(Ok, this isn't exactly canon but I've read Nightmare's origin and part of me finds it a bit hard to believe that out of all the villagers, nobody gave Nightmare a chance. So I'm going to experiment with the idea about someone giving him a chance in the past. Enjoy!)

Nightmare's POV weeks later

Nothing has happened lately. No attacks or ambushes. Blue started to wonder if they really agreed to it. He would visit with Error once each week at least and we enjoyed his company or updates. He said he liked hanging out with us as well. He told me that ever since Color came along, they stopped having fun bonding activities like game night or whatever. And even when they did play before Color came along, they weren't as enthusiastic about it or were trying to get it done quickly so they could leave. It was upsetting to hear that, especially to me. Dream is repeating the cycle except now with Blue. I can see all the warning signs of cutting him out or neglect. And I already can see a motive:He clearly wants to be seen as cool by Color so he is pushing aside anything Color deems uncool or childish, which unfortunately includes Blue. Now, some would expect Dream to be a good friend and draw the line at his friend or maybe tell the newbie to back off, but Dream is not that kind of person. I'm just glad that Blue is catching onto the signs as well so he doesn't get put in danger.

"I don't even think I want to be a Star Sans if I'm going to be treated like this."He told me yesterday

"Well, if you ever get fed up with it, you can always join us, Blue. Error and Horror told us about you. You'd fit in here nicely and get treated better than what you're currently dealing with."I told him

He said he'd keep that in mind.

One day we went to Horror's AU because we felt like it and he was going to meet Lust there to join us. Everything seemed normal and we were having a good time, until I sensed something. A strong positive aura came. And I recognized it, soon being followed by Blue and two other auras that possibly were Ink and Color. I glance around to see them marching down the Snowdin Forest trail toward us, Dream already having his bow out. The others quickly notice and frown. Horror sends Lust away so he doesn't get hurt. But before any of the gang or I could say anything, Killer charged forward.

What the hell is he doing?!

He dodged Dream and Ink's attacks and tackled Color to the ground, punching him repeatedly.

"YOU NO GOOD LIAR AND MANIPULATIVE BITCH! STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM NIGHTMARE!"He snaps, taking a knife and slashing across Color's head

I was shocked, but perhaps that will prove that he isn't brainwashed since I didn't make him do that. He retreated back and the gang formed a wall as a battle began, making sure to do their best to block me. Everything seemed like a normal battle, but Blue wasn't taking part in it. I watched Dream pull out a different arrow and try to aim, muttering something. Blue seemed alarmed and tackled Dream to the ground, making the arrow misfire and get shot into the ground.

"NO! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS DREAM! NIGHTMARE RUN!"Blue yells

"Blue what do you think you're doing?!"Dream snaps

"DOING THE RIGHT THING! THIS IS NOT RIGHT AND IF YOU'D LISTEN YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND INSTEAD OF BEING SO OBSESSED WITH COLOR AND HIS IDEAS!"Blue snaps

"Ink he is actually helping them."Dream says

"I'm just doing the right thing. Nobody deserves to go through what Color's plan will cause. And good people would realize it too."Blue says

Ink rips Blue off of Dream and shoves him to the ground. Dream aims at Blue.

"Oh now you're going to shoot me just because I have some common sense and am trying to be fair? Trying to be a protector that serves justice instead of Color's ideas? What good does that make either of you for so easily ready to hurt your own friend? What goodness and positivity does it bring you Dream? That is your brother that you were going to put through hell, Dream. YOUR BROTHER! Can't you see that Color is using you both to get what he wants? The moment you fire at Nightmare will be like signing a death wish and handing it over to Color. Are you really going to do that to him? Repeat the same cycle as before, Dream? You know what I mean. So go ahead, shoot me if you want to so badly. At least I know where my real friends are and where you stand. At least I was trying to do the right thing and got hurt trying. Plus if you hurt me, Papy is SO going to kill you."Blue tells them

That seemed to make something click in Ink because he stopped and shoved Color into a tree.

"GO NIGHTMARE!"He shouts

I look at my friends and they nod. I take off running quickly and was about to open a portal when I felt an arrow shoot me in the back. I fall forward from the impact, this one definitely not being like the others. It felt like I was choking and puking, my body started aching. I watched as the goop that covered my body quickly shrank away. I see the arrow plop down, stuck amongst the puddle of goop now before the goop below me disappeared. I get up, checking myself. I recognized my form....I'm in my passive form.....My form before I ate the apple.

He wanted to put me in my weakest form.....And this is it.

I quickly tried to keep running but then my soul turned blue. I get pulled back and tossed to the ground.

"It worked!"Dream exclaims, beaming with joy

I glance around to see Blue laying on the ground, an arrow through his arm and he was out cold. I pull him close, luckily hearing a soul beat. Dream reaches out to me.

"Keep your hands off of me. You've shown what kind of person you are. What kind of person hurts their own friend? You couldn't hurt me so you had to hurt him? What the hell?"I snap

He looks at me in shock.

"Oh I'm sorry were you expecting a thank you for all the trouble you caused? All the pain and chaos? A hug for all the wrongs you've done? Well you're not getting any of that."I say

"Nightmare?"I hear a voice shout

I glance over to my gang. They looked ready to fight but clearly didn't want to risk anything. Killer, Horror, Fell and Cross stared at me in shock. Error didn't look surprised at all, but he was worried. I felt a hand on my shoulder and Error summoned some of his Gaster Blasters. I glance up and see Color smiling a sinister smile.

"All according to plan. Ink, get us out of here."Color says

I got shoved with Blue through a puddle of Ink's paint or ink or whatever it is. I land in a small room and they followed. Color tied my wrists and ankles, but Dream wouldn't let him touch Blue.

"Oh now you got some common sense to care for him? Tch, you always had terrible timing."I say

"Can I move onto phase 2?"Color asks

"Hell no!"Ink snaps, seeming to get some common sense and listen to what Blue told him

"Huh?"Dream says, sounding lost

They left the room but I could hear them argue.

"Color, I will prove to you that he is good. Then you may change your plan and execute it however you wish."Dream says

"Dream what are you even saying? Didn't you listen to Blue? He is using us! He is manipulating you! His plan won't change! He is going to kill your brother!"Ink says

"And?"Dream says, sounding lost and too stupid to realize the problem

"How good are we to allow that? How good are you to allow that? You already shot our own friend, now you are letting this manipulator kill your own brother or scheme on it! What good are you if you can't even protect them? If you move forward with this plan, I'm quitting the Star Sanses and won't side with you anymore. I will take part in this no more. And, I won't even be your friend. Maybe that will help clear up those twisted values of yours."Ink says, then could be heard going through another portal of his

Blue starts to wake up.

"Hey, Blue. Are you okay?"I ask

He nods.

"It was worth it to do the right thing.....And I'm still going to try. Heh, how do you think your gang is going to react to your new look? Only Error knew about this form, right?"He whispers

I nod. Then thoughts flood my mind. How will they react? Are they going to hate me for hiding it or being so weak? Or will they treat me just the same, with love and acceptance?

Color enters the room with a grin, holding numerous devices and objects that clearly intend to put me through pain. I press against the wall, knowing I can't do anything in this form. Blue got up quickly.

"I told you guys this already. YOU ARE NOT LAYING A FINGER ON HIM! THIS IS WRONG!"Blue snaps

I see his eye-lights change and his entire body glitched for a moment. It was as if his code was trying to confine him but it wasn't working. I saw his genocide eye engage and his body for a moment looked like an Error version of him. all that time in the antivoid when he and Error first met did have an impact on his code after all. A Gaster Blaster appears beside him and he looks surprised, but then used it to his advantage, shooting Color out of the room or building. Then Blue dropped down, looking overwhelmed.

"Blue, you should get out of here before Color gets Dream to agree to something that hurts you. Go to my home, the gang should be there."I say

"No, I won't let them....hurt you...."He says, seeming out of breath

I sigh, clicking the device Error gave him, a portal sucking him in instantly. It shuts just as Dream enters.

Dream shows me my crown, attempting to put it on me.

"Keep that thing away from me."I growl

"But it's your crown. You deserve to wear it."He says

"It's a symbol of the dark times. It reminds me of all the bullies and what I was seen as. A weak, worthless, stupid piece of nothing. I wasn't valued there or respected or loved. We both wore crowns but only one was given the respect that comes with it."I tell him

"What are you talking about? I loved you."He says

"Then why didn't you help me? Why didn't you listen or believe me? I was getting bullied and beaten on a regular basis and reached out to you for help but all you would do is laugh it off and call it ridiculous before going to a party with said bullies that you called your friends! My issues or even my presence meant nothing to you. I was invisible to everyone and you as it went on. Don't you remember the look on my face when you snapped at me for making up stories? Do you remember how often I'd have injuries and you would believe them over me? Do you remember everything you did to me or allowed to happen? I was there for you through thick and thin. When you needed help I came to you. I made you your cape. I came to you when you were in the rain. I did everything those so-called friends of yours didn't. But when it was your turn to do the same, you couldn't even be there. The only reason you even realized that something was wrong was when I ate the fucking apple! All the signs that you ignored and yet somehow I'm the villain! You didn't love me, Dream. Because I loved you and was there for you to prove it. You weren't."I snap at him, breaking into tears as I recall everything

He looks at me in pure shock.

"Do you have any idea what that felt like Dream? To see you having friends and being loved or being seen as such a good person while I was invisible or worthless to others? Where to many they would think I'm useless because I guard the bad apples? To be the bad apple without being given a chance to show myself? To hear all your compliments while I got insults? To see you get hugs while I got punches and kicks? To have nobody and nothing to turn to and not even your own brother is there to help you? Being told to kill yourself everyday while your brother gets told that they wish he stays with them forever? To get pushed over the edge and eat the thing that defined your worth to others? To get free from the hell you've been living in only for your brother to realize there is a problem and blame you for it? DO you know HOW THAT FELT? No, you don't. So don't even give me the loving brother act or tell me that you want to do what's best for me and whatnot. Cause you never knew or did what was best for me or else you would have prevented it. You would've proven to me that I had value, loved me, protected me, believed me, shown me that I could rely on you like you did with me. Which you did not do."I cry

Dream steps forward. He snaps his fingers and we appear in our AU. I glance around and get overwhelmed by the negative memories that happened here. He cut the rope around my ankles and leads me around, pointing to every possible place he could find. He would name a memory he had where he was happy while I could list twelve times I was hurt at the same place or things that were done or said to me.

"Stop torturing me with this memory lane shit."I snap

"I'm just trying to open your eyes to the good."He says

"Yeah? And who was this place good to? YOU. I am just telling the truths of how it was for me."I say

"Then I guess your life hasn't improved."He says

"Oh it did! I found friends, the members of my gang, and never felt so happy! They gave me value, worth, purpose, love, care, everything that you were given and I was not! They are like family to me! They have shown me that being different was okay and let me embrace myself! We all got judged based on something that just wasn't us and we shared that experience. We could trust and rely on each other! I could trust them and they trusted me! I never felt so happy or worth anything since.....Him. But now that could all be ruined because you decided to come along and agree to Color's plan to kill me! How cruel are you to take me back here in these conditions before he does it, huh? Where is he hiding? Your friends ruined that so you and your new bud will repeat that now I bet. Ruin things for me again. Come on Color! I'm ready!"I say

"He isn't-"Dream begins

My soul turns blue and I get pulled away. I get grabbed by Color and he tries to beat me into the ground, cutting me with a knife on the back of my skull. It hurt, but I was expecting it and was used to getting hurt here. Dream runs over and shoves Color away. They start arguing and I struggle to get up. I feel two arms wrap around me and lift me up. I see glowing blue crescents fly in like ninja stars, surrounding Color and Dream with a short enough distance to hurt them if they moved in the slightest.

"You have not changed in the slightest Dream. How pathetic are you to allow this to happen again? Now both of you get out before I make you regret it."A familiar voice says

The two leave through a portal without any protesting. I turn to see the owner of the voice as the arms swept across my body. They healed every wound, breaking the ropes around my wrists and wiped my tears before resting in place again. I instantly recognized them despite the long time that we were apart and smiled.

"Xavior! Is that really you?"I ask

"It sure is. Long time no see Nightmare."He says

"Thank you for saving me..."I say, extremely grateful

"Of course, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't? I won't let Dream and his buds hurt you. Ever."He says

"What happened to you? Those jerks told me that they got rid of you!"I say

"They tried but only managed to knock me out and lock me up. By the time I got out, this place was covered in dust and deserted. I looked for you everywhere but couldn't find you or Dream. I wasn't sure what happened. But that time gave me the chance to train or create attacks like what you just saw. Eventually I figured out how to get into the multiverse and started to search for you. I heard about what Dream claims to have happened but put some pieces together to learn the other side of the story. I decided to return here in case you happened to return here or got forced here. And whaddya know, looks like I made the right choice. I hear a lot of your argument even through a portal, so I understand what happened. I will keep you safe.."He explains

I chuckle, turning around to hug him properly.

"I missed you."I tell him

We part and he desummons his attacks. I step back to take in his appearance. Half of him was covered in goop, the other half was not. But that quickly shifted once he confirmed that I recognized him. He became covered in goop like when I ate the apple and had a dark blue glow to his eyes. There was the outline of a hoodie and sweatpants but no shoes. He didn't have tentacles, but he proved that he is strong and I know how strategic he can be. I grin, happy to have my old friend back at least.

"So I hear you have new friends. I'd love to meet them."He says

I hear a portal open.

"YoU sUrE InK? I dOuBt NiGhTmArE wOulD gEt hErE-Oh, YeAH, DrEam WOulD tOtAllY sEnd hIm hErE."I hear Error say

Xavior pulls me behind him.

"Relax, that's one of them."I whisper to him

"Oh!"He says

I glance around and see a distant glitchy portal to my left. Error steps through it. I grin once spotting him.

"Error!"I exclaim, taking a step forward

He looks at me, then turns around to his portal. When he faced me again, the rest of the gang, aka my friends, came through. None of them were smiling. I look at them nervously. Do they not like me in this form?

"G-Guys?"I say

Killer starts running towards me. Xavior steps in front of me protectively, blocking him off.

"State your motives and alliances."He orders Killer

"Who the heck are you?"Killer asks

"State your motives and alliances."He repeats

"I want to hug him! I'm his friend!"Killer says

"Any connection to Dream or the blazing skeleton?"He asks

"Blazing skeleton?"Killer says

"I think his name is Color."He says

"NO!"Killer says

Xavior looks at me for confirmation. I nod. He looks back at Killer, clearly sizing him up with a single glance.

"Who is this one?"He asks

"Killer."I say

"Hah! You weren't kidding about misjudgement being shared!"He says

How much did he hear between Dream and I?

"You may join him."He says, stepping aside

"Thank you for your permission."Killer says with sarcasm

"Watch it you."He says

I could tell they weren't getting off on the right foot and elbow Xavior. He catches on and shakes his head, stepping back to de-escalate things.

Killer hugs me tightly.

"Thank goodness you're okay Nightmare!"He says, then pauses

He looks at me.

"What did they do?"He asks

"Not much. It's handled anyways. You're not mad about my true form?"I say

"No! You look handsome and it doesn't change the person I know you as! Plus you weren't exactly given a choice to turn back! Wait, where'd the crown come from?"He tells me

"Dream put it on me....I used to wear it but...."I say

"Cool. You look good in one and you deserve it. It can symbolize your perseverance and how magnificent we know our skeleton of the night, you, are."He tells me

Xavior smiles.

"Don't let those jerks get you down."Xavior says

I look at them and smile. They are redefining the crown to something better.

"Who the heck is this, Nightmare?"Killer asks

"I am Xavior, sworn protector of Nightmare!"He says proudly

"Since when did sworn enter that title?"I chuckle

"I've had plenty of time and resources here. I swore it. Besides, it sounds intimidating."He whispers

"He's a friend from this AU, Killer."I say

"How come you never spoke about him?"He asks

"I thought the bullies killed him...."I say

Xavior holds my hand reassuringly.

"Why is he all goopy like you were?"He asks curiously

"Well, similar situations...."I say

Xavior raises his hand, freezing Cross who was charging at him with his huge knife.

"State your motives and alliances. Cause buddy, you don't want to swing that blade at Nightmare or me, I can assure you."He tells Cross

"That's Cross, he's a friend."I say

"That tried to attack us?"He asks

"LET GO OF NIGHTMARE!"Cross snaps

"Oh, he thought I was a foe."He says, freeing Cross who hit the ground head first, his blade digging in the dirt

I grin. Error, Horror, Fell and Dust come over peacefully. They state their motives and alliances as requested and got off on the right foot with Xavior. Error leads us back home. I set up a room for him and felt better now.

"What did you look like when you turned?"Xavior asks

I gesture to a picture on the wall where I stood with my gang. He gazed at it in awe, silent and not saying a word. Ink and Blue run over, hugging me. They were glad that I am okay. Ink apologized to Blue for not listening and to me for not stopping it sooner. We both forgave him.

I wandered off and found my phone on the counter. I grin.

"So what happened to Xavior?"Killer asks

"He was an outcast and not accepted by the other people in the village either....I caught him trying to eat one of the apples. He told me he was curious what could be so bad about my apples that they bully me so much for or assume that I'm bad. He ate it and gained that form but it still hurt him. He claimed it felt better though and that the bullies hurt him worse than the apples. He and I both were not accepted so we started hanging out more and he would try to protect me from the bullies. But then the bullies took him away, knocked him out and trapped him apparently on the day that I....ate the apple myself. I didn't even know he was alive so from what he says he has been either traveling the multiverse or doing who-knows-what in that AU. Which was lucky, because he prevented Dream and Color from killing me."I explain

He grins.

"Sounds like we'll get along just fine."He says

I nod.

"I'm going to rest. See you all in the morning."I say

He nods.

I head to bed, resting peacefully.

Killer's POV

I smile, hearing Nightmare's door shut with a click. Then I let loose. I smack my head into the counter, my face burning at the thoughts going through my head as my soul races. HE IS SO ADORABLE LIKE THIS! HOW COULD ANYONE BULLY HIM?! How am I supposed to keep my feelings hidden when he looks like this? Those dazzling lavender eyes, that sweet smile.....That adorable laugh and his voice.....Whyy....

I raise my head when I hear voices talking nearby.

"So? What are your motives? You asked plenty about ours."Horror asks

"Heh, you guys sure are protective as well, huh? Well my motive is love and also the fact that he was here for me when nobody else was. You surely understand. He's an awesome friend and I love him. And I've sort of gotten a crush on him. I mean who wouldn't? He's cute especially when he gets shy, smart, kind, honest, strong, reliable, trusting, funny, ambitious, and inspiring! So of course I'm going to have motivations for protecting him!"Xavior says

"Crush?"Horror says

"Yeah."He says

"Tch, good luck. I know for a fact that you have competition."Horror says

"What?"He says

"Yeah, two fans of knives just so happen to have come to the same conclusions. So good luck with that."Horror says

I hear a scream from Nightmare's room. I quickly run up there, knowing this place like the back of my hand. I go in to find Nightmare trembling in tears. He looks at me, then reaches out. I come over to him and he pulls me close, burying his face into my chest.

"Are you okay?"I ask

"Bad dreams are coming back...."He tells me

"I got you, Nightmare. It's going to be okay. I'm here." I tell him

He glances up at me and grins.

"You're the best, Killer."He tells me, then dozes off in my arms

I smile. He makes me feel so happy. I don't care about "competition", I just want him to be in my life. Yes, I love him and I'd like him to feel the same but if he doesn't, I'll accept it.

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TBC