Error's POV a month later

I wake up from a loud rumbling and feel everything start to tremble. I sit up, seeing all the walls crumbling and everything outside falling apart. The last time this happened...wait...Where is Dream? Did they try to do something and this is the multiverse's response? Don't tell me he is gone again! I quickly ran out to find him, knowing that he was going for a stroll with Paps. I see Nightmare quickly searching and Paps running to him as the floor beneath them threatens to give out.

"I d0n't kn0w whAt hApPeNeD! W3 w3r3 tAlKiNg aNd tHeN h3 faDeD aWaY! I tri3d t0 st0p iT! I-!"

"This sort of thing is out of your control. It's ok. As long as someone was with him, he wouldn't be alone, and we would know what happened to him. This means that something removed him from the multiverse and this is the result of the broken balance his absence causes. Something must've happened to his other half...Better not be Fate..."Nightmare sighs

I see everything around us crumble apart, every piece of the peaceful land Dream crafted is breaking down into nothing. It's worse than any earthquake and any AU cannot escape it. I see Obscuro slam into the ground as he leaps from a tower and a wave of power explodes from him in all directions. He raises his hands and clenches them into fists. Then, everything stopped and it all became silent as if things were frozen in place.

"Wow! That actually worked! I've never tried to hold an entire multiverse in place before...Guess stopping AUs from progressing would cause some chaos....Can someone do something before I realize the hard way how long I can make this last?"He says with a strained voice.

This is obviously taking a lot out of him.

"I wiLl mAkE cOdE t0 hElP yOu."Paps says, already typing away on multiple screens.

I run over to them and just then a portal opens.

"I guess we're about to find our answers. Come on, Error."Nightmare says

I nod, following him through and jolt, feeling a different sensation run over me as I cross through the portals. I find myself able to stand in a large doorway and glance down at the doorknob I'd have to gaze up to since I'm this realm I was always so small. That's right. I know this is the other realm since we crossed into the room or office Dream worked in and the one I was dropped into not too long ago...Obviously with a size change...Something feels different though. I glance at myself, finding a few more hands branching out from my sides with my strings or yarn already wrapped between my fingers. I see that my clothes changed to long robes in a gentle blue shade that are as soft as silk and shining slightly. I glance over, seeing that Nightmare isn't so different. He and his tentacles have grown yet he is also dressed in green robes with hints of purple at the edges. Then my jacket appears over my shoulders with my scarf, both extending much longer to adapt to the size change. A different fabric curls over my head and ties underneath my scarf to secure itself in place. It felt strangely comforting as if it wrapped around my head to protect me from this realm. I watch as a crown forms on Nightmare's head, rising high to its tips and seeming unbreakable, quickly followed by crescent-patterned bracelets wrapping around his tentacles as if trying to grace him with jewels.

He looks as confused as I am.

"Hi! So, you must be a bit confused but the reason for this is a bit simple. Positivity made these forms for you both so that you get recognized with respect instead of just being seen as tiny toys for Fate or others to use...That being said, would now be a good time to apologize to you Error for what I did? I didn't mean to cause you any harm but I was clueless to what I was doing, which put you at risk and I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have done that and I'll try to be better."I hear a voice behind us say

I stiffened up hearing it, already unsettled and knowing what they're apologizing for. This must be Will.

"I see that I've made you uncomfortable so I'll go. Destiny and Nim want you both in the third room down the hall on the left. It's the one with the green doors."

I turn around but he's already gone. I glance at Nightmare and he shrugs. We go to the room as directed, finding Nim and Destiny inside examining a machine with Fate tied up. I see a control panel broken with sparks flying.

"What happened to my brother?"Nightmare asks

"It was going so smoothly but Fate decided to ruin it."

"Let's clarify for them, Destiny. This device was made to heal Dream and bring him back to normal...it's meant to seal his soul together with the least possible side effects as he returns to the multiverse. Fate smashed the controls which took him away and burped out a different multiverse version of him. He got sent somewhere and your multiverse is paying the price..."Nim says, glaring at Fate.

"Do we know which one?"Nightmare says

"We've narrowed it down so it takes a few guesses."

"CaN'T wEjuSt ch3ck th3 c0de 0f th3 drEaM iT sEnT hEr3? MaYbe tHe mAlfUncti0n cAuSeD tHeM t0 g3t swaPp3d."I suggest

"Yeah...it could be the multiverse's way of keeping balance...I will go do that now. It's just going to be hard to determine the specific AU."Destiny says, going to another room.

"CoUlD w3 g0 after h1m?"I ask

"Disguises will be needed and blending in depending on the multiverse. We can probably give a device for you to be retrieved with Dream ASAP."Destiny says from the other room.

"A disguise for me shouldn't be too hard since my goop can reshape easily. Is Dream's soul complete again and not in halves anymore?"Nightmare says

"The only malfunction that the machine will report is the incorrect destination. Dream isn't broken in half anymore. His aura may be hard to detect though..."Nim says

I open a code screen and grin, seeing that I can still detect Dream.

"I d0n'T n3eD aN aUrA t0 fiNd h1m."I say

Nightmare shakes his head, not even questioning it. Then he points at me as Destiny returns to the room.

"He may be harder to disguise."He says

"We will code the portal to disguise you both automatically. I will make that now that I have the needed information. We will make sure nothing falls apart."Destiny says

A few moments later, a portal forms in front of us. Nightmare marches through as soon as it stabilizes. I glance at them for confirmation that this is the right one, trusting Nim's nod more than Destiny's. I take a deep breath, preparing for any discomfort as I will be disguised or a possible crash once on the other side. Then I step through finding Nightmare reshaping on the other side to be disguised. Surprisingly, I didn't feel anything too bad. I notice that his disguise mainly reshapes him to look more feminine with his goop making long curly braids down his head and tangling with his tentacles. My code screen starts to ding and I reopen it, not even bothering to check my condition. I already have an idea of what the disguises are. This must be a genderswap multiverse. I see that the code screen has already been locked onto Dream. He's here...

Then I hear loud cheers and plenty of music playing. We walk through the alleys and see a parade filling the streets with groups marching, tossing flags or swaying them, and various floats or cars filled with people go by. I notice how they're organized by color, forming a rainbow and seeming endless. I glance up, seeing a banner strung high on two poles saying something about a pride festival. Nightmare motions for me to follow him and we climb a fire escape ladder, getting onto the stairway and different balconies clinging to the side of apartments where we can get a better view. I check my code screen and grin.

"DrEaM iS iN th3 y3lLoW s3ct1oN fr0m wHat iT sAyS. CaN y0u c0nf1rm tHaT?"

"Mhm, he is."He says

I see it indicate that he's on a float slowly drifting along. It is decorated to look like fluffy clouds with golden streamers from the sides. I see the group on the float are beautifully dressed in warm colors if not wearing yellow and have fans that shimmer the patterns of different flags like pansexual, lesbian, and so on. They hide their faces behind these fans as some dance across the float while others rest on fluffier parts and wave with their faces hidden under veils. They all seem to shine, yet I notice one seemingly unhappy participant. While the rest are happy or relaxed, there's one that's gripping the float tightly as if scared that they're going to slip off the float and meet the hyper crowds cheering from the sidelines. This one looks so anxious and tense, yet I notice this one is wearing the earring I gave Dream and the one I've used to track him. Of course I put code to track it in case he ever has trouble locating it, I just find its use to locate him in bad situations a bonus so that I can protect him too. It was not my main intention to track him though.

Anyway, this anxious participant seems to be Dream or has a strong possibility of being him. I don't think he'd give it away easily and it would make sense if he's unsettled by this whole situation...Surrounded by crowds again for the first time in months as he is lost in an unfamiliar area...Yet just seeing this person with the possibility of them being Dream makes me freeze up once taking in their...her...um, I don't know...possibly his appearance. If it's him, he's absolutely beautiful, which means not much has changed from before. Dreamy always looks his best in my opinion yet now my mind goes blank as I just watch the float move along...Dressed in an orange dress with a yellow belt at the waist and a bit of orange around golden eyes. The wearer seems to be a different monster type than a skeleton, despite looking awfully close to one in a pale white color yet with long strands of hair in a warm brown color down to their shoulders. Our gazes met each other for a moment and I must've seemed so weird to be staring silently because they seemed to grow more anxious afterward.

I snap out of it when Nightmare gets jumped from behind by people marked on their jackets by security.

"We've been looking for you everywhere! Why are you so late? Don't answer that! Come on!"

I watch him get dragged away and him struggle to fight in their grip. What can I really do? I have to blend in and joining in would certainly cause a violent scene. They don't recognize him as an outsider so this is actually a good thing....even if it means seeing him get tossed onto a float in the green section of the parade. I chuckle, seeing the amount of people that it took to accomplish that with all his attempts to fight back. I shake my head as the parade continues as usual, watching carefully to see the route it goes. Nightmare glances at me after pouting about his current position, then points ahead to the yellow section as a wordless order to get Dream. I nod, climbing down from my spot and running through the crowds before it leaves my sight.

We're going to get you out of here, Dream.

TBC

(sorry if it's short)