Ink had been taking control of me at random points for the past few weeks while the others were preparing their plan; I hoped they were almost done. Papyrus really helped by monitoring my state at all times, and he had prevented me from hurting myself and others quite a few times; he's the best. The kid had volunteered to help Paps and keep the others safe from me, just to have something exciting to do - or at least that's what they said. School had been resumed after the holiday, and the hallways were now filled, meaning I had a higher chance of hurting someone if Ink were to take control at the wrong moment. Right now, Paps was joining me in one of Nightmare's lectures on magic deficiencies, which was mostly the same every time, but I had to show a few examples near the end of the class, since I had a magic deficiency, and I was available. After this class, I would be showing a couple new students around the building, and I was really preparing during the class. Nightmare was almost finished.

"And that concludes the multiple ways to contract a magic deficiency." Nightmare concluded. "Now, we will exhibit a few of the unfortunate side effects one may have when they ignore the symptoms of a magic deficiency or do not have the ability to get help. Dust?"

I walked to the front of the class and waited for my cue.

"Some of the most unfortunate side effects for long term deficiencies include loss of abilities." Nightmare flipped a page. "Dust here has lost a few abilities to his long term deficiency, and can no longer teleport, levitate objects, or use blue magic. This is a very unfortunate side effect, but it has very serious consequences. Dust will attempt to use a bit of blue magic."

I tried to use the magic, but it was in vain, as always.

"Now, arguably the most unfortunate and serious side effect of a magic deficiency." Nightmare emphasized. "Pay close attention. This side effect has only occurred once, and it was in Dust. If any of you have taken his class concerning monster dust, you should know that dust is produced by a certain type of magic when a monster dies. A magic deficiency, if held long enough, can remove said magic, causing a chain of events that could greatly effect life as the individual knows it. If this magic is removed, it cannot be returned by any means we know of; it will stay removed. Dust has experienced the side effect in great lengths, and it has broken his code, his healthbar, and his check box; it even prevented him from turning to dust when he died. We can't show this effect too well, but the check box is a good example."

My check box was opened, revealing the extent of its damage; the students looked a bit surprised, but it wasn't new to me. After this, I sat down next to Paps and resumed my mental preparations; I had to be ready for anything - Paps would be helping me with the students too, but it was still stressful. Nightmare finished his lecture with a few safety guidelines before asking if anybody had any questions. A Papyrus had the first question.

"Hmm." The Papyrus thought for a moment. "Is there any cure for a magical deficiency?"

"Unfortunately, there is not." Nightmare looked sad at this. "At the moment, the effects can only be paused with the magic restorer you are all familiar with; that's really all we can do."

"How exactly does the restorer work?"

"Quite simply, really: it siphons the magic from the surroundings and filters it through the individual's soul, but don't worry, it does not take magic from living beings."

"What if there is no magic in the surroundings?"

"That would be very unfortunate, as the restorer would cease its working, and the deficiency would continue to affect the individual. Thankfully, there are almost no places in the multiverse devoid of magic, and they are quite clearly labelled. Any other questions?" 

A Chara had a question.

"What should you do if you think you might have one, but you're not sure?" Chara asked.

"No doubt, see someone about it." Nightmare confirmed. "The longer a deficiency lies dormant, the more damage it will do, and the effects can be fatal."

The remaining questions were general and easy to answer, and the class ended rather quickly. After it ended, Nightmare approached me and Paps. 

"How are you faring?" Nightmare wondered.

"All right." I smiled. "I'm glad nothing happened during the class."

"Indeed. Are you ready to give that tour?"

"Yeah, but who was I showing around again?"

"I believe it was a Sans and Papyrus from a new AU; I don't remember the name."

"That sounds enjoyable." Paps mentioned.

"Yep." I agreed. "We should probably get going now. Bye, Dad!"

"Be careful!" Nightmare cautioned.

"We will!"

Paps and I walked through the slightly crowded hallways on our way to the living room. The living room was designated as the entrance, guest room, waiting room, check-in, problem center, and even the fireplace room; it was a busy place, and it was where we were going. When we arrived, we saw a pair of brothers that looked new and approached them.

"Hello!" I greeted. "Are you here for the tour?"

"Oh, yes!" The Sans responded.

"Great! First thing first: have you come up with nicknames for yourselves?" I sat down next to them.

"Why do we need nicknames? Can't we just use our regular names? Sans and Papyrus can't be that common."

"Well, it's not that easy, really. You see, in different universes, there are literally different versions of you! We all have the same name for the most part, and a nickname makes it easier. There are a ton of skeletons named Sans and Papyrus; in fact, my brother and I are too."

"Wow. So, what really makes a nickname? We haven't thought of anything."

"Well, the nickname can really be whatever you want it to be, but sometimes, others choose for you. For example, I'm called Dust, after my universe, Dusttale, while my brother's nickname is Spec, since he was a ghost for a while!" 

"Do we have to use the nicknames?"

"Only when talking to other people; if you're in your universe or talking to a close friend or family member, it really doesn't matter which name you use, but it is really fun naming yourself!"

"Can we have some time to think about it?"

"Sure! Do you know anything about multiverse custom yet, or was I supposed to tell you?"

"I think they said you would.."

"Okay, in that case, welcome to the multiverse! Your universe is one of the many that are scattered throughout, and we're happy to welcome you! If anybody you see looks menacing or scary, just remember that they've probably been through a lot, and they really could be just a nice friend. Around here, we don't really judge others, so if your position in your universe involves that, please try to refrain; the last time somebody judged another, there was a bit of renovation that was needed..yeah, that wasn't fun. This building is one of the main ones in the multiverse, the school! In this place, you will learn everything you need to know about the multiverse, from customs to first aid! Here's a good question: in this school, you can attend your classes just fine, but there is the option to either live here or stay in your universe; we accept either. Which would you like?"

"We haven't really decided on that; could we maybe take a look?"

"Of course! That's what we're here for! Oh! One more thing!"

"Yeah?"

"We're currently having a bit of trouble with some things, and I'm prone to..going out of my mind..a little...if I happen to start acting weird, just uh..stay away from me?"

"Are you sick or something?"

"Just a bit of a disorder; my brother knows how to handle it."

"Um..okay..?"

"Come on!" I started leading the skeletons down the hallways, and they followed.

We walked for a while, and I pointed out rooms of note, starting a conversation as we went.

"This is Nightmare's room; are you familiar with him?" I questioned.

"No?" The Sans hadn't heard of Nightmare.

"Oh, well he's the big skeleton covered in goop; it's a bit of a weird sight at first, but you'll get used to it. He's the main teacher here, and he's also the founder. Never go into his room."

"Why not?"

"Well, I personally have never taken the liberty, but everybody who does it regrets it..they say your worst fears are in there, so I wouldn't recommend it..moving on, we'll see Killer's room."

"Uh..I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Why is there a line saying 'keep off' on the floor?"

"The reason is Killer. He's pretty much the fastest being to ever run in the house, and I'm not lying when I confidently say he can run at dangerously fast speeds. The line is for him, and only him. You can cross it if you look both ways, but never walk directly on it."

"Okay?"

"This place has a lot of quirks; you'll get used to it."

We continued through the hallways, eventually reaching mine.

"This hallway is mainly used for rooming; my room is actually here. If you do decide to live here while you attend the school, you'd have a good chance of staying in this hallway, or the others like it."

"That's a lot of rooms.." The Papyrus was in awe.

"Yep! Big house, lot of space. If you want, I can show you my room to give you a feel of the layout of rooms in the school."

"Really?" 

"Of course, but first, a room everybody enjoys is the game room; this is it." I opened the door to the game room, revealing a lot of games. "Down this way is my room."

When we reached my room, I opened the door and noticed the kid on my bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm bored!" The kid complained. "There is nothing! Nothing to do!"

"This is the Frisk from my universe; call them Sabre."

"It's a good name!"

"Whatever you say."

"Your kid is here?" The Sans was surprised.

"Yep; Sabre is under oath to not go back to my universe, and everybody's really happy without them."

"Very funny." The kid faked a laugh. "What are you doing?"

"Giving a tour."

"I guess I'll join you..you're more fun than nothing, I guess." The kid hopped off the bed and joined our little party.

"So why exactly is your kid here again?" The Sans was still confused.

"First off, Sabre is not my kid; just my universe's. Second, nobody really cares what they do as long as it isn't killing."

"Hypocrite." The kid snickered.

"Well excuse me. Room: nice, right?"

"Sure...is everybody like you?" The Sans inquired.

"Oh, no, no, no! If everybody was like me, there would be a lot of insanity! No worries there! Moving on!"

We went further through the tour, and eventually came to the basement door.

"This leads to the basement." I started. "Uh..don't go down there; you really can't."

"Why not?" The Papyrus was intrigued. 

"Magic seal, locked door, the works, really. There's stuff down there that shouldn't be messed with, and no students are allowed down there, sorry."

"Okay."

The tour continued for quite some time, and when it was finally finished, the party returned to the living room.

"Well, that's about it for the school, then!" I sat on a couch. "Any questions before we end?"

"Yeah." The Sans sat next to me with his brother. "You seem to know a lot about this Nightmare guy...what's he like?"

"Oh, he's really nice! Appearances are deceiving, so don't let that stop you from talking to him!"

"Is there anybody who's mean? I don't want Papyrus to be bullied or something.."

"I don't think so, or if anybody comes off as a bit mean, I'd recommend just giving them space; some of us come from really unhappy universes, and it can take a while to adjust to the entire school thing. Some of them had to be mean just to survive!"

"That sounds scary.." The Papyrus frowned.

"Yeah, it really can be; and even if the universe looks nice, some of us can have pretty unfortunate backstories; I can really vouch for that.."

"Oh, it wasn't so bad!" The kid scoffed.

"Yeah, sure! Starving for a decade isn't bad! Uh..moving on..any more questions?"

"Are you a student here?" The Sans wondered.

"I'm kind of a permanent student, teacher, tutor, helper..I'm a lot of stuff."

"Wow. That must be a lot of work."

"It's not, re-"

Ink took control again; Papyrus noticed this, and grabbed my arm.

"Uh..are you okay?" The Sans inquired.

"He's just..having a moment; he'll be fine." Papyrus assured.

"Does this happen often?"

"Unfortunately." The kid had a weapon ready, just in case.

"Wh-what is he doing?"

Ink was making me struggle against my brother; I didn't like it, but I couldn't help it.

"Brother, stay calm!" Papyrus couldn't hold on; I escaped, but not before Paps was knocked out; I really didn't like this.

"What is he doing?" The Sans was scared.

"Stay back!" The kid stood between me and the skeletons. "He's not in his right mind! Ring that bell, now!"

The Sans did as he was instructed, and all the kid had to do was hold me back; that was easier said than done. Even without a weapon, I was apparently a strong enemy, and the kid had a bit of trouble fending me off; I didn't know if they could hold out for too much longer. Within thirty seconds, they had lost their weapon, and the fight became more dire; I wanted my family to come soon. After forty-five seconds, the kid was on the ground, and they couldn't hold me off anymore; I was crying. Before anything else could be done, I was quickly tackled to the ground by a quick streak - Killer; I couldn't hold him off without a weapon, thankfully, and Ink let his control over me wane. When I was back, Killer pulled me into a hug; none of us liked this.

"What...what was that?"  The Sans was frightened.

"Unfortunate circumstances; sometimes he can't control his actions." Killer brought me back to the couch I was previously seated at. "He's okay now; sorry if he scared ya."

"Does he have to live with that?" The Papyrus felt sorry for me.

"We're workin' on a cure; you're the new students he was showin' around, right?"

"Yeah.." The Sans confirmed. "Is there a lot of fighting here?"

"Not really. This was just an unfortunate occurrence. Of course, I do teach a class with fightin'!"

"You're uh..Killer?"

"Yep!"

"Why are you named that?"

"Well, I started killin' everybody, and the name stuck."

"Oh. We should probably get back home now..bye."

"Seeya!"

The Sans and Papyrus left for their universe, and the rest of my family eventually came to the living room. Nightmare was the first to ask.

"What happened?" Nightmare questioned. 

"Ink again; he's still recoverin.'" Killer allowed me to rest on his lap; I was still crying - I didn't like hurting Papyrus. "Sabre seems okay, but his brother's out cold.."

"I got a lotta choice words for 'im." Horror was not happy with Ink. "Ain't nobody should gotta go through this."

"I-I agree." Cross decided to comfort me, sitting nearby.

"I'll make sure Papyrus is all right." Nightmare tended to Paps; Paps is the best, and I wished I wasn't forced to hurt him.

"You're gonna be all right, Dusty." Killer reassured. 

"I h-hurt Papyrus!" I sobbed. "I'm a horrible brother.."

"H-hey!" Cross argued. "You're n-not horrible! Ink i-is!"

"I.." I couldn't stop crying.

I eventually cried myself to sleep, which probably relaxed the others; I wasn't easy to put up with after Ink controlled me sometimes, and I knew it. My nightmare wasn't relaxing, and I missed the dust, but it didn't scare me as bad as it used to. I really hoped the others would be finished with their plan to free me soon.

I didn't want to hurt my brother more.

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean show students house.

Ah yes, random filler characters that do nothing but further the plot and will never be seen again.

Thanks for reading my filly writing!

Bye!