Dream watched.
He watched Tubbo and Tommy try to convince Punz, and then the other Dream himself, to switch sides, by placing signs and bribery. This was after realizing that Tubbo's house had been burned down.
Unfortunately, the other Dream logged on while they were still inside his base. And then, one by one, all of the other members of his force did as well. Sapnap, George, and Punz.
Tommy and Tubbo were forced to flee back to L'Manburg, unsuccessful. Tommy was able to escape by slipping down into the sewers, but Tubbo was caught and shot down.
The confrontation was close to over before it began. The other Dream's entire army was there, and L'Manburg had nothing.
The other Dream set a deadline. One day. One day until they would either survive, or die. One day to defend their country.
Or die trying.
So Tommy and Tubbo stalled.
And then Wilbur logged on.
It was time to begin the preparations.
In one last attempt at diplomacy, Wilbur emerged from the van, throwing his armor out as a statement. L'Manburg would negotiate if they could. In truth, they had little choice. They were completely out-geared by the other Dream and his allies.
In the middle of their negotiations, however, the other Dream's allies grew restless. George let loose a single arrow, which sailed through the door of the van and impaled TommyInnit, killing him. It was clear from that moment that speaking of peace was only a fool's hope.
They would have to fight.
After they had armored up and prepared their weapons, the people of L'Manburg took their last stroll.
Walking through the forest towards Tommy's house, where they would battle, they looked all around them, taking in the peace of the land. Calm before a storm. An aura of nervous energy, of excitement and fear, surrounded them. It was an aggressive yellow mixed with a dark purple. The two colors swirled around each other, unable to mix but complimenting each other by their very wrongness.
Dream walked behind them, his expression melancholy under his mask. They may have been walking to their dooms, and they knew it. And yet they held themselves high. Proud.
They were fighting back, at least. That couldn't be said of everyone.
L'Manburg's citizens took their place on the field near Tommy's house, and Dream's army made their way to the top of a nearby tower that Tommy had built.
There they faced each other. Tense. The entire field vibrated with a tight grey aura. Each side waited for the other to shoot first.
Eventually, the other Dream fired a single shot. The arrow arced through the air and... missed. It missed by a lot.
There was a temporary bolstering of the L'Manburg warriors' spirits, until they heard it. The soft hiss.
The other Dream hadn't missed at all. He had hit his exact target. Which happened to be a piece of TnT that was set to set of a reaction.
The field below L'Manburg's citizens erupted in the explosive force of a pre-set trap. Fortunately, only one of their allies was killed by the the explosion; Fundy.
They had little time to recover as the other Dream and his allies began to fire at them. Under a rain of arrows, the four remaining members of L'Manburg retreated into Tommy's house.
Tommy quickly crafted a bow, which made Dream smile underneath his mask. How had he come into this fight without one? And he even had the resources to do it.
He fired up at the other Dream and his allies, but unfortunately, his only arrow missed, sticking into the wooden pillar one of them was standing on, and he was hit with one of their arrows in the process, setting him on fire and forcing him to withdraw. At this distance, the other Dream's allies were nothing but faceless figures in netherite. The only distinguishable one was the other Dream himself, with his mask.
Wilbur galvanized the L'Manburg troops, forcing them to come up with a plan instead of fighting as if they were independent. They were clearly losing, and they needed to do something. Or else they would be killed without even mounting a significant resistance.