I woke up at what I believed was the middle of the night. Actually, I wasn't sure time passed here; it might have just been perpetual night. It wasn't like I wasn't used to not knowing time; time didn't really matter much to me anymore, as long as I was alive. Yesterday was okay; Nightmare taught me how to use a portal so I could leave and enter my universe and others when I wanted. I didn't think I was going to be using it much for others, but I did find my universe peaceful. I also decorated my room a little; jars of dust sat on the dresser so I didn't feel like they were missing. I still liked to look through their lives, and to do that, I needed their dust. The others didn't understand my fascination with dust; they thought it was weird, and I didn't blame them. If I were anybody else, I would have thought I was weird too; actually, I thought I was weird anyway. They hadn't seen my room yet, so I was expecting mixed comments about it. I also moved my research about dust into the room, just so I knew where it was; it sat inside the dresser. This was my new home, I guess. 

Today I was going to learn what I had to do in this 'gang,' so that might have been fun. I was pretty sure Papyrus could enlighten me on anything I didn't know or understand, which would make this a lot easier. I found that most of the effects of my previous condition were gone, but I could still lapse into shaking when I was nervous or frustrated. I was going to have to keep that under control; I didn't think I was going to be scared of anything, but I had guessed that I'd shake then too. Other than that, Papyrus gave me a clean bill of health, which was good enough for me.

"Hey, Dust." I heard Killer say. I guess I lost myself in my thoughts again. He didn't notice the dust.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Ready for orientation or whatever?"

"Sure."

I hopped out of my bed and followed Killer down the hallways; this was a pretty big building. I was led to what looked to be a living room; I guessed every house had one of these. Nightmare was sitting on one of the three couches that were surrounding a large fireplace, reading a book; Killer and I sat beside him in silence for a while, until he shut the book and placed it on an end table.

"So, you are the second person to join me." He started. "That is a pretty big commitment." 

He stopped for a second, then continued.

"With that said, neither of you have been seen with me as of yet. This means that if you decide to leave, nothing will be held against you."

Another moment of silence.

"If you decide to stay with me, you will be hated. Every soul in the multiverse will despise you; they won't allow you to enter their universes peacefully, and they will not help you if you are hurt. They may even hurt you further."

He took a slow breath.

"Your jobs will include torturing innocents, maybe even killing them; there are protectors in the multiverse who are stronger than even I am, who will fight you if you are with me or without me. Are you still willing to accept my offer? This is your last chance."

"Yeah, I don't mind bein' hated. Never was much liked." Killer stated.

"I'll stay. I owe you my life, and I'm not going to take that lightly." I confirmed.

"Very well then." Nightmare said. "Welcome to the dark side. I will teach you a few things before we begin. You need to know who your new enemies are."

Killer and I listened carefully as he described Dream and Ink as the two we would need to watch out for the most. Dream: a skeleton with a golden crown, often wearing teal and yellow, skilled in use of the staff and bow. Ink: a skeleton with a large paintbrush, an ink blotch on his face, and ever-changing eyelights; used deadly paint to fight - interesting. They sounded like pretty colorful characters; I think Killer already knew a bit about them, since he'd been here a bit longer than I had. Nightmare also went over the house rules, such as: no breaking windows, walls or doors, no trying to kill eachother, and a few other things. I did note that he didn't say no running inside; Papyrus loves running..or loved running. Now he only liked it when I ran. When he finished, we sat in silence for a while; I could tell that Nightmare preferred silence.

"So what now?" Killer asked, after a while.

"Now, we wait. Do you know what you have to do?" Nightmare questioned.

"Yes." We both replied, simultaneously.

"Good. You two go ahead and do something; maybe get to know eachother."

"Come on, kid. I'll show ya around the place." Killer led me out into the halls. "You're probably goin' to need to know where stuff is, and I'm not fully sure of a lot stuff myself, so this might be fun."

"Cool." I responded, following him down the corridors.

"Wanna open random doors and see where they lead?"

"Say yes, brother! That would be so much fun!" Paps urged.

"Sure." I obliged.

"You don't talk much, do ya?" Killer wondered.

"Eh."

We started opening the doors in the halls. Paps already knew where everything was, since he mapped the place, but he didn't spoil it for me; he's the best brother. Killer took a side, and I took the other. On my side, I found multiple closets, bathrooms, and empty bedrooms looking much like mine; There were a few storage rooms and a kitchen on my side, but that was about it. I skipped Nightmare's room since he probably didn't want us looking inside there. Killer said he found two kitchens, which didn't surprise me, seeing how big this place is; he also found a room that looked like a movie theater. Maybe I could have brought some of those black and white movies in my universe over; that could have been fun. When we reached Killer's room, it looked almost as bare as mine, which was to be expected, since he only got here a day or so ahead of me, from what I understand. He had some knives lining his walls; he really liked knives.

When we reached the end of the hallway, there was a single door; this was only one of the many hallways, but this end door was interesting. We opened it together and revealed a large dining room; a very, very large dining room. I believed this room alone was bigger than my house. The table wasn't even one of those big ones you saw in movies about castles; it looked like a large yet average dining room table that you would find in a regular house! The rest of the room was filled with decorations; there was even a piano in the corner! From this room alone you could tell that Nightmare was a bit of a perfectionist; the entire room was spotless. I sensed a lot of cleaning in my future, but that didn't bother me; it may have bothered Killer, though. He simply started walking to a different hallway, determined to leave. I followed after him, and we continued our game of opening doors.

We entered the hallway where my room was, so I was familiar with it; I hadn't opened the doors, though. On my side, there were more bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and storage rooms, with the addition of a room filled with board games. I had a feeling I would be visiting this game room a lot; Papyrus loved board games, and maybe I could teach him a few. Killer liked this room too; we would remember its location. Killer found pretty much more of the same, and the total found kitchens reached four; who even needed that many kitchens? At the end of the hallway, we found another door to the dining room, which we used to move to the next hallway, where the only room of importance was what looked to be the entrance to the basement. Paps told me there was a dungeon down there; he didn't like dungeons, so I let Killer explore down there while I stayed with Papyrus. When he got back, Killer stated that it was just a bunch of cells.

Before long, we heard a bell ringing throughout the corridors, which brought our attention to the bells suspended on strings that lined the tops of the walls; we wondered how we didn't notice that before. We assumed it was a sort of signaling device, so we made our way back to the living room to see what Nightmare wanted us for. When we got there, he was waiting.

"You two are pretty fast." He complimented. "I expected you to take at least a minute more."

"We can come slower next time if ya want." Killer joked.

"We're about to go out. You know what to do, correct?"

We nodded.

"In that case, you're about to be labelled as enemies of the multiverse. Are you ready?" Nightmare asked.

"Ready!" Killer replied.

"Indeed." I joined.

"You two seem pretty confident for a couple skeletons about to become some of the most wanted criminals in the multiverse." Nightmare said. "If you're ready, follow me through. You won't be called a coward if you stay behind; this is your real last chance."

He stepped through a portal, leaving me and Killer to decide. We looked at eachother and gave a silent nod. We weren't backing out now: not a chance. We followed Nightmare through the portal, sealing our fates; we were now wanted criminals.

"Well, there's no going back now. Let's do what we came here to do." Nightmare ordered.

"Yes, sir." We responded together.

"Dust, you seem more suited for stealth; you stay in cover. If you don't have a ranged weapon, I'll get you one. Killer, you stay by me."

"I got something." I replied, pulling out my slingshot.

"Nice; okay, this AU is called Dancetale. I figured I would start you out rather easy, but since this is a bit of a more positive universe, I will be slightly weaker and we will risk being found the longer we stay here. Any final questions?"

"Are we gonna be killin' anyone?" Killer wondered.

"Try not to; we're here to make them unhappy: not dead."

"What if my hand slips?"

"Don't let your hand walk on wet floors."

"Okay...."

"Ready now?"

"Yes." I returned.

"Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on you. Come on, Killer."

After that was said, we split up. I clambered up a tree, running in the cover of the leaves; I had done this many times before in my AU, since Papyrus loved playing hide and seek and tree tag. I watched Nightmare and Killer as they approached the Snowdin, preparing my slingshot. 

"This is exciting, brother." Papyrus commented.

"Yep." I replied.

"Watch your footing."

"Okay, Paps."

I found a large branch that I could stand on comfortably without having to move too much or distribute my weight, located near the town. Nightmare and Killer started causing chaos on the ground while I shot rocks everywhere. I guess eleven years of practice was paying off; I'd been shooting for a couple minutes and I hadn't missed yet. Papyrus was keeping guard for any threats as I focused on my task. After a few minutes, a golden portal opened; if I was a betting skeleton, I'd bet it was Dream. Another portal opened as well, which looked like a puddle of ink; it was pretty easy to guess who was coming out of that.

"Brother, possible enemies approaching." Papyrus alerted.

"Thanks, Paps." I nodded to him and shot a small, slow pebble tapping Nightmare on the shoulder; it wouldn't hurt him, just alert him.

Nightmare turned to see his brother and Ink, who were in battle stances. They saw Killer next to Nightmare, but hadn't noticed me as of yet.

"Nightmare! What are you doing with that Sans? Did you brainwash him?" Ink accused. Boy, these guys really saw the best in people.

"I did not brainwash anybody, Ink." Nightmare almost facepalmed.

"Then why is he helping you? You're a criminal!" 

"Maybe I just wanna help him." Killer gripped his knife tighter.

As the stealth agent of this mission, I felt it better to observe until the fighting started, to retain the element of surprise.

"That's insane! Why would you want to hurt innocent people?" Ink yelled.

"Some things can't be explained as easily as others." Killer mentally prepared himself for battle; I did, as well.

"Brother, I know you're still a good person inside! Please, let me help you!" Dream pleaded. Nightmare didn't listen.

"Come on, Dream. We have to stop him." Ink stated solemnly.

"I'm sorry, brother." Dream and Ink prepared for combat.

Nightmare had already expressed his desire to fight his brother alone unless he was in dire need of assistance, so Killer and I were in charge of opposing Ink, who I didn't think acknowledged my presence yet. The fight began, and Killer began to fight with Ink, slashing away rapidly. Ink was not as good at dodging as Papyrus helped me to be, so he was getting hit a lot, but I noticed that he was just preparing a strong attack; I wasn't going to let that slide. I pulled back my slingshot and a rock came into contact with Ink's fingers, causing him to yelp in pain. I was concealed enough behind the thick leaves of the tree that I couldn't be seen from that distance, but Ink was aware of his new attacker. I allowed Killer to do most of the damage, mainly just blocking Ink from using attacks. His fingers were going to hurt for the next few days. I also closely monitored Nightmare's battle with Dream to make sure he didn't need any help; we were winning the fight by a long shot.

At least until the other side called backup. 

Dream managed to open a portal that let another skeleton through, who I didn't recognize. Ink probably would have opened it if he could use his brush, but I made sure he couldn't. The new enemy looked like Papyrus, except he was wearing a hoodie? I didn't question it, simply regarding him as another enemy. There was no way this Papyrus was as good as my brother, so he didn't matter to me. I did want some information, though.

"Analysis?" I requested.

"A counterpart of myself, alive, I think he is called Underswap Papyrus. He takes your place in his universe, but he is not insane." Papyrus enlightened.

"Did you just call me insane?"

"Are you going to deny it at this point?"

"Nah, you're the best, Paps."

"I am the Great Papyrus!"

Now that I had a bit of information, I could face this enemy confidently; even if I didn't know his attacks or weaknesses, an identity always helped. He was fighting Killer, allowing Ink to rest for a bit. He was a bit harder to stop from attacking, since he used a hefty amount of magic in his attacks as opposed to a paintbrush. I kept a close eye on Ink to make sure he wasn't up to anything; he seemed to be the crafty type. Nightmare was still locked in with Dream, winning by the looks of it. I did manage to destroy a majority of the Papyrus's attacks before they reached Killer, which was good, since he couldn't dodge all of those by himself, even being hit by a few that did get past me. This Papyrus was strong, but we could handle him together; he couldn't target me, since Killer was taking his full attention, and he couldn't do too much damage to Killer because I was destroying a lot of his attacks. In the end, the opposing side fled; they had lost.

"So, what did you think of that guy, Paps?" I wondered.

"Not as good as me." Papyrus answered.

"You're the best, bro."

"I am the Great Papyrus! I think the skeleton of goop wants your attention, brother."

"Thanks, Papyrus."

It was true, Nightmare was trying to get my attention, but couldn't see me through the tree cover. I made my way out of the trees, landing on the ground without getting injured, and walking over to the other two.

"That was really good. You two are great at this." Nightmare complimented.

"Thanks." Killer smirked, although injured.

"Doesn't that hurt?" I asked, worriedly.

"Yep. Would've hurt more if ya weren't here, though."

"We should get you home." Nightmare stated, opening a portal.

The three of us entered, and I was left to roam around the halls while Nightmare healed Killer in the living room. I simply walked to my room, not wanting to explore at the moment. Paps followed me, as always, into my room, where I sat on my bed, staring at the jars of dust in front of me.

"Brother, why do you like dust so much?" Paps wondered.

"I dunno; a lot of reasons, I guess." I replied

"I bet it's because you're too lazy to clean it. You've gotten so used to it that you've begun to like it."

"That may be, Paps. You're the best."

"I know!"

"I'm gonna get some rest, bro; wake me up if you need to, okay?"

"Okay, brother!"

I then lay down on my bed, and curled up into a comfortable position; well, as comfortable as can be without blankets. I closed my eyesockets and lowered myself into another dust-filled nightmare that didn't bother me at all. Deep down, part of me wished the nightmares did bother me, so I could at least have some plead of sanity, but they didn't. I guess being insane and knowing it was better than being insane and not knowing it; you could do inexcusable things, and people would just say you're insane and move on. It wasn't like sane people had an alibi for everything they did. If you were sane, they would bombard you with questions about every insignificant detail of something wrong you may have done, like 'how did you do this,' or 'why did you think this was okay'; if you were insane, people wouldn't want to waste their time, knowing you were a lost cause. Heh....

Then what did that make them? 

~~~chapter end woot~~~

Dust bean has been in a fight.

Thanks for reading my insane writing!

Bye!