How the world works

5

How long has it even been? Tubbo didn't know. He tried to talk to the diamond person across from him, but for one reason or another, he never got a response. Who knew absolute isolation would be so mind breaking? Tommy did, he supposed. He still hasn't gotten even a glimpse at Tommy's room. Who knows what terrible things are behind that door? Why else would dream only have one cell without glass walls?

Dream had come and gone these past few days, dispensing disappointing meals and starting up the occasional small talk. Tubbo hated it. But as a schedule became apparent, he found himself almost looking forward to the meetings. It started as him practicing ways he could insult hicaptors. That turned to things he wanted to know about in the outside world. Eventually he found himself just looking forward to interacting with another living being. It's so hard to be so alone when there's people only feet away.

But today was different. Tubbo sat up as he heard the faint sound of the descent of the elevator. Dream strode in with a purpose. Behind him, dragged along, was a young man in a white hoodie and a blindfold over his eyes. He limped in a sad attempt to catch up to Dream and his lip was puffy and stained ever so slightly with blood. He didn't look too bad, all things considered. But certainly not in any shape to flee.

Dream opens a door a few cells down and throws Punz in, finally releasing his hands. Punz throws the blindfolded off just in time to see the door close. He doesn't seem very surprised, but a certain light leaves his eyes when he sees Tubbo awkwardly wave to him.

Dream drops a few raw potatoes in each occupied cell's dispenser, then sits down criss-cross applesauce with pie and steak and watches them all.

Tubbo has grown used to the raw potatoes and wastes no time eating all 4 of his. But he's still hungry and still weak.

"Dream, Dream I'm hungry." Tubbo calls, annoyed. Punz seems perplexed by this. Shouldn't Dreams prisoner be terrified right now?

Dream sighs and gets up. He crosses to Tubbos dispenser and holds a pie over it. Tubbo's eyes go wide.

"Now, listen to me. You can have the pie. If you read aloud and sign this book." Dream says in an eerily cold voice. Punz presses against the glass and watches. Dream dispenses the book. Tubbo picks it up and begins to read it.

"I, Tubbo, hereby denounce the rest of the server. I ally myself with Dream and Dream alone. He is great, powerful, and merciful." Tubbo stops and frowns.

"There's no way I'm signing this shit." He glares and dream and tosses it in the hopper that leads out. Dream picks it up, a disappointed look on his face.

"Fine." He sets the book back in the dispenser. Tubbo watches it land in his cell and refuses to touch it.

"10" Dream softly calls.

"9" Tubbo shifts uncomfortably.

"8" Punz begins to feel uncomfortable too.

"7" Dream begins to back away from the cell and Tubbo picks the book up again.

"6" Skeppy begins to sing ''I want it that way'' by the backstreet boys for some reason???

"5"

"Believe, when I say..."

"4"

"I want it that way"

"3"

"Tell me why!"

"2"

"1"

And the world goes still. Tubbi flinches, waiting for some terrible punishment. Punz holds his breath and searches for something to reveal itself. Skeppy reads the room and stops singing. Then Dream laughs.

"You're still putting up a fight? You're a moron! You never fucking think, do you?" Dream cackles. Tubbo is very clearly off put by this. What did he overlook?

"Oh Tommmyyyyy" Dream calls, pushing open the iron door. Tubbo begins pounding on the glass.

"NO! DREAM, DON'T!" Tubbo cries in vain as the door closes. He begins trying to break the glass.

"STOP! You'll get us all killed!" Punz screams and Tubbo states daggers at the new arrival.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tubbo snaps at him. Punz presses against the glass.

"Dream spent the entire ride here bragging to me about his new security system. If anyone breaks a block, every cell will flood with lava. You and I might make it with teamwork and effort. But him? He'll die." Punz says in an attempt to point at Skeppy, who he can't see from his angle. Skeppy does seem rather oblivious to the situation. Tubbo forces himself to acknowledge the situation. He's tried this. It doesn't work in time without help. And even if he made it, he couldn't help Tommy in any way. In fact, he'd probably make it all worse.

Suddenly the walls feel so tight. So small. And suddenly he's not in a cell underground. He's in a yellow and black cage on a high platform, overlooking his future subjects below. Schlatt is giving the order... and rockets are aimed, then lights. Bright, beautiful, colorful, burning, painful, hideous lights. All around him. He feels himself fall to the ground but is no longer conscious to the world. Everything is numb and muffled. The laughter of his murderer, the screaming of his friends. Friends...

Tubbo finds himself brought back to reality by the screaming of his friends. Because no matter how much he wishes it was, that was not just part of his panic attack. It was around him.

"FUCK YOU! GET AWAY FROM ME! STOP!" Tommy was yelling. And now Tubbo could hear blows land.

"AaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! PHILLLL!" Tommy began to yell for Phil who of course, wasn't there. Tubbo slumps against the glass and cries softly. Powerless. Then it stops quite suddenly. There's a few moments of silence. Surely no more than 10 minutes. But it feels like hours. And then Dream leaves, whistling to himself. He slams the door to Tommy's cell and strides straight to Tubbos window.

"Got myself a book straight from the press. Tommy wrote it himself. Do you wanna hear it?" Dream asks. Tubbo just turns away, knowing it's a rhetorical question.

"This is probably his best book yet. Please, by TommyInnit. To anyone listening. My name is Tommy and I am of sound mind when I say this. Please do not come. Technoblade, please don't come after us. Philza Minecraft, please don't try to rescue me. Niki, please stay away. Ghostbur, don't come. Big Q, just don't. Drista, it was fun and I doubt you'd consider it, but either way, don't come. Bad, I will swear if you come. Everyone else, fuck you. Don't come after us. Leave us and Dream alone. It's better this way." Dream reads aloud the long text.

"Now, I fixed the spelling and stuff. He spelt come wrong every time. But this was all him. Crazy what motivation can do, right?" Dreams asks, grinning at Tubbo, who still refuses to look up.

"We get it. You're all powerful, we shouldn't have crossed you,Et fucking cetera. Can you just fuck off now?" Punz demands. Dream chuckles and gets to his feet

"Sure thing. Sweet dreams." He said, leaving the hallway. The door closes and the metallic sound echoes through the hall. Eventually it dies off and the only sound to be heard is the soft sobbing from the room at the end.

"Wait, it's sleepy time?" Skeppy asks. No one answers and so they all silently try for a restless sleep. There's nothing else to do after all.