Chapter title from SAD-ist's "Dawn of the 16th" animation.

" Now this, now this is the vault."

Multiple exclamations of surprise echoed across the room, the loudest being Wilbur's " Holy shit!". Everyone started gearing up, except Wilbur, who just took a couple stacks of arrows then just started following Technoblade around, even accidentally following him to his secret chest.

" Wilbur, take some armor." his twin said when he noticed he wasn't wearing any.

" I don't need armour." Wilbur replied defiantly.

At that Techno made a sound that to others would sound like an exasperated sigh and a groan, but it really meant: " Wil, you're acting like a child."

Wilbur looked at him sternly, conveying a firm no with his eyes.

" Why are you so godsdamned stubborn?" Techno exclaimed in piglin. " Fine, but stay right next to me, you're not allowed to die until dad gets here." Techno told him in the secret sign language they had invented when they were still piglets.

" Fine." Wilbur replied.

-----

As they ran towards Manberg on top of the railroad tracks with the bright midday sun hitting their faces, Wilbur realized that Tommy was the one leading them.

He touched Techno's arm lightly to get his attention. " Tommy's at the front. How did it take me so long to realize he's always been the leader, the heart of the country. Maybe I've always known and just didn't want to acknowledge it. They would follow him to the ends of the world." he signed, his expression twisted in both pride and envy, his hands shaking slightly.

Techno had no idea how to reassure him, so he simply nodded in acknowledgement and continued marching on.

-----

They had just won the war, quite anticlimactically. As he had said he would the night before, Wilbur had named Tommy president. Tommy went up to the stage to give a speech as the new president.

The people at the bottom were divided. Dream and his entourage stood ominously at the back, probably for a quick retreat if necessary. L'manburg and its allies sat in the chairs at the foot of the stage. Wilbur stood closer to the stage, to the right of the chairs, looking at his twin from the corner of his eyes, who stood on the opposite side of the chairs, leaning against the corner of the wall and the fence, hiding him a bit from the ones that sat at the back, and subtly blocking the path to the button, as if to say to his twin " not yet". When he saw Technoblade was looking at him he started signing, only half-listening to the start of Tommy's speech.

" I'm sorry Tech, I really didn't want to."

" I know, Wil. This isn't your fault. Even I couldn't have stopped it. We'll blow it up soon, don't worry. How's dad?"

" He said he'd come when I call him on my communicator."

" Great, if anyone notices you're gone or when the 'joined the game' message pings I'll distract them with the withers."

Wilbur was about to answer, but Tommy mentioned him in his speech, so he turned his attention towards Tommy.

Dream was watching all of this from the back of the crowd. He couldn't see Wilbur's hands, but he had seen his eyes. Red eyes that he had hidden away under brown contacts for so long. Dream was impressed with Wilbur's disguise, even he hadn't figured it out until Technoblade joined Pogtopia.

Even though he couldn't see Wilbur's hands, he could see Technoblade's perfectly, and even after all these years, he hadn't forgotten the made-up sign language, although there were a couple signs he hadn't seen before.

The first one he didn't recognise looked like wings, and by the context, he was pretty sure it was a name, so he believed it referred to the winged hybrid Technoblade had told him had adopted him and his twin when they had been catching up about their lives after their duel.

The second one he hadn't seen before, he was sure by the context it meant 'game'. However, that still made no sense because how would the winged hybrid be able to join the server without asking to be whitelisted? Unless...Oh, this is going to get interesting!

The last sign he didn't know was the last sign Technoblade had made, but by the shape and the context it seemed to be a wither and that... that was exciting.

He immediately took out his communicator and messaged Techno: "I never thought I'd see you bow to TommyInnit"

"I don't think I like where this is going" Techno replied.

He smiled under his mask at Techno's reply. He snapped back his attention towards Tommy when the child president called his name, challenging him again for the discs. Dream smirked, taunting Tommy a bit, creating a distraction so Wilbur and Techno could converse uninterrupted.

" Tommy- this is all he ever wanted, but he gave it up and that's at least partially my fault." Wilbur signed to Technoblade whilst everyone else's attention was on Dream.

" Well, at least it seems he wants to give it back to you. Isn't that good?"

" If I wanted to be president I wouldn't have given it to him in the first place. My L'Manberg's already gone, it's never coming back. And being president is... stressful. You remember, right?"

" I do."

" And you're right, you were always right, power corrupts, governments are bad, it needs to be taken down, to burn. They deserve to not-"

Wilbur's tirade was cut off when Tommy called him up to the podium to be the president again.

Whilst Wilbur changed the flag back to the original, Dream sent Techno another message. "I thought you were anti-government"

"I'm not sure I like where this is going x2" Techno sent back to him.

Technoblade's attention went back to his twin when he heard his name being called.

"Techno, you've- you've taught me a lot." More than they'll ever know Wilbur thought. "You've- you've taught me that government- is not the way to go. And I agree with you. Everything you've said, I've completely agreed with you. It's completely- and I- and to be honest I feel like whilst I- I can't be here to judge how other people's governments are run, I can say- that- it would be hypocritical of me to run a government- so-, I'm gonna hand off the presidency to someone." After a few exclamations for the public, Wilbur continued, more to himself than for anyone else. "It's- it's important to know how to say goodbye- to a nation- to- to my L'Manberg, and I- and I- and I want to- and there's only one other person who i- could possibly be, the president. Tubbo, I want you to come up onto the stage."

Wilbur said some more reassuring words to Tubbo then came down from the stage, this time standing right next to Technoblade. Whilst walking towards Technoblade he saw Dream sign "Good luck" to him out of the corner of his eye. Wilbur was surprised, but he couldn't turn around towards Dream without it being suspicious, so he kept going and he and Techno hid slightly behind the corner to say goodbye.

They first put their palms on each other's hearts, then signed their "I love you" sign on each other's chest, Wilbur smiling sadly and Techno's slightly drooping ears being the only indication he was sad. They looked each other in the eyes for the last time and then slowly sidestepped each other. Their hands slid slowly from each other's chest, through their arms and into each other. Wilbur then jumped the fence that cut off the path to the button, letting go.

Time to have a talk with dad and blow up a country.