Error's POV

I frown, seeing Dream fall unconscious, unable to say a word. I see a flashing light from the metal attachment to his spine and grab it, removing it from his spine. I crush it in my hands, ending any possible signals that could track the location to him or any harm it causes him. I step out, frowning.

"AnYoNe kNoW wHaT THIs wAs doInG oN hIm?"I ask

The other version of me glances over, currently stuck in Shattered's lap and unable to get up with tentacles and arms around him. His face burns brightly as Shattered showers his skull in kisses. Guess crossing fingers meant a lot more than just making progress with his phobia.

"WhErE wAs tHaT oNe?"

"On hIs sPiN3...ThAt iMpliEs tHeRe aRe mOrE?"

"TheY pUt quItE a FeW oN hIm tO toRtUrE hIm. It wAs uSeD tO rUn ExpEriMenTs oR hArM hIm wiThOuT hAvInG tO dRaG hIm oUT oF tHe cElL. ThEy wAnT tO gEt iNtO hIs cOdE aNd eAcH t3sT g0t cl0sEr t0 tHaT. AgAPe sPeNt a l0t oF eNeRgY coVerInG eAch OnE s0 thEy c0uLdn'T uSe iT. I aM gUeSsIng n0w tHaT tHe gOoP sHraNk aWaY tHeY'Re eXpOsEd aNd r3cOnnEcTiNg."He says

I nod.

"WhErE aRe ThE oThEr oNeS? AnY iDeAs wHaT t0 eXpEcT?"

He hums, considering things.

"YoU sHoUlD TuRn bAcK aR0uNd aNd cHeCk h1m."

I go back into the bathroom and see a few more metal boxes hooked onto him. I take them off of him and shake my head, crushing each one. His eyes open slightly and glances around.

"Error...?"He says, slowly sitting up but visibly weaker.

I grab him gently, kneeling down to him.

"I g0t y0u, DrEaMy. JuSt sTaY aWaKe, pLeAsE."

He smiles at me.

"It doesn't hurt..."

"Hm?"

"Feels fuzzy...warm..."

"WeLl aT leAsT y0u'r3 n0t iN paiN."

He nods, gripping my hand. But I can tell something is bugging him.

"Can...Can my code get checked? I want to be sure that it's not being accessed..."

I nod, gently pulling his head into my lap. I open his code and frown once digging through it. Something is still running in it, and it has too many ideas of what to do with him. I frown, placing him into the tub with my strings just in case. I would stop it now, but if they have access now, they can regain it. What if they track him down? Do something worse? And this still may give me a chance to track them down.

"I'Ll bE rIgHt bAcK, dReAMY. StAY hErE."

I step out and see Nightmare still checking the windows.

"NiGhTmaRe c0m3 w1tH m3 n0w. w3 haVe aSseS t0 kiCk."

"What?"

I yank him by a tentacle through a portal.

"DreAm iS b3iNg hAcKeD. Let'S sh0w tHeM c0nsequ3nc3s."

He grins.

"Gladly."

We go through the portal, getting the jump on those freaks as they work on his code. I get them tied in my strings if they're not already getting whipped by Nightmare's tentacles. I checked their devices to see what they were using to access Dream's code and found it connected right to his soul. I see the stats and frown.

"NiGhTmArE, wHaT hApPeNs wHeN yOu hAvE tOo mUcH nEgAtIvItY?"

"Where did you leave him?"

"In a TuB iN cAsE tHe cOdE mAdE hIm cHaNgE...ThErE wErE mAnY oPtiOnS aNd sEa cr3aTuRe wAs oNe."

"Did you deactivate it?"

"BlOcKiNg aCcEsS nOw..."

"He's probably unconscious since he has never dealt with that before...He will definitely be glowing..."

"You should be thanking us, Destroyer. We chased out the group that desired to harm you. We don't plan on causing harm or making a research study out of anyone like they want to. We simply wanted to improve him for you."One of the idiots says

"And what do you think is an improvement?"Nightmare asks, pointing a tentacle at this fool's neck.

"Well...We all should know that the destroyer here won't or can't touch people. We've seen things and watched very carefully. That guardian is the very thing that his glitching is against. A very touchy or physically affectionate person. He even forced a kiss after that livestreamed show he guest-starred on! So we simply made sure there wasn't a person to cause the problem. There will be wild improvements, and he should've been sent somewhere to blend in better by now."

I pinch the space between my eyes in frustration.

"Nobody should harm the god of destruction like that."Another says

"Oh f0r sTaR's sAkE! He d0eSn'T hArM mE 0r f0rcE mE iNt0 aNyThINg! ThAt kIsS yOu aRe rEfErRiNg t0 wAs oNe tHaT I puLl3d hIm InTo."

"Well, how are we supposed to know that if we've never seen you willingly act like that?"

"YoU'Re nOt bEcAuSe iT iS nOt yOuR cOncErN! It iS n0t y0uR bUsInEsS aNd yOu sHoUlDn'T eVeN bE iNvoLvEd! ThIs iS nOt sOmeThInG f0r aNomAliEs tO kNoW aNd h3 iSn'T aN aNomAlY!"I snap at them

"Error, you should probably go back if they really got rid of him. I can handle them."Nightmare says

I frown, nodding. He snatches them in his tentacles, seeming to like the idea of handling them alone. I run through a portal, getting back into the bathroom, but I see no sign of Dream...he's gone...Not again...I check the room for any clues and only notice a few strands of fur left behind. What did they do to him and his code? I check the code of the fur and grin, relieved that it's his. It tells me that he is being transformed into at least a different kind of monster...but they wouldn't make sense given what they said...They made it sound like they were changing him so that he wasn't a person anymore...taking away his identity....maybe they failed...But I have to hunt him down before someone else gets him.

I hear a knock at the door and see Shattered peeking in.

"Just wanted to let you know that Destiny is taking my Error and me to restore his position in our timeline. I didn't see Dream leave this room or hear anything...Call me if you need help locating him..."He says, his whole demeanor seeming to soften up.

He seems much nicer in a way, no longer looking at me with resentment. His reunion with his version of me and learning that he wasn't betrayed seemed to lift a weight off his soul...I can imagine there are still wounds from the events but no grudge is held against anyone looking like me anymore...killing the fraud certainly helps. Maybe now they can be happy too...I only give him a nod and he leaves. Now, I should check the code of these bits of fur for any clues of where he was sent.

I am going to find you, Dream. It's going to be okay...

Meanwhile, Dream's POV

I wake up slowly, hearing mall music. When I open my eyes, seeing glass in front of me and stores on the other side as various people or monsters walk by and chat casually. I see fences to my left and right, dogs to my left, and ferrets to my right. I turn around, seeing the fence blocking me into this glass display and seeing different pet toys on shelves with aisles labeled...I'm on display at a pet store. Then I feel something moving between my legs and look down, seeing my body covered in fur and much smaller in addition to a tail swaying behind me. I check my hands which are now paws, recognizing that they're cat paws...I'm a cat now...great...

"We better not get adopted."Agape says

"Mew..."I say, then cover my mouth when I don't hear the words I know leave my mouth.

"And we can't talk either...perfect..."

At least this change wasn't painful...It could be worse...

"I am going to nap and regain my strength just in case..."

I nod, watching people pass by as they shop. It's probably better to stay in one place so that being found will be quicker than if I'm wandering and they're tracking me down...Surely I'm being tracked down...I wonder how my brothers will feel about a cat in the house...

Days seem to pass as various customers come in and out of the store or kids pressing against the glass to see the pets, including me. Many came in to pick me up but it never led to any adoptions. It was the usual customers that would come into a pet shop, families, or pet lovers wanting a new member of the family. But then a different group came by, whispering about wanting to get pets for the wrong...illegal reasons. To see dogs fight and that sort of thing. They were promptly forced out of the store but then a second group came. I recognize them as a gang trying to replace Nightmare's gang to become the biggest threat. I hear their intentions being similar to the first, wanting to collect an army of pets to train for battles and send to attack members of Nightmare's gang, including those close to them like how Farmer is to Horror. What better way to show that they're a serious threat than to take down the group the multiverse feared most? Sounds ridiculous to me but they're still going to try.  Maybe an experiment or two to make the pets biologically stronger and prove how deadly they are.

Now, I'm sure that Nightmare doesn't need my help handling these idiots, but I'm not going to risk his gang or my brother's safety so.....this group lost ankle privileges as soon as they went near me. They left with claw marks and mumbling complaints as I hissed through the glass at them.

Then a woman enters and walks right over to me.

"Hello, Dream. You look adorable like this."

I tilt my head, never seeing her before yet she knows it's me? She picks me up, taking me to the trial space for pets to play with potential owners. I haven't been in it before and it's empty right now. She smiles at me and I try to back up from her.

"I am Prospecta, a soul chosen by Destiny with the ability to see possible futures. I'd like to give you a view into the most likely future for you given recent events...And Error made a bold claim recently that Destiny had to check."

I perk up but then tilt my head again, unsure what Error could say to require Destiny's attention.  She takes out a note that reads "He hElD hIs lOvE oUt tO yOu fOr 500 yEaRs aNd I wiLl bE tHe sAmE fOr him iF tHaT iS wHaT iT tAkEs."-Error to Nightmare about Dream.

He...loves me...He thinks I deserve that...He will hold that hope out for me? Love me for 500 years if that's what it takes? Error...

She opens a portal that looks different. It's not the type for traveling between AUs or to the other realm...She carries me through and I see the space is nearly all black with lines dividing into various stems or branches. Yet I'm still a cat.

"I see past and future running free. There is a world where I'd help you get home unscarred...But that's not a world I know."She says as the lines start to twist and overlap until it's a single thread.

Dream understands that she can't change the past and that it's too late to prevent the scars. I shrug it off, nodding. I've accepted that fact long ago but she must have to state that so that hopes aren't raised.

"I see a song of eternal romance. I see the sacrifice of man. I see portrayals of betrayal...I see a garden in a frozen dance...And a brother's final stand. I see you on the brink of death. I see you draw your final breath...I see a man who gets to make it home alive...But it's no longer you."

I frown, my ears pressing against my head. This sounds like another prophecy with riddle-like warnings...Am I going to change so much just to survive?

"I see your palace covered in dread. Faces of men who had long believed you're dead. I see your boyfriend with a man who is dawning...A man with a trail of bodies..."

I wonder what that could mean...Error ends up with someone else in my absence? Maybe it just means Dust or Killer as he looks after the gang...They do have a trail of bodies behind them...A man who is dawning? Does that mean they're rising like the sun? New? Or is that when they'll be with Error? At dawn? Hmmm...

"I see a song of eternal romance. I see the dance with chance. I see the brotherhood of childhood. And a tree standing where it should. I see you on the edge of town. I see your crown handed down. I see a pair who gets to keep a bond so fond. But it's no longer you."

I tilt my head confusedly. That sounds better but is so vague.

"That second half would be considered the good news."

I give up my crown? Drop it or pass it on? Lose my role and bonds with others I love? If it isn't me, who is the pair that gets to keep their bond? Don't tell me that something happens to divide Nightmare and I again...or lose him...I'll eliminate those threats to him...

"Maybe it would be better to show you silhouettes or clues to this. I can't be too specific or it may not happen."She says, motioning for me to follow her.

I nod, following as she repeats her lines and sways her hands, symbols or images taking shape briefly as she does so.

"I see a song of eternal romance."

An outline of Error and I appear dancing together with our souls glowing in our chests. I can see details of the clothes indicating that we're dressed quite formally.

"I see the dance with chance."

Rings appear, shining brightly. If my face could burn, it would at the sight of that and considering what it may mean...taking a chance with a relationship.

" I see the brotherhood of childhood."

There is a pair of boys seen laughing together, each of their shadows looking like Nightmare's past self and my past self.

"And a tree standing where it should."

There's a brief shadow of Nim's tree stump before showing the fully grown tree I planted at home.

"I see you on the edge of town."

It shows a house resembling my home, only bigger with a tree beside it and fenced-in yards with a town forming near it instead of it being distant from any community. I gaze in awe at the sight of it, surprised that I may live near a community in the future...

"I see your crown handed down."

It shows a pair of hands holding my crown and slowly lowering it out of sight once the crown exchanges hands. We keep walking though.

"I see a pair who gets to keep a bond so fond."

A pair of boys are seen wearing the crowns that belonged to Nightmare and me, but only their outlines are visible, and the crowns shine brightly.

"But it's no longer you."

It shows their shadows looming in the shape of Nightmare and I, seeming much older. Nightmare's shadow has his tentacles and Dream has his earring and necklace hinted in the shadow, indicating that they're still connected but not changing the past. This bond is not ours to have, their's is different. One of the kids' outlines includes bright golden eyes yet hints of blue are visible by the kid's wrists while the other kid's eye is revealed to be green.

I get a quick glimpse of these two interacting further, showing a scene where one of them with Nightmare's shadow seems to be picked on. Comments drift by about how some shadowy figures can't believe he would want to keep relations with something so dark or have strayed so far. I frown, seeing that history is repeating itself with this child picked on for being "wrong" like Nightmare was while the other is placed on a pedestal. But the one with my shadow seems to have more of a temper and be bolder than I was, charging at them and getting in their face.

"I dare you to say that again to my face! What did you say about my cousin? That's not a misfit, that's my cousin! You stay away from my cousin, 'cause I say so!"The boy snaps, pushing a finger into their chests to knock them back

"But-"

"If you put your hands on my cousin, then you'll meet the bans of his cousin. Those are the laws for my cousin!"The boy says, shaking a fist with a proud smile

He quickly returns to the other boy's side.

"Let's go!"

They leave my sight together, their crowns shining brightly. I smile, seeing that the new owners of the crown manage what he wishes he could've done and avoid a painful tragedy from repeating. Then I look at her as the images fade.

"I must warn you that there is more to their plans than making you a cat. The other group plans to use you for worse. They were never going to take the code of your past, they simply corrupted it. I foresee that their actions combined will curse you into a cycle beyond your control. A danger in the day and feeline by night. I assume there's some connection to the sun and moon as well as your twin roles that play a part in this circumstance, making you lose control or security in the time that represents you while also making you regain some control yet in a helpless state when you're in the time that's the opposite of you. Perhaps they thought the night is when you're the weakest. Who knows. What I do know is that you will be trapped in that cycle for a good amount of time so be careful. I cannot say the solution or it could disrupt the future and the stability of this path being yours...or any good one."She explains

I nod, considering it all carefully as I'm not surprised that it gets bad before things go right. But I'm curious on what caused her to reveal all this or be sent by Destiny to do so. I doubt this much could be triggered by what Error said that they overheard...They had to overhear it since Error isn't comfortable speaking to any higher beings after what Fate did. It's even quoted that it was said to Nightmare, not them. He's iffy around Will and is okay around my mom but isn't trusting of many others...And could such a short sweet comment really be met with such concern? I glance up at her to see if she could explain more and she seems to understand.

"Some in Destiny's realm do not like how bold you have become or that you've carved out this future with Destruction. They have nothing against your independence, especially after you helped higher beings regain freedom to influence the multiverses instead of Fate...But some would rather your independence take a different path...One that doesn't make the battle or struggles for balance seem pointless...Opposites mixing or different sides working together is still new to them...They don't understand how roles could be maintained with the balance when there's no tension between the two sides. They can't see how things aren't so extreme and that these parts, these roles, all connect and help each other in some form...It's less interesting with the same stakes according to some...There are some who may meddle or try to provide more challenges and seem to have stronger desires to do so with every bold or loving claim made...They want to test these claims as if proving them wrong would be winning a game for them. They want to win and disrupt your path...Test Destruction's claim and disrupt the connection to see how long his emotions that they consider an irrational phase can last. Others want to take control of you as a balance keeper or guardian and guide you as they see fit...But that would mean getting rid of your mother from the situation and she is already in a weakened state after she sensed what these tests did to you....Destiny advises you to be careful and to use this knowledge that I've provided to your advantage."She explains

I take a moment to process what she told me and nod once I understand. They want to be entertained and find a peaceful balance too boring? Still expect opposites to be apart and for a family to be broken? Independent yet opposing? They want us apart? Good luck with that...That's why Error's comment is so important...They want to ruin it and hurt him...I shake my head, reminded of how Fate said that I'm just going through a phase with my independence or connection to Error. How Fate drilled this insecurity of his connections to anyone being phases into his head...I know how their actions would hurt him if they disrupt our connection with this test of 500 years. But to consider his emotions, his love, an irrational phase...to target my mother to gain control....I know when I consumed that poisonous drink that gave me some corruption in the shape of Agape that it would hurt Mom...It hurt my aura and would've hurt her as well regardless...Action has to be taken quickly to keep them from hurting Mom or else it's all done for before it even starts...they're not taking Mom from us.

"If you want my advice, I wouldn't gaze upon anyone anytime soon unless you want serious consequences. Oh, and don't check your reflection."

I nod and she drops me off in a different AU and I walk through a grassy field curiously, unsure of where to go or where I am. I see that it's daytime and within seconds of that realization, I feel my body transforming until I find myself back to walking as a fully-dressed skeleton. I can feel my eyes stinging and frown, knowing that this must be what the warning meant. I glance at a flower and watch it turn to stone immediately.

Okay....Not doing that again...

I rip my sleeves and use them to make a blindfold over my eyes. The fabric didn't turn to stone so it must be anything alive that changes to stone like plants or beings with souls. I don't want to destroy this area with my gaze or harm a random poor soul, even if it means I can't see anymore.

Now where do I go from here?

"Where are we?"

Ah, Agape woke up.

I don't know but I'm going to figure it out. Can't remove the blindfold or we hurt someone due to our code being manipulated. What woke you up?

"I sense trouble nearby...they have harmful intentions for Farmer and taking pleasure in their schemes...."

Ah, we're in Farmer's AU...Where are they?

"I thought we couldn't hurt others..."

Not anyone harmless or innocent....They're probably the idiots talking about hurting Nightmare's gang by hurting their loved ones in the pet store. Wouldn't be surprised honestly if they split up to do that plan by now. They want to cause harm and enjoy the idea of it? Well then they can enjoy the consequences as well.

"Fair enough. I can sense that they're hurting from injured ankles still so you're probably right. Start going to the left."

I nod, heading in that direction as quietly as possible. Maybe after I handle these idiots threatening Farmer, I could get some help or find a way home.

TBC