-Nightmare's Castle-
Cobalt Blue watched Nightmare pace and curse trying every few moments to open a portal to the surge in negativity.
Cobalt glances at the team and notes the general fiddling with blades and nervous energy like they desperately needed to stab something. "Outside now you lot can work on target practice, don't use magic, save it for the mission." Having made his decision Cobalt opens the door and gently pushes Nightmare out into the garden where he has more room to pace and the boys could be a bit wild.
-Anti-Void-
Error doesn't know how long he lay there sobbing in pain. Time had no effect in the Anti-void, it could have been a few minutes to a few years before Error stopped. The stifling silence broken by hacking coughs and whimpers.
Slowly Error uncurled, feeling dust and marrow starting to pool under him. Holding out a shaking hand, Error called out his SOUL to check his stats. Soon the glitchy SOUL popped out into existence. It was an upside-down heart colored light blue mixed with yellow and rich deep green with Error signs on it, glitching, the dark blue strings on it slowly pulsing. When Error checked his stats, he wanted to start crying again.
High level of LV, EXP, attack, and defense, nothing out of the ordinary with them. No, it was his HP. He did not have a lot of HoPe himself, but with him having high LV and being a glitch he had quite a bit, and it always was glitching so it was a hard thing to make it go down. But he wasn't freaking out because of how low it was. No, no, he was freaking out because his HP was slowly climbing back up.
Even if his body is broken, his SOUL will never die. He is part of the balance, it would take much more than physical wounds to turn him into dust. Trust him, he tried that a long time ago. He would have happily told Inky that if he asked.
But now he was just so TIRED.
'What was the point of going on?' Error thought to himself blankly as the Voices continued to scream out. 'For the Multiverse? What has it ever done for me?' It hurt to breathe. Error slowly sat up, softly crying out as he shook off his blood and dust covered jacket. Slowly his dust started to stop falling, Error was suddenly struck with a horrible idea.
"ThEy dON'T wAnT balAnCE...." Error crawled away from the dust and blood, tears falling as he grinned. "ThEY dOn't wANt ME...."
'They only want creation. Fate has made their choice and mistake.' Error's glitchy laughter echoed in the white nothingness, making the Voices actually shut up for once at the broken sound. 'Fate thought that I would take this abuse forever? Oh, no. I am Error! If this Multiverse wants only half of the balance, who am I to stop them? I'll just give them what they want!'
Error looks around one last time, pausing once his eye lights landed on the cobalt scarf he made a few days before. Gripping it softly, Error put it on. It was the only thing he wanted with him once he goes, everything else can be left. He really doesn't need it where he is going after all. They can have what was left, he knew they were going to use it as a trophy or burn it if they ever found it. 'Now the creator can be their destruction and death! I only wish I could see their faces once they find out what Inky is doing to them.'
Error staggered to his feet and shuffled forward with creaking bones opening a portal to Outertale. It was impossible to kill Error with his stats and stubborn SOUL, but he knew of one way to do it and stay dead. The thought actually hit him years ago but he never did it because of the balance. But now he just doesn't care. They all have made their choices, why should he help the ungrateful. It is a horrible thing all around as he has to kill to keep others alive, at least he chose the newer AU's, that made things slightly easier on them all. 'But that no longer matters.'
Error ignored the rainbow portal opening behind him as he shuffled toward his star gazing point.
Inky rushed out followed by Dream, Outer, Classic, Stretch, and Color. "ERROR! I will not let you destroy Outertale!" Inky struck his dramatic pose scarf flying behind his brush held up.
Error slowly turns but he looks past Inky to the second group rushing out of a black goopy portal. "i Am soRrY i cAn'T nOt AnY mOrE." Error took a step back.
Outer's sockets widen, 'No he wouldn't surely not Error.'
Inky only had time to look mildly puzzled before he was knocked out of the way as Nightmare shot past him to try and grab Error.
Swiping a hand across the fluffy scarf one last time, Error let himself fall backwards into the abyss calling for him only to feel gentle tentacles wrap around him and hold him close as they fell.
The hungry static of the Void echoed against the screams of the Voices before it all fell silent. The static and darkness wrapped around them, breaking them apart. Error didn't even scream as he closed his sockets, starting to scatter across time and space. He never heard the anguished screams.
All he could remember is the pain, the screams that reminded him of his place in this Multiverse, of Fate taking and twisting him into what he now is, of him trying and trying to end it only to be pulled back. Laughing hysterically, Error knew he had the last laugh. With his weakened HP from that beating, not even Fate itself can pull him out of the Void.
Before they could be fully pulled apart, they were suddenly pulled into a soft embrace. Error could not open his sockets, nor could he talk, but he could still hear. The soft embrace was warm, something he has rarely had before in his life as Error.
'You will be fine, they and I will take care of you!' The soft voice whispered lovingly but heard, he felt someone stroking the cracks in his arms. 'You and your friend have changed your destiny my child.'
And just like that the Voice and embrace was gone and they were suddenly pulled back together in the dark abyss. Before he finally blacked out, Error could feel the Void suddenly give way, the static roar becoming distant as they fell further and farther away.
His last thought before blacking out was he had never felt so loved like he had in those few moments. He wished he could have that again, but he knew he wouldn't.
After all worthless glitches like him don't deserve such love. He only deserves L.O.V.E. and death. His Multiverse had carved that fact into his bones.
-Outertale-
Dust's tackle took Cobalt down and pinned him inches from the edge as he screamed in pain and loss.
Dream slid to his knees feeling sick and lost, 'Why was Error so happy to fall? How could Nightmare follow him without hesitation with so much love? Nightmare could love, they could have saved him, and now it was too late.' He started the gage as waves of pain, fear, rage, and grief washed over him like a pounding tide as Nightmare's gang stumbled past them to gather near Cobalt looking lost and broken.
Stretch stepped forward, "Sans? Bro."
Cross shot Stretch a venomous look and stepped over to where Dust was holding a sobbing Cobalt. "Captain Cobalt requesting orders."
Classic stood there stunned a sick feeling like sins crawling up his back holding him temporarily immobile.
Inky stumbled to his feet he wasn't sure what he expected. Maybe for Error to have been waiting for them laughing at the fact they thought he could die from them. Or maybe weakened, hurt, but ready to fight. Ironically everything but Error's dying had crossed his mind.
Time seemed to hold still as Inky stood frozen, not able to look away from the cliff. 'Error's....Dead?' For some reason that never even crossed his mind, never really pictured it happening even as all the others plotted for it. Error always seemed bigger than life, and death, bigger than all of them combined. And now he is dead?
Inky could still see his tears, still hear his screaming and begging for help. Then the portal appeared and took him away. Everyone quickly went on the hunt for the glitchy skeleton to finish the job. And it seems their plan worked even if Error had to finish the job himself. 'But why do I feel so empty?'
Inky started to shake ever so slightly staring at the cliff and muttering to himself. "I won Error....But we had no choice. You just continued to destroy and break apart the AUs for no reason....Right?" Inky took in a deep breath. "It is for the best you were in the Anti-void for so long it corrupted you, it was a mercy....Right? You must have understood in the end."
Inky still, couldn't look away from the cliff. What was he doing? He had nothing to explain to the one who killed his precocious creations, but for some reason he felt he had to. That Error deserved at least a little bit of a reason. Finally he ripped his gaze away, his attention caught by a few words. "Requesting orders, Captain Cobalt."
Dust stands helping Cobalt to his feet away from the cliff as he wipes his eyes and sniffles.
Cobalt looked up at Cross, of course he knew what to do; they were both trained royal guards even if Nightmare was the only one who had seen and valued that. "Code Applesauce. We make them feel our pain then retreat to base."
Dust gave a manic grin and summoned a pair of sharp purple bones. "You heard him boys time to bring the pain!"
Stretch was completely unprepared to be knocked out of the way by a side swipe from Cobalt's Gaster Blaster Hammer when the gang swarmed them and was immediately out of the fight with a broken leg and shattered arm.
Dream didn't fare much better against Cross having a broken arm before he was kicked through a portal.
Color held off Killer while trying to talk him down. "Killer listen to me you don't have to do this. Nightmare is gone now, you are free. Let me help you, we can get your emotions back."
Killer laughed while black tears trickled down his cheeks and stabbed him in the arm. "Too damn late. Nightmare wasn't just controlling me, he held my soul stable while I healed." Killer swept Colors legs from under him and slammed his knife down through his collar bone and into his shoulder blade. "Error convinced him to let me feel again years ago." Killer twisted the blade and jerked it free. "I stayed with Nightmare and the gang became we're family and nobody else could understand us like we understand each other no one else knows what we have to go through. Guys like us we have to take care of each other IF we don't who will. Certainly not assholes like Inky, Dream, or you justs wanting to change us to your images and ideas of what we should be without regard for who we are or what we have been through." He kicked Color in the ribs and ran for a portal Cross was holding open.
Horror knocked Outer aside while running for the portal and he decided to stay down.
Cobalt glared at Inky, "This is why I never make promises. It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming.... On days like these, creators like you.... Should be burning in hell! No turning back now you stepped over the line. I am going to go back on the promise I made for you. Creators like you don't play by the rules, and guys like me it ain't easy to be played for fools. So let's go dirty balance killer."
Classic stumbled back shocked at what he heard first from Blue or Cobalt as the gang were calling him and then the boss music kicking in, boss music he had never heard before not megalovania or dauntless. As the strains of Rise blasted out Dust grabbed him from behind and dragged him behind some rocks.
"Stay down and watch out for stray attacks." Dust spared Classic a disgusted glance then darted out of cover to join Cobalt.
The battle was short and shockingly brutal for Inky, where fights with Error had always been long and mostly ranged attacks Cobalt went right in under his defenses and was merciless with his hammer all the while Dust was backing him with bone attacks. By the time they disengaged and bolted through a portal Broomie was broken along with three of Inky's ribs, his right arm and left thigh.