Thank you very much to the amazing LilyFlower1005 for this awesome suggestion :) Remember to brush your teeth before you cross the road

Also, I know Error and Ink have these cool new clothes and I think personality changes? But these oneshots will be the old versions since this is past!Dreamtale so ye I thought it made more sense lol

Nightmare was leaned against the Tree of Feelings, staring up at the overcast, darkened sky with a lost look in his eyes. Dream wasn't here at the moment; he'd gone out on one of his zany adventures with Ink and Blueberry, leaving Nightmare alone with his negative feelings. They were always worse when his brother wasn't around- though, he supposed that made sense. He released a sad sigh, closing his eyes momentarily before reopening them to once again peer up at the miserable sky.

The clouds were a deep grey and completely obscured the sun, preventing any rays of sunlight from passing through and there was a brisk wind that made the leaves and branches shiver and tremble. Nightmare dully observed two birds huddle together for warmth; he felt a pang of loneliness and silently longed for his brother to return soon so he wouldn't have to be alone for much longer.

A droplet of rain landed on the top of his skull, making him blink in surprise. He shifted his line of sight to once again look upwards at the sky that had began to cry. A small, sorrowful smile graced Nightmare's face as he watched the sky's tears rain down with it's melancholy serenade, glazing the leaves in a glossy coat. He slumped against the tree trunk, staring up with half-lidded eyes; his smile had eventually been washed away and was now replaced with a wistful frown. He listened to the dismal drumming of the rain plummet down from the heavens onto the earth- they fell down like a shower of bullets, pelting Nightmare and causing him to shiver from their icy touch.

He didn't move though. He made no effort to get out of the rainfall- instead, he just laid against the tree. He lifted his hand and absentmindedly grasped at his shirt where his soul would be if he had one. Even without a soul, he can still feel a painfully heavy emptiness within him. He couldn't explain why it hurt. It wasn't a physical pain, but more like a numbing feeling inside of him. Hollow yet overwhelmed with emotion.

The pain of being alone is completely unbearable and Nightmare understands that better than anyone. Of course, he has Dream with him and they've gradually become inseparable but the loneliness clings to him like a shadow- it's inescapable. It's always there. He tries to ignore it when he's with Dream and most of the time it works, yet it's when he's on his own does the dreadful loneliness come creeping up his spine and dig inside his mind. Like now, for example.

Nightmare exhaled and closed his eyes, trying to focus on the pitter patter of the rain. Usually he enjoyed to sit and listen to it's lullaby, however this one carried a deep sadness embedded in every raindrop and each time they landed on the guardian of negativity they felt like knives jabbing into him. They didn't hurt, it just sent a tingling, numbing sensation throughout him.

He reopened his eyes and let his hand fall limp beside him. He hated these feelings. Nightmare lifted his head slightly and sent a glare upwards at the midnight-black apples that hung tauntingly from the twisted branches.

"I hate you." He choked out, feeling the familiar burning sensation of tears building up in his eye-sockets.

The leaves surrounding the negative fruit seemed to rattle angrily down at him- even the wind was unhappy with what the guardian had said, letting out a howl as it whooshed past Nightmare forcefully.

"I hate myself." He whimpered, lowering his head to stare at the dampened grass beneath him.

Teardrops beaded up in his eye-sockets and started pooling out rapidly with no sign of stopping. He raised his trembling hand and covered his mouth in a desperate attempt to muffle the loud, woeful cries. The world around him seemed to drain of colour, melting into grey static; an empty, desolate void. He let out a heart-wrenching wail, squeezing his eyes shut in a hopeless attempt to contain the salty waterfalls.

"What..." A strange voice trailed off, startling the guardian of negativity.

Nightmare hiccuped, flinging his eyes open and turning his head towards where the voice had come from. His breath hitched as watery lilac eyes met a single white orb and an unnerving yellow and blue orb- much larger than the white. They sat within crimson red eye-sockets, peering down at the guardian in a confused and weary way.

"Who are you?" Nightmare stammered, his breathes unsettled and shaky. 

The mysterious skeleton remained quiet, eyeing the other skeleton with mild interest. Normally Nightmare would become uncomfortable when people stared at him for so long however he couldn't help but stare at the other in equal curiosity.

He was a black skeleton- though his legs and fingers were red with yellow fingertips. He wore a blood red shirt with a black jacket over it that faded to blue at the hood. His shorts were the same mix of colour- black with dark blue stripes down the sides and he sported black fluffy slippers. The strangest feature about the other was the blue lines that streamed down from his eye-sockets; they almost looked like tears. He had yellow teeth and 'ERROR' signs floating around him that occasionally flickered and reappeared in a different location.

"I'm Error." The other eventually said. His voice was eerie; it seemed to stammer and change tone on each syllable. Nightmare's tears had slowed down a little and his breathing was slightly eased. He let out a sniffle, a tint of lilac dusting his cheeks in embarrassment- he didn't like being caught sobbing.

"I'm Nightmare." His voice wavered as he spoke. Error stayed quiet, examining the other. A few awkward moments of silence passed before it was broken.

"Why are you here?" 

Error frowned, remembering his original intentions. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to try and destroy this anomaly. Those lilac eyes held a familiar loneliness.

"I accidentally ended up here." He lied, voice changing from low to high pitch and stuttering uncontrollably. 

"So you can jump between AU's?" The guardian asked, wiping away the remaining tears in his eye-sockets.

"Yes, I live in the Anti-Void." 

"Doesn't Ink live there too?" 

Error growled suddenly at the mention of the damned artist, causing Nightmare to flinch.

"Don't mention that filthy glitch." He seethed, his voice sounding even more broken than before. "I hate him."

Nightmare felt a wave of nervousness wash over him as he recalled something Ink had once said- something like 'I defend the AU's from the Destroyer- he's like my opposite.'

"Are you the Destroyer of AU's?" he half whispered, intimidated by the other.

Error grinned toothily, taking a seat beside the other- though not too close.

"So you do know who I am."

Nightmare stared timidly at him, nodding. "Ink mentioned you once."

Error instantly frowned again, glowering at the other.

"I said don't bring him up!" He raised his spastic voice, startling the guardian of negativity.

"I'm sorry!" Nightmare cried out, eyes wide and fearful.

Error observed him, staring deep into his lilac eyes which made the other fidget self-consciously. 

"You have the same eyes as I do," Error started. "Eyes filled with hatred and resentment for those who put you through the hell called loneliness."

Nightmare's eyes widened, gazing back into Error's mismatched ones.

"You're lonely? Then why do you destroy the AU's- why not try and befriend the inhabitants-"

"Shut up!" Error yelled, earning a yelp from the other. "They're all filthy glitches that shouldn't exist."

Nightmare didn't say anything. Error sighed after a moment, closing his eyes and leaning back against the tree.

"The Anti-Void is an empty, lonesome place. Do you have any idea how insane that is- to live in complete isolation? I can hear the whispers loud and clear every day, tormenting me." Error hissed, placing a hand over his soul.

Nightmare's expression darkened, his eye-sockets becoming empty. He let out a quiet chuckle.

"Well I'm glad to know I'm not the only crazy one that can hear the voices."

Error hummed thoughtfully. This anomaly wasn't so bad- he seems to understand his pain and those lilac eyes hold so much contempt and a desire for strength- a desire for death. Error grinned wider.

"I like you." Error confidently stated.

Nightmare face flushed an intense lilac and he began to stammer. Error watched him in confusion before realising.

"Not like that, dummy." He snorted in amusement. "I have decided that I will be friends with you, Midnight."

"My name is Nightmare." The guardian huffed and folded his arms, though he didn't look very menacing with the lilac hue staining his face.

"That's what I said." Error grumbled, waving his hand dismissively. 

Despite everything, Nightmare couldn't help but smile softly. He'd made a new friend (even though he was the destroyer of universes) and he had somewhat distracted him from his melancholy thoughts.

"Friends, huh?" Nightmare mused aloud. "I'd like that."

Error and Nightmare sat together under the Tree of Feelings, sharing stories and discussing their lives. The rain had stopped by now and the sun was beginning to appear from behind the dense, grey clouds. The guardian of negativity actually felt at ease; it was nice to have a pleasant conversation with someone other than his brother for a change. Even so, he did miss Dream.

"There was this one time when I went to Outertale and the damned artist was there with his weird friends- Underswap and your brother, and Ink just kept staring at me." Error cringed at the memory, shivering slightly. "It was so creepy I had to leave."

Nightmare chuckled, remembering when he overheard Dream talking about it with said artist.

"Yeah, I heard about that one." He replied, letting out a breath of laughter. 

The two talked some more- even Error was enjoying this. It's nice to get a break from the whispering of his mind. It must have been a few hours or so; the distant sun was getting ready to set, casting a warm glow upon the two skeletons.

"I might just have to visit this AU another time, It's actually quite nice to talk to someone that understands you." Error contemplated out loud, grinning as Nightmare perked up.

"Yes- please do." Nightmare pleaded, blushing slightly in embarrassment from how clingy he sounded. "It just, uh, it get's really lonely here- and it's nice to talk to you!"

Error hummed, nodding in agreement. The two sat in a comfortable silence, staring forwards at the setting sun. Error absentmindedly created some blue strings, creating strange shapes with them. Nightmare flickered his eyes to briefly look at what the other was doing, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a small smile.

"To say you don't like new creations, you sure do enjoy making different things out of your string."

Error huffed, sparing a playful glare at the other. None of them noticed the figure stalking towards them.

"Get the hell away from my brother."

Nightmare and Error both jumped in surprise, turning around simultaneously to peer up at a scowling Dream with empty eye-sockets.

"Oh, hey Dream!" Nightmare greeted cheerily, waving at his brother. Error frowned, returning Dream's scowl.

"What is he doing here?" Dream hissed, pointing at the Destroyer accusingly.

"It's rude to point." Error growled, voice glitching more than usual. Nightmare tilted his head, looking between the two.

"Hey, Dream- he's not hurting me, he's my friend!" Nightmare eventually spoke up, trying to break the tension.

Dream's eyes widened as he turned to face his brother with a look of shock.

"Night, you can't be friends with him- he destroys AU's!"

"Night can be friends with whoever he wants." Error grumbled, standing up and stepping towards the guardian of positivity with a snarl. Nightmare watched the two in alarm, unsure of what to do.

Dream glared up at the taller skeleton before smirking and grabbing his arm. Error let out a cry and jumped back; the 'ERROR' signs blinked rapidly and the sound of static could be heard emitting from the skeleton.

"Don't touch me!" He shouted spastically. "I'm leaving, bye Night." He mumbled, wasting no time in exiting the AU through a glitched portal.

Dream's golden-yellow eyes soon returned and he relaxed, taking a seat beside Nightmare.

"He has haphephobia, a really bad weakness if you ask me." Dream commented placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. When he received no answer, his smile fell.

"Night, he's a bad guy." He said quietly. "I don't want you to get mixed up in the wrong crowd."

Nightmare simply sighed, his lilac eyes returning to their previous dull tone. 

"I know, I'm sorry." He apologised. "I just couldn't bare being alone, I needed to talk to someone." he added almost inaudibly. 

Dream frowned and hugged his brother gently.

"It's okay, It's not your fault." He soothed, closing his eyes. Nightmare leaned into the embrace, the feeling of loneliness creeping up again despite being with his beloved brother. He recalled what Error had said to him- about them having the same eyes. He dwelled on the thought, wondering if that was really true.

The more he thought about it, the more he understood what he meant. 

Maybe him and Error really aren't that different.

Dream doesn't need to know. He can't possibly tell his brother about the hatred and resentment he felt deep inside. He didn't know how Error could see it in his eyes, he was just thankful Dream seemed oblivious.

Nightmare closed his eyes, returning the hug with an emptiness within him.

--End--

I don't know why but I just put --Exit-- instead of --End-- and that's apparently the funniest mistake I've ever done because I can't stop laughing about it