Prologue
NightLight was crying. Why? He didn’t really know. He was standing in front of his mate, DayDream, who had been turned into stone. Everything on his body was stone, except for a small, gold band that had clouds around the center of the foreskull. NightLight had one of similar design, but his had a crescent moon in the center. DayDream had his hand reached towards NightLight, his mouth open in a silent scream, fresh tears wetting the stone. “I’m so sorry Dreamy. I never meant for this to happen. I tried to get away from them, I promise… I’m so, so, sorry Dreamy… Here, this should keep you warm until you turn back to normal.” NightLight cried before getting up and grabbing a heavy yellow cloth with an orange sun sewed on in the middle. He wrapped it around DayDream’s shoulder, tying it like a cape. “I’ll be right back, I promise.” NightLight wiped at his sockets, trying to dry his tears as he tenderly lifted the crown off DayDream and running towards a city at the foot of the hill they were on. He was gone for hours before he returned to DayDream. He was carrying the crown, but he held another one in his other hand, a copy of the one DayDream wore. “I made a copy for you to wear in case I have to leave you. You can have it.” He put the copy on DayDream as he put the one he took from DayDream on his skull, making it float above his with his magic. “I look like I have a halo now.” He murmured, crying again as he hugged the cold stone that now made-up DayDream’s body. “I’m sorry, I probably got this weird goop on you.” He sniffled, pulling back. He wiped at his arm, trying to get the pure black liquid off his bones, but failing. “I didn’t think they would do that to us. They liked you so much. I knew they didn’t like me, but that was kinda guaranteed with what I am. The keeper of all negative emotions. Pain, grief, hate, anger, wrath, disgust… But you, the keeper of all positive emotions. Happiness, joy, love, friendship, euphoria, ecstasy… You were the favored one. The one they all loved and cared for, the one they gave gifts to, gave their love too. Whereas they abused me, throwing rocks, rotten food, books, tools, anything they could get their hands on. They poisoned me, tried to kill me multiple times, but I endured it all. For you. I never wanted you to hate them, because we don't know what it could do to you...” He clenched his fists into tight balls as he ground his teeth, looking with hate towards the empty city at the bottom of the hill. He stayed silent for a while before getting up. “I doubt there is anyone left in the city, or they’re hiding from me, but I can’t fix you without learning more about the magic in the world. Who knows, maybe someone out there can fix this and bring back Gaia, Mom… I’ll be back. I don’t know when, but I’ll be back. I promise.” He walked up to DayDream and hugged him, pressing a kiss to his stone teeth before backing away and opening a portal for himself. He turned to look at DayDream one last time, shedding a single tear before stepping through and closing it behind him, leaving the frozen DayDream alone atop the hill, next to a tree that was forever dead.
Over the years, NightLight lost his control to the corruption of the black apples, but they still had a similar goal. Save DayDream. Save their mate. He’d taken the name Nightmare instead, so he didn’t taint NightLight’s name. Nightmare didn’t return. He never returned to DayDream and didn’t return in time to save him from Ink. When he returned 700 years later, DayDream was gone. No trace of him ever being there except for the indents in the grass and the broken vines on the ground. Nightmare wailed in despair at the loss of his mate. So deep in his anger and sadness, he destroyed the lives of millions, unluckily catching the attention of Ink. The Creator of AUs, and the one who “freed” DayDream from his stoney prison. They clashed alone in a desolate AU, Nightmare loosing severely. He realized that he could not fight Ink on his own, so, he gathered a team of those who had been abandoned by Ink. Those that had been abused by their AUs and tossed away like trash. This team was called the Bad Sanses, Vandr, Andlatkyn, Bad Guys, and Nightmare Gang by many due to their… unkind appearances. Because of Nightmare’s clashing with Ink, he removed both crowns, choosing to keep them hidden in a case he kept under the floorboards of his room in his castle. He had loosened a floorboard under his desk enough for him to remove it and place the case under it before sealing the floorboard back in place with his magic. He never expected his subordinates to be so curious about the constant magical signature coming from his room, as it was weak and barely there. But it was there, and it was strong enough to be detected.
