Chapter Text
“Unhand me you heathens!!” His scream rang out as he was shoved into a room. Nightmare stumbled back and fell to his back as a metal door slammed shut. Nightmare quickly stood back up and demanded to be released. He huffed from the forced capture.
“Nightmare?” A smaller voice called out from the floor. He sounded frail and reeked of fear and grief.
“Who’s there?” Nightmare snapped looking around but failing to see anything on account of the blindfold and his tendrils and hands being bound.
The person didn’t speak for a moment, they didn’t respond to him. “Sit down on your knees, okay? Let me help you.” Nightmare huffed annoyed but complied, moving to carefully sit on his knees. The person silently and gently put their hands on his wrists and untied his hands. Nightmare was quick to take off the blindfold, not helping much with his already blind eye. He looked around the dim room, just able to see the other person.
“Dream?”
“Hello, brother.” His breathing was shaking his words as he slightly moved away from his opposing twin. Nightmare growled under his breath, then lunged at Dream and grabbed him by his neck to pin him to the soggy, rock floor. Nightmare looked down at his brother; he took note of the weathering cracks along his left eye, trailing down his face, and the skinny, frail bones that looked to be two seconds away from snapping. They were weathered and discolored everywhere. The thought crossed his mind to break everyone in his stupid, frail body. He took note of the flowy yellow dress he wore, falling all the way down to his ankles. The whole sight made his down right sickened.
“You bastard!” Nightmare yelled; Dream coughed as he squirmed.
“Brother!”
“Shut up! Don't call me that! What are you doing here!”
Dream tried pushing him away but failed imminently, his hands barely scraping his arm, “I-I don’t know!” He gasped, “A group of kids just forced me here!” Tears rimmed his eyes, “Please stop!”
Nightmare loosened his grip and sighed. I suppose he isn’t a threat like this, He thought to himself. He let go but kept Dream close to him.
Before he was able to ask anything, someone pounded on the door. “Shut up in there!” They yelled; Dream flinched at the doors clattering. “You're both wanted alive.”
“Under whose demands?!” Nightmare snapped, standing back up to peer out the small bars on the door. He saw no one, but still heard people yelling at them.
A new skeleton, also too short to spot spoke, “Under PJ and Incubix’s demand!” Nightmare groaned at the lack of a clear response. The door swung open, revealing two small skeletons, children. One was small and wore long black robes, he had a pair of white, dove-like wings. One of his eyes was hollow and void while the other had a bright white eye light. The other, who was slightly taller, had green stars for eyes and mint green paint splatters the shape of stars along his cheeks. He had an open white coat with golden rims and a matching scarf all over a black uniform seeming body suit, with two thin lines coming across and meeting in the middle of his chest to create a wide, ‘V’-like shape. One was white, one was yellow.
Two children bested Nightmare. They bested the king of negativity. Oh, and dream too. But the thought boiled Nightmares blood.
Nightmares tendril tensed, causing a sharp, piercing pain through his back. “Don’t you dare move your tendrils,” the small boy in robes spoke, “It’ll hurt you.”
The taller one readjusted his hat before speaking, “I think he could find that out by himself, Goth.” The smaller boy, Goth, playfully scowled at him, then sighed.
“We’re just here to feed them and make sure Nightmare doesn’t dust Dream.” Goth reminded the other boy who nodded. He set down two small containers, one for each. They hurried out, slamming the door shut.
“Palette!” Goth whined as they hurried down the hall, his voice fading, “Why did you embarrass me like that!” Nightmare rolled his eye and picked up one of the containers.
“Night? Can you hand me one?” Dream skittishly asked his twin as he laid in the corner, Nightmare simply rolled his eyes.
“You can get it yourself.” He snapped as he opened the container, revealing a small arrangement of white sticky rise and thin cuts of cold beef. Dream sighed dejectedly, then stood shakily. He seemed to not be able to walk much at all. He fell back to his knees and let out a small whine from the pain.
“Why can’t you walk? You are a guardian whose fought me relentlessly, and even almost bested me.” Nightmare teased and mocked him. “Stars, you’re more pathetic than I thought, can't even walk after being ambushed by a bunch of children.”
“It’s unrelated to the attackers. My battle clothing has a stability aid; I can't walk without one.” He tried standing again and walking to the containers. “My bones were weathered down for hundreds of years while I was in stone.” He stumbled back to his knees; he was just in reach of the food. He grabbed it and leaned on the wall. He smiled as he opened the food and ate gratefully.
The display pulled at Nightmares corrupted soul. He shoved away the empathy and huffed as he distracted himself with food. He ate till there was only half left and brought his knees to his chest to try and rest.
~
Nightmare woke to a small shivering cry. A broken whimper lightly brought him to consciousness. He looked around the dark room, but he could still tell where the tears originated came from.
His twin brother. He looked down on the contrasting skeleton, yellow making him stick out. He saw as he balled against the wall and shivered in his sleep.
He wondered; did they dream about the same event? Is he plagued by it as well? He assumed not and curled up himself to sleep despite Dreams cries for comfort.