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Defeat tasted extremely sour.
Tommy had experienced his fair share of losses during his time on the server, but right now he had never experienced anything like this. Dream had them cornered. It was checkmate. The thought of staying prideful long gone, tears spilling down his cheek as he stared at his best friend.
His best friend that was about to get slaughtered.
They had lost.
This was going to be the end.
Begging for the brunette to stay in his tight embrace for longer, he cried into his soft hair. After everything that had gone through this really was the worst ending. So many regrets and ‘what ifs’ filled his mind. Alas, it was all too late for that now. As the older boy exited the hug, coldness took over in his place. A coldness that was exceptionally bitter, it made his eyes sore, made his fists clench, made his stomach churn. It overwhelmed him. He was going to throw up, or he was going to cry again. Tommy’s body hadn’t decided which one to choose quite yet.
As Tubbo took a step towards Dream, the world came crashing down. They had been so optimistic. They had been so prepared. Both boys weren’t stupid, failure was always going to be a possible outcome. But they had had faith that they could actually become the victors. Maybe all the hard work they had poured into this fight would pay off.
Oh how naïve they had been.
Choked sobs escaped his lips as he watched Tubbo walk away. Walking away to his death. And he couldn’t do a single thing to stop it. Another glance at his friends uncomfortably vacant eyes broke him down even more. He didn’t know what was worse, the fact that he was going to watch his best friend get murdered right before his eyes or the fact that the aforementioned had given up so easily. Sure, the shorter boy claimed that he was content with dying, but what about how Tommy would feel? Selfishness was a trait that was often associated with the blonde but at that very moment he couldn’t care less if that’s how others perceived him. If it was selfish for him to try and fight to save Tubbo’s life, then he would gladly accept the insult. He wanted the discs, but he didn’t want to retrieve them alone. He didn’t was to be alone. Loneliness is something he had experienced way too many times. He didn’t want to be alone.
But he was going to be abandoned.
Again.
Left all by himself, so painfully lonely-
Goddammit.
Dream was speaking but he couldn’t bring himself to listen. Focusing on Tubbo and only Tubbo. He swears he could hear the crackling of the nether portal and he could almost see the purple mist swirling into action. That was just his imagination though, wasn’t it? Surely no one would be able to find them, they were thousands of blocks away, they were trapped.
But then Dream gasped.
Tommy snapped back to reality, not just focussing on Tubbo anymore. Instead, he shifted his attention to the nether portal. Realising that the sounds and movements hadn’t been created by his own mind because there stood Punz and that was definitely not something his mind could just display right in front of him.
“I’m sorry Dream.” He stated, solidifying the fact that he was very real and not just a figment of Tommy’s imagination.
“Punz?” The masked man laughed, obviously just as confused as the boys were about the sudden appearance.
“I’m sorry Dream,” Punz repeated, “but you should’ve paid me more.”
Then the portal burst into life again as another person entered, then another. Then another. Friends and foes alike flooded out of the purple swirls. Tommy couldn’t help but excitedly yell, eyes wide with shock. They had come to rescue them. The payment he had worked so had to give to Punz had been successful. Instinctively, he rushed forward, grabbing onto Tubbos sleeve before dragging him through the crowd of people. He swears he heard Dream curse at them but that was drowned out by the clashing of metal as Sapnap stepped in to stop the crazed man.
Frantically he snatched up the discs that were on the ground, shoving them into the ender chest. Finally being able to breathe, he slumped against the wall, bringing Tubbo down with him. Together they sat, watching as everyone stood in between them and Dream.
A grin formed on his face as he looked at all the individuals. A part of his mind had previously told him that this wasn’t going to work, that no one would come. In fact, he had practically given up on that idea. But now he was looking up at everyone and couldn’t help but recall the pasts he had had with each person. He couldn’t help but recall everything that has led up to them helping him when he needed it the most.
At the front of the pack stood Punz.
The man had always been tied to Dream. Informed about how the man’s business worked, he found himself never really trusting the guy. Dream always had copious amounts of supplies on him which allowed him to easily pay Punz in order to get what he wanted. Whilst attempting to fix his relationship with others before his final battle, Tommy decided to gift Punz some valuable items. It was in hopes of gaining the man’s help and it obviously hadn’t been for nothing.
Next to Punz, gripping onto his sword threateningly, was Sapnap.
There have been so many wars on the server that Tommy has lost track of how many times he has fought against Sapnap. Most notably there were the pet wars which had caused a rift between the two even if the had previously workedt together when Tommy had just joined the server. The brilliant fighter had also obviously sided with his best friends when Tommy burnt George’s house. But then there was the time where Tommy had given back Mars and then watched Sapnap crouch down, gently letting his fish free. They had stood together in silence, pleasantly watching the fish swim away. Persuading him to fight with him on doomsday was also something Tommy had managed to achieve, meaning that Sapnap was on the team against dream. And even though they had tragically lost L’manberg that day, they remained on good terms.
Not far behind them was Callahan.
He rarely spoke to him. He didn’t even see him that much when he was fighting in the wars. Of course, he was already known for being a player who didn’t use his voice, but he also didn’t really interact at all with the man. The first time he had ever met the guy was at the Dream smp. Overall, he had come off as quite sarcastic but that humoured the blonde, so their relationship was fairly neutral.
On the other side of the silent player was Sam.
Whilst he hasn’t spent much time with the Redstone genius, their friendship was a nice one. Tommy had felt pride when Sam showed that he trusted him enough to reveal his secret base to him. He had even offered Tommy a safe place to stay if he ever found himself in trouble. It had been a genuinely kind gesture that touched Tommy’s heart.
Tommy gaze drifting to the side, he noticed Ant and Bad standing together.
The cat hybrid was someone else he hadn’t interacted with much. However, he did have the fond memory of abducting him with Techno so they could have someone dig materials for them. Looking back, it had been a hilariously good time and he had had some good laughs. Ant also gifted Tommy mushroom Henry, which he had greatly appreciated. It had allowed him to have a companion whist in exile, so even when he felt truly alone, the soft moo could always be heard in the distance, comforting him ever so slightly.
Bad, on the other hand, was someone who he had talked to quite a bit. They had fought on opposite sides on a handful of occasions but at the end of the day, neither of them considered the other as an enemy. In fact, Tommy enjoyed tormenting the poor man with as many swear words as he could and Bad was happy to shout ‘language!’ every time. During his exile, Bad had been one of the first people to visit him and had even given him some gifts. Tommy remembers trying to refuse them, stating he didn’t need anyone’s ‘pity’ but later realised he valued the presents as it was a small reminder that the others might still care about him. On Christmas Bad had gifted him pigstep too. And even though he had already received one earlier, he tried his hardest to show his gratitude, as a part of him didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings.
Just to the left of them was HBomb.
HBomb was the first person to gift him pigstep on Christmas day. It was the first time in a while where he had felt actual joy and happiness. Previously, the man had also given him wait, another music disc. This was Tommy’s favourite, so he very much appreciated the kind gesture which was an attempt to cheer him up whilst he was in exile.
Far on the other side of the room, on the outskirts of the group, stood Ranboo.
The enderman hybrid had only joined the smp for a couple of days before Tommy had dragged into one of his reckless schemes. It was only meant to be a bit of harmless fun, but just like always something went wrong. The younger boy had refused to talk about Ranboo’s involvement, instead talking all the blame for himself. He didn’t know why he had done it, as people’s feelings were never what mattered the most to him when carrying out his plans. But for whatever reason he felt the need to cover for the other boy. This had worked out well for him as Ranboo, in return, defended Tommy against the others, claiming that the disc obsessed boy wasn’t actually selfish. Ranboo even came to visit him in exile. Whilst their relationship became rocky due to Dreams manipulation of both boys, in the end that was all put to one side as Ranboo offered help when he stayed with Techno. Tommy understood that Ranboo had a complicated relationship with Dream, and yet the hybrid still came to Tommy’s aid, which he couldn’t help but smile at the action.
Next to him stood Puffy.
Whilst they would often pull pranks on each other and mess around quite a bit and he would never openly admit it, but he had come to like the captain. A lot of adults on the smp haven’t really treated him well, but Puffy was fun and allowed Tommy to be himself. The sheep hybrid had even left a Christmas tree for him in Logstedshire. The Christmas tree had brought a lot of joy to Tommy.
In the centre of the group, you couldn’t miss the sight of Quackity. And for some unknown reason had once again ended up taking off the majority of his clothes.
Sure, Quackity was once an enemy. He had started off by teaming up with Schlatt and that had hurt the blonde. But soon, once Quackity had realised Schlatt was the bad guy in the equation, he switched sides to join Pogtopia. The boy had loudly voiced his concerns and complaints when Tubbo announced the exile and at the early stages, he came to visit Tommy. Vivid memories of doomsday were something he would never be able to shake from his mind. And whilst most of the memories that plagued him were negative, he looks back and remembers when the boy pulled out his guitar once it had all ended. They sat towering above the crater and one last time they sang the anthem. It was a surprisingly peaceful moment considering what had happened just before it. Overall, they had had a lot of fun together. Even know, Tommy giggled at the sight of his friend as he only stood in shorts, completely exposed.
Just a couple of steps from the semi-nude man was Ponk.
Tommy remembers being able to persuade Ponk to join their side when they fought against Manberg even though they had been rivals in the past. When Tommy had snuck into the Dream smp territory, Ponk had spotted him. And even though he could’ve ratted him out, Ponk promised that Tommy’s trip would stay as a secret between just the two of them. It stayed that way, which made Tommy have a newfound respect for the man.
Nearing the back of the group was Niki.
Yes, Tommy was half aware that Niki might hate him. He was fairly sure she turned on them and helped Techno in destroying L’manberg but at the same time he wasn’t sure. But it didn’t change the fact that they had both offered help to each other during the pet war. She had helped him build a road in the nether too, whilst he was trapped in exile. And even now, before Tommy and Tubbo ventured off she stood on the path so she could wish them luck, so even though she was slightly suspicious, she still seemed to care enough to help him.
Next to her stood Jack.
Him and Jack had spent some good times together. He had joined L’manberg and fought along Tommy right up until doomsday. And now the boy resided in Snowchester along with Tubbo. Since Tubbo seems to get along well with him, Tommy is sure he can too. Besides, they have always been on the same team.
Right at the very back, the closest person to Tommy and Tubbo, was Eret.
Mixed feelings and emotions are what he felt when looking at that man. Betrayal was never easy for someone to heal from and Eret’s betrayal had cut deep into him, leaving a wound much worse than what a sword or axe can do. But then again, the same man did try his hardest to fix past mistakes. Obviously plagued with regret, he attempted to help them as much as he could. He even gave gifts to Tommy when he was in exile. Whilst Tommy had refused, once again not wanting any ‘pity’, he secretly appreciated the gesture. Then on doomsday the King had helped him in his battle. This made Tommy reconsider and then he even attempted to fix the broken relationship. He hesitantly forgave Eret right before they left for their battle, as he didn’t want to die leaving relationships bitter and conflicts unsolved.
So, Tommy looked around at all the people he has met on the smp. People he has fought beside, people who he has fought against, all working together to beat one man. A man who now looked so powerless compared to the army Punz had brought with him.
Getting up, he pushed his way through the crowd. He grabbed the netherite axe that was displayed on the wall, waving it at Dream. Everything seemed to go bye in a blur. Dream attempted to taunt his opponent. Tommy threatened the masked man. Both too stubborn, too prideful, to back down now.
The hooded man glanced around. Tommy wishes he could rip the protective mask, exposing whatever wary expression was painted on Dream’s actual face. Instead, he chose to thrust the axe forward as a warning. Dream was outnumbered, that fact was prominent. A sense of power flooded Tommy. He recalled all the times he had been broken by the man. It happened a long time ago, but he remembers losing count of the number of times the manipulator had abused him. Harsh words always lingered in the air. Burns from exploding TNT littered his skin. Tommy had always been the prey; Dream had always been the predator. But right at this very moment, surrounded by copious amounts of support, the roles have been reversed. Borrowing a pickaxe, he dug down a couple of blocks. Confused eyes watched him, but Tommy knew what he was doing. For once he could be the predator. A sly grin formed on his face as he spoke,
“Dream, drop your stuff in the hole.”