Walking was becoming more difficult as I made my way up the steps towards our old home. Now that Schlatt was gone, we could finally move back in.

Hopefully, we wouldn't have to leave again.

My bones ached by the time I reached the top of the stairs, screaming in protest. My armor felt as if it weighed ten times more than it did earlier, my crown and cape completely gone. My magic was too exhausted to keep them present.

I didn't mind though. My confidence and swagger had been replaced with exhaust, sleep begging to take over. As soon as I made it into the house, I would crash.

As I walked through the small tunnel on the path, music danced in the distance. The upbeat notes of blocks found their way into my ears, drawing me towards the source. It was coming from straight in front of me, behind a small oak tree.

Voices were also mixed with the music, three of which I recognized. Two of the voices sound heavy with fatigue, while the other remained confident and collected.

The oak corner of Tommy and Tubbo's bench poked out from the low hanging tree branches. I could make out the scribble of two names on the top of the seat, the two teens' names written in their own handwriting.

I smiled, coming around the corner of it to see three people squished onto the bench.

Dream still had his armor on, unlike Tommy and Tubbo. The two boys' eyes were heavy with sleep, Tubbo leaning his head on his friend's shoulder as they spoke to the third. At that moment, I realized how young they were all over again.

The thread of doubt returned, squeezing my heart once more. No anger burned in my soul anymore, worn out from the explosion of it today.

I had come over with Dream mid-sentence, "-this may seem like the end, but this is literally just the beginning." I knew that voice, the one where he had a plan already in mind. Who knows what that man was planning, only hours after destruction.

Tommy nodded, barely moving to not wake his now almost asleep best friend. He kept his eyes forward, not noticing my presence. Dream however did, tilting his mask towards me. Ghost lounged on the ground at his side, his armor was now taken off.

Tubbo mumbled, "This is like the beginning of a new era." Sleep was evident in his innocent voice, almost tugging him under. The day was catching up to us all, except for Dream. The man still seemed energetic and excited.

The pale moonlight glinted in Tommy's eyes as he kept his gaze on the horizon, "Jschlatt is gone. He's gone for good."

"Yes, he is."

Tommy carefully moved his head towards me, weary of Tubbo. It didn't help because the latter sat up, his eyes barely open as he looked at me. I could still see the hurt simmering in his face, but it was evidently less than before.

Tommy on the other hand had anger apparent on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Dream glanced at the dog on the ground, standing, "I'll meet you at home, y/n."

I nodded, tracking my wolf as he followed after Dream. With a sigh, I crouched down to the soft grass to lean against the jukebox. My limbs twinged with pain at the movement but savored the relief as I was finally able to sit.

The soft thumps of the jukebox echoed through me as I sunk against it. Blocks wrapped itself around me, drowning me in the tune.

"I came to talk to you two." My voice sounded tired, even to me.

Tubbo leaned back against Tommy, his eyes half-closed. The thread tightened slightly as two of my best friends looked at me, waiting for a response for the hurt I caused them.

Reassuring myself, I knew that I had done the right thing by trying to stop the government. My relationships with these two could be mended. They may never understand that I was trying to help them, but they didn't have to know.

I trained my eyes on the two, "Look, I never ever wanted to hurt either of you." I ignored Tommy's glare, staring off into the horizon. "I had tried to save L'manberg, I truly did."

I glanced at my hands, "But, I wasn't able to stop Wil. And when he, uh you know, I knew that government was the root of all our problems."

"But-"

I raised my hand, cutting the boy off. Surprisingly, Tommy listened, either out of curiosity or simply not having the energy to argue. "And I know you don't agree. We may never agree on this, but I still love you both so much. I don't want to lose our friendships,"

Emotions that had built up inside of me from the day came bubbling to the surface. I let them ripple in me, but didn't let them appear on the surface. I had cried too many times that day already and I wasn't sure if I had the energy to cry.

"You both matter so much to me. So I hope we can set aside our differences and make amends? Forget government, I won't interfere if I don't have to, I just don't want to lose you two."

I finished, staring at the ground. The song in the jukebox was slowly coming to its end, the last few notes thumping out. The vibrations of the song no longer filled me, leaving me still. Silence filled the world, thick with emotion.

Tubbo's sleepy voice made me look up, "Well, y/n, I forgive you. You were just following what you think is right. But I can't speak for Tommy." He sat up, leaning his head against a branch, the leaves brushing against his dark hair.

If I thought about it, the boy did have some resemblance to his father.

Tommy stared at the ground, the anger no longer present. He was never one to be vulnerable around people, but before the wars, Tubbo and I were two of those who could see the real him. I wasn't sure if I had lost that through the conflict, but when he spoke next, I knew I hadn't.

"Yeah, alright, we forgive you. Just don't do shit like that again." When his blue eyes connected with my own, I could see the slightest hint of forgiveness in them.

I gave him a small smile, "Thank you. But no promises." I teased with the last words, no harm in them. I couldn't promise them, and they knew that.

Tommy leaned back next to Tubbo, closing his eyes. The two looked so young, too young to experience the events of today as well as before. They were meant to be living carefree, chasing bumblebees.

But instead, they were fighting for a now destroyed nation, losing a brother along the way.

It was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that Wilbur was gone. I couldn't imagine how Tommy or Tubbo felt right now, but they kept it hidden away. They would need time to grieve, but for right now, they grieved their nation.

There was a soft click behind me, the jukebox coming alive once more. The same music disc began to replay itself, the tune filling the comfortable silence. My magic, despite its exhaust, came alive to the beat.

It twirled and danced in my bones, small daisies blooming in the grass next to me. Staring at them in wonder, I gently touched one of the white petals, more sprouting up.

My earth magic had never acted on its own before. It had always been fire, lightning, or wind to react to emotions.

But reacting to music made sense, considering that the naturalist powers were the gentlest. It felt warm in my soul as it pulled the seeds from the ground.

The flowers sprouted around my legs, spreading in front of the two teens' dusty boots. Tubbo opened his eyes, watching the small flowers in joy. His eyes lit up slightly as one brushed against his boot.

A bee came buzzing from down the path, landing on one near Tubbo. He smiled at it while he watched the bee nestle into the flower, searching for pollen. He had always loved bees, even when he was trapped with Schlatt.

There was also a small bee pendant that was attached to a chain on his key ring, rusted with age, that he always kept with him. The ring now was looped to his belt, dull in the low light.

Something longing appeared in his eyes, "Sometimes, I wish we could just run away."

Tommy opened his eyes, lazily turning his head to see his friend. I could tell he was struggling to stay awake, "Me too, Tubs. But we have to stay here, now that Wil's gone."

A hint of sadness dropped in his voice, the only sign he was going to show of grief at the moment. He quickly closed his eyes again, wrapping his arms around himself.

After a few music-filled minutes, Tommy's head slid onto Tubbo's shoulder as his chest rose with deep, even breaths. The latter just smiled at his friend, whispering to me, "Who's the clingy one now?"

I laughed quietly, standing to remove the reddish disc from the jukebox. Tubbo slightly shook Tommy's shoulder, to wake him. The boy was still half asleep as his friend walked him towards the Embassy.

Tubbo led him into a back room, where there was presumably beds, emerging alone after a moment. He was sagging with fatigue, about to fall asleep himself. I handed over the disc, "Goodnight Tubbo, see you soon. I'm here if you need anything."

The boy gave me a sleepy smile and wave as I exited. He would live with Tommy until he found his own base, or presumably rebuilt L'manberg. I didn't like the latter idea, but I would deal with that later.

The moon was almost in the middle of the dark sky, but I had no intentions of going back to my house yet. Sleep still begged to take over, threatening to sweep me away standing up. Even my magic was telling me to sleep.

It needed to regenerate because I had used more than I had ever today. At least now I knew that I had more magic than I thought. The internal wells of power seemed to be much deeper than I thought.

I pushed it and my body to stay awake, walking lazily back toward L'manberg. My magic groaned but shoved its way into my broken bones, beginning to heal them once more. I could feel the ache dull slightly.

There was still one more person I had to talk to before I let myself rest.

-

I found the person where I had expected to, walking up the small hill behind the podium. The ground here had been untouched by the explosions, but dust and rubble had rained down on top of it. Dirt was turned up in place of the White House.

A small emerald block marked with signs acted as a small memorial for the building. I imagined it had been placed by the same person that now sat, leaning against it.

His eyes were closed on the brink of sleep. Quackity's beanie was pushed forward slightly from being pressed against the emerald block. Despite being as old as me, he looked so small, curled up against the crumbling world.

I was about to step away to not disturb him, but he opened his eyes. His dark eyes fell on me, no emotion, only sleep in them. "Stay, please." His voice was filled with exhaust.

I nodded, sitting down next to him. I placed my hands behind me, putting my weight on them.

When I was overtaken by the darkness, I never got the chance to admire the view from this hill. From here, the entire sky could be seen, as well as what used to be L'manberg. A small amount of smoke still lingered in the sky, but most had been carried away.

I thought Quackity had fallen back asleep after a few minutes of silence, but when I turned to him, his dark eyes were glued to the sky. Silver lines edged his eyes, threatening to spill over.

I tilted my head, angling my body towards him, "I'm sorry, Quackity." My voice was small, quiet against the world. I wasn't sure if my apology would be accepted, after all, I had turned on him and the rebels.

Turning back to face the destruction of today, a warm breeze brushed past us. His voice sounded tired, "I forgive you. But I can't forgive Dream or Techno," He turned to face me, "I'm forgiving you because you saved my life more than once, and I want to keep you as a friend."

He glanced at the ground, murmuring, "If that's cool with you."

I smiled, "Of course that's cool with me." My smile lessened, "Are you alright?" I knew it was a stupid question, the answer obviously being no, but this was the question that would start our conversation.

He shook his head silently, staring out at the sky. I didn't press him for more, only watching the moon's ascent with him.

After a few moments, he said, "You know, I loved him once."

I looked at him in surprise, waiting for him to continue. That was not something I had been expecting but I knew who he was talking about.

At that moment, I knew that I wasn't getting sleep anytime soon.

"Before he became a jerk, Schlatt was actually a good guy. His mind wasn't all shit." He gestured towards his own head lazily, "But then, he was offered power and everything went to hell."

I nodded, my face turning sympathetic. No wonder Quackity was so broken-hearted. He had not only lost his old best friend but someone he loved more than that.

"That's why it hurt even more when he started treating me badly when I was VP." Silent tears now slipped down his face, plopping onto his blue hoodie. Sorrow wedged itself into the air, poking at the two of us, "The two of us had loved each other, but it died."

I silently placed my hand on the boy's arm in comfort. He didn't say anything, leaning into my touch.

I carefully continued, "Can I ask you a question?"

He swiped his arm across his face, seeping up the tears. A few still lingered in his eyes but he nodded, looking to me.

"Do you know who Tubbo's father is?" I was treading carefully, choosing my words wisely. I didn't want to expose Schlatt's bloodline if Quackity didn't know.

But by the way Quackity hesitated, I imagined he knew.

"Uh, why do you ask?"

"His father is Schlatt, isn't he?"

Something between shock and relief danced on the boy's face. He gave me a small nod, "How did you find out?"

"That's what he had told me in the van before he died. I certainly was not expecting it."

Tubbo and his father seemed to be total opposites of each other. When one was angry, the other was filled with joy. Tubbo was sunshine while Schlatt was darkness.

Literally and figuratively.

Maybe it had not always been like that. Quackity had said that Schlatt was a good guy before, maybe that meant he had been a good father.

But, what kind of father was Schlatt to almost kill his son? Fireworks at the command of Schlatt had almost ended the boy's life. And Schlatt laughed when he thought back on the memory.

"What was he like before?"

Quackity gained a far off look as he stared out at the sky. "I had become friends with Schlatt while he had Tubbo for a few months. Tubbo was still a toddler when I met him, as lively as he is now."

"But late at night when the boy was lost in his dreams, Schlatt and I talked. He told me that he couldn't support his son, that Tubbo deserved better."

"Why did he think that? Wasn't that before the darkness took over?" I tilted my head in confusion, waiting for him to continue.

He nodded, his beanie bouncing slightly, "Schlatt just wasn't cut out to be the father figure. He was young and had no clue what he was doing with a small boy. The man could barely support himself."

It was hard to imagine Schlatt as a father. I hadn't been able to know Schlatt as he truly was before he became power-hungry.

"He loved Tubbo more than himself, the boy brought him so much happiness," Quackity glanced at the ground with a sad look, "So it hurt him pretty bad when he had to give him up."

I wondered if Tubbo was able to remember any of this.

"I was the one to take Schlatt to drop off Tubbo. We rode in silence for what felt like hours before arriving at a small cottage on the edge of a mountain. I still remember the warm windows of the house, seeing chaos erupting inside the house."

A small smile graced his lips, "Three kids were play fighting, going at each other." His smile fell, "Schlatt had taken Tubbo to the only place he knew that he could be raised right."

I had an idea of who he was talking about, images of wings and twins filling my mind. It was easy to picture the three siblings fighting in the warm lit windows, atop a mountain.

"That was the first and last time I had ever seen Schlatt cry. Tubbo was half asleep from the ride, sucking on his thumb as he was cradled in his father's arms. It had begun to rain as Schlatt dismounted his horse and made his way to the house."

Tears began to prick my eyes. This deception of Schlatt was totally different from the one that had formed in my mind from the past few weeks. He sounded actually human, emotional. The Schlatt I had met was void of any nurturing or cares.

"He placed him in a box at the front door, squeezing him tight. That night was the worst night of his life, it broke him. But it was for the best for Tubbo. Schlatt had always gone to Phil for parenting help, so it just made sense for him to be left there."

The image of a toddler version of Tubbo in the rain tainted box painted in my mind. It was harder to picture a sad Schlatt, but still, it broke my heart.

Quackity looked at me, "That's one of the reasons he said yes to the darkness. To fill the hole where Tubbo had been. He didn't know that it would totally destroy him as it did."

I nodded, "And I presume it also led to his addictions?"

Another nod. He placed his hand on his chin, "I'm still surprised that Tubbo didn't recognize Schlatt when he arrived here. He was old enough to remember him. But also, Schlatt was too lost to even care about seeing his son for the first time in years."

It was odd that the teen didn't have any recollection of his true father. But I guess that the memories he had formed with his foster family had replaced ones with Schlatt. Wil, Techno, and Tommy were the family that Tubbo remembered, growing up with them.

But from what Techno had told me, Phil hadn't been any better than Schlatt. He had left his sons to fend for themselves, leaving two teenagers in charge of Tommy and Tubbo.

Something clicked in me. The way that Quackity sheltered over Tubbo and practically took care of him as much as Tommy did all made sense. The boy was trying to pick up where Schlatt had left off.

I gave a smile to the sleepy boy next to me, "You're a good friend, Big Q."

He shrugged, a slight blush brushing his cheeks, "I try. The kid has been through so much shit, he deserves the world."

I nodded, agreeing with him. I shoved his side gently, "But so do you Quackity. I don't want you to go down a dark road because of Schlatt. Think of it like, Schlatt can finally be at peace, free of the darkness' grip."

A smile formed on his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking down, "Thanks, y/n." His smile widened as he thought of something, "You know, I actually think I'll be alright."

He continued, "I've made some new friends that'll help me." Listing to his fingers as he talked, "Like you, Karl, Sapnap, and Tubbo."

"Ah, so that's where those two would sneak off during the day." Hints of smiles and secret giggles over inside jokes had been between the two after coming back from being gone during the day. I had no idea that they had run off to be with Quackity.

"I know for a fact, including myself, that they love you very much. You're one of their best friends."

Happiness appeared on the boy's face, "Really?" I could see a warm glow appear around him as I confirmed with a nod.

Despite the crumbling world around us, I smiled back at the boy. The moon was now in the middle of the sky, shining brightly down on us. The approaching summer air warmed me, lulling sleep closer.