Shell

Chapter Six: Empty

All Praise Snow! Beta Goddess

"Oww..."

"That looks painful, but still, awesome backlash," Blue said to the groggy Error.

"Spectacular!" Fresh said, far too loudly.

"Don't speak, sounds hurt," Error managed to work past his aching jaw.

"Just rest, Error," said Blue, right as Error fell back into blissful unconsciousness.

OoOoO

Dream was getting concerned. Ever since he'd retrieved Ink from the disaster that was the latest 'battle' with Error, Ink had been pacing. The Creator had the strangest frown on his face, and seemed bothered by something.

"Dream..." Ink said in a strange tone of voice.

"Yes, Ink?" Dream responded.

"Did anything happen to me, other then being knocked unconscious?" The Creator asked, pausing in his pacing to turn and face his friend.

"Not that I could tell, and I checked you over carefully," Dream responded "Is... everything okay?"

"Yes... no... I don't know," Ink said, obviously bothered by whatever was going on.

"Hey now, relax, okay? We'll figure out what's bothering you," Dream promised. Walking over to his friend, he placed his hands on Ink's shoulders, and began channeling his positive aura towards the soulless skeleton. Ink began to calm under his touch, and he could sense that the Creator's mood was becoming more stable.

"I just feel so... empty," said Ink. "I haven't felt like this for a very long time."

"Did you forget your vials?" Dream asked.

"No, I've started writing down when I take them after the last incident," said Ink, checking the notes on his scarf to make sure.

Dream hugged his first true friend gently. If he had his way, everything would end up alright.

OoOoO

His head was still aching as if Ink had hit it with Broomie- his giant paintbrush- but at least Error found that he could function now.

Or at least much as he functioned anyway.

Which some days really wasn't much.

Sighing, he hefted the blaster hammer a bit. Despite the soul having returned to its relative safety within Error, the hammer had a slight rainbow shimmer to it- the same color Ink's magic would be, if the Creator had his soul back.

'Having the soul in it actually upgraded its stats,' he thought disbelievingly. It was dangerous enough before, now anyone who got on Blue's bad side was in even bigger trouble.

"Feeling any better?" Blue asked, watching the glitchy skeleton rub his skull right between his eye sockets.

"Still hurts, but I'm recovering," he sighed. As Blue watched, he pulled out the list of 'Possible Ways to Return The Soul' and scratched off the bullet point labeled 'Blaster Hammer'.

"Darn, it didn't work! That was one of the super random ideas we wrote years ago, long before you rescued my hammer," said Blue, sighing disappointedly.

"For a moment we connected, if we'd had a moment longer, he might have accepted. But he didn't. So instead we got massive, not to mention painful, backlash," Error grumbled.

Blue gently patted the Destroyer on the back, trying to comfort him.

"Yes, it failed, but it almost worked. We'll get it right next time, I'm sure of it!" Blue exclaimed, his starry eyes glowing even brighter than usual.

"I hope so," Error replied, sadness weighing down his words.

Now, if only that pesky migraine would go away.

OoOoO

—A few days later—

Dream was on a mission.

A self-assigned one, of course.

But it was still very important. He stared at the door to the skelebro's house in a certain AU. Sighing, he forced himself to move, and knocked firmly.

Moments later, the door opened to reveal Blue, who stared at him with a sad smile.

"I had a feeling you'd be coming," said Blue, motioning for the guardian of positivity to come in.

"I need to know what exactly is going on," said Dream, following Blue into the house.

Blue closed the door behind them and ushered him into the living room. By the look of things, the starry-eyed Sans had just gotten home.

"It's not a happy story," said a staticky voice. A familiar glitched skeleton sat up from where they'd been laying.

"ERROR!?!" Dream yelled in shock.