The Tale | Dream SMP

I - Chapter Three

Tommy stood in front of the memorial, gazing up at the stone statue on it. It was of a horse, made of white granite, posed rearing up like it was ready to step down and crush someone's skull. A white pelt was draped across the back of the horse.

It was an interesting sculpture. Tommy didn't know much about art, but he did recognize skill. Whoever had made the statue had been grieving.

Hence the memorial.

"That's Spirit," a voice said at his side.

Tommy glanced over. A man stood beside him, his hands clasped together. His hair was dark and silky, held back from his face by a long white headband. He wore a large black sweater and some white sweatpants, as well as checkered worn-out sneakers. A pair of headphones hung around his neck, the wire disappearing trailing all the way into his pants pocket.

"'Spirit?'" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that the name?"

The man nodded. "Spirit was Dream's horse, his beloved pet. His close friend."

There was a sad, guilty tone in his voice. Tommy frowned slightly. "So what happened?"

"Spirit... died. Because of me."

Despite himself, Tommy felt bad for the guy. The horse had clearly been important enough to get a statue raised in its name, and he had been the one to kill it.

"So, who are you, again?" Tommy asked, subtly trying to shift the topic over to something else.

The man's gaze was still locked on the statue, but he replied, "Sapnap. I'm Sapnap. And you're Tommy, right?"

"That's me."

"There's so many new people now," Sapnap said. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "It used to be a lot calmer. I mean, I could stick with Dream and George and never really worry about anyone else, but now that more people have joined, I have to start fortifying things."

Tommy frowned. "You think that we're going to steal from you? Wasn't that one of Dream's 'you can't do this' rules?"

"Yes," the guy admitted, "but I know that rules always end up being broken, so I'm going to do it anyway." He gave Tommy a sideways look. "Have you set up a house yet?"

"Er... yes. Definitely. I have."

Sapnap nodded. "Good. You'll need a place to stay, and I think it's pretty likely that you'll be murdered in your sleep."

Murd--- what?

"Why would I be murdered?" Tommy asked in confusion.

Sapnap simply shook his head and shrugged. His gaze was suddenly chilly. "We're not the most usual group of people, Tommy. There's a lot about us you haven't been told yet."

Tommy blinked. That sounds... terrifying. Not only do I risk the chance of being killed while I'm sleeping, but I have also apparently joined a group of psychopaths.

Then again, I've had worse.

Sapnap gave him a coy salute. He positioned his headphones --- which had panda ears that Tommy didn't notice before --- over his ears and strolled off, heading down the path back to the Community House.

What a great introduction.

***

The night passed quickly. Tommy woke to the wonder of not being stabbed brutally in the chest.

He yawned and ran a hand through his hair, gazing around him. The sight of dirt momentarily stunned him before he remembered, Oh, right, I'm not in the city anymore. I'm with a bunch of murderous psychopaths in a place that is supposedly a safe haven for all people.

I'm not sure which one is better.

Tommy rolled out of the bed, landing with a thud on the ground. He got up onto his feet with another yawn before pulling on some clothes and a large sweater that had been left for him at the foot of his bed. Any normal person would stop and question where the sweater had came from, but he didn't care. It was free, and that was all that mattered.

He looked up in mild surprise as the door of his little dirt hut burst open, revealing a frazzeled-looking boy. "Tommy!" he shouted, rushing into the room. "Are you still alive? Are you okay? Did someone kill you yet?"

"No," Tommy said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you dead?"

"I don't think so," Tubbo said, feeling his arms and down his torso as if he really didn't know. "I mean, it seems like all my body parts are still here, but if you see anything missing, then---"

"I was joking," Tommy sighed. "Really, Tubbo, loosen up. It's fine."

"I got warned that I could get killed in my sleep!" Tubbo said, his eyes wide. "So I had to come check on you!"

"Who told you that? Oh, if it was that Sapnap guy again---"

"It was this guy named Ponk, I think," Tubbo interrupted. "He's got this really cool outfit, I actually want something like that. But he seemed sincere with the warning."

Tommy rolled his eyes and brushed past the boy, heading out of his house. "Don't worry about it. They're just a bunch of weirdos."

"Very serious weirdos," Tubbo whispered as he trailed after him.

"Weirdos nonetheless," Tommy said. "Look, it'll be fine. This is the 'safe, merged place' after all. It's safe."

Tubbo didn't seem convinced, but Tommy wasn't too worried. Nobody would hurt them, after all. It was Dream's second rule: no violence. Or fighting. Either way, anyone that laid a finger on them would have to face Dream's wrath.

"Where are you headed?" Tubbo asked as Tommy turned left towards the forest.

"The forest," Tommy replied, rolling his eyes again.

"Okay. For what?"

"Wood. I want to make a fence." He glanced back at Tubbo, who was idly staring into the distance as he walked. "Have you made a house yet?"

"I've started it," Tubbo said doubtfully. "I've got the first floor finished, and---"

"Wait, 'first floor?'" Tommy interrupted. "You want to have multiple floors? You're nuts."

"It'll look nicer!"

"It'll take more effort," he said with a shake of his head. "Are you sure you can dedicate yourself?"

Tubbo scowled at him. "'Course I can. I'm dedicated! I can make stuff!"

Despite how carefree the boy seemed, he had a fire burning inside of him. Tommy could see, past the big doe-eyes and the soft expression, the fierce passion that drove him forward. And he respected that.

He smiled. "So you also need wood, then, right? Good. It's time we demolish this forest."