"He's alive."

Two skulls snapped in the direction of the speaker, shocked at his statement. The short skeleton who spoke wore a look of mixed emotions, mainly rage, disbelief, and confusion. His multicolored eyes were filled to the brim with annoyance, his right pinprick morphing into the shape of a crosshair, of which glowed a scarlet red.

The shorter of his two teammates was the first to speak up, sporting a grey shirt and grey pants with a white undershirt, outlined with baby blue, the same color as his gloves and bandana that he wore around his neck. He cocked his head to the side in bewilderment, his star-shaped eyelights locked onto his furious ally.

"WHAT? WHO'S ALIVE, INK?" He questioned, his voice naturally coming out as a shout, which had taken much getting used to.

But the volume of the small skeleton was the least of the trio's problems, at the moment.

Dream, the tallest of the group was the one to offer up a response, placing his hands on his hips, rustling the golden cape that rested on his withered yellow coat and black stocking-like pants.

"He's talking about Error, Blue." He explained, his voice smooth and soft, higher pitched than most would expect a male's voice to be.

Blueberry nodded slowly in realization, before looking away, an unwanted feeling of guilt resonating somewhere within him upon remembering what he was forced to do to his friend.

"OH. RIGHT. WHY DO YOU SAY IT LIKE IT'S A BAD THING?"

Ink glared, his eye lights burning a blood-red due to his ill-temper, unintentionally intimidating his comrade. Blue shrunk back, standing just a tad bit nearer to Dream for comfort, as Ink merely crossed his arms.

"Because. He's our enemy, and we trying to get rid of him. But he's alive." He stated blatantly, his tone of voice sounding rather monotonous, betraying his extremely emotional facial expression.

Dream spoke up, attempting to divert the negative attention away from Blue and towards himself, taking a small step in front of the mentioned.

"How do you know? I've been checking in on the dreams of inhabitants of the AU he'd been exiled to, and out of the 1,000+ people I've seen so far, none of them have seen him." The Guardian pointed out.

Ink nodded, placing his hands on his hips, his patience clearly running thin.

"Exactly. If things had gone according to plan, he would have been mobbed and killed. In the world we've sent him to, monsters don't exist. It can't even be called an AU, as it holds no resemblance to the original timeline, so I'll just refer to it as 'Earth' to differentiate it from the rest of the multiverse. With that in mind, all pandemonium would've broken loose if he'd been seen, and his death would be all over the news. But everything is calm. He's alive. So we need to find him, and kill him."

The taller skeleton awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, beginning to understand why Blue was fearful of the artist, shifting his weight from foot to foot in discomfort.

"I mean, I understand what you're saying, but isn't that all just theoretical evidence? He could've just died of natural causes and they haven't found a body." Dream muttered, glancing off to the side, no longer able to meet the grueling gaze of the group's self-appointed leader.

"YES, AND WHAT ABOUT THE VILLAIN SANSES? THEY'VE BEEN VERY QUIET, SHOULDN'T WE INVESTIGATE THAT FIRST? WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THEIR SILENCE MEANS THEY'RE PLANNING SOMETHING." Blue squeaked, peeking out from behind Dream's arm, shyly adding on.

Ink grunted, rolling his eye lights at the two, irritated with both the situation and his teammates.

"Fine. You two are free to check in on them, I don't know why you even need to bring it up. You're adults, you're both capable of doing things on your own."

Dream forced a smile, while Blue whimpered softly, Ink's harsh tone and words getting to both of them. It didn't help that they had no clue as to why he was so upset, they were only trying to help.

"I don't think that would be safe, we're much stronger as a group. . . And what if something were to happen to one of us? If Blue and I get kidnapped, or if you need reinforcement, we'd be powerless." Dream stressed, trying to break through the walls his friend had built around himself, to no avail.

Ink tapped his foot impatiently, seemingly growing tired of the worries of his allies, muttering some unkind words under his breath.

"Compromise. We search Earth first, and when we finish up our business there, we come back and eavesdrop on the Bad Sanses to see if they're plotting anything. Deal?" He asked, his voice sounding more like a demand rather than a question, thrusting out his left hand to shake.

Dream hesitated for a moment, before nodding slowly, extending his hand and shaking Ink's, who almost seemed to smirk for a moment. The artist then walked off, quick to get to work, preparing himself for the search mission that lie ahead. Dream was about to follow suit when Blue tugged on the sleeve of his coat, causing the skeleton to freeze and look down to meet the gaze of his friend.

"Hmm? Blue, what's wrong? We should be getting ready, we don't want to upset Ink."

Blue nodded lugubriously, looking around to make sure the mentioned wasn't within range to hear their conversation, before continuing in a hushed tone.

"Yes, but that's the problem. . . He's been so angry lately, did I . . d-did I do something wrong?" He whimpered, tears forming at the corners of his eye sockets, his blue star-shaped eyelights appearing duller than usual.

He wasn't shouting. Something is really wrong.

Dream's smile fell at the sight of his low spirited comrade, leaning down to reach his height and placing a hand on his shoulder, his other hand moving to Blue's chin, lightly tilting his skull upwards to meet his gaze.

"Hey, calm down, buddy, it'll be okay. You didn't do anything wrong, you're trying to do the best you can, and I'm proud of you for it! Ink is trying really hard too, y'know, so he's most likely just overwhelmed with stress. He thinks he's the only one trying to protect the multiverse, it's a lonely feeling . . . and loneliness hurts. I don't want you to feel bad too, you're being the best friend you can, and you deserve to be happy. Okay?" Dream reassured, cupping Blue's face and rubbing his cheekbones with his thumbs.

Blue nodded slowly, placing his hands over Dreams and looking to the side, finding the presence of the other to be comforting.

"Okay . . . But are you sure that's all it is? Ink seems so hostile lately, . . . what if he lashes out at us? I no longer feel safe around him. . " Blue sighed, placing his hands over Dreams and leaning into his chest.

Dream seemed to pause for a moment, thinking deeply as he carefully chose his next words, before sighing and pulling his friend into a hug. He rubbed slow circles on Blue's back, calming him down further, as Blue meekly held onto Dream's coat, closing his eyesockets as he tried to forget about the situation they were in.

"I know, Blue, I know. But want you to know that I'll protect you to the best of my abilities, should conflict arise. And if that ever happens, if Ink and I can't settle a dispute, I want you to seek shelter from whomever you trust the most. Whether it be your brother or Core Frisk, Outer, or Sci, I want you to leave and keep yourself safe. But that's not gonna happen. Everything is going to be okay. Alright?"

"I . . . Alright."

*          *          *

"Ughhhhhh, where is he?! We've looked everywhere for him!!" Killer yelled in exasperation, throwing a knife purely out of rage, where it would embed itself in a wall near Horror's head.

The black Liquid hate was flowing down from his eyesockets in streams, beginning to drip down from his face and land in small droplets on his faded blue jacket, along with spilling over onto his white gym shorts and blue and black shoes. His red, target-shaped soul glowed dimly in front of him, slowly darkening and turning from scarlet to a blood-red.

Horror didn't even flinch, sitting at their elegantly decorated dining table and gazing at the blade of his axe, of which portrayed his reflection.

His skull had a large, gaping hole on his left side, and his singular eyelight glowed a crimson red, while his right eyesocket remained empty. His clothes were faded and dully colored, his blue jacket and black shorts seeming old and worn, adorned in several splotches of blood. Blood that was not his own.

His face displayed a look of concern, evident in his shrunken eyelight, despite his mouth being semi-permanently confined to a smile. Still yet, the grin was false and forced, not a single trace of joy present within him.

"Maybe he jus' got lost. 'M sure he'll be back soon . . . right?" He asked hopefully, dropping his weapon on the table with a loud clatter and placing his hands on his head. His fingers traced the rim of the circular hole on his skull, remembering how the group's missing destroyer had once bandaged it after he first got the injury.

In the corner of the room, shrouded in the shadows, dwelled another skeleton, his attire just as unkempt as the others. A heavy coating of monster dust layered his black shorts,  white shirt, and blue jacket, his greyish-silver hood pulled low over his head, casting a shadow over the rest of his face. His left eyelight was a small blue dot, ringed with a thick outline of red, glowing purple. His right was far simpler, just a speck of ruby red in the dark, black void that was his eyesockets.

Dust growled, leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms. His face was made up of irritation, the likes of which growing for every passing second.

"Oh, give up! 'S been more than a month, an' we still don't got no sign of 'm. We don' even know if he 's still alive. Jus' leave 'm." He snapped, growing sick of spending so much time worrying.

Ever since a member of their gang had disappeared, the entire group had been degraded from formidable, terrifying murderers, to paranoid, quick-tempered skeletons. The sight sickened Dust, as he remembered what they had once been, loathing the new change. Despite his hatred for their situation, however, he was still just as worried as the rest of them and simply didn't show it. Being emotional was seen as a weakness, after all.

And the weak were killed.

Upon Dust's words, Killer froze, his face turning from one of angered concern to the blank stare of a hollow, soulless being. His face seemed devoid of all emotion, making his feelings unreadable, masking whatever lurked within.

Suddenly, he pounced forward and pulled his knife from the wall, replacing it at Dust's throat. His face soon contorted into one of fury, directed at the male he had pinned beneath him.

"How could you say that."

He shook, his tone turning harsher and his volume raising in his anger.

"How could you say that?! He's been there for all of us when we needed it the most, and now that it's finally our turn to repay the favor, you're just gonna flake out on him?! Just like that?!" He snarled, tightening his grip on the knife and pressing it further against Dust's throat.

"Kill'r." Horror called out, watching closely from the sidelines, monitoring the escalating quarrel.

Dust squirmed beneath him, shoving at Killer's chest in attempts to push him off, but to no avail. Killer remained against him, fueled by the burning frustration within him.

"Get y'er sorry hands off 'f me! I said, jus' leave 'm!! "Dust repeated, throwing a fist at Killer's skull, who caught his hand and shoved it against the wall, using it as a vantage point to lock him down and further secure his grip.

"Kill'er." Horror repeated, standing up and making his way over to the two, calling out again to attempt to break up the fight.

Horror's plan didn't work, as Killer leaned closer to Dust, dropping his voice to a whisper, his following words being so cold and cruel that it chilled the skeleton below him to the bone.

"Did he, 'jus leave' you trapped in an unending loop, in that dying AU of yours, after that damn kid killed off everyone you had ever loved 327 times?"

"Kill'r!" Horror shouted, taking Killer's arm and yanking him away from Dust, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him roughly. The liquid hate was practically pouring out of his eyesockets, collecting in tiny pools on the floor as he stared blankly. Horror shook his head at him, before gesturing over at Dust, who was clearly unwell.

Dust had grown silent, his eyelights disappearing as his face fell, recollecting the nadir of his life as his teammate had just depicted it. His hands shook as he clawed at his hood, pulling it further down his face, shuddering lightly.

Killer backed up, sheathing his weapon and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He knew what he said was cruel, and did regret it immensely now that he had spoken, but there was practically nothing he could do to change it. The damage had been done.

"Too f'r, Killz. Too f'r." Horror uttered, releasing his teammate and reclaiming his spot at the table, burying his face in his hands.

Killer sighed, taking another look over at Dust, his guilt increasing for the longer he stared. Sure, Dust had just suggested abandoning their best friend, but that didn't make it okay to stoop so low.

He silently took a seat next to the dust-covered skeleton, looking down at his feet as the tension began creeping across everyone in the room,  a silence falling over everyone and everything, waiting to be broken.

"So. . . Hey."

"Whaddya w'nt." Dust grunted, summoning a sharp, jagged bone, now that he had been snapped back to his senses.

"If ya came ta keep bein' a pain in the rear, I'll shove th's bone up yers." He hissed, his eyelight flaring purple and he gave the other a menacing glare.

Killer grinned at how feisty Dust was, before shaking his head and crossing his legs, getting comfortable on the floor.

"Nope. I came to apologize." Killer forced out, loathing admitting to his wrongdoings.

A smirk pulled at the corners of Dust's mouth, liking the discomfort and internal suffering of the skeleton before him, crossing his arms and nodding.

"Go on."

Killer huffed, his hand instinctively grabbing the hilt of his weapon, taking out his knife and tapping it lightly against the floor.

"Tch. I came to say that . . . I'm sorry. I had no right to talk about what happened to you, even if you were being a jerk, and I'm lucky that you didn't stab me in the face."

" 'S that 'n offer?"

"You wish. Now accept my apology." Killer demanded, his face heating up ever so slightly from embarrassment.

The dust-covered skeleton looked up for a moment, seeming to consider his options before catching Killer's expression, shrugging and shaking his skull.

"Nah." Dust snickered, narrowing his eyesockets tauntingly in Killer's direction, mockingly sticking his tongue at him.

Killer glared at him, pouting at being denied, though smiled softly, noting how Dust's spirits were being lifted.

"What do you mean, 'Nah'? That's not how you play the game, you're supposed to accept it." Killer retorted, twisting the knife between his fingers, trying to spin it like a top.

Dust shrugged again.

" 'Nah' means nah. Y'er gonna hafta apologize again." Dust chuckled, leaning back into a more comfortable position, his eyelights still trained on the increasingly embarrassed male beside him.

Killer grunted, muttering some curses under his breath, refusing to meet the gaze of the one who sat beside him.

"I'm sorry."

"Ag'in."

"I'm. Sorry."

"Ag'in."

"I saID, I'M SORRY, SHUT UP ABOUT IT ALREADY!!" Killer hissed, grabbing his hood and tugging it down over his face, being angered by his own embarrassment.

Dust simply chuckled, lightly smacking Killer upside the skull, who growled in response.

"A'ight, a'ight, fine. Apology accepted. Ya just need ta become mah personal slave fer the rest of y'er life, and we'll be 'bout even." He teased, agitating Killer further.

Before Killer could even respond, the gently clacking of slippers against the marble floor echoed quietly throughout the hallways, causing everyone to sit up straight, as it were an indication that their superior would soon arrive.

They stood up in a single-file line, just in time for a dark skeleton to make his way through the large doors, standing before the three other skeletons. He wore a jacket over a plain T-shirt, along with some shorts and slippers, all of which were black. Long, menacing tentacles erupted from his spine, and his entire body was coated head to toe in a black, slimy substance that resembled tar, of which slowly rolled off of him.

Nightmare.

He stared down at his subordinates, towering above them at a terrifying six feet, grinning darkly. His single cyan eyelight darted across his recruits, who looked back at him with slight confusion, wondering what he wanted.

"What do you need, boss? Are we going on another search mission?" Killer inquired, flipping his knife a few times, before catching and sheathing it.

Nightmare shook his head, his smirk growing wider as if he had struck gold. He rubbed his hands together, in the manner that an evil genius would do in an action movie after kidnapping the protagonist.

"No. Why bother looking for something we've already found? Or rather, someone." He hummed, his deep voice chilling the others to the bone, though they were too caught up in his words to care much, at the moment.

Horror gasped, his eyesockets widening in shock, stammering as he spoke.

"D-do ya r'lly mean ya-"

"Found him? If I'm not mistaken, yes, I have. We'll need to wait for him to fall asleep, however, it'll be much easier to find him then." Nightmare interrupted, a smug grin plastered onto his facial features, a sense of hope returning to the group.

"What do you need us to do, then, Boss? If we're waiting for him to fall asleep, what do we need to do to prepare?" Killer asked, his tone dead serious, prepared to do anything to get his ally back.

"Get your pajamas, boys, we're all taking a nap~"

" .   .   .  "

" .   .   .  "

" .   .   .  "

"Wat?"

____________________________________________________________________________

Welcome back, lovelies! How're you all doing?

Sorry, no glitchy bean today .-m-. *diSappOiNtmEnt* On the bright side, at least now we have a bit of insight as to what's going on around the rest of the multiverse!

Whatcha think is gonna happen next?

Also, follow these people, they're epic.

xX_FLAW_Xx Maya_Morana ThatStupidBean

Anyway, have a wonderful day/afternoon/night, and stay amazing! =^•w•^=