When Alloy finally gets around to Dreamtale, he yelps and throws himself to the ground to avoid a barrage of stray attacks. He was actually expecting this outcome, though.

Nightmare and 'Shattered' Dream are going at it, doing whatever they can to injure the other while dancing around the remains of the Tree of Feelings. What Alloy did not account for is the morose teenager sitting a hundred yards away and simply watching. They only glance at Alloy in curiosity before looking back to the battle. Huh. Alloy mentally shrugs before walking over and sitting down to join them. He's got some time to kill.

"Either of them getting tired yet?" Alloy asks nonchalantly.

"Hmm? Nightmare's slowed down a little, but Mo-.......... Shattered won't quit." The teen pulls in his legs and hugs them to his chest.

"Sore topic? Sorry, I didn't realize you'd have to watch 'em. My name's Alloy."

"You're the one who trapped us here?", he's a little less willing to talk after hearing that, "....... My name is Pallet." Pallet is usually much, louder, energetic, and friendlier, but he's not feeling it right now. He's wearing what looks like a white sailor's outfit that's splattered by paint. A large paint roller is also strapped to his back. It's not hard for Alloy to guess who his parents are with that one yellow, stary eyelight.

"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping here, but I'm just trying to understand. You're Ink and Dream's son, right? Ink can't actually do it the proper way without a soul, of course, but it seems to be a recurring theme-", Alloy begins to nervously ramble until he's interrupted.

"Hey! Ink tries hard, he really does!" Pallete protests, "Just because he doesn't have a soul, doesn't mean he can't care! He-He has these moments where he just looks at Mom or and I and actually sees-" Pallet's agitated rant is cut off when Alloy starts to giggle, and the young becomes confused by the response.

"You don't have to explain it to me, of all people! Between us, I do know what soulless-ness can do to a person. It actually makes me glad to hear you speak up for him." Alloy then abruptly stands up and brushes off his pants. "Now, I should probably go do my job. I've been dreading fighting Nightmare all day...." He unconsciously rubs the side of his skull and winces.

Pallet gapes at the stranger. What did Alloy mean when he said he knew what soulless-ness was like? Pallet can clearly sense emotions from him. Moreover, now that he's paying attention, Pallet can feel an intense magical presence that radiates off of Alloy. Who is this strange Monster? He must be an outcode for sure, but Alloy's not acting like he's just been created. Surely someone would have noticed him before? The more Pallet tries to get a better feel for the other's soul, the more he feels something....... ancient. Something off. He was poking too far. Alloy's aura abruptly snaps back at Pallet's own curious magic. The young teen sees a flash of a massive skull and gaping maw full of teeth before his magic comes shrieking back from the other's soul. Pallet yelps and falls over in surprise at the overwhelming blast of pure energy he had felt in that brief moment.

Alloy pauses in his stretching and looks over at the other in concern, oblivious to what had happened, but then he turns back to the situation at hand. Nightmare has, in fact, slowed down since being trapped here with Shattered. Alloy has never dealt with something like this before. Dream is completely out of his mind. Something has really tipped him over the edge to such a degree that he's done this terrible thing to himself. Dream has eaten a black apple from the Tree of Feelings. It clashes with his own positive aura to such a degree that its deteriorating his mind and slowly killing him. How could a Deity do this?

Alloy won't let it continue. He yanks on his collar nervously before squaring his shoulders and marching towards the two brothers. Neither of them have noticed him yet. Nightmare and Shattered are practically nose to nose, their arms and tentacles locked as they try to force the other to the ground. Nightmare's feet are starting to slip backwards. He's breathing hard with punctures and scratches all over his goopy body. Theoretically, Nightmare should be stronger than Shattered since he ate more apples. The problem is the clash of Shattered's magic creates a surge of energy that's fueling and destroying him.

"Hey! How's it going? The name's Alloy. I'm sorry for keeping you both here for a while." Alloy's suddenly pops up right next to the two. Nightmare gawks. Shattered hardly reacts, but he takes the opportunity to rally and slam Nightmare to the ground. "No! None of that, come on!" Alloy grabs onto Shattered's arm. He turns and screeches, tendrils flailing wildly.

"No one No one No one No one NO ONE NO ONE NO ONE NO ONE!" Shattered continues to shriek and wail, stumbling back and clutching his head. Shattered's eyes lock onto the brush on Alloy's back. Alloy isn't sure why a simple touch set him off.

He takes a step back, worried. "Nightmare, do you have any clue as to why Dream ate the apple? He came to you first right?" Alloy offers a hand to the monster on the ground, but Nightmare slaps it away and stands up himself.

"Who the hell are you?", Nightmare snarls back, "I don't have to tell you jack shit!"

Alloy winces. This Nightmare is a little more angry than what he's used to. "Well, you're just gonna have to tell me what you know! Now is not the time to be picky! Do you have any idea what happened?" Alloy snaps.

Nightmare hesitates. He looks over at Shattered, who's still muttering to himself and clawing at his skull. He could loose it and attack at any moment. Nightmare doesn't trust this Alloy, but this can't go on. "I...... Dream asked to meet me in Outertale," he starts hesitantly, "He was upset. Really upset, and asked me for help with something. I refused. I will never help someone on Ink's side".

"And then he ate the apple to try and earn your trust, and he obviously can't handle it," Alloy finishes, "You really couldn't have done him one favor?"

"No", Nightmare hardens, "He chose his side."

"Okay, fine, we'll address your personal trauma in a moment, but could you cut me some slack while I deal with your homicidal brother?" Once Alloy's halfway sure Nightmare won't immediately stab him, he turns to face Shattered.

*********************

For the Guardian of Positivity, Dream's own moments of happiness are fleeting. Long ago, it seemed that he was always happy. Dream was happy when he guarded the Tree of Feelings with his brother. He would wake up every morning to the grumbles of his sleepy twin, play all day in the village where the other Monsters seemed to adore him, and then fall into a dreamless sleep with Nightmare leaning against him. Dream was very happy indeed.

And then things started to change. Nightmare began to pull away from Dream and they stopped sharing all their secrets like they had always done. Dream knew something was wrong, but his brother would always brush him off or deflect the question. It got worse when the bruises started. No matter how many times Dream begged, Nightmare would not tell him where they were coming from. They were only kids. Dream was too naive to think the world around them could be cruel.

The villagers had invited Dream to a party. He had asked his brother if he wanted to go, but Nightmare refused. Dream was confused when he arrived and saw that no one was inside the house. The door slammed and locked behind him. Dream panicked and tries to get out, but every door was locked and sealed shut. He banged on the door and screamed for someone to let him out. Nobody came. Dream knew something was horribly wrong. In desperation, he tried to call on his magic for help. He and Nightmare had no magic beyond their auras. They were young and still undeveloped, but at that moment, Dream was desperate. He could feel something shifting on the scales between his brother and him. It was the first time Dream summoned his staff. He smashed the window and gave himself deep cuts on the way out.

It was already too late. Still lightly bleeding, Dream was horrified when he arrived at what was left of the Tree of Feelings. The tree had been chopped down and bodies littered the area. Nightmare...... wasn't Nightmare. The negativity apples had done something horrible to him. He towered over his kid brother, covered in some goopy substance with four tendrils protruding from his back. Nightmare wasn't in his right mind. His sanity broke as soon as he ate a single apple in a desperate attempt to protect the tree. Nightmare attacked Dream, who was now so much smaller and fragile.

"Night-" Dream cuts himself off with a yelp when he's thrown. His back crashes into the tree, and he groans in pain. Dream doesn't understand why he's doing this. Was it something he did wrong? Tears cloud his vision as Nightmare begins storming over, intent on the kill. The leaves above Dream's head shiver. The last golden apple drops from its hiding place and falls into his lap. A last gift from his mother. Dream took one last look at his brother in despair. He knows that if he does this, their lives can never go back to normal.

Similarly to Nightmare, the apple forced Dream into an adult's body. They both lost what should've been the happiest years of their lives. They fought. Inevitably, Dream was loosing again. Even after he discovered his staff could transform into a bow, Nightmare was too powerful now. Dream was heavily injured and exhausted while Nightmare only had a few scratches.

That's when Dream first met Ink, the Creator. A portal opened above the battling brothers. Ink wouldn't stand for it. He attacked Nightmare and forced him back, cracking his skull. He only stopped when Dream screamed and begged. Ink did freeze in surprise, and Nightmare opened a portal to a random location and disappeared. Dream fell to his knees. Ink rushed over to him.

When they met, Ink was still so full of life and joy. Dream could sense immediately that there was something wrong with his soul, but the Creator was so worried and scared from him. The colorful vials across his chest were so full and vibrant. Ink did his best to heal Dream's wounds, and then carried him out of that desolated AU. Some part of Dream knew then that he would always stand by Ink's side. They explored the Multiverse together, fought side by side, and stood together before the rest of the world.

And then things started to change again. Ink was changing. He was starting to pull away from Dream and the people around them. He spent days in the Doodlesphere, constantly creating AUs, most of them copies. Dream felt betrayed. He thought Ink trusted him. A few months after this began, Dream sensed an overwhelming amount of negative emotions coming from Dreamtale. He rushed over, half hoping its Nightmare, but what he finds is shocking. Ink was curled up on his side in the same spot they had met all those years ago, crying.

"Ink! Ink..... what's wrong?" Dream rushes to him and pulls Ink into his lap. The soulless Creator cries and harder clings to him.

"It's all going away, Dream" he whimpers. He yanks at the sash on his chest. When did the colors become so dull? "I'm not doing enough. I-I can't-" Ink chokes up.

"Shhhh, Shhhhh, breath. You've gotta breath."

Ink shudders, but he tries his best to calm down. It doesn't work well. "Dream....." Ink tightens his grip on the Guardian's shirt. "I'm scared. I'm not me anymore. I don't wanna disappear". Dream didn't fully understand, but Ink knew he would be hurt if he explained. Ink's emotions were fading, and his memories are blurring. "I don't wanna forget that I love you."

****************

"I think..... I think that I understand," Alloy talks out loud to himself, glancing over at Pallet. He's a young Creator, one with a soul, who very well may be able to take his place when Ink's emotions completely disappear. It must be close to happening. That's why Ink was so hostile when they met. Dream knows it, too. He was getting desperate. And that's why Dream asked his brother for help. That's why he ate the last negativity apple he had saved from the tree. Dream is terrified of losing Ink. Before anything else, Alloy has to calm Shattered down. It might be underhanded, but he tosses Phinigan to the ground and grabs his brush.

Shattered can't get his thoughts straight. There's just screaming. Nightmare hates him and won't help. Everything he loves and cherishes about Ink is almost gone. There's no way he can stop it, and this horrible burning in his soul feels like it's tearing him apart.

"Dream, you don't have to cry," a familiar voice softly speaks, and someone takes Shattered's hands in their own. "Everything will be okay, I promise.

Shattered snaps his eyes open. Ink smiles lovingly and pulls him close, one eye a pink heart, and the other a blue raindrop. Shattered busts into tears and his knees buckle. Ink catches him and lowers them both to the ground, mumbling comforting words and sweet nothings. Shattered continues to cry and choke on his sobs. Ink slowly pulls one of his hands away and then lays it on Shattered's chest. With a jerk of his wrists, the codes rip open briefly and Ink yanks the power of the negativity apple right out of his soul. Dream gags, shock running through his system, but then he leans over and throws up a mixture of his own magic and sludge as the goop runs off him and disappears. 'Ink' holds him and pats his back until he's done.

Once Dream gets a hold of himself, he twists around to look at Ink. He's confused and a little hopeful, but then his face saddens. "You're not him, are you?" He mumbles sadly.

"No, I'm sorry," Ink looks away in guilt. The pink heart fades back to a deep blue star, and the the rest of Alloy's disguise unravels. He scoots back to put a more comfortable distance between Dream and himself. "It was....... the only thing I could think of to clam you down so I could get close enough."