Without Darkness, Stars Can’t Shine

"Only you can decide that. But whatever your decision? Your kiddos will grow up in the shadow of it. Thats how it works."

Nightmare flinches, turning away.

“But there are so many more who fight each other every day, so many Nightmares who want their Dreams dead and so many of the reverse.”

“I wonder, is that just the natural order trying to reassert itself?”

"...same answer, honestly." They're a bit curious, but they don't press it. If their sons want to tell them, they will.

“Would they accept it?”

"...it's really pretty. I've never heard of a flower that requires pure darkness to grow."

“It’s from a long time ago. I don’t know if anyone else has been able to cultivate it.” Nightmare smiles at it. “I wonder if Dream remembers it.”

“A moonblossom,” replies Halluciv. “It was about time we gave this area purpose again.”

Nightmare looks down, chastised. “I’m sorry. The Unknown was having some problems, and we had to go help Wirt.” He meets his parent’s eyes apologetically. “We didn’t even have time to come to your wedding or send a message. We’re really sorry.”

The stairs lead downwards this time.

"...thank you..." good... good. "We'll see you then."

He laughs. “Definitely.”

"There you are!" Utter relief in their nonny's voice. "Thank goodness... if you didn't get the invite in time, after all these years-!"

“The invite... is it finally happening!?”

”Any child that understands when his parents need him and runs to get help from someone he and his parents trust, would understand that you are scared for him and want him to be okay.”

He throws open the door, with no thought to propriety. “Aunt Dream! My dad needs help, please!”

{ Dream wakes up, quickly out of bed and running to him. } “Wha- what’s wrong with my brother??”

{ Dream frowns, kneeling down to him and wiping the black tears away. } “Shh… it’s okay.. it’s okay, is he hurt? Has it escaped into the real world.?”

“I-I don’t think so? B-but she’s gonna hurt him, I know it!”

{ Dream nods, teleporting both of them to the tower’s front door. } “Lead the way.”

{ … She growls, anger fueling her as she summons her bow and fires an arrow right at the flaming woman. } “Leave my brother alone.”

Nightmare looks up, tears in his eyes, as the arrow hits. The woman looks at Dream, barely choking out “Starlight…” before she screams, engulfed in the flames of both her children, leaving only a destroyed tree where she stood. Nightmare picks up a piece of it, cradling it in his hands.

{ She sighs, putting a hand on his shoulder. } “… it’s okay now… she won’t hurt us anymore…” { Dream whispers, herself having tears in her sockets as well… }

He stares at the burned piece of their mother in his hands. “What would a mother not do for her child?” he sings, his voice tight.

“… she wasn’t our mother. She never acted like one.. just because she created us doesn’t mean we have to accept her as a mother.” { Dream says. } “She was a monster to put us through this all..”

“But she still gave us life…” he whispers. “And I failed her.”

“And we don’t owe her anything for doing that!” { She says. } “Don’t you remember how much we suffered..? How you were hurt and I was silenced.?!”

“It’s a promise for life between mother and child, and to break it there’s no greater pain…” the song forces itself out of Nightmare’s mouth. “And you’re shaken to your soul with an ache you can’t erase, like the tears you never cry but still keep scrubbing off your face-”

{ She stares at him. } “Why are you saying or..- singing all of this..?! Why do you care still about her?! Why are you acting like she never hurt us?!”

“There’s a pain you can’t imagine, a little talk that keeps you wide awake, that somehow turns to bold determination- that you won’t ever make the same mistake.” He looks off into the distance, where a phantom image of Huaisang and Xcellence are sparring, Huaisang fighting with his fans and X with his blade. Nightmare reaches towards them. “And so you vow to feed your little future, ensuring that his talent, poise, and charm, might just grow up and save you after all!” His arm falls. “Might just grow up and save you, after all.”

“What would a mother not do for her child, what lengths would a mother not go? There’s a bond that exists between mother and child, ah but then again…” he looks at his sister. “How would we know?”

{ … Dream stares at him, the tears now falling from her cheeks. } “She wasn’t fair… she made us guardians without a choice… She keeps haunting us- me ever since I broke away and I.. don’t know since when she’s haunted you but…. b-but it’s just not fair, brother…”

“Everything I ever did… everything I’ve ever done… it’s always been for someone else. Mother, you, X, Huaisang… Dream I’ve always been working to do what was best for others. And I always fail.”

“Dream… what if I fail my son?”

”… I ask myself that too- Heh, I have triplets and you just have one. But I think every parent questions this… but if you fail you do everything to help again… but Ima sure you won’t fail… just let them do whatever they like as long as it doesn’t harm or endanger them.. it should be fine like that..”

“But what if… deep down… I’m just like her?” He looks out at the phantoms of his partner and son. “I try to be as flexible as possible with him, I don’t give him many rules, only ones that will keep him safe… but I know he’s going to look for something more. He wants to be like the wind, going wherever his mood takes him, and I can’t keep him here but I want to, Dream I want him to stay here, he’s growing so fast and I don’t know what he’ll become and I’m terrified that one day he’ll learn the whole story and he won’t want anything to do with me.” Nightmare looks at his sister beseechingly. “How is that any different from Mother trapping us in our duties?”

”You are not like her for wanting your child to be safe and with you. She just wanted her tree protected. She left that up to two children… her own children.. you’d never do that, you just need to talk to him about this, tell him how you’re afraid.. share your feelings brother.. you know what happened when you avoided telling me your feelings those decades ago…”

“But this is my son...” he whispers. “And I’ve failed at everything else I’ve ever done. I’ve failed everyone I’ve ever cared for. Why would he be any different?”