Ooh, this took a while. But was it worth it, dear Author? Do you think it was good enough? Hm. I don't. I know you don't think it's good enough. Who knows, maybe the readers will like it.

Maybe not. Like you said.

:):

Days passed. Your nights were more than often spent in the Star Room, and occasionally Nightmare would stop by. The two of you would simply sit in comfortable silence, or he would tell you about some constellations that he just formed.

When you were feeling especially adventurous, you would find yourself in the Library. It had what seemed like every book in the multiverse, from A-Wingding Z. Some were in English, some were in rearranged English, others were in a language that looked like nothing but scribbles.

Nightmare panicked one night when you weren't in bed or in the Star Room, but eventually found you in the Library. Of course, he didn't say he panicked, but the strife and struggle on his face was pretty clear. You didn't see that the struggle wasn't just from missing you.

You liked spending time with him in the Star Room and Library. That Nightmare was quieter, and didn't seem as bossy and cruel. He would often help you with some huge words ("Anachronistic is exactly what this book is. Out of date.") The catch was, the Nightmare from the Star Room and Library was very different from the Nightmare from training and missions.

And you felt something when you were around him. Not fear, not sadness, not anger, not anything that some of the other Sans' described to you. You felt a ticking sensation, a warm bubbling in your chest that contested the chill from your SOUL. It felt slightly like how you felt with Chara, yet...

That single mention brought curiosity to the forefront of your mind. Nightmare said they were safe, you thought, biting your lip softly. So why haven't I been allowed to see them yet?

Now wasn't the time to wonder, however. You had a lesson with Cross and Error, a special treat to take your mind off of the deeper things. It was always fun to slice and dice with your enchanted blades while avoiding  the Sans' unique attacks.

Today, you had changed from your hoodie (a very rare occurrence) to a (F/C) sweater. It was cozy and warm, a refreshing feeling when compared to the chill of the Castle. You had enchanted the fuzzy material to never tear under low pressure. Slash at it hard a few times, however...

Before you knew it, you were pushing open the doors to the Training Room. The room was huge, high ceilings and dark, wide walls creating an environment that was neither welcoming nor repulsive. It stimulated your senses, sending a rush of adrenaline through your veins.

Your shoes tapped softly on the floor as you made your way to the sidelines, where Horror was sharpening his hatchet and Dust was chatting away to thin air. You had long since discovered that he could 'see' his dead brother, but you silently called bullshit. Well, at first. After everything you've seen, anything was believable.

"Oh, hey (N/N)," the mad skeleton called, tugging his hood a bit lower. "Heard that Nightmare's coming for training today, though I don't know why. I mean, who'd want to train someone as boring as you?"

That earned him a nice punch in the shoulder. Horror giggled.

Feigning hurt, Dust shot you a dramatic look and cried, "I've been hit! Stars, Nightmare doesn't stand a chance!" His mad smile reappeared as he stalked to the center floor. Two flags appeared, one black and one white, and flew to opposite sides of the room. Ah yes, Capture the Flag. You'd always enjoyed this one, although All Out was one of your favorites.

Just as Dust opened his mouth to mock you again, the door opened. "H-H-Hopeful-ful-fully you've be-eeeeeee-een-en prac-prac-practice-i-i-ng be-be-caaaaaause-se I-I've g-ooot-t-t n-e-eeeeew tri-tric-tric-tricksss up m-yyyyy-my sle-sleeve-eve-ve."

With a smirk, you leapt out of the way as cerulean threads shot right where your head used to be. Taking this as his cue, Dust tossed sharp bones everywhere you ran. You dodged most of them, a bone once scraping your lower thigh.

"Haha, shit," you muttered as blood began to soak through your jeans. Whispering a quick healing spell, you turned and twisted as Error's complicated attacks attempted to whip you harshly. There was no mercy they were willing to show, and there wasn't any they were going to get.

If they weren't going to go easy, you weren't going to give them easy.

Seeing that it was (finally) your turn, you flung knives in each Sans' direction. Each set was enchanted to their 'needs:' the golden trackers to follow Error everywhere he swung; the violet blades to cut right through Dust's bone wall defenses.

While they were running from your knives, you started jogging to the white flag. Horror threw his hatchet at Error's strings, the latter trying to snatch you from the ground. You didn't hear the teleportation sound behind you.

A tendril nearly cut your head off, slicing into your shoulder. "FUCK," you shouted, clasping a hand over the injury. Nightmare, you'd forgotten all about Nightmare.

Chuckling, Nightmare dragged you back a few feet. "Language, (N/N)," he mused, smirking at your gesture. "Ooh, a middle finger. That hurt my ego. Oh no, I'm dying from the gesture. Ah."

His sarcasm only made you fight harder, determined to win. Slashing at the inky tentacle, you jogged as fast as humanly possible to the other side. The white flag glowed with the promise of victory—and then a thin string caught your arm.

Before your circulation was cut, you severed the string first. The rest of Error's attack was now a thin bracelet on your arm. Remember to ask him to remove that later...

It seemed like hours before Dust finally collapsed, his stats reading 1 HP. Error wasn't really a problem, as you eventually tangled him with Horror. The latter was more than willing to beat Error's ass into the ground. "We-We-LL-ell F-FUC-UCK yo-ou t-tttt-o-o, (N/-N-beeeeeep-N)," he stuttered, wrestling with the bloody skeleton on the floor.

Laughing, you hastily turned your attention to the final opponent. Nightmare. He looked in front of the flag like a huge shadow, menacing and vile. Even to you, who feared almost nothing, he was intimidating. But that wouldn't get in your way.

With a mighty yell, you threw your body at the king with daggers in the lead. He simply glanced tiredly at them before sweeping an inky tentacle—along with you—across the room and into the wall. Growling, you tired again and again and again, to tire him out.

Eventually, this kind of attack began to have an effect. Sweat began to form on Nightmare's skull, and his dodges became sloppier. Then, as he stumbled over a violet knife, you lunged at him. He was hit head on, but it didn't come out the way you expected. He was much lighter than you'd originally thought, forcing the two of you to tumble on the ground in a ball.

You ended up on top of him, sweating, knives at the sides of his head, breathless. He stared up at you, eye darting to anywhere but you, then landed on your eyes.

For a moment, his eye flickered violet. It felt like you were falling into a large cold ocean. Your SOUL, which had just moments ago been humming lowly with pain, was relieved. Any breath you had managed to gather disappeared in an instant, like you were drowning in purple water. Your face heated quickly to stop yourself from freezing to death. He must have been drowning in that same ocean, because his face warmed as well...

Suddenly, Nightmare snarled and threw you off of him, eye flashing back to teal. Was he twitching? "Never again," he hissed lowly, and you weren't even sure he was talking to you. "Never. Do you understand?"

Everyone was staring at him now, although Horror and Error didn't look too concerned. But you, oh stars, you had no idea what the hell was happening. Nightmare straightened, then turned to leave. "I suppose that Error can hold his own against you, hm?" And he was gone, again.

"B-Baaaac-ack sssss-stab-stab-stabbing-bing bit-bitc-bitch," Error frowned, shoving Horror off of his glitched form. You were frowning too: what just happened?

Oh well, you thought angrily, I have a flag to capture.

:):

Nightmare slammed the doors of his room shut, his face flushed from mostly anger. His SOUL throbbed and thrashed with each motion, each thought causing another small push to the edge.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP FOR JUST FIVE SECONDS!?" Nightmare collapsed onto his bed, head pulsing with pain and voices. One voice cut above all of them, and he hated it.

There was only one way to shut him up for a while. And that was to talk to him alone.

Nightmare closed his eye, defending into his own little mindscape. It was a cold rush of air, then a soft landing on a blackened ocean.

There, in the middle of that ocean, was a skeleton. He was practically chained to the ocean, struggling. He hadn't noticed 'Nightmare's' silent arrival. Or at least, that's what he thought.

As 'Nightmare' took a casual step towards the prisoner, the latter stiffened. "...What do you want?"

'Nightmare' only smiled, the twisted smile that makes the bravest of mortals cower. "I see that you've been attempting to reach out, hm?"

The chained skeleton said nothing. A twinge of impatience twitched through his bones, but 'Nightmare' only smiled wider. "I'll take that as a yes."

The chained skeleton whirled around, yanking hard on the chains, his violet eyes glowing with—Anger? Struggle? Sadness? Weakness?—and hissed quietly, "You can't hide forever, you know. They'll find out. Then what will happen? What will you do then?"

'Nightmare' laughed, and shook his head. "Oh, you never seem to remember why I'm here. Do you remember?" His voice was now deadly quiet, the tones distorted in a way to chill and cut. "Do you remember how we were made?"

The chained skeleton flinched slightly, but then tugged on the chains harder. "Of course I do. Do you expect me to forget? You betrayed me. You promised me safety. You promised me—"

"And I upheld my word," 'Nightmare' said, holding up an inky hand, "I am keeping you safe, am I not? You aren't hurt, are you? Exactly," he smiled, when the chained skeleton stopped fighting, "I have done everything that you wanted—"

"YOU KILLED PEOPLE!"The chained skeleton screamed, his voice echoing from the walls of the mindscape. "SO MANY PEOPLE! DO YOU THINK I WANTED THAT!?" A ringing sound accompanied by distant crumbling filled the air, but 'Nightmare' barely flinched.

"...Perhaps," the inky skeleton whispered, "You did." The chained skeleton reeked back, preparing a retort. But before he could get it out, 'Nightmare' smirked and crooned, "I am based off of your deepest, darkest desires, after all."

Without giving the imprisoned skeleton a chance to say anything (not like he had anything to say after the revelation), 'Nightmare' resurfaced to the Castle with a smile on his face and a victory on his side.