Summary: Who said magic trees couldn't be reincarnated?
Cold snow flitted between the two opposing groups stood on opposite sides outside of Snowdin's best and only restaurant, Grillby's.
The area held not a sound despite being the small town's most popular hangout, and the road stretching all the way from the Ruin's sealed doorway to Waterfall's entrance was empty. Dull and lifeless.
Like the snowy wonderland had been abandoned.
Or worse.
Hardened, yellow eyelights fixed themselves on the menacing, gooey figure backed by four equally terrifying monsters. Each of them donned a dark, somewhat intimidating expression in return. However, Dream would not back down, for he hoped to bring their years of battle to an end today.
And, no, his plan to achieve that did not include physical harm or entrapment in any way, shape, or form.
Regardless of how much Ink wanted to practice his dungeon-building skills.
The Guardian of Positivity squared his shoulders and straightened his back, head held high. His two (mostly) reliable companions standing next to him; One on each side, weapons (unfortunately) drawn and prepared for combat.
Yellow-gloved phalanges tightened their grip around the two objects in his hands.
The confrontation's key items, so to speak: a plain staff and, arguable the most important, a small, nearly pebble-sized diamond-shaped device. An integral part of Dream's current plan, mainly due to its function.
Again, no, it would not turn his brother - or anyone for that matter - into a child. Despite how much Ink wanted a literal ankle biter or two.
It was a locator specifically crafted to find souls that re-entered the Multiverse's reincarnation cycle. He had asked Sci to make it several months ago in hopes of potentially finding the reincarnation of an extremely important person.
One both he and his brother had known since birth.
Their mother. Who the lighter twin hoped to find for many reasons, but primarily selfish ones.
One, he missed the freedom he used to have when she reigned as the primary keeper of the balance between Positivity and Negativity.
Two, he wholeheartedly believed that if they allowed their mother to once again take over their duties - the ones she so "kindly" forced upon them - then maybe he and Nightmare could stop fighting; be brothers again.
The question was: How did he convey as much to his brother?
The last thing he wanted Nightmare to think was that he intended to go through with Ink's idiotic plan to transform him into a literal octopus, cage him, and poke him with a stick. Or any of the artist's other rejected ideas (imprisonment, de-aging, animal transformation, balloon animal therapy, making him glow-in-the-dark [an odd idea no one really understood the purpose of], etc.).
Though, convincing him otherwise would be much harder than it sounded.
Especially considering their rather rocky relationship.
Nevertheless, I can do this.
Dream gave himself a mental nod- not daring to do it outwardly, lest the others believe it to be a signal of some sort.
An easy misconception to come to, seeing as Nightmare seemed to be increasingly more uneasy by the second, tendrils shifting restlessly alongside the growing emotion; his followers, naturally, followed suit, coiling in anticipation to fight.
The yellow-clad skeleton took a deep breath and started, "Nightmare, I grow weary of these scuffles. Don't you?"
The dark lord's eye socket narrowed skeptically, and his negativity-laden form tensed, preparing to block an attack. He proceeded to question with a hint of suspicion in his tone, "If I do, what of it?"
"What if I said I procured a means for us to... repair our relationship? To be free to live our lives as we wish?"
His brother raised a brow, intrigued yet simultaneously offended and wary, "Bold of you to assume I'm not living my life as I wish."
Dream quickly lifted his hands in a placating gesture. (Well, as much as he could while holding two objects.)
"I never said you weren't. I'm just saying you aren't living your life entirely the way you wish; there is more you want in life that you can't currently have. Though, if you did have it, I'm positive-" An awkward cough interrupted, and he nervously continued, "No pun intended - you would be a lot happier and-"
"By the stars, can you get to the point already?" The Guardian of Negativity snapped, shaking his skull and muttering, "To think people claim I am the one who monologues."
It's now or never then.
"I- I'm going to retrieve mother!" The words left Dream's jaws quickly and with little forethought.
Given how everyone's faces and emotions shifted to something darker and heavier, he should have said it differently.
"Dream..." Nightmare said with great pity and sorrow, eyelight clouded by grief, and malicious grin downturned into a frown.
"I know, I know, this probably sounds crazy-"
"Which it is."
In response, the lighter twin's hand raised the small magical device upward and revealed it for all the battle's participants to see.
Luck appeared to be on his side since Ink didn't immediately snatch it out of his hands because it was shiny.
However, Dream dared not tempt fate and explained, voice full of passion and hope. "But it is possible! And this device Sci made - with the Reaper's expertise about souls - will help us find her. It will lock on to her soul signature and magic and lead us to her."
"She's dead, Dream, and she is not coming back. Her soul is gone." Looking away, Nightmare added solemnly, "It disappeared when the final roots of her tree withered and died."
"Then I'll just have to prove otherwise." With that final statement, the yellow-clad skeleton released the small diamond-shaped locator.
It fell toward the snow-covered ground until seemingly bursting with energy, sailing through the air.
Blue yelped and flinched when the device smacked him square in the face before dropping into his hands.
Dream froze in shock. Meanwhile, Nightmare stared whilst beginning to tremble in place.
Killer, noticing his boss' plight along with the others, decided to question worriedly, "Uh... 'mare, are you alright?"
The Guardian of Negativity graced him with no answer, wavering eyelight solely focused on Blue.
"Momma?" he sniffled as cyan-tinted tears gathered in the corner of his eye socket.
Error grinned. His mismatched eyelights were fixed on the one-way portal as chaos erupted between the two factions on the other side, ignoring the near-transparent blue string that snaked back into his hand.
The very string that provided a "little" outside interference.
To make things more interesting, of course.
While watching the Dreamtale siblings find their true mother would be a perfect little conclusion to their sad story, a small - i.e., extremely large - mischievous part of himself couldn't help wanting more drama. Thus, why he chose the cheery Underswap Sans to be their mother.
Blue was many things: a friend (or ex-friend, depending on the day), probably a murderer, a professional chef, master engineer, prankster, and the Dreamtale twins' father.
Or at least the template used to create them.
A strange discovery. Though, not nearly the oddest thing in the Multiverse. Two prime examples being how Error was loosely related to Nightmare's infamous murder trio via Classic and how he was single yet simultaneously dating Reaper and Red.
The destroyer nearly scoffed at the thought of the two.
His past selves had terrible taste. Obviously, chocolate was better than either of those idiots. It didn't complain, wasn't grabby (like that handsy bird), was always there when he needed it, and would never dare to leave him.
Unless he ate it.
Error shook the thought from his head and focused his attention back on the show- namely, Nightmare and Blue.
A good thing he did too because, at that moment, the lord proceeded to throw himself at the blue-clad Sans, creating what would no doubt be considered an embarrassing scene for him.
And a risk to his well-crafted, sinister reputation.
Not that the gooey skeleton seemed to care much about that right now, freely sobbing in Blue's arms like a baby; each negativity-laden tendril sprouting from his back clinging to the other like he would disappear any second.
All while, the latter wore a very confused, worried expression as he gently rubbed circles on his newfound son's back.
Error snorted.
Who could have guessed the edgy emo lord is such a momma's boy?
The glitchy skeleton quickly pulled the black flip phone out of his tattered coat's pocket and aimed it at the heartfelt cuddles displayed in the rectangular portal.
I definitely need to save pictures so I can blackmail him later. He thought, giving a snicker, He'll never be able to say "no" to buying me chocolate ever again.
An evil smirk crept up his jaws.
Plus, I can trade this with Ink for more blackmail on some of those disgusting abominations in his stupid little club.