"WE WON." Tommy yells, "WE WON!!"

Like the spark of fire on gasoline everyone picked up with yelling- happy- and energized- not even the wounded were quiet-

Everything about this moment was celebration-

Cheers lifted into the air- people crowding each other with high fives and hugs- yells and whoops of pure joy-

Because they did it-

They fucking did it-

You could see the sparkles of joy popping in each person's individual stares- feel the buzz of happy energy in the air-

When Tommy charged up to you and gave you a massive hug you couldn't help but laugh with him, squeezing him into the hug and briefly picking him up to shake the laughing teen.

He was chattering about so many things- a barrage of happy tunes sung from his mouth before he whips around to Tubbo- who hadn't been far behind and bear hugs him as well.

Your heart went soft with how happy they were-

How happy everyone was.

Techno, no longer a boar, was cheering just as much with everyone- albeit calmer- less enthusiastic-

It was more of a battle cry- a raw voice that rejoiced in victory alone and a battle well fought- followed by the one liner of, "YEeahhhH- We killed an old man with heart problems!! Poog!!!"

You burst out laughing-

You couldn't tell if anyone else laughed or cheered harder after hearing that- but you shot him a grin- and he snorted in your direction.

No matter how cheerful everything was, that couldn't shake you from being observant.

You watched-

Idly by- as Dream slunk away in all the thunderous applause- back to wherever he came from.

You watched Wilbur's eyes as people circled about him- always the center of attention. An inkyness was spreading through his face- thinly veiled beneath a smile-

Like one wrong string tugged, and the delicate look would fall off his face- collapsing in a fleshy and visceral pile of manic emotions he had been flashing leading up to this event.

Everything was not right with the world

But then- then the cheering calmed-

And Wilburs voice rose. He strut up to Tommy- still trying to hold together the facade of joy- placing a brief hand on the boy's shoulder before nudging him towards the outside of the van.

"Tommy- Tommy- come with me- out here-" he smashes a window in, hopping out of the van and looking behind him to make sure Tommy was following.

As a group- everyone else follows- still cheering and laughing- but you focus in on Wilbur's words, "Tommy, you have to take your place."

"What does that mean?" Tommy asks- and you could see which direction they were heading. Right up to the stage- to the podium- with a mic- and all the seats below meant for watching-

Where all new presidents go to be officially put into office.

You pause in following- letting the two talk, before Tommy splits off from the larger group, unsurely climbing the hill to the stage.

You break eyecontact- looking around for anyone else who could be more clued in- but everyone is still smiling. Only Techno seems as perplexed as you, staring dead set up at the stage, not breaking eyecontact. His fist is clenched around the hilt of his blade- and however hard you try, his thoughts seem unreadable.

Wilbur walks past everyone- to find a place to sit, and following his lead people filter into the audience.

Everyone heads towards the seats, so you naturally do the same, taking a place in the front- a proper view.

Technoblade awkwardly walks up after you- body language pure confusion, and when you look up at him and when he tilts his head with a loss of direction, you merely pat the seat next to you.

He doesn't take the seat. Choosing to instead stand beside your chair- directly in the spot that didn't have a seat. Well alright. If he didn't feel like sitting.

He was wordless- slumping where he stood, netherite sword still brandished and covered in blood from all the fighting. He mumbles something you can't hear.

You don't bother asking with how coiled he seemed.

"Did Wilbur have plans to make Tommy president?" You softly ask instead of aiming the question to what he was feeling-

He just tilts his head at you, "I have no idea what's happening."

That statement is enough, and you turn to look at Tommy, who had tapped the mic twice to make sure it was working, before looking out at everyone.

"We won." He says. Almost confused now that everything was calm.

A few cheers are let out, and he softly grins at the happy smiling crowd, "And I never thought I'd say this, but even after the hardships- and the tyranny we've been through-" he pauses, to look directly at a few people in the crowd, meeting your gaze before turning to who you supposed was Wilbur, "After everything...- it was meant to be-"

Another round of cheers are let out- a mimic of what he said- energized and joyous words of 'it was meant to be' said right back to him.

Techno let out another noise of confusion.

No matter how hard you tried to fight it, the sinking feeling in your gut was spreading again.

Your gut wasn't often wrong.

Tommy looks around over the happy crowd before asking, "Where's Dream?"

Everyone cranes their heads to look for the aforementioned mercenary, and as suspected, he lurking near the back of the group. He huffs out a cynical sounding, "I'm here."

Tommy takes a moment to collect his thoughts, and in that moment Dream buts in with a, "I'm not bowing to you Tommyinnit."

Techno pipes up with the same thing, and almost everyone starts saying that, before Wilbur, ever the charmer, calms the crowd.

"Thank-" Tommy at last starts, "Thank you everyone for making me president."

The shuddering breath that hits the mic after betrays his previous words. Like one long sigh.

"But I can't be president- because until I've gotten those disc's back I've got unfinished business-"

"You know who has those discs?" Dream chimes with a snide tone-

He gestures to Skeppy with a nod of his head, and said tiny man pulls out a disc.

You've heard a few times that Tommy really cares about a few certain disc's, but never in much detail.

From the way Tommy opened his mouth and furrowed his brows- they seemed to be the right ones-

Skeppy puts the disc away- and Tommy stays silent for a few moments more.

"I can't be the president." He says again, "Because as much as I want to I've got things to do."

The shuffling of Dream and Skeppy near the back is testimony to that- and when he proceeds to give the presidency to Wilbur, you're bracing yourself for the x-president to fall apart on himself.

But Wilbur doesn't fall apart- if anything the seams on the facade only grower tighter as he happily and proudly talks- about the country- and about how the flag should immediately be fixed-

Not Wilbur.

Wilbur can't hold together.

But just as soon as he got hold of the presidency- it's passed over- again. This time to Tubbo-

He was claiming that the boy should take the presidency, because 'as someone who's been convinced by Techno that governments just aren't the way to go, taking the presidency would be wrong.'

You don't understand why Wilbur would put Tommy up there if he didn't like governments, much less elect yet another president on the spot- but Tubbo walks up there anyway.

Tubbo is loved. He gives a speech about how L'manberg is like a piece of wood- and he messes it up- but everyone still cheers- and now more then ever- you'd love to be cheering too, but when you glance at Wilbur, and see him at his seat- face so grimly tensed, you tightly clench your hands together.

He makes eye contact with you.

The smile on his face falling to a blank expression after you stare for a few seconds. The intensity on his face made you flinch. Those eyes told you so much. He knew exactly what you were thinking.

He knew you had pried apart his character- his thoughts, his language- and he knew there was no point keeping up the happy game for you.

The staring contest didn't stop- and it was only when Tubbo's speech ended and everyone began to freely wander, that Wilbur broke away from eye contact- standing and briskly speed walking away from the crowd of now standing people.

He dipped the minute no one would notice him leaving.

Oh god.

You had to follow him.

You can't just let him do this.

You duck between a few figures- trying to catch him in the crowd, but his figure is lost by the time you reach the edge of the group.

Fuck.

You look back- everyone deciding to work on cleaning up the mess left behind-

Techno was frozen, staring at nothing in particular.

Tommy was busy tearing down decorations.

You didn't have time for them.

They didn't need your help.

Wilbur did.

You searched in the direction he could have gone, scowering along the grass for anything that could lead you in his direction.

There were a striking number of crows.

A lot in the sky and every square inch of fence post from a nearby garden had a set of talons perched on them.

Was it always this cluttered with fowl?

Across the river the trees were just as covered- branch upon branch filled with ebony colored avians.

Their cawing was like laughter in your ears- and you shook their beady eyes off to focus on tracking Wil.

The more you looked, the more lost you seemed to get-

It had to be close.

If the detonation process was close enough to get injured in, and possibly die in- it had to be close to the source.

The second it clicks, your gaze snaps towards the hill- the hill that the election stage was placed on-

It had to be there.

Before you can take a single step- the crows pick up in noise- fluttering their wings and crowing loudly into the air- one from the sky lands on your shoulder- and you startle, looking into its eyes before looking up where it came from-

Just in time to see who was also coming from above.

"Phil-" you say- bubbling over with emotions- too overwhelmed to say anything other then his name.

The gust of wind shot towards you as he lands forces your hair sprawling in every direction, eyes stinging with the air pressure, but there he was.

Phil.

Ebony wings just as pretty as you remembered- arching bones carefully folding behind him as he looks at you.

He smiles at your facial expression- assuming you're happy out of surprise and opening his mouth to say something- but you hold up a hand.

"There's no time."

"What do you mean?" He says, and the sound of fireworks goes off in the background.

What was happening out there.

"Wilbur will literally blow this place sky high- we need to stop him-"

He lifts his hands to calm you, but you merely grab his hand gently, "Now."

Any pleasantries he had were paused, and with a straightforward look, he steeled his face, "Alright. Where is he."

"Mountain-" you say- and no more elaboration is needed.

The crow's that were already sitting around before he arrived cawed at him and flew over to a particularly rough looking spot of stones.

You start to try to follow after him, but he holds a hand up, "Mate- you're good. You've been stressing about this- and I can handle it."

You don't get to protest when he plops a hand on your shoulder and gives it a gentle and steadfast squeeze.

"I got this. He's my son- I'm sure everything will be fine."

You stare for a moment.

He stares for a moment.

Your eyes are searching for his will to falter- but when he remains strong in his determination- you nod.

"Go see what's happening to your friends." He says, his head tilts towards all the noise- and with a start you realize that the sound of fireworks was now accompanied by screaming.

Those were not screams of joy.

"Good luck." You usher, nodding- the flames of hope re-lighting in your eyes.

"To you too. And you might want to clean that blood off." He points to your face, and you squint before touching your mouth to feel dried blood. Ah. When you took selfies, and for some reason Techno decided to shush you with a bloody hand. Right.

You nod at him with a roll of your eyes.

And then you part.

One understanding soul to another-

Both of you had duties here- mediators of the violence-

Phil off to save his son- you off to try and salvage whatever had happened during the smallest moment you had left.

When you peek back over the hill you immediately wish you hadn't.

Chaos.

A pure maelstrom of people running to and fro- weapons swung this way and that-

You rush down into the battle- not at all understanding what had happened but knowing enough- seeing dream and his goons after people- and knowing they needed to be stopped- again-

Didn't they learn the first time?

Not that you were the best with fighting- hell, you didn't plan on fighting if it could be avoided, but all the same you rush to find Tommy and Tubbo.

They only had one life left- you couldn't let them die-

Not the headbutting happy-go-lucky goof you were hanging out with- and the sensitive- yet strong-willed little ray of hope you'd come to know as Tommy.

You catch them amidst the fight- Tubbo first- being chased down by a figure in netherite- so of course you give chase right after-

Fireworks pop in the open air- splattering the ground with brief flaming colors- crackling in your ears until you swore it was echoing in your skull.

The noise only made you run faster-

Faster and faster-

Until your chase was cut short- a peculiar green figure stepping into your path and forcing you to come to a grinding halt.

The blank smiling mask of Dream froze you in your place.

From the hood and mask and armor- to the grip he had on his sword- all of it was telling of one single thing. He wasn't planning on leaving you alone.

He flicked his sword- sending the blood on it spritzing to the stone below. You didn't know whose blood it was- and you certainly hoped it wasn't anyone you knew.

Dream was not here to talk.

You hurried to draw your sword- to get around him and find Tubbo and Tommy, but he was already too close by the time your sword was tasting the air-

His blade was like a snake- rushing out with a quick tempered bite, lashing in a slash at your face before swinging back to his ready side.

You stumbled, and stumbling was enough time for him to kick- right in the stomach with enough force to send your figure to the ground-

The armor made the kick feel like a tap, but you've never learned a proper stance-

You could feel blood gush down your face as you stared shakily up at him. The burning feeling on your skin stemmed from above the right side of your eyebrow, down your nose and to your cheek- and it hurt like a bitch-

"You can't help them." Dream says, voice just as coiled as his sword, and when you looked up at him- one eye closed with how much blood was dripping into it- you only saw a snake. Deadly, and hidden within the tall grass- scaly and cold.

"I can." Rage bubbled in you, "I can and I will- regardless of whether that means killing you or not."

"You can't. Not unless you want to die in return." The smug tone of his voice grew more cynical, because in a way he was right.

Your greatest offense was also your greatest weakness- because in the small moments before you fully shift- before you fully become your other body- you are weak.

He was absolutely right, and with the way he was talking he made it abundantly clear that he knew. Whatever he was trying to figure out about you- he had cracked open- any mysterious facts you had lauded over him were gone.

Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew.

A prickling feeling stemmed alongside your jaw when panic dropped in you, and he laughed in your face, "Careful there- your scales are showing."

Fuck-

Your hand rushes to your jaw-

Fuck him-

The prickling smooths out-

Bloody Fucker-

His sword is lifted again, slowly, mockingly- drawing out the moment as though to savor feeling you panic-

Just as he swings down- there's a harsh clang of netherite on netherite, sword against sword- the air quivers with how much force was put into both sides-

Your gaze settled upon a different figure- bulky shoulders, cape a harrowing blood color as it flipped in the air like a proud flag-

Techno-

Holy shit-

Dream and Techno were in front of you- blade to blade-

With a harsh and brutal twist, Techno deflected Dream's blade- leaving no time for the masked man to recover. Techno brutally barraged him with sword swing after sword swing-

Each swipe was filled with power- and each swipe was just barely being deflected by Dream- pitiful little clangs where he protected himself loudly resounding in the chaos filled battlefield.

A sudden overarching swing grounded Dream to his knees- sword held above to fend off Techno's assault-

"If you knew what she was you wouldn't be defending her-" Dream grit out- trembling to keep Techno's sword away from executing a death sentence-

Rather then reply, Techno threw a hand out- latching onto Dream's hood and jutted his knee upward at the same time he pulled Dream's face downward. A knee right in Dream's face- to which a loud crack hit the air-

Part of the mask fell off, broken shards of the smiling face revealing the real Dream- the struggling expression on his face taut with a grim darkness and bared teeth- like an animal being threatened by death itself-

"You don't--"

Rather then let Dream finish, Techno drew his knee up again- a knee to the throat shutting Dream up-

The entire scene was so incredibly barbaric- hit after hit- none of them necessary, yet all of them brutally connecting with Dream's body.

However overly powerful each hit was- he wasn't just randomly lashing out. Each hit targeted the weakest points of his armor- every weakness exploited-

Savage- but calculated-

Graceful death-

Dream threw an arm out sending something flying in the distance- before vanishing- purple particles left in his wake-

Enderpearl.

He was running.

That made sense.

You wouldn't wanna be caught in Techno's death grip either.

With him running away, that meant he left you with Techno's heaving figure-

Where he was still staring down at where Dream was- a sword in one hand, a clenched fist suspended like it was still holding Dream by the hood- Dream's blood was splattered on his knee, and he muttered something to himself that you couldn't hear.

It took a moment for him to fully come to. The shake of his head made you flinch, and he turned to you, fully shifted and absolutely massive. The tusks poking out of his mouth were carefully curved upwards, one of them splattered with blood. In fact, half his face was splattered with sticky red, but you didn't bother asking whose it was.

His ears flicked back the moment he saw the blood dripping down your face-

With a swoop, he kneeled, bending over to look at the cut on your face, snout huffing gently at you- almost the complete opposite of how he acted towards Dream-

There was no viscous look, or grit teeth- or puffed chest-

Just...

Techno.

Albeit a fuzzier- bigger version-

With a start- Tommy's words rang in your ear with a frightening echo-

'He's only shown you his best sides.'

Whatever beast rose out of him to fight Dream- that was 'The Blade'- that was the fabled and viscous monster of war that was so often talked of-

That was who killed Tubbo- and who people revered-

It was only just now that you've come to the realization of just how juxtapose the two sides of him are-

Your thoughts freeze as he brings his thumb up to run over your eyebrow- softly smudging the blood there. He stares down blankly through the skull that now fit perfectly along his head- marrow lining his snout like armor.

"It'd be stupid of me to ask if you're hurt-" He says, voice having an unnatural grumble- an added bass that dropped his voice hoarsely, "But are you hurt?"

You numbly shake your head- opening your mouth to ask, "Are you?"

The heat from his hand melted into you- soothing-

Were you leaning into it?

It was hard to tell-

"Any and all blood on me comes from someone else's veins."

A screech was heard in the distance- and you jolt out of the strange position you had ended up in- standing up, grabbing your sword that had gotten flung during the spat with Dream, before scurrying to look back out over the battlefield-

That screech was Tommy-

You stare out- catching sight of the boy being chased down-

Techno stands up from beside you- his shadow blocked the sun- and if he was tall before, he was massive now-

"TOmmy!" you yell- but he couldn't hear you, merely scurrying away from fucking Dream-

It's always Dream.

Didn't Techno just smash him in?

You run after Tommy without a single thought, faintly you hear Techno's blade clash with someone else, but you just assume it's one of Dream's goons and keep charging for Tommy-

Why was he running away from the combat??

He's making it easier for Dream to see where he is-

Quick on their tails, you catch up- and Tommy looks horrified- not at Dream, but at everything- he was barely fighting- just numbly staring over all the chaos- keeping just out of reach from Dream's blade-

"TOMMY!" you yell again- and this time he hears, looking back while he ran to see you chasing after both him and Dream-

"(Y/N)!" He return yells- and your heart clenches at how distraught he sounds-

Without a moments notice Dream switches targets, cracked mask whipping around and sword slashing out at you faster then you could have thought- his furrowed eyebrows spoke of rage- blood dribbling down his forehead from where Techno had smashed his mask in-

Rather then try to pause your run- you kept going- rolling into your footsteps, narrowly feeling Dream's sword along your back as you ducked past and came to a halting stop in front of Tommy-

With you there, Tommy's courage grew- standing beside you- facing off against Dream- both of your swords drawn.

"What the hell happened??" You ask him, and he makes a distressed noise-

"Techno happened- that's what happened!"

"Techno?"

You don't get to keep asking questions when Dream strikes out at you- clattering against your poorly held block but retracting to balance Tommy's swing at him-

He was juggling the two of you incredibly well- like neither of you were a challenge to fight-

Just when you're sure he's gaining ground on you, and close to actually putting a sword through you- Dream glanced around him- catching the eye of the people closing in on our battle- that thankfully, were all on Pogtopia's side-

Dream fled- probably to try and separate the group up- a valid strategy- and Tommy gave chase, as did everyone else-

You stood in your spot, watching so many unnamed people clashing sword with sword-

You hoped Phil was having a better time at trying to mediate-

Because there was nothing you could do here to try and stop the fighting, and you could feel the sheer panic building in you at that thought-

One side was going to come out on top- there was no 'we're going to surrender because our leader's stupid.'

This was life or death-

For a moment you pictured Tommy- lifeless on the ground- blood pouring out of a gruesome gash-

Bad idea- why would you ever think of something like that-

The prickly feeling along your jaw started again- this time spreading down your neck-

Oh God-

Oh shit-

This wasn't good-

A few breaths came out of you- unstable harsh breaths-

This was all going to shit-

What did Tommy mean by 'Techno happened.'

He wouldn't hurt Tommy, would he?

He wouldn't hurt any of you right?

What if one of them is getting horrible killed right now?

Why aren't you with them right now???

With a start you refocus on your surroundings- finding that you'd been startlingly motionless on a battlefield.

A literal war zone, and you were standing around like a dumb idiot-

Your mind couldn't give you five fucking seconds to yourself??

You really had to start overthinking??

Typical-

You tried to focus in on reality- but everything was so incredibly overwhelming-

You had to suck it up-

Suck it up or accidentally freak out and get into an actual life or death situation-

Shaking your head again, you focus on your objective-

Look for Tommy-

He needed to elaborate what he meant by "Techno happened."

That thought certainly didn't help with the prickling feeling-

If anything it made it worse- but you shook it off as best you could, running aimlessly and scowering the ground-

When you do catch sight of him- he's standing on a hill near the outskirts- looking at all the fighting- his helmet was lost somewhere in all the scuffle and chasing.

You sneak in his direction- fireworks still too loud in your ears-

"Tommy-" you say- getting just close enough to him for him to hear- and he doesn't respond-

He was staring out in horror- as one moment L'manberg stands- and the next- it's crumbling at the seams-

The ground fissures with explosions- dust and debris shot into the air with an overwhelming BOOM-

You clutch your hands to your ears- trying to filter out both fireworks- and Tnt- but it's just so loud.

The explosions shook you down to your bones-

One moment it's booming- and the next its passing- dust rising in the air from all the freshly shattered debris-

It was quick for being such a big explosive- crackling across most, if not all of L'mamberg.

Tommy from beside you yells the most raw yell you've heard from him yet- but over the collapse of literally everything this revolution worked for- you could barely tell he yelled at all.

The prickling feeling intensified- traveling from just your jaw and neck, to farther up the side of your scalp-

Shit shit shit-

Stop-

Keep it together-

Tommy yelled again from beside you- looking all across the battle, searching- before taking off down the hill-

Your stomach churned with dread as you caught sight of Phil.

And Wilbur.

Phil had curled around his son- wing shredded with shrapnel- delicate feathers broken from the explosion. He had taken the hit.

A breath comes out of you, and you charge down the hill to get closer-

And when you do get closer you have no idea what to do-

Everyone that was standing there had lost their reason to fight. They were fighting for their nation- but what nation? Is it not rubble and dust? Has it not been broken beyond the point of repair?

Fundy walked up to the other side of you- staring up at them just as everyone else was-

Phil looked astonished but it was difficult to tell from your spot on the barely standing piece of what used to be the audience floor. The quivering of Phil's wings farther emphasized his surprise- like he didn't know how to react.

Wilbur looked happy- like all the crazed edges of him were rejoicing in what he did- and he turned to Phil- eagerly telling him something you couldn't hear-

Phil- in all his shocked looks, and graceful yet ruined feathers, turned to Wilbur as he spoke and gently took the sword offered to him.

Not a moment later and Phil put the very same sword through Wilbur's chest-

He killed him- His son-

His boy-

They were hugging- one with a sword through the back- and the other looking like a blubbering mess-

You've never seen Phil cry-

He's always tried to be as strong as he could no matter the situation- that way people could rely on him-

You supposed there's a first for everything.

The prickling spread farther, and from behind you Tommy walked up, shoulder to shoulder with you and muttered a heart wrenching, "Wilbur...?"

A call to his brother.

No one answered him.

Fundy hesitantly looked at his dad and said something too, but you didn't focus in on it- merely taking in the sight of Phil sobbing-

A silent sobbing- one that had him grappling the limp bloody body of his son-

A still smiling body. Content with what had happened even in death.

"You got some debris on your face." Fundy says, forcing himself to look away from the sight- trying to ignore the seriousness in favor of humor. You could see his hands shaking-

"Ts'not debris."

He awkwardly laughs- before loosing the humor and sending another kitten eyed glance at where his dad's dead body was.

"NO- no STOP NOW TECHNO."

The collective turn of heads towards the yelling felt old after so many twists. There was no time for rest in war.

Only action and death-

Which is exactly what your eyes look at when you turn after Tommy's yelling.

Techno.

Standing at his full height- covered in blood and firework soot- two withered skulls clutched in his hand- the outline of absolute monsters sitting idly behind him.

You cringed at the soul sand- and if you focused you swore you could smell the stench of it-

...

Something clicked in your head- staring at Techno, all the blood covering him- the fireworks loaded in his crossbow.

The resounding bells of understanding rang through your mind-

It made sense-

What re-opened all the fighting-

Everyone here was covered in burns- firework burns- all new cuts gushing blood-

Techno wasn't.... on our side.

He wasn't-

He didn't-...

...

You stare-

Hoping to make eye contact-

Like making eye contact would explain everything he was doing-

But he stands there, teeth bared like a cornered animal, threatening everyone who gets close-

Did...

Did he not care...?

You don't know why something in you shattered at that skewed thought- but it did- a hand flying to your mouth as you choked on absolutely nothing-

Almost like he heard you, his head snapped in your direction- soaking in your confused look- opening his mouth to say something before Antifrost took a step closer and a viscous snarl wracked through the boar's throat-

"Everyone get back!- why are so many people on my side?!"

He shot a firework at one of them, forcing them to flinch- before whipping back around to look at the crowd that had gathered-

Words were leaving his mouth- but you still couldn't hear-

You could only focus in on body language- watching his focus get directed to Tommy specifically.

They were shouting at each other- a bubbling cauldron of tempestuous feeling- swaying and churning, before finally tearing through the surface tension with a resounding-

"THEN DIE LIKE ONE."

Withers-

Tommy-

Technoblade's chasing people down-

Tommy is sent scuttling for ground when a wither targets him-

This shouldn't be happening-

Why was this happening?

Flashing images pass your eyes- each moment playing out picture for picture- yet you're glued to your spot.

The prickling feeling flushes over your entire face- and like a catalyst you can't control your stress anymore-

Uncontrollable and raucous-

The ever familiar-

Cr-cr-cracking of joints being dislocated echoed- solely through your mind. You prayed to every god that was out there that no one was seeing you- watching your figure unwrong the unnatural form you've taken-

With a wriggling swing of your arm, you clasp it to your chest- joints and bones hardly staying in place and you bend, nearly folding in on yourself to try and stow your existence away from every single prying eye-

You couldn't stop this

You couldn't do anything to try and stop the process of shifting- and it was agony knowing everyone could see you-

Too many eyes-

Too many eyes-

Don't look-

Please don't fucking look-

You stared down blankly at your hands- shaking- shaking so horribly-

The rip-rip-ripping of your tendons as they grew and repaired was just how you remembered-

And the clunk of your shoulder blades moving and swelling with muscle was a freedom you shouldn't be showing-

You stood up straight, back trying to straighten as bones shuffled, forcing you to look back out at everything happening-

---

Amidst the chaos- a bowstring was drawn taut- wicker against wood- feathered arrow against shimmering enchantments-

An arrow was aimed towards the sky- sun cheerful- just as the archer himself-

This was a happy day.

A happy day to watch his side project crumble beneath the pressure.

Shattered mask and all- a content hum- and an arrow sent whistling into the sky-

One shot.

He thought to himself.

One shot was all it took.

One arrow- spiraling into the air- dancing above the brutality of war.

It kissed the apex of its flight- before falling-

Down and down and down-

And Dream watched-

The arrow made its mark-

The bubbling figure writhing, and catalyst sizzling out into nothing-

One shot was all it took.

An Achilles always had a heel.

---

The sudden intense burning feeling in your chest halted everything in its path- One minute your body is folding itself in two- dividing before multiplying into an even bigger whole- and the next you're frozen- only the back end of an arrow sticking out of your chest-

You had one fucking rule.

One fucking rule-

And you broke it-

You broke it and now you were dying, and everyone was too caught up in fighting to actually try and fix you-

It wasn't immediate.

There was more then enough time for you to realize how horrible of a mistake you made and were now reaping the consequences of.

Enough time to look up and search for all the people you'd want to say goodbye to.

Enough time to feel your blood soaking through your chest-

You make eye contact with Tommy- his blue eyes blown wide with raw panic. He scrambles to reach you, but gets blown away by the wither again- a never ending push and pull that leaves no room for helping someone other then ones own self-

Surely Phil would understand what this meant if he saw you-

At least one person would probably fully understand, fully know the result of an injury like this could mean for someone like you.

Was anyone watching? Did anyone see you suffocating on an arrow of all things?

Are you falling?

Fuck.

Isn't this familiar?

You've danced with death before- always firmly planted on the dividing line, yet this time the iron pull of death tugged harshly at your ankle- and you could barely claw to stay standing straight.

Metaphorically of course.

You were very much already on the ground- back against the grass- breath heady and gulping.

In a last ditch effort to try and stabilize yourself- you were back as yourself. The little human. The you everyone at Pogtopia knew. The weak and harmless, but un-killable little shit.

Too late.

The last thing you heard was silence-

The last thing you felt was someone harshly tugging you off the debris ridden ground.