Long Live L'Manberg

Chapter 45: Three's A Crowd

"We're free to elect who we want, free to live how we want, and most importantly, free to go wherever we want without the confine of those disgusting walls!"

Tubbo glanced at Wilbur again, but this time Wilbur did not meet his gaze. Instead, he was looking around at the dead grass that circled Manberg, outlining what remained of the wall. Even from a distance, Tubbo could see the agony in his eyes. He silently prayed his friends weren't taking any of this to heart. Sooner or later, he would prove his loyalty for good.

"With that in mind, I would like to thank everyone for coming to this wonderful event." He then flipped to the last notecard, his heart dropping when the beginning of his speech reappeared. The last card, which contained the cue line, was completely gone. Panic shot through his veins as he stuffed the cards into his pocket. At least it was almost over. The air re-entered his lungs only to be stolen away in seconds. His stomach twisted when he heard a chuckle. It wasn't a friendly one either, he just knew it. Malicious and bitter, and it was coming from none other than his president.

"W-What's wrong Schlatt...?" Tubbo squeaked, his heart rate spiking as his eyes darted to the floor, a few notecards spilling out of his pocket. Surely he hadn't done something wrong? Tommy and Wilbur now had his full attention, seemingly just as worried as he was.

Schlatt didn't look up as he proceeded to exhale and smirk. "Nah, it's just...I was thinking, Tubbo." He slowly crept behind the boy, placing his large hand on the boy's shoulder and squeezing a little tighter than normal. Tubbo began to hyperventilate- something was definitely wrong.

"You know how we like to have fun here."

"Yes, Schlatt," his voice trembled. "Why, what's up?"

Tubbo couldn't keep this up for much longer, he was going to crack from the fear- from the eyes of thousands watching him. All the time, every day, all he could feel were watchful eyes. It was enough to drive him insane. He looked up and met the gaze of his leader. Schlatt's glare burned through him as he was finally able to read Tubbo like a book. That's when it hit him- he knew.

"You got anything else in that speech?" Schlatt spoke slyly as he grinned, his eyes targeted at his frightened underling.

"Uh, no. I don't believe so," Tubbo faltered, facing the audience. "Let the festival begin!"

At those words, Tubbo watched as Wilbur became a dark silhouette, running off into the night in search of the button. Now the panic began to set in. There were only mere minutes for him to escape before the place was blown to smithereens and here he was being verbally cornered by his boss.

Tommy watched from above, his heart sinking as he watched the dynamic suddenly shift between Schlatt and Tubbo. He snatched Wilbur's wrist, pulling him to an abrupt halt. 

"What?" Wilbur hissed, visibly irritated.

"Something's not right, Will," he cautioned, his eyes locked on Tubbo and Schlatt. A few other Manberg authorities were now on the stage, steadily beginning to close him in. Tommy watched in horror as Quackity reached into his pocket, slowly pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "Oh no," he breathed. After all this time, they had finally caught on. The two outcasts watched in horror as Schlatt and his followers circled around Tubbo, leaving not an inch for escape.

"Schlatt, what are you-" The boy couldn't get his words out before Quackity seized his wrists and locked them in handcuffs behind his back. His voice became shaky as his eyes grew wide with desperation. "Schlatt, you don't have to do this..."

The citizens watched from down below in confusion, the occasional murmur interrupting the uncanny silence. Fundy leaned over and whispered to Niki. "What's going on? Can you see anything?" Niki watched in horror, her eyes filled with fear. She could tell right away that something terrible was in the works. The crowd began to shout as they watched the scene, utterly perplexed. Techno, despite his deadpan facial expression, was incredibly disturbed by the situation at hand. He furrowed his brows as Quackity slammed the cuffs onto the boy's wrists. Surely this wasn't going where he thought it was, right? It's a public event, he was almost certain Schlatt wouldn't spoil the fun like this. After all, he's just a kid.