The Dreamfalls

The Dreamfalls is an alternative AU to Dreamtale, and is an essential part of the JumpVerse cosmology.

## Story Prose

TW: This story contains depictions of violence, death, blood and alcohol consumption. Minor violence against children and cruelty and death of an animal.

The Dreamfalls – 1

In the beginning, there were two planes. The black and empty Void, and the packed and dense Anti-Void. One day, the boundaries between these two planes could no longer hold. The pressure of the Anti-Void burst, pouring the essence of Reality into the Void, creating universes of endless possibility.

At edge of the Anti-Void, there grew a tree. Its roots spread where the essence flowed. From it sprouted all life. As these lives searched for meaning, they traced the roots back to the tree. The first to discover it were the fae.

The fae worshiped the tree, but their god willed nor wanted. From the tree grew golden and black fruits. The golden fruits gave feelings of positivity, and the black gave negative. For the fae, all was well, and they protected the tree.  But humans came next. They demanded a purpose and a will to serve. And so from their desires, the tree grew a consciousness of its own.

One soul, two brothers, princes of light and darkness.

Dream's first memory came with the rising of dawn. As the light grew over the world, so too did his vision. Feeling came to his arms, wrapped around another. Was this other also him? Or someone else? There were violet lights, glowing eyes that beheld him. His brother had awaken too.

They observed each other. They were one, but separate. Duality incarnate. Dream smiled, already knowing the right words, and even their names. “Good morning, Nightmare.”

The village fae woke to find an unusual sight. Two skeleton children, laughing and running about the tree. Climbing it's branches, chasing each other and playing games they'd just invited. The fae king was summoned, “Divine children, from where have you come?”

“We came from the tree! It is us, we are it!” said Dream gleefully.

And the fae could see it was true from the light of their soul. The tree had become willful, as all life had been.

From then on, Dream and Nightmare were bestowed full authority over the fruits. Any who wished to have a fruit had to gain consent by it's children. Many came to ask Dream for the golden fruits.

But nobody asked Nightmare for the black.

At times, a line of fae and humans gathered to meet with Dream, telling the child of their woes and why they needed the golden fruit. The poor creature was overwhelmed by stories of suffering and loss. He wish he could give everyone a golden fruit- but too much and the tree would grow barren.

The Dreamfalls – 2

As Dream spoke with visitors, Nightmare stood by, unaffected by the stories of woe. Because of this, humans regarded the negative guardian as cold and unfeeling. But what else could they expect, from someone who protected a fruit no one desired?

“Please, I can hear no more today,” said Dream, waving his hands and trying not to show his exhaustion. “I have given too many fruits. I must regrow more. Please, come back tomorrow.”

Begrudgement grew among the crowd as the fae guards dispersed them. Soon, Dream and Nightmare were left alone again. Even tired as he was, Dream climbed back into the tree to use his magic. New blossoms formed, set to become ripened fruits by morning.

Nightmare gathered rotten black apples that had fallen, throwing them into the falls to disappear among the multiverse. After, he climbed into the tree with Dream, watching a moment before speaking. “You work too hard.”

Taking a deep breath, Dream slumped on a branch. “I know. But how can I not, when there is so much suffering in the world?”

“We're just kids. We're supposed to play, have fun. Not trying to solve everyone's problems. Maybe there's supposed to be some suffering...”

“Nightmare, how can you say such a thing?”

Quietly, Nightmare picked a black fruit and held it toward Dream. Taking it, Dream frowned. “Oh... right. But... what is the purpose of suffering? It must have one, if we produce fruits of positive and negative.”

His brother shrugged. “I've been thinking about that, because no one asks for my fruits. Everyone just wants suffering to go away. But maybe people need suffering to tell them something's wrong. If only people worked on fixing their own problems, they wouldn't ask so much of you. The golden apples, they only ease the symptom. But the same people keep coming back with the same problems.”

“Then... what should I do? How do I tell when I shouldn't give away my fruit?” said Dream, setting the black fruit in his lap.

“The ones who keep coming back. Maybe you could ask them to try a black fruit instead.”

“A black fruit? But wouldn't that only make them more sad?”

Nightmare nodded. “It will. But maybe it will help them understand. The black fruit can help them get through those feelings faster.”

The Dreamfalls – 3

Dream rubbed his chin in thought. “You might be right. Nightmare. You're a genius! But, I should eat one first. So that I'll know how it feels.”

Nightmare nodded with a smile. Taking the fruit his brother had given him, Dream took a bite. Though the texture was as the golden, the fruit tasted bittersweet. Strange, but better than he'd expected.

Soon enough, heavy feelings began to hit. Dream felt his soul racing with dread and anxiety. His thoughts just as quick. What if he wasn't good enough to help the people who needed him? What if Nightmare was right, he had been overworking himself? What would happen if he got sick, or hurt, or-

“Dream, you doing alright?” Nightmare asked.

Dream felt a cold sweat and rubbed his head. “Yeah! Yeah I'm fine! N-No problem, heh...”

Curious, his brother climbed closer and held his hands. “You're shaking.”

“Guess your fruits are kinda scary... I- I want to be away from here. I don't want to look or think about the tree right now.”

Nightmare nodded, “Alright, then let's go. We can go play in the forest!”

Holding hands, the brothers departed from their tree and into the vast woods beyond the village. There, Nightmare would distract Dream with a series of games. “I saw other children playing this game. You pick up a rock and you try to hit something with it.”

“Okay! Let's try!” said Dream, helping his brother to gather up rocks. At first, their game started innocent enough. Hit that branch over there, hit that small sprig on the hill, get the bolder over that cliff. It did help Dream from being too sad, getting caught up in the excitement.

Running along, the boys heard a strange noise through the forest. A hoot, and a pair of yellow eyes peering at them from the darkness.

“Ah! Hit that! Dream over there!” Nightmare pointed.

Without hesitation, Dream threw the rock hard and true, striking the creature between the eyes. A great owl flew out, screeching. Flying down, it flew at Dream, scratching and biting at him.

The fae child screamed, raising his arms as he knelt away. “Dream! Get off him!” called Nightmare. Picking up a branch, he attacked the owl, smacking it several times till it fell to the ground, motionless. “Stupid bird!”

Dream sat silent, covered in scratches, staring at the avian corpse in fear.

The Dreamfalls – 4

“Dream! Are you alright?” said Nightmare, falling beside him and taking his hands. “I'm sorry! I shouldn't have told you to do that...”

“... It's dead... you killed it...”

Nightmare blinked before looking at the owl. Silence overtook them as blood pooling on the ground.

“I want to go home!” Dream cried in panic, tears pouring from his eyes.

“Shh, it's okay,” said Nightmare, hugging him. “Alright, let's go home...”

Dream wept all night, horrified by what had transpired. By morning, only a few of the gold fruits had been renewed.

“Lord Dream! What happened? You're hurt!” said Undyne, captain of the fae guard, arriving to monitor the crowd.

“It's alright. I got hurt playing a game, that's all...” said Dream, telling only half the truth. “I can't see many people today. I was unwell last night.”

“Very well. We'll only let past those in most dire need.”

“Lord Dream! Help! Please help me!” came the cries of an old man. Both brothers looked toward the gathering crowd to observe a human hermit approach. Terror radiated through Dream's soul as the man brought forth the dead owl in his arms. “Snowy! My precious Snowy! My best friend has been killed! Please, please tell me your golden blessing can heal her-”

Eyes wide, Dream stumbled back. He reached for Nightmare, gasping in panic. “No- I can't- I can't!”

“L-Lord Dream? Those scratch- scratches...” said the old man, his eyes lighting up in realization.

Nightmare pulled Dream protectively in his arms, his voice full of cruelty. “Your stupid bird attacked my brother last night! That's why he's unwell.”

That's not true... I attacked her first... thought Dream, but he was unable to bring the words into the open.

“That- that can't be! Snowy's only ever attacked rodents. She'd never hurt Lord Dream, or any other gentle creature...”

“Then you didn't know her as well as you think! I killed her! I killed her to protect my brother.”

“You did what...?” said the old man, his heart completely broken. Whispers grew among the crowd.

Undyne turned and gave orders to her guard to make the visitors leave. It was more than obvious the brothers would see no one that day.

The Dreamfalls – 5

“You lied. Why did you do that?” Dream asked as they rested in the tree.

“I did it to protect you. Everyone loves you. And everyone hates me. I'm willing to take the blame so long as it keeps you safe.”

Little did the both of them know that the hatred against Nightmare had only just begun. From that day on, rumors spread throughout the worlds... All blessing and good fortune had been attributed to Dream, while ill omen and tragedy was blamed on Nightmare.

Still, Dream took Nightmare's suggestion of offering the black apples to those whom the golden provided no stay. And in these cases, they did help to heal as his brother predicted. But no one would accept a black apple from Nightmare himself, only from Dream.

As the years passed, Dream did all he could to encourage his brother, to feel valued in the care of the tree. But the only person who cared about Nightmare was Dream. The only thing Nightmare could provide was to remind Dream that he was a child, and needed to have fun as one.

However, once the both of them had grown into adulthood, it was only inevitable that Nightmare would become discontent. Behind them where the days of freedom and wonder, and Dream's duties had increased tenfold.

Even the Dreamfalls, had been named in his honor. Though he insisted in sharing glory with his brother, he could not control how the people felt.

“Dream, I think I'm going to go away for a while. I want to explore the multiverse on my own and find a new purpose.”

“You're going away?” said Dream. His soul stung with pain, holding his hands to his chest. But as he thought of Nightmare's words, he agreed this might be for the best. “Then I will wait for you. This will always be your home. And once you find your new purpose I'll be filled with joy.”

And so, Nightmare departed from the Dreamfalls for many years. It was difficult for Dream in the beginning. He'd never been alone before, or thought that he ever would be. He confided in King Asgore and Queen Toriel for companionship to pass the days.

Nightmare would send letters to Dream of his adventures. At least, in the beginning. Unfortunately, where ever Nightmare passed, he had difficulty connecting with anyone. Eventually, the letters stopped completely. Dream feared his brother wanted to spare him from more ill tales.

The Dreamfalls – 6

One day, Dream had been told of a land rot with plague. The visitor pleaded for many golden fruit to save their home. Uncertain about giving so many away, Dream met with the King. Together they planned for him to travel with the visitor back to their people.

Bags of golden fruit were loaded into a cart. Dream traveled with the visitor far away for many weeks. It was unfortunate then that Nightmare returned to find his brother absent.

Many visitors were upset that Dream had gone, and no one could provide the fruits to them. Upon Nightmare's return, the King pointed to him to provide instead. But Nightmare's magic could not regrow the golden apples, so he had to be careful on how he distributed them.

On top of that, the people were repulsed by Nightmare. Gossip spread madly throughout the village- that any golden apple accepted from him had to be cursed.

The night of Dream's return, he sensed a great evil in his homeland... and then he saw the smoke rising in the distance. “No, it can't- AHH!”

Pain radiated through Dream's soul as he collapsed. The world felt empty, quiet. A feeling of decapitation, despite his head remaining firmly on his body. Then the pain concentrated to his back. Something like two piercing knifes cut through his body and erupted into golden wings. What was happening? He couldn't understand. All he knew was he needed to get home.

Pushing back to his feet, Dream ran- having no time to understand the new wings buzzing on his back.

Coming out from the forest, Dream could see his home in flames. Humans and fae ran in terror. He could not see the World Tree. Instead, there floated a being of pure darkness, black roots stretching out from every side of it.

Whatever this evil was, it needed to be stopped. Summoning his magic bow, Dream ran into the village regardless of the danger. The fae guard held off the entity as they could, while others helped villagers escape. When Dream arrived at the sacred grove, he beheld the World Tree had been felled.

Captain Undyne tried to restrain the entity, only to be knocked down, about to be stabbed by it's root-like appendages. Dream aimed and fired several arrows of light into the creature. It recoiled and screamed. An arrow pierced the creature's chest- and Dream felt his own body struck- blood soaking his white clothes.

The Dreamfalls – 7

Dream stood confused until Undyne continued. “It's Nightmare! Somethings wrong! If you kill him you'll die too!”

With a gasp, Dream grabbed his wound. Falling to his knees in pain, he stared up, unable to believe what was happening, or what he'd done.

Nightmare's form was covered in decay and blight. Dream's assault seemed to quell his brother's rage for the moment. Nightmare's only visible eye locked with Dream's.

“N-No... I can't be...” Mutilated human corpses blanketed the sacred grove. “How... could you do this?” said Dream, his soul sinking with utter betrayal.

“It's not- It's not my fault- I didn't mean to- Dream, I didn't-” A powerful aura of shame and guilt radiated from Nightmare's soul.

He ran. Leaping into the Anti-Void, Nightmare disappeared into the whiteness. His aura vanishing from their realm.

Covering his mouth, Dream turned to Undyne for answers. The siren gave a sorrowful sigh. “The humans. They attacked Nightmare. He returned several days ago and began distributing the fruits in your absence. When the guard and I arrived- they'd forced him to eat all the dark fruit... Lord Dream... I'm sorry. We failed to protect him...”

He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing, before blacking out. His wounds and blood loss overtaking him.

When he awoke, he'd been laid safely within the halls of the fae king's palace. His recovery regarded as a miracle. With the World Tree dead, all life had come to a halt. Food provided no energy. Sleep provided no rest. Illness and weakness grew throughout the multiverse. When Nightmare felled the tree, it had caused roots to sprout from him, and leaf-like wings from Dream.

It showed that they'd been severed from the souls of the multiverse.

Dream knew what he had to do. The only thing he could do. “I must take the place of the World Tree. To conduct the flow of all life. With my half of our soul I'll regrow the tree... but it will be many centuries before it bares fruit again.”

Though the land remained in shock and mourning, Dream returned to the defiled grove. There, he planted his soul at the base of the tree and bound himself with vines to it's stump.

The Dreamfalls – 8

For five hundred years, Dream remained, frozen in a state between wakefulness and sleep. As in the days before his birth, his mind returned to become one with all worlds. But first, before he lost himself completely, he searched for Nightmare.

He'd find his brother, deep in some cold dark place, close to the Void, weeping. It pained Dream's soul to see his brother this way. The trauma of taking in so much negativity at once- he must have been so frightened. He longed to reach out, to comfort Nightmare. But it could not be.

“They hate me. They all hate me. Now even Dream- the only one who cared. My dearest brother... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. All the world has ever wanted from me was to be a villain...”

Eventually the tears stopped and Nightmare grew quiet. An eerie calm set over the fae's body before he stood, shoulders held high. “Very well... then that shall be my purpose. They wanted a villain so badly... Then I will be worse nightmare they could imagine...”

Across the multiverse, wars broke between humans, monsters and their variants. Humans were banished from the Dreamfalls for their transgression. For five hundred years, strife and misery reigned. Meanwhile, Dream would experience it all as a haze as the new tree slowly grew.

But one day, someone came whom Dream could not foresee. A skeleton wielding a giant paintbrush. He came trotting from the Anti-Void. The fae guard had grown so used to seeing no one that they'd where slack in their duty, allowing the skeleton to slip past.

“Oh, what's this? A Sans? ...so strange. He looks like a Sans, but he doesn't have the same vibe. HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” said the skeleton, waving his hand in front of Dream's face.

“You there! Get away from Lord Dream and the World Tree!” cried the fae guard, who came rushing.

“Lord Dream? World Tree? Oh wow, that sounds so cool!” the skeleton said, pumping his fists, not at all bothered by the various spears and arrows pointed at him. “This must be the tree that's connected to everything, yeah?”

Emerging from the haze, the vines around Dream withered and freed him. He held his head, rubbed his eyes to behold the skeleton smiling at him. “HIYA! I'm Ink! You must be Dream then, huh?”

The Dreamfalls – 9

The Second World Tree also bore golden and black fruit, restoring balance to the multiverse.

The arrival of Ink marked a new beginning for Dream. A monster without a soul. How could such a thing be? It deeply captivated Dream.

“I'll give you a tour of all my favorite AUs! That should help you catch up to how the multiverse has changed since you've been asleep!” said Ink.

And so it would be that Dream would travel with Ink between worlds. But before he departed his homeland, Dream hid his wings behind a cape. He felt ashamed of them, a constant reminder of what he'd lost.

In his time with Ink he's learn the full scope of his brother's deeds in the past five centuries. Decimated worlds full of darkness and suffering. So many places where monsters had been driven underground and to near extinction. The slaughter of children in the hope for freedom...

Dream couldn't express the ache he felt within. He wanted to find his brother, to save Nightmare from himself... But after so much evil, how could things return to how they were? People would continue to hate him.

After many years, Dream returned home. Though he'd caught feeling for Ink, even starting a relationship with him, there were many things Dream needed to do. Taking many dark apples, he isolated himself within the palace so that he could mourn for his brother, and all those who'd been hurt by him.

The fae worried for Dream, but the king trusted the guardian to do what was necessary for his well being. One night, he could not bare the silence. Dressing as a beggar in an old shambled cloak, Dream hid the mark upon his head with bandages before slipping between worlds.

Off he went, mainly into the Fell worlds, to drink and party and make mischief with any who'd tolerate him. He barely remembered any of it after waking from a hangover on a beach surrounded by piles of stolen socks.

However, before making his way home to recover, Dream felt something intense call to him from the Anti-Void. A beacon of hope, but filled with fear and sorrow. How strange. He had to check it out.

Following the emotion, he appeared before a Swap Sans, curled up, knees to his chest. But something was wrong with him. The bone had turned black- glitches and error signs flashed around him. “OH! IS THIS... SOMEONE REAL?” he said as their eyes met.

The Dreamfalls – 10

“Yes, I'm real...” said Dream, kneeling down carefully. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

“I DON'T... REMEMBER? I THINK- SOMEONE BROUGHT ME HERE. BUT THEY LEFT, AND I THINK THEY FORGOT ABOUT ME.”

“I see... You don't look very happy to be here by yourself. Have you tried getting home?” said Dream, noticing the Sans held a human soul in his hand.

“HOME? OH YES, I HAVE BUT... I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE HOME IS... DO YOU KNOW WHERE HOME IS?”

Dream rubbed his chin in thought. Possibly an out!code? He pulled up the data screen like Ink had taught him and looked through this Sans's code. He'd come from an Underswap that no longer existed. “I don't think I can get you home. But! I can help you get to a new home. There's a place called the Omega Timeline. A friend told me it's where survivors from lost worlds go to live. Maybe you'd like to go there?”

“OH YES! ANYWHERE BUT HERE WOULD BE NICE, THANK YOU!”

Dream nodded, standing up. He offered his hand to the Sans before using the other to open a golden portal. “There you are. As soon as you're through, ask for someone named Core!Fris-”

Suddenly, a web of blue strings descended upon them, wrapping their arms and chests. Dream looked around- not seeing their attacker at first, and turned back to Sans. Thinking quick, Dream tackled Sans, shoving him into the portal before cutting it off, which severed the strings.

However, Dream himself was yanked away and flipped upside down. It exposed his wings, which buzzed with irritation.

Another Sans with black bones appeared. But his expression and those red eyes didn't make him look too friendly. “A new abomination. What are you supposed to be, a giant roach?”

It was then Dream remembered something Ink had told him. “Oh, there's also this guy named Error. He likes to destroy AUs, murder and torture people. But we're like, best friends. Even if he says we're not.”

“You-” Dream started, then thought a moment. He really didn't want this guy knowing who he really was. Dream looked like a Sans, right? Might as well act like one. “Ya must be the infamous Error, eh?”

“Ah, my reputation proceeds me,” Error gave a glitchy chuckle.