds me for a few moments. I blink a few times, seeing a single yellow eye staring at me with black tentacles twitching and masking the face aside from the eye.

"Are you conscious?"

"Yes....? Where am I...?"

"Well, you crashed into my glass table and passed out. given your injury matching the blade I know Swad likes to use as a taunt, I assume he is the one responsible. I am sorry that you had the burden or displeasure of his company. My name is Shattered and I have just finished removing his marks from your body. The other scars I could not remove but they'll heal with the ointment I put on them. Do not move."He says, revealing himself.

I see that he is covered in goop and the tentacles are his. There are outlines of a suit and jacket with heeled boots and gloves. this must be another version of me...corrupted...Explains his name...

"Thank you..."I say as he carefully pulls a blanket over my body.

"Of course. It sickens me that there the Watchers are this cruel and reckless. Clearly they continue to use the Balance Keepers as pawns for their entertainment and that I will not stand for. Another life will not be lost or broken for their games...."

"Is that why you helped me?"

"Yes, it is. Before I became this...I was like you and tormented for years until I snapped. This form was supposed to eliminate me but ironically, losing myself was what freed me. Taking on this form gave me more than I could ever imagine...My brother, real friends, a home, power....a life I can call my own with my own choices. Those Watchers got tired of me when they couldn't hurt me anymore...But they simply moved on it seems. If I can stop them from breaking another soul or for another one of us need to lose themselves...corrupt to be freed... then that's what I will do. Call it rioting or resistance, I just call it sophisticated behavior they can never understand."He says

Then he sits in a chair and grins.

"Now tell me, did you ever have to lose yourself to get your brother back?"

"Well...I had to give up on our connection and move on for a time. Another soul stepped up to take his place and that caught his attention enough to reconnect...It made him work to fix the years apart and we have rebuilt our bond since."

"Interesting...Are you building a life for yourself?"

"Trying to, at least."

"Well feel free to stop by properly next time and I could help you put things in order. Give it some sophistication. Tea?"He says, offering me a cup.

Then he pauses and smacks his head with a tentacle as if facepalming.

"What am I thinking? I told you not to move. Silly me. I'll get a straw."

I spent what had to be a few weeks with him before my body started to recover. I regained the strength to walk and move my body again, although I don't exactly like putting weight on where I was cut in half. I learned a lot from Shattered as he helped me regain my strength. He expressed a lot of interest in seeing things improve and where I take things. He says that he has met plenty of other versions of us and few don't end in some sort of tragedy or keep their brothers. Those who try to push things and take control either end up like him or Swad so he's curious where I end up or if I'll make my own path. I told him about my life and he told me about his life now. The past was definitely rocky but seeing his fond gaze at family pictures on the wall, I'd say he is absolutely doing better now.

Then he enters my room today as I practice walking laps around the space.

"I've been thinking since you told me the groups seeking you harm...Maybe it'd be better for you to go into hiding until you regain your strength completely. There's only so much my aura can do until yours grows and reveals itself. Someone may track you here eventually, especially if Swad is the one leading them. I know a place to hide you where you can rest easy under a different name. You up for that?"

"I think so..."

"It's an Olympian AU that I've been toying with lately. One of the timelines recently lost one of the gods and you can slip yourself into its place before they notice. I picked one that wouldn't be so obviously associated with you like the sun or archery gods. But at the same time, the position you'll take will be a praised emotional god and I made the fitting clothes with a belt to limit your aura enough to be free yet unrecognized."He says, presenting a toga with a silver belt.

I think it over, having an idea what he means after reading the books Error gave me. Sun could either mean Helios or Apollo and archery also eliminates Artemis...an emotional god? Zeus could have a temper but the more obvious one would be the god or goddess of love...

"Is my new role a married position?"

"No, not in this timeline. You'll have connections and be cared for though."

Good cuz I am not getting into a love triangle situation of Hephestus, Aphrodite, and Ares when I'm trying to recover.

"Sound good?"

I nod and he helps me change into it with his tentacles.

"Be careful."He says sternly

I nod, then he opens a portal.

"You can come back here for your things when you're in the clear. I'll have your room locked and off-limits until you do. Then you can show me what life you're building."

I nod, smiling at him. He offers me one last cup of tea and I gladly accept it.

"Wait, almost forgot. We'll have to switch your crowns to avoid recognition. You know I'll take good care of it."He says

I nod, giving him it as he places a different one on my head. We shake hands before I take the last few steps through the portal.

I quickly find myself landing on soft cushions and pillows. I glance around, finding myself alone for now but statues holding up the arches. I hear a knock at the door and glance over.

"Brother? Are you in here? It's me, Atheno!"A voice calls from the other side.

Well, here's hoping for the best. Luckily I know a lot of mythology and know there's a shit-ton of half-siblings and twisted family trees...

"Come in!"I shout

The next day technically with Shattered

Shattered stands in his kitchen, drying some dishes. Then he gets an unsettling feeling and glances outside the window. He can see Error swinging through a portal with Blip and shakes his head, already dismissing their presence. Then he sees Nightmare join them and smiles, recognizing another "sophisticated" soul. He hears the kettle start to whistle and moves it, making the preparations. He settles in the living room with his newly-fixed table and sits cross-legged as he polishes Dream's crown. Waiting patiently for the most predictable thing in his life.

Sure enough, the door got bashed in and he doesn't even flinch, simply passing the job of polishing the crown to his tentacles. His hands folded neatly in his lap as he spares a glance in the intruding group's direction, each of them looking stunned at the sight.

"SwAd saId hE sEnT dReAM! We'Re hErE FOR hIm so hAnD hIm oVeR!"

"Br0tHeR tHaT hAs tO bE tHe wOrSt oPeNinG lIn3s t0 eVeR lEaVe yOuR mOuTh. d0 n0t c0nNeCt uS tO Him."Blip says

Shattered simply rolls his eye.

"Took ya long enough. I was wondering how long it would take for someone to come looking but I didn't expect two FUCKING months. And that's not even counting his two weeks in a coma. Didn't think Swad's people would send two glitches to clean up his mess but hey, you learn something new every day. Hello, Nightmare, I've heard a lot about you. Your mother says hi by the way. She visited Dream quite frequently after he recovered from his coma in his dreams and he says she's shouting up a storm upstairs to make sure you don't get used again. Now, while those two use their talents to fix the door and walls they just broke, would you like to join me and have some tea? I prepared it just the way you like it."Shattered says, glaring at the two while smiling warmly at Nightmare.

Nightmare gazes at Shattered, stunned by his words. It hasn't gotten so serious that Nim visited Dream? What exactly has become of him?

Error marches over to Shattered with narrowed eyes.

"I'm nOt doInG sHIT uNtiL yOu hAnD tHaT cRoWn oVeR aNd sAy wHaT yOu dId wiTh DrEaM!"He snaps

Shattered just gives him an unimpressed and unbothered look, his tentacles swaying behind him and the two tasked with Dream's crown not pausing for a moment.

"Apologies but I am not giving the toddler the family jewels. When you can talk to me like a grown-up, you'll get a real answer instead of this tantrum. You make a mess, you clean it up. Door and wall. NOW."

That only results in a tense staring contest that neither of them were breaking. But while Error was trying to burn his anger into him, he was reading Error like an open book. He hums, then grins.

"Aaah, I see. There's a lot of guilt mixed with hope in you....And it's clinging to memories of...Ah! You're the reason why he crashed here, to begin with! You're why he was in his coma and his body cut in half? The reason Swad got so close to him? No wonder he never said a word about you. Well, Error, I must say that you've really outdone yourself. I've met many glitches in my travels and handle a handful of them but none of them have been twisted enough to hand their golden toy to a copy of it to break. But you won't find any sympathy here. Like I said, I've dealt with numerous glitches like you so you can't come in here demanding back the toy you lost and broke. He's only useful to you as the positive guardian in a neat little cage but you're not going to clip his wings. Wall. NOW."He says with a cold, commanding voice that feigns sincerity.

Those words struck nerves in Error, stunning him enough to back off. He also sees that there's no reasoning with Shattered so he goes to help Blip while Nightmare does the talking. Shattered nods in approval, taking a sip from his cup.

"What exactly happened with your glitches?"Nightmare asks, noticing Error is the only one absent from the pictures.

Shattered grins seeing Nightmare take a cup for himself.

"My timeline doesn't run like the typical Shattered timeline. I managed to befriend Error somehow before I became this. I thought it was a miracle...thought we connected well...Even let me cross my fingers with him...But as soon as I corrupted...He lost all interest in me. Tossed me aside with disgust in his eyes as if I was nothing. When I demanded an answer as to why he changed when I was finally free, he said that I gave up my position and thus the only thing that made me interested...Among other things about me being as useless to him as a puppet that can't be stitched back up again...Not even his brother could make him see reason again...So...That's how HE ended things but I left him a reminder to rethink the next time he considers betraying someone like me...Does THAT ONE need a reminder?"

Error frowns, hearing how cruel his other self was and understanding Shattered's cold attitude toward him.

"Oh no no no! He and his brother care very deeply for my brother. Error made him an entire house, Shattered. They both help him fill it with memories or things he'd like to have in it. That guilt you sense is because he couldn't get to Dream in time. But that doesn't mean he did nothing. Would you like to see what he did to Swad to get answers out of him?"Nightmare says, offering his phone up.

Shattered glances at Error, then at the phone.

"You're saying he hasn't lost interest in him when he's independent?"

"What did my brother tell you?"

"I mostly asked him about his dreams, his family and how the Star Sanses are in his life. I also asked about the threats or his interests so it never really dipped into friends outside of that...How good are the images?"

"See for yourself."

Shattered sets his teacup down and scrolls through the images and videos, amazed at what he sees. He glances over as Error and Blip fix the damages. He hands Nightmare his phone back, then marches over to the pair of glitchy siblings. The click of his heels echoes across the floor as he steps closer with a focused gaze. Error turns around and freezes at the sight of the sharp tentacles swaying and flicking, unsure of what's going through the head of the only person with answers.

Shattered grins, enjoying that reaction. A single glance gets Blip to step back. He circles around Error quietly, putting a hand to his chin as he examines the destroyer on all sides. The only sound was the heels against the floor and the occasional hum from him.

"What are you doing?"

"Picturing him in a toga."Shattered says with a smirk.

Error's face burns up and he restrains himself from attacking Shattered for that comment. Shattered could sense his frustrated reaction and laughs with a grin.

"WHAT?!"Both Nightmare and Blip snap

"Oh relax! I'm trying to help! You there, Papyrus. You tell me if he seems a better fit as a Hephestus or Ares. I was thinking Ares with that temper earlier but you know him better. I think Nightmare is an obvious pick for Nyx."

"What are you on about?"

"I knew that Swad would eventually return or send someone here for him. Either to make sure the job was done or to annoy me with an intrusion to torment him more. So, I prepared an escape option so that Dream could recover in peace...in hiding to some extent. There are a few mythical AUs I like to toy with or observe so sent him there to take the place of one of its gods. Most would think archery or the sun god for the guardian of positivity. The sun symbol that is usually on his cape doesn't help eliminate that guess. So I put him in a less obvious but still reasonable role where he can rest easy as he is cared for and praised. The people go to his temple to seek his help but he doesn't go to them and many fear angering him...Well, they would given his alias. I am simply offering to help you get to him before anyone knows he's there. In his AU, a week has already passed in comparison to us now. You just tell me which ones to handle and you can slip into their place. And Paps here can stay with me to sort through what Dream left behind. I have his stuff for when he comes back since going there with his stuff would've exposed him. And I'm just saying if you barrel in there like you did here, all you'd cause is a messy storm and you'd lose track of him. None of them know AUs so seeing three outsiders would put them on alert and hide him. Up to you though."

Nightmare hums, nodding.

"Very clever...Although having a temple and being feared doesn't narrow it down when dealing with mythical AUs...I'm in." Nightmare says

"I'd bE hApPy tO hElP tHinGs hErE!"

Shattered grins, glancing at Error.

"So? What will it be, Error? God of war or the forge? Boyfriend or arranged husband? I hope you know your mythology.~"

Error thinks on it, catching onto what the choices mean. What they could mean at least. He considers it and shakes his head.

"ArES."

"Called it. I'll get the arrangements prepared."

He pauses beside Nightmare, his smile dropping from the happy one he showed to Error's response.

"Keep him in line."He whispers

Nightmare nods and Shattered grins, going down the hall to get things set. Nightmare sighs with relief, throwing a glance at Error.

"You're welcome for saving your ass."He says, shaking his head.

Error nods in thanks and Nightmare sighs, sipping some tea. Then he grins, knowing his brother will be safe soon.

TBC