It had been five years and a month since Ink was overthrown, and everything was running pretty smoothly. The school was pretty much a requirement for any new universes that discovered the multiverse, since there was so much information to be gained from it, and it was generally fun meeting a bunch of different beings that went through mostly the same experiences you did. Most of the others in my family had opened up little side classes pertaining to their favorite things, since Nightmare said it would teach responsibility; I was urged to do it as well, since apparently it was enjoyable, and after a few months of repetitive requests, I finally gave in and instituted a class about monster dust. Literally nobody came the first day, which I wasn't arguing about; you'd have to be insane to want to learn about monster dust, right? The second day, I was a bit surprised when there was a full class; I guess I wasn't the only insane being in the multiverse. I pretty much just taught about what I knew, and the students seemed interested, oddly enough. It was all right; I didn't really think I was too cut out for teaching, though. That was a couple weeks ago, and it was only a ten minute class once a week; I was willing to do it for my family.

I was currently helping Error with a few things in his room, since he preferred living in the school than the Anti-Void most of the time; his job was a bit stressful, but we helped him whenever we could, and it gave us time to talk to him, too! He was currently dealing with a lot of paperwork for some unknown reason. 

"Could you hand me those files, please?" Error requested.

"Sure thing." I handed him the aforementioned files. "Why is there so much here?"

"I have no clue; there wasn't anything yesterday, and now everybody has problems?"

"Is it always like this?" 

"No, but occasionally it is; thanks for helping out."

"No problem, it's the least I can do."

"We really should be thankful that you can do anything."

"Really.." I sighed.

"Sorry..didn't mean to make you remember."

"It's all right.."

"So, Nightmare told me you've been having bad feelings?"

"Yeah.."

"Any idea what they're about?"

"Unfortunately."

"Mind if I ask?"

"Ink.."

"Oh..you mean.."

"Yeah."

"I've had those before..can't do anything about it until it comes, can you?"

"No, I'm preparing for the worst."

"I see..anything I can do to help?"

"Just..be there?"

"Sure. You've done more than enough for me for that." Error smiled and hugged me; this was definitely an uncle moment. "We'll always love you, Dust."

"Thanks. I love you guys too."

"Oh, I forgot something!"

"What?"

"I promised to take some of the representatives on a field trip to a preserved corrupt AU; it's really unstable. I have to go; bye Dust!"

"Bye!"

I giggled as Error zoomed out the door; he was always so busy. I remembered when he was rarely ever busy - those days were fun. I walked out the door and down the long hallway, saying hello to a few of the representatives as I passed them; I wasn't really sure whether to call them representatives or students - I called them both. They didn't seem to mind what I called them, which made it rather easy when I couldn't remember a nickname; remembering hundreds of nicknames would have been absolutely crazy. I unfortunately had to pass the basement door a lot, and I was on edge every time I did it, knowing who was down there; I had never been as afraid of anyone as I was of Ink. When I passed the door, the dreadful feeling I had always increased, as if something bad would happen if I ever opened that door-

The door was open.

Why was the door open? It was supposed to be sealed! What if somebody was down there? I stuck my hand through the opening, ensuring that the door was in fact open - it was. If somebody was down there, they could have been in danger, and I couldn't have risked that; if one of the others was down there, they would have locked the door - they had to lock the door every time they went down, but I knew it wasn't one of them. I had to make a choice. I rang the bells before carefully treading down the stone steps; the others would be on their way in case I needed any kind of help. As I descended down the steps, I did hear talking, and it certainly was not Ink's voice; the talking got louder, and my footsteps got faster with it. When I was down the stairs, I noticed a figure in the distance, outside the cells; this was the culprit. I approached the student, which became more clearly the Chara that had asked about the basement a month ago, and they looked like they were talking to someone - Ink. I approached the Chara.

"What are you doing down here?!" I asked, grabbing the Chara's attention.

"It's cool down here!" Chara exclaimed. "And there's somebody else here! Why didn't we get told about this?"

Ink's ever-changing eyelights met mine; he smirked maliciously.

"Well, if it isn't my old playmate, Dust." Ink chuckled. "I see you've..recovered."

I ignored Ink, opting to get the Chara away from this place.

"You didn't get told about it because it's dangerous." I enlightened.

"It doesn't look dangerous!" Chara replied. "And this guy's nice!"

"He's not nice at all; he's a master of deception."

"Oh come on! How bad could he be?"

"Bad."

"What, do you know him?"

"Oh, Dust and I go way back; he just doesn't wanna talk about it." Ink smiled innocently. "You know, I haven't seen him for years."

"What does he mean? Have you been ignoring him or something?"

"Yes, and for good reason, too." I wanted to get out.

"Why would you do that?"

"Come on, you're not supposed to be down here."

"I'm not going until you tell me why you're ignoring him!" 

"Yeah, Dust." Ink joined. "Why don't you tell me why you've ignored me all these years. I miss the little..games we used to play."

"I don't have to explain myself to either of you; let's get out of this accursed basement." I wanted to leave. 

"I'm not leaving!" Chara declared. "He seems really nice!"

"I'm afraid you are leaving." Nightmare and the others were here; I was overcome by relief. "We keep this place off limits for a reason."

"Yep, it's true!" Killer was next to us first. "Now let's get ya outta here."

"But why?" Chara didn't understand. "This guy seems so nice! Why is he in here?"

"I regret not keeping that memory remover.." Nightmare muttered. "He's in here because he's a criminal, Chara."

"But criminals are mean! He's kind!"

"I most certainly am kind!" Ink confirmed.

"Kind of a psycho." Killer filled in.

"Oh, that was just cruel!"

"Who even is he?" Chara asked the question we all dreaded.

"His identity doesn't need to be known." Nightmare tried.

"Aw, too afraid to speak my name?" Ink dropped his act, and Chara was startled. "It's only three little letters!"

"B-but he was so nice a second ago?" Chara was dumbfounded. 

"Let's ge' outta here." Horror suggested; I was ready.

"Ink." Ink chuckled. "You're really too afraid to say it, aren't you? I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Dust. I would love to play another game!"

"Wh-what?" Chara was surprised. "Th-that's the dictator?"

"Yes, now let's leave." Nightmare began pushing Chara toward the exit. 

"O-oh!" Cross noticed me. "D-dad, Dust's scared."

I was only shaking a little, but they knew.

"It's nice to know somebody remembers me." Ink laughed.

"Come on, Dusty!" Killer grabbed my wrist and began to lead me out of the basement, to my pleasure, since I was too afraid to move by myself.

"You'll be back, Dust. I'll make sure of it."

"Don't listen to him, Dusty; he can't hurt ya."

When we were out of the basement, the entire group was headed straight for Nightmare's private classroom, which also happened to be the first classrom; this was for Nightmare's special talks, mostly had with us. When we entered, the Chara was seated at a desk, and we sat nearby.

"Now." Nightmare sat down. "How exactly did you break the seal?"

"I just lockpicked the door; nothing special." Chara shrugged.

"Cross, I thought you said the door wasn't able to be picked."

"I said it wasn't e-easy to pick." Cross reminded; he did say that.

"Fair enough. Chara, you have discovered one of the multiverse's most dangerous secrets; that isn't going to be taken lightly. If you tell a single soul about this, there could be some serious consequences."

"Fine, I won't tell anyone." Chara sighed. "But why do you have a dictator in your basement?"

"That's what we've been asking ever since he got here."

"What did he mean by games?"

"...Dust, you may want to leave."

"I can take it..I already did." I wasn't shaking too badly anymore.

"All right. When he said the term games, he didn't mean hide and seek; do you remember in your history book where it says he tortured Dust?"

"Yeah?" Chara didn't see where this was going.

"Well, he..uh.."

"He called it playing; the torture was a game to him - it always was." I helped. 

"Oh." Chara was sorry for asking. "I should go now..I won't tell anyone about the basement - I promise."

Chara left the room, and I immediately received a hug; I was scared, and I was crying.

"Hey, don't cry, Dusty." Horror comforted.

"Y-yeah!" Cross accompanied. "H-he can't hurt you n-now!"

"B-but he said.." I sobbed. "He said.."

"He can't do that!" Killer assured. "No way he can make ya go back!"

"Indeed, he has no control over you, Dust." Nightmare joined the hug.

"But..." I thought. "But what if he can?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if he could do something to make me go back?"

"Dust, you're simply making up scenarios." Nightmare put a hand on my shoulder. "He can't hurt you. Right?"

"..Right. Thanks, Dad." I smiled as I wiped a tear away. "I love you guys.."

"We love you too, Dust." They replied.

"Now, is everything all right?" Nightmare questioned. 

"Yeah." I had forgotten about my fear for now. 

"Good; I actually left a class for this, so..."

"Go!"

"You boys have fun!" Nightmare went back to his class.

"He said fun." Killer smirked. "Jump off the roof?"

"Are ya kiddin'?" Horror grinned.

"O-oh yes!" Cross rubbed his hands together.

"Is it even a question?" I rose to follow Killer.

"Hold on!" Killer grabbed my wrist, and we formed a chain. "I'm gonna push eighty!"

Killer started to bolt, and he did indeed push eighty; he was almost undoubtedly the fastest skeleton in the multiverse, and physics didn't even try to bother with him - he was too fast. We actually had to reserve a specific spot in the hallways for Killer specifically because he ran too fast and was liable to run someone over if he lost control - he never lost control, but it was always a possibility. We were on top of the roof in no time, and the trampolines were on the ground below; we took a moment to observe the stars before jumping.

"How many do ya think there are?" Killer asked.

"All o' 'em." Horror replied.

"Th-there's too many t-to count." Cross stated.

"Well, we do have forever." I pointed out. "I'll say there's one for everybody."

"Which one's yours?" Killer inquired. 

"Hmm..that one." I located a star that looked dim, almost completely hidden.

"How can ya tell?"

"Well, Dad said all the stars are different universes, right? Everybody should know theirs."

"Huh. I wonder which is mine."

"It's the one that sticks out at you specifically, calling out and saying 'Hey! I'm yours!'"

"Hmm..that one." Killer gestured to a bright star; it was definitely his.

"That's mine." Horror said, pointing to a large, yet not as bright star.

"I don't g-get one.." Cross sighed.

"That's nonsense." I put my arm around Cross. "That's just because they're all yours, and they're all calling out so loud that you can't pick a single one."

"R-really?"

"Really."

"Wanna jump now?" Killer looked at us.

"Of course!" We replied.

We stood at the edge of the roof, and with big smiles, plunged onto the giant trampoline below; it was exciting. My family really was the best family; I wouldn't doubt that. As we jumped on the magically stable trampoline, we laughed our skulls off and enjoyed the fresh night air that we had grown so accustomed to; it wouldn't have been home without it! When we were finished jumping, we told some jokes and played a bit before I decided to go to sleep; I was really exhausted after all that had happened. The feeling that I had grew when I passed the basement door, but I ignored it for the time being; I could worry later. When I entered my room, I placed my camera on my dresser, laid my skull on my pillow, and descended into my dusty night- 

This wasn't right.

Where was the dust? Where were the screams? Pleads? They weren't there. This wasn't a dusty nightmare. What was this? 

All I saw was red: red paint - it wasn't dust; it was paint. Why was I dreaming about paint? It had been five years since the paint came! Why was I dreaming about it? This wasn't a dusty nightmare - this was a nightmare about Ink. Had my mind finally found a way to scare me, or was this something else? It didn't feel like a nightmare; a nightmare would try to scare me - this felt..synthetic. This felt like a dream that was manufactured. Ink knew what scared me; he was trying to bring me back by scaring me. I was scared. When I awoke, Papyrus was next to me.

"Brother, are you okay?" Paps comforted me.

"Y-yeah.." I replied. "What are you doing?"

"I came to check on you; you looked uncomfortable."

"You're the best, Paps."

"I am the Great Papyrus!"

"Hey bro, do you know where Dad is?"

"I believe he is in a class; what do you need him for?"

"I just need to ask him about something. Any idea when he'll be done?"

"He should be finished any time now."

"Thanks Paps, you're the best."

"You are okay, though; right, brother?"

"Of course."

"Okay!"

I hopped out of my bed and started towards Nightmare's class with a certain determination; I had to talk about this. When I reached the class, it looked as if Nightmare had just dismissed, since students were leaving; that was perfect. I walked into the classroom and found him looking at a book; I sat next to him and waited for him to finish.

"Ah, Dust." Nightmare set his book aside. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah." I thought of how to put my question. "Is it possible for somebody to..manufacture a dream?"

"I don't quite understand. Do you mean giving a certain individual a specific dream as they sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I believe only Dream and I are capable of that, but it is theoretically possible. Why do you ask?"

"I just had an..unsettling dream. It felt..wrong."

"Interesting..what was it about?"

"..Ink."

"Oh..I see."

"Do..do you think this could have been what he meant?"

"It's a very real possibility..was it only the one time?"

"It was just now; I never experienced anything like it."

"I see. I have two options available to you right now."

"And those are?"

"Either consult me again if it continues to happen, or I could take a look at it personally right now."

"..Would you?"

"Of course; this is very interesting from a scientific standpoint."

"Thanks, Dad." 

"It's no problem; let's go to your room - a classroom isn't exactly the best place to take a nap."

"Okay, Dad."

Nightmare walked me back to my room, and we continued to discuss the dream I had, which provided a very interesting conversation. When we reached my room, I lay down on the bed, and Nightmare sat beside me; it didn't take long for me to fall asleep, and when I did, I had the same dream - red paint and Ink. It didn't last long, but it still had the same feel to it, and when I woke up, it still scared me. Nightmare looked intrigued.

"So?" I waited for an answer.

"This is very interesting." Nightmare pondered it. "This is indeed a manufactured dream, as it wasn't coming from you, but rather, something in your soul triggered it - it was not fear, since that would come from you. Has anything happened with your soul recently?"

"Not that I recall.." 

I remembered.

"Wait!" I had forgotten about it! How could I have forgotten? "The injection! It went into my soul! But that was years ago.."

"Perhaps it had a trigger..and Ink has it.." Nightmare looked to me. "Shall we find out?"

"You mean...go back?"

Nightmare looked unsettled; he knew what I meant. Ink was using this to lure me back, and it had almost worked; I didn't want to go back down there.

"This is a difficult situation.." Nightmare stood and paced a bit. "Ink must be doing this for a reason..but how would he even be able to trigger these dreams when he has no magic?"

"C-could he be faking not having magic?" The thought scared me.

"No, I highly doubt that. Until we figure out what this is, I want you to stay far away from the basement; if he can do something, we don't want to let him."

"Okay, Dad. Thanks."

"I'm glad your first reaction was to find me; it really shows..trust."

"Why wouldn't I trust my own family?"

"You're too good for us, Dust."

"Nah, I'm just an insane skeleton who gets weird dreams."

Nightmare hugged me before leaving for a class - at least I assumed that was why he was leaving. I grabbed my camera and returned to my bed, looking through the pictures I had taken over the years; I remembered the day I got it. I wondered how Killer found it. This camera had been through a lot. When I had looked through most of the photos, I decided to take a walk through the halls, staying away from the basement; I wasn't going anywhere near it.

I knew that when I did, something bad would happen.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean scare noo!

Thanks for reading my eventful writing! 

Bye!