No pov~

Nightmare sat under the shade of the Tree of Feelings, also known to him as mother. He was simply reading a new book on magical theory, minding his own business when another rock hit the side of his skull. He winced at the stinging pain, and the snickering of his harassers.

Nightmare glanced up only for a moment to glare at the idiots, then went back to his book. They weren't worth it. He never understood how his brother got along so well with these... Creatures. They were rude, disrespectful, and greedy.

Dream always did experience a different side of everyone though. Maybe it was because he was the guardian of positivity. Or was it because Nightmare was the guardian of negativity. Maybe both.

Nightmare fortunately wasn't bothered for another few hours.

When he was bothered again, it was because someone was running up his side of the hill. Nightmare quickly got up in a defensive position, only to be surprised when he saw a young child of maybe three years running up his hill.

The child's emotions were incredibly strong. They were hurt, scared, worried, slightly angry, and hopeful. The child was also hurt physically. They were covered in bruises and cuts and incredibly dirty. They looked malnourished and their clothes were dirty and tattered.

The young child kept looking behind them as they ran. They seemed to be chased and that's what they were scared of.

Nightmare was more shocked when the child ran up to him and hid behind him.
"P-please sir! You have to hide me!"
Nightmare looked down to see the child with tears in their eyes.
"Hide behind the tree, but do not touch it."

The child nods quickly and does as they were told.

Nightmare turns back to the open field to find that a new soul was climbing up the hill. This time it was a male, probably in his late twenties to early thirties. All the emotion that Nightmare could feel off of him was rage.

Nightmare glares down at the man as he marches up to him.
"Where is he/she?"
The question was a low animalistic growl.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have no idea who you are talking about. Now back off."
Nightmare made sure to keep his tone polite with an underline threat.
"A kid just ran up this hill. Now where is he/she?"
"Once again, I have no idea what you are talking about sir. They may have ran back down the other side, or went into the nearby forest, but I did not see a child."
"For your sake I hope you're telling the truth you scum."
Nightmare simply glared at him as he ran down the other side of the hill.

"You can come on out now."
The child peeked out from behind the tree and scampered over to Nightmare.
"Th- Thank you so much s-sir!"
The child had a bright smile painted across their face.
Nightmare was taken aback by their sincerity. No one had ever thanked him before, not even his own brother.

Nightmare couldn't help the genuine smile that crossed his face.
"What's your name kid?"
"O- Oh! It's (Y- Y/N)"
"Well then, (Y/N) how would you like to stay with me?"
The child's eyes light up.
"Can I really?!"
"Of course. Let's go get you cleaned up."

-----------------5 months later------------------

Nightmare smiled as he watched (Y/N) run around in the field. The kid played by themselves for the most part, which Nightmare feels slightly responsible for. But they didn't seem to mind, so it was fine.

"Nighty! Nighty! Look! Look!" The child yells as they run up to Nightmare, a flower crown in their hands. The flower crown was made up of Purple, Blue, and (F/C) roses.

Nightmare smiled as he put his book down. He's been doing a lot more of that lately, and he doesn't mind one bit.
"Is that for me?"
"Yup!"
Nightmare chuckles lightly as the child carefully places the crown on his head, over his normal crown.
Their smile almost blinds Nightmare with how bright it was.
"Perfect!"
The child exclaims proudly.
Nightmare stares up at the child with a kind and gentle warmness that he had never given anyone before. The child now seems flustered shuffling their feet.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because you're my favorite being in the multiverse."
The child's face erupts into a bright red blush as the burry their face into their hands.
"Daaaaad stoooooop!"

Everything freezes.
"Oh crap I am so sorry Mr. Nightmare-"
"No, no. It's.... It's fine. I'm honored that you think of me that way."

That was the best day of Nightmare's life. The next day however, was the worst.

Nightmare woke up and walked down the hall. Today he was hoping to talk to Dream about (Y/N). He's honestly surprised he didn't find them sooner. But, he's not going to question a good thing.

Nightmare walks up to the guest room that he lent (Y/N), knocked then walked in.
"Hey, (Y/N)-"
Nightmare looked around in confusion. They weren't in here.
Nightmare shook his head. They were probably in the kitchen.

Nightmare walked into the kitchen only to see Dream sitting at the table with an angry and disappointed glare.
"Hey Dream have you-"
"Nightmare. Did you know that a human child with terrible scars was in this kitchen last night?"
"Uh... Yes? They-"
"My stars Nightmare, I know that you've been in an extremely bad mood lately, but kidnaping and torturing a child? That's too far even for you."
"Even for? Torture? Bad mood? I-"
"You're lucky I was able to return them home to their worried father-"
"YOU WHAT?!"
"I returned them home-"
"MY GOD YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT! I DIDN'T DO THAT TO THE KID! THEIR DAD DID! I WAS KEEPING THEM SAFE!"
"I highly doubt that you were-"
"ASK MOM! I've got a kid to save."

Nightmare teleports to the house that the kid pointed out as theirs earlier. He rushes into the house ignoring the passed out drunk on the couch.
Nightmare felt a large amount of pain below him that suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened as he ran over to the hatch to the basement. He flung the door open and raced down the stairs ignoring the confused and panicked calls from the scum behind him.

When Nightmare got to the bottom of the stairs he was horrified at the sight before him. The young four year old was lying, knocked out in a pool of their own blood. Whip marks, burn marks, knife marks, bullet wounds, and bruises littered the young child's body. Nightmare was frozen in place for a second, but only a second as the child's breathing starts to slow. That kicked Nightmare into gear bolting to the young human his hands covered in a bright green glow. He pours most of his magic into his healing magic, making sure that he has just enough to teleport them out of there.

The worst of the child's wounds closed up quickly, but the child still did not wake. Nightmare was panicking at this point. He picks the child up and teleports straight to his mother.
"Mom! Help! Please!"
°Of course, calm yourself child. Lie them down at my roots. I will heal them.°
Nightmare gently lies the child down at the tree's roots and stepped back, a worried look in his eyes.

A bright green glow surrounds the child as the Tree of Feelings starts to heal all of their wounds.

At that moment Dream yells out in horror.
"Nightmare!what did you do?!"
Nightmare whips around and glares at Dream with a cold, hard, hatred. He has never, ever glared at his brother that way before.
"I, dear brother only healed the worst of their injuries and brought them here. Her 'father' hurt her."
Nightmare hissed.
Dream steps back slightly in offense. Then he glares right back at Nightmare.
"I don't believe you."
Nightmare was about to snap at Dream again when his mother interrupts.
°The child is all healed up, but their mind appears to be trapped. They're in a coma.°
Nightmare spins back round to face his mother.
"I- Isn't there anything you can do?"
Nightmare asks desperately.
°I'm sorry.°
"See what you did to this poor child Nightmare?"
Dream glares at his brother before walking off, carrying a golden apple with him to give to one of the villagers. Not aware of his brother's sanity snapping.

Why?
WhY?
WHY?
Was it because he was the guardian of negativity?
Would this not have happened if he was the guardian of positivity instead?
Maybe if he proved he wasn't completely negative they'd wake up?
Just once.
Just take care of one golden apple.
Just one chance to make things right.

Nightmare's hand slowly reaches out to one of the golden apples. His mother's desperate warnings falling upon deaf ears.

His angry, jealous, desperate hand fell onto the golden apple. It was fine for a second when it suddenly started to turn into one of his dark apples.

No.
Nononono.
Nonononononononononononono.
NO!

Nightmare could feel all the building negativity as he cradled the dark apple trying desperately to make it turn back.

Then came the angry shouts of the villagers. They were out for blood. Nightmare was scrambling for an answer. He was out of magic. His brother hated him. His mother was unwilling to help after what he just did. How in the stars was he supposed to keep the villagers from killing him?

Nightmare's eyes landed on the dark apple in his hands. They were filled with magic, right? They'd probably give him a magic boost.
Just one apple.
Just enough to keep himself from dying.
Just. One. Bite.

Nightmare opened his mouth and raised the apple to his open mouth.
Everything was in slow motion. Dream's eyes widened and reached out a hand to try and stop him. The villagers were still charging at him.
(Y/N) was still asleep.

And then Nightmare took a bite.

Pain.
Pain was all Nightmare felt.
It seemed like forever.
Was this why no one wanted his apples?
Because they were filled with nothing but rotten pain?
Then, the pain faded.
And he felt power.
It was freeing.
Empowering.
Addicting.
He wanted more.
He needed more.
So, he ate.
He ate the whole tree.
He ate, and ate.
Until there wasn't anything else to eat.

The pain was back.
And it was much worse than before.
Coughs were wracking his chest.
His eye hurt.
What was that dripping down his face from his eye?
Who cares?
It hurt.
Make it stop.
Stop.
Stop,stop,stop,stop,stop,stop,stop,stop.
"Help me."

************

Dream stood in shock as he watched his brother take a bite out of one of those dark apples. He ate it all and then doubled over in pain for a few seconds before standing back up and then quickly picking off all his apples and eating them then a of Dream's own apples, corrupting them then eating them.

Then he doubled over in pain again, coughing and hacking. Out of his right eye some sort of black tentacles burst out. The same black slime that he was coughing up. He was slowly being covered in that black slime and when he looked up his left eye that was still uncorrupted stared directly into Dream's.

"Help me."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Ahahahahaha!"

Nightmare couldn't help but laugh. This power. This great power was amazing!
This was great!
He gazed down at all the people he hated. Every negative emotion he ever had twords anyone was amplified until that was all he could feel.
He was on a high.
The ever shifting tentacles on his back suddenly lashed out and stabbed several people.

Nightmare's smirk widened as the negativity everyone was feeling, only empowered him further.
To test one of his new powers Nightmare used that negativity to make the villagers turn on each other. Nightmare then casually turned around to kill his mother when his eyes landed on a young child at her roots.
Nightmare blinks.
Was that a human child? What was-
(Y/N)
That was their name.
Why didn't he hate them?
Who were they to him?

Nightmare's eye snaps open with realization.
(Y/N)
His (Y/N).
His kid.
The child he considered his own.
That's why he didn't hate them. He never harbored any negativity towards them. Not once.
Nightmare calmly walks over to the sleeping child and creates a shield around them.

Now, that tree...

----After Dream is turned to stone----

Nightmare glances around the mostly empty void. There are a few bits of land and rubble here and there, but the two patches of land that was left untouched was the hill with the tree and a new stone statue. And a large clearing with a bit of forest around it, a lake in the center and several different rose bushes.
(Y/N)'s favorite spot to play.
Nightmare looks over to the sleeping child.
Not a scratch.
Good.

He walks over and places a hand on the shield, and it shatters. Nightmare carefully picks up the child. Did they always seem this fragile? He watches in confusion as his tentacles, seemingly with a mind of their own, begin to faun over the child.

"Stop it."

He glares at his appendages as they shrink back in, apparently embarrassment.
Despite the strange way it happened he's glad that all of him cares for the child as much as he used to, possibly even more.

Nightmare then lashes one of his tentacles out in to thin air and ripping open a portal to his own personal anti-void. One of the few useful things his mother taught him. He glanced around the empty place and let out a large wave of negativity letting it create a palace of his own and changing the scenery.

The sky tuned into a beautiful nighttime scenery, a large dark forest surrounded a clearing where a large, dark, and intimating castle loomed. Nightmare pushed open the large black gates and walks down the dark stone road towards his new home.

The large double door entrance was pushed open and several flights of majestic stairs were climbed. Nightmare turned down a hallway to a intricately designed dark wood door. Nightmare opens the door to the most colorful room in the castle. A large black and (F/C) King sized bed with a (S/F/C) bed drapes keeping whoever was to sleep in it from the outside world. A chest was at the foot of the bed and on the opposite wall is a large walk in closet all filled with the child's size and style type of clothes. A large vanity is seated next to that door. The wall just across from the entrance door was a bookshelf and dollhouse ((A/n: anyone who says that boys don't play with dolls are lying and can fight me!))  To the right of the bed was another door which led to a personal bathroom filled with every human essential.

Nightmare brushes open the canopy curtain and gently layies the child down on the bed and tucks them in.

"For however long it takes,
May you never age until you wake."

Nightmare glances down at the child, watching the shimmer of magic pass over them and lets out a warm hearted smile.
He leans down and gives the child a kiss on the forehead.

"Goodnight, (Y/N)."