The dragon let out a roar that shook the island, panic quickly setting in as the fairytale hermits saw the monster soaring above them. Ex circled the shopping district from the sky, the monster seeming completely feral. He dove down from the sky, landing atop the town hall while letting out another roar outcry.

The fairytale hermits watched in fear, the dragon growling with narrowed eyes as he spotted the group of hermits. One stepped forward, staring up at the dragon with eyes full of tears.

"Ex..?" Xisuma's voice asked quietly, though the dragon seemed to notice him saying his name. The admin's eyes were their normal shade of brown, his stare pleading for help while filled with sorrow.

The tin man suddenly stumbled backwards, holding his head in pain. He almost collapsed, but Scar and Keralis caught Xisuma before he could fall to the ground. When the Brit opened his eyes again, they were an empty shade of blue. A smile grew across his face, as if nothing had happened, everything seemingly perfect to the admin.

He stood up, linking arms with Keralis and Scar. "Oh, we're off to see the wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!" Xisuma smiled as he happily sung, waiting for the three other hermits of Oz to join in on their song. Although, the three shared a look of concern, clearly worried about what had just happened to the tin man.

The dragon's eyes filled with rage, letting out a loud roar that shook the buildings and shops. Ex dove off the town hall, the other hermits running for shelter as the dragon approached. Xisuma was frozen in fear, watching as the monster opened his wings.

He flew a few feet off the ground, the dragon's eyes focused on the man in silver armor. As Xisuma tried to run for safety, Ex followed from above. Diving down, the dragon's talons clasped around the admin's body.

The dragon purred softly as he caught Xisuma, Ex flying back to the town hall. He flew up to the large tower that held Stress, the monster throwing the admin through the window.

As the tin man was thrown into the tower, he was hurled across the room, Xisuma's back slamming into the wall. He then fell against the ground, letting out a small groan in pain. His vision became blurry, the world around him beginning to spin. Xisuma shut his eyes, slipping into unconsciousness from the impact.

With his brother now safely held in the tower, Ex curled his body around the base of the tall building, the dragon protectively guarding the prisoner that he held inside.

—

"We have to go stop Ex, before he hurts someone! Who knows what he'll do like this!" Grian said to Mumbo, the Redstoner ignoring the shorter male as he dug through the rubble.

"I told you to rest, Gri. You're in no condition to go after Ex. Not again, at least." Mumbo said, snarling the last few words, clearly upset about the builder going after the evil hermit all on his own.

Grian frowned, the blonde sitting atop a small pile of rubble. "S-see? I'm fine!" He said while managing to get to his feet, the Brit's legs beginning to shake before they gave out on him. Mumbo quickly caught the shorter male before he could hit the ground.

"You aren't. You and I both know that your leg was crushed underneath the rubble. Even if it's not broken, you need to stay seated and rest." Mumbo said firmly, Grian folding his arms as he was set down onto the ground, the Brit pouting.

"But—"

"There's no changing my mind." Mumbo said softly, brushing a bit of Grian's blonde hair behind his ear. He moved back to the large pile of rubble, digging through the rock and debris. He just hoped that what he was searching for was still there.

Mumbo's eyes widened as he moved a large rock, a chest underneath the rubble. He opened the storage box, letting out a sigh or relief as the materials inside were unharmed. Reaching into the box, he pulled out what he he had been searching for.

"Is everything alright?" Grian asked, pulling the taller man from his thoughts. Mumbo quickly turned around, nodding his head.

"Everything is perfect." Mumbo said, holding the potion that he had found behind his back. "I'm ready now, let's go help the others."

Grian smiled in agreement. Slipping the potion into his pocket, Mumbo walked over to the shorter male, lifting the blonde off the ground and carrying him out of the crater.

'This potion will fix everything,' Mumbo thought to himself, 'He'll actually listen to me, he won't get hurt, I can protect him! Everything will finally be okay.'

"Mumbo?"

"O-oh, yes?" Mumbo stuttered, looking down at Grian with a smile. The shorter male was frowning, his eyes concerned.

"You've been zoning out, you didn't respond when I said your name the last two times. Is everything okay?"

Mumbo nodded, reaching into his pocket. "It's all perfect, or, it will be." He said, about to pull out the red potion.

"Grian! Mumbo!" A voice called for the two, the mustached hermit quickly slipping the potion back into his pocket before anyone could see. The two Brits looked towards the town hall, Stress and Iskall running down the path towards them.

"Y-you remember us?" Mumbo asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Scratching the back of their head, Iskall nodded.

"Yeah, of course... But can someone explain to me why Stress and I woke up dressed like this?" Iskall said, gesturing to their clothes. Mumbo set Grian down, the builder leaning on the taller man for support. The two shared a look before glancing back to Iskall and Stress.

"Do you remember..what happened?" Grian asked hesitantly.

"Last thing I remember was fighting Ex to try and let you escape. And then there was this crazy dream—"

"Trust me, it wasn't a dream. Ex used a potion that put us all in some sort of fantasy trance, but by completing the story, we return back to normal." Grian explained.

"So you're saying that I ran around acting like a prince," the Swede chuckled, in disbelief of what Grian was saying. The architect simply nodded.

"Take a look around, everyone else is still in some sort of fantasy! You may not believe it, but it's true!"

Stress nodded her head. "I guess that explains why me hair is so long." She said while gesturing to her brunette hair, which was tied back in a braid.

"I mean..it all seemed realistic enough, but we were really doing that..? Acting like we were from a fairytale?"

Grian chuckled a bit. "Trust me, you had it good. Doc and Ren are stuck in Little Red Riding Hood."

"Alright, so all our friends are basically lunatics now. Great." Iskall groaned, pinching the bridge of their nose.

"Which is why we need to help them! We need to save everyone, including Ex!" Grian said, Stress and Iskall looking at one another.

"I don't know if you've seen, but there's kinda a gigantic dragon—"

"It's Ex, big surprise, but we don't have that much time to go over the details." Grian said hastily, wrapping his arm around Stress and leaning on her for support, the builder limping along side the brunette as they moved towards the town hall. Before Iskall could follow, Mumbo grabbed his wrist.

"If you dare lay a finger on Grian, I'll make your life hell. Do you understand?" He threatened, Mumbo's eyes shifting to an empty blue before returning to normal. Iskall shakily nodded, causing the mustached hermit to smile calmly.

"Good. I'm glad we got that taken care of." Mumbo said as he followed after Stress and Grian, while Iskall stood, frozen.

What had happened to Mumbo..?