Chapter Text
When Nightmare had awakened that morning, he didn't expect he’d end up this way.
His brother had dragged his lazy coccyx out of bed at 6:00 AM, so they could have breakfast together and watch the sunrise like always. His brother then had to leave to “help” the villagers because some kid had caught a cold randomly in the middle of the night, and so Nightmare stayed behind guarding their mother.
Looking back on that, it was obvious, it was not the first time those villagers have tried to kill him, and seeing how the group that came to collect his brother stared at him with hidden sadistic grins on their faces as soon as his brother wasn’t looking, it was obvious they could try it again today.
One moment he was peacefully reading his book snuggled on the roots of their Tree and the next those villagers surrounded him before beginning to beat him using anything they could find, be it rocks or working tools.
He knew that the voice in the back of his head was manipulating him really, he just didn't care. He simply wanted it to end, so he began to eat the apples, one after the other in desperation, until he suddenly began coughing up that disgusting goop.
The sky began to darken, caused by the rise of negativity, and the anger of the villagers began to rise, causing them to begin to surround the rotting tree with their weapons raised, obviously coming after Nightmare himself.
Everything hurt, but he used some of his remaining strength to look at this brother, seeing the expression of horror and worry on his face, with tears streaming down his eye sockets and how he tried to make his way among the crowd of angry villagers, only to be forcefully shoved away when he tried to get closer.
That did make Nightmare angry, causing him to growl and use the new appendages to shove those disgusting people away from his brother, causing them to either fall on their backs with a satisfying thud, or roll down the hill and crash into the crowd behind them.
He was getting tired, rapidly beginning to pass out from the exhaustion and the pain he felt on his whole body. The voice was encouraging, constantly reminding him how tired he was and how he’d feel better and safer if he just let it take over for him, so he could keep him safe. He didn't have the energy or the will to fight the entity in his head, but he did drag himself to his brother, and stared at him with pained eyes and a saddened smile that he hoped was reassuring, even if he was fully aware his brother was not believing him.
“don't forget who I used to be”.
As the world turned black, he swore he saw the silhouette of a woman when he looked at the tree, a pair of white eyes staring at him in sadness before her gaze turned DETERMINED. The last thing he remembers is the woman extending her transparent arm towards his corrupting body.
The next time he awakened, the world felt smaller than usual, and he didn't feel his arms or his legs, with the help of a broken mirror conveniently placed behind him, he noticed that he was no longer in his body, it seems that the lady somehow saved him by extracting his spirit form out of his corrupted body, saving his life in the process, but he needed to find a new body fast, as his spirit form can’t stay outside a body for a long time, and judging by the exhaustion and the way his lilac glow was beginning weaken, he had to find a new body fast if he didn't his escape would be meaningless, seeing he would die anyway.
Suddenly, his thoughts are interrupted by dark and sadistic laughter, making him look back at the tree to see the corruption stand, having claimed his former body as its own.
Nightmare was not able to hear what the corruption was saying because of the distance, but he guessed it was taking advantage of his poor brother’s confusion and was manipulating him like it did to him, he moved a bit closer and was careful to not be seen, as he could guess the corruption could kill him as soon as it noticed him.
“Luckily my aura is weaker in this form, so I don't think I will be detected” Nightmare thought as he hopped over to hide behind a rock near the tree. Nightmare stared at his mother in sadness, noticing her diminishing aura. “She is dying” Nightmare sighed sadly, taking a deep breath and turning back just in time to see his brother, now with his golden staff in hand, being taunted by the corruption.
“Brother please! Just let me help you!” Dream yelled in desperation, as he walked to stand defensive in between the remaining villagers and his supposed brother, tears still streaming down his eye sockets, the villager’s faces were now full of both fear and hate, as some of them held their loved ones close while others ran for their life, those who ran ending up dusted when the tentacles on His back twitched and sharpened, impaling those who dared to turn their backs on Him.
Nightmare heard his brother gasp in horror, and a small negative aura began to cover him, causing the supposed brother to grin in satisfaction.
“What, did you really think I would let them run, dear brother?” It taunted, “What are you going to do now? Your precious villagers are all going to be killed by me, and it's going to be all your fault”
Dream just stares sadly in silence, tears on his eye sockets, ignoring the screams of the villagers and focusing on Him, “come on little brother… just run…” Nightmare begs his twin, even if he knows he can’t hear his pleas “though thinking about what I just said, you are too stubborn to run even with a stronger opponent in front of you” Nightmare thinks, chuckling to himself sadly, before sharp pain begins to run through his little body, and his sight begins to blur, his eyes beginning to blink in an attempt to keep them open.
He soon notices that his efforts are proving fruitless, as his energy is slowly leaving him “I guess this is it…” he says, now noticing that the battle has ended, and, to his shock in place of his twin now stood a stone statue, and the now broken trunk that was once his mother. “Dreamy… Mother… ” Nightmare whispered, recognizing his brother’s weak aura coming from inside the statue, he also notices that he no longer feels his mother, and that causes more tears to stream down his face, until he starts sobbing softly.
Nightmare then approached his brother’s statue, almost collapsing but too stubborn to do so, and looked up at him in sadness, coming over to his brother’s now stony feet and touching his little forehead to it, before he felt his strength completely drain, and he collapsed again from the exhaustion.
As his eyes closed and his sight blurred again, he heard someone approach him, the stranger was carrying something, and he felt something soft being placed near him before he passed out.