Scorched Rainbow

The Land Between Worlds

Ink arrived, greeted by screams. Massive glitches covered the breaking world, blue strings tangling the ground that wasn't yet gone.

For the first time the agonized cries for help tugged at him, not the view of the unsightly chaos.

Ink followed the trail, discovering Error standing confidently, stringing up this AU'S Sans. He was about to blast him when Ink called out, "Wait!"

The glitching skeleton spun around, scowling. The blast turned to Ink. He dodged it fairly easily.

Strings rose up around him as Error prepared an attack. "WAIT!!" Ink shouted a second time. "I'M NOT HERE TO FIGHT!!" He yelled.

"L1]{€ h€|| ¥0u®€ π0+!" Error shot back, strings suddenly everywhere. Ink lept about, spinning and blocking every one, but never once fighting back.

Then during a lull, Ink put Broomie away, as much as he itched to keep the paintbrush out. He held up his hands in surrender. "I just want to talk."

Error hesitated, then relented. "Wh¥ +h€ £u¢[{ w0u|d ¥0u w@π+ +h@+??" Ink sighed, the anxiety causing the Soul inside him to drum faster, the sound echoing in his skull.

Then he forced the fear down and asked. "Why do you really destroy the AU'S, Error? I don't think you actually believe they're all abominations, right?"

The shock and disbelief on Error's face next was concerning, to say the least. His eyesockets grew dark with glitches. "@®€ ¥0u £u¢[{1π6 [{1dd1π6 m€ ®16h+ π0w?!"

"Nope, I'm pretty serious here." That seemed to only enrage Error further. But instead of attacking, he crashed. The strings vanished, dropping the Sans behind Error. Before Ink could get to the bystander in time, he hit the ground, knocked out.

After a careful once-over, Ink determined that the Sans was okay and went to check on Error.

The darker​ skeleton was rebooting. Ink had to think of somewhere to take him before he was back. He thought of the Anti-Void.

<News flash, Error absolutely hates the Anti-Void. Long story. Why don't you give me control for a moment? I know a place, but it's outside this Multiverse.> Ink stared at Error, in shock at what Alyss said.

Actually outside?? <Yes. But we need to hurry up and fix this place or leave it. We need to decide now.>

Ink glanced around the AU. It should last a few minutes without collapsing.
Alyss seemed to disagree, but said nothing. <We're going, then?> Yeah.

Ink immediately felt an overpowering force stiffen his limbs, leaving Ink unable to move. It occurred to him that Alyss had very quickly seized control of his body. She strode toward Error calmly, picking up the rebooting glitch and creating a ring of fire in front of them. Darkness and stars on the other side. They went through.

It was a huge open space. It appeared to be in space. But the pinpricks of light seemed.. sharper. Clearer.

The ground below was covered in lush grass, every blade clear and concise. The details, the shades and vibrant colors..

<A different layer of reality.> Alyss explained. <It's made of different stuff, is denser, and monsters can't exist in the more mundane areas of this place. It will kill anything that heavily magic-based. However, niches like this.. the Land Between as it was named, are fine.>

She set Error down at the base of some sort of bush or tree. It was a bright red orange, the tips all a little more orange than the rest. It was almost like the plant was made of fire turned solid, embers hanging around it in a cloud of flitting stars.

<The Red Fern.> She told him. When Error looked comfortable, the immense pressure on Ink abated, and he was free to look around at last.

Not far behind the Fern the ground dropped away. But to Ink's left was a strange River. It wasn't made of water. It was made of thicker liquids. A rainbow. He couldn't help but run over to stare at it.

<This doesn't really have a name as far as I know. It's just something made of powerful magics. It sees who you really are and changes to match.>

Ink impulsively stuck a hand in. A ripple moved across the 'water' and it shone brighter. A certain shade of pale orange grew more prominent, and it transformed into something that could have been made of flames of all colors. Ink grinned, he couldn't help it.

He had no idea what any of this was or what it all meant, but dang if it looked cool!

He sat back up to look around. Opposite of the cliff, now on his right, the earth stretched upwards, gradually forming the slopes of the largest mountain Ink had ever seen.

No Mt. Ebott was even half it's size. It was bigger than any Everest, taller than all. Vaugely, Ink could make out the rainbow river snaking up it's immense slopes, faintly casting it's light on rocks, earth, and grass, which made Ink realize another thing. This mountain had no snow.

As high as it vaulted to a fairly non-existent sky, no white could be seen anywhere. Just grass and boulders. It was hard to wrap his head around.

Alyss seemed to smile at Ink's wonderment, adding. <You have yet to see where the waterfall leads, my dear.>

He couldn't tear his gaze from the massive island of a mountain. 

<That's what this place is, Ink. The whole island is the mountain.>

No way!
<Look behind you, then.>
He did, racing to the cliff edge. Far away, perhaps 20 miles down, stretched a distant sea of grass. Pools of pale pink dotted the place, all aligned with the edges of the mountainside.

<The rivers turn that color when still.> Alyss explained lightly. Lakes? <Yes. Lakes.>

Ink stared a little while longer, taking in the enormity of the place. What is this place? He eventually asked incredulously.

<The Land Between Worlds. It's a very special place, for it technically exists in all realities at once. Yours, mine, others. It's in between many other things, as well. It's a place where thoughts are no longer private, either.>

..What?

<If you listen, and​ maybe step away from the roaring river, you'll find that you can hear our conversation out loud as well. It's part of this place. Part of why I took us here, so I needn't possess you to speak.>

Ink walked back to where Error lay, the noise of the river dimming. "I don't hear anything- WAIT!"

Ink's thoughts indeed echoed around him, suddenly making him aware of how unnaturally silent the place was. The only sounds came from the rivers and Error's rebooting. It was rather eerie. The silence was almost oppressive, in its way.

°One last thing, Ink.° Alyss said in both his mind and in the air. °Some people have different voices in their minds.°

"How do you mean?" °Whatever Error's mind voice sounds like. Everyone sounds different inside.°

"Well then... What does his sound like?" °Well, we're about to find that out, aren't we?°

Ink realized Error was finished rebooting. "That was his longest reboot yet!" °This place honestly probably just made it longer. It was weird effects​ on things.° "Oh."

Error jumped to an upright position, clearly alarmed. What Ink heard next from him was shocking.

"Where the fuck am I?!"