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„We had some laughs, it was fun, you know all good things must come to an end eventually. I just didn't think this would be my coming to an end if you will.“ Tubbo sounded like he had accepted what was about to happen. It was inevitable anyways. It was always gonna end like this.
„What am I without you?“ Tommy asked desperately. It was always him and Tubbo, this couldn’t just change.
„Yourself?“ Tommy was gonna be ok without him. Tubbo knew that. He was always the one who knew how to take care of himself.
„So you really are accepting this. Are you ok..?“ Tommy just couldn’t wrap his head around the way Tubbo seemed so… done. Surely there was something they could do.
„Yeah it's alright, it’s alright“ It wasn’t. But what was Tubbo supposed to say? There was nothing he could do at this point and he tried so hard to keep it together.
„Are you gonna be ok?“ Tommy didn’t know what to do, what to say. He couldn’t just let his best friend die.
„It was fun, we said our goodbyes already at the start. Who knows what happens when I'm dead.“ This was not really an answer to Tommy's question but he didn’t know. Was he gonna be ok? If he would start to actually let himself think about it he would break and he couldn’t do that. Tommy needed him to be ok.
„But we were optimistic. You know that we were. The whole way here we were bantering, my mic broke and... we were optimistic.“ How did everything go so wrong? This was not the way the story was supposed to go. They were supposed to win. Not… not die.
„Well you know you get backed into a corner. This is like he describes me as a pawn? This is checkmate. This is it. This is the end. I suggest you resign.“ These stupid chess metaphores were just so fucking fitting. And Tubbo used to love chess. This was the end and even if Tommy didn’t want to see it there was nothing they could do to change things. Sometimes you get outplayed no matter how much you try to win. And he was just a pawn to be sacrificed in Dream’s game .
„Tubbo, even though for this entire server I have always regarded you as my sidekick and then the character really Tubbo I was your sidekick. Please don't go. Please don't go.“ He wouldn’t be able to do this without his Tubbo. How was he supposed to do this? there had to be something he could do. How was Tubbo so resigned? He just gave up. He couldn’t just hand himself over to Dream like this.
„No it's fine“ Tubbo walked over to Dream. „It's about time anyway.“ Tubbo was trying so hard to seem calm and okay. He was terrified. It was not like he wanted to die but there was nothing left. At least he knew Tommy was gonna be ok. Dream wouldn’t kill him. But for him it was time. He had died before. And yes this was different. This one was final.
„No no!“ There had to be something Tommy could do to stop this. But there wasn’t. So he just stood there helpless while his best friend walked to his slaughter.
“ Say your goodbyes“ Dream gave them a last chance to do so. He was getting tired of this. This had been going on for long enough.
„Goodbye Tommy.“ Tubbo was standing next to Dream and turned his back to him to look at his best friend one last time.
“No, Tubbo...” Tommy was desperate. He didn't know what to do, what to say. He couldn't do anything but he couldn't let this happen. This couldn't be happening. This was not supposed to be happening.
Tubbo, with a slight smile on his face, was looking at Tommy, trying to say everything is gonna be ok. trying to remember every part of his face. But there was also the fear in his eyes he tried to hide. The absolute panik. This was the end. This was checkmate. No more moves to save him.
With one single hit of the axe it was over. Dream killed Tubbo right in front of Tommy with Tommy being the last thing Tubbo ever saw. A scream so deafening and full of pain echoed through Dreams vault. As if the sound stretched over the whole server, at that moment everyone could feel that something had changed. Something went wrong.
At this moment Tommy broke. He had been broken before. He had been broken when they lost the election. He had been broken when Wilbur died. He had been broken when he was exiled. He had always managed to put the pieces back together for better or for worse. But this time it was different. This time he didn't just break, he shattered. Into a million pieces that could never be put back together.
In slow motion, he saw the body of his best friend fall to the ground and the light vanish from his eyes. At this moment there was only Tubbo and him. It felt like time had slowed down. He tried to run to Tubbo but his legs didn't work. He broke down half way there and crawled the rest to hold his best friend in his arms. This couldn't be real. This wasn't happening right now. He didn't even realize that he was crying while he screamed and cursed at Tubbo to wake up, to say something, not to leave him. But there was so much blood everywhere. So much blood. Tubbo wouldn't wake up.
Dream standing a few steps back had a slight evil smile behind the mask. His plan was going great. Of course it was. Everything was the way it was supposed to be. And this was only the beginning.
* * *
Tommy wasn't sure how he got here. Everything was kind of a blur after... after... he couldn't even bear to finish thinking this thought. He sat there curled up to a ball with his hands around his knees in the back corner of an obsidian box. Cut off from everyone and everything by layers and layers of lava. So much he remembered. But none of this mattered anymore. Nothing mattered.
He sat there staring at the obsidian floor. Doing everything just not to think. Not thinking about him being stuck here. Stuck in an inescapable prison. Not thinking about the blood on his clothes. The blood of his best friend. Not thinking about the fact that it was all his fault. Everything.
* * *
In another part of the prison Dream was nervous. So far his plan had worked. Perfectly one might say. Just the way it should be. Everything was under his control. But this? This part was crucial. What if it didn't work? What if Schlatt lied? Doing anything to save himself? Not that it actually helped him in the end. But he still could have lied. This could still just be a stupid useless book. But he would find out soon enough. He had everything he needed.
So let's bring someone back from the dead.
* * *
It was bright and colorful. Two words people would usually use to describe happy things. But this place wasn't happy. This was hell. At least that much Tubbo was sure of. His own personal hell. Bright colors flashing everywhere and constantly. It felt like they were crashing down on him. At the same time there were sounds of explosions in irregular patterns. They were deafeningly loud. Tubbo had tried to run, to leave this place but there was no leaving. No escape. It felt like his feet weren't moving an inch even though he ran for what felt like hours. Maybe days. But everything stayed the same.
It was as if Tubbo was stuck in a box. Maybe the box was the size of a small blackstone room where a few people could find space in. Maybe it was so small that he couldn't even spread his arms, where he couldn't move at all because of yellow concrete. Maybe it was as big as a huge room you could only reach with an elevator but there was still no place to escape to. It was all of these places and none of them at the same time. It was just colors and explosions.
It was like his nightmares only a thousand times worse. And this time he wouldn't wake up.
Tubbo sat on the floor, his head between his knees, his eyes pressed close, his hands over his ears. But he could still hear the explosions and he could still see the colors. There was no escape. And this time he was completely alone. There was no one who could even try to save him. No Tommy, no Wilbur.
But he wasn't quite right about that. After what felt like an eternity, it could have been hours, days, years, - Tubbo couldn't tell anymore - he heard a familiar voice through the explosions. A voice that was calming and unnerving at the same time.
“Tubbo! I didn't think you would be the one I would see here first.”, Wilbur said, “Welcome to limbo! It's nice to have someone else to talk to other than Schlatt and Mexican Dream. I spend most of my time here playing Solitare. Are you interested in playing a round?...”
Wilbur's voice started to fade. No!, Tubbo thought. Maybe he screamed it. The only familiar thing couldn't just leave him here alone again! He couldn’t do this on his own! But at the same time he realized that the colors and noises were also fading. Everything was getting quieter, was getting less. What was happening?
And then suddenly everything was dark and he took a panicked deep breath. Then he opened his eyes.
* * *
Tubbo snapped up into a sitting position looking panicked around the room. He was sitting in a small room made of stone bricks. He had never seen this room before. But there were no colors or explosions. It was incredibly silent. Almost too silent. On the opposite wall there was a barred window and an iron door. Behind the window he could see someone. Dream. And he remembered.
Tubbo pushed himself to the back wall to get the most distance possible between him and the man that killed him, still looking around confused and scared. What was going on? Where was he? He looked down at himself and could see his bloody clothes. The same clothes he had worn to the final disc war. Dream was observing him intrigued. He looked almost excited. Tubbo was feeling his body. Nothing hurt. Not even the part where Dream had hit him with the axe. He looked back at Dream. His lips forming a silent What? Dream smiled behind his mask. “It actually worked”, he said excitedly,
“Welcome back, Tubbo!”