The day the world changed started off perfectly normally.

Tango and Impulse were on their yellow lives after dares gone wrong, and Etho was on red after being threat-killed by Dogwarts and then blown up by a silent creeper, but that was fine; many people were on their yellow lives now, and Scar was dead.

Tango scurried around their chest room, sorting, while Impulse lazily watched the bridge for intruders. Etho was, as usual, nowhere to be seen, busy doing, as Impulse called it, "ninja things."

Impulse twisted uncomfortably, moving to a more comfortable position- laying stretched across the top of three of the sticking-up-bits of wool.

"TANGO!" he yelled.

"I'm busy, Impy!" Tango yelled back, voice muffled through the wool and wood of the castle.

Yes, wood. You didn't really think a castle made of wool could stand up on its own and support three people, did you?

Impulse groaned in mock-annoyance. Tango ignored him.

The squelch of footsteps on the wet ground distracted Impulse.

"Hello," Impulse called down. "What business have you here?"

"I have business with you," Joel said menacingly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what?" Impulse asked confusedly.

"I need to eliminate thre- threats," Joel said quickly, seeming slightly scared.

"What!? Uh... TANGO!!" Impulse called.

Tango walked out and stood looking up with his hands on his hips. "What?"

"I think Joel's insane," Impulse told him queitly.

"I can hear you!" Joel called.

Tango rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's-"

Impulse's eyes widened as pain burst in his chest, growing by the second from one spot. He glanced down and screamed. "TANGO THERE'S AN ARROW STICKING OUT OF ME!"

Tango froze, then rushed up to Impulse. "Uhhhh... you're gonna be okay! It's fine!"

Behind Joel, a voice spoke. "So, you're an enemy now?"

Joel's blood ran cold. Oh fiddlesticks, he'd forgotten about Etho.

"Um... yeah..." Joel replied nervously. Before he could hesitate, he shot another arrow. It again landed true and Joel's target was dead.

<ImpulseSV was shot by SmallishBeans>

Etho materialized in front of Joel, eyes not mad but instead considerate. "Would you like to fight?"

"No... not really," Joel admitted.

"Me neither, but my apologies, and I'm very sorry, but I'll have to kill you now," Etho informed him. Spinning two daggers into existence, Etho dashed around Joel and ducked to slice at his legs. Joel stumbled and fell forward... impaling himself right on Etho's blade.

"Again, very sorry, but you killed my ally," Etho's voice rang in Joel's ears as the world faded.

Tango rushed downstairs to where Impulse had respawned. Impulse had already jumped up. "Revenge? Please, revenge?"

"Already done." Both Tango and Impulse jumped.

"Thanks, Etho," Tango said.

"But I want revenge on Dogwarts," Impulse protested.

"You want to somehow take revenge on the most powerful faction on the server?" Tango sighed. "Of course."

Joel shot up, gasping. He'd failed. He'd failed. Oh gosh, he was so dead.

They would kill him for this.

Joel wasn't usually an emotional person, but he began shaking and tears leaked from his eyes as he curled into a ball.

It was going to hurt so bad.

"It's simple!" Impulse explained. "Just ten blocks of TNT and we take down Dogwarts!"

"This is never going to work," Tango told him.

"Oh come on, did Zed give you the braincell when we left or something? Cheer up!" Impulse replied.

Tango rolled his eyes, but grinned. "Alright. Let's do this!"

After what seemed like forever, Joel finally calmed down enough to stand up.

Might as well get it over with. If he refused to go, they'd just hurt him worse.

Joel shakily gathered his backup items and headed out the door.

Tango and Impulse snuck up to the fortress and watched from atop a hill, hidden behind the crest. They saw when Joel walked up, stopped for a minute in front of the door, the knocked. Even from a distance he looked jumpy, like a scared rabbit.

What's Joel doing now? Tango wondered.

"Dunno," Impulse replied, and Tango realized he'd said it out loud.

Joel was let in and the two froze when they heard a silenced yelp of pain from inside.

Glancing at each other, they came to a silent agreement. Together, they snuck around and peered through an opening in the wall.

Neither of them expected what they saw.

Joel nervously waited in front of Ren. Martyn and Skizz stood to the sides. They did not look happy to see him.

"I'm- I'm sorry- I killed one of them-" Joel began.

"Silence," Ren snapped. Joel flinched and obeyed. "You failed. Your job was to eliminate the swamp people. You killed one and were overtaken by them."

"But- Etho-" Joel tried to explain.

"Silence," Ren hissed.

Joel bowed his head fearfully.

"You know what this means," the Red King growled. Joel gulped and nodded. "Failure brings consequences."

Spiked chains were snapped around Joel's wrists and he yelped. A punch from Ren cut it off.

"Please... no..." Joel begged, wrists aching.

The Red King's lips twisted in a sick, evil smile. He pulled out his sword and stepped forward.

Joel sunk to the ground hopelessly and limply endured the pain.

Tango and Impulse were speechless as they watched. First, chains were put on Joel so he couldn't run away- and as if that wasn't bad enough, they were spiked, so they would dig into his skin. Then, Ren sliced open his shirt and stepped back for Skizz to hack up his legs so Joel couldn't run.

Joel didn't let out so much as a whimper the whole time.

When they took off the chains, he stood swaying weakly on his feet.

The whole thing lasted less than thirty seconds. Tango and Impulse had no time to react.

Plans forgotten, they scaled the wall. Yes, the rough wood dug splinters into their palms. Yes, there were barely any handholds. They didn't care.

Dropping over the wall, they drew their swords. "Stop!" Tango yelled angrily.

Everyone (besides Impulse) turned to face him.

"Why?" Ren asked simply.

Tango stood dumbfounded.

"Wh- why? You- you just straight up tortured a person!" Tango told him, rage mounting. "Martyn, how can you..."

Martyn fidgeted with his sleeves and Tango spotted bloody red wounds on Martyn's wrists just like the ones on Joel's.

He stood speechless.

Impulse had noticed too. "Ren, you're dead."

Tango was shaken into reality and surveyed the clearing. "Martyn?"

Martyn froze and glanced around. "I- don't talk to me, talk t-to the Red King!"

"Martyn, run to the Crastle. Tell Cleo and Bdubs exactly what happened and do NOT come back," Tango told him.

Martyn glanced to the door as if considering it. Ren cocked his head and spoke. "Don't tell me you're thinking of betraying me?"

"No! No, no, never, no!" Martyn answered quickly.

"Good," Ren said soothingly.

"My God, Ren," Tango exclaimed.

"No, the title is my King," Ren corrected. "And don't worry, I will be."

Tango froze. "You'll never command me."

"We'll see about that," Skizz advanced on Tango and Impulse threateningly. They were outnumbered...

"Impulse, run!" Tango yelled, wincing as Skizz snapped the chain on his wrist.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Impulse protested, swinging wildly at Skizz.

"GO!" Tango screamed.

Impulse jumped. Hearing the demand, he obeyed and scurried out, gritting his teeth through Tango's pained screams behind him and running out towards the Crastle.

The only thing keeping Impulse going was the knowledge that nothing ever lasted forever, and that meant this too.

One way or another, they'd get through this.