Turn back time! Oh-oh, gotta hit rewind
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In which you see the most breathtaking goddess you've
ever laid your eyes upon- oh wait, nvm, that's just yourself
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FANART BY tac-cat-02 OMGGGGGGGG

   You did worry about it. In fact, you worried so much about it, that whenever Dream gave you a goodbye kiss and left you the next morning, you ran straight back to the bedroom.

   You felt bad about your lack of trust in him. That you didn't trust him, when he said, it wasn't anything serious. Something you 'didn't need to worry about'. But you couldn't help it. The fact was, that Dream had a very rare book in his possession, and you didn't know if it was dangerous or not. You'd want to at least know what a dreamon was if you ever needed to protect Dream against one.

   But this time, the candle didn't open the secret door. It didn't even budge when you tried to turn or twist it. It was back to being an ordinary candle.

   You let out hurtful laughter. Guess the lack of trust between you and Dream was mutual. That was something you'd have to work on.

   You tried to look for any other entrances, tried turning every other candle on the wall, but nothing happened. Dream had made it as if the room had never even existed in the first place.

   You were considering if you should use on of your explosive arrows to get in there. But you quickly dropped that idea, since it would leave an absolute mess. You didn't want Dream to lose any more trust in you than he already had.

   And so, things slowly turned back to how they were before. Whenever you would start a conversation about the secret room, Dream would shut it down immediately. You kept trying to twist the candles on the walls, to see if they would someday budge, but there was no way to get inside the room anymore. No way to get back to the book. In the end, you just gave up. You gave up, and you went back to being bored out of your mind, day in and day out.

   You talked to Dream again, asking him if he could let you come with him or at least let you outside. He kept refusing and come up with stupid excuses. You got fed up with it, and just as you were about to snap, Dream said he was planning another surprise for you. One, that would require you to 'pack your bags', because you were going away for a while.

   This made you jump up and down in excitement and cover his face with small kisses until you both stumbled onto the floor. Dream laughed and embraced you. He was saying something, but your own happy thoughts drowned him out. You would finally get away from this place.

   Not that this house was bad. You still enjoyed being here, and it wasn't like you needed space or anyth- okay, who were you trying to fool, this place was an absolute shithole, and you couldn't wait to get the hell out of here.

   Dream had said you'd leave on Friday - which was already tomorrow by now. He said, that he was going to go on one last trip, and then he'd be home to be with you until then. You were completely fine with that. You had gotten used to it.

   Dream had refused to tell you where the two of you were going or how long you'd be there. All you hoped, was that you wouldn't have to go through the nether. The memories of your last visit to that dimension still haunted you in your sleep.

   And speaking of sleep, you had decided to kill time until Dream came back by doing exactly that.

   You threw yourself on the bed and curled up into a ball, hugging your knees.

   Looking forward to Dream's return, you slowly started drifting into sleep. And when you finally did fall asleep, it actually felt like you didn't. You had closed your eyes just to open them again, and find yourself floating in an eternal black void.

   You had gotten used to not having any dreams at night, so the whole situation confused you. It felt so real. Like you were actually awake, floating around somewhere in the night sky. You could even feel the cold breeze that made the hair on your arms rise like soldiers.

   If you hadn't been convinced that this was some kind of lucid dream, you would've freaked out way more upon being in the middle of nowhere, but now you were just curious as to where you were. You were just about to pinch yourself when you heard a voice behind you. Your body stiffened. You recognized it immediately as the voice you had heard inside your head for the past days.

   "(Y/n)! Yes! Thank god I finally reached you!"

   You turned around. Or, well, you tried to. It was difficult when you didn't have full control of your body, that was still floating mid-air. And therefore the person came to you.

   A see-through figure came into your vision. A boy, around your age. He had wavy, brown hair, a relieved smile, and was wearing a purple hoodie. A purple hoodie, with a familiar, green symbol on it.

   "Who are..." You started, but then your eyes narrowed, the rest of the words refusing to leave your mouth. You knew him from somewhere, didn't you?

   The boy placed his hands on your shoulders. You were afraid they'd go right through your body, but his touch was surprisingly warm and firm. He was floating as well, and even though the two of you were surrounded by absolute darkness, you could see every one of his features very clearly - almost as if his see-through body was luminescent.

   His eyes shone with a mix of kindness and guilt, and his smile screamed with familiarity. Yet you struggled to put a name on him.

   "I tried for so long to contact you! I'm so sorry I didn't get to you sooner, I- I didn't think he'd go this far. I can't believe he's done this to you. I'm so, so sorry, (Y/n)."

   Your mouth tried to form words, but your confused state didn't allow you to. Instead, you just looked at him dumbly. Your mind sure was creative if this was a dream.

   Instead, the boy kept talking. His voice sounded as if it echoed throughout the whole universe. "I know this is overwhelming, but try to stay with me, okay? We need you. Tell me, how much time do we have? You're alone right now, right? If I'm not mistaken Dream is visiting Tommy right now."

   Manburg. Tommy. Your mind repeated as if it was two words unfamiliar to its vocabulary. Yet there was something about them that made your heart race rapidly.

   You didn't understand a single thing. Was this even real? Were you dreaming? You had to be dreaming.

   "You're not dreaming." The boy stated as if he had read your mind. Your eyes flickered around, but it was only you two and the darkness. There wasn't really much else to look at.

   "I-I heard you." You managed to stutter after a while. You pointed at him with a shaking finger. "I heard you. You were the one calling my name, you were the one telling me where the secret room was! So... It wasn't me?"

   The boy let out a giggle. His laughter was high-pitched, sweet, and bubbly. "It wasn't you, no. It was me all along. As said, I've tried to contact you ever since Dream took you away. I knew you weren't dead, Sapnap and I knew. But we didn't know where you were. And so, I had to use this method even though it's very energy draining. I'm so glad It finally worked."

   There was that name again: Sapnap. It was frustrating how you couldn't put a face on him.

   You repeated the boy's words in your head. Had Dream taken you away? Away from where? Manburg? There were so many things that didn't make sense. The boy in front of you had started a waterfall of questions inside of your head and it was all so overwhelming.

   He kept talking. "I know your memory isn't what it used to be, (Y/n). Trust me, I know what it's like. But that's why I'm here. You need to remember. I'm going to show you something, okay? And after that, you need to get away. As far away from Dream as possible. I need you to come home."

   Your jaw clenched, your throat becoming dry. You felt panic and stubbornness rise at his words. Who was he, a stranger in your dream, to tell you what to do? "But- no. Dream is my home, I'm not- I'm not leaving him! He's... I- I love him."

   What was happening to you? Your mind fully believed in these words, and yet, when they left your mouth, they sounded like a lie.

   The brunette sighed. He tabbed his finger impatiently against the book he was holding. "He's dangerous, (Y/n). I know you may not realize it now, I know it's hard to believe, but you have to trust me. We know each other! I know we haven't really become friends yet, but you gotta believe me. Your friends need you. Now, more than ever."

   As those words left his mouth, your eyes widened. It was as if your mind fell into place. As if your memory had been unlocked.

   You looked up at him, eyes as focused as they had even been. "Karl?"

   The boy - Karl - smiled brightly. He even made a little dancy dance. "Exactly! That's me! Very good (Y/n), very good!"

   You still didn't know where you knew him from, but the name had just popped up into your mind, and it seemed to fit him perfectly.

   But then, did that mean that what Karl was telling you was true? You thought it had been an injury that had messed up your mind. An injury, that Dream still helped you recover from.

   But what if Dream had been the one that injured you? Him that made you lose your memory?

   Were you in danger, like Karl made it sound like you were?

   "How long time do we have?" Karl repeated his question from earlier. You were still very out of it, conflicted at what to feel and believe, but you managed to answer.

   "About- about two hours I think."

    Karl nodded. "We need to hurry then." He reached his hand out for you to take. You looked at it, blankly.

   "Do you want to remember, (Y/n)?" The question seemed to echo throughout the darkness. You gulped as you slowly reached your hand out to meet his. You did want to remember. You wanted to know the truth about Dream.

   Even though his hand was see-through and wasn't really present, it was warm around yours. You knew you had taken the right choice, even though it felt wrong. Even though it felt as if you were betraying Dream.

   Everything started to crumble around you as Karl's touch began to bend time and space. Colors and pictures started whirling around you as if you were inside a tornado. It was beautiful and frightening at the same time.

   "Close your eyes." You heard Karl say from somewhere far away, yet you still felt his hand in yours.

   Not wanting to take any chances, you did as told. The world turned black, but it still felt as if you were flying across the sky at inhumane speed. Almost like a shooting star.

   You were almost surprised that you didn't get sick. That you didn't want to bend over and throw all of your breakfast up. But it felt as natural as a rollercoaster. You liked rollercoasters.

   And then suddenly, you felt ground beneath your feet. You nearly lost balance, but Karl's hand kept supporting you.

   You didn't know where you had thought you would end up when you opened your eyes. Maybe back in your bed, discovering all of this had just been a dream. You had certainly not expected to open your eyes to find yourself standing on a rooftop, that seemed way too familiar for your liking. You narrowed your eyes at the two people in front of you, standing as far away from you as possible.

   "Who is that sexy babe I spot with my little eye." You mumbled as you stepped a bit closer. Then gasped in realization. "Holy shit Karl, that's me!"

   Karl chuckled from behind you and walked up to your side. He hugged himself, and you couldn't tell if it was because of the cold or the fact that the scene he had just taken you to, wasn't very pleasant.

   It was as if Karl had just told you 2 + 2 equals 5. You furrowed your brows and rubbed your eyes. "But how... How is that even possible? Is that really me? Can she see us? I mean, can I see us? What did you do?! Is this the future?"

   You asked so many questions, yet Karl didn't seem the least bit surprised. Actually, he seemed very unbothered by the whole situation - like he wasn't in the presence of two (Y/n)'s. He looked as if this happened on a daily basis for him.

   "Not quite. This is the past. Moments before Dream, well, kidnapped you. Moments before you lost your memory."

   Your eyes widened. Kidnapped you? Dream had kidnapped you?

   "And no, they can't see nor hear us. We're only here to observe." Karl added as he stepped closer to the two people who were apparently arguing. Stepped closer to you.

   You couldn't help but follow. You promised yourself that you would make Karl explain how he had the ability to literally travel through time when all of this was over. When he had shown you everything he needed to.

   You looked at yourself, traced the tears falling down your face like a waterfall. You looked at Dream who was wearing his mask, but you could tell he was sad as well. You had learned to read his body language like an open book.

   "I-It's you... Isn't it?" You heard yourself cry, voice cracking. Your figure was so weak, so fragile it almost broke your heart. You've never seen yourself so vulnerable before. And you couldn't even remember being it. Karl said this was the past, but you were reliving a memory you didn't even remember having. Yet, just as the words had left your past self's mouth, it was as if it slowly came back to you.

   You could tell Dream didn't know what to say. He just clenched his jaw and fists as a response, leaving you, well, the other you, to continue.

   "It is." old-(Y/n) said, her hands finding the way to her hair and started to pull it out. You always did that whenever you got frustrated. "I've been so blind..."

   You took another step forward. You wanted to comfort yourself, you wanted to assure you that everything would be alright. But as Karl had said, you were practically invisible. And you needed to listen. You needed to know how you had lost your memory.

   "Why am I so... sad?" You asked Karl, who nodded as if he had waited for you to ask.

   "You had just discovered that Dream was your old friend. He had hidden his secret identity for several months up to this point. And, as you know, Dream isn't exactly a good guy."

   Your lips parted. His explanation made a bell ring. It was all coming back to you, and now that it did, you couldn't believe how you had forgotten it in the first place. "Right..."

   "H-How long have you known?" You heard Dream ask, and the pain in his voice hit both (Y/n)'s hard.

   You still loved him. You loved him so much it hurt. And that's why you didn't want to believe what you were slowly realizing. That Dream had lied to you for months. That Dream was a bad guy. That he had taken away your memories and manipulated you like crazy.

   You wanted to wake up from this nightmare. You wanted Karl to say "oops, I think I took you to the wrong dimension" and then take you to another reality, another 'past' where Dream didn't have an evil bone in his body. Where Dream matched with the loving and caring image you had of him.

   But none of that happened. And you were forced to see how the sickening scene of your past played out.

   "Why?" The devastating question cut right through the thick, tension-filled air, hitting Dream like a punch in the stomach. It was your old self that had asked it, but you wanted to know the answer too.

   Why, Dream?

  "I was trying to protect you." Dream replied. His voice was broken, but you almost didn't feel sorry for him. Everything was coming back to you. The manipulation, the lies, everything he had filled you with the past months.

   He wasn't trying to protect you. He never had been. He was only trying to protect his title, all of his power. You knew that now.

   "No. You were trying to protect your title. Your power."  Old (Y/n) agreed with you. Aww, you knew yourself so well. 

   "You almost made me kill someone." (Y/n) whispered to herself. "I would've done it. I-I was so close to-"

   Your eyes widened. Schlatt.

   "I stopped you." He desperately reminded, as if he was trying to not only convince you that he wasn't a bad guy, but himself too. You cringed at how pathetic he was. If someone had to be an awful person, the least they could do was own up to it. "I didn't mean to hurt you in any way. I didn't think you would go as far to..."

   You watched as the scene slowly escalated. You watched old-(Y/n) getting heated up, saying how Dream had meant everything to her. Asking him how he dared to treat her like he had. (Y/n) had scolded him, saying everything that needed to be said. How he was the most sadistic and selfish person on the planet. You couldn't help but agree, tears welling up in your very own eyes as Dream kept begging (Y/n) to listen.

   You were seeing a whole new side of Dream, a side you had forgotten he even had. You were angry, so angry, but most of all, you were heartbroken. Karl took your hand, but it didn't help one bit. Because this right here, what he was showing you, it wasn't just a possible outcome of the future. This was the past. Something that had already happened, something that was broken beyond repair.

   And you couldn't change it. You could never change it. This was your new reality. It always had been, you had just forgotten all about it.

   You saw Dream, as his shoulders slowly sunk. He had realized something, realized he couldn't win this fight.

   "He's going to drug me." You stated as a matter-of-factly, seconds before Dream pulled out a cloth from his bag, proving you right.

   "Don't worry, I'm going to fix everything." He assured, before pressing it to (Y/n)'s mouth, forcing your old self to inhale whatever poison was on it. You didn't try to stop it. You couldn't even move. Dream had done this to you. He had taken you to his house, which wasn't even a house, it was a disguised prison-cell. He had taken you there to isolate you from the world, so he could keep you and secure his power. He had done it because he was selfish. Because he thought he could have it all.

   And it had worked. Until now.

    Dream took off his mask as he held (Y/n) in his arms. You wanted him to put it on again. It was a lot easier to hate that stupid smiley-face than it was to hate him. The person you used to adore so much. And you hated how his tear-filled eyes still managed to give you heartache, despite everything you had just witnessed. 

   Dream picked your old self up bridal style and vanished. A part of you wanted to follow him, but your feet were glued to the ground. Stuck to the very rooftop where everything went wrong.

   "What happened after?" You asked Karl, who frowned at your broken voice. He felt bad that he had to put you through this, but he knew that you simply needed to know. "What happened with my friends?"

   "That's what I'm showing you next," He then explained, offering you his hand again.

   You nodded, mind trying its best to comprehend everything. It was hard to accept that you had lived the past months on a lie. You had finally lived a  life in peace after years of searching for the one you loved. Every day with Dream had felt so natural, so lovely, and then all of a sudden, an apparently-not-so-random-guy-after-all with time travel-powers shows up in your mind while you're alseep, taking you back time to re-experience memories you didn't even know you had.

   But even though all of this broke your heart into pieces, you had to keep going. For your own sake, as well as your friends. And so, you took Karl's hand, whose touch was now sickening. It wasn't warm like when you first felt his touch. It was almost as if you could feel that it was only going downhill from here.

   "You remember them? Your friends?" Karl asked, right before doing whatever he had to do in order to jump in time.

   You shook your head slowly. You knew that you had friends, but if Karl asked you to name or describe one of them you'd be totally blank. "I will when I see them." You then stated firmly.

   And then the scene in front of you broke into a million pieces, creating a new one with way more chaos. You found yourself standing in the middle of what you immediately recognized as Manburg.

   Or, well, what was left of it.

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