The Multiverse in a Nutshell

by Pennington Inkwell

The Dragonhearted

When Sunset awoke, it was to the uncomfortable feeling of someone shaking her shoulder back and forth.

"Sunset! Hey, Sunset?"

Sunset groaned as she forced her eyes open. She wasn't exactly AWARE of the time she spent asleep, but she thoroughly enjoyed it, and she was DEFINITELY aware of what it felt like to have that time interrupted. Groggy, tired, and frustrated.

"What, Missy?"

"Penn's gone."

Sunset knew that several of the more rational responses to this would be alarm, dismay, or concern. But she was simply too tired for any of that.

"Is he mining? Or in the library?"

"No! He's GONE! He left a note!" Missy walked back to the door to the room Sunset had been sleeping in, waving for her to follow.

Sunset groaned again and rolled out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "If he had time to leave a note, is it REALLY an emergency?"

"Just come on!"

Sunset dragged her feet as she trudged down the hall, eventually finding herself in the main foyer. Missy was tapping her foot impatiently as she leaned on a wooden sign that hadn't been there previously.

"Surprise us?"

Missy pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, where a second sign was waiting in the doorway opposite them.

Sunset blinked, then rolled her eyes and began walking. "Okay... let's see what he's talking about."

The two of them followed one encouraging sign after another until they had once again found themselves standing in Penn's meeting room at the bottom of his base. Two more signs were fixed to the wall beside a wooden button.

Sunset and Missy looked at one another. Missy nodded before hopping up and bashing her fist against the button.

With the sound of shifting pistons and stone scraping on stone, the wall opened up, revealing a hidden tunnel. Somehow, Sunset still wasn't surprised, even when she could hear music coming from inside the walls.

She started walking, soon settling her pace to match the beat of the repetitive tune. Every time it seemed like she and and Missy had reached a dead end, the walls would move aside. They passed through makeshift doors of stone, granite, iron (blocks AND bars), ACTUAL doors, even doors made of different ores like coal or even gold. True to his word, each door opened in a timely manner, letting her through in just the nick of time. Thankfully, the tune eventually began to wind up higher and higher, implying a conclusion. The final doorway parted for her, and she could see a larger room on the other side and one last sign in the middle of the hallway. She leaned forward, trying to read the small print as she passed through the door, only to jump back as the stone bricks slammed shut again, cutting her off.

"GEEZ, that almost took my nose off!" Sunset reached up to her face to check it for damage, only to remember that her head was currently composed of a flat-faced cube. "Well, if I still HAD my nose..."

After a few seconds, the doors opened again. Sunset waited, watching for signs that the malfunction was going to repeat itself. When she was satisfied, she stepped through, finally able to read the last sign.

Sunset narrowed her eyes before giving the sign an enthusiastic punch, knocking it to the ground.

"Okay, we need to have a SERIOUS talk about what is and isn't an okay prank," she muttered before turning to look at the room around them.

It was different from Penn's usual style of building, a room made of stone brick that used open pits of lava for decoration. The entire room was centered around a raised pedestal. Sunset slowly ascended the stairs, her eyes widening as she realized what was waiting at the top.

It was a ring of the same pale stone she had seen in her visions of the End, ornately decorated with green inlay and filigree. Each one was topped with what looked at first like a large green pearl. In the center of the ring was a pitch-black portal dappled with what looked like starlight. Even a few seconds of staring was enough to leave her awestruck, as if she had crammed a year's worth of stargazing into those few seconds. After a moment of staring, however, the pearls stared BACK, a blazing yellow iris at the center of each turning to look at her.

"WAUGH!" Sunset stumbled back, nearly falling back down the stairs. She grabbed for her sword, but after a few seconds of staring, the eyes seemed to lose interest, settling back to staring at the ceiling. "Okay... that's REALLY creepy..." She rubbed at the back of her head, then looked around for any other signs Penn had left. "Does he want us to go in that portal?"

Missy stepped up alongside her, staring at the portal with trepidation. "That's what I thought, too! But that's the portal to the END! He wouldn't have gone to fight the Ender Dragon without us, right? That's why I went back to get you!"

Sunset's eyes widened as she looked at the portal with new eyes.

"Come on, he was bragging about avoiding unnecessary risks while he was here... there's no way he would-" the statement died in her throat as she realized she didn't even believe it, herself. "Oh who am I kidding? He ABSOLUTELY would! Come on, let's gear up and get in there!" She began rummaging through her inventory, snagging her diamond armor and donning it with ease. A moment later, Missy was similarly decked out, her bow in one hand and her carved pumpkin in the other. The two of them looked at one another one last time, and Sunset wrapped her free hand around Missy's shoulders.

And the two of them jumped forward, into the black portal.

When Sunset opened her eyes, she was standing on an obsidian platform. The entire world had changed, opening out into a starless night sky above them, and a bottomless black abyss below. The two of them were standing on an obsidian platform in mid-air, staring at a cobblestone bridge leading to an island of pale stone. In the distance, she could see looming towers of black stone piercing up into the sky. It was exactly as she had seen it in her visions, but nothing could have prepared her for how empty it felt. It had only been a couple days, but she'd gotten used to the ticking, hissing, and shifting of all of Penn's machines seeping through the walls of his base, but there was no such noise here. All was silent outside of the occasional murmurs of the Endermen. The stagnant air smelled musty, like an attic being disturbed for the first time in a century, and the only signs of life were the occasional dark figure of an enderman staring absently into space.

"This place is spooky..." Missy whispered. "I call dibs once we clear out the previous owner."

"What do you mean, 'dibs?'"

"This place would be PERFECT for a new Ghostrick haunted house! We could run it year-round! Imagine the tourists!"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "We're FREEING this place for the endermen, Missy, you can't call dibs on an entire dimension!"

Missy folded her arms over her chest, and Sunset was sure she was pouting underneath the hollowed-out pumpkin she was wearing for a helmet. "Well, I'm still building a summer home here when this is all over, or something!"

Before Sunset could ask her how she planned on even getting BACK here, their attention was drawn back to the island by a fearsome-sounding roar and a flash of violet light.

The dragon... It's still here. Sunset looked over to Missy, noticing that she already had spread her wings and grabbed her stack of fireworks.

"Be careful, Missy..."

"Ha, I should be telling YOU that! At least I can fly!" She chuckled before setting off one of the rockets, which propelled her into the eternally twilit sky. Sunset watched her go for a second before setting off on a sprint down the cobble bridge. She could hear more explosions and roars in the distance, drawing a small amount of comfort from it. If the dragon was fighting, then there was only one living person it could be angry at.

When she reached the island, a stairway had already been carved into the stone leading up to the surface of the main island, making it easy for her to reach the battlefield.

While the pale stone seemed resistant to damage, there was clear signs of battle. Numerous blocks from the overworld were scattered across the island haphazardly, many scorched or stained with noxious violet liquid. Half-built barriers and torn-apart walls made it clear that the dragon wasn't allowing even a moment's respite for Penn. Several of the towers had rivers of water flowing down from the top, forming small lakes at the bottom that the endermen were giving a wide berth. The most harrowing sight, however, was the numerous glowing green pearls scattered all over the island. She knew it was the only remains of what must have been many, MANY endermen who had tried to join the fight. With no sight of Penn at ground level, she paused to scoop up a few of the mystical items and stash them in her pocket.

High above, Sunset could hear the sound of a familiar voice screaming at the top of his lungs.

" COME ON, COME ON, I WANT YOU TO DO IT! COME ON, HIT ME! HIT ME!"

Sunset's eyes widened as she saw a great black form sweep down from the skies, bearing down on a far-off pillar on the other side of the island. The dragon flew straight into the top of the pillar, only to be greeted by an explosion that shrouded the entire top in smoke. From the smoldering remains came a single projectile, a pearl that arced long and far through the air before landing just in front of her.

VWOOP!

The moment the pearl made contact with the ground, a still-smoking Penn appeared in the spot, wiping a thick layer of soot from his forehead on the back of his hand. His black armor had taken a beating, beginning to look like it was wearing thin in places and even exposing a few small holes in the back among a sea of purple stains.

"I've GOT to be wearing her down by now..." he muttered to himself, nibbling on a gold-colored apple as he watched the dragon scramble to regain her bearings.

Sunset narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on her sword as she marched up to him from behind. She took the handle in both hands like a baseball bat and held nothing back as she slammed the flat of the blade against him, knocking him off-balance and sending him to the ground. His eyes grew as wide as dinner plates when he finally got a good look at his assailant.

"S-Sunset?"

"ARE. YOU. CRAZY?" Sunset punctuated each word with another slap from the flat of her bade. "WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING. HERE?"

His expression shifted from one of shock to alarm as he pointed over her shoulder. "SUNSET!"

Sunset glanced over her shoulder, catching sight of an incoming purple fireball, crackling and dripping purple liquid. She didn't even think, acting on instinct (and old habits Rainbow Dash had taught her) as she adjusted her grip, pivoted on one heel, and swung her sword into the flaming projectile, knocking it back in the direction it had come from. The fireball caught the Ender Dragon's wing, sending it spiraling out of control and plummeting out of sight past the edge of the island.

"I AM BUSY, HERE! YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT YOUR TURN!"

"WOO!" Missy cheered and pumped her fist as she skidded to a landing beside them. "Return to sender!"

"Sunset, what are YOU-" Penn stopped as he reached into his pocket, retrieving a golden clock. "Has it been that long, already? I thought I'd have it beaten by now..."

"BEATEN? We were supposed to do this TOGETHER!" Sunset scowled as she reached down and grabbed at the front of his chestplate, pulling him up until their faces were inches apart. "Do you LIKE giving me and Missy heart attacks? What were you THINKING?"

"I- I- I was- I just-" he stuttered and stumbled over his words, and Sunset could already tell that he was searching for a lie to cover his tracks. "I just wanted to surprise you with an easy trip home!"

Sunset didn't relent on her scowl, simply raising one eyebrow and leaning in closer.

"I- I was worried about if you'd be okay here after the endermen ganged up on you last night!"

"Penn..." Sunset growled, giving his chestplate a shake to drive her displeasure home. "You can't LIE to me..."

"Okay, OKAY, I GIVE!" He raised his hands in a show of surrender. "But can we deal with the flying death lizard, first?"

Sunset knew that there was a time and a place for getting angry, a lesson she'd learned the hard way at the Friendship games, and this was neither. She sighed and let go of his chestplate, letting him finally get up on his own.

"You'd better have a REALLY good reason for this..." She muttered.

"Would you believe I didn't want my best friend to be responsible for wiping out the last of an endangered species?" he muttered in return.

Sunset's eyes widened as she turned to stare at him. "Oh so YOU get to do it by yourself? Did you think about maybe ASKING your best friend what she thought?"

"Um, guys?"

"Well forgive me for thinking you wouldn't want to go back to being the BAD GUY! Considering your history, I thought that might be an issue for you!"

"Oh, don't you START with the whole 'I know things you don't' shtick!" Sunset pointed an accusatory finger at him as her temper flared up again, spurring more arguments out of her mouth. "Just because you know my history doesn't mean you can do my thinking FOR ME! The last person who did that was Princess Celestia, and we both know what happened after THAT!" She gestured to the numerous ender pearls on the ground around them. "And how is freeing the endermen being the bad guy?"

"Guys, is this REALLY the time?"

"Because the endermen wiped out its whole race! The dragon's just evening the score!" Penn placed his hands on his hips as Sunset's eyes widened. "Yeah, they didn't mention the dragon heads they keep mounted on their ships, did they?"

"That doesn't make what it's been doing RIGHT! Two wrongs don't make a right! And why didn't YOU mention it?"

"Because if you changed your mind about killing the Ender Dragon, then we were never going to get OUT of here, and I PROMISED to get you home!"

Before Sunset could fire back another response, Missy's shrill voice cut through their argument.

"GUUUUUUUUYS! THE DRAGON'S COMING AND SHE ISN'T NEARLY AS CONFLICTED ABOUT KILLING US AS YOU ARE ABOUT KILLING HER!"

Both of them finally managed to tear their attention away from the other long enough to look up and see the black beast bearing down on them, its blocky maw open wide and brimming with flames. Sunset lunged forward, tucking herself into a tight roll just out of reach of its claws before jumping back to her feet, now facing the menace.

Right or wrong, looks like we're locked into this fight... Life or death.

Her eyes widened as she realized Penn hadn't managed the same smooth dodge she had, managing to avoid being snapped up in its fangs only to have one of the wings slam into his chest. Terror gripped at her as she watched him be lifted up into the air...

and sail over the edge of the island, plunging out of sight.

"PENN!" Sunset and Missy both screamed together as the dragon sailed off into the sky to prepare another attack. Sunset sprinted for the edge of the island, praying for some sign he had managed to save himself. As she ran, her mind was already racing, trying to devise a plan. She thought carefully about the equipment she had been given, the items she was carrying with her, and the information Penn had given her the night before.

He'd said that the void below would consume them. Like the shadow realm? That means death isn't instant, if we can just get him back up here-

Sunset grinned as a plan finally came together in her mind. The edge of the island was coming up fast, and there was no sign of Penn making a comeback. She was going to have to rescue him.

"MISSY! Follow my lead!" Sunset shouted. As the last blocks passed under her feet, Sunset took a deep breath, grabbed the items she needed from her inventory... and jumped.

"I hope you know what you're doooiiiiiiiinnnnng!"

Sunset felt her stomach rise up into her throat as she began to accelerate downward, the wind whipping past her with greater and greater noise in her ears. She could SEE Penn ahead of her, already deep in the darkness. Sunset tightened her focus, trying to draw on every time Rainbow had roped her into a game of dodgeball or baseball, all the times she and Twilight had drawn up physics diagrams of an object in motion... and reeled back her arm, throwing one of the ender pearls down into the dark with all of her strength.

VWOOP!

She wasn't sure what to expect, but a few seconds later, she felt herself violently jerked as she was ripped through spacetime. A second later, she was face-to-face with Penn, falling just inches above him as the shattered remains of the used-up pearl dissolved to dust.

"Sunset! What are you-"

Sunset didn't respond, wrapping one of her arms around his neck and pulling him upwards until they had swapped places, and she was facing upwards. Her other hand whipped forward, throwing another pearl straight back up into the sky. She could feel the deadly nature of the void already beginning to sting at every inch of her skin, ignoring her enchanted armor completely.

"MISSY! CATCH!"

Sunset held her breath, trying not to scream as the pain intensified by the second. She focused on the moment, on the world around her and her orientation in it. She couldn't afford to lose her sense of direction, not now.

VWOOP!

They were back in the sky, still below the island, but much closer. Missy was staring, wide-eyed at their arrival as Sunset caught her bearings and flung one last pearl. Here goes our best landing strategy...

"Hang on tight!"

Missy instantly clung onto the two of them, forming a tight bundle of bodies.

VWOOP!

A moment later, Sunset felt herself yanked violently one last time, dragging her friends through the momentary tear in spacetime until they landed with a grunt in a pile, once again on solid ground. Sunset gasped for air as she felt her body practically explode with pain, the numerous imperfect teleports finally catching up with her and taking their toll. The pain was only slightly remedied when Penn and Missy both rolled off of her, taking their collective weight off of her chest.

No one spoke for several seconds, collectively catching their breath after their brush with death. Finally, Penn broke the silence between them.

"I'm sorry... I just... wanted to be the bad guy so you wouldn't have to be... I didn't want something like this on your conscience. If I can do it for you... why shouldn't I?"

"Because... I didn't ask you to be my bodyguard... or my 'conscience-guard'... or whatever..." Sunset panted. "I just want you to be my friend. Friends talk to each other..."

There was another long pause. Sunset felt a cool, round object place itself in her palm. She lifted it up to her face, gnawing into the gilded apple Penn had given her. She felt a cool, soothing sensation spread over her body, finally assuaging the stinging on her skin and beginning to let her strength trickle back.

"I'm not okay, Sunset... In the head, I mean."

"It's okay to not be okay."

"Like, I think I'm REALLY messed up from..." he trailed off, but Sunset knew what he was talking about.

"Anyone would be. You almost died. But you NEED to talk about it." She used her returning strength to push herself into a sitting position. Penn was still laying on the ground, tears rolling down his face and carving clean tracks into the soot from the earlier explosion. For a moment, their eyes met, and he reached up to pull his helmet down over his face as if he was ashamed of the show of emotion. "Do you remember that promise we made in Aperture? 'No more machismo'? When this is all done, I'm invoking it. You NEED to talk about what happened if you're going to deal with the trauma in a healthy way."

He shuddered, a muffled sob seeping out from the edges of his helmet. Sunset could feel her heart breaking to see her friend still in so much pain, even after more than a month since he'd escaped and come home to them.

"Uhm, look I know you're making a big breakthrough and all, but I have to point out we're still in a battle for our lives, here!" Missy interrupted, pushing herself back up to her feet.

Sunset sighed and rocked forward, pushing up onto the balls of her feet and into a standing position. She watched Penn take a long, deep breath before nodding and removing his helmet from his face. She offered her hand to him, and he gave her a grateful smile as he took it. His not-insubstantial weight nearly pulled her to the ground rather than pulling him up, but she managed to help him to his feet.

"Now then... what's the plan?"

Penn glanced between the three of them, only taking a moment to wipe the tear tracks off of his face before giving them a smile.

"I think... I have an idea."

"HEY! OVER HERE, YOU BIG PALOOKA!" Missy shouted as she sailed past the dragon. The monster snapped at her, nearly eating her completely in a single bite as it missed by the smallest of margins. Sunset tried not to let her worry for Missy's safety overwhelm her common sense. This was exactly what they'd brought her here to do, and she was doing it well.

She and Penn were both waiting behind one of the pillars. Penn had taken advantage of Missy's distraction to build a small wall out of cobblestone, a safety measure to be sure neither of them could be blown or knocked over the edge again. Sunset had an arrow already notched in her enchanted bow, and Penn was drawing back the string to load a vicious-looking crossbow.

"How come YOU get the crossbow and the two of us use regular old bows and arrows?" she whispered.

"Because you can't put the 'infinity' enchantment on a crossbow. Every arrow has to count, and I've had more practice than you..." he muttered.

"Bet you ten bucks I can beat you in target practice..." she grinned to herself as the two of them peeked around the sides of the pillar.

Penn seemed to ignore her challenge, more focused on the matters at hand. "Okay, Missy's bringing her in close, you ready?"

Sunset drew back her bow and watched carefully as Missy flew in closer and closer, the dragon nipping at her heels.

"NOW!"

Sunset and Penn both sprung out from behind the pillar, unleashing their arrows on the dragon as Missy pulled up and rocketed out of their targeting range. Despite her earlier joking about wanting a crossbow, Sunset was glad to have the bow Penn had made for her. Every time she let an arrow fly, another would appear in its place, already strung and ready to draw. Penn's crossbow seemed to be making a heavy impact of its own, letting loose three arrows at a time in a spread across the dragon's face and wings, and despite having to manually load his arrows, he was keeping up with her rate of fire well enough.

The dragon roared in pain and shook its head, rearing back as purple flames began to escape its mouth.

"COVER!"

Sunset and Penn both leaped back behind the obsidian, barely avoiding the purple flames and boiling acid breath that came washing around the sides. Sunset took a deep breath, trying to keep calm as the inferno raged around them. She heard the sound of a potion bottle breaking, and Penn took a deep breath before running around the corner and into the flames. A second later, there was another explosion, the sound of pained roaring, and the flames stopped. The noxious fumes remained, however, so Sunset stayed put and waited. A haggard-looking Penn managed to stumble back into safety, his armor smoking and soot-covered as he wolfed down another golden apple.

"So... WHY do beds explode here, again?" Sunset asked.

"I think it was half a joke from the developers, half to stop people from setting their spawns outside the overworld." Penn coughed a bit as the fumes of the acid finally dispersed. "Either way, folks figured out it was the best darn weapon we could get against the dragon... if we can get it in close."

"And HOW don't you blow yourself up in the process?"

He shrugged and smiled at her with false innocence. "Easily with grace and skill?"

Sunset rolled her eyes and gave him a pat on the top of his helmet. "And VERY strong armor, I'm guessing..." She rose to her feet and peeked out again, catching sight of something that took her aback.

"Penn? I think we have a problem..."

"What is it?"

"I think it's caught on to our plan." Sunset pointed towards the center of the island, Penn stepping out behind her to get a look for himself.

The dragon had landed on top of the bedrock formation in the center of the island, perched comfortably on the fountain-like structure where the portal home was supposed to appear. She was staring directly at them, glowing purple eyes narrowed in a hateful glare at their hiding place.

"Well, if she's going to sit still..." Penn leveled his crossbow, letting off a single shot. The dragon responded with a small rustle of its wings. Even the small movement seemed to carry enough force to protect it, pushing the arrow away in a gust of wind before it could reach its intended target. "Oh. Well, never mind, then..." he muttered bitterly.

"What do we do?"

"I think... we're going to have to play her game. Get in close and finish the job with swords. Without the healing crystals, she's got to be on her last legs by now."

"I was afraid you were going to say that..."

"If you would prefer to stay here, I don't mind-" Sunset turned around, giving him an angry look. His mouth instantly shut, his lips drawing into a tight line. "Or not."

"On the count of three." Sunset exchanged her bow for her sword, gripping it tight with both hands. "One... two... THREE!"

As the two of them leapt from their hiding place, the dragon was ready, unleashing another fireball towards them. Sunset exchanged a knowing glance with Penn before the two of them split in opposite directions, flanking the dragon from two sides. The dragon seemed to focus its attacks on Penn, attempting three more times to blast him with fireballs, only to find him always a step ahead thanks to his careful use of ender pearls. Sunset took advantage of the distraction, running in unassailed and reaching the dragon in a matter of seconds. Just as she was almost within reach, the dragon caught sight of her and began to beat its wings. Sunset's eyes widened as the hurricane-like winds threatened to blow her away completely. Her only reprieve was to fall to one knee and drive her sword into the stone under her feet, keeping her grounded as she was pushed back further and further. She wasn't becoming airborne, but she was losing ground by the second as she was locked down by the windy assault.

The action, however, had left Penn free to move in, leaping up and grabbing the wing at the joint halfway up the dragon's body. In less than a second, he had managed to gain enough of a foothold to climb up onto its back. Sunset could barely make out the sight of him as he began assaulting the wings, hacking at the joints with his black sword. The dragon roared in pain as the winds relented. She breathed a sigh of relief and gave her sword a hard pull... only to find it stuck in the rock. She pulled again, but the diamond hilt refused to budge.

"Oh come on! Can SOMETHING go right today? PLEASE?"

"SUNSET! LOOK OUT!"

Sunset's head snapped up, just in time to see another fireball flying in her direction. She abandoned the sword, diving out of the way. She could only watch as the fireball struck her embedded sword and exploded, leaving blue shards scattered all around. She started running again as the poison from the flaming projectile began to spread over the ground, turning her attention back to the dragon. Penn had moved up, wrapping one arm around the dragon's neck to stop himself from being thrown off while his other hand slashed haphazardly at its head with his sword, stopping it from launching another fireball. Trying to avoid getting blown away again, Sunset ran in a strafing motion towards the dragon, her mind racing as she tried to determine what to do now.

Its wings are free as long as Penn is focused on stopping the fireballs, so arrows won't work! And my sword is GONE! There has to be a way to get in there and do my part! I just need to-

"S-Sunset! CATCH!"

Sunset watched as Penn released his hold on the dragon's neck, letting it fling him up and into the sky. Mid-flight, he threw a silvery-colored object in her direction. Sunset's eyes widened as she realized what it was, and she changed course to catch it, managing to land the grip perfectly in her hand. Re-armed, she ran in at the dragon directly, making a beeline for its head. At the same time, she could see Penn falling faster and faster, both hands on his sword. The dragon focused its eyes on her, belching out another noxious fireball, but Sunset was ready. She rolled down and under it, feeling the heat of it singe her through her diamond armor, before arriving back at her feet just underneath it. With both hands, she jabbed her faithful iron sword upwards at the dragon's chin. At the same time, Penn's netherite blade pierced from above as he landed on its head, driving it downwards and onto Sunset's blade. There was a sickening squelch, the snap of the iron blade breaking off inside the dragon's skull, the feeling of hot liquid running down her hands and arms, and everything fell silent.

The reality of what they had done began to sink in, and Sunset reached out, stroking the creature's throat.

"I'm sorry, but this revenge has gone on long enough. It's time for you to go be with the rest of your kind..." she whispered.

Sunset's eyes widened as violet light began to glow from the dragon's wounds, seeping out gently at first and building until it was a brilliant ray. She head the sound of boots colliding with the stone as Penn hopped down from the dragon's head. He had a somber look on his face as he began to back away, never taking his eyes off of the dragon's body. Sunset followed his example, stepping back watching as the dragon defied gravity and began to rise. Hissing and popping began to seep out, and more cracks and lights appeared in its scales. It floated higher and higher, small explosions of dragonfire running along its body, growing in size until it looked as if its entire body was dissolving into purple fireworks. Finally, there was one massive explosion, the sound of a final, mournful roar... and it was gone.

The last Ender Dragon was gone.

"I... I'm not proud of what we did..." Penn whispered. "But for what it's worth, you were amazing out there today. Especially that time you saved me from certain death, and all... Thanks for that, by the way."

Sunset nodded. "A-Any time..."

"WOOOO! THAT. WAS. FANTASTIC!" Missy screamed, crashing headfirst into Sunset and knocking her to the ground. "It was all like 'GRR I'M GONNA BLOW YOU INTO THE ABYSS!' and you were all like 'Not today, creep!' and then it was like 'WELL YOU CAN'T FIGHT WITH NO SWORD! PEW PEW BOOM!' and Penn was like 'Joke's on you, she's GOT a sword right here!' and then you tag-teamed it for the final blow and it was SO COOL!"

In spite of the somber tone, Sunset chuckled and gave Missy's hair a gentle stroke. "I'm just glad everyone's okay. I was worried Penn was going to die just from falling from that far up!"

"Well, let's just all thank goodness for the 'feather falling' enchantment..." Penn muttered as he walked up to the portal. Sunset watched as he began placing down blocks, covering a small area of it. In a matter of seconds, he had set up a piston just above and to the side of the bedrock. Without hesitation he placed down a lever and flipped it on, activating the piston and pushing an object she almost hadn't noticed out of place. Like any broken block it seemed to pop and shrink, allowing him to catch it in his hands before walking back to the two of them.

"Take a good look, ladies... The last Ender Dragon egg..." he whispered.

Sunset's eyes widened as she looked at the pitch-black egg cradled carefully in his hands. "I almost forgot... Is it really not going to hatch without its mother here?"

Penn sighed and shrugged his shoulders wistfully. "We'll take it with us. If it's actually viable, then if anyone can figure out a way to get it to hatch, it's Isis..."

Sunset nodded, feeling slightly better. We'll make sure it's well taken care of...

The three of them walked around to the un-blocked side of the portal. It looked identical to the portal that had brought them to the End, and nothing like the one that had brought them into this universe, but she was still keeping her hopes up.

"Everybody ready?"

"YOU BET! I wanna really fly again!" Missy shouted, jumping up into the air and pulling her legs up to her chest. "CANNONBALL!"

She slipped through the portal without so much as a ripple in its surface, leaving Penn and Sunset staring at one another, now alone. Sunset took a deep breath, stepping forward. Her trip was halted by a sudden grab at her arm, yanking her back and away. She turned back to Penn, a question already forming on her lips when he spoke.

"Look, I know after how I acted I don't have any right to ask you for anything, but... Can-" he looked down and away, his face flushing with embarrassment. "Can we go through together? I don't want to be alone... Not with myself. Not again."

Sunset smiled, wrapping her other hand around the one holding her arm and moving it down until they were holding each other's hands. His grip was painfully tight, but she could bear it.

"You ready?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Let's go."

Together, the two of them stepped forward, hopping off of the edge of the bedrock and into the black portal.

It did not take her long.

Sunset Shimmer? No. The other was quite helpful to her, once properly motivated.

She can see us. Hear us, for the moment.

Are you concerned? She has come closer to the truth than most. She will see it, given time. Or perhaps she already has seen it, and it was beyond her understanding.

Much like ________, it is hidden to her.

Perhaps if we could show her how close she is to the truth, she could find her own way to it?

Too soon, too soon. We would drive her further away. Perhaps another vision? A story, even.

She already has a storyteller. We mustn't overinundate her. Be gentle.

A snake cries out in pain, for the end of its tail has been bitten. It is a long and old snake, having lived many, many years in peace and monotony. It begins to travel, burrowing under and climbing many a wall and barrier that had been built whilst it rested, invading and crossing borders that it had itself played an unwitting role in drawing. It journeys long and far, braving many dangerous and hunters, until it finally arrives at the end of its own tail...

There, it finds a tasty-looking frog perched on the tip. It has traveled far and is hungry, and lunges for the frog, but instead bites its own tail, unwittingly swallowing itself. Far, far away, the snake cries out in pain, for its tail has been bitten. It is a long and old snake, having lived many, many years in peace and monotony. It begins to travel, burrowing under and climbing many a wall and barrier that had been built whilst it rested, invading and crossing borders that it had itself played an unwitting role in drawing. It journeys long and far, braving many dangers and hunters, until it finally arrives at the end of its own tail...

We could continue forever, but nothing would happen. We could stop, but we will have failed to tell the story in full and denied it the justice any tale deserves...

Most especially the true ones.

She will find herself there... And she will find the truth, just as she already has.

Ah. There he is. Or, perhaps, there he will be. It's hard to tell. My memory is exactly what it used to be, after all.

✌︎❒︎♏︎ ⬥︎♏︎ ♏︎♋︎❒︎●︎⍓︎ ♋︎♑︎♋︎♓︎■︎✍︎

It would appear so, though not so early as we were last. Perhaps we should go. Seeing me does tend to cause such a fuss from humans...

👌︎◆︎⧫︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎⍓︎ ❍︎◆︎⬧︎⧫︎ ♋︎●︎●︎ ❍︎♏︎♏︎⧫︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♏︎❖︎♏︎■︎⧫︎◆︎♋︎●︎●︎⍓︎📬︎

Yes. I hardly understand why they are so off-put. There is no point to it, after all. My visits can be quite the relief to many.

🕈︎♏︎ ⬥︎♓︎●︎●︎ ⬧︎♏︎♏︎ ♒︎♓︎❍︎ ⬧︎□︎□︎■︎📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎□︎◆︎♑︎♒︎📬︎ ✋︎ ♒︎♋︎❖︎♏︎ ❍︎♓︎⬧︎⬧︎♏︎♎︎ ♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ♍︎□︎❍︎◻︎♋︎■︎⍓︎📬︎

Unexpectedly for a human, so have I. I remember the discussions we shall have over tea. A naive little fellow, but entertaining in how hard he tries to understand. And so stubborn. Reminds me of my granddaughter.

☟︎♓︎⬧︎ ♐︎♓︎❒︎⬧︎⧫︎ ❖︎♓︎⬧︎♓︎⧫︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ⬧︎□︎□︎■︎📬︎ 👍︎♒︎♋︎❍︎□︎❍︎♓︎●︎♏︎✍︎

Oh, I believe we should go with an herbal blend. I'll take Binky home and go put the kettle on. Perhaps you would like to stay and watch here? I'm certain his first crossing will be quite the spectacle on this side. I've seen it.

✋︎♐︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❒︎♏︎♍︎□︎❍︎❍︎♏︎■︎♎︎ ♓︎⧫︎📪︎ ♓︎ ♌︎♏︎●︎♓︎♏︎❖︎♏︎ ♓︎ ⬧︎♒︎♋︎●︎●︎📬︎ 🏱︎♏︎❒︎♒︎♋︎◻︎⬧︎ ♓︎ ❍︎♋︎⍓︎ ♑︎●︎♏︎♋︎■︎ ⬧︎□︎❍︎♏︎ ◆︎⬧︎♏︎♐︎◆︎●︎ ❒︎♏︎♋︎♎︎♓︎■︎♑︎⬧︎📪︎ ♋︎⬧︎ ⬥︎♏︎●︎●︎📬︎ 👍︎□︎■︎⬧︎♓︎♎︎♏︎❒︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ♋︎■︎ ♏︎⌧︎◻︎♏︎❒︎♓︎❍︎♏︎■︎⧫︎📬︎

As I've told you before, it is quite futile, but if you insist...

Sunset opened her eyes, suddenly returned to reality. She knew that whatever was on the other side of that portal, there had been a gap between then and now. Something had happened, but she couldn't quite remember it, like it was on the tip of her tongue or a half-remembered dream. Something about a snake, maybe? A story?

She shook her head, dispelling the last of her grogginess. She doubted it was important, if she was having so much trouble remembering it. If it was, she was sure it would come to her.

She tried to sit up, only to find her movements restricted, and several sharp angles pointing into her torso. She sat up as best she could, looking down at herself.

First and foremost, she was back to normal again, which was a relief. She was back to her rounded, normal self, fingers, toes, and all.

Secondly, the diamond armor she was wearing had NOT undergone such a transformation, stiff and composed of purely right angles. All around her, she could see the items that had been in her "inventory" scattered around on the ground, as if the logic-defying space had vomited everything inside it out into the world before disappearing.

"Oh. Well... that's inconvenient."

A quick glance to her side revealed an unconscious Penn in a similar predicament, though he was buried in a small avalanche of cubes of cobblestone and redstone elements. The black dragon egg was safely settled beside his head while he slept, back to its full size of at least two and a half feet tall.

"Sunset Shimmer? Are you there? Signal to your device was lost for a short period of time."

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as Isis's voice echoed through the armor out of her pants pocket.

"Isis... I have a LONG story for you... but first I think we're going to need a new repair drone to help us get out of this armor and excavate Penn..."

"Affirmative. A replacement is inbound. Welcome back."

"Oh! Also, we have a dragon egg we need you to take a look at!"

There was a long pause, uncharacteristic for Isis.

"Is it a Chiracian dragon egg?"

"Its... an Ender Dragon egg? What's a Chiracian dragon?"

"It is of no concern. A specialized transport will be arriving soon to take it to a safe location for incubation, protection, and study."

"Thanks, Isis. I knew we could count on you!" Sunset nodded, shuffling as best she could to try and squirm out of the now-ill-fitted armor.

"From your manner of speaking and sudden acquisition of new items, I presume the portal was prone to time dilation?"

"Y-Yeah!" Sunset tried to get her arms out of the shoulders of the diamond chestplate without dislocating them. "It's been a week for me and Missy, a month for Penn!"

"Meaning that Penn has been without his medication for a month?"

"Medication? Penn takes medication?"

"Seratonin reuptake inhibitors. For his depression. A month without them would prove quite detrimental to his mental state."

Sunset glanced over at Penn, several things starting to make sense in her mind.

"I'll make sure he starts taking them again as soon as he wakes up, Isis."

"Thank you."