Dream watched as TommyInnit's mood slowly deflated from his confident self into determination.
There was no room for error now. Tubbo and TommyInnit were both outgunned and out planned.
But they were not out-manned. It was still the two of them against the other Dream. TommyInnit and Tubbo were still together.
And somehow, that was enough.
The other Dream wasn't done with their pride, though. No, it was still far too intact for him.
He continued to build higher and higher, playing TommyInnit's discs as he went, simply removing them and building higher whenever Tubbo or TommyInnit got close.
And close they got. TommyInnit and Tubbo followed the other Dream up.
Up, into the sky. Up, into eternity. To infinity.
They built towers around towers, twining, snaking constructs into the air.
One height, followed by two others. Dirt and cobblestone.
Dream watched closely. It was interesting, really. The way every second grated their confidence, and the way every note pounded at his mind. Supernatural.
No, all was not right with this world.
Something was very, profoundly wrong.
And it started with the other Dream.
Dream zipped up level with him, floating in the air at eye level. How strange.
Before, his feet would have hung down another few inches beneath the other Dream's. Not today.
Today, the other Dream was larger than life. The Nightmare was slowly growing above his head, pulsating and exulting in every note of the music, so profoundly wrong. Was this what he had missed when...
When...
What? Was he close? What did the Nightmare have to do with his former life?
Interesting.
Dream focused back in on the battle in time to see Tubbo digging out the block under the other Dream.
What was the point? It wasn't like..
Distraction.
Dream moved to TommyInnit, who was hiding on a pillar slightly taller then the other Dream's, where the jukebox with the disc was.
Tubbo was distracting the other Dream by coming at him from below, while TommyInnit leaped down from above and grabbed the disc.
Sure enough.
TommyInnit snatched the disc from the jukebox, and then built a small pillar of dirt up, to momentarily shield him from the other Dream while he decided what to do.
Dream smiled beneath his mask as TommyInnit grinned triumphantly. Fortunately, even he recognized that it wasn't good to gloat before it was truly safe.
TommyInnit tossed the disc down to Tubbo, recognizing that it was good to get it as far from the either Dream as possible.
Unfortunately, Tubbo didn't find it.
Not before the other Dream did.
Dream ground his teeth beneath his mask. Twice now, the two had been so, so close.
Dream moved down to Tubbo, and watched the despair. But it wasn't enough.
That was, Dream realized, what was truly so inspiring about these two.
Their determination exceeded any hardships. Perhaps drawn-out war could eventually wear them down to nothing, but barring that, they were nigh invincible as long as they kept their resolve.
This, this here, was a pair that Dream believed could take on the world. And maybe, just maybe, they could even win.
Dream smiled underneath his mask as he watched the fight continue. His expression mirrored that of the paint on his mask. Stark, clear. Black on white.
What a world this was. Permanent respawns. All that mattered was determination. And these two had that. An abundance of it.
TommyInnit and Tubbo. A pair to rival the other Dream, the strongest person on the SMP.
Dream moved to TommyInnit, and he no longer saw a child. In this brief moment, he saw a leader.