this world we have built is burning down around us | Dream SMP Time Travel Fic

to ashes we burn

Present Day

Tommy would like to rip his hair out right about now.

There's too much screaming, too many voices (and he might even wish they were inside his head right about now, not made up of his friends(?) and enemies spitting acid back and forth), but Tommy has no chance to control them, no way to coral or calm the noise. It's getting louder and louder, and Techno stands beside him, silent and invisible; he wonders if the piglin hybrid can see the twitches of his fingers, the way his vision blurs and his heart pounds hard enough to break his ribcage.

He feels the bite of heat and cold flood his brain, and he'd think it adrenaline if it didn't hurt so bad. His vision is wonky already, but something else knocks him back a bit, makes him stumble enough for Techno's eyes to shoot down at him. His surroundings tilt, and he feels like he's watching through a screen, the film old and worn because it's skipping, some events out of place and some missing.

All he knows is that he feels himself swallow the bile that bitters his tongue, and then he's screaming out, standing amongst the crowd, still unseeable to the eye (but they all know he's there) as he violently swipes away accusations and blame.

"You're not even supposed to be here."

"Tommy's the biggest liar on the server."

"It's something you would do, isn't it?"

"You have to ruin everything, don't you, Tommy?!"

He felt himself tremble, felt his resolve weaken, and he didn't dare ask why he was here; he hadn't lost his mind, he was sure of it, but others would not be so quick to agree. It wasn't like they were quick to stand up for him now, after all.

"You never gave a damn," he whispered, throat burning and mind numb. People were yelling at him, but his eyes never left Tubbo. "I may be a liar, but at least I know where my loyalty lies. Fuck your..." He felt tears prick his vision. "Fuck your government, fuck this country. What happened to us, Tubbo? L'manberg? I feel like we all lost sight of what this nation was supposed to be—it's people. Not the land, not the power, but the hearts of everyone in it."

"You think I wanted this?!" Tubbo gestured wildly to the remains of the community house around them. "This was you, Tommy! Not me! What is this supposed to prove, huh? That you try to solve things with destruction and violence? Is that your solution?!"

"I didn't burn down the damn community house!" Tommy cried, but he didn't dare let his weakening knees give. "When did you stop trusting me? When it became convenient? I gave up everything for this damned nation! I lost a life to Dream trying to take independence, and no one else was standing up, were they? I gave up my discs for everyone who wanted freedom! Then Wilbur and I were exiled, and I lost my fucking brother to insanity because of it! I try to be a goddamned child for just a moment, and I get exiled because of a prank that went fucking wrong!"

"You destroyed George's house! You robbed him!"

"When the fuck has that ever mattered?!" Tommy shrieked, feeling everything break inside of him. It was all so flawed, all so fucked. "You're pulling threads, Tubbo! My house has been griefed so many times, my stuff stolen, and so has everyone else; sometimes worse! It was an accident, we tried to fix it; I'm so fucking sorry I made a mistake! It's not like anyone else was exiled for it! You bowed to Dream's will because you were scared; maybe you didn't want war, but everything we fought for, I fought for, was for naught if you're letting him pull the strings anyway!"

Tubbo's fists clenched, tears brimming his bright eyes, and Tommy only felt his stomach roll, the invisibility potion finally wearing off and revealing him to the silent crowd, his winter clothes and cloak draped around him. He was suddenly aware of the heavy presence behind him, towering over him.