From Murder to Dust

PT - 1 - Positively

Uhhh, hi. If any of y'all have read ATE - yeah, that - and happened to like it..I am writing a heck ton of oneshots for it. (I have already got over 12,000 words, and I'm not stopping anytime soon). If you guys would like to see something ATE related, you can make a request here. This will stay here until I upload said oneshots. No guarantees on length, but anything goes except ships and things I know nothing about (like why the chicken crossed the road [I have actually seen a chicken cross the road and I have no idea why he did it- anyways-]). Like seriously. If ya guys want I will literally turn Dust into a heckin' bunny (hehe, Dust bunny). So yeah. Basically anything in anyone's PoV, and you will be credited for your idea(s) unless you want to remain anonymous (you will be credited by default if you say nothing about it). With that said, I'd like to hear you guys' ideas and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

And enjoy this half-a-day-early chapter because I might have plans tomorrow and I don't wanna forget yayyyyy!

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It wasn't good. Nightmare's gang had been opposed at every junction, and it was finally getting to be too much. Horror and Cross had been bedridden due to injuries, Paps and Chara had discovered that a ghost's capabilities did not include keeping a balance alone, Killer had needed a cast on his left arm for the past month, I had been running on pure determination for two months, Error hadn't been able to destroy corruption as efficiently due to increased opposition, and Nightmare..Nightmare had been ill - severely ill. It had only been Killer and I on our runs, sometimes with Error, sometimes without. The protectors knew that we were cracking under the pressure, but they wouldn't let up. The positivity in the multiverse had even reached our own negative home; everyone's emotions had been fluctuating except mine, since my code was broken, and those of the ghosts, who wouldn't have been affected due to their different emotional system. I was currently checking Nightmare's condition in the living room; as the least affected, Killer and I looked after the sick and injured. Nightmare honestly hadn't looked worse in the time that I had known him than he did now; he had even retracted his tentacles from the pressure.

"D-Dust.." His voice was so weak..

"I'm here, Dad." I tried to be negative in his presence; I was the only one who could be near him safely, since the others were being too affected by the positivity. "I'm here."

"B-balance.."

"Is it bad again?" I asked, receiving a strained nod. "Dad, please..we need to do something..can't we tell someone?"

"T-too..d-danger.."

I sighed. "I understand, Dad.."

"D-Dust?"

"Yes, Dad?"

"I-if.."

"Dad, don't use that word.." 

"M-must.."

"Dad, please.." I felt tears swarming to my eyesockets.

"I-if..d-die.." Nightmare's words were so dark..I didn't want to hear them.. "T-take..c-care..D-Dream.."

"Dad, that's not going to happen! You're gonna be fine! Everyone's going to be fine! This will pass!"

"N-no..l-lies.."

"...How are we going to keep the balance without you?"

"M-my..job..n-not.." Nightmare whimpered from the pain. "Y-y-yours.."

"Dad, you need to rest." I pulled a blanket up onto him. "Killer and I are going to go out now, okay? We're going to make the pain less, okay?"

"O-okay.." Nightmare closed his eyesocket, hopefully finding solace in his sleep.