Dream a Nightmare

Dream strode over towards Tommy. Despite his apprehension for the future, they had a more immediate problem to be worried about. Surely Nightmare knew where Technoblade lived. He had made it his business to know everything that he could about this world.

And if he did, they had a problem. Dream had no doubt that Technoblade could destroy all of L'Manburg by himself. And he was an anarchist, which meant he might need no reason other than that they had a government in Tommy and Wilbur.

Dream reached out towards Tommy, and hesitated.

No. There was no time for this.

With a deep breath, Dream grabbed Tommy's shoulder.

Tommy immediately whirled around, but Dream could see his confusion. Dream could affect things now, but clearly he was still invisible.

"Tommy!" Dream called. His voice sounded tinny and distant, even to him. Dream wilted slightly when Tommy didn't even seem to hear him at all. Apparently this wouldn't be as easy as he had thought. He tried again.

"Tommy!"

This time Tommy did hear. His muscles tensed up, and he looked around slowly, nervous.

It was only then that Dream realized how stupid he was being. He was Dream. Dream was their enemy. Well, Nightmare was. Though they didn't know about Nightmare, so he would look and sound the same to them, most likely.

Dream needed a way to approach Tommy and Wilbur and the others without being suspicious. He needed them to trust him if they were all going to survive.

"TOMMY!" Dream shouted. This time his voice was not muted. It blared out, rippling through the air like a shockwave. Dream nervously looked around, but he didn't see a response from anyone else. Tommy looked up, confused.

As Dream turned back to him, Wilbur brushed through him. It wasn't a casual passing by, he literally walked straight through Dream.

Dream grit his teeth. This was going to be harder than he thought. He had assumed that his corporeal form would be easy to keep hold of, but that appeared to not be the case.

Wait, no. That wasn't it. He had been trying to communicate with Tommy, but it was different.

Tommy was.... different. How? Was he less receptive when he was with Wilbur?

No, that wasn't it. It couldn't be. Tommy had worked well with Wilbur.

Then he realized the truth. Tommy was less responsive to him, that is, Dream. Dream, who is Tommy's enemy. Wilbur gave Tommy courage. They all did. Tommy was strong with his allies.

Dream hoped it would be enough. It had to be, if he didn't find a way to fight before Technoblade arrived. Dream's expression grew grim as he thought that. This was truly a problem.

Dream wracked his brain, trying to come up with something, anything.

This had to be why he went back. If not to save L'Manburg from Technoblade, why else?

The Nightmare, of course. He had to stop the Nightmare. But L'Manburg was instrumental. He was sure of it. Dream's expression grew slightly distant under his mask as he started to remember.

When he had been alive, Tommy hadn't won that duel. That arrow that Dream had stopped had hit Tommy, and he had lost.

But then, Tommy had given up his discs. Both of them.

His most precious possessions.

Yes, TommyInnit was not a bad person. He liked too much to have fun, sometimes at others' expense, but he was not a bad person. When it got down to it, he struggled and fought and gave of himself for his friends.

In some way of thinking, Tommy's discs were what had started this whole thing.

And Dream knew that they would be what ended it, too. In his last life he had held the discs for a long time, before finally making Tommy come and fight him to get them.

Dream didn't currently remember what happened after that. All he knew were glimpses of pain and a flash of heat. Then a stronger one, and then nothing. Death.