New Reality: A Dream x George Fanfic

Chapter 17: Free

The final end crystal exploded with a resounding boom as George's arrow hit home. He'd found it was a lot easier to aim from high up on the tower, and as a result he'd been quick to take down the rest of the crystals. "Yes!" he cheered, knowing they were nearing the end of the battle.

Down on the ground, Dream was shooting at the dragon, distracting it while George destroyed the crystals, then scampering out of the way every time it dived at him. George began making his way cautiously down the tower. He placed a block of cobblestone a few feet below him, then jumped onto it, repeating the process until he had descended enough to jump safely to the ground. He ran over to Dream, readying his sword as the dragon descended again.

George and Dream swung their blades in unison as the dragon dived. They cut cleanly through its scales, shattering them with an ear-splitting screech from the dragon. It twisted away, hurling another fireball as it retreated.

George found the golden apple's power exhilarating, even intoxicating, and he drew his bow with a confidence he'd never quite felt before. His first arrow hit home, lodging itself between two scales and causing the dragon to roar furiously. A second and third arrow quickly followed the first. "Yes! Let's go!" George glanced over at Dream to find him watching with laughter bubbling in his eyes and a grin on his face.

"Shut up," George grumbled, but he was smiling.

"What? I didn't say a word."

"You're looking at me funny."

"Oh, I see. So now I'm not allowed to look at you?" Dream snickered.

"You're so annoying, Dream."

"Thanks, I try my b- dragon!"

Dream shoved George to the ground, landing on him as the dragon's razer-sharp claws grasped at the spot where they'd just been standing. They felt the wind from its flight as it passed by, far too close for comfort.

Neither of them said anything as they waited for their racing hearts to slow. After a few seconds, Dream found himself unable to keep a small giggle from escaping.

"Hey, George."

"What?"

"It looks like you've... fallen for me."

"Oh, my god. Dream. Shut up." George pushed Dream off and stood up, looking around for the dragon and trying to hide his smile while Dream burst out laughing.

They took turns shooting at the dragon and scrambling away to avoid its attacks. Eventually, the dragon began weakening; it was bleeding profusely from the many arrows lodged in its side, and its attacks had become more erratic and clumsy, a sign they were nearing the end of the fight.

With a mighty roar, the dragon descended to a crouch at the center of the island. It hissed at them as they drew their bows again.

"She's got to be low by now, right?" Dream released an arrow which bounced harmlessly off a scale.

"I mean, probably." George's arrow tore through the dragon's wing membrane, causing it to snarl angrily and launch a fireball at them.

George dived out of the way as the fireball exploded on the ground next to him. He looked up, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw nothing but ashes and broken stones near the fireball's crater. "Dream?"

He looked around, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw Dream. Then he realized he shouldn't be relieved at all, because Dream was running straight at the dragon.

"Dream! What are you-" He stopped, mouth open in shock as Dream raised his sword high above his head, launched himself at the dragon, and brought his sword down in midair. It plunged into the dragon's neck with a jarring scrape of metal on scales. The dragon let out a shriek, twisting and flailing in an attempt to dislodge the sword. Dream hung on to its handle, desperately trying not to let go, but he was thrown off as the dragon gave one final desperate lurch. The dragon died with a burst of purple light and the sound of fireworks, but George wasn't paying attention to it anymore. He watched in horror as Dream was thrown impossibly high into the air, sailing straight at one of the obsidian towers. "DREAM!" George ran to Dream as he hit the tower and fell limply to the ground.

No, oh no, not again. George knelt down by his side. His helmet was cracked and his head bloody from the impact, one leg was lying at an unnatural angle, and his face was screwed up in pain.

"Dream! Dream, can you hear me?"

"Mhm," he groaned. His voice was strained and weak, but at least he was alive. He mumbled something else indistinguishable through clenched teeth.

"What?" George leaned closer to hear.

"Golden... Apple." Of course! George hurried to dig the apple out of Dream's backpack, cursing himself for forgetting, again, about the healing they had. He pressed the apple into Dream's hand, and he took a small bite, chewing and swallowing painfully. Almost immediately, his wounds started healing over, his face regaining its color and his breathing evening out. It was a strange sight. Dream sighed in relief and took another bite of the apple. "This feels so weird. But it's like a good weird, you know?"

"Yeah." George helped Dream to his feet and supported him as they made their way back to the center of the island, where the dragon lay. Beside the dragon was something which hadn't been there before: a fountain-like structure filled with an inky pool, similar to the portal they'd entered through.

George held his breath as they stepped up to the portal. This better work...

Arms around each other, they stood on the edge of the portal. Its star-speckled depths stared back at them coldly, and a feeling of sudden dread sent a shiver up George's spine. What if this doesn't work?

He shook off the feeling and jumped down into the darkness, pulling Dream with him.