I Chose to Run Instead of Breaking

Chapter Fifteen: Under the Apple Tree

Dreams head spun, as he slowly came to.

He wanted to not wake up, this had to be some twisted nightmare.

Oh.. ha ha, what a laugh.

Nightmare...

A subject, a being he both loved and hated in equal measures.

His twin, his other half.

Nightmare had eaten the apples and killed the villagers, destroying everything left behind. He'd been trapped as a stature for a very long time, worse in the beginning he'd been aware.

Screaming, begging.

Unmoving, fearing that his body would be shattered in some accident.

He was pretty sure he went insane for awhile before his mind sunk into unconsciousness, he still couldn't stand enclosed spaces due to this.

Yet.. to find out after all this time, it hadn't been Nightmare.

Yet an Imposter.

He felt sick.

He really had failed Nightmare hadn't he...

The Guardian of Positivity hadn't been able to tell a fake had taken his twins face, how long had the other masqueraded before that day.

He didn't recognize Blue.

Blue who was his twin.

His mind was rushing in circles, making his skull ache.

"Easy..." a voice said helping Dream up, as apparently he'd ended on the floor. Blinking he focused on the voice, which belonged to Stretch.

"Did Night... Blue hate me?" he asked in a whisper.

"No.. he missed you dearly, he.. just couldn't face the pain anymore," Stretch admitted with a sigh.

"The Villagers..." Dream said with a grimace on his face.

"Yes," Stretch said, a snarl on his face for brief second.

"I was.. such a stupid child, not listening, I wish I had listened," Dream said still whispering, maybe if he had listened none of this would have happened.

"Stretch, I'm going to have to ask you to get a bit further from Blue. Dream you stay, we need to unseal Blues original magic and that could cause issues without you using yours to neutralize it," Sci told him, Stretch scowled but went to the other side of the room.

Dream gulped and stood by his brother, his thoughts still going a million miles an hour. Sci pulled a device over, placing it around Blues neck like some futuristic slave collar. Wait.. bad Dream, bad mental image. BAD!

This is the last time he borrowed books from Red stars darn it.

Sci clicked something on the collar, a strange high pitched whine was heard then a beep.

Blue gave out a deep sigh.

Then his bones began to gain a moonlight like sheen.

------

The night sky was dark, missing its usual moon and stars of Outertale.

In the brisk night wind Error stared at the sky, the tear marks on his face glowing startling bright.

There was a flicker of movement nearby, from the corner of his eye he spotted Fresh sitting down on a nearby stump.

"Lil' Blue Brah struggling," Fresh said.

Indeed, things are coming full circle

"Fate, was this your plan?" Error asked quietly.

There is Fate, there is Destiny. Yet there is also free will. Only the One knows the final ending

"Deep," Fresh grinned.

"Free will huh..." Error sighed, wishing his duty allowed him the ability to walk away and exercise that free will.

"Night Geno Brah," Fresh said giving finger gun, vanishing in a Fresh poof.

Error stared at the night sky silently, watching as a moon slowly started to appear.

I'm sorry...

"I know, it was this or the end," Error whispered, soul pained on many things.

High in the sky, black wings spread silently.