Tommy tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, a single name echoing in his mind.

It was happening. He would see Tubbo again.

He had to believe.

Sapnap edged carefully along the portal frame, nimbly clicking each Eye of Ender into the correct slot, and they were all watching as the blocks started to hum with power.

The last one.

There was a satisfying clicking sound as the Eye slid into the carved hole on the frame, and it settled down heavily, glowing with energy. The portal came to life.

He stared down in slight awe at it, a beautiful shimmering pool of magic, impossibly dark, yet casting beams of light around the room, sparkling with multicoloured stars like gemstones.

There was a small party of Hermits and SMPers who had decided be a part of the final fight, but everyone was here, in the portal room, to help carry supplies and say goodbye, for, what nobody dared say, what might be the last time.

Bad, Sapnap, George and Tommy would be going from the Dream SMPers, Bad mostly for his knowledge of healing.

False, Iskall, Etho, Hypno, Stress and Cleo were the hermits who were going to be preset for the fight, the last two acting as healers. Stress had precious knowledge of using potions, and Cleo, who had argued that she was already undead and therefor might not be affected no Respawns, had volunteered to help her.

Keralis was fidgeting nervously. "Be safe." He begged them, and Ren patted his shoulder comfortingly, knowing that he was also worried out of his mind for their missing admin.

"They'll bring him back. Just you wait."

Keralis sighed. "Yes." He agreed, a fragile note of hope lightening is voice.

Ren paused to watch his fellow hermits prepare for battle, his gaze meeting Tommy's from across the room, his expression soft with sympathy.

Tommy lowered his gaze. He didn't want pity, he wanted for everyone to hurry up so that they could go. He was ready, nervous energy fizzing through his veins, his hands gripping his sword tightly. He didn't have a shield, because he didn't want one. Shields were for hiding, and he refused to hide.

"Alright." George started, clearing his throat with a sideways glance at Sapnap. "Is everyone ready?"

Bad blinked nervously, nodding. Iskall handed False a few Enderpearls, and she pocketed them with a brief nod of thanks, then turned to George.

"Yes, I'm ready." She whispered.

Etho and Hypno were exchanging arrows, counting shafts and sorting their quivers. They had one of the most important roles: to take out the End Crystals as soon as possible to stop the dragon from healing. Etho raised his head, his red eye gleaming fiercely in the torchlight.

"Yes". His voice was grave.

Stress handed Cleo one last bundle of potions, shaking one gentle and observing the faint rosy glow that emitted from it. She glanced at George.

"I'm ready." Her voice was confident. Cleo nodded in agreement.

Tommy jumped to his feet. "Let's go then!" His voice was strained with impatience.

George hesitated. He swallowed nervously, then tilted his shoulders back, lifting his head high. "Let's go."

Sapnap raised his sword, his eyes glinting dangerously, ready.

All ten of them stepped forwards at the exact same time, and through the hazy feeling of teleportation, Tommy could make out one word, one word, that followed them into the nothingness, echoed and spoken by a chorus of voices.

"Goodbye."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tommy opened his eyes, relieved to find that his form had solidified. He blinked, staining his eyes in the gloom, and found that he could see an obsidian platform, which his feet were planted firmly on, and a wide stretch of nothingness, a pale moon-like island floating a good distance away from them.

Everyone was here, the adults taking a little longer to teleport than Tommy did as they were bigger, and he took the opportunity to place a couple blocks, the start of a precarious bridge spanning the Void.

The rest of his party shimmered into existence, Bad immediately reaching out an arm and dragging Tommy back. "Be careful! That's over the Void!"

"I know!" Tommy snapped back, annoyed. "You don't have to treat me like a kid! I know what I'm doing."

He regretted the words almost instantly as hurt sparked in Bad's eyes - he knew that Bad was nervous because Bad cared, but at the same time, Tommy felt a little satisfied. After all, he wasn't a child.

Bad nodded wordlessly and turned to George. "So what's the plan?"

George hesitated. "The dragon won't see us out here, but once we start bridging, it will. So we need one person on the bridge to build, and preferably both archers to distract it."

Etho nodded. "Aim for the eyes." He advised, and Hypno nodded, rubbing his fingers along his bow nervously.

Cleo smiled. "I'll bridge. I'm the least useful of all of you, and there's a chance that dying might not affect me the same way it does to the rest of you."

Stress opened her mouth to retaliate, but Cleo tapped her lips gently. "No. I'm being realistic."

She glanced at George for confirmation, and he narrowed his eyes. "I don't agree with your usefulness," he said finally, "but I do agree with your second point."

"Can't we fly?" Tommy interrupted, suddenly remembering elytras.

Sapnap shook his head. "If you fly, you compete with the dragon. And we can't fly better than the dragon."

Cleo maneuvered herself onto the little bridge base that Tommy had started, then carefully focused on connecting more blocks to it.

Tommy fidgeted nervously watching her, waiting for the dragon. Etho and Hypno stood a little behind him, an arrow grasped in their hands, ready to nock and shoot in an instant, waiting for the dragon to make an appearance.

When it first swooped out of the endless black sky, he could hardly believe his eyes.

Sure, the stories had always called it a giant beast.

Dream boasted about it being massive after defeating it in his manhunts.

Bad had told him once that it was gigantic.

Nothing prepared him for the thing that seemed to melt out of the emptiness, wings filling up the Void, black scales the same colour at the eternal darkness, making it seem as if it was everywhere at once. It gave a single snarl that echoed through the air, low and menacing.

Two violet eyes glowed in the darkness, and he could make out the jagged shape of the creature's jaws, opened wide to reveal the faintest purple gleam inside its throat.

An arrow flew past his shoulder, straight towards the dragon's eye, and it jerked is head back at the last moment, the projectile shattering harmlessly against its scales.

Tommy swallowed. He would fight it.

For Tubbo.

The thought gave him strength.

The dragon swerved suddenly, leathery wings cutting through the air, flying towards Cleo who was still building, only about halfway to the island, and Tommy heard the whistling sounds of two arrows being released. They streaked through the air, one splintering as it hit the thick plating against the creature's neck, the other scraping against its mouth. The dragon gave a thundering shriek of anger, snapping its jaws shut, crushing the arrow between its teeth and tilted its wings away from them again, as if reconsidering whether they were worth fighting.

Tommy stared at the dragon for a moment, mesmerized. It was a monster of brute strength, the frenzied hatred burning in its eyes rivalling the excited bloodlust Tommy had seen in Techno's right after a fight. It's scales as hard as diamond, thick and shiny against its body, wickedly curved claws gleaming, a powerful tail swinging behind it. It's wings were huge, folding and extending with surprising grace, the sound of the wind created by each flap rolling like thunder through the darkness.

It extended its neck, tilting its head to regard them with a furious gaze, muscles rippling along its chest and throat.

Truth to be told, he was almost a little sorry that they had to kill it. After all, it hadn't done anything wrong. But if he wanted Tubbo to be able to walk back into this world without immediately dying, the dragon would have to go.

For Tubbo.

"Cleo's done it!" George's excited voice brought Tommy's attention back to the situation at hand, and he glanced forward at the small shape of Cleo standing and waving from the island.

Sapnap narrowed his eyes as Etho released another arrow in attempts to stop the dragon from ploughing through the bridge. "We need to go, now!"

Tommy turned to look at him. "One at a time?"

"Just go!" False interrupted. "Don't look back!"

Tommy didn't need to be told twice, and he took off running, the block-wide bridge feeling firm under each step, the thin air of the End rushing past him, streaming its fingers of wind through his hair. He could see the dragon snapping at arrows Etho and Hypno sent its way, too occupied to bother with everyone else, and he could hear the pattering of footsteps as the rest of his friends ran behind him.

Keep running.

Onwards.

For Tubbo.

He reached the end island, panting, trying to catch his breath and realized with a flicker of amusement just how out of shape he was. His inability to train daily with Tubbo and Techno had not helped with his endurance.

He glanced upwards at the obsidian pillar. It seemed to stretch on forever, and he couldn't see the top.

A hand clamped firmly down on his shoulder, and he jumped, cursing loudly, whirling around to face its owner, Bad.

Bad gave him a small smile. "Language! But sorry I startled you. Just saying, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. But - just - look out for yourself, alright?"

Tommy blinked. "Yeah sure." He hesitated. "So now we just wait?"

Bad nodded. "We can't do any lasting damage before the crystals are down, so we need Etho, Hypno and maybe Sapnap or George to take a couple shots."

Tommy nodded, adrenaline still coursing through his blood from his run, and he forced himself to stay put, watching. Etho and Hypno dashed wildly across the bridge, Sapnap firing a couple cover shots for them, keeping the dragon busy with snapping the arrows out of the air.

The archers reached the main island, and immediately nocked and fired arrows. Tommy watched the projectiles tilt through the air, one missing ever so slightly, the other hitting a crystal which exploded into a cloud of smoke and glimmering shards.

Bad grinned. "Nice shot!" He yelled loudly.

Hypno gave him a quick smile. "Thanks." He reached for another arrow.

Tommy paused, watching the dragon again. It had stopped flying, and was perched on a small structure in the middle of the island - the portal, he guessed. It snarled threateningly, wings arched above its spine, two trails of smoke rising from its nostrils. It's tail was curled protectively around a black and purple orb, and he realized with a start of alarm, that is was a dragon egg.

It was protecting an egg.

The thought saddened him a little, as he imagined what Tubbo would think about it.

That's so cruel! We can't kill it, it's just defending its kid!

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade, casting the thoughts aside. It didn't matter what the dragon was or was not, he had to kill it.

For Tubbo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tommy glanced upwards, sky blue eyes following a single arrow as it arced through the darkness, a sliver of silver in the eternal night.

It hit, and he watched the last crystal explode, showering the Endermen below the obsidian column with shining fragments that sparkled like lost stars.

The dragon was in the air, circling warily above them, and it gave a thundering roar as it seemed to understand that it was no longer immortal. Tommy winced and covered his ears, as did the rest of the group. False, who was closest to him unsheathed her sword and shot him a quick grin.

"Ready for some action?"

Tommy raised his blade. "At the portal?"

She nodded, her sea-blue eyes determined. "When it comes down to the portal, we can reach it with a sword, but be careful of its attacks."

He nodded, following her behind a obsidian pillar. If the dragon didn't see them, it had a fair chance of swooping in to land beside its egg again.

For a few moments they waited, swords drawn, and he could hear his heartbeat drumming wildly in his chest, pulsing in his ears. And then, with a screech that could split the sky, the dragon descended onto the portal frame, craning its neck and curling its tail around its egg again, wings folding neatly across its back.

"Now!" False exclaimed, darting out from behind the pillar and running.

He followed her, his blade suddenly feeling very heavy in his hands as he sprinted towards the dragon. He could see George and Sapnap and Iskall emerge from behind several other pillars, all making their way over, and the dragon snarled, twisting its head back and forth, unsure of who to focus on.

Sapnap reached it first, and, without hesitation, swung his axe at the dragon's leg. The gleaming diamond edge cut a thin white line across its thick black scales, and it reared back with a hiss, a purple plume of smoke rising from its mouth, angry, but not very hurt.

"Sapnap!" George yelled, tackling his friend from behind as the dragon blasted a glowing stream of purple fire where Sapnap had been standing a heartbeat before.

An arrow zipped down from a column - Tommy could see Etho and Hypno both had chosen one and were standing at the top - flying towards the exposed egg, and the dragon flicked out a wing, the arrow splintering against it harmlessly.

Iskall reached the dragon and slashed his sword towards the dragon's chest, barely able to lash out high enough, but with the way it was crouched, he could manage. A thin line of red bled into its scales, and the dragon gave a shriek of pain and fury, opening its jaws and spraying a thick shimmering violet mist around it. Iskall dove wildly out of the way, barely managing to leap out of the blast radius.

"Aim at its chest and stomach area!" Iskall shouted at the rest of them. "The scales are softer there!"

False nodded, waiting for the mist to dissipate. She turned to Tommy. "I'll distract it. You try to get it where Iskall did."

Tommy grinned, appreciating the fact that she seemed to deem him capable of attacking. "My pleasure."

The purple faded, and False leapt forwards nimbly, waving her sword in front of the dragon's snout, and Tommy could see it narrow its eyes in concentration, head following her movements. Quick as lightning, he lunged with his sword, the blade slashing its dark scales in the exact same place where Iskall had wounded it, and they both jumped back as the dragon gave another roar of pain, lashing its tail wildly as red droplets glittered on the ground.

The dragon reached out, snapping its jaws at them, and another arrow streaked downwards, aiming at the egg, so it drew back and blocked it with its tail.

Sapnap jumped forwards, seeing an opening, hefting his axe, and suddenly, when horrific speed, the dragon spun, spiked tail catching him in the stomach, slicing through his armour, and he was thrown back violently, crumpling into a heap on the ground, red splattering the Endstone beneath him.

"Sapnap!" George screamed.

He ran towards his friend, and the dragon glanced in his direction, hissing, purple sparks already flickering in its mouth.

Tommy launched himself at the dragon, desperate to keep if from firing. He raised his sword, bringing it down as hard as he could on the edge of the monster's wing, a grim satisfaction settling over him as it growled and faced him. He could see Bad and Stress tending to Sapnap, but he didn't know how badly he had been hurt.

Fury burned in his veins and he glared at the beast, his sword suddenly feeling balanced in his hands, the itch to draw blood pulsing in his fingers. The dragon made a odd sort of hissing sound deep in its throat, smoke rising from its nostrils.

And then a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder and dragged him back just as the dragon spat a thin line of flame, and he spun around, anger hardening his voice as he stared at False. "What are you doing?!"

She met his gaze unwaveringly. "That would have killed you. Know your limits."

He gaped at her for a moment and she narrowed her eyes. "You can't win against dragonflame, especially considering you don't have a shield. You have to know when to back down."

He swallowed sulkily, seeing the logic behind her words unwillingly. "Fine." He snapped, then hesitated and forced himself to soften his voice. "Thanks." He muttered.

She blinked at him, looking almost a little surprised, then nodded. "Of course."

She stared at the dragon which was preoccupied with arrows that were showering down on it, Etho and Hypno providing a few moments of cover fire, then turned back to Tommy.

"Go check on Sapnap. I know you need to know."

He swallowed the lump of fear in his throat. "I'll do that."

She nodded in return and he jogged around the perimeter of the island, ducking behind the obsidian columns as often as possible to hide from the monster's piercing gaze, his heart hammering in his chest. He and Sapnap were never particularly close, but they had fought together a couple times.

He reached the other side of the island, standing behind George and peering over his shoulder to see Bad and Stress both leaning over Sapnap, trying to stop the bleeding. Sapnap grimaced as he saw Tommy.

"Hey." His voice was weak. Stress immediately shushed him, tipping a position to his mouth.

Tommy blinked. "Uh, hey." He turned to George. "Will he..." his voice trailed off.

George wrung his hands nervously. "I don't know." His dark brown eyes sparked with fear. "I don't know."

Tommy placed a hand on his shoulder, surprising himself as much as he surprised George. "Hey, it'll be alright."

George blinked at him, then nodded, turning to Stress, determination glinting like steel in his gaze. "We're continuing with the dragon. Call me back if..." He gestured towards Sapnap. "...If he needs me."

Tommy could detect the hidden fear in his voice, hear the hidden meaning of his words.

Call me if I need to say goodbye.

He didn't comment on it though, and drew his sword, following George, turning to face the dragon. The monster snarled, eyes burning with hatred, and George raised his weapon, a fiery anger alight in his gaze. The dragon hissed, snapping an arrow out of the sky, biting it cleanly in two, and George took the opening to dart forwards, slicing his sword against the beast's chest, cutting deeper than before, and the dragon twisted its tail in pain, scarlet blood splattering onto the cream coloured Endstone.

Iskall rammed his shield against the monster's other side, diverting its attention for a moment before it whipped its head around to snap at George.

George dove out of the way as the dragon lashed out with its claws, jaws split in an ear-piercing roar, and False threw her sword at it in desperation to stop it from catching him. It spun around, eyes glowing, and Tommy lunged at it from the opposite side, stabbing his sword into its chest as hard as he could.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to stop.

The dragon went rigid, its muscles tensing, and everyone froze, before it lashed out with a shriek, wings smashing into Tommy, and suddenly he hit his head one something hard and pain flared in his skull like lava was burning inside his head.

He tried to sit up, dizzy from pain, the world swimming around him, twisting and sailing hypnotically, but also threatening to make him sick.

He could make out the shape of the dragon, bright violet eyes burning into his soul, dissolving into pure light, melting into the eternal darkness of its surroundings. 

He had done it. Defeated the dragon.

Suddenly Cleo was leaning over him, her eyes gleaming with worry, and he took a few deep breaths, the pain already fading, the world starting to come back into focus.

"I'm fine." He managed to croak.

Cleo did not look convinced, and all of a sudden False was there as well, helping him up and half-carrying him over to Stress and Bad.

Bad fussed over him, informing him that Sapnap would be alright, and that he had cut his head open, although it wasn't deep and he would live.

"Good." He muttered, then raised his voice. "Will it scar?" Excitement ran through his veins as he imagined himself showing off a scar to Tubbo.

Bad gave a tiny smile. "No, it won't."

He cursed, and for once, Bad didn't protest, but blinked at him in amusement.

George nodded at him. "You did alright."

Tommy gave a tired smile. "Thanks. You did okay yourself."

False hovered over him for a moment, checking with Stress that they would all be alright, then left through the portal to bring everyone through so that they could figure out a plan to always have at least one person here in case all their missing friends came back.

He sat there for a moment in content silence. He had done it.

A tremor ran through the island. They all turned to look at each other, confusion glittering in all their eyes.

The portal shuddered, and George sprang to his feet, sword already in hand.

Violet light was tossed into the air, flickering from the portal like a magical wishing well, reminding Tommy of circus lights.

Stress reached out a hand and lowered George's weapon, her eyes wide. "That's an admin's portal." Her voice was heavy with meaning, and George gaped at her.

Tommy nudged Bad's hand aside and stood up, craning his neck.

There was a flash of light, and three figures came into being. Dream, without his mask, face exposed, hands clutching a gash on his side, crimson blood streaming through his fingers.

Xisuma, without his helmet, face pale, holding up the third person.

Techno, leaning heavily on the Voidwalker, barely awake, purple particles glittering around his hands.

There was a heartbeat of stunned silence.

And then Bad was rushing forward, and Stress and George, who was supporting Sapnap, and Iskall, eyes shining with tears, and Tommy shoved them all aside, a single question burning through his mind.

"Where's Tubbo?"

===============================

This is the penultimate chapter (fancy name for second last)!

The pain, the angst, it's all happening :D