Sooo, I decided on the name Wrong Beginning for the N/A AU in by AU book. Since, ya know, the beginning didn't start correctly and everything ends up out of whack because of it.
So anyways, that's what AU this is apart of.
— — —
Knocking jolted Sabre from his sleep, making him blink blearly up at the ceiling. "Catalyst?" A voice came from the other side of the door, followed by more knocking. "Sir?"
Sabre gazed up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath, before pushing himself up into a sitting position. "I'm up." His voice was rough, but loud enough to be heard from the other side.
He heard a relieved sigh. "Nightmare King is requesting you sir." The voice informed him.
Sabre cringed, realizing he might have slept in. The needle pricks still stung from last night, and Sabre was really hoping today wasn't another experiment day as he kicked off the blankets.
Sabre hopped out of his bed and quickly reached for his cloak that was laying across the desk he had. Sabre paused when he caught sight of his arms mid-reach. Right, he was still in his pajamas.
"Sir?" The voice from the other side of the door asked. "Did you fall back asleep?"
"No!" He yelped. "Tell Nightmare I'll be there in five, please." Sabre tugged his shirt off, grabbing for another hanging up in the closet blindly.
"...very well sir." Footsteps faded as the messenger walked away.
Sabre rushed around, tossing on his clothes as he went. Thankfully, he still had his chicken hoodie from the start. Sabre was a little attached to it by this point and really glad it hasn't been ripped yet.
Sabre nearly ran out the door, only to skid and slam into it when he tried to stop suddenly. His cloak!
Rushing back to the desk, he reached and grabbed it. It was sadly a dark gray color, giving him a more unwelcoming appearance than he would like. Sabre was however beginning to enjoy wearing it, so that was a plus.
After looking in the mirror, making sure none of his body was showing (he was clearly out of it, since he also forgot his gloves), he opened the door and quickly walked to the throne room.
Nightmare was standing there with Assistant and...huh. What were two guards and a Yellow Steve doing up there?
Sabre sped up. What is going on now?
"Catalyst!" Nightmare's voice boomed across the room, making him cringe.
Oh god oh god oh god please don't take his tardiness out on Assistant-
"You're here. Wonderful!" Sabre blinked. That was...not what he was expecting. "Come here!"
Without a choice, Sabre sped up the rest of the stairs, ignoring the very far drop, and took his spot next to Assistant. Sabres' gut curled when the Assistant gave him a sad look.
"Not over there!" Nightmare grumbled. "Come here." He snapped and pointed next to him.
Sabre winced, but forced a cheerful tone. "Sorry "'bout that!" He forced a laugh. "Just went on autopilot ya know?"
Nightmare huffed, before gesturing to the Yellow Steve by the guards. "Do you see this Steve?" Sabre gave a slow nod. "Well, remember when I said I caught those two meddling Orange Steves?"
Sabre's head snapped to Nightmare. "What!" He yelped, only to winced at Nightmare's narrowed eyes. "Not in a bad way!" Sabre waved his hands around as he lied. "I was just surprised. It was the two that knocked me out?"
"Yes." Nightmare nodded, seeming please that Sabre wasn't upset about their capture. "Well, I caught them and put them in my lab." Sabre rubbed at his arms, where they still stung from whatever was in those needles. As long as it wasn't Assistant, he would deal with the experiments. "Except they escaped and allowed this fellow to go."
Sabre looked at the Yellow Steve. Even though he was shaking in his shoes, he still leveled a mean glare at Nightmare. "...okay?" Sabre nodded. "What-"
"I want you to destroy him."
Sabre froze, before spinning to look at Nightmare. "You want me to do what?!" He yelled. "Absolutely not!"
Nightmare gave him a cold look. "Catalyst." He warned.
"No!" Sabre shook his head. "I'm not going to kill an innocent Steve!"
"I thought you wanted to figure out a cure for the darkness?" Nightmare seethed out. "He knows too much and tried to tell the others, so he must be disposed of."
"No!"
Nightmare hissed. "Very well then." He turned to the Steve. "Any last words?"
"Wait! You can't-" A hand appeared on his shoulder. Assistant shook his head sadly. "He...he can't."
"We can't do anything..." Assistant mumbled softly. "It's best to not anger him any more."
Sabre's shoulders slumped as he nodded.
"You are no king of mine." The Steve spat at Nightmare. Sabre was impressed at the guts it took. "I wait for the day the Hero comes and destroys you and your darkness. If I'm in the World Beyond, then so be it."
Nightmare glared at the Steve. "Guards."
The two guards grabbed the Steve by the arms and dragged him closer to the edge. Sabre's heart dropped. Is that why the throne room was above a bottomless pit? How many people died down there?!
Nightmare walked closer, before shoving the Steve off.
There was no lightning or screaming or anything. Just one second the Steve was there and the next he wasn't. Sabre felt sick at such an anticlimactic death. That was a whole person with thoughts and feelings and memories just...gone.
Assistant squeezed his shoulder, stepping away when Nightmare turned back around to look at them. "Catalyst." Nightmare began. "Go back to your room. The experiments are canceled for today as I have moved up some plans due to your behavior. Assistant, with me."
Both of them gave the other a look, even if Assistant couldn't see Sabre's.
"Yes sir."
"...Got it chief."
'I'm sorry.' Sabre mouthed.
'I don't blame you'.
—
Sabre paced back and forth in his room, feeling sick.
He just watched a murder for gods' sake! A murder of some innocent Steve he only saw locked in their cell, both powerless to stop what was happening to them.
Sabre was hoping he would one day get to see the Steve be free and happy, but the last thing Sabre got to see instead was him scared out of his mind in front of a killer!
Sabre had to get him and Assistant far away from Nightmare, but how? No one trusted him now.
No one that wasn't paired with Nightmare at least. Sabre paused. Actually, there was someone. Two someone's in fact.
All he had to do was figure out an escape plan and then a way to find Orange and Shy.
A knock at his door. Was Nightmare joking when he said no experiments? Sabre rubbed his arms. They still felt like fire was injected underneath his skin.
"Sir?" A different voice said. "Nightmare is requesting your presence. He has requested for me to lead you there."
No experiments at least...
"Got it! Thank you!" Sabre reached for his cloak, which was tossed on the bed haphazardly.
There was a pause. "...you're welcome?"
Sabre slipped on the cloak once more, before opening the door. The walk was awkward, following the Yellow Steve down stairs he hasn't had the chance to explore yet.
A machine stood there, separated into two sections. Sabre's gut twisted when he seen two guards, Nightmare, Assistant, and a thing of darkness.
The Steve that led him there quickly fled, something Sabre really wished he could do at the moment.
"Hey." He mumbled once he reached the platform and slipped next to the Assistant. Did the guards shift closer to them...?
"Hey..." Assistant mumbled back. "You're okay?"
"I'm okay. You?"
Assistant nodded.
"Don't worry Darkness." Nightmare spoke to the darkness body that stood there. Assistant slid behind him even more. Even the guards shifted uneasily. "Now that I have condensed you enough, you shall have your own vessel."
Sabre...did not like the sound of that.
"S-sir?" Assistant clearly didn't either, judging by his hesitation. "Who- who w-would the- the vessel be?"
"Uh...yeah." Sabre nodded. "I would like to know that too."
"Well Assistant. Catalyst," Nightmare turned to look at them, hands behind his back. "I have someone in mind."
Both of them shared a look, and the guards shifted side to side.
"Oh!" Assistant gave a quiet laugh. "Do I- uh, need to grab...them?"
"Dear Assistant..." Nightmare gave a sickening smile, one that put Sabre on edge. "Wouldn't do anything for me? Your king?"
Assistant held a handful of his cloak, squeezing it tightly. "Of- of course. Any-anything sir."
"Then you would be happy to become one with the darkness, right?"
Sabre pushed Assistant behind him, causing Nightmare to sigh. Nightmare snapped his fingers, and the guards moved towards them.
Sabre yelped when he was the one grabbed. "Hey! Let go of me!"
"You-! You can't be serious!" Assistant cried.
"It would mean a lot to me...If not you..." Nightmare glance at him. "It would be fitting for the one to free the darkness to be a vessel for it, yes?"
"I-I-"
"Assistant don't!" Sabre yelled. "Go!"
"Get in the machine or the Catalyst does!" Nightmare snapped.
Assistant froze, before nodding slowly.
"Assistant no!" Sabre pulled at his arms. "Don't do it!"
"Catalyst." Nightmare's voice sent ice down his spine, freezing in his escape attempts. "Consider this your punishment for not listening to me this morning."
...what? Sabre swallowed the lump in his throat. "...no..." He tugged even harder. "Stop it! He didn't do anything wrong!"
Assistant turned from where he was about to enter the machine. He gave a wobbly smile. "Chin up." He parroted back what Sabre used to tell him when it got too much when dealing with Nightmare. "Everything's going to be fine."
Sabre didn't believe him. "Yeah..." Sabre forced his voice to seem steadier than he currently felt. "Everything will be okay, Assistant."
Assistant got into the machine. Assistant wasn't the one to leave.
—
Sabre paced back and forth in his room. The night sky peering through his curtains being the only source of light. It was barely any, and Sabre had to strain his eyes to see.
Assistant...
Assistant was...
Sabre hissed. He was useless! Completely utterly useless!
He could even stop his only friend from being tossed into the darkness, how could he save the rest of the Steves?!
He let out a shuddering sigh.
Sabre had to get out of here. Whether it killed him or not, he did not care.
The question was how though. It's not like he could sneak out of the castle.
Sabre paused. Why couldn't he? Now that Assistant wasn't...wasn't with him anymore, he would have an easier time sneaking out.
The thing is where would he go? Even if Orange and Shy would allow him to join them, he had no clue how to find them.
Sabre shook his head. Now was not the time. Sabre had to get out of this place at once.
Thankfully, he didn't have lots of items to grab. He grabbed the food he stored up for this occasion, halving it, since Assistant wasn't coming, and a few daggers he swiped from the armory on the occasional visit.
He slipped on the cloak, hating how it felt more comfortable than without it on, and cracked open the window. He peered down, before sticking his head back in.
"Okay, nope." He mumbled. "Way too far down. Door it is."
The door, like all the other times, swung open without a sound. Sabre wouldn't have put it past his luck to make the door sound an alarm when he opened it.
Slipping out the door, he shut it with a quiet click. He stepped lightly down the hallway, before reaching the stairs. Not a single soul was seen until he reached the exit.
Sabre hissed in annoyance, slipping underneath the staircase he just came down. Great, now he had to wait for the guards to swap out.
—
Thankfully, it was only thirty minutes later until the two guards left.
Sabre, wasting no time, slipped out the door and behind the bushes that lined the walls. He crouched down, holding his breath. The guards didn't even notice.
The army Sabre knew was training outside in the morning was nowhere to be seen. The only thing he saw was the retreating backs of the guards, and two more appearing down the path.
The wind blew, rustling the leaves of the bushes. The stone wall was cold against his back, but he pressed against it as he crouched, slowly sliding down.
He nearly yelped when suddenly the bushes ended, diving back into the cover. Sabre grabbed his bag, looking out at the forest in front of him.
The moon wasn't out, with clouds slowly covering the sky, making it darker than it should've been.
Sabre was going to have to take the risk wasn't he?
He took a deep breath, before letting it out.
One.
Two.
Three.
He ducked his head down low, racing across the grass lawn without a sound. The moment the trees covered him, he let out a long breath.
Sabre glanced around the area cautiously, waiting for a Steve to jump out and demand what he was doing. Yet... none did.
Until one did.
"Catalyst?" A soft voice asked.
Sabre jumped, pulling out a dagger. "I don't want to hurt you but I will if I have to!" He yelped.
The Yellow Steve held up both hands. "Woah woah woah..." He whispered. "It's okay. I know."
Sabre blinked, not lowering the dagger. "Know what?"
"You're not with Nightmare. Orange and Shy told me." Sabre lowered the dagger, and the Yellow Steve let out a sigh, wiping their palms on their leather chestplate.
"You're...with them?"
The Steve shrugged. "Kinda. I help them get in and out. They told me about you after than one time, so I've been coming out here every night to see if you fled the castle."
"Today's your lucky day."
The Steve smiled. "I guess." They sighed. "Look, it's going to be day soon. So you need to hurry. Off that way-" They pointed to the left. "Is a lake by the wall. The wall isn't in the water, it just looks that way. You can swim under the wall and be on the other side."
"Then run."
The Steve nodded. "I'll see if I can slip from my duties tomorrow and alert Orange and Shy, but once the alarm sounds at you disappearance, I'm not sure if I will be able to."
Sabre shook his head. "Don't do it if you'll get in trouble. I'll find my own way."
The Steve looked skeptical, but nodded. "Stay safe."
"I will." He turned to walk away, but paused. He glanced back. "Thank you."
"Anytime."
Like the Steve said, there was a lake next to the wall. Sabre climbed down the side of the steep slope, careful to not slip in suddenly.
It was when he was close enough he took a breath and jumped in, very much aware of the splash.
He didn't bother wasting time, swimming to the wall and under it.
Even with him soaking wet and cold, grass never looks any better.
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