━━ IT DIDN'T STOP THERE.

In fact, the Eggpire only grew. It didn't just grow in size either; it grew in hunger. Every day more vines began to creep around the SMP. You and Tommy spent hours destroying the ones by the hotel, but the next day they came back. You had to wonder if Dream knew of these things. Did he know about anything in prison? Or did he lose track of the days after day one?

In the back of your mind, a voice told you to find out. You ignored it.

"Sam Nook?" Tommy shouts, cupping his hands over his mouth. His voice breaks your thoughts. "Sam?"

You jog up to the hotel, stepping past the gate. "Is Sam not here?"

Tommy shakes his head, squinting as he gazes at the top of the hotel. "No sign of him."

"That's odd."

"It's unlike him. I mean, he's a robot. He doesn't have a mind of his own. Something bad happened to him. I just know it."

For once, you agree with Tommy. "Sam would leave a note if he took him, right?"

"Yeah."

The sound of running causes you to look towards the hotel gate. A sheep-hybrid stands there, waving her arms dramatically. "Tommy! (Y/N)!"

"Puffy?" You questioned. She looked disheveled, her two-toned hair spilling over her shoulders in tangles and her shirt creased and covered in blood.

Tommy makes the same observation and narrows his eyes, nose pointed up. "Where is Sam Nook, lady? I know you. I know who you're working for."

Puffy hops the gate, and Tommy backs away. "Get the fuck away from me," He said harshly.

Puffy shakes her head, holding a hand out. "Woah, Tommy, look, something bad happened. Something really bad happened."

"Really bad? Worse than the worst tragedy ever?" Tommy questioned, a skeptical look on his face as he crosses his arms.

"It's up there. It's definitely up there."

"Are you really saying it's with the worst tragedy ever?" You asked. Your voice isn't threatening. It's monotone as you wonder if Puffy was worth trusting. Though, you don't doubt she is. But it doesn't hurt to be safe.

"The explosion of L'manberg?"

Puffy nods."It's pretty high up at that point. It depends on how much you consider Sam a friend."

Tommy nods vigorously. "I value Sam Nook! Where is he? He should be at his spot."

You elbow Tommy. "I think you mean Sam."

He coughs. "Yeah, Sam." He narrows his eyes once again. "You're one of the eggers, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not!" Puffy huffs.

"Really? How do I know you aren't lying?"

"I am, but only to keep Bad at bay. He's completely lost it, guys."

"Wait, are you lying to them?"

"Well, yeah, kind of, but nobody knows that so..." Puffy trails off before bringing a finger to her lips and aggressively shushing Tommy.

Tommy grins. "I know that."

"Do you want to save your friend or not, Tommy? This is serious," Puffy said, a sense of urgency to her voice that Tommy hadn't quite picked up on yet. She turns around to leave, and you quickly follow after her down the prime path.

"What has happened? I was expecting to see progress with Sam Nook on the hotel, and he's not here," Tommy explained. He stops by one of the vines. "By the way, I don't know if you know this. I can go—," He jumps onto one of the vines. " I just don't feel shit."

"Good, good, same. I'm just numb inside at this point," Puffy said.

You stifle a laugh.

"Badboyhalo, Mr. Halo, goes to me you either hate it or you love it and I go neither. It's just there like ginger people."

Neither you nor Puffy makes a comment on that. The mood didn't feel funny anymore, it felt serious. Something had happened to Sam, and Puffy still refused to say what. Fear prickled at your skin as you continued down the prime path toward the egg. At least, you're pretty sure she's leading you toward the egg.

"Bad's gone way too far this time," Puffy mumbled.

"Well, what happened?" You asked, jogging to catch up.

Puffy clicks her tongue, rounding a corner and entering an oddly shaped building. "Okay, so it was me, Bad, Sam, and Ant in here, and we were having a meeting. Sam and I were saying how this is a terrible idea, what Bad wants to do."

Tommy steps inside the egg-like structure, wrinkling his nose. "What did Bad want to do?"

"He wants to cover the entire land in bloodlines and take over."

"Wait, they're called blood vines?" You point out.

"Does he not know how ominous of a name that is?" Tommy asked, dragging his hands along the wall. He finds a button and presses it.

Puffy shrugs, clearly not assumed. "I don't know."

"Does he not know that is clearly a name of a villain? That's like if I call myself," Tommy said before the floor opened beneath him. He screams as he falls down, and you're quick to grab him by the collar of his shirt, halfway in the hole yourself.

"Tommy!" Puffy gasped.

"And (Y/N)," You grunt.

A pair of black eyes look up to you and Tommy. "Oh."

Puffy grabs onto you, helping drag both you and Tommy out of the opening. You immediately stumble back as Tommy falls to a heap on the ground.

"Why didn't you tell me there was a hole? Oh, lucky for you, I'm immune!" He shouts, pushing the hair out his face as he huffs.

"You stepped on it right as it opened!" Puffy objected.

"I thought it was gonna be an entrance!"

"No!"

"Was I supposed to not press the button?"

"Yes! There's a universal rule about not pressing random buttons."

Tommy rolls his eyes, mumbling something under his breath as he gazes back down at the head of green hair.

"So basically, Sam's kind of down there. Bad lost it, and me and Sam didn't agree with them. So I guess he made this system to have Sam fall down on top of the egg so we can get corrupt," Puffy explained before leaning over the opening herself. "Sam, are you okay?"

"Wait, you were put down there by Bad?" Tommy said, waiting for Sam to reply.

"Hi," Is all he said. He sounded tired, his syllables slurring together.

"Sam?" You gasped, leaning over the edge of the hole. "We should go down, Puffy."

"Can you help me?" Sam asked slowly.

"We're coming Sam," Puffy assures him, grabbing her sword and running to the entrance.

"What's wrong with him, Puffy?" Tommy demanded, flipping through his inventory and grabbing a pickaxe.

"I don't even know how he's alive. He's been down there for like 14 hours," she replied, pounding down the stairs.

"Oh my god. How will he have slept in a box? Perhaps if you lay down vertically like a flamingo," Tommy mutters, his mind beginning to wander.

You all reach the entrance, pushing past the hanging vines. You follow Puffy's gaze to where the egg was and your lips part. "Oh my god! He's right on top of the egg."

The egg seems to pulsate, emitting a grotesque aura of blood and death. A cage sat on top of it where Sam was, lazily leaning his hand on the bars. His cheeks were hollow, and his skin appeared to be dripping from his bones, hanging in large flaps. You almost puked at the sight of him.

"We need to break him out," Puffy said after a moment. It seemed all of you were trying to absorb the sight in front of you.

Sam raises his head. "Puffy?"

The said women nods at both you and Tommy. "We're coming, Sam."

Tommy gives Sam a thumbs up. "Sammy! Sammy, it's me! Your best friend, it's me!" He runs full speed toward the egg, you and Puffy following. Tommy's pickaxe collides with the iron bars, and they break with ease. Sam just sits there.

"Sam, come out. C'mon," Puffy coaxed.

"Okay," He agreed, pulling himself to his feet. Puffy lends him her arm, helping him out as he wobbles. For a moment, you think they might fall, but she steadies them both.

You notice Sam shivering, despite the humidity of the room. You shrug off your jacket, holding it out to him. "Sam, do you want this? You look cold."

He nods, gently taking it from your hands and zipping it all the way up.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Puffy asked softly, leading him down the egg and towards the exit. No one wanted to be in this room longer than they needed to be.

"I ran out of food and then the egg sort of taking my things. It was making me throw my things down on the ground, and they were disappearing, and my flesh fell off, and I started eating it because I was starving but—"

Tommy could've gotten whiplash by how fast he whipped around. "Wait, wait, wait! Role backward there, my friend, Sammy."

You had heard it too, and suddenly the flaps of skin made sense. Your stomach does flips from what you had just heard. Was the egg really capable of something like that? "You're eating yourself, Sam?"

Tommy shakes his head, laughing nervously. "You can't. It just wouldn't taste good."

"Tommy, he's gone through a lot," Puffy stated, though she too was a little fearful of Sam's recent statement. "This has been a long 15 hours."

"Is it still cannibalism if you eat yourself?" Tommy ponders aloud.

Puffy lets out a long sigh. "You know these are the deeper questions we probably should leave unanswered."

Tommy makes a face. "That doesn't feel that deep—"

"Well, I'm sure the bite was when he was eating himself," You replied sarcastically. Though you can't help the way your eyes drift to Sam's arms with undeniable bite marks. You open your inventory, selecting some apples you had and flicking them over to Sam's inventory. "Let's stop eating yourself. Maybe just throw your flesh away."

"What do I do with it?" Sam asked.

Puffy clicks her tongue. "I think Tommy wants it."

Tommy opens his mouth to object. You're surprised when it snaps shut, and he grins. "You know what? I'll take it, and I'll dispose of it." He then lowers his voice. "I'm gonna make a fucking voodoo doll," He snickers, before perking up again. "Fellas, where are we going?"

"Home," Sam said.

"You want to go home, Sam? Is that what you're saying?" Puffy repeated.

"I just want to go home." 

"Okay, all right. All right, buddy."

"Sam, pause for a second. How are you?" Tommy asked genuinely. Sam stops, wiping sweat from his forehead, and Tommy pales. "Woah woah wait, take off your helmet."

Sam does as he's told.

"Did you always have that red gem?" Tommy demanded.

"What?" You shout, shoving Tommy aside to inspect it.

"That red gem in the center of his head!" Tommy points.

"Did you get bedazzled in the egg, Sam?" Puffy cried.

Sam shakes his head, shoving you all back. "I feel really bad."

Tommy stumbles a bit, looking haphazardly between you and Puffy. "Yeah, let's go. You know Puffy's right. Let's get out of here."

Which was easier said than done. Sam didn't seem to remember his left from right as you would walk one way and him the other. You kept trying to get him to follow Tommy, Puffy, or even you, but he just stumbled around.

"Jeez, did you eat your eyes while you were there, Sam?" You asked as you all tried to get him to follow another. The whole time he only said he wanted to go home, were you home yet? When can he go home? Tommy was the first to snap.

"All gods, Sam!" He said loudly, grabbing his shoulders. "Hey, hey, listen to me, buddy. Snap out of it." 

Sam winces in pain, and Tommy lets go, mumbling apologies. Sam lifts his arm, and Puffy lurches forward. "No, no, no! Do not eat yourself!"

"Sam, please stop eating your flesh," You said calmly, grabbing his arm and lowering it to his side.

"Cannibalism is wrong, I've heard," Tommy noted. Though, the question of if Sam was committing cannibalism was still unanswered.

Tommy takes Sam to Oogway, hoping maybe the turtle will help Sam a bit. It didn't. Though, the holy water did at least clean him up. You were able to find a spare healing potion for Sam, but getting him to drink it was another thing. He was like a toddler. You had to forcibly hold his mouth open as he screamed. It hurt to hear, but you finally got the last drops of the potion in, and his skin returned back to normal. He was still a little disoriented, but at least, physically, he looked okay. After Oogway, you began the trek to Sam's home. The nether went by quick, thanks to the transportation system that had been put in place.

But you ran into a bit of trouble when you returned to the overworld without a boat.

You stare at the body of water in front of you, casting a nervous glance at the slightly impaired man with you.

Puffy placed both hands on her hips. "This is gonna be a nice swim."

Everyone unlocks their bracelet, swapping out for a hydrasuit. Before Sam had been kidnapped, he updated your inventory to include other basic features. A hydrasuit was what it sounds like, a suit for water. It was skin-tight, with webbed feet and hands to make swimming easier. It also helped with temperature regulation so that you didn't freeze in the water. It would be the first time you tried it on.

"Where is your house, Sammy?" Tommy asked as he dives in. You and Puffy follow after, and the water feels oddly refreshing. The suit feels light on your skin, and you glide through the water like a dolphin. You turn around to see Sam just standing there.

"Sam, just swim!" Tommy yells.

"Peddle your legs," Puffy said.

Sam must be deaf because he just sinks.

Everyone begins panicking. "Don't drown!" Tommy screams. "Gods above, okay, all right." You dive underwater with Tommy, grabbing one of Sam's arms and hauling him to the surface. Puffy instructs him in the art of swimming, and he seems to understand, so you let go. He does well on his own, and Tommy dunks, grabbing some kelp and resurfacing again.

He begins laughing. "Hey, guys! Look what I have. It's like mari-"

It only takes a second for you to realize you couldn't see Sam. "Sam? Sam? Sam!" You shout, submerging yourself. You break the surface again. "Tommy, he's drowning. Tommy!"

You dive under, grabbing Sam's arm and fighting against the current. Tommy grabs his other arm, and Puffy grabs his torso. You all gasp for air when you reach the surface. Sam coughs, and Tommy begins slapping his back, swearing under his breath. This was going to be a much longer swim than you all had expected. Tommy keeps a closer eye on Sam, making sure he doesn't dip below the surface again. He seems to have gotten ahold of it but swims at an agonizingly slow pace.

"God, you swim like my grandma, Sam," Puffy said before adding. "And she's dead."

Tommy nearly chokes on the water, and you bite back a laugh. Much to your relief, your feet touch the sand, and you begin to wade through the water toward land. Tommy swings an arm over Sam's shoulder, helping him out. Puffy trails behind them, squeezing the water out of her bi-colored hair. She tugs a stubborn curl from her sheep horn, switching back to her dry clothes. You do the same, relishing the feeling of soft cotton against your skin.

"I'm almost home," Sam breathed out.

Tommy chuckles. "Almost," He echoes.

"You just had to live so far away," You mutter, exhaustion weighing at your bones as you begin hiking. Night begins to fall, the colors of dusk reflecting off Sam's crown. A soft breeze wraps around you, prompting goosebumps as the transition into cooler weather commences. You passed a large tree that Sam calls Megatron. Puffy then corrects him saying it's Thickotron, and Sam mumbles in agreement. As you round the tree, Sam stops at the side of a cliff. He was home.

"How do we get it in?" You asked, looking around for some kind of button or lever

"Gotta open the door," Sam replied.

Tommy nods, recognizing the mechanism from his brother. "One sec."

"Do you have a hoe?" Sam asked.

Puffy smirks. "Well, I have several but..."

Tommy hands over a hoe, and Sam marks the grass with a symbol and the door opens. 

"I'm home!" Sam exclaimed, looking around his place. It's fairly empty.

"Do you feel better now?" You asked, placing a hand on his shoulder and noticing how he had relaxed, fixating his gaze on something.

You follow it, landing on a single plant in the middle of the room.

Puffy catches on too. "Oh, Sam. Sam."

"It's here!" He said happily, running towards it.

"Why is that even fucking in here?" Tommy shouts, disgust dripping from his voice. "Get it out!"

Sam shakes his head. "That's okay. It can stay for a bit."

"Are you insane? It made you eat yourself!" You argued, crossing your arms over your chest.

"It's a little one. I can keep this one in check. The other one is just too big," Sam pushed back. You open your mouth to reason with him when a bark is heard.

"Fran?" Sam asked excitedly.

"Who's Fran?" Tommy replied.

The sound of paws scurrying against stone is heard as Fran barges into the room.

"Hi Fran," Sam greeted, hugging him close. Fran was a border collie with a black and white coat. He was like Sam. In a sense that his eyes weren't normal. One was blue and one brown. His ears flopped around lazily as Sam stroked his coat. "This is nice. I made it home. I'm okay now. You guys can leave me here."

You glance around Sam's home, eyeing the red plant. "You sure?"

"I'll be okay."

"You don't have any more of your flesh, right buddy?" Puffy asked carefully.

"No, just the apples. I'll eat these with Fran."

"How do you know Fran doesn't like flesh?" Tommy accused. "I'll sell this to you," He said, displaying some of Sam's flesh.

Puffy gags. "I feel like probably feeding the dog its owner flesh is probably a tad over the line in some moral way."

Tommy puts the flesh away.

"We're gonna stay here," Sam said definitively.

"Are you sure this egg didn't affect you in any way?" Tommy asked. "Because you seem a little - how can I say this? Moronic."

Sam shakes his head in protest. "No, I'm okay."

"You're like kinda like slurring your words, Sam," You observed.

"I'm okay. I'm good now."

"Are you actually alright? Sam, seriously you know. Jokes aside, are you okay buddy?" Sam doesn't answer this time, and Tommy sighs. "Do you want us to just go? Can we help me help you in any way?"

"No, no, no, I'm fine."

"Is there like waiver we can see so that... if you die.." Puffy trailed off.

Tommy grabs Sam's shoulders, as Fran begins barking. "Sam, Sam, how do you feel about the egg?"

"It made me do bad things. But I mean," Sam shrugs. "It seems okay."

"What?" Puffy croaks. "No, no, no, no, no. I thought you were anti egg, Sam."

"I mean, I know I like I didn't like the egg. But I mean, I feel like it's just not as big of a deal."

"Oh my god. Sam, it melted your flesh, and then you ate it. That's a big deal," You emphasize.

Tommy grips Sam's shoulders tighter. "Sam, cannibalism: Not pogger. Sam Nook: Poggers. Where is he? Where is Sam Nook? I want to speak to