Meanwhile, with Error and Blueberry....

I groaned as I landed near Blueberry, pins and needles crawling along my bones. They were like tiny, annoying ants, biting into me like I was an invader to their nest, and if it wasn't for the other wounds in my chest and my limbs, I would've felt a nervous overload. Blueberry noticed me and ran over as I knelt down, his concerned eyelights scanning my injured body.

"Error! What happened?!"

Silently asking if he was serious, I glanced up at him then back to the floor. "The usual. What else?"

Blueberry sat in front of me, meeting my eyelights sadly. I watched with growing anxiety as his expression changed from sad to firm and earnest. It scared me.

"Why do you subject yourself to such torture?" he asked adamantly.

I shrugged. "I don't get what you mean."

"Why do you destroy?"

I turned to him sharply, the question catching me off guard. It was so... unexpected, I gaped at him, unable to answer. For a moment, I was frozen, trying to rationalize. Why do I destroy? It wasn't like I wanted to, not anymore. I didn't find it enjoyable anymore, as if that was a good excuse to keep killing people! I knew it wasn't justifiable, no matter how crazy I knew I was, or how insane I became. I didn't remember ever being consciously sadistic, even if I wanted to kill people. I only ever wanted to stop the screams of the voices in my head, and the only thing that did silence them was destroying AUs. Why did they need me to destroy, anyway?

'You don't have a choice, stupid glitch!'

Oh, great. They're back again.

'You can't escape. If you did, Fate would drag you back to do it!'

I gripped my head, glitching as the screams grew louder.

'You have to keep destroying so Inky's creations won't destroy themselves. But you'd like that to happen. Wouldn't you, you sick bastard?! You hate him! You'll let poor Inky walk blind into a hell of his own making!'

"Hah hah... hahahahahahaha!" I laughed bitterly, making Blueberry flinch. I began scratching at the wounds on my head, ignoring his attempts to make me stop, and turned to him with an unhinged smile. "The stupid voices told me that I have to destroy because little Inky knows no restraint! He creates and creates all day long, not a care in the world, until there's not room left anywhere to put his precious creations! I've seen it, the Doodlesphere, in one of my visions. I would fall asleep or get knocked out, and a voice would show me what it looks like. I once saw what would happen if I didn't destroy. I completely forgot about it! I thought it was just a dream! Inky needs me, whether he knows it or not!"

"So," Blueberry started slowly, "You're being blamed for his wrongdoings?"

I flinched, and shook my head. "I-I don't think it's that simple. He hasn't really done anything wrong, it's just... he doesn't seem to know there's a limit to what he is allowed to do. If he blames me for it, it's for good reason. I destroy all his shit for no reason other than to stop the endless screams in my head. He's got every right to think of me as his scapegoat."

Blueberry pulled his knees closer to his chest, absorbing what I had said for a moment. "D-do you know who Frisk is?" I shook my head, and he sighed. "No, I guess you wouldn't. They're dead, after all."

I raised a brow at him in confusion, and he mirrored the look. "But you're from Underswap. The human controlling your AU would be Chara, not Frisk. Unless there's something different in your AU, but that can't be it! I read the code, it should be Chara!"

Blueberry chuckled lightly. "At least you knew the difference! I didn't until my friend Dream told me. It's just that, well, Chara is supposed to the one everybody pins the blame on for Frisk's decisions. At least, that's what the Judges assume, since it's Frisk they get their information from. It makes me think that history is being written by the one who is still alive, without giving the one who's dead a chance to defend themselves. I've never met my universe's version of Frisk so I don't know if they really can't be trusted or not, but maybe... they aren't entirely what they seem?"

I looked away, lost in thought. In many of the universes I've destroyed, the human is the one controlling everything, up until the last hit on the Judge. At that point, Chara or their equivalent takes control, landing the final hit on the Judge, then gives Frisk or whoever their counterpart is one last chance to reset. Some continue, others don't, and they start the cycle all over again. Maybe Blueberry was right. Maybe the dead humans aren't the ones to blame.

I shook my head furiously. What does it matter?! I wasn't dead like them. I was still alive and making people miserable. I was the one to blame for all the suffering, and everyone who hated me has good reason to. I winced as the screams picked back up again, commanding I obey them. I stood up to leave, and Blueberry stood up with me.

"Wait!" he cried, trying to stop me. "Where are you going?!"

"To do my job, like always."

"Bu-but you don't have to! Don't you want to stop? Don't you want to be free of this painful job?!"

I growled and turned to him. "Listen! I don't like it any more than you do, but I've tried. I've tried to kill myself so I wouldn't have to keep destroying, but guess what? I'm still here, still alive, still making people suffer! I can't stop or else the multiverse will collapse on its own, and I will never be free. Got it?!"

I turned around and went to open a portal, but hesitated. Guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders, and I sighed harshly. I was too harsh on him. It's not his fault that I'm stuck in this impossible position. He didn't deserve my anger, nobody did. How could I expect him to understand why I was doing this if he has never been forced into doing something he didn't want to? An image of this optimistic and kind skeleton becoming a destroyer like me flashed before my eyelights, and I turned around to look down at Blueberry. He had sat on the floor again, his chin in his hands. My hands clenched into fists.

'I will not let that happen,' I thought. 'I wouldn't wish what happened to me on my worst enemy.'

Blueberry glanced up to find the destroyer looking down at him intently, and he gulped. "U-uh, Error? Is something wrong?"

"C'mon, get up. You need to leave."

"What?! Why?"

"Because," I sighed harshly, looking away and glitching, "you just have to."

"What about you? You'll be all alone here!"

"That's a price I'm willing to pay."

In the true spirit of a royal guard, Blueberry stepped back and puffed his chest out bravely. "I, the magnificent Sans, refuse to leave you alone, here. You should not be allowed to stay in this desolate place without a friend!"

I was taken aback by his stubbornness. I looked him in the eyelights, trying to figure out a way to convince him to leave, knowing the longer he stayed here, the more danger he would be in. "B-Blueberry, you can't stay here. It's dangerous!"

"I don't care!" he shot back. "You can't stay here by yourself either, and you can't make me leave!"

With that outburst, he crossed his arms and sat down, pointing his nose up the air haughtily. I stared at him incredulously, at a loss of what I could do. I didn't want to make him leave, and I didn't want him mad at me! But I couldn't stand idly by as he was driven mad by the blankness of this place. And the voices! If he couldn't hear them already, they'd surely drive him insane with their incessant nagging to hurt people. I couldn't let that happen, and I would do anything to stop it. But I was faced with the problem of getting Blueberry to leave without making him hate me. He was my only friend, and I didn't want to lose that friendship. It felt... nice, knowing someone in the multiverse didn't hate me with their whole being. So how do I convince him this was for his own good?

Blueberry had sat there on the floor for a few moments, then turned to me. He started to say something, but stopped abruptly as he looked over my shoulder, his eyes filling with fear. My brows furrowed in suspicion and confusion.

"What-"

"Behind you!"

I whirled around with a blaster at the ready, but there was nothing. "You lied to me!" I yelled in outrage, then turned to Blueberry. I froze as none other than Tentacles dragged him away. How the hell did he get in here?! How did he find me?!

"E-Error- mphf!" A tendril wrapped around mouth, making him unable to speak. He watched helplessly as Error was surrounded by Nightmare's crew, bones and flames, knives and vines being summoned from every direction. He struggled to escape as Error dodged the first few attacks, letting out a strangled cry as Error was cut with a knife and forced to the ground. He grabbed his strings and latched them onto a few of the Judges, slamming them across the cold, harsh floor of the Anti-Void, and into each other. He watched as Cross raised his giant knife and charged at Error. A large red arc was slashed across Error's chest, and Blueberry felt tears creep up in his eyesockets as the destroyer coughed out blood. The glitch tried to get up, but Cross stomped on his chest, preventing him from getting up.

I groaned as the boot dug farther into my chest. I gasped and swiftly shot a bone into the monochrome skeleton's shoulder, and he staggered away from me. I scrambled to my feet, but a blaster hit me in the back, sending me skidding across the floor. I sucked in as much air as my bleeding chest would allow, realizing I needed to escape. I opened a portal and hopped through, hoping Blueberry wouldn't be hurt for being with me.

... ... ...

"Ugh, go away, Reaper," After, the Sans stuck in the Save Screen, shoved the god of death, known as Reaper. The god had been flirting with After for hours, waiting for their target to show up. They had dozens of Judges at the ready, as Nightmare had intended. He had informed them that he had a hunch the destroyer would flee to the Save Screen for safety. They didn't know how he knew, but they just shrugged and obeyed his orders since Inky supported him.

"Oh come on, After," Reaper slung an arm around the ever-bleeding skeleton. "Why ya gotta be such a sourpuss?~ Besides, you might need my help to take that dumb glitch out~"

After rolled his eyelights, snapping his gaze to a glitched portal opening a few feet away. Reaper pulled out his scythe as he spied the destroyer, a malicious grin on his face.

I stumbled out of the portal, holding a hand to my wounded chest. I squinted my eyesockets, trying to get my bearings in the original Aftertale's Save Screen. How did I know it was the original? Oh, just the millions of voices screaming at me to leave before I did anything to it. I cried out as their screaming sent hammers pounding in my skull, and I missed the first bone thrown at me as it nailed me right in the shin. I tripped and fell, looking up in shock as portals opened around me. Out came several Sanses, and they summoned blasters in a circle. I screamed as their beams seared into my bones, only screaming louder when the blasters stopped and flames from the Toriels and Asgores replaced them. 

Once the fires died down, I got to my feet. A small noise of pain left me as Reaper plunged his blade into my chest as he had the day we met. It tore my ribs apart, and I watched with tears in my eyes as they fell to the ground. I fell along with them, unable to stand anymore. I wheezed as blood trickled down my chin, watching as After approached me. In his hand was a bone, and his single eyelight glowed blue and red with murderous intent. I knew not to try and plead with him to stop, but I couldn't stop my eyelights from looking into his, begging him to... to what? Spare me? What a joke! He raised the bone and brought it down on my skull. A crack rang out, but it wasn't enough to knock me unconscious. My head was ringing, the pounding in my head growing as I summoned a bone wall around myself.

"Wh-what the hell?!" After gaped as Error's bone attacks drove them all back. He watched in total shock as the destroyer stood up unsteadily and sent attacks at them. The poorly aimed attacks didn't hit any of them, but it gave the glitch an opportunity to escape into a portal with his broken bones, to god knows where. He exchanged looks with Reaper, a worried look in his eyelight. 

"Damn that glitch!" Reaper muttered, clenching his fists. "How is he still walking after a beating like that?!"

After looked down. "The question is, if we really can't kill him, how do we stop him?"

With Blueberry....

Blueberry stumbled out of the portal which Nightmare had made for him, fuming. How could they do such terrible things to Error?! It was brutal and unfair, and Blueberry knew that he had to do something. He didn't know what he would do, but he had to at least get back to Error to see if he's ok! He marched over to his house in Underswap, slamming the door open and startling his brother. Stretch stood up quickly and ran over to him.

"Thank god you're ok, bro!" he hugged Blueberry, checking him over for injuries. Nightmare warned him that his brother may have been brainwashed by Error, and to wait for him in Underswap. Stretch was to help Blueberry settle back in, and it was up to the lazy skeleton to convince Blueberry that Error was still the evil, heartless monster he's always been, despite what the destroyer had told him.

"Papy!" Blueberry cried. "There's been a big misunderstanding!"

Stretch led him over to the couch, watching his brother warily. "About what, bro?"

"Error! He isn't what we thought he was!"

Stretch put his hands on Blueberry's shoulders. "Listen, Sans. He's dangerous, and he could've hurt you-"

"Do I look hurt? Papy, he doesn't want to hurt people. Someone or something is forcing him to do this, and if we don't do something, he'll be forced to do it, forever! He needs help! He's got nobody on his side except me, and if you could just try and understand him-!"

Stretch listened to him intently, considering what Blueberry told him. "Are you sure, bro? Ink told us he was a merciless killer. He could be lying to you to gain your trust."

"Of course I'm sure!" Blueberry told him everything he knew, every little detail that could be important, about Error. He finished breathlessly, hoping he hadn't omitted anything that would convince Stretch of the gravity of the situation. "And I think that's everything!"

Stretch sat down on the couch slowly, and Blueberry joined him. He put a hand to his chin, trying to wrap his head around the information, growing more and more concerned as he analyzed everything his brother had told him. The destroyer doesn't eat, barely sleeps, and if he's telling the truth, he hears voices. Could this happen to anyone that stayed in the Anti-Void too long? Looking at his brother, his breath hitched when he imagined Blueberry trapped in Error's prison. What would he do if his brother had been driven mad by these voices and forced to destroy everything in his path? He didn't want to think about that. And Error had admitted to Blueberry that he had tried to kill himself! If not even Error could kill himself, why does he continue doing something he doesn't even enjoy doing?

"I know it's a lot to take in, brother," Blueberry patted his shoulder. Before he could say anything else, Stretch spoke again.

"It does sound like he's... in an abysmal state of mind. But one thing bothered me ever since you got back. If he isn't that bad, why doesn't he stop destroying? Why didn't he bring you back to your own AU?"

Blueberry looked down. "He tried to, today. He said... if I stayed, I would be in danger. I don't know what danger he meant, but I didn't want to leave him alone in there! The whole multiverse is out to get him, and he needs a friend!" He crossed his arms, sinking deep into his thoughts. "These voices that he hears.... They told him if he didn't destroy, the multiverse will collapse, anyway. If that really is the case, then he can't stop destroying if he doesn't want the rest of the multiverse to destroy itself. Ink is the only one who could end this if these voices are telling the truth, though I don't really believe them."

"Have they spoken to you directly?" When Blueberry shook his head, Stretch sighed in relief. Thankfully, his brother hadn't been affected by the Anti-Void. At least, not that he could see. And he had to admit, if Error was serious about kicking Blueberry out, then that spoke of genuine caring for someone other than himself. He could appreciate that, but it didn't explain away the glitch practically kidnapping him in the first place. "Why did he take you, anyway?"

Blueberry perked up and smiled a bit. "I think it was an accident! He didn't notice he was pulling me along into his home, and was surprised to see me there."

Stretch nodded at that. He wasn't completely convinced, but right now, he didn't have a better explanation. "Well, if he's not in a good headspace, what could we possibly do?"

Blueberry's eyesockets widened when his brother's words sunk in, and he beamed. "D-do you mean it, Papy?!"

He shrugged. "I don't have all the facts, yet. But, you gotta tell me what we can do, first."

Blueberry's eyelights glowed like stars. "W-we can be his friends! We can heal him, and get him therapy for the trauma that I'm sure caused those voices, and then we can break the cycle that he thinks he's being forced into! Together, we will save the multiverse by rehabilitating its greatest threat!"

Meanwhile....

After I stared into the peaceful sky in Outertale for awhile, I cautiously returned to the Anti-Void. No one was there, and I heaved a gusty sigh of relief. My body still hurt from the beating, and I gripped the ribs that had been broken off angrily. I had let them take my only friend! I shook my head with a disappointed huff. I was going to take him back, anyway! But, I had wanted to take him myself, on my own terms. Without anyone else having a say in my decision. Blueberry would've objected of course, but I didn't care. Just once I wanted to do what I wanted without someone imposing their will on me.

I sat down on the floor, wincing when the harsh movement tore the newly formed scars open. I sighed, summoning some bones to knit with. I began knitting a puppet of Blueberry, my first friend. I knew he wasn't dead, but I would never see him again if Inky and his allies had anything to say about it. I blinked as tears spilled down my cheeks and tried to wipe them away, sniffling. He was probably fine without me. I was only putting him in danger keeping him here. And this place... it wasn't really safe anymore, not if Tentacles knew I lived here. My hands shook with grief, and I dropped my project, hanging my head in my hands.

I heard a portal open, and quickly scrambled to my feet. I prepared myself for a fight, but when I turned around, I stood frozen in shock.

"B-Blueberry?!"

The short skeleton strode toward me confidently, with another, taller skeleton following him. I eyed him suspiciously, recognizing him as Blueberry's brother. What was he doing here? What were either of them doing here?! Don't they know it's dangerous for them?!

"Hi, Error!" Blueberry stopped waving at his friend once he saw the tears glistening on Error's cheekbones. "I-is something wrong? Are you alright?"

I furiously wiped the tears away, then smiled. "I-it's nothing. I'm fine."

Blueberry nodded slowly, then gasped when he spied the broken ribs I had carelessly tossed on the ground. "What happened?!"

"You ask that every time," I lowered my head and looked away, a shadow crossing my face. "You guys should leave. It isn't safe for originals, here."

"But what about you?" he protested. "You'll be all alone here!"

I shook my head. "You should just forget I exist. It's not like I'll destroy your universe. I shouldn't have been in the original Underswap in the first place...."

Stretch had been listening silently, but this point caught his attention. "Why not?"

I perked up at the new voice, and turned to meet his eyes. "B-because I'm not allowed- ack!"

I jerked back as the voices screamed at me to shut up, and I held my pounding head in my hands. They still hated when I told people about them, as well as why I did this. And so what?! They aren't the ones being beaten and tortured with guilt when universes got close to crashing into each other! I didn't care anymore, and I wanted to start telling everybody what those stupid voices keep telling me! They deserved to know!

"E-Error?" I heard Blueberry ask. "I-I know you don't like to be touched, but maybe if we got you to a healer-"

"No!" I exclaimed hysterically, then lowered my voice to sound less harsh. "No, I-I'm fine. I'll be fine. My body will put itself back together, eventually."

"What about your ribs?" he said, pointing to the ones on the ground. I looked down at it, perplexed. He had a point. How do I reattach it?

Though he was skeptical of Error's sincerity, Stretch couldn't resist the urge to help someone who was hurt. It just wasn't in his nature to ignore the glitchy skeleton's injuries, no matter what he thought of him. Once again, he pictured Blueberry like this, hurting and lonely in this white hell, and he resolved to himself that he would try to be more openminded about this. It helped that he was also curious about Error's statement that he was supposedly "not allowed" to be in original AU. If he was telling the truth, this was great news, at least for the originals. They would have to try and convince Error to stop destroying the other universes too, but at least he wouldn't mass murder entire AU chains because these voices he's hearing are telling him not to.

"Welp," he said casually, shoving his hands in his pockets. "The least ya could do is tie those ribs back on. If you're not gonna go to a healer to get 'em fixed properly, ya could make sure you don't lose them."

I looked at him warily, instinctively stepping away as he stepped closer. "H-how?"

Stretch chuckled a bit. "Simple. Got any cloth around here?" His brows rose in surprise when Error brought some strings and held them up. "I... guess that's something. Then, you just tie those ribs back onto where they fell off so they heal."

Stretch nodded. I hesitantly took the remaining ribs from my hoodie pockets, studying the broken ends where they had been torn off. So, I just tie them to my broken ribs, huh? Should be easy enough. I went to take off my hoodies and shirt, but stopped when Blueberry and Stretch turned away from me. I narrowed my eyesockets.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh," Blueberry exchanged looks with his brother, then rubbed the back of his head. "W-we'll tell you later, Error."

"So," Stretch muttered just loud enough for Blueberry to hear, but not Error, "he's got no idea of what's appropriate either?"

Blueberry put a hand to his chin. "I guess not. He's been alone so long though, I don't know why that surprises me. He didn't even know what English was when I asked him!"

Stretch hummed in agreement. "Maybe it's time somebody help him learn."

Blueberry blinked in surprise, his eyelights growing huge as his brother's words sunk in. "You're serious about this?! Do you really want to help Error?!"

He laughed softly and nodded. "Yeah. He's your friend, bro. If you're ok with him, I can try to be, too."

Blueberry launched himself into his brother's arms, cheering. "Yes yes yes yes! Thank you, Papy! Thank you so much!"

They both turned to find Error dressed again, attempting to tie a knot around his broken ankle. The glitchy skeleton was now a patchwork of blue strings and multicolored bones, and his shoddy work wasn't pretty, but it would hold for awhile. He looked up as the came over to him.

"Ya need help there, buddy?"

I looked down at my poorly tied ankle, and nodded shyly. I wasn't good at this, that's for sure. I watched uneasily as Stretch knelt down next to me, tying the ankle more securely. This seemed too good to be true! I kidnapped his brother, and he's helping me! Once he was finished tying my ankle up, I scooted away, holding my knees close to my chest.

"Wh-why are you doing this? Don't you hate me for kidnapping your brother?"

Stretch hesitated for a moment. He was upset with Error for taking Blueberry, sure. But his brother was returned to him safely and without a scratch. That had been a huge relief, especially after a few weeks of wondering if he'd ever see Blueberry again! There was another reason, though.

"When my bro was gone, I had almost constant nightmares of him turning into a crazy destroyer like you. Uh, no offense," he smiled innocently at Blueberry's scolding glare. "And seeing you now, I was reminded of those nightmares. I couldn't stand it if Blueberry was forced into your position, so I wanted to know what caused this so we can prevent it from happening again. I trust my bro, and I know he can take care of himself despite having one HP, but-"

"Papy!" Blueberry cried in protest. "I thought we agreed not to tell people that!"

Stretch chuckled. "Sorry, bro. Thought I could trust your new friend with your secret."

"O-oh," Blueberry's eyelights lit up with understanding. His brother always told him that to gain someone's trust, one must give it. This was just Stretch's way of saying he was trusting Blueberry, and tentatively willing to trust Error. "In that case, may I tell him one of your secrets?"

"Sure."

"Alright, Error," he winked at the glitchy skeleton conspiratorially. "Not many people know this, but I'm actually the older brother between Papy and me! For some reason, everybody guesses that he's older, incorrectly might I add!"

I lit up with a smile. "Yeah, I can see why people would think that. But I read the code of your universe, so I... kinda already knew that...."

'You idiot know-it-all!'

I could feel my confidence ebb away as the voices picked up their hurtful words once again.

'Do you really think showing off will impress him?!'

'You don't deserve to have friends!'

'They're just manipulating you to find your weaknesses, anyway.'

N-no....

'They'll find out you hate killing families, that you can't stand hearing their heartbroken cries as you kill the ones they love!'

Stop it!

'Once they know how to hurt you, they'll run right back to Inky, and he'll make more AUs with just families!'

'Children, parents, brothers, sisters, you'll have to kill them all!'

"NOOO!!!" I glitched violently as the voices laughed mockingly, scratching at my skull to get the voices to stop. I felt a hand try to stop me, and I jerked away. I teleported away from what I assumed was danger, shooting bones in every direction and hoping to keep the danger away.

Stretch's eyesockets widened as the attacks hurtled toward them, and he summoned a wall of bones to block them. He held Blueberry close to him as the attacks grew more aggressive, his expression darkening to a scowl. Why did he think this crazy destroyer could be trusted?! He had allowed himself to put him and his brother in danger, and it's all because this glitch tricked him into thinking he was innocent!

"I fucking knew it."

"Papy!" Blueberry struggled in his brother's arms, his soul dropping as he heard Error's glitched and panicked wheezing. "I-it's not fault! H-he's scared, and the voices-!"

"There are no voices, Sans!" Stretch snapped, his tone shocking Blueberry into stilled silence. "He's insane, and I regret letting you anywhere near him! I never should have put you in harm's way like this!" Before his brother could protest any further, he pulled them both into a portal to Underswap, leaving the destroyer alone.

I held my head in my hands, blood trickling down my face. I looked around me, realizing I was alone. Had I been hallucinating? I thought Blueberry was here.

"Blueberry?" I whimpered out weakly, sadly. "Blueberry?!"

I looked down at the puppet I had started. Its starry-eyed smile seemed almost apologetic, as if it was sorry for something. I fell to my knees and picked it up carefully, starting its torso. Once it was finished, I strung it up beside the rest of my collection. My breath hitched as I teared up, knowing it was the last hope I would have of ever making another friend.

_______________________________________

Hmmm.... welp-

I had trouble getting this one out over the weekend cuz I got busy with friends and stuff, but I'm happy to be back! And whoo boy, is this one a doozy! 5000 words and counting! Poor Stretch, man. He didn't deserve to have his brother kidnapped, and he is completely justified in thinking Error's completely bonkers. Which is why, for anybody who disapproves of his actions, let me ask you. If a loved one got kidnapped by a known killer who then returned them unharmed, wouldn't you be a little suspicious that this criminal was just trying to lower your guard so he could kill without you raising the alarm?

If you weren't, I would think you're too optimistic for yours and others' safety. No offense, but killers don't just change overnight, if at all. But that's just the opinion of an ex-Error simp who has learned the error of their ways.

Or maybe they haven't cuz here they are, writing a story that is actively presenting Error in a light that makes him seem more like the victim lol

Anywho, enjoy the chapter! Imma get to writing the next one!