Tommy leaned up against the rickety fence, looking across the decimated terrain that he once knew like the back of his hand, but now it just left a hole in his chest. So many memories were made down below the cliff they stood on, so much blood. Tommy let out a helpless chuckle.

He cast his gaze over to the cliff adjacent to them, looking down at the base he saw the crawlspace they opened up into Dream's "secret base". Memories of him and Tubbo spending hours trying to locate it using some strange method Tubbo had come up with spun around his mind, the disc war was so far from where the two stood now.

Tommy looked across his shoulder and down at his friend, casting his arm around the shorter's shoulder. By the look in Tubbo's eyes, he missed those days too. Watching Dream tear up every piece of dirt around his little hut, or dodging and weaving around the ravine under his base and Dream tore away at the stone. The pure ecstatic joy from their victory when they finally slew their first enemy.

Oh, how times change. Now Dream was one of their only confidants. Tommy looked out into the familiar sunset, "We can't trust Wil anymore."

Tubbo looked up to Tommy, "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Tommy looked down at his feet, kicking a small piece of gravel off the cliff, "I- I can't tell you everything yet, Tubbo, but I want you to be safe. Wilbur has finally lost it and I don't know if I can convince him to find it."

Tubbo frowned, he didn't like how ominous Tommy was being, "Okay but-"

Tommy cut him off, "I'll be there on the day of the festival. When I tell you to come with me, I need you to trust me."

Tubbo cocked his head, "Uhh... okay? Tommy, I don't like this-"

Tommy shook his head, "You've just gotta trust me, man," He paused, then motioned for Tubbo to follow after him as he walking into his hobbit-hole-esk abode. He turned towards the enderchest in the corner and looked into it, pulling out something Tubbo immediately recognized, Blocks.

Tommy shoved the disk ink Tubbo's hands, "Take this. Keep it until after the festival," He directed.

Tubbo ran his fingers across the grooves on the disc and gave Tommy a reassuring nod, but paused. "Wait..." He mumbled under his breath, lightly placing the disc on the table beside the enderchest. He motioned Tommy out of the way and looked through his own and pulled out two items.

"I have the other two."

Tommy starred at the two in confusion, "No- no, no, I have Mellohi and Bad has Cat, Tubbo. You're deluded," Tommy took the two into his hands and spun them around in his hands.

Tubbo shook his head and explained how he got them, telling him how Wilbur lied to him about his disc and what not. Tommy just melodically nodded and spun the discs around in his hands, running over a few familiar dents in the discs that solidified Tubbo's story.

"Well- I guess that means... we have both of the discs, Tubbo," Tommy stuttered, a toothy grin spreading across his face, "Oh my god! Tubbo! Do you know what this means? We could leave! We could run into the sunset and never have to come back, we have everything we've ever cared about," Tommy's excitement shone brightly in his eyes, it made Tubbo smile. He took the discs back from Tommy and slid them back into his enderchest.

"Yeah, we could," Tubbo replied, pulling his hands across his face as he looked back up to Tommy, "We could."

"What's stopping us?" Tommy rhetorically asked, pulling Tubbo into a tight hug. But Tubbo had fallen silent and grown rigid. Tommy pulled away and gave Tubbo a quizzical look.

He followed Tubbo's gaze out of his house. He felt his shoulders tense and eyes narrow as he landed on what Tubbo had seen.

Quackity, George, and Jack stood together, and a little bit behind them was Schlatt, his unmistakable silhouette and ornate cane that was much more for looks than for helping the president walk. He and Tommy locked eyes for a second before he pushed his way through his entourage and changed his stare from Tommy to Tubbo.

"Well well well, Tubbo, we were just looking for you!" Schlatt exclaimed, opening his arms out with the cane in hand.

Tubbo didn't return his gaze, "Oh, uhh why were you doing that? Like why were you looking for me?"

Schlatt let out a laugh, though Tommy could tell it was forced, "Because you're my right-hand man, Tubbo!" Schlatt's gaze wandered back to Tommy as he said that, starring deep into Tommy. He knew what he was doing.

"Why the hell are you on my land?" Tommy spat at the older man, he just shook his head with a knowing smile.

"Actually, you said it yourself Tommy, this is my land. This is the embassy," Schlatt explained, a cruel smirk shining brightly across his face. "Speaking of things that are mine; what are you doing with my right-hand man, Tommy?" He looked back at Tubbo, "Is this boy planing propaganda in your mind? Come on Tubbo," Schlatt said, beckoning Tubbo away.

Tubbo stuttered and took a step forward, but Tommy grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, "Well he's my best friend Schlatt. And we were just leaving, weren't we, Tubbo?" He asked.

Tubbo's gaze came up from the floor for a moment and he found himself looking at Jack, who gave him a small but reassuring nod. "Yeah, we were actually."

Schlatt looked taken aback, "I don't think I gave you permission to do that, Tubbo. Hell, I don't even know how you got this far."

"I don't think I need your permission, Schlatt," Tubbo spat. Tommy laughed and swung his hand over Tubbo's shoulder.

Schlatt furrowed his brow, "You heard him Schlatt! Dickhead!" Tommy sneered.

Schlatt shook his head and looked back towards his entourage, "George? Quackity? Jack? Could you two please deal with this?" He asked in a grossly polite tone.

George and Quackity pulled their swords off their hips, but Jack stood stoic. They all looked back at him as he pulled his sword, "I don't think I can, no."

Schlatt started to comment but he stretched his sword out and held it to Quackity's neck. He looked over to his friends, "Run."

Tubo and Tommy looked between one another and Jack for a moment before the two booked it past them. Tommy looked back as Jack fought George and Quackity as Schlatt watched them run into the distance.

"We've gotta go back for Jack, Tommy!" Tubbo told him, pulling back as Tommy tried to tug him along.

"We'll go back for him later, Tubbo, he'll be okay. For now, we've just gotta get somewhere safe," Tommy reassured him, sprinting down the cliff, "We picked a poor time to run, the monsters n' shit are going to be coming out soon, we should head for Dream's base"

Tubbo nodded, they would be safe there for the night at least, then they could go back for Jack and the three of them could run. They could finally be safe.

They were both stressed, but they could see the light at the end of the tunnel. And this time, they might just be able to reach it.

Word Count; 1215