I'll Make You Mine

Guardian of Nothing: Ribbon

It wasn't Nightmare's fault Ribbon suffered from graphic dreams that night. It was his aura and Ribbon's over-creative imagination.

Ribbon wandered by himself in the castle gardens. The sky was cloudy and stormy, but that didn't bother him. It was always gloomy in Nightmare's AUs. The farther he walked, the more the flowers wilted. He wanted to turn back, but something kept pushing him forward. Everything was fine until he closed his eye sockets.

A hand shot out and covered his mouth with a chloroform rag. He struggled and screamed which only made him breathe more of the poison. Ribbon cried out. Whoever grabbed him had a rough grip and a strong smell of butterscotch. The doll couldn't process it as he passed out.

Again, Ribbon blinked, and the next thing he knew he was in a bedroom. Wait, this place looked familiar . . . The Star Sanses' Clubhouse, oh. He was in the guest room, which was one of the most boring rooms. The walls didn't have any color but beige. The only furniture was a queen-sized bed, a nightstand, a mirror, and a lamp. Ribbon stretched and got off the bed. The poison in his lungs made it hard to breathe.

Ribbon walked through the familiar hallways. Something was different, but he couldn't tell what. His memory of the full clubhouse was fuzzy, it's been a long time since he was here. It was hard to explain, but despite that, something was off.

"We have no other options but this. What else is there to do? Wipe his memories and retrain him to be a hero? That doesn't excuse what he's done. We have to send him away. It's the only way we'll be safe. Ink deserves it for his betrayal."

Ribbon froze when he heard Core Frisk's voice. He peeked around the corner at them, Blue, and Dream. Dream had his face in his hands. Blue kept his hand close to him, but he looked away from him.

Blue spoke. "They're right, Dream. We can't trust Ink anymore. He's not our friend, he's a monster, I don't care what he says. He worked for Nightmare! He murdered people! He left us for him! He abandoned his job! And he's so dependent on Nightmare that he can't even take care of himself!"

Dream moved his fingers aside so his left eye light was exposed. "Is that the plan? Leave him alone in the void to die? That would be torture!"

"I know, but we have to! What if Ink is spying for Nightmare? It'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone."

Core put a hand on Dream's shoulder. "Ink is dead, Dream. The person in the guest room is someone else. Someone evil. Someone who doesn't deserve a second chance."

Dream looked up at them. His eye lights flickered from upset to angry. It was too quick for him, or was Dream always like that? Ribbon couldn't remember well. "Fine, if that's what's best for him . . . fine. I'll tell him tonight and we can take him-"

Ribbon let a whimper slip, though he didn't remember opening his mouth. The three turned in his direction. They looked angrier than he's ever seen. Especially Dream, whose sympathetic gaze turned to fury.

"You were eavesdropping, weren't you?" Dream stood up. "WEREN'T YOU?"

"I-I didn't mean to . . ." Ribbon's voice broke as Dream towered over him. He was taller than Ribbon remembered. "I'm sorry. Please don't punish me."

Dream raised a hand and Ribbon ducked. He would never even think about running from Nightmare, but Dream was different. At least Nightmare's punishments were done out of love. Ribbon slipped beneath his arm and ran down the hall.

"Ink! Come back! That's an order!" Blue shouted.

He didn't listen and kept running. He made it to the entryway and pulled on the door. It was locked. Ribbon tugged on it until Dream, Blue, and Core showed up. Oh stars, what did he do? Maybe he could smash through a window?