We all stared at him in disbelief, the only sound was Schlatt's wheezes from lack of air.

I couldn't imagine that his heart was doing well with all the shit he put in himself. With the smoke and alcohol building up, it was lucky his heart didn't give out right in front of us. Well lucky for him, unlucky for us.

He laughed again, "I found out that, not only does my life long partner-in-crime, Big Q, turn on me, but he plotted to destroy my nation!"

Quackity began to deny him, waving his hands around, but Schlatt talked over him, "Let's just say that the dominoes have already started to fall."

At that moment, I realized that I had not heard the sound of explosives in the direction of Manberg. If the explosives had been there, there was a good chance that the nation would have already been gone at the hands of its creator. Yet, there was silence.

Tommy stepped closer to me, not stepping past though, "What does that mean?"

Schlatt chuckled, "Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out." His gaze slid to mine, his smirk disappearing. I noticed the red that was staining his dark suit, blooming on his left arm.

I sneered at him, "Stay away from us." I raised my sword once more, backing the boys and me away from him.

The president laughed, yelling at us, "I'll be back you assholes!" With his words, I hear Tommy and Quackity run, racing for Pogtopia. I glared at Schlatt a second longer before turning and following them. I kept my sword at the ready, in case he chose to follow us.

I eyed the boys in front of me, a distance away from them. My head snapped to the side, a loud crash coming from the forest next to me.

Wilbur came stumbling out, running next to me. There was something clearer in his eyes, his movements less sluggish. Another emotion danced in his eyes, similar to what he looked like when he was the nation's president.

His voice sounded stronger, prouder, "Don't press any buttons at Pogtopia. I went back to the base, and there are buttons everywhere." He sounded more put together, gaining some of my trust back for the moment.

I nodded, the two of us racing after the boys.

-

The number of buttons I had expected there to be... well, was totally wrong.

Wilbur and I had followed after Quackity and Tommy, down into the ravine. When we exited, everyone froze. No one dared to breathe in the wrong direction, in fear that we would all blow up.

Buttons covered every inch of the walls and ceiling. They were all different colors, wood type varying. I gaped, trying to comprehend the image before us.

Wilbur was the first to break the silence, "When Quackity was arguing with Schlatt, I went and searched for the button, I had pressed it-"

Quackity cut him off, whirling around to face him, "You did what?!" All of us turned, facing the man.

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around at the buttons, "I had to! Just to make sure!"

Quackity turned, throwing his arms out towards the buttons, "Well, what the hell are these!"

Wilbur stood up straighter, staring the two boys down, "Don't press any of them. I don't know who put them there." A small glimmer of their old leader was shining through, an order returning to him.

Tommy screamed, pulling out his ax, "We need to break them!" He began tearing down some, "There's too many!" He moved down the stairs, all of us moving after him. We reached the bottom, "Stay close, stay close."

Big Q placed his hand in front of Tommy, "I don't think we should take them down. We don't want to accidentally press any of them."

I nodded in agreement, walking past them towards Tommy and Tubbo's room. I was careful not to bump into any of the buttons, more appearing in their room. I was thankful that Techno and Tubbo were out at the moment.

I destroyed some of the buttons in their room, walking back to where the three stood, arguing. As I came up to them, I paused, staring out behind them. Their arguing stopped when they noticed who I was staring at.

Fundy stood at the other end of the ravine, watching us. I wasn't sure what emotion was on his face, but his orange ears twitched. His tail swished once, as Tommy and Quackity ran over to him.

I glanced at Wilbur, who stood at my side. He stood completely still, staring at his son. There was heartbreak and pain in his eyes, his hands shaking for a moment. I placed my hand on his arm, gently whispering, "It'll be alright Wilbur."

He nodded, a far off look in his eyes. He and I walked over to where the three stood. Big Q kept his ax out, after all, Fundy was still 'supposedly' a part of Manberg. I kept my face emotionless as I walked over to them, keeping a grip on my sword.

"Gentlemen, may I take a minute?" Fundy glanced at his father before looking at the rest of us. He seemed to totally avoid his eye contact after that. We all nodded, not taking our eyes off the red-haired boy.

Tommy kept a hand on his bow, "Stand over there, away from all the buttons." He pointed to a small bridge, one small space that was void of buttons. The boy moved over to there, complying.

"I would say, so far, this has been a really fine evening, right?" I scoffed, if fighting with Schlatt was considered fine, then sure. The boy ignored me, "And what a fine night for some good ol' double-crossing, eh?"

Tommy glanced up at me, removing his hand from his bow. I shrugged, turning my attention back to Fundy. He continued, "Now, let me just say, I haven't been completely vocal about all my actions," He peeked up at Wilbur from under his black hat, "Wilbur, I might have something that might lighten up the mood a little bit."

The three of us parted, letting Fundy fully face his father. Fundy's face changed into pride, "I have documented every single action that Schlatt has taken ever since he set his foul feet on that goddamn podium."

Quackity put his hand out, pausing the boy, "Are you trying to blackmail us?"

Fundy laughed, shaking his head, "You see, I have something that just might help Pogtopia gain victory, without any major precautions!"

Wilbur cut him off, speaking for the first time since his son had shown up, "Fundy, did you place all these buttons around?" The man leaned on the wall, accidentally pressing several buttons. All of us flinched, except for him, bracing for an explosion that didn't come.

His son ignored him, continuing on, "Schlatt isn't as powerful as he portrays himself to be. He's the polar goddamn opposite." He stepped towards Wilbur, pulling a book out of his jacket.

Wilbur tensed slightly, not taking his eyes off the boy as he stepped towards him. Fundy held the book out, Wilbur taking it gingerly in his hands. I glanced at the book, A Spy's Diary. The man's eyes skimmed the pages, muttering "Holy-"

Tommy stepped towards his brother, "What does it say Wil?"

Wilbur ignored Tommy, glancing up at his son, "Did you do this?"

The boy's head bobbed in response, "Read page 15."

The man looked down at the book, "Schlatt has a severe addiction to smoking and alcohol to suppress his aching body. He may suffer fatal consequences if he does not get it in check."

I paused him, "The alcohol helps him cope with the darkness within him. When the darkness is within you, it weakens your body over time. He's gotten himself addicted to smoking and drinking in response to his own actions."

Tommy looked over at me, "But you didn't become weakened?"

I shrugged, "I think it was different for me because I had my magic to stabilize my body. Schlatt does not possess any magic, other than what the gods wield," I waved for Wilbur to continue.

The man continued, reading off lists of Schlatt's weaknesses. The more he read, the less powerful of an image Schlatt held in my head. The man seemed to be growing weaker by the day, having taken on something bigger than he could handle.

When Wilbur finished, footsteps sounded behind us. I glanced over my shoulder, gripping my sword. Bad was walking down the ravine, watching as we all turned to face him.

Tommy's face scrunched up in confusion, "Why are you here?"

Bad looked around at all the buttons, his glowing white eyes wandering. He was silent, coming to stand next to me. I smiled at him, Bad had always been one of my friends.

Before he could make his case, Wilbur stepped closer to Fundy, "Wait I thought you were the only one on Schlatt's team?"

Fundy shrugged his shoulders, "That's what Schlatt thinks as well." Wilbur contemplated for a moment, staring off into space. Fundy continued, "Schlatt is literally alone. There's no one by his side, he's literally at his weakest point!"

Something snapped into place in my mind, satisfaction following. This is what my friends and I had been planning to happen, and it was finally beginning to start. These lands would be free of darkness soon.

Tommy stepped up to Fundy as well, "So you're really not a bitch?" I stifled my laugh at his word choice, trying to be serious. Silence followed his words, Fundy not denying or agreeing with it.

When he didn't respond, Tommy whirled on the man next to me. Bad stepped closer to me, his cape brushing my arm, "And why is he here?!"

Wilbur pulled himself out of his thoughts, walking to stand next to Bad. He smiled, wrapping his arm around Bad's shoulders. Wilbur ignored Bad's discomfort, "Don't you see Tommy? No one is on Schlatt's side!" He laughed, the sound dark, "Literally everyone is on our side!"

Well, some people aren't on their side. I technically wasn't and my friends weren't, but I kept that to myself. I wasn't a traitor, I was just making sure my friends weren't going to die. And I had to take down Schlatt.

I would be there when the fight was fought, but I wouldn't be on either side. I would have my eyes set on Schlatt.

Wilbur's voice echoed against the stone walls, "What I'm trying to say is, Fundy you were my son and you betrayed me. I have nothing to say to you, but what I do have to say is, Tommy don't you see it?" He spread his arms wide, "If we blow up L'manburg now, only Schlatt will be affected."

Fear flashed in Tommy's eyes, but he paused for a moment, "Wilbur, I have to say you're almost right." His eyes found mine, brightening, "We can reclaim Manberg! He doesn't have an army that will attack us!"

I bit back on the words to tell him that Schlatt did have several people on his side. Dream being one of them.

"We don't need to blow it up!" He smiled at each of us, "We can reclaim it!" At that moment, Tommy seemed more of a leader than his brother. Pride for his nation shone in his blue eyes, spreading to the people around me.

Suddenly my magic poked at me, sparks rushing up through my bones. My magic only responded with sparks and embers when a specific person was around. I smirked, stepping away from the group as Tommy continued to hype them up.

No one noticed my absence, continuing to talk to one another. I quickly walked up the stairs, stopping at the entrance to the small room. At the sight of the person, my magic jumped inside of me. Embers fluttered down around me.

"Hey, Dream."

-

He smiled at me, his mask hiding everything but his lips. He walked over, planting a kiss on my forehead. I carefully sidestepped the ax in his hand, grabbing his other gloved hand.

I looked up at him, amusement glinting in my eyes, "So I imagine you're here to rain on their parade?"

He wheezed, "Well when you put it like that, it makes me sound so much worse." I laughed, he smirked at me, "That cut you gave Schlatt was pretty nasty."

I arched a brow, "You saw it?"

He nodded, "I had gone to discuss something with him, and when I arrived he was treating a wound on his arm." If he hadn't had his mask on, I would've seen him roll his eyes, "All I got was an earful of swear words and complaints about how you and Quackity had scammed him."

I smiled at him, "Well, good. He deserves it." My face darkened for a moment, "And so much worse."

Dream chuckled, "Don't worry he'll get worse." He squeezed my hand, "Let's go, I need to tell them something important." He smirked once more, tugging me down the stairs.

I walked down the stairs, Dream trailing behind me, clearing my throat. Everyone's heads snapped to us, their eyes widening. A small part of me savored the fear that rippled off of them at the sight of us together.

"What the hell is happening?" Quackity said, glancing between Dream and me.

Wilbur began slowly laughing, it echoing off the stone walls. It was a strangled sound, the small glimmer of their old leader disappearing. He sighed, "Ah, it's a party now."

Dream walked beside me, one of his hands in his pant pockets, the other wrapped around his ax. He smirked at them, "Hello boys. What's going on here?"

Everyone stood completely still, Tommy's eyes darting to mine. I kept my face emotionless, my mouth in a thin line. The boy stepped towards us, his eyes darting to Dream's mask, "What are you doing here, Dream?"

Dream chuckled, "I'm here to tell you all that Schlatt gave me something." Confusion raced through me, but I didn't show it. Dream didn't tell me anything about Schlatt giving him anything.

Quackity glared at the man next to me, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Well I can't tell you what he gave me something that means I will have to defend Manberg"

A small silence followed his words. All of the people except for Wilbur, echoed 'what?' Their confusion and anger clear in their voices.

Dream shrugged, "I mean, you can blow it up if you want Wilbur. I could care less."

Directly following his words, Wilbur clapped his hands, "Awesome, so that's the plan!"

A chorus of no rings through the ravine, Tommy rushing towards his brother. He shook his head, staring his brother down, "We don't need to do that Wilbur."

Quackity turned back to us, "Dream, elaborate."

"If I say anymore, it would give away his plan."

Tommy stepped towards us once again, "Well, then elaborate more. We want to know." He planted his feet stubbornly, staring at the smiley face.

Before Dream could continue, Wilbur pushed off the wall, walking over to where we stood. He slung an arm around my shoulders, "No, no it's fine! Dream just wants to be on the side of the rebellion," He looked at me, "And y/n wants to take Schlatt down but doesn't want to side with us. Does that sound right Dream?"

Dream cocked his head at Wilbur, "Well, no. I would say my interest is in myself and y/n. I have been given something more powerful than allies." The man tugged me out of Wilbur's grip, bringing me closer to him.

Tommy's head turned to me, "And what about you y/n?"

Something softened in me when I looked at the boy. My face turned sympathetic, "Tommy, I am just trying to take down Schlatt and the darkness. I am fighting a completely different fight than you all. You are fighting for your nation, I'm fighting a war that is orchestrated by gods."

I walked over to the group, looking them each in the eye, "I do not want to fight any of you, only Schlatt. I will be with you all when we begin to fight, fighting by your side but not for your cause. I cannot support the creation of another government." I stopped, backing up to stand with Dream once more.

Tommy nodded, not arguing back for once. Wilbur dragged his eyes off of me to the man next to me, "Look, Dream, you can defend Manberg. We have a much bigger army than you anyway." Wil gestured to all the people in front of us.

He continued, "Why don't we pick a date and do this like gentlemen? If it all goes wrong, I'll blow the shit up!" He laughed at the end, Tommy nervously glancing at Quackity.

Dream put a hand to his chest, "I am fine with whatever you want, Wilbur."

Wilbur smiled, turning to the group, "We will go to war in a few days."

The group burst into a frenzy, Tommy yelling above everyone about getting netherite. I glanced at Dream, whispering, "I guess that means I have to prepare with them?"

Dream shook his head, "I will help you get supplies, you don't have to help them. The only one that you may want to work with is Techno."

I nodded, turning back to the chaos in front of us. Dream cleared his throat, making them all pause. He had their total attention within seconds, smirking at the words that were about to come out of his mouth,

"There is a traitor among your ranks."

Tommy's eyes widened, "Who?" They all glanced around nervously at each other, Wilbur being the only one smiling. I kept my suspicions as to who it was to myself, dragging my eyes to Dream.

He gave them a sly smile, "Let's just say, the traitor will be even more surprising than Eret." He turned, looking over his shoulder, "Be wary."

He reached his hand out to me, taking it while we walked up the stairs as the new rebellion began yelling at each other. Oh, they were going to tear each other apart looking for the traitor.

He was right under their noses.

~~~~~

there is one imposter among us hehe

woahhh two parts in a day! enjoy!

make sure to drink water and get some rest!