Chapter Text
Wilbur’s trip to insanity had been slow, but it started when Schlatt won the election, and got himself presidency. And then Schlatt revoked his citizenship, and Tommy’s as well, from a city they build from the ground up. They were the ones who fought and lost to their neighbouring city, not Schlatt. But they had been thrown out regardless.
They were chased out by soldiers he remembered very well, soldiers that once fought at his side, now sought to chase them away. Tommy had been screaming bloody murder when it happened, cussing Schlatt our while Wilbur himself simply grabbed Tommy’s arm and ran off.
And that was the start.
However it wasn’t safe for them to be angry, for them to grieve. They had to get to safety before any of that would be possible, and he supposed they were safe now, safe in a small ravine, hidden away from Manberg, until they weren’t.
Everything had been going fine, fine until it wasn’t anymore. Until Wilbur snapped, his sanity broken under the pressure of getting his city back. When he decided that if he couldn’t have Manberg, then no one could.
-☘︎︎-
Do not pity the dead.
-☘︎︎-
Wilbur was staring at him with narrowed eyes, there was a certain glint in his eyes that he didn’t quite like. Before Wilbur even had a chance to send him a letter requesting his presence, Tommy already warned him, specifically seeking him out to tell him of Wilbur’s current state, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight of him.
“Dream, i need the tnt, i’ll blow those fuckers sky high! Everyone in the city! Darling i promise it will put and end to this all.” Wilbur was still talking to him, trying to convince him to just give in to him, to hand him the tnt.
But Dream had his doubts, it was distressing enough to see his lover so insane, and he felt powerless against it. He wasn’t supposed to feel powerless, he was viewed as a god by the people in all cities, renowned for his strength and power.
Yet he couldn’t do a single thing against this.
The pleading eyes of his lover were glaring holes into his skin, and he felt himself nod, before his mouth could answer. This would come back to haunt him endlessly, but he didn’t care, he couldn’t find it in himself to refuse Wilbur. Even as Tommy kept screaming for him not to do it, for him not to hand over the tnt, the one thing that was sure to destroy Manberg.
A manic smile grows on Wilbur’s face as Dream feels tears well up in his eyes, “Perfect my love, they won’t know what hit them! I don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire, we’ll have done what we needed to!” The insane hint to Wilbur’s voice kept increasing the more he talked, and it was unsettling to both him and Tommy.
“Wilbur, reconsider. There are children in that city, they don’t deserve this.” His voice was shaky and unbalanced, as he tentatively said the words. Wilbur seemed unstable, he didn’t want to hurt the man, he would never hurt him.
The words seemed to struck a nerve with Wilbur, who stomped up to Dream, before carefully laying his hand on his lover’s cheek. Dream flinched nonetheless, no matter how careful Wilbur was with him.
“You’ll see darling, we’re in the right here, I’m in the right here. And we’ll prove it to them, it doesn’t matter their age, they made the mistake of living there, not us.” His harsh words weren’t startling, not anymore, but Wilbur’s soft fingers brushing through his hair were.
As if noticing his distress, Wilbur spoke up, “It’ll be alright darling, you’ll see! Everything will be alright, we can live in a better world, a world without Manberg!”
His eyebrows knitted together in concern, but under Wilbur’s scrutiny, he just nodded. Insane laughter drowning out Tommy’s complaints as he mentally apologised to the boy, all the while building up courage to speak up.
“Alright Wilbur, i’ll help you.”
-☘︎︎-
Pity the living.
-☘︎︎-
Tubbo walks down the ruins of Manberg, a troubled look on his face as he takes in all the ruin, bodies strewn about here and there, if he pretended hard enough he could imagine they were merely asleep. Instead of the truth, that they were dead, blown up from the tnt Wilbur laced the whole city with.
A crunch resonated through the broken remains of the city as Tubbo stepped on a book, it’s leather cover painted with ash and dust, it was a miracle the book wasn’t torn to pieces. His curiosity sparked as he saw a bit of writing on the book, all it said was ‘Property of Wilbur Soot’ on the cover.
Everything went silent as Tubbo leaned down, picking up the notebook, his eyes widening a smidge as a letter fell out. He put the notebook down in favour of the letter, opening the folded piece of paper and reading the words carefully.
My dearest Dream,
If you read this letter then it’s already too late for me, i never meant to let it get this far. But i hope you’re somewhere, looking after Tommy, maybe even Tubbo. Please take care of them, i never wanted to drag them into this, i never meant to make their lives this difficult.
I hope you’re somewhere better than here, out of these wretched lands and into new livelier lands where the thought of me won’t haunt you so. Where your beautiful golden hair can flow freely in the breeze, and your emerald eyes will sparkle with a happiness I haven’t seen in a long time. Where you’ll smile without forcing yourself, where more scars don’t threaten your skin, a world where you will be safe and happy.
I could’ve never given you that, we both know it, all i wanted was justice and my land back.
You understand, right? How it feels to lose yourself in the throes of a war? I’m sorry i hurt you my darling, i could see the unshed tears in your eyes when you talked to me. You needn’t hide my love, you needn’t fret, i understand.
It hurt you to see me like this, as it hurt Tommy to see me like this, but it also hurts to see my own little brother in the clasps of Schlatt.
All i tried to do was set the world straight for everyone, and i’m sorry that i failed you my dearest, but you’ve failed me too. You were supposed to stop me, keep me from destruction, but all you could do was watch on, i do not blame you darling, but do not blame me either, for i did it all for you.
For you,
For Tommy,
For Pogtopia.
With love,
Wilbur.
Tubbo took care folding up the letter again, tucking it into his pocket. There was no Dream left to give this to, as he had been taken in the explosion like most others, running back to try and save the children. While everyone that was left, locked Wilbur up in the remains of their prison, rebuilding a cell to keep him in.
There was no need to give a deadman a letter, but there was no need to let Wilbur know that Dream’s eyes would never see this letter, he didn’t need to be burdened with more pain besides the pain of his actions.
-☘︎︎-
And above all, those who live without love.