Art by @ZapphireArts on Twitter
Punz POV
What happened?
All I see is darkness. I'm restrained to a chair and my armor and gear are gone.
I try to recollect my thoughts.
Nightmare jumped down from the tree and attacked Sapnap and I. We fought her but she was better. She was after me specifically.
Sapnap, instead of helping me, wanted to satisfy his own glory. Nightmare used potions on me which knocked me out.
I'm in the hands of Nightmare now.
What could she possibly want from me?
I struggle for a bit before I see, out of the corner of my eye, the shadows move.
Nightmare slowly comes away from the wall, dressed in black, smiley face mask staring creepily back at me.
It feels like Dream's, only scarier.
She walks closer to me until we're only a foot apart.
"What do you want?" I ask angrily.
Nightmare laughs.
"I just want to have a little private chat with you."
"You could have just asked me," I spit out.
"True, but what's the fun in that?"
Fucking psychopath.
"What do you want to talk to me about?"
"About why you hate me. You wouldn't have gone after me, trekking through the woods just because you were paid. There must be another reason."
"I don't know what I could have possibly done to you," she continues. "Sure we fought, but that's just physical pain, did I hurt you mentally? I just helped out Dream, he was suffering. I don't consider that bad. I never killed anyone." Her playful, teasing voice pushes me to my limit.
My rage boils to the surface, I can't stand listening to this anymore.
"No! You attacked Sapnap and took his items!"
"Dream's items," she corrects. "I gave them back to him."
"You attacked all of us, multiple times! You broke the most dangerous man out of prison! You enjoy toying with and threatening people! You're like Dream but worse! You really are a nightmare!"
"Violence is a universal language. It's the one we all understand," she says calmly. I almost hear the smile in her voice.
"You say you've never killed anyone but that's not true! You blew up the prison when my friend was in there! She died! The only person who I actually considered a friend, is gone because of you!"
I feel the tears start to fall.
Tears of anger, grief, and pain.
"Dream deserved to be out of there. The prison's destruction was just a distraction. Now he's with me. We're the perfect team, Dream and Nightmare."
"You're just like Dream!" I cry out. "Only worse! You're not only a psychopath, you kill and hurt people for fun!"
"That's why I told Dream that we're alike in some ways. I also love spying on people, you could consider it a hobby of mine I guess. Particularly you and that friend of yours. I just loved watching you two spar, all happy, sharing secrets"
I completely break at the mention of Y/N.
Tears flow and I don't even try to stop them.
Loud angry sobs escape me and I look up at Nightmare. Calmly standing there, arms crossed.
"Y/N's not dead," she says finally.
I sit up at her words.
"What?"
"She survived the lava, she ran off. She's fine don't worry. Doing very well I might add."
No, she lying. There's no way that's true. She's trying to mess with me.
"You're lying," I spit out. "You just want to use this against me"
"I'm not," she sounds amused. "Would you like to see her?"
"Yes!" I sit up straight and look pleadingly at the mask.
She chuckles softly. "So eager," she moves closer and starts to walk in circles around me. I turn my head to follow her, watching her movements. "So desperate."
"Please let me see her," I beg. "I miss her."
"Awwww you miss her, do you? Well, how can you be sure that she'll want to see you?"
"Of course, she wants to see me," I insist.
"Really? She hasn't come to see you at all, yet she's been watching you for the longest time. Watching your every move."
I freeze.
"She has?"
"Yes."
"How do you know this?" I ask.
She could be lying.
Nightmare moves closer to me and drops something in my lap.
No
A black, braided bracelet with the initial (Your First Initial) engraved on the metal disc.
On my wrist, I have a white braided bracelet on my wrist, with the letter P engraved on the metal disc.
Y/N's friendship bracelet. How did Nightmare get it?
"How did you get that?" I breathe.
There are two options, Nightmare found it, or Nightmare found Y/N.
"Let's just say I know where Y/N is." I can feel her smirk.
"What does that mean?" I panic. "What have you done to her?"
"I, haven't done anything. She's changed."
She stops circling me and leans down in front of me, mask nearly touching.
"What do you mean she changed?" I ask.
"Well," Nightmare's hands move under the hood and fiddle with something. "She does care enough about you, or she wouldn't have planned a whole operation just for you."
I blink in confusion.
The fingerless gloved hands slowly undo the mask straps and the hood falls back too.
No, it can't be.
My body feels like it's frozen.
"Y/N?"
"I told you Punz," her voice normal and familiar. "I changed."
"You," I breathe out slowly. "You're Nightmare?"
"Yes, I was the last one would suspect. Different style, voice, weapons, and tone. Everything was different. You thought I was so good but really,"
She leans in towards me and I lean back, not sure if I could trust her.
"I know your moves because I know you." Y/N taps my chest and picks up the bracelet, slipping it back on.
"I have a deal for you Punz," she starts to walk away and stands in front of me.
"You be Dream and Nightmare's ally and fight alongside them. Or, you stay in here, forever."
"You refer to yourself in the third person" I point out.
"Nightmare is only me with the mask on," she slips it over her face. "Because I'm a completely different person when you can hide your feelings behind a mask."
I shiver at the voice change.
"So I'm asking you Punz," she takes off the mask and stands next to me. I look over at her and look into her Y/E/C eyes.
"From one friend to another, please join us. Don't make me keep you in here. This can be your chance to get forgiveness from Dream. That's what you wanted in your Christmas card right?"
True. She's right.
"And Sapnap doesn't really care about you."
True.
"I'm your only true friend."
Maybe, I could see myself helping them. It would be beneficial.
"I'll give you some time to consider," she slips on the mask, and Y/N vanishes. "I'll be back to feed you in the morning, I hope you have your answer by then."
Nightmare opens the door and pauses in the doorframe.
"Goodnight Punz."
The door slams shut and I hear the click of the lock.
What do I do? Join my friend? Is she my friend? She did this for me. She planned to get me alone. She could kill me but she's keeping me alive, even if I don't agree. She cares about me. Isn't that what a friend would do?
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1,270 words
Will Punz become an ally?
Comment any mistakes you find so I can fix them!