The next morning, Ink woke up with a yawn. Error woke along with him, feeling the same pressure as he felt yesterday. Only this time, it was much more urgent. He yawned and stretched, catching Ink's attention.

"Mm, good morning, Cinnamon," he said, smiling and petting Error's head. "How are you doing today, boy?"

Error sniffed in response. Ink chuckled, and got up from the couch. He stretched out farther, and wandered into the kitchen. Time to make breakfast. He decided on toast, since that was the easiest thing to make right now. Error jumped down from the couch, almost losing his balance from the action. Damn, being a dog is so much harder than he thought. He walked into the kitchen, a little desperate to get Ink's attention. He tried yipping, which seemed to do the trick.

"Hmm?" Ink looked down at Error. "What is it, Cinnamon?" He knelt down to Error's level, and tried to think back to how dogs acted. He then realized something.
"Oh my stars, you haven't gone for a walk at all since I found you! C'mon, let's go to a nice, sunny AU for you to explore!"

He grabbed Broomie, and swiped down to create a portal. He patted his leg to coax Error into following him, which Error did. The two headed into the portal, leaving the toast in the toaster, possibly to burn.

Meanwhile, with Dream...

Dream groaned as he opened his eyesockets. Huh? That's weird. He was sure he was just talking with Blueberry and Sci. He spied a note stuck to the table, and grabbed it. It read:

"Dear Dream,

I, the magnificent Sans, apologize for my friend Killer's actions. He undoubtedly thought you could not be trusted, and thus, knocked you out and intended to bring you to Nightmare. I told him you are our spy and confidant, and that you will help us in our heroic quest to restore balance to the multiverse. This is very important, and the magnificent Sans hopes you are up to the task. As soon as you find this, I ask that you destroy this note. Someone may find it, and know of our position. It is imperative we protect Error while he is vulnerable. He has many enemies, as you might expect.

My sincerest apologies,
The Magnificent Sans/Blueberry."

Dream smiled a bit at Blueberry's handwriting. It is so very like him to make his notes as elegant and elaborate as possible. But, Dream knew he now had to focus. Error's safety was his top priority, right now. He had to find Ink, and make sure the forgetful creator is taking care of him, properly. For the good of the multiverse, his new "pet" must stay safe.

Dream hurried into a portal to the Doodlesphere, and went inside the cottage.
"Ink?" He called out. No response, and he smelled something burning. He rushed into the kitchen to find the toaster set to high. The toast - or what was left of it - was charred black. Dream quickly unplugged the toaster, and looked around the kitchen. He explored the rest of the house, finding it completely empty.

'How odd,' Dream thought. 'Ink is usually here in the mornings. Especially this early. Where could he have gone?'

He sensed a slight bit of fear in an AU on the surface, and went to go check it out. He failed to notice Blueberry's note had fallen out of his pocket.

A figure snuck out of the shadows of the house, and picked up the note. Scanning its contents, they smirked, their shades shifting slightly from the action. They stuffed the note into their jacket pocket, and twisted around on their heelies.

"Welp, time ta visity visit an ol' pal, brah!"

Meanwhile, with Ink and Error...

Error sighed in relief as the pressure drained from his body. He'd been walking around, looking at all the interesting sights, when the pressure just couldn't hold itself, anymore. He'd trotted a little ways away from Ink, and allowed whatever this was to take care of itself.

Ink panicked when he saw that Error wasn't near him. Oh dear, he should've been watching him more carefully! But, this was no time to sit and think about the past. He quickly retraced his steps, looking in every direction to see if he could spot Error. They were in a park, with sparse foliage, trees, and a few buildings here and there. It shouldn't be that hard to find the poor dog.

Error went back the way he thought he came, but didn't see Ink anywhere. The grass wasn't very tall, so he could see above it well. His nearsightedness wasn't bad enough that he couldn't see figures in the distance, so finding Ink shouldn't have been this difficult. He whimpered, and began wandering around, trying to find something, anything that looked familiar.

Dream landed in a park and looked around. The fear he was feeling came from two different directions, so he headed to the one on his right. A few minutes passed, and he finally spotted Ink. He ran up to him, breathing out in relief.

"Phew, finally found you, Ink. Where's Cinnamon?"

"I-I don't know!" Ink's voice shook with alarm, and Dream patted his shoulder to calm him down.
"One minute he's walking right next to me, and the next, he's just gone! What do we do?!"

"Calm down, Ink. If you are here, then Cinnamon is probably the other source of fear I felt. C'mon. I can feel it getting stronger. Follow me!"

With that, the two headed in the direction of the fear Dream felt. Hopefully, Error isn't in trouble.

... ... ...

Error sat down near a tree, exhausted. It felt like he'd been walking forever, and he was hungry and thirsty from the workout. Maybe by staying in one place, Ink would have an easier time of finding him? In his mind, staying in one place worked the opposite of continuing to jump from one place to another when it comes to escaping. His logic: if Ink can't find him if he is constantly moving from place to place standing still will surely get him found. Or so he hoped.

He heard the snap of a branch and perked up. Standing, he wagged his tail unconsciously, hoping it was Ink who'd come to find him.

Instead, it was the familiar face of his long-time enemy.

Fresh.

Error's tail went between his legs, his ears swept back in fear, and his eyes widened. If he's lucky, Fresh won't recognize him. But, with the unpredictable Virus, no one is ever sure. He slowly backed away as Fresh approached him.

"Well, hey dere, mah radtastic broseph. Whatcha doin' all up 'n alone?"

He took another step towards Error, intentionally frightening the poor pup. Error tried to bolt, but a wall of bones erupted in front of him, cutting off his escape. Fresh chuckled.

"Aww, is da poor puppy scared? Wonder why? Oh, I got it. It's cuz yo ain't really a dog, are ya, Error?"

Error froze. How...? How did he figure it out? Nothing Error had done so far had indicated he was nothing more than small dog. Except when he "spoke" to Sci. Maybe he betrayed him. He was positive Blueberry would never do anything against him, but Sci? There's no telling what his agenda is with how smart and cunning he could be. He flinched as Fresh knelt down in front of him.

"So, mah brotastic brotato chip," he said casually, picking Error up by the scruff of his neck.
"How didja straight up transformalize inta a teeny tiny puppy dawg? Heh, ya couldn't tell me if ya wanted to. Yo is a dog, dawg!"

He stood up with Error still in his hold. He looked to his right to see Ink and Dream run up to him. He smirked as they approached.

"There you are, Cinnamon!" Ink exclaimed. "Thank you for finding him, Fresh!"

"No problemo, mah colorful brah!" Fresh replied, handing Error over to the creator. Ink hugged Error close to his chest, and smiled gratefully at the Virus. Dream sighed and shook his head. Thank the stars, they found Error. It was a good thing Fresh was out and about, today. But that begged a question.

"What are you doing here, Fresh?"

"Aw, y'know, enjoyin' a totes sunny day in da 'hood, yo! Plus, I lost mah fav skateboard, so's I was wonderin', Inky brah, couldja maybe make mah freshtacular self a new one?"

Ink beamed. "Of course! It's the least I could do to repay you for finding my dog. I was very worried!"

With that, Ink set Error down. He pulled Broomie out, and fashioned a neon-colored skateboard, the likes of which might hurt your eyes if you looked at it too long. Fresh picked it up and studied it. Spinning the wheels, he grinned.

"Why, thanks a ton, Inky brah! Dis is da best lookin' beauty I 'ave ever seen! Imma go and test dis baby in da skate park I sawz when I gizzity got here. Wanna come?"

Ink was about to agree, but Dream interrupted him.
"Thanks for the offer, Fresh, but maybe another time. I think Ink, Cinnamon, and I should head home. Cinnamon must be hungry from all the excitement!"

Ink blinked, then looked down at Error.
"O-oh, you're probably right, Dream. Thanks for the offer, and thanks for helping us find Cinnamon! Bye, Fresh!"

Dream made a portal, and the two skeletons plus Error headed inside. Fresh chuckled darkly.
"Heh, yeah. See ya later, alligator. Totes gonna see dat lil pup o' yours soon enough."

... ... ...

Dream huffed as they entered Ink's cottage. Ink set Error down on the floor, and grabbed the bag of dog food. Pouring some into the bowl, he coaxed Error over to try some.
"C'mon, Cinnamon. Here's some delicious food for you! It's just like yesterday."

Dream crossed his arms idly and watched Error walk over to the bowl. As long as he doesn't raise any suspicion with Ink, Dream didn't have to interfere. He might have to get Ink to leave Error alone with him to get any more answers, though. An idea formed in his mind, and he perked up as Ink set the bowl full of water next to Error as he ate some food.

"Hey, Ink?"

"Hmm?"

"I remembered that dogs sometimes need a bath. So, I'm gonna send you to get some supplies. Then, we can give Cinnamon a nice, relaxing bath!"

"Why wouldn't you get the supplies? I thought you knew more about dogs than I do?"

"While that is true, I thought you'd want to pick the supplies out, yourself. I can keep Cinnamon company, and you can learn what to get Cinnamon if you ever ran out of supplies for him. Sound good?"

"..... Alright. Just make sure he's safe. I'll need a list, though. You know I can't remember everything, heh."

Dream nodded, and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a sticky note and started scribbling down as many things as he could think of that a dog could possibly need for a bath. He hoped this would keep Ink busy for at least an hour, which gave him plenty of time to interrogate Error. Ink took the note and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Ok then. I'll try to be quick. See ya later, Dream! Bye bye, Cinnamon!"
He petted Error, then made a portal and hopped through. Dream's expression turned from cheerful to serious, and he turned to Error. He carefully approached the dog, and petted him.

"Alright. Ink's gone for awhile, which means we are alone. Now," he said, picking Error up and sitting down on the couch, allowing Error to sit next to him.
"I know it's you, Error."

Error's ears swept back, and he immediately tried to bolt. Dream caught him, and placed him back on the couch. He kneeled down in front of him, preventing him from escaping.

"Listen, Blueberry told me everything. I know I may not have been very nice to you in the past, but I assure you, I am here to help. I want to help, so please, please let me help you. I just want to know what's going on."

Error's ears were still swept down in fear, but he met Dream's eyelights. The positive guardian grinned in a friendly way, hopeful he seemed as genuinely willing to help as he felt. Error sighed, and nodded to Dream, who smiled in excitement.

"Ok, I-I'll try to ask yes-or-no questions, ok?"

Error nodded.

"Alright, so, I found out that you destroy universes to prevent the multiverse from crashing in on itself. Is this true?"

Another nod.

"Is my brother involved? Like, is he helping you?"

A nod.

"Hmm... Does this mean that.... that Nightmare is trying to save the multiverse, too? Not destroy it, or cause unnecessary negativity?"

A nod.

"Does Ink know about this?"

Error lowered his head for a moment. Ink didn't seem to want to listen to him when he tried to tell him what was going on, so he may know. Or, perhaps with how forgetful he is, he has forgotten Error ever said anything. So, he shrugged, or tried to. Dream sighed.

"Well, that certainly complicates things. If Ink does know, then he's been knowingly and intentionally straining the borders of our multiverse. If he doesn't know, then he's innocent. Have you tried telling him?"

A nod.

"And he didn't listen? Or did he simply not care?"

Error shrugged. He wasn't sure what Ink was thinking. For all he knew, Ink was some insane psychopath who thought toying with the lives of billions upon billions of people, monsters and humans and everything in between, was just a game to him. But, Error knew there had to be another explanation. Ink had called himself worthless last night. To Error, it seemed illogical that Ink was some evil being who cared nothing for anyone except himself if he was trying so hard to care for Error. If that is the case, then Ink must care for his creations, more than anything if he's willing to risk his life to save them. Error shook his head. No. Ink most definitely cares about his creations. He just doesn't know there is a limit to how much he can create.

Dream rubbed his cheek in frustration. Ink was probably innocent of intentionally causing harm to the multiverse. But, there was the issue of persuading him there is a danger that needed to be addressed. Dream looked back at Error and sighed.

"Well, I think I can get Ink to listen to me. If he doesn't listen to me, maybe my brother will. If anything, he could help you get back to normal, and perhaps we can stop Ink from destroying the multiverse, together. I hate to believe one of my closest friends is a danger to himself and others, but I trust Blueberry. I... just didn't trust him enough, before. I will try to mend my mistake, though. I just hope it isn't too late."

Meanwhile, at Nightmare's castle...

Nightmare sat on his throne, lost in thought. Blueberry, Sci, and Killer had returned with dire news. Apparently, Ink adopted Error as a tiny dog, and Sci needed to find a cure for an immensely misunderstood malfunction in his healing potion.

That Error supposedly never drank.

Sci and Killer had gone back to his lab, and discovered the healing potion was still intact and untouched. The faded blue one, a paralysis potion Sci had been working on to stop Fresh and his antics, was also undamaged. Sci had found traces of the liquid Error had consumed on a broken beaker on the floor beneath his jacket, and Sci carefully took some samples. He returned to the castle with Killer, and was now studying the contents of the strange potion.

Nightmare's thoughts were interrupted by Killer walking into the room. He stopped in front of throne, and awaited Nightmare's acknowledgement.

"What is it, Killer?"

"Sci requested that we bring Dream into our circle of informants. I don't trust him, though."
He crossed his arms and pouted. Nightmare laughed at his childishness, and stood up. He walked over to Killer, and patted his head, causing the shorter skeleton to blush.

"Well, if Sci thinks Dream can be trusted, then he's got another thing coming. I don't trust Dream as far as I can throw him, and you know I can throw things. But, if he's so sure of this, I guess it couldn't hurt to at least spy on him. I'll send Cross in to investigate Sci's claim that Dream could possibly be on our side, and make sure Error is... at least ok."

"Ok. I'll go get Cross-"

"Wait!"

Killer turned back to see Nightmare walk up to him, a slight blue blush on his face. He was avoiding eye contact, though, of course, Killer has no eyelights to meet anyway. Regardless, Nightmare sighed, and put his hand on Killer's shoulder.

"Killz, after things go back to normal, or if they don't and we all get screwed over by Ink, do you wanna.... maybe.... go out for nice cream one day?"

At this point, Killer's whole skull was as bright red as a strawberry. He smiled a bit, then answered.
"I-I would l-love to, b-boss-"

"Nightmare is fine, Killz."

"O-ok, N-Nightmare...."

Killer was dismissed, and went beelining straight to Cross' room. He kicked the door open, not even bothering to knock, and faceplanted onto Cross' bed. The monochrome skeleton deadpanned at him as he got out of the shower.

"Dude, ya know I love ya, but couldja give me some privacy once in awhile?"

Killer responded with a groan, which was muffled by the bed. Cross rolled his eyelights and sat at his desk to put clothes on. Killer turned his head to see Cross dressed in his usual outfit, except his fluffy jacket and scarf hung on the chair. Killer rolled to the side as Cross sat on the bed next to him.

"Ok, Killer. What's eatin' ya this time?"

Killer put his hands on his eyesockets and rubbed down his face, groaning.
"Nightmare basically asked me out."

"Pffft, really?!"

"Yeah."

"Th-that's great! You've liked him for who knows how long, and he's finally acknowledging his feelings for you. It's all as I said it would be."

Killer sat up quickly and turned to Cross slowly.
"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I may or may not have given Nightmare a teeny tiny nudge-"

"CROSS!!!! I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU!!!"

"You can. I just suggested to Nightmare that your favorite flavor of nice cream was blueberry waffle cone, and that Outertale was famous for its shooting stars and meteor showers."

"So, now he's gonna take me to Outertale and have nice cream with me............ bECAUSE YOU SAID SOMETHING!!!!"

"Oh, c'mon. It's not that bad."

Killer: ò////^////ó

"Pffft, ok, maybe it's cause for you to freak out. But in happiness! Because he asked you out! Just relax. If he really likes you, then all you have to do is act like your normal, flusterable self, and you'll do fine."

Killer stood up and turned to Cross.
"Well, if you say so. By the way, Nightmare wants you for a spying mission."

"Ooh, sounds like fun."

"Yeah. See ya later, Cross."
With that, Killer teleported out, and Cross grabbed his jacket and scarf. He ran down the stairs, pulling his jacket on and adjusting his scarf around his neck. He skidded to a stop before the doors to the throne room, and caught his breath. He steeled himself, then knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He entered the room to find Nightmare sitting on his throne, staring off into space, with the biggest, lovestruck smile on his face Cross had ever seen. Cross worked to hide the giggles threatening to escape him, buuuuut it wasn't working. By the time Nightmare noticed his presence, Cross had his hands in front of his mouth, his eyesockets wide with mirth. Nightmare stopped smiling, and glared at Cross, who burst out laughing.

"What's so funny, Cross?"

The monochrome skeleton wiped a tear from his eyesocket, then cleared his throat and stood at attention, still snorting a bit.

"Oh, nothing. Ya just looked like you had a lot on your mind."

Nightmare blushed when he realized what Cross meant. He growled and stood up, walking up to Cross.

"Ignoring the fact that you are late, I have a job for you. You are to spy on my brother Dream, as well as Ink's new pet."

"Wait. Are you saying Ink tamed your brother- Ow!"
Nightmare flicked him in the forehead.

"Of course not, idiot! Ink has a pet dog, and I want you to make sure neither Dream nor this dog are harmed in any way. Dream might be a potential informant, and that dog is part of Sci's experiment for Error."

"Speaking of, where is our glitchy buddy? Did he, like, get too busy to come visit us, again?"

"That is none of our concern as of this moment. Don't forget, we only help him if he asks for it, and he hasn't asked for it, yet."

Cross sighed.
"You... don't think he.... actually succeeded this time, do you?"

Nightmare's expression turned sad, and put a hand on Cross' shoulder.
"No. He just can't come home, right now. For now, focus on your task, and hopefully, this will all be over soon."

"Understood. I'll get going, now."

"Good luck."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Now this is a long chapter. I tried to make it long enough to be interesting, and it ended up being a whole lot longer than I thought it would be. Regardless, I hope you guys are enjoying this. I mean, you wouldn't be coming back to read this if you weren't enjoying it, would you? :D

Anyway, the plot t h i c k e n s....

Muahahahahahahaha.