Democracy, your ass
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In which you practice social distancing
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-Keoisnothere on twitter

Last night had escalated very quickly. It had quickly become an evening filled with threats, yelling, and misunderstandings. Techno had crossed the line and had nearly exposed you in front of Wilbur who you wanted to set a sane example for, and Tommy who you so desperately wanted to be a role model for.

Luckily for you, they hadn't caught on. Or well, lucky for Techno - because if they had, you wouldn't have hesitated to make bacon out of him.

You had heard him loud and clear, though - and you had stopped dead in your tracks. It hadn't been a discussion you wanted to take with him in front of the two others, so you had just walked back to your place. You hadn't talked at all afterward. No one plans a murder of a pig out loud.

Tommy and Wilbur had heard him too but they hadn't bought it. They just thought Techno was talking out of his ass in order to make you stay. It was the day before the festival, and they needed your help, after all. And besides, they knew perfectly well that killing someone was against all of your morals.

But they didn't know you at all anymore.

When you had first returned to Manburg, getting revenge on Schlatt had been your only goal. But then you had met Jack and Niki, and you had decided to help out your old friends along the way. To help Wilbur and Tommy get Manburg back.

But that desire to help out your friends had completely dropped to the ground last night. They had lied to you repeatedly and planted the TNT behind your back.

It wasn't like you held a grudge against them - you were used to all their lies. You weren't angry either. You had just simply stopped caring.

You couldn't care less about the welfare of Manburg or Pogtobia anymore. You didn't care, if you now had to go behind their backs to achieve what you wanted. Their move.

The only thing you cared about now, was justifying your friend's death. And that was going to happen soon.

There was even a slight chance it was going to happen today. You still didn't know how many lives Schlatt had left, but if he only had one, then maybe, just maybe...

You were angry at Techno. Sure. But that anger was constantly being overshadowed by your hatred of Schlatt, so you didn't feel it that much. You hadn't forgotten, though. What he nearly leaked last night wasn't acceptable in any way.

You were currently walking down the tunnel with him, Wilbur, and Tommy. None of you said anything. Techno, because he knew he had fucked up, Wilbur because he was busy being insane, and Tommy because he was nervous.

And you? Well, as always, your thoughts were way too loud for you to be too.

Everyone had prepared - Wilbur had once again refused to put any armor on, but his inventory was absolutely stacked. The same goes for Tommy, except for the fact his body was covered with netherite. The boy was currently holding onto Dream's crossbow with his life.

Techno was his usual stacked self, and you had taken your bow and arrow with you. Not because you thought you'd be battling anyone, but because it was better to be safe than sorry. You were going on enemy's territory after all.

The tunnel turned into a staircase, and soon you were at the hollow tree. Even though you heard several voices from above, you all managed to sneak out of the tree without anyone noticing.

Almost everyone was gathered at the podium - you could see their small figures in front of the stage. None of them was looking your way.

Manburg was indeed well-decorated. Banners, fancy lights, and even balloons were everywhere your eyes looked - all in different colors. There was a sweet scent in the air, making you want to close your eyes and sniff it all in. It smelled like chocolate.

The sun was shining strongly through the white morning clouds, creating beautiful reflections in the humble lakes and rivers. There was a bunch of chests standing in a pile not so far away, each with a name on them. They had brought gifts? Sweet.

"Let's go," Techno spoke and began his path toward the talking crowd. Wilbur stopped him by grabbing his shirt.

"Wait Techno, this is where we part ways. Tommy and I will be hiding on the roof now, so good luck, and make sure to keep a low profile."

"Why can't you just come with us?" Techno asked as you facepalmed.

Wilbur seemed just as surprised. "Techno- Techno, Tommy and I aren't invited."

"Lol, losers"

"We've literally said that so many times, you stupid pig." Tommy rolled his eyes, before turning his attention to you. He was about to shake your hand or some weird shit when you pulled him in for a hug.

"Whatever you do, don't let him press that button." You whispered, voice as stern as the look on your face. You pulled away, and Tommy nodded with a serious expression.

Then, after one last glance at Wilbur, the four of you began walking separate ways. There was an awkward silence between you and Techno.

"Look," He breathed when you were just 20 feet away from the crowd. "I'm sorry that I said anything last night." His pink braid was messy since you had refused to braid it this morning.

You nodded, looking at the people who had noticed you and Techno's presence. Many of them pointed at you. Everyone broke into whispers. "All is forgiven."

It obviously wasn't, but there was no harm in letting him believe that. Right now you needed to be focused.

Jack and Niki were the first to greet you. They ran your way, and Niki embraced you in a tight hug. "The two of you made it just in time! Schlatt is just about to go on the stage."

You forced a smile and nodded. You said hi to Jack after he had given Techno some weird compliments, who didn't seem to have a care in the world. Niki and Jack kept talking to you, but you didn't listen either. You were too busy having staring contests with lots of different people who stared at you, while also looking for Schlatt.

But the president was nowhere to be seen - not even on the stage where he would soon give his welcoming speech.

But everyone else was there. You recognized BadBoyHalo and Antfrost standing not too far away and looking at you curiously. Beside the demonic-giant (Bad), was a guy with dark-brown hair and a light-blue hoodie.

Not too far away from them, you saw four men standing with their arms crossed. You didn't recognize any of them. One of them was wearing a purple hoodie, the second was wearing a red, orange and black balaclava mask, the third had a creeper mask on, and the fourth was wearing a... Wait, was that a reindeer suit?

Your chest tightened. You didn't know there would be this many people you hadn't met before. You didn't know anything about them, and yet they seemed to know everything about you. You felt like the new girl in a cliche movie.

You turned your head to see three familiar faces; George, Sapnap, and Punz. Once gaining eye contact with Sapnap, he immediately walked away from his little group and toward you. You met him half-way, eyes narrowed. Techno rose his brow at you.

"If it isn't the famous (Y/n)." Sapnap taunted. "We've been looking for you."

"I know." You replied coldly. "You're not very good at looking."

The tan boy huffed and crossed his arms. "You know, Eret told me you were running around with Techno, but I didn't believe him. Who would've thought you of all people would associate yourself with the best fighter in the world."

"Yeah, who could've guessed." You mumbled, not hearing half of his words. You were too busy looking around for Schlatt. Where could he be? Was he hiding? Did he know why you were here? He couldn't be onto you, could he?

George came up behind Sapnap, and placed a hand on his shoulder. You could tell he was just about to say something too when another voice cut through the air. "(Y/n)!"

You could recognize Tubbo's beaming voice anywhere. The boy was running happily towards you with a huge grin on his face. He jumped into your arms, snapping you out of your thoughts. You chuckled and spun him around, trying to hit Sapnap and George's judging figures with Tubbo's legs in the process.

"I'm so glad you came! We're beginning shortly."

You asked him how he had been, as you gawked at Dream's two friends leaving. He said that he's been alright - a little nervous for today's events though, he added in a whisper. You tried your best to sent him a comforting smile.

"I better get back up there... Schlatt's waiting." Tubbo pondered and slid out of your arms to walk to the stage. Your eyes followed him to make sure he got safely up there. Sure, you've stated that you didn't care about the safety of Pogtopia anymore, but you would always have a soft spot for Tubbo and Tommy.

Niki pulled your sleeve. You turned your head and she met you with a worried expression. "You better find a chair, (Y/n). It's starting now"

She might as well have told your heart to jump out of your chest, because it sure wanted to. You felt your palms grow sweaty, and the thoughts in your head started to speak over themselves like they always did when you got nervous. Your mouth refused to produce any more spit, making your throat as dry as ever, and your voice hoarse. You would see Schlatt any second now.

Everyone had found a chair, and you followed Niki to do the same. You purposely took the chair that was furthest away from the podium. Niki sat herself to your right and Techno sat in front of you.

BadBoyHalo was sitting to your left and to your surprise he tabbed your shoulder politely. You stiffened up and looked at him with a tense grimace.

"Hi!" He greeted, and you got reminded of how kind his voice sounded. "I'm Bad, it's nice to meet you! This is Skeppy!" He gestured to the one wearing the blue hoodie. He waved at you.

You waved back. "Hey. Uh, I'm (Y/n)"

"You've been in Manburg before, right?" Bad tried to start a small talk that you really weren't in the mood for, so you almost got relieved when someone tabbed the mic. Then you remembered who was tabbing the mic, and your relief melted away like snow to the sun. Your blood ran cold. You were almost scared to look, but you forced yourself to do so.

And there he was. Right in the center of the stage, his horns, and smile being visible from miles away. Schlatt.

Tubbo was fixing the mic beside him while Schlatt stood and waited, looking at the people he had gathered, in pride. He was wearing the suit you had seen from all the posters, and his brown hair consisted of faint curls and at least two whole bottles of gel. Quackity was standing to his left, looking just as proud. Their hands were folded behind their back, chin held up high.

"Hello everyone!" Schlatt spoke, his voice loud and clear. Everyone seemed to hold their breath. Or maybe it was just you. "Welcome to the festival of Manburg!"

The people in front of you began clapping and cheering but you were too frozen to do so. Literally. Your whole body felt colder than ever, despite the burning sun's lame attempt to warm up your skin. All your body allowed you to do was stare, eyes wide, at the man on the stage. The ultimate sinner. The one all of your burning anger was directed towards. The one who had killed your friend.

"I've invited all the citizens of Manburg and some good friends of mine," he gestured to you and Techno. You thought you were going to vomit. "-to enjoy the fest activities and participate in this party that I've been so generous to put together for you all."

You wondered how easy it would be to kill him right then and there. To take your bow and plant an arrow in his chest, watching the light in his eyes fade. Everyone would see you, but you didn't care. You didn't care about any of the consequences.

But you were angry, not stupid. You had to be smart - and killing Schlatt right now would be the exact opposite of that. You didn't even know how many lives he had left, which was a very important factor to know. If he had more than one life, it didn't matter if you killed him because he would just respawn again - and by then you'd be behind bars for a failed assassination of the president.

Schlatt continued his egotistical speech that was flooded by his own ego, and your mind only decided to tune in for the last bit of it.

"I want to thank you all for coming here. And now, without further ado let's start the party! But first, let me hear a DEMOCRACY!" The president looked at Quackity who immediately understood. He began counting down from three.

"DEMOCRACY!" Everyone but you and Techno yelled in unison. Fundy was the one shouting the loudest.

And then Schlatt made his way down the stage, followed by his little servants. You couldn't help but hope he'd fall down the stairs, but of course, you weren't that lucky. He told everyone that they could shake his hands if they wanted to, but you would literally rather die. His smug attitude made you sick.

Your hands were cribbling to take a hold of your bow. You kept reminding yourself to keep your breathing under control, but even small things like that seemed impossible. You were going crazy in his presence.

You gracefully avoided him every time he would come within a 20 feet radius from you. Everyone else was seemingly having a good time, talking with one another, but all you could concentrate about was to stay the hell away from the president.

Whenever he was occupied though, you tried looking around for Tommy and Wilbur. They said they had planned on hiding on a roof, but which one? It stressed you out that you didn't know. What if Wilbur had somehow managed to convince Tommy to press the button? Manburg could blow up any second, and you wouldn't even know it.

It hadn't done you any good, finding out that the land you were currently standing on was one press of a button away from blowing up. If only you could've found out sooner, so you have had the time to do something about it. But now, you had been forced to attend a festival, which was already nerve-wracking enough as it is, not even 24 hours after finding out about the bombs.

Techno had noticed your weird behavior, and he made his way over to you. He had a drink in his hand that Antfrost had been handing out, and when you saw it, you immediately took it away from him, placing it on the nearest table.

"Don't you dare drink that!" Your paranoid self fumed. "It could be poisonous!"

Techno looked at you like you were crazy. Maybe you were. He took both of your wrists and looked you straight into the eye. "Calm down, (Y/n), okay? Calm down."

Your hands were shaking in his grip but you closed your eyes and breathed out. You were being pathetic. You would have to talk to Schlatt sooner or later to not look suspicious. You were just afraid you lacked the self-control to do so.

"I just finished a conversation with Schlatt. You can't do it today." Techno said as if he had read your mind. He hadn't been specific but you knew exactly what he meant.

Your jaw clenched. "What?"

Techno nodded. "He still has all of his lives left, (Y/n). I asked him. So doing anything now would be suicide. You have to trust me."

Even though you had tried preparing yourself for that, anger fumed up inside of you as the worst-case scenario just came to reality. Schlatt still had all of his three lives. Which meant you wouldn't get your revenge anytime soon. You kicked the nearest thing in frustration, which just so happened to be Techno's leg. "Dammit!" You cursed. You ran a hand through your hair. "I-I don't know how much longer I can take this, Techno... Every moment he's alive feels like a mockery, every breath he takes feels like I'm being ripped apart! I'm losing my mind!"

"I know." He said, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. "You just have to be patient. trust me, he won't have three lives much longer."

You looked at him in shock. Did he say that because he knew that or because he hoped so?

You broke eye-contact. You needed to change the subject. "Where is Dream, anyway?"

Techno responded with a shrug, but you didn't believe him. You suspected that he had stayed in touch with Dream this whole time he had been gone, and you didn't know why all of your friends kept lying to you.

Maybe it was because they weren't really your friends. None of them. The only true friend you've had was him. Your old friend. And he's dead.

You silently agreed to what Techno had said. You had prepared yourself earlier today that there was a big possibility of you not getting your revenge at the festival. Schlatt still had three lives, and killing him now would be the end of you, not him.

But Techno said he wouldn't have three lives much longer. Was that because of the war that was slowly beginning to form? A whole-ass war would surely take a life or two away from Schlatt, and then you'd be right there to deal the final blow.

It sucked that you had to wait, it really did. But there wasn't anything you could do about it.

Antfrost came towards you and Techno and offered you another drink, but you politely said no. And when Techno raised his hand to take one, you once again slapped his hand away. Antfrost left with a confused expression.

Music began playing in the background, and you heard cheers break out. People actually began dancing, and you wondered what it felt like to just be happy and not have a care in the world. You couldn't remember.

You sat on a bench, far away from all of the dancing figures. They all sucked at dancing.

"Psst."

Your eyes widened. Oh god, you were hearing voices. That's it, you had gone mad.

"Psst!" It sounded again, and you realized it wasn't from your head but someplace behind you. You gawked when you saw none other than Tommy hide behind the bench in some bushes. He was quite well hidden, but it made you paranoid nonetheless.

"Tommy!" You gasped. You looked around, but you couldn't see Wilbur. Your heart dropped. "Don't tell me Wilbur is-"

"No, no, don't worry," Tommy whispered. His eyes were red and he was sweating nervously - he matched many of your features.

"Then what are you doing here!? If Schlatt sees you-" you scolded, but Tommy interrupted you.

"Wilbur and I are going to look in those chests. Some of them have our names on them. We need to see if they have any leverage on us - or just something useful we can steal."

He pointed at the chests you had seen earlier, and you nodded. Normally you would have been against the idea of stealing, but you didn't really care if it was from Schlatt. "Okay, but... Won't that be too dangerous? What if someone sees you? Tommy, you are wanted throughout the whole land!"

"I know, I know." He began smiling his famous smile. "That's where you come into the picture. I need you to cause a distraction."

"A distraction?"

"A distraction."

"Just any distraction?"

"Well, if you take suggestions, you could always flash them-"

You smacked his head and he laughed. "Just kidding. As long as it covers, any distraction will do."

You let out a breath. You needed to be creative. Then you nodded, and Tommy disappeared back into the bushes. You slowly got up from the bench and made your way to the dancing crowd.

A distraction. You said to yourself. A good one.

Your eyes winded as an idea popped up in your head. It was stupid, risky, and reckless, but it sure would gain attention.

You tabbed the first and the best person on the shoulder. Sapnap turned around to look at you.

Actually, everyone seemed to look at you as you were the only one not dancing.

Sapnap rose his brows and you rose your fist. "I'm sorry not sorry for this." You murmured.

Then you punched the living shit out of him.

Just like Tommy had once told you; "If you're going to get in trouble for hitting someone, you might as well hit them hard."

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