𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐴 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟 ☬ℑ𝔫𝔨𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔢☬ ☬𝔈𝔯𝔯𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔨☬

Chapter 21: New Friends, Old Friends, Dead Friends

~Dream's PoV~

We had all the letters on the table. We knew we had all the notes because we found one saying that there was only eight, not including itself.

We had a note with a 'T', a note with a 'O', two notes with a 'R', a note with a 'A', a note with a 'E', and a note with a 'S'. And of course the note with a 'C'.

"Why the fuck did he have to do it this way? Why couldn't he just write it down?!"

"Trust me, I know Ink. And if he was anything like Ink, he would try to make a game out of it. Usually it would be to lift our spirits."

I looked at it for a while before I had an idea. I rearranged the letter placement and sat back and let Nightmare read it.

"Rats or CE? Dream what kind of drug are you on that made you get that? Why would Ink get kidnapped by rats?"

"Well, whenever I asked he always said that he wasn't the rat king and cult leader of the rats but, he always snuck off to go somewhere during the night."

"Ok, it's official, I'm related to the stupidest person in the multiverse!"

He threw his hands up on the air as he said that and crossed his arms as he slumped down in his seat.

We sat in silence for a while thinking of what the letters spelled, until Reaper and Cross came through a portal infront of us.

"Oh hey Nightmare, hey Dream. Do you know where Ink could be? We agreed to hang out today but he never showed."

Cross walked over to me as he said that and sat down, looking at the table. Reaper sat on the singular chair, just glaring at my brother.

I didn't know how to tell them that Ink was still missing and that was just another version of him.

I didn't get to say it as Cross rearranged the letters on the table. I looked down to see what he came up with only to see it spelt 'Creators'.

"Was this one of Ink's puzzles? I knew he had an obsession with the Creators but I didn't know it was that bad."

Me and Nightmare looked at the notes and Cross multiple times before Nightmare spoke up.

"CROSS DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST FUCKING DID?!"

Cross looked nervously at Nightmare and and shook his head 'no' slowly.

"YOU JUST HELPED ME FIGURE OUT WHERE I CAN FIND INK!"

Before any of us could respond he opened a portal and threw me through, running in and then closing it.

I looked to where we were and was slightly surprised to see the Doodlesphere.

"Uhm, brother? What are we doing in the Doodlesphere?"

"Dream, Dream, Dream. How are you so oblivious? Didn't you know Ink comes to talk to the creators through the Doodlesphere?"

I tilted my head to the side signalling I was confused. He just rolled his pupil and turned around.

"HEY CREATORS! WHERE THE FUCK YOU AT?! I NEED TO TALK TO TO YOUR BITCH ASSES!"

A cloud of pitch black smoke appeared and started to circle together. Once it cleared we could see a human there with white skin and black hair. She wore a white fluffy shirt with black stripes and had black overalls with a white pocket. She wore a white hat and once she opened her eyes you could see how her eyes were completely white except a black slit.

"Oh? And who are you supposed to be? Oh, right, you're Nightmare. Been quite a while since I've paid any attention at all to your AU. What makes you think you want to talk to me? I have very important business to attend to."

When she talked she had a heavy British accent.

"I think I do want to talk to you. I would have you know that we got a clue as to where Ink was and it said to go to the Creators."

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at Nightmare.

"It may surprise you but there is another type of creator out there. They're called the 'Corrupted Creators'. They might have taken Ink. Oh and if and when you do decide to go I'd be careful. He hasn't had his vials in two years. Who knows what could have happened to him!"

What she had said seemed to make Nightmare's panic rise. His eye widened and his pupil shrunk.

"WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE RUNS OUT OF VIALS?!"

"Well I wouldn't know. He never went this long without them. Although knowing him he probably thought you all forgot about him so he forgot about you. Heh, good luck trying to get him to love you Nightmare. Hope I don't see you later!"

And with that she vanished within yet another smoke cloud. Nightmare looked down and his breathing became shakey. I walked as calmly as possible to him and put my hand on his shoulder, to which he flinched at and one of his tenticals grabbed my arm and threw me, somehow lightly, at least five yards away. All without looking at me.