Art by @al0xia on Twitter
3rd Person Omniscient POV
"What happened?" Y/N asks accusingly staring at the pair.
"Nothing, nothing," Dream removes his axe from Punz and stands up, holding his hand out to Punz.
"Punz?" she gives him a questioning look.
"Just sparring," Punz says lightly and accepts Dream's hand.
"Hm okay," she seems to accept their reasoning as they walk back to the base.
After a quiet dinner, they head to bed. Punz sleeps in the spare room Y/N fixed for him and Dream stays up writing in his journal.
"Dream," she whispers.
"Yeah?" he yawns and closes the book. "What's up?"
"I'm going to go out for a walk in the night air. Please don't do anything to Punz while he sleeps."
"Yeah, yeah," he yawns again. "See you in the morning?"
"Yeah."
Y/N slips out of bed and puts on her black outfit with the mask.
"Goodnight Dream."
"Goodnight Nightmare," he laughs softly.
Nightmare fastens the cloak around her neck and takes a secret way out of the base to not wake Punz turning off the lights as she leaves.
I heard everything today. Their whole conversation and I watched them fight. Dream and Punz aren't getting along so far. Maybe keeping Punz here is a bad idea, Dream doesn't trust him. I care about Dream but I also care about Punz. I don't want to choose between them.
I should meet up with him anyways. It's almost time.
Earlier That Day (When Nightmare said she was going to "check on something")
"I'm going to check on something, alone. I'm leaving you both here. You better be here when I come back."
Punz and Dream both nod.
"Don't kill each other," Nightmare says as she walks off before sprinting into the forest.
After a while, she stops at a clearing.
"I know you're here Sapnap," she says into the empty space.
"H—how did you know?" he asks emerging from the bushes in full netherite. His bow is drawn but he puts it away.
"I was waiting in a tree for some game to pass earlier today by but I heard you, Sam, and Bad pass through. I just left to find you, knowing you'd be here. I was running through the forest but I saw you jump down from a tree and follow me."
"Gotta admit," he smirks. "You're really good."
"At what?" she asks mysteriously.
"Combat, survival, fighting in general, you managed to hold off all of us at the prison break. I'll say it's pretty impressive."
"You don't need to flatter me. I know you admire my skills. I see the way you watch me when I'm fighting your friends. You just cover it up by charging me."
"I swear Nightmare, you're like Dream but worse. Smarter though, a good planner, and aware of your surroundings. You remind me so much of him. Speaking of which, where did the name Nightmare come from?"
She laughs.
"You aren't the first person to tell me that I'm like Dream but worse. The name Nightmare came from what was written inside this mask," her fingers brush the edges lightly.
"Wait who told you that before."
She smiles.
"Punz."
"Punz?" Sapnap's face shows shock before turning angry. "And what's the deal with you taking Punz anyways? Think you can use him as leverage against me? Want to torture him for information?"
"Punz isn't being tortured. He's doing just fine. Free to walk around even. He won't spill any information that I already don't know. As for leverage against you, well, I know what I can use as leverage. Punz seemed upset that you didn't help him and abandoned him during our fight."
"Yeah," Sapnap looks at the floor. "Tell him I'm sorry for doing that and I will rescue him soon."
Nightmare scoffs.
"I doubt that."
"But why isn't he being restrained? He's your prisoner right?"
"No, he's my friend."
"WHAT?!"
"You heard me."
"How can he be friends with you? You destroyed the prison and killed Y/N in the process!"
"Do you know what happened to Dream in prison? Do you know what he was put through? I heard from an anonymous source that he was being treated horribly but I decided to find out for myself. I slipped in, and found him chained to the wall, bleeding out on the floor! He told me he used to get tortured by Quackity until Sam banned him from coming to the prison again. He said that Y/N was the only one who was nice to him and that when she took a break, Sam chained him to the wall and beat him, trying to find out if Dream had anything to do with Y/N's sudden break. I didn't even kill Y/N. She's fine. I told Punz that too and he was shocked at first but after I explained, he understood."
"Wait Dream was tortured in prison? I mean I felt bad for locking him up in there already, now I feel worse that I visited him only once. He must think I hate him. He must hate me. But what did you say to Punz that made him understand?" Sapnap says softly.
"I'll tell you more, if..."
"If what?"
"You meet me here tonight, midnight. Come alone. If you're followed or show up with anyone else. You don't get to know the truth. I'm not telling you what I said to Punz until I can be sure I can trust you."
"You can trust me," he says.
"I don't know Sapnap."
Nightmare turns to leave but stops and turns around.
"I know you, Nick."
With that, she runs off into the forest. Leaving Sapnap confused and scared.
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Sapnap puts on his armor with no thorns.
11:25 pm already.
I don't hate Nightmare. She fascinates me. She has interesting motives and behaviors. I genuinely didn't know how Dream was treated in prison. I feel so bad for him. I need to make it up to him. But how? I swore that I would kill him when he got out but now I want to help him. He'll want to cause chaos and rule the server again. I can help him. We had the best time together once upon a time. I know it won't be the same but I just want my friend back.
Sapnap sets off to the forest clearing, hoping to see Nightmare again.
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"Dream?" Punz's voice whispers to him in the dark.
"Yeah?" Dream's a light sleeper but it still makes him annoyed when he's woken up.
"Is Y/N with you?" Dream pauses, unseen if he should tell.
"She went for a walk in the night," he says.
"Why?"
"Dunno."
"Should we go find her?"
"We could. It would be funny if we suddenly surprise her," Dream giggles.
"Dream," Punz says. "I swear my allegiance to you. Give me a chance. Please."
Dream sighs.
"Punz you swore loyalty to me once, then you betrayed me. I'm giving you a chance this time. If you betray me again, you're dead."
If he betrays me, I'll do whatever it takes to kill him. He needs to prove to me that he is loyal. Dream thinks.
Punz nods.
I can't fuck this up again. I will be loyal to him. I'll give my life for him. I won't be a mercenary anymore. I won't fight for money, I'll fight for friends.
They both rush out of the door, taking their belts and gear but leaving their armor behind.
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1,295 words
Not bringing armor when going out in the forest at night?
Something bad is going to happen to them, I'll tell you that much.
Comment any mistakes you find so I can fix them!