TW: SWEARING, YELLING, FIRE, BLOOD, EXTREME VIOLENCE, GORE, LOTS OF DEATH, FEAR, ANXIETY, LOSS
Photo by Petri Levälahti
Also, I looped Experience by Ludovico Einaudi whilst I wrote this, good vibes.
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Tai Shu and Lian had gathered all of the generals to meet with Dream, Sapnap, Punz, Purpled, Ranboo and me before the battle. Techno was running an errand and would be here soon too. We had only one goal today; delay the Dark Army long enough for Tubbo to launch the nukes and turn the city to ashes. After that, we won't need to worry about any support coming for the soldiers that have been deployed.
My brand new armour glinted quietly in the lantern light of the tent we had chosen. The sun was rising just as I arrived and L'Manburg buzzed with the anticipation of battle. Dream had waited outside the tent for me with an admiring look when he noticed my new armour. However, he chose to comment on the wither roses instead. He called them fitting for the occasion, I couldn't agree more.
"The Dark Army is coming in what seems to be four different battalions, each containing about two thousand soldiers," Tai Shu's stare doesn't leave my eyes. I couldn't help but feel intimidated by the man, he reminds me of a bear.
"Standard weaponry just like every other battalion, but tell your troops to expect surprises," Punz addresses the generals.
"The last thing we have to remember is that Schlatt has nukes now too. The technology is old but they have a calibre that we don't understand. They could be faulty and only minorly effective or be able to wipe out our entire country," my voice sounds as grim as I feel. We had no real knowledge of Schlatt's nuclear strength, only our own.
All eyes move from me to the tent entrance as Phil and Techno cut through the room to the table in its centre. Phil tucks his wings closer to his body so he can fit in the small space whist Techno's mere presence makes people inch away in fear.
"The crows are patrolling," Phil says.
"And the iron golems are ready to be assembled," Techno finishes. His eyes dart across the room but double-take when he spots me. He squints a little bit as he analyses the armour making sure it fits perfectly.
"Take a picture, it will last longer," I tease causing the room to chuckle.
"Fits exactly like I thought it would," he says back with a smirk.
I thank him and we continue with the meeting. Schlatt's forces would come from the forest according to the crows. Dream, Punz, Purpled and Sapnap outline our response strategy and Tai Shu jumps in occasionally with recommendations. Once Dream and I give the generals their specific orders and battalions, the room is dismissed.
I move to follow Dream but someone grabs my wrist stopping me from following him. I turn and see Ranboo's mismatched eyes, behind them were thoughts desperate to get free. I turn back to Dream and gesture for him to go on without me. I'll meet him on the battlefield soon. I wait until everybody's gone before I speak.
"What's wrong?" I ask. It was a dumb question.
"We're going to war..." he starts but stumbles unable to finish his sentence. But I know exactly what he was going to say; he's worried about us. He's worried about Tubbo, Tommy, Techno, Phil and me especially but also everybody else who he had come to know.
"I'm not going to let anything happen to anybody-"
"You don't know that."
"I can at least try."
We pause for a moment staring at one another. I could feel that both of us were moments away from tears. Ranboo's grip on my wrist had drifted to my hand which he held fiercely. I felt like if I let go I would crumble, perhaps he felt that way too. We are going to war and there is nothing we can do except fight our hardest and pray to the gods that we all make it out alive.
I've already promised myself that I won't let the Dark Army harm my friends. We've trained so hard for this, we've pushed our soldiers to the best of their abilities. We've come so far, we have a chance to win. We have to take that chance. Ranboo's mouth was slightly open as he breathed heavily, his hair unusually messy from stress and I know he wouldn't have slept well last night. If it weren't for Dream's cuddles I wouldn't have either.
"We could die today," Ranboo was barely louder than a whisper, just loud enough for his voice to crack and groan as he spoke. I had never seen him more earnest, more mournful, solemn. I shake my head trying to get the thought out of my mind.
"I don't want to think about that now," if somebody died I would deal with it when all's said and done. One can't expect to battle thoughts and a physical opponent at the same time.
I can't think of losing anybody again. We lost Tommy in a way that still makes my skin crawl, that makes the voices whisper wildly to one another. I cannot lose anybody else.
"Y/N, please," Ranboo begs and I feel my heart shatter. I don't want him to beg me for anything, I need him to know that I'll do anything for him in a heartbeat. I steel myself for what he's about to say knowing his sincerity may push me over the edge. I take a deep breath and nod, Ranboo gently takes my other hand.
"If we never speak again, I like to think that we'll think of each other fondly and that neither of us feared the future when we imagined ourselves facing it together," Ranboo murmurs, each word thick with melancholy. The weight on my shoulders becomes so much heavier at that moment. In my head, the voices are silent, swamped and drowned out by my thoughts and imaginings. What if one of us did die?
"Stop," I croak weakly shaking my head. I can't look at him so I look at my shoes instead. Ranboo's hands brush my cheeks and I feel his forehead press against mine. I bite my wobbling lip not being able to remember the last time we did this so candidly. Ranboo doesn't stop, he needs me to hear this, so I listen.
"I like to think that you will remember me as somebody who loved you the best I could, even if it's not enough to protect you. And you will think of me as somebody you could have spent your life with..." Ranboo's voice breaks nearly every couple of words as we find ourselves folding to the will of our emotions. I look up from my shoes and at his beautiful face. Ranboo was a huge part of my world, what would happen if he went missing from it? I nod telling him it's ok to finish his words, that I want to hear them.
"I will always think of you as somebody I would spend the rest of my life supporting," I feel a tear drip from my eye and wipe it away quickly before it burns Ranboo's hand. Ranboo pulls me into his chest for the warmest hug we'd ever shared.
"I love you," I mutter.
"I love you too."
****
We sit mounted on our horses. Percy was decked out with the netherite and gold armour Eret had welded for me ages ago. We wait in front of our forces, staring at the forest. Techno and Dream waited on either side of me with their horses. There were about fifty metres of grass between us and the forest. The ground with littered with shadows of crows from above.
Every nerve in my body seemed to be live with electricity, like a broken redstone contraption running at incomprehensible speeds. It took everything in me not to jitter like a beetle on its back. The anticipation felt far worse than the task we faced. Once I was fighting, my nerves would melt away and it would just be me and my opponent.
Now and again I would glance at Dream, or he would glance at me. If he wasn't wearing his mask I'm sure the morning light would be hitting his face at the perfect angle.
Then we start to feel it, the approach of our enemies. Shouting echoes in the forest, our horses start to dance in their spots. I raise my hand and wait until I see them. I reach deep into the earth and grab hold of the grass in front of us. I start to shake feeling the vibrations of thousands of feet pounding on the earth.
They break the treeline and I hear Lian shout the command behind us. I don't watch the incredible rain of arrows as they fly over our heads. I watch them land on our enemies forcing them to crumble. But sheer abundance forces more soldiers out of the darkness. I can't help but compare the scene to a zombie raid.
"That's your cue," Dream says and I feel myself smirk.
My body vibrates with power and I force the grass as high as I can, just above our horses' heads. Sounds of clattering weapons and confusion fill the air as the Dark Army soldiers get lost in the forest I had created. Arrows continue to rain down creating thudding on the shields of soldiers in the grass.
"ATTACK!" Techno charged into the fray first, Dream and I close behind screaming our own battle cries. We bring forth an onslaught of our first battalion.
Grass whacks my arms and legs as I tear through. I switch into battle mode relinquishing all reservations in my attacks. I cut people down swiftly and nearly silently. Each cry fuels my energy and I let my knowledge of L'Manburg's territory guide me. The home ground advantage is everything, and I intend to use it.
I throw potions at opponents. Weakness and slowness act quickly to make easy targets for our soldiers. My grip on the grass loosens and it starts shrinking back down to the earth. Once it's short enough for me to see over, I leap off Percy's back allowing him to keep running to safety.
With a flourish of my axe, I swing, blocking a Dark Army sword. I shove him back harshly and take the opportunity to sweep his legs from under him. Footsteps alert me to a new opponent. I stay low and follow the momentum I had from my previous swing and take out the other guy's legs too.
Two new attackers come quick. I rip the grass from the earth making a wall to block one of them before he swings. I smirk seeing his sword stuck between the blades. I turn to the other guy and run away from him and to the wall I had created. I run up and kick off twisting my body in a backflip, kicking the soldier in the face on the way down. While he's stunned I kick his side and use the motion to swing my axe and send his sword flying. A hard punch to the nose knocks him out.
The wall breaks suddenly and I flip backwards to avoid the soldier's swing. I wrestle as a soldier catches me in a vice-like grip forcing me to drop my axe. I headbutt the soldier and elbow his rips creating a satisfying wet crunch. I push against the soldier holding me to kick the other guy in the gut making him stumble away.
I keep the motion and crunch my abs to flip myself onto my captor's neck. I grip with my knees and use my weight to swing him to the stumbling man I had kicked in the gut. I let them trip one another over and roll away as they crash to the ground.
The voices were loud but not as loud as my pulse in my ears as I whip out two potions and fling them at more soldiers. They came out of thin air like ghosts but fought as heavily as giants. Slopping swings filled with nothing but pure brute strength. My size was my enemy and my best tool against much larger opponents.
I sprint and jump latching onto the first soldier. I use his outstretched arm like a pole and swing on it kicking the other guy. Unable to cope with the unbalance, my leverage collapses to the ground. I'm quick to trap him under a blanket of grass.
I manage to grab my axe just in time to block another swing. My eyes widen when I see the sheer size of this man. His uniform pressed tightly on his oversized muscles and a vein bulged in his face above his manic grin. I slip away. As we fight I'm surprised to see the speed in each swing of his sword. I unhook a potion and splash it on him.
I take the opportunity to slam the butt of my axe into his side making him kneel. I use his knee to wrap my legs around his arm and neck and yank on his hand to make him collapse sideways. He barely grunts from the impact and instead gets back up. Spotting an opening I dig my axe into the ground and push off it, kicking him in the face with all the force I can muster. He doesn't get up.
"I'm surprised you remember your training after all this time," I turn hearing Techno's shouting amidst the clang of metal on metal and strangled screaming. He knocks a guy out with a swift punch as he walks over to me. I smirk knowing he must have noticed how I used my weight rather than my strength. An old lesson.
"Some things will never leave me," I shrug. Techno's grin sharpens as he spots something behind me.
"Duck."
I do as he says and he swings his sword. I feel the splatter of blood on my cloak and a thud as the body crashes to the ground. A second thud tells me where Techno had cut the person open. I get to my feet quickly and spot two guys daring each other to fight Techno.
"Give me a leg up," I say. Techno cups his hands and I plant my foot in them.
He flips me behind him and I land on the first soldier's shoulders. I jump off him as he falls and onto the other guy's shield. He lands hard on his back winded. I turn and see Techno waiting for me with two more bodies at his heels.
"Why do you have to put so much less effort into this than me?" I sigh trying to catch my breath after the intense workout and he shrugs cheekily.
"I'm just better," he smirks. A battle cry from behind me makes me slump with exhaustion.
"Fucking hell," I mutter and reach into the grass. It traps him in a straight jacket of blades and Techno throws a potion at him. I click my radio on at my belt hoping for good news and move to stand back to back with Techno.
"Fundy, what are the stats?" I ask the radio just as an incredible crowd of soldiers try to take down Techno and me. A bunch of assholes trying to look cooler than one another. They cave at the swings of our blades.
"Tubbo radioed in earlier, he's nearly finished but they have a problem-"
"One second!" I shout as another huge soldier appears out of nowhere at a breakneck pace. Techno grabs my arm and helps me swing around to kick my opponent in the face.
"What problem?" I growl. My eyes flick around faster than a hummingbird between its flowers. Every part of my body was perfectly poised for an attack.
"Schlatt's troops are coming and their numbers are overwhelming," Fundy crackles through the radio.
"I'm feeling that too."
Techno whistles snapping me back to the fight like one of his wolves. I swing hitting a guy with my axe and turn back dodging someone else's swing and trapping another guy in the grass.
"I've been injured, I'm taking a horse and other wounded soldiers back to the SMP," Quackity's laboured message makes me leap into a new gear.
"WHAT?!" I exclaim and hook my axe around somebody's sword knocking it out of their hands. I whip out my sword and dual-wield to block two swings. I knock back their swords and kick one of them in the balls just to get rid of them. I loop my axe around the other's neck and slam him into my knee.
I nearly trip on a body and turn to notice how Techno had swapped his sword for his trident.
"Techno! I need a better look!" I shout and he bats away a soldier.
"Get a run-up!" I do as he says and slip between fighting soldiers. I sprint at him as hard as I can. Techno tilts his trident. I jump onto it and he shoots me into the air. I feel the enchantment within the trident push me much further than what is usually possible. I land neatly on the Camarvan's bonnet. I scramble onto the roof.
I look at the field and feel like I've been stabbed in the chest. Many of our soldiers lay fallen, covered in blood. I block the sun with my hand and spot our archers covering Quackity as he escapes leading stumbling allies to the safe zone in the SMP.
I'm quick to spot Tommy's blond hair in the middle of the fray. It was strange seeing him clad in netherite armour, but I was more worried about the soldier he couldn't see sneaking up on him.
"TOMMY ON YOUR LEFT!" I scream at the top of my lungs and sprint, sheathing my sword for extra speed. Tommy spots me running but wears a blank expression. The world moves slowly as the soldier raises his sword to strike. I wasn't about to let Tommy get hurt again.
I throw my axe with aim more precise aim than a master archer. It digs into his shoulder forcing a guttural scream from his mouth. I dodge the swords of other soldiers and launch myself at the man. I slam kick him to the floor and rip my axe from his blood-soaked wound.
I look back at Tommy panting. He wipes the soldier's blood off his face.
"That's disgusting," he scowls.
"You're tired," I shoot back letting fear transform into anger. "Right," I say and feel my eyes widen as more adrenaline is pumped into my veins.
Tommy blocks the swing and I cover his back. I lock my axe around a soldier's sword and use it to flip over his head, taking the sword with me. He falls onto his back and I splash him with poison.
"How are you so good at this?" Tommy says punching a guy a few times. He knees him in the face and then kicks him in the guts for good measure.
"I was trained by the blade," I throw the now unowned sword at the next soldier who comes running. It buries in his chest.
"You're fucking brutal."
"They're not hesitating, why should I?" The flash of an arrow catches my eye.
"Watch out!" I grow a grass wall covering both me and Tommy. I hear a twang as the arrow penetrates the grass.
"You're cheating," Tommy says and we step out of the way allowing an overexcited soldier to run headfirst into the wall. I trap him inside it for good measure.
"I prefer the phrase 'using my assets'," I say.
The radio crackles to life on my belt.
"TUBBO LAUNCHED THE BOMB! I REPEAT TUBBO LAUNCHED THE BOMB!" Puffy's voice comes through in disjointed shouting on the radio. But the message is as clear as day and music to my ears. A massive weight lifts from my shoulders and Tommy starts exploding with joy.
"THANK THE GODS!" he cries and excitedly kicks a solder in the face.
"The battle isn't over yet!" George's voice cuts through next along with a monstrous amount of clashing. "We need to- GAH!"
The radio goes silent and I feel my stomach twist. I'm shocked to life as a sword narrowly misses my arm.
"Is George ok?!" I yell and finish off the soldier I was fighting. My heart picks up its pace when I hear no reply.
"George I'm coming to get you!" Quackity's voice crackles through.
But Quackity is injured, how the hell is he meant to get to George? George could be anywhere. In my split-second lapse of concentration, I'm grabbed on both sides by two guys. I pick the easiest and cheapest move to get out of their grip. I kick them both in the balls and splash them with poison.
I duck just as another guy swings his sword. I throw a weakness potion behind me as I hear footsteps approach. Suddenly I find myself fighting two soldiers at once. The man I tripped over leaps to his feet and I use the other guy as a human shield.
My human shield backfires and elbows me in the ribs and headbutts me hard in the nose. I bite my cheek hard and taste iron. The metallic flavour keeps me in the game. I stumble backwards appearing weak, but really I was in prime fighting condition.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot another soldier running into the mess. I run at the soldier I had used as a human shield and use his arm to swing myself around the corner, gaining momentum. I skid on my knees and pull a small knife out of a holster on my thigh. As I slip between the first guy's legs and slash his inner thigh. Blood rushes from the wound immediately, I get to my feet and kick him to the ground. I throw the knife at my human shield, it lands directly in his guts. Whipping out a poison potion I hit my third attacker causing him to crumple to the floor.
Fear cracks my body open when I see Tommy. The soldier he fights is far larger and more experienced than Tommy is. The soldier gets Tommy on his knees and I sprint into action.
"Tommy!" I shout and throw my axe at the soldier. His head rolls onto the floor nearby.
I skid to a stop kneeling next to Tommy. I pull my hand away when I feel blood pouring from his side. Frantically I reach for the healing potions on my belt but I don't feel anything there. My heart sinks when I realise I gave them to the emergency wards before the fight. They were struggling with supplies so I gave them my high concentration potions to preserve their stores.
"Shit shit shit shit," I mumble and pull an ender pearl from my pocket instead. L'Manburg's main platform was full of fighting soldiers, but there were more of us than the Dark Army.
We land on the platform and I whip my head around looking for somebody.
"RANBOO!" I scream spotting his head above the crowd. Our eyes lock and he cuts his way through Dark Army soldiers to get to us. I hand Tommy off to him just in time to fight again.
I clash my axe with a Dark Army sword. I get a few hits in before I throw him off the platform.
"Get the fuck out of L'Manburg!" I shout to Ranboo and grunt as another guy comes at me.
"But-"
"NOW!" I slice a man open and then slam a pearl into Tommy's hand. He looks up at me blankly like a goldfish. Ranboo had never looked more fearful in his life. A pang hits my gut as I realise he's afraid of me.
He does as I say and in an instant, they're gone. I turn to the crowd. Dark Army soldiers come in droves to fight me and slowly I feel them wear down on me. I push as many off as I can and then reach into the pouch I had been saving through the whole battle.
I pinch the seeds in the pouch and scatter them across the ground. I reach into their energy and force them to grow. The air that was full of clashes and war cries was now full of screaming. Vines take root and thrash about. Soldiers get tangled and stuck. I take a split second to leap off the edge of the platform into the watery basin below.
The water is a cold shock to my system. I look around seeing arrows casting their bubbled lines into the water. Bigger splashes above from people falling off the platforms. My ears ring and the voices chatter with each other sounding far louder than before. The water feels electric, almost like it's vibrating. A ringing sound seems to drift through it. The bottom feels like it's miles away. I find the ground with my foot and launch myself to the surface. I come up gasping and spluttering, too full of adrenaline to shiver.
I unclip my cloak to stop it from weighing me down as I swim. I pull myself onto the bank and take a few deep breaths. My senses return slowly.
Hang on a second...
The ringing in my ears wasn't in my ears at all. I look around seeing confused and panicked expressions on soldiers' faces as they continue to fight. A siren squeals at top volume above the battle cries. I touch my radio with my hand to turn it on but realise that the water would have killed it.
I get to my feet and search for somebody who would know what the alarm was for. It sounded like one of Tubbo's alarms. A familiar pattern in the ringing brings back some hazy memory of a discussion in the factory.
My heart skips a beat when I spot a familiar white mask finishing off a soldier. I cut through the crowds, batting away whatever I need to so I can get to Dream.
"What's going on?" I yell above the siren. I stand back to back with Dream coving anybody who comes at us. I feel my arms shake with the impact of another sword against my heavy axe.
"Tubbo set up a bomb alarm for L'Manburg in case of attack," Dream manages to get out as he fights another guy. Bombing?
"Schlatt fired his nukes?" I clarify and throw a poison potion from my dwindling supply. Noticing how the crowds had backed off for a moment I pull out my bow in hopes of more long-range fighting.
"Yeah!" Dream throws a potion of his own.
Schlatt fired the nuke. If the alarms are ringing here then that's where they're planning to strike. My ribcage rattles with every rapid thud of my heart. I whip out arrow after arrow shooting down soldiers before they reach us. The voices rise to a scorching volume as they fight over what we need to do first. We have to get everybody out. I'm not leaving anybody here to die.
"We have to get everybody out," my voice was stronger and fiercer than it had been moments ago. My drained body found a new burst of power to carry through the last few tasks. My stomach churns with the knowledge that getting everybody out would have a great cost to me.
"There's no time, we need to go now!" Dream grunts pushing off another soldier. I'm too busy scanning the field for our people. Soldiers fall everywhere. My eyes land on a swarm of them attacking Sapnap and Phil. Their expressions were rigid and focused but doubt swirled just below the surface.
A cry from behind me alerts me to a new opponent. I hook his sword around my bow and heave him over my body. He slams onto the ground winded. My muscles tremble from the effort. Just hang in there a little longer. We need to get everyone out.
If I'm feeling the heat from the battle then the others definitely are. I'm a god, one of my ancestors is a goddess of war. If I'm struggling the others are barely hanging in there.
When that bomb hits we're all going to die. I touch the pouch at my side wishing I had more power than just growing plants. Another soldier runs up to me, but he's dead before he even lands a hit. I swap my axe for my sword and cry out as I battle more soldiers than I should allow myself to.
Blood splatters all over my clothes. Dream's shouting the siren become distant things. It's just me and my sword. My blood boils with every soldier I cut open. Every snatch at gory victory fueled a sinister part of myself.
Blood. Bomb. Blood. Kill. Fight. Win. Save them. Bomb. Siren.
The voices hiss and jeer with every attack. My head throbs with a migraine but I couldn't care less. The voices grow louder and louder and louder and louder.
I grab a fistful of seeds and throw them as far as I can. But this time the energy I crammed into the seeds was different. This was powerful and rogue magic.
I watch in awe of my creations. Monsters made of roots, earth and grass spring up from my seeds. They were at least double the size of the iron golems. Their eyes glowed sickly yellow as they swung their fists at Dark Army soldiers. Soldiers are flung high into the air like pebbles or are crushed beneath the fists of the giants. The attention of our enemies switched immediately from fighting us to fighting the golems, allowing our forces to regroup or escape.
The Dark Army had no idea what the alarm meant. And that was exactly what I wanted.
I reach out to the golems and feel all of their auras. Their thoughts clear like a diamond. Their will aligned exactly with mine. They weren't alive. No, they were artificial spirits designed to serve only. They serve me.
I throw more seeds and try to replicate the energy I had made the first golems with. They spring to life, roots cracking and snapping into place like bones. But this time I feel energy transfer from me to them. With every golem, I create I have to give up a part of myself.
That's what made this magic different. That's what made this powerful. I could create artificial life. That comes at a cost of a part of myself for their survival.
"Y/N!" I turn feeling slightly dizzied by my loss of energy. A soldier runs at me. I'm too tired to respond fast enough. I catch a glimpse of Dream's mask.
Suddenly, I find myself tens of feet above the ground. I'm set onto the shoulder of a golem as it crushes the soldier with its free hand. I look away from the gory mess it leaves on the ground. I look down at the golem. I swear it smiles at me.
"WHERE THE FUCK DID THESE COME FROM?!" Dream yells up to me pulling out his bow to start shooting distracted soldiers. I open my mouth to answer but clasp my hands over my ears instead when the siren changes rhythms. Louder and faster-paced, more urgent.
The second stage of alarms. The bomb was close now. We have barely five minutes before it hits.
I drop down from the golem's shoulder and run to Dream's side.
"Dream, you have to get all of the others out," I pull out all of my ender pearls and shove them into his hand. He glances between them and me trying to make out my plan. I'm sure he already knows what it is. I dig into my seed pouch and throw the seeds as far out as I can.
I wince as I bring the new golems to life. Opening my eyes I notice they're smaller than the first ones but still big enough to draw the attention of soldiers. It works just as I hope and soldiers move away from my friends and instead attack the golems.
Dizzyness hits me like a wave and I can't suppress my groan. I clutch my forehead as my migraine cuts my skull in half. Dream's arms wrap around me to hold me up. I shove him off and stand by myself.
I can keep all the soldiers busy long enough. I can keep this up until the bomb hits. I have to do this. I won't leave anybody behind.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" I scream at Dream forcing him to take a step back. "GET EVERYBODY OUT BEFORE YOU ALL DIE!"
I spot a soldier running and force up another grass wall to shield us. Even something as simple as that starts to drain me. What happened to all my strength?
"I'm getting you out too," Dream tries to help me but I shove him away again. I can't let him get too close. If I do he's only going to think about me. He needs to think about the others.
"No! I need to stay here or else the soldiers will follow you guys."
"You'll die!"
"I don't care!" I feel my emotions battling to get the better of my years of training. Dream was dead silent at my words. I sway slightly but hold myself steady. Another soldier runs at me and I throw a seed forcing vines out of it to grab their ankles and trip them.
"As long as you and everybody else is alive... that's all that matters," I grunt and wield my sword against another soldier. I'm on the defensive when Dream steps in and cuts him down like a weed.
"I'm staying with you!" Dream's voice breaks pulling at my heartstrings. Now is not the time, Y/N.
"What about Drista?! She needs you! Michael and Shroud could lose their fathers!" I feel guilty for playing this card but it's the only one I have up my sleeve. I know Dream loves them, he's just not seeing the bigger picture.
I look to Dream and see him standing alone. He seems lost and conflicted but I know he'll stay with me no matter what. That's the exact opposite of what needs to happen. I keep back my tears behind a wall of duty and run to his side. There's only one thing to get him moving and help the others.
I let my emotions have the better of me for a short moment. I reach up and twist his mask so it rests on the side of his head. Our lips smash together for one last passionate kiss. A tear drops down my cheek as I pull away from him and catch a final glimpse of his beautiful green eyes. I drink him in before slipping the mask back over his face. The voices go quieter for a moment. They know this is the kind of goodbye that lasts forever. The kind of goodbye nobody should ever have to say.
I drop a single seed at his feet.
"Love for me," I beg him.
The golem shoots up from the earth and I skitter back just in time to get out of its way. I reach into the golem's conscience and command it to get Dream out of here.
I block out Dream's screams as the golem carries him away.
The world feels slower now. The siren continues to thicken the noisy soup. I dig in my pouch and throw more seeds. Golems spring up and more soldiers are forced to fight them. I jump between our soldiers' fights and tell them to run before finishing off their work.
Looking around I know it won't work. I can't get to everybody and tell them to get out. I need a bigger distraction. One that the Dark Army cannot ignore. Something so threatening it draws them all in like moths to a flame.
I allow my eyes to close for a moment. I send my thoughts to the heavens.
"Gods please protect me. Give me this last bit of strength so that my people can be free," I whisper. My words are nothing amidst the chaos but still, I hope the gods will hear my prayers.
I dump the last of my seeds onto the ground. I stand back. I touch each seed with my mind and mush their individual lives together. I force them to grow. My monster grows and grows and grows until it's taller than the L'Manburg platforms. I stand shorter than its knee.
The monster roars.
I run finding another golem. I reach into its mind and command it to carry me. I look out on the battlefield and see my plan working perfectly. Dark Army soldiers become distracted. They run to fight the monster or are finished off by our soldiers. Each thud of the monster's feet sends vibrations through the earth. Its footprints look bigger than the camarvan.
The world is my oyster. I caused all of this. This is all mine. Soldiers drop like flies the second I hit them. They writhe and beg for relief. I watch them die. I've killed so many. The siren had become my symphony, the lamenting cries my leading line.
The golem I ride trips and stumbles sending me crashing to the ground. I lay winded for a moment, gasping like a fish out of water. My muscles and joints creak like rusted hinges as I push myself to my feet and look around. I see only the black uniforms of the Dark army. No golden wings to be seen anywhere. Blood soaks the green grass and fire burns from TNT explosions.
Just like I wanted.
I look to the sky hearing the whistle of the bomb.
Suddenly, the world feels slower.
I close my eyes.
Unlike Wilbur, I didn't imagine my death. I never saw it ending as he did. I never had any great goals in life. No thought for my legacy. I remember Wilbur muttering something mad in Pogtopia. About how death was like a beat without a melody.
I feel no beat or melody now. I have planted seeds in the garden that I'll never get to see. I wrote songs that I hope the boys will be able to sing without me. I don't know if I made a difference in this world. If I did, I hope it was good.
I picture my friends' faces all smiling for me. Ranboo, Dream and Techno, my best friends in the whole world. The people who I pictured at my side forever. Ranboo who helped me through the hardest time of my life. Techno who created a part of who I am today. Dream, who was my whole world. My sun, my moon, my day and night.
Shroud and Michael were guiding lights in my life. Boys who loved without question. I hope they never stop being kind. I want them to forever be brave and care for one another. I hope Tubbo and Tommy are happy like they used to be one day. I know they'll love the boys as fiercely as I do and protect them when I no longer can.
I hope that they find their happiness. I hope they get to grow old in peace. I hope they're never in another war ever again.
I think of my parents. People who loved a stranger's daughter and gave me the happiest childhood. It was imperfect but I was at peace. I wanted for nothing and I was content to follow in their footsteps through my tiny provincial town.
I only wish I could have been at peace like that again.
My heart bubbles with happiness knowing that my friends are safe. I got them out. They're safe in the SMP away from the bomb.
I wish them every happiness in the world.
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Well well well.
I hope you don't think this is the end.
I did promise 60 chapters.
>:)