Dreamcrash

Nineteen: Just Like Him

Waking up in the Art Dome because I heard Pen yell something that starts with an 'F' was not how I expected to start my day, but that was how I started my day.

"Pen, what the heck, watch your language," Patch says. I sit up and look around. Seed and Patch were checking on the AU papers and Pen was floating around. He looked nervous and his eyes were dark orange, but a more neutral dark orange to the point where it was almost grey.

"Sorry, it's just I'm almost out of ink and with two destroyers I don't want to risk going out."

"Almost out of ink? Oh no," Seed said, and I sensed worry from him.

"Well, you trust us, don't you? We can handle this, now go get your ink before you go emotionless," Patch states.

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I-"

"Pen. Go get your ink."

"Alright, fine."

I stand up and walk over. "What's going on?"

"Pen's out of ink, the special kind he uses to feel emotions. So he's got to get more," Seed explains.

"Hey, Night, you wanna come with?" Pen asks. I look at him, surprised.

"Why?"

"You know, just to get out of the Art Dome for a bit." His voice sounds like he's suggesting something else, but getting out of the dome seems nice, so I agree. 

"Great. See you two in a bit." Pen grabs my arm. "We're gonna shortcut, okay? Hold on tight." He pulls me forward and everything cuts to black. My head hurts and I feel like I'm being shoved through a brick wall. I squeeze my eyes shut as I feel nauseous. Then, as soon as it started, it's over. I hit the ground and nearly fall over. Pen grips my arm tighter and steadies me. I look around and see we're in the Antivoid again, nothing but white.

"That was awful," I said.

"You get used to it," Pen responds, voice devoid of emotions.

"Are we back in the Antivoid?" I ask, feeling chills run up my spine. I don't know why, but something about this place seemed... more alive than the place Patch took me.

"Sort of. This is a special section of the Antivoid, near the Main Frame, the center of the Omniverse."

"I thought the Core Multiverse was the center."

"Well, here's where it gets complicated. There's two parts to the Omniverse, the Verses and the Antivoid. The Antivoid doesn't really have a set location, it more of overlaps the Omniverse. So the Main Frame and the Core Multiverse's Doodle Sphere are in the exact same location, in two different planes of existence. Does that make sense?"

"No, not really." 

"Yeah, thought so. I've been dealing with this bull-" He said a certain word- "For way too long  and I still don't get it sometimes."

"Do you know how long you've done this for?"

"No clue. Started out with a pretty early multiverse, made not long after the original. Then landed here. So to guess... few hundred."

"Wow," I say, not sure how to process that. "So, is there any other reason you brought me here?"

"Yeah, there's two. One, I wanted to leave Patch and Seed alone for a while. They like having some peace with each other, and it gets adorable after a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see." He stops, and we come upon what I can only describe as a hole. Right in front of us was a big hole, where the Antivoid went from white to a glitching, blurred thing with colors that changed too fast to recognize. "Before I go in, I have some questions I need answered, and I need them answered honestly." Pen looks at me, suddenly serious. His eyelights turned red and dark teal. 

"What?" I ask, nervously.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why'd you decide to go against what you were supposed to do in your AU? Why'd you decide to mess with everything, knowing it would have consequences? And most importantly, why did you think you could get away with it?"

I pause, Pen's last question giving me chills. "Well, I stopped it because I didn't want to hurt Dream. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I thought it would make everyone happy."

"And?"

"And... I thought it would make me happy. I thought they would finally see me as much more than just the Guardian of Negativity. I didn't know it would lead to this."

"Alright. Why'd you think you could get away with it?"

I stop, scared. "What... what do you mean by that?"

"Why did you think you could get away with it?"

"I still don't get it."

"What, in the entire Multiverse, made you think you could break your timeline and create a whole new AU because you wanted to prove yourself, and not have to pay the price?"

I don't respond. I don't know how to. Pen looks me in the eye sockets and his eyelights turn white.

"Let me get one thing straight. I don't have a Soul. I couldn't care if I tried. So that means I would feel no guilt or regret if I went and told Patch to rewrite the code for your AU so everything would go as planned. I could delete your AU, or let Thread destroy it. I wouldn't care if you or Dream or anyone else would suffer in doing so. All that means to me is I have one less AU off my hands, one less reason to keep going. So let me ask you one last time. Why did you think you could get away with doing what you did?"

I pick my words wisely, trying not to anger Pen to the point where he would blow up. "I just wanted to prove myself."

Pen looked at me for a moment, then chuckled sadly. "Heh, you really are an alternate version of Nightmare."

------

After Pen got his ink, he didn't seem to remember anything he told me beforehand. He came out of the multicolored glitching thing, eyelights pink, smiling, and after I asked about the argument, he didn't remember any of it and gave me a half hearted apology for anything he said, blaming it on the face he couldn't feel emotions at the time. But as we teleported back, his words wouldn't leave my head.

"There, you see? This is why we leave Patch and Seed alone for a while now and then," Pen whispers as we enter the Art Dome. Patch and Seed are curled up near where we landed, Patch fast asleep. Patch is lying on Seed, cuddling him. Seed is sitting partially up, with his arm around Patch. He looks at us as we enter, and I sense slight embarrassment. He gives us a 'Shush' motion and turns back to Patch. 

"Adorable, isn't it?" Pen whispers. "They have the best bromance I've ever seen." 

"Shut up Pen, you know we're brothers." Seed looks at us again.

"Brothers?" I whisper ask.

"Sort of. I mean, they're close enough to be brothers, and so they call each other that now and then."

"Well, you said it yourself Pen, we technically are," Seed says.

"Oh be quiet, you know they haven't confirmed that yet. And even if it is true, your more of step... cousins? I don't know."

I give Pen a questioning look. "Oh, I'll explain it later. Let them rest for now, it's been a long few days." He floats off to the center of the Art Dome, leaving me to sit by Seed and Patch, relaxing in the contentment I feel from both of them.