Summary: Nightmare finally discovers Blue's worst nightmare.
Nightmare tiredly sat in a plush office chair, staring blankly at the massive paper stacks littered across his dark oak desk's flat surface; Slightly beside the clutter laid a small - almost minuscule - set of signed and sorted documents. Despite having attempted to dwindle the workload over the past two hours. Much to the guardian's dismay, as the breathtaking dusk sky he intended to enjoy with a hot cup of tea had long since bled into a black, moonless night.
A worn, ink-tipped quill twirled in his fingers while he contemplated chucking the heaping mess into the nearest well-lit fireplace. Very violently. Maybe inviting the boys to join him, too, since they could use some "family" bonding time.
The image of the murderous trio chanting and sacrificing papers to the flames fled his mind when a jolt of power struck his soul.
"Heh, it seems someone is having quite the nightmare tonight." Nightmare muttered to himself. The feather in his hand stilled and found itself placed next to a porcelain inkwell. Meanwhile, his other hand came to rest on the desk's edge, fingers softly tapping. "But, who?"
He allowed his uncovered eye to slip closed and concentrated on the negative feeling. His mind's eye trailed the river-like flow of negativity from its destination to its beginning, and once he got a hold of the being he sought, the eye socket snapped wide open in shock.
Blue? A malicious grin soon crept along his jaws. What a golden opportunity!
Ink and his brother were a problem, sure- but Blue, sweet and childish little Blue, had no fears or weaknesses on record. And not because of a lack of effort on Nightmare's part. He challenged the other with dreadful beasts, hideous illusions, and nerve-racking scenarios in the darkest corners of the Dreamscape, yet received the exact opposite reactions he expected. Smiles instead of fear. Jokes replaced sobs and tears. Stars, the seemingly fearless skeleton even had the audacity to try to pet a hellish beast Nightmare summoned once.
Meaning, whatever plagued that terror-inducing dream was something no hero stood a chance against fighting. He could barely contain his excitement toward all the glorious fears available to discover about the starry, happy-go-lucky Sans.
The grin on the dark skeleton's skull slipped into a sinister smirk; Snapping with a single hand, he brought forth a special portal - one of which was only used by him and Dream to cross between reality and illusions - before promptly abandoning the paperwork and stepping through.
When Nightmare reappeared, the layout of the surroundings was entirely different. Cold tile laid in place of the mansion's wooden floors, metallic shelves surrounded him from all sides, and illusionary people drifted about, minding their own business. A cyan eyelight examined the area for danger from its narrowed eye socket. It flittered over cans, boxes, green plastic baskets, and shopping carts- The smirk quickly dipped into a frown.
A grocery store? A grocery store?!
A growl ripped past his jaws, causing a few imaginary people to glance at him in concern.
There better be something absolutely horrifying here!
The corrupted lord continued by stomping down the isles and occasionally hissed at anyone who drew too close, all the while keeping on the lookout for a particular blue-clad annoyance. A bright sky-ish shade caught his attention a little ways into his journey. Trudging toward it, that was when he noticed something that made his slimy corruption boil.
"Why am I a cashier?! Someone as menacing and powerful as I is clearly more suited for a managerial role!" Blue jolted, swiving on the heels of his boots to face him.
"Nightmare?" Twin blue eyelights jumped between the two near-identical monsters in confusion. "There's two of you?!"
Nightmare scoffed. "No, the faux creature behind the counter is merely an illusion conjured by your mind."
"I'm dreaming?" The Swap Sans pinched together his brows in contemplation, resulting in his very real goopy onlooker rolling an eyelight.
"Indeed. It's a nightmare. A very boring one at that! Is this really what you're afraid of, grocery stores and cashiers?
"I- I think it is a little more complicated than that."
"That doesn't matter! This. Is. Pathetic. I'm ashamed my half of the Dreamscape would even dare to pass off such mundane, meaningless drivel as a nightmare." Rage seethed in his soul. He came here expected quality phobias and deplorable beasts, not this pansy garbage.
Blue opened his mouth to speak but halted when Nightmare's doppelganger gently tapped him on the shoulder with a stray tendril. The downgraded dark lord frowned and held up a scrap of paper, saying, "Excuse me, sir, your coupon is expired."
"NO!" The word echoed through the air as the blue-clad skeleton fell to his knees in defeat, burying his skull between his gloved hands.
The Guardian of Negativity deadpanned at the sobbing mess before turning around and opening a rift-esque portal that led to a vast grassy plain. "I'm leaving."