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Tommy always struggled with identity. More specifically, his own identity. He knew who he was of course! Who could ever forget the great TommyInnit? Born and raised in the desolate lands of the Anarchy server 2b2t and able to rise in ranks as the most dangerous player alive. Strong enough to leave the chaotic lands in search of a new life only to be found by the Angel of Death himself, Philza Craft. He grew up with his older adopted twin brothers Wilbur Soot Craft and Technoblade Craft, both dangerous warriors in their own right. He travelled through different servers and learned to enjoy the peace and quiet and how to be a kid. He joined up with Wilbur and together they accepted their invite to the exclusive Dream SMP where they decided to stray from the rules and make their own path. He stayed strong even though the days on the SMP started to blur with his memories from that hellscape of a server that I escaped andIamsafeandicantbehurtbythosepeopleanyoneright?
Tommy always struggled with identity
But he knew who he was…..right?
It was only when he was exiled that he realised that he didn’t know his friends, his family. Family would have never exiled him. Family would have always visited. Family would have come to save him. Family would have never left him behind…..right?
It was later when he came to the conclusion that he no longer knew who he was.
It started with the dreams. Dreams that were always in black and white and would crackle and pop like a broken communicator. Dreams that would show a younger him playing amongst the stars while a beautiful woman who was larger than life would watch in amusement. Dreams where the woman showed him viewing pools and warned him about the dangers of falling in. Dreams that showed a younger him watch this woman create different things in the place they called home. Dreams where he helped this woman bring life to several different worlds that had their own personalities. These dreams were bright and filled with life and left him feeling warm when he woke in the mornings
Then came the nightmares. Of a man shrouded in darkness sneaking into the palace amongst the heavens and tainting the world's he and the woman created. The man would take the younger souls they were so young and small to fight back against this villain and twist them into something much darker. He witnesses the final battle between the Goddess of Life and Creation and her brother the former God of Death and Destruction. These nightmares were dark and twisted and left him in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.
The God of Death and Destruction, now dubbed Nightmare had one final mission before being banished from the palace of the gods; one final task to H U R T his former sister. Tommy was forced to watch as the shade pushed his younger self into one of the viewing pools. Watched as his mother, Clara, reached out to save him before he fell…..but she was too late.
On the night Tommy decided to flee Logstedshire, he had one last dream. He knelt in the garden next to Clara, his mother, and helped her tend to the flowers.
She started, “Hello, my son, I have missed you very much.”
“Hello mother,” he whispered, “Why now have you decided to contact me after all these years?”
“I thought I had lost you all those years ago. It was only by chance that I was viewing this specific world and recognized your soul. And because you now have a soul, I was unable to contact you due to the Olde Rules stating that Gods can not contact mortals.” She sadly stated
“Why now? What changed?” Tommy questioned
“My brother,” she hissed, “is what changed. I tend to keep an eye on his shade to make sure that he will never reform but I noticed the signs right after your war for independence. I thought that it was strange for the Admin of this server to change so drastically but I quickly realized that the Admin was no more. Hadeon--no Nightmare, has taken over. I-It's only now that I understand the depth of the depravity of this...creature - this monster that I unknowingly helped to create. As if what he had already done wasn't enough, he found a new way to desecrate, to humiliate, to destroy. As if the suffering wasn't enough, the loss of innocence, the loss of everything to so many people. All of your souls once living joyously in this world filled with life are now trapped in a prison of his own making. He lured the admin in with dreams of the times before. He used familiar tricks to gather all the souls together and corrupt them. Are they still...aware? I hope not. It keeps me awake at night. I could take you and disappear leaving them to their fate...But not yet. Not until I undo what he has done and heal this wound - a wound first inflicted on me, but then one that I let bleed out to cause all of this. I don’t know how these souls are still alive in those...monsters. But they will never find rest now. Not like this. I have to call them all back. All of them. Together in one place. And end this, once and for all.”
Tommy was speechless. So it wasn’t my friends that did this to me.
“What can I do to help?” he asked determinedly.
“I need you to act like nothing's wrong. I need you to bring everyone to one spot and keep them there for as long as possible. We have one shot to get this right or you all will be trapped here…...forever.”
“I will do whatever it takes to free my friends from this monster's hold, mother.”
--Time Skip--
Today was the day. It had taken longer than initially thought but all the planning and scheming without letting Dream know what he was planning.
Acting like everything was normal when it was far from it was the most difficult thing he had to do. Especially since he knew his friends were being manipulated like puppets by the true villain of this story.
Finally, Dream initiated contact by having his house destroyed and covered in Netherrack. As he slowly walked into the ruined house he had to school his features to only show grief and anger rather than pure elation and joy as he read the signs left behind by Dream.
He then spent the rest of the day preparing for this final showdown. He visited all his friends and invited them to come to the coordinates left behind. He gave each and every one of them a tight hug and left them with whispers of goodbye and I love you disappearing in the wind.
After grabbing Tubbo and following the coordinates, they arrived at the hidden location. Tommy continued to play as the unsuspecting victim to the cruel plot; he pretended to steal the “fake” discs only to hand them back under the threat of Tubbo’s death. He acted shocked when he saw all of the missing items from each of the Esempi. He teared up when forced to say goodbye to Tubbo. He displayed elation at the arrival of all the Esempi members to the secret location.
Then, as he turned his back to leave through the portal, Dream’s voice called out:
You played right into our hands. Did you really think that everyone came here for you? No. This was a gift. For me. You gathered everyone here in one place, all of these little souls, in one place. Just for me. A gift. Now I can do what I was created to do. And be complete. I will make you proud, Nightmare. Watch. Listen. And be still.”
Just as Dream went to cut down Tommy
*BEEP*
A server announcement started playing, and the soft echos of his mother's voice
“I'm sorry to interrupt you, Clay. If you still even remember that name. But I'm afraid you've been misinformed.
You are not here to receive a gift. Nor, have you been called here by the individual you assume. Although, you have indeed been called.
You have all been called here. Into a labyrinth of sounds and smells, misdirection, and misfortune.
A labyrinth with no exit. A maze with no prize. You don't even realize that you are trapped. Your lust of blood has driven you in endless circles. Chasing the cries of children in some unseen chamber, always seeming so near.
It's somehow out of reach.
But, you will never find them. None of you will.
This is where your story ends.
I am remaining as well. I am nearby.
This place will not be remembered and the memory of everything that started this, can finally begin to fade away. As the agony of every tragedy should.
And to you monsters trapped in the corridors. Be still. And give up your spirits.
They don't belong to you.
As for most of you, I believe there is peace and perhaps, warm, waiting for you after the smoke clears.
Although, for one of you, the darkest pit of Hell has opened to swallow you whole. So, don't keep the Devil waiting, brother.
My son, if you can hear me, I knew you would return as well. It's in your nature to protect the innocent. I'm sorry that on that day, the day you were shut out and left to die, no one was there to lift you up in their arms, the way you lifted others into yours.
And then, what became of you, I should have known, you wouldn't be content to disappear. Not my son. I couldn't save you then.
So, let me save you now. It's time to rest, for you, and for those you have carried in your arms...
This ends.
For all of us.
End communication.”
As the server announcement crackled out, Tommy could see the way that the server began to forcibly shut down. The blocks surrounding began to glitch out before fading away from existence leaving only Void behind. He watched as each member of the Esempi collapsed on the ground before deteriorating into light particles that exited through the heavens.
He watched as midnight black chains erupted and encased Nightmare’s puppet forcing him to stay as his “world” disappeared around him.
Soon it was Tommy’s turn to leave the world and as he looked up to the sky and closed his eyes, he heard a soft chime in the background as the sun rose for its final time.
6 AM.
He had survived