Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It may be a single moment in your life when you suddenly realise that you just don't care anymore, about the things that used to bring you so much joy as a child. Life with all its expectations, cruelty and greed, will come forth eventually and truly eat your heart out from your body while it still beats hot blood.

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Screams and explosions could be heard echoing throughout the town as the citizens of L'Manburg were watching the final days crumble before them, it was doomsday.

"Phil, you have to do it, you have to kill me... Phil, kill me, please.." Wilbur pleaded his father before his eyes started to well with water. Those words, spoken by his own son, destroyed him as he slowly dragged his sword up, glowing orange from the quickly setting sun, above his head.

They both closed their eyes tight as Phil said, "Goodbye... son." "Goodbye, Dad." Phil struck his sword against Wilbur, dropping to the floor in a state of despair, letting go of his sword beside him, clanging loudly as it hit the floor.

"Phil, no! What have you done?!" Niki exclaimed while running as fast as she could towards Phil who was sitting on his knees, head in his hands.

"Niki... I'm so sorry." You could hear the pure pain and hurt in his voice.

"No, no, no, no, Phil, Why would you do this?!" She screamed as she fell to the floor, instantly pulling Wilbur into a tight hug, letting tears fall from her eyes onto his dirty brown hair.
"He made me do it, he told me I had to do it.."

She let out small cries and whimpers, pleading for Wilbur to come back to her.
Phil frowns and walks out of the room steadily, holding the wall, struggling to walk straight due to the newly developed layer of tears covering both his eyes.

He walked painfully slow, in agony as he realised what he had just done. "Phil, What's wrong?" A soft, calming voice he wasn't able to recognise straight away, came from behind him. He turned around curiously, wondering who it was, "Fundy?" he says calmly as he pulls his Grandson into a tight, warm embrace.

"Will is gone Fundy, I'm so sorry, I had to kill him, I had too...We were in the button room, then..." Fundy pulled away from his Grandfather in shock, not wanting to hear the rest of what happened and swiftly turned back the way he came, starting to sprint while tears were falling behind him as he ran to where his Father had died moments before that one.

He eventually got to the room with the national anthem carved on to wooden signs on the broken down walls and saw Niki on the ground hugging Wilbur, singing sorrowful tunes into his ears, even if he wasn't there to hear them.

Poor old Jim's white as a ghost, He's found the answer that we lost. We're all weeping now, weeping because there isn't anything we can do to protect you. O Children, lift up your voice, lift up your voice. Children. Rejoice, Rejoice.

They didn't speak to eachother, they just stared into eachother's eyes, until Fundy fell to the ground, sobbing, holding on to Niki as tight as he could. "I wish I could've said goodbye to him."

"Fundy.." She spoke sympathetically, hugging him back.

"It's got to go, every last part of L'Manburg has to go, with nothing left standing. He has to die with his unfinished symphony, forever unfinished." Niki spoke confidently as she raised her and Fundy gently from the ground. "It's okay Fundy, we will get our revenge..." Fundy smiled down at her.

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They're standing directly infront of L'Mantree, the last standing relic of a town that they could once called their own.

Flint and steel lit in both their hands, they sang while saluting, "I heard there was a special place, where men could go and emancipate. The tyranny and bloodlust of their rulers..."

They finished their national anthem together as her and Fundy threw the lit flint and steel directly at the only tree left. They instantly started hurrying back to Niki's bakery, hoping not to get caught in the act, through the crater that was left of their great nation.

"L'Manburg is no more!" Shouted the both of them, saluting at the sky, directing it at Wilbur, hoping to have avenged the death of a friend, a Dad, their leader.

Chapter Text

You said you knew the perfect place to run to. A place that was free of people, buildings and far, far away. A place covered in blood-red earth and sleeping life. A place longing to come alive again. It's a place for dissapearing, a place for getting lost, but also for getting found. I'll take you there, you'd said. And I could say that I agreed.

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They eventually made it back to the bakery, they both sat down at a small oak table in the corner of the room, the smell of fresh bread and gunpowder filling their noses.

Niki broke down into tears, covering her face with ther hands, remembering that the only place she has ever called home is gone forever, and there is nothing that anyone can do to save it now. No disks, no declerations, nothing.

Niki is strong, stoic as they say, she doesn't let people see her weaknesses and Fundy knew this, so when he saw her in this state, he could feel a lump forming in his throat and his eyes starting to fill with water.

"Niki, it's going to be okay, we need to have hope, okay?" he spoke in a hurt filled tone.

"Hope for what, Fundy? There's nothing left to be hopeful for.. Will is gone, L'Manburg.. OUR HOME IS GONE!"

"I know Niki.. I know, but we will be okay, I promise. We can find a new home."

"You know it's not the sam-" She was cut off by a knock at the door.

They are knocking now upon your door. Lift up your voice, lift up your voice.

They both turn to face the door in fear of who it could be, at this late hour.
"Hello..?" Niki speaks softly to not startle the man sitting next to her. The door creaks open slightly, three silhouettes could be seen under the lone street lamp, one of them significantly smaller than the others. The horned man stepped into the bakery proudly, standing tall to intimidate. "I thought your base would have blown up with the others.. shame." he shrugged.

The others walked in soon after, acting as his body guards.

"Tubbo? Sam? Schlatt? What are you doing here, it's so late."

"We believe you are guilty of an undisclosed crime, we need to search your living quaters immediately." Sam explained sadly, but stern.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Fundy spoke with worry in his tone.

"An instrument capable of causing a fire." They responded simultaneously.

Niki and Fundy's faces went blank and pale, as if they had seen a ghost.

Sam started to search Niki's base, top to bottom, hoping not to find anything as Schlatt and Tubbo were staring directly at the two now standing up from the table. There was a long pause. "Schlatt... I've found something.." Sam states as he slowly pulls up the flint and steel from underneath the table. "Ahh, what do we have here..tsk, tsk, tsk" Schlatt says as Tubbo frowns in disapointment.

"Forgive us now for what we've done...We're hanging in there, don't you see?" Fundy says as he signals for Niki to raise her hands abover her head as he does the same.

Niki pleads for them not to be arrested with all her will while Fundy slowly steps back and grabs the sword from behind him that was laying up against the beige wall. He swiftly swings his body back around and strikes Schlatt across the face and Tubbo on the arm as he mouthed 'sorry' toward him. They both fall to the ground in pain.

"Niki! We have to go. Now!"

She lowered her hands gradually, grabbed some food and a sword from one of her chests and they both ran out of the bakery, straight into the cold, ominous woods. They ran and ran, looking behind them every couple of seconds, to make sure that they weren't being followed.

They shortly stopped to eat some food and regain energy, but they both knew that they had to keep going. They couldn't stop until they were far enough away that they would stop looking. They were guilty of treason. They could never stop.

Chapter Text

The only way to get over a death is by seeing it as a life completed, instead of a life interrupted. Our joys will be greater, our love will be deeper, our life will be fuller because we shared your moment together.

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They arrived at an opening in the woods, it looked like an old campsite. A circle of dry, un-affected land, surrounded by tall trees that would cover them from being seen by anyone. They stop running in the middle of this opening and Niki spun around, analysing their surroundings.

"This place is perfect, want to set up camp here Fundy?" Niki speaks toward the taller Dutch man.
"Yeah, sure."

Fundy drops his backpack onto the ground, off his shoulder and reaches for a small tent that he already had in his bag as he and Wilbur were planning a camping trip at somepoint.

"Cool, I'll start a fire, it's getting pretty dark." She spoke with a hint of fear in her voice as the dark was one of her biggest fears. She grabbed some logs from the nearby forrest and set them on the ground in a teepee structure. She left the camp once again, looking for materials to craft a flint and steel, but she hears twigs cracking behind her.

Niki started to run back to her friend, "Fundy! I heard something over there!"
"Hey.. hey, Niki, it's okay, it was probably just a mouse, we are okay, I promise." He spoke attempting to comfort her. She reached her arms out and pulled him into a hug, "We're okay." He spoke again.

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It had been around half an hour since then and Fundy had left the campsite to go and hunt for some food as he realised that he was getting hungry. Niki sighs as she sits down on a large log placed by the fire. She pulls out a piece of paper and a pencil from the front pocket of her bag, that she always kept with her. She started to write...

"Dear Wilbur,

You gave us false hope. All of us. We still loved you though, you helped us, guided us, even in the darkest of times and I can only thank you for that. I wish you were still here with us, we could really use your help right now.

Our last day together was perfect, I couldn't have wished for a better one. Fighting side by side for our country, it doesn't seem real that it's all gone. I am so incredibly grateful for everything you have done for me, for our country.

These years, years I am grateful that I got to spend with you. Years that I had some of the greatest times of my life. Thanks to you.

I guess this is my final goodbye. My dear.. my darling one.

Goodbye Wilbur Soot. I will miss you forever.

Until we meet again..

-NIKI <3"

The pen fell from her hand near the fire as she broke down into loud cries and sorrowful pleads to Will. She dropped her head into her hands, and brought her knees up to her face. "Niki?!" Fundy was sprinting back to her as he could hear her crying. He sat down slowly next to her, not to startle her.

"What's wrong Niki, are you okay?" He spoke before spotting the letter that had fallen onto the ground beside her. "Oh..." He leaned down, putting his head on hers and wrapped his arms around her.

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A tall figure, almost transparent, wearing a yellow jumper and black jeans came from behind a tree, followed by a small blue sheep, and sat beside them both. "Guys?" The figure spoke softly, but they didn't respond. It would seem that couldn't see him. He frowned.

The man wondered why his friend was crying so he attempted to join the hug, but got denied when his arms just went straight through her. "Hmm..." He looked to the ground, saddened that he couldn't comfort his friend. Then he picked up a piece of paper from the ground and started to read, "Dear, Wilbur..."

A single tear fell from his eye as he looked over to his son and Niki. "I'm so sorry that there is nothing that I can do to protect you. I'll miss you guys, but everything is going to be okay. I can promise you that. Goodbye. I love you both so much." Ghostbur said sadly as he walked over to the campfire and dropped the letter into it. "But you don't need me anymore."

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Niki calmed down slighly, letting go of Fundy and looked forward. "Are you okay now?" Fundy said politely. She simply nodded in response.

She reached down to pick up her pen and then to the other side of her to pick up the pape- "Fundy, where's my letter gone...?"
"Uh, i'm not sure, maybe it blew away in the wind or something."
"Yeah..." She responded with curiosity in her tone but with a hint of sadness. "Yeah, you're probably right." She sat back down beside him as he passed her a bit of food.

"Thank you.."

Chapter Text

Strange is our situation here upin Earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know. That we are here for the sake of others.

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Back in L''Manburg...

Tubbo and Tommy are sitting on their infamous bench, listening to a disk of course, staring at the sunset. They're thinking about Wilbur and if they could've saved him if they stuck with him, they started this country together, it's a shame it couldn't end with them together.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to be okay, you know.. without Will?" Tubbo says quietly.

"Of course we are man, he was a good leader, but we have to start new."

"Our L'Manburg boys.." Ghostbur says as he stands up from between the two younger boys, still knowing that no one can hear him. He salutes to the sunset and slowly walks towards the crater and sits at the edge, dangling his feet.

"Yeah. Good idea.. You know Niki and Fundy burned L'Mantree?"

"Yeah?" Tommy answered curiously.

"They got away from us when we were about to arrest them. We have no idea where they could have gone."

"Oh, that can't be good. We should call a meeting with The Cabinet."

"Okay Tommy."

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Tommy, Tubbo, Schlatt and Quackity meet by what used to be L'Manburg and sat on some chairs that must have survived the explosions. They started to discuss what they were planning to do and how they would capture the fugitives. They were sat close to where Ghostbur had sat himself down earlier.

"...put wanted posters in the surrounding woods.. the strongest men we have." Schlatt was speaking, but they were far enough away that Ghostbur could only just hear them. "Meeting adjourned."

They all got up and started to walk over to the museum, hoping to find something that they could use, Ghostbur followed. Quackity found some pictures of the original founders of L'Manburg and ripped them so that the fugitives were the only two in the pictures.

Schlatt took the picture off him, "Perfect." he spoke with confidence.

He handed it over to Tuboo who then started to stick the picture down on to a slightly brown piece of paper and wrote, 'Wantd, Niki and Fundy, rewerd if fownd.' Tommy looked at it and smiled at Tubbo, "Spellings slighly wrong, but that's okay. It works."

'No! I've got to tell Niki and Fundy.' he thought to himself, dropping some blue on the ground behind Tommy, hoping that he would find it as he took one of the wanted posters from Tommy's bag.

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Ghostbur had left the group now, desperately trying to find the camp while making sure that he was still holding on to the poster and Friend, his blue sheep. He was repeating what he heard and saw, to make sure that he wouldn't forget.

'missing poster, army.. missing poster, strongest men.. missing poster.." He mumbled.

He looked up from the poster for a split seccond, hearing a crackling fire. He then saw his son walk out of his tent, he smiled towards him.

Fundy sat right next to Niki, trying to keep warm by the fire, wrapping an arm around her. He never seemed to get cold.

Ghostbur walked over to them and sat for a while, just listening to their voices. This could be the last time he see's them, he doesn't know how long he is going to stay in this state.

After around half an hour, he stood back up as both Niki and Fundy collectively walked back into their tent and lit lanterns so Niki wouldn't get scared.

Ghostbur grabbed a pencil from Niki's bag, he gathered she had one as she wrote that letter before. He found one in the front pocket of her bag.

He wrote on the wanted poster: 'they're sending their strongest men. Be Careful. Please. <3'. He sighed as he walked back over and put the pen back in her bag. He walked over to Friend and hugged him tightly, feeling a sense of comfort in the action.

He fell asleep hugging his blue pet, but he was okay. Ghost's don't get cold. He was at peace, content that he had warned them.

He smiled as he slept, slowly turning more transparent until he was completly gone.

"Good night son." Ghostbur spoke his last words.

But Fundy heard this time. He sat up quickly, "Dad? Is that you?"

"Fundy, go back to sleep, it was just a dream. He's gone.. Goodnight." Niki said softly.

"..Goodnight." he responded slowly, looking around him, he was still convinced that he had heard Wilbur speaking to him, but he shut it down and went back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear for the future. Don't fear the future, let us go forward into its mysteries, tear away the veils which hide it from our eyes and move onwards with confidence and courage.

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The peach sun was rising, forming streaks of light in the runaways' tent. It looked ethereal, like everything was peaceful once again.

The brightness slowly engulfing the inners of the tent woke Fundy up from his sleep. He lazily propped his body up with his elbows, trying not to make too much noise.

He gradually slid out of his sleeping bag and put on a pastel green hoodie with a smiley face on it on that used to belong to dream. He pulled the hood over his hair and pulled the drawstrings, attempting to warm up.

Fundy wasn't sure why he kept the hoodie in the first place after being left on the altar by Dream. The smell of mint and aftershave still lingered in the hoodie, but he didn't mind. He missed him.

Steadily stepping out of the tent, cautious not to make any noise, he shivered at the sudden breeze that hit his face.

There isn't much to do in the woods when you're alone so Fundy decided to go for a walk. Niki wouldn't be up for at least another hour, she always woke up late compared to Fundy.

The tall Dutch man walked over to one of the tallest trees surrounding their camp as he saw a poster pinned to it.

'Who wrote this?' He thought to himself as he read the message that Ghostbur had left for them the night before. 'I won't wake Niki, she needs to rest. We can worry about this later.' He said while putting the piece of parchment into his pocket.

He picked up a map from Niki's bag and started walking into the most dense part of the woods. Marking out good hunting spots and surrounding areas.

Fundy felt a drop of water fall onto the top of his brow.

"For God's sake" he whispered.

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Waking up to the sound of rain hitting the tent, the pink haired girl sat up and stretched her arms up, hitting the top of the tent, forgetting where she was for a split seccond.

Niki paused for a moment, taking in her surroundings and sliding out of her sleeping bag.

She picked up Wilbur's worn-out trench coat that he had given her as a gift around a year ago and flung it around her shoulders.

While stepping out of their tent, she slipped on the mud and fell onto her hands. Niki has always been one of the clumsiest people in L'Manburg.

Eventually, she got up and wiped her now muddy hands on her jeans that she had been wearing ever since they had run away.

She noticed that Fundy had gone and gathered that he had just gone on a walk to think or something.

Reaching down for her bag, she grabbed a lighter, but then realised the wood would be too damp for a fire so she put it into her pocket.

Niki slowly stood from where she previously was and decided that she was going to try to find where Fundy had left to.

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Fundy put the map back into his pocket, hoping that it wouldn't be ruined by the time he got back to the camp.

He saw a flash of pink from the side of his eye, it was Niki!

"Hello sleepy head" He spoke to the delerious girl who was smiling widely at him. He let out a slight chuckle.

"Hey Fundy, what are you doing out here, it's freezing?"

"I was mapping out some areas that we should try and check out when we have the chance. Now I'm going to try and do a bit of hunting if you want to help."

"Sound fun." She spoke softly, still smiling.

The pair were hunting for well over an hour, until Fundy halted his movement and looked over at the now confused looking girl.

"Hey Niki?" She looked over to him. "I think I really did hear my Dad last night, he said goodbye to me."

"You could have just been tired, it's been pretty stressful for us recently." He nodded at her sadly. "But if you truly believe that it happened, then so do I."

He smiled down at her, "Thank you Niki, I apprecite it."

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They were now back at the camp and Fundy was cooking the food in a newly crafted furnace while sitting on top of it, swinging his legs.

Niki was just watching him and quietly laughing at how the older man was acting. He looked over to her and huffed at her reaction, but quickly smiling back at her.

They were both hidden under the near-by trees, sheltering from the rain that was still pouring.

"Niki, there's actually something serious that i need to show you", he spoke as he reached in his pocket for the wanted poster that he found earlier.

"I found this pinned to the tree over there." He pointed at the tree and passed her the scrunched up piece of paper.

"What?.. This isn't good. We'll have to travel further to make sure they can't find us, we're too close to the Dream SMP."

"Yeah, that's fine. It will have to wait until tomorow though." Fundy took back the wanted poster gently and reached underneith him, putting it in the coals of the furnace. "We deserve a night where we don't have to worry. A night that we can pretend that everything is fine. We can pretend that we are just on a camping trip, okay?"

"Sure." She responded calmly. "What do you have in store for us, Sir Fundy?"

He exitedly hopped off the heated furnace and walked over to the tent while keeping eye contact with Niki, grabbing something out of his bag.

A radio. Of course Fundy would bring a radio when they were running away.

He placed it on top of the furnace and pushed the on button, turning a dial to try and tune it into a good radio station. He finally got one that wasn't just white noise.

'O Children by Nick Cave' was playing.

Fundy reached his hand out to Niki, hoping she would grab it. "May I have this dance M'Lady?"

"Why of course you can." She spoke happily as she reached for his hand.

He pulled the girl directly into the rain which he would probably end up regretting later as they had nowhere to dry.

He swung around on the heels of his feet to face Niki, creating a crevice in the wet mud under him.

Fundy pulled Niki closer, one hand on her waist and the other, holding her hand to the right of him and she done the same with one hand on his shoulder.

They moved slowly to the beat of the song while Niki looked up to the sky closing her eyes, feeling the rain drop onto her pale skin. A smile crept onto her face as it reminded her of a time much simpler than what it was now.

Fundy smiled at her action and kept up to the beat of the song when he twirled her around on the tips of her toes.

The song was coming to an end.

The beat fading out.

In that moment, they felt at peace, as if they had everything they wanted.

They were happy.

Niki reached her arms around Fundy and pulled him into a tight hug, his wet hair dripping onto hers.

They stayed like that for a while. Feeling the rain on their skin.