Dreamcrash

Sixteen: Lessons on the Omniverse

I woke up slowly and everything hurt.

I didn't want to get up. Getting up meant continuing on with the day, and continuing on with the day meant more run ins with villagers and one day closer to...

Wait. That was the past. I don't have to worry about that anymore. I smile and get up. I'm still in the orchard, still in my home, so why does everything hurt? Maybe I'm sore from all the action lately, if skeletons can even get sore. Or maybe I'm just imagining it because I'm back in the village, and I'm used to waking up with something hurting. I pull myself up and the pain starts to fade. I'm probably just sore. 

"Oh hey, you're finally up," A voice behind me says. I turn around and see Patch. "I have a bit of a break while Pen does rounds. He didn't need my help today, and Seed had to go to Crashtale, so I decided to come here. If you want questions answered, now is a good time."

Excellent, I can get some decent info. "Well, do you mind explaining everything? Like why all these AUs are glitched and why Thread is trying to destroy them?"

"Sure. This technically isn't a multiverse, but a section of the Antivoid. Pen made this multiverse to quarantine all of the AUs that had a virus or glitched so it wouldn't spread through other multiverses."

"Wait, there's more than one multiverse?"

"Yeah. The main one is the Core Multiverse. That's where all the original AUs lie. Other multiverses are different versions of the Core Multiverse."

"Okay, so is there other Protectors and Destroyers for those?" 

"Yup. The Core Multiverse had Ink stain and Walking Windows Vista-"

I give him a look of confusion. "-I mean Ink and Error. Then there are various swap, switch, and shift multiverses where Ink could be the destroyer. I've seen quite a few where Dream is a destroyer and those ones are honestly really cool."

I shudder. I can't imagine kind, caring Dream being a Destroyer of AUs. "What about me? What am I in the main multiverse? I know about the whole corruption thing, but what happens after that?"

"Oh, original you is pretty cool. After corrupting, he travels the Core Multiverse, causing pain and suffering to the AUs to gain power but doesn't destroy them. In several alternate universes, he ends up making a group called 'The Dark Sanses' and-"

"Sanses?"

"That's what they are all alternate versions of. There's Killer!Sans, Dust!Sans, X!Sans or Cross, and Horror!Sans. They're kinda idiots in some Multiverses but overall pretty great."

"They don't sound very great, no offense."

"None taken. It's not like I made them or anything."

"So, back to this multiverse... What's it called?"

"Crashverse."

"And what about you and Pen and Seed and Thread and all the AUs?"

"Well, you already know Pen, Seed, and I protect the AUs, but that isn't really the full story. Pen used to be the Protector for the Core Multiverse, before getting infected by a virus and creating the Crashverse. I'm not sure how I arrived here, all I can remember is waking up not remembering anything in some white void, and Pen found me not long after. Seed joined us after a reset threw him into the Antivoid and he learned about the multiverse. It took us a while to start working as a team, but we did eventually and became the Protectors." Patch smiles, feeling satisfied. 

"What about Thread?"

"Oh, him. He's... I don't know. Pen seems to know a lot about him, but he hates Thread's existence. Seed and I don't know why. When I first woke up, Thread attacked me and Pen saved me. That's how I figured out I was a Codewriter and Pen took me in. Thread's a merciless destroyer, which is why Pen, Seed, and I fight so hard against him. If we let him get into the AU's coding, the AU's going down in a matter of seconds. Seed and I are fighting to protect the AUs, but Pen..." Patch looks off in the distance, and I sense confusion and annoyance. "Pen has a personal score to settle with Thread, and I doubt he'll stop until Thread is dust."

"Wow, that's... dark."

"Yeah. I have no idea why Pen hates Thread so much, especially since I think Thread and him used to be friends." Patch shrugs. "But hey, we all have our mortal enemies."

"Huh. Wait, while Thread and Pen were fighting, Thread mentioned someone, and Pen seemed really mad about it. Who's that?" 

"Oh, you mean Path..." Patch trails off. "It's... He's not someone you should bring up around Pen, ever. I'm not really sure, but I know the two were close as brothers, maybe even more. However, something happened to Path and Thread had to do with it, and don't ask what happened because I don't know," He added as I opened my mouth. "Pen has hated Thread ever since. Pen's only talked to me about Path twice, but from the way he does, I wouldn't be surprised if they were lovers at some point."

"That's sad," I said, feeling bad for Pen. 

"Well, Pen's been getting over it, even if it is slowly. So far, mentioning Path is the only way to trigger actual emotions from Pen."

"Actual emotions?"

"Pen doesn't have a Soul, so he has to use ink to feel emotions. He's also a chromatist, which relies heavily on the Soul's strength to work, which is why he has the pens he injects into him every now and then."

A splash of ink drops on the ground, causing both of us to jump.

"HEY PATCH COME HERE QUICK WE GOT A TRANSFER!" Pen hollers, jumping out of the ink. 

"Great," Patch groans. "Let's go." The two of them teleports away, and after a moment I decide to join them. I head back to the Art Dome. Pen is nowhere to be seen, and Patch is by the big paper in the center of the AU. I can sense stress and annoyance from Patch, so I don't bother him. After a moment, a blob of ink zips into the Art Dome and solidifies into Pen. He's gripping his drawing tablet like his life depends on it and nearly falls over upon entry. Pen quickly writes something on his tablet, then copies it onto the big paper. 

"Okay. Finished. Core Code is in, I'll go grab the rest." Pen teleports away and returns a few minutes later, then writes more on the paper. "Okay. Code transfer complete, let's get the AU in." He grabs his drawing tablet and it turns into a gold bracelet. He clicks what I guess are buttons on the paper and a drawer pops out. It's paper! How is there a drawer? I think. That makes no sense. Pen Takes the bracelet and puts it in the drawer, which then pops shut.

"Finished." Pen grins.

"How are you feeling?" Patch asks with eager anticipation.

"Great," Pen says before falling over and almost passing out.

"Thought so." Patch grabs Pen's hand and helps him back up. "Off topic, is Seed back yet?"

"Yeah, he's in his area space thing. You should have seen him." Pen chuckles weakly as Patch rolls his eyes. 

"What happened to him?" I ask. 

"He got the absolute-" Pen said a word that rhymes with 'hit'- "beat out of him by a possessed preschooler and six dead humans."

Patch laughs. "While that's surprisingly on point, Frisk isn't a preschooler, they're just small for their age."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go rest." Pen waves. "See ya." He teleports away, leaving me with Patch. 

"You should head back to Dreamcrash, I'll stay here," Patch said. 

"Okay." I nod and head back. That was oddly chaotic but also pretty fun.

"Oh, hello Night, good to see you've returned." I voice behind me says as I land in the Orchard.

"Hey."

Silence fills the air as my head processes that a random voice belonging to a person I doubt I know just greeted me. 

I whip around, but not fast enough. Something wraps around my Soul, and it hurts, and there's a figure with their hand out and he's the one hurting me.

"Hahaha... good to see you again."