This AU variant was made by @mcnotok or @runaway-dreamtale
Original Dreamtale was made by @/jokublog
I do not own the characters, just the writing. Please do not claim my work as yours.
I apologize for þe message. I want you to know þat I love you. We will always be bounded. Togeþer forever. Life is just a river wiþ a very strong current, you know I can't swim. I feel like I'm drowning, constantly, I don't know how to stop it. I want everyþing to stop, figuratively and literally. I wish þe world worked in my favor. þey favor you! You can have a perfect life, I want you to have þat with no obstacles. I know I can be a burden. I want to ease your stress, relieve all þe weight from your shoulders, hold your hand throughout all your struggles, rest your head on my shoulders and wipe you tears away. All of þis sounds so farfetched, mainly because it is. I know þat we have no chance grabbing þat paradise.
I guess þis is goodbye, I hope we meet in anoþer life. I sign þis wiþ all my love.
Yours eternally, Nightmare ☆
That was all they left. One small, disoriented, letter. Dream trembled staring at the note, their hands instinctively squeezing shut. Their jaw clamped shut, they had no words. Everything was a whirlwind, the world around them crumbled. Their world was now gone, their sibling was gone.
Loud, rampant, knocks on the wooden door disturbed Niel's sleep. It was late at night, who would be awake? Niel groaned and sluggishly stepped towards his front door.
"Who would be up at this hour..?" Niel grumbled as he opened the door. The wooden door opened with a screeching creak. Niel stared. He was at a loss for words. What else would you be once there's a sobbing, shaking kid on your doorstep?
"...Kid?..." Niel looked Dream up and down, "What happened...?"
Dream babbled, it was hard to articulate the situation in words. Niel tried everything to calm them down, breathing exercises, drinks, everything. Dream's quivering hands held out the paper to Niel. He accepted it reading every syllable.
Niel shook reading the letter. This really happened, their found family lost a member. Niel immediately assumed it was a suicide note. His tears fell, glistening the paper. It felt like his soul was torn out and shatteted. Possibly even worse.
Nightmare ran. They didn't know where. They didn't know for how long. They just ran. Ran until everything disappeared. Ran until they couldn't. Ran until their drea-
Nightmare stopped in their tracks staring at a soft glow of colorful lights resting over a small village. They seemed to be having a celebration? Maybe they could shelter Nightmare.
Nightmare walked for the remainder of the trail and stepped into a, very humble, village. They looked around, there was a ceremony going on? Or was it a ball?
"You're just in time! There's only a few minutes before the orbit begins!"
Nightmare turned to acknowledge the unknown voice. He was met with an owl monster.
"Oh! I must have mistaken you for someone, my apologies!" She seemed squeamish.
"It is no issue ma'am—"Nightmare gave her a small bow—"I do have a question though."
"And I may have an answer!" She squaked, quite literally.
Nightmare internally smiled, "What is all of this for?" They waved their hand around them pointing out the obvious elephant in the room.
"It is the moon ball! We have one e'ry full orbit!"
Nightmare nodded, "For New Year's, correct?"
"Practically! Hopefully you enjoy the celebration, the leader is goin' to speak soon."
Of course they had a leader here, one less job for Nightmare.
Nightmare sat in a library. It was owned by Ms. Holiday Wormwood, the owl monster who they had met. She let them rest in there and they would read day and night.
Nightmare sat checking out a book. They heard a crash followed by a thud. They immediately dropped the book and checked out the issues, clutching their sword tightly.
They walked to the room where the noise came from and saw nothing. They were skeptical. Nightmare turned to walk out and alert Ms. Holiday but they noticed shifting in the corner of their eye. A dagger flew across the room landing in the wall, slightly grazing Nightmare's face. Small drips of purple blood fell from their face as they turned.
They were met with two skeleton monsters, one extremely larger than the other. The large one had a large crack in his skull while the smaller one wore a hood and shawl. After quick thinking Nightmare drew their sword.
"State your name and purpose..." Nightmare spoke.
The hooded one stared, "And why?" His voice was chilling and low, naturally ending with a purr.
"I do not desire a fight nor desire hurting you. Name and purpose."
"Dust, just checking the place out..."
Nightmare turned their sword to the larger monster.
"The big guy's Horror. He don' talk." Nightmare nodded and held their sword at their side.
And with the worst timing Ms. Holiday walked in. A loud hoot filled every corner of the room. Horror instinctively stepped in front of Dust to protect the former.
"Calm Ms. Wormwood. They are just checking out the place."
"That's...great, Moonlight..." Sweat gathered on her brow, "Don't you boys go makin' messes of the place." The three nodded in cacophony.
Dust has made himself comfy in Horror's sweater, Horror had his arm wrapped around Dust. It got quite cold in the night and the heater had stopped working. Nightmare shivered white sitting by himself, weary of their new roomies.
"There's room for ya if ya wanna stop bein' a priss..." Dust had insisted the line several times, Horror always responded with a nod.
"I apologize for not trusting people who broke into the library, barely talk about themselves, and who I've barely known. We met three weeks ago, you're lucky Ms. Wormwood is compassionate..." Nightmare mumbled the last part.
Dust grumbled, "Don' pick a fight wit' me kid."
Horror defensively placed his hands in the air, it was his non-verbal signage of wariness.
"Ya really lucky I like the big guy." Dust simmered and leaned back into Horror. Horror gestured for Nightmare to join them but Nightmare continued to decline.
Hour three, so damn cold. Nightmare shivered. Maybe caving into their temptations wasn't so bad. They scooted towards the now sleeping duo of Horror and Dust. Nightmare leaned into Horror's lonesome side and rested their head in his arm.
"So you aren't dumb?" Dust had awoken a few seconds earlier.
Nightmare jolted, "When did you wake?" Their embarrassment was faint in their voice.
"I'm very alert, ya doin' aight? Ain't lookin' too hot." Dust stated.
"I'm fine, just startled." Nightmare's nod was squeamish.
Dust returned a nod and nestled back in Horror's sweater. Nightmare copies feeling Horror tense. Horror pulled the two others close to him, it calmed him.
Dust's eyes shut, "I care about ya too big guy..."
It has been weeks, still no answers... These outsiders made themselves at home..? How does that work. It all confused him. They were accepted after all the things they've done. They weren't from here, why should they resign here?
With a glitched sigh the intruder lurked back into the shadows of the surrounding forest. It confused him to even think. He hopped into a tree and made it to his makeshift hammock. It was made of blue threads and seemed stable, on the hammock rested a photo of four people. The glitch, two other skeleton monsters, and a human with pink hair. On the photo was a note, written in red ink.
