Finally. There, in the distance, was Haven. The tower stood, looming over the entirety of the city below, and despite being familiar it gave Twilight this impression it just no longer belonged there. It housed a disgusting, dangerous presence.
It had to go.
But, one thing at a time. Firstly, they had to get their forces into their proper places. As quickly as possible, before any troops came out to greet them with black dead eyes and sharp blades, the army properly placed its forces. Twilight, along with a majority of the army, focused on attacking the front. They had spread out, to ensure that nothing could surround them, or sneak around to attack from behind. Twilight and her fellow tacticians didn't have much experience of actual warfare, but they had at least read about the subject. The warriors from Promise Peak had been particularly helpful.
In front of Twilight were so many ponies, all ready, geared up in their best armor, some with swords in their mouths, others had bows, and a few were prepared to use Pinkie Pie's explosives. So many, and with Haven's fortified walls just within their arrows' reach. There was a great sense of tension, and despite the steps of hundreds of ponies and the buzzing of changelings, it was hauntingly quiet. Twilight couldn't see a cloud in the sky. The sun's hot rays were weighing down on them, but wasn't the reason so many were sweating.
Rarity and Shining Armor had both taken their groups to the east and west respectively. Hopefully nothing had stopped Scootaloo and Trickery from getting into place.
Before the eyes of the army, hundreds of enderponies began to appear, building covers from whatever storm Herobrine could conjure up. At the same time, Sharp's ponies had begun to appear. Twilight couldn't spot Sharp himself in the crowd. His ponies, at least, seemed ready and willing.
Twilight glanced back, looking at the protected makeshift fortress they had built in haste. She could just barely make out Pinkie Pie standing on the little wall. The pink party pony was, at least to her friends, unnervingly still.
While the army was fortunate enough to not get attacked during the minutes of their final preparations, giving them enough time to get into their proper positions. It was all well and organized.
Twilight thought it over carefully. Was all in place? Was everyone where they had to be? Was their attack on Herobrine almost ready? She looked up at the sun, seeing it was almost at noon. Yes, the army would charge shortly.
Something was unnerving, though. Despite everything being in its proper place, not a single pony had exited Haven.
"Why hasn't he done anything yet?" asked Twilight.
"Are you being rhetorical, Princess?" asked a nearby guard.
Twilight nodded. "Well, yes, but honestly if you have any ideas, then please share them with me."
The guard shook her head. "Sorry, Your Highness."
"Be prepared for the worst," said Twilight.
Every second of waiting was filled with unbearable tension. Every fighter had to stand in place, nervously shifting around on the spot, scratching at the ground.
Twilight took a deep breath and pointed a sword towards the city. "Arrows at the ready!" she yelled. Archers began to pull back their bows. "Aim to just get over the wall!" If Herobrine's ponies were hiding closely behind it, if any of his forces were trying to use the element of surprise, then a preemptive strike against it was worth every arrow. "Fire on my command!"
"Twilight, there something coming in skyward, from the left!" yelled Minny Miner.
Twilight turned and saw something large that had just appeared from behind the giant cliff. It was circling the city and approaching them quickly. It was big, dark, and definitely a dragon.
"That looks just like the nightmare that almost killed me. Herobrine made a new one, just to mock me," said Minny.
"What is it?!" asked Twilight.
"I named it the Enderdragon, but this one isn't blocky," said Minny.
"Then that's... that's Spike the Great," said Twilight. "What can he do?!"
"Destroy any block by touch," said Minny.
"ARCHERS! FIRE AT THE DRAGON!" yelled Twilight. "FIRE AT HIM NOW!"
But it wouldn't have mattered. With great speed the dark twisted being swooped down, into the ground where it immediately and destructively flew right into dozens of soldiers. Its momentum was completely unaffected by the earth which may as well have been air. Soldiers were tossed aside like insects, some were able to recover but others weren't so lucky, either vanishing into red or lying still.
Twilight had to jump aside to avoid the beast as it slowly ascended out of the ground.
"Archers! I TOLD YOU TO FIRE!" yelled Twilight.
That's when the lightning started to strike the army. Rain started to pour, the light of the sun had vanished along with the hope of some. Others, however, persevered. Ponies took shelter, or built it themselves swiftly. Enderponies teleported to safety and simply began to expand shelters. Herobrine was well underway, but their army had just gotten started. Twilight took her eyes of the dragon for just a second to see her own ponies, scrambled, dazed, but also ready to fight.
"Fighters, charge towards the walls!" yelled Twilight, barely able to be heard amongst the never ending thunder. Fortunately, they were listening for a command. With roars and shouts, most of the army galloped towards the walls, with blades and tools ready.
"That thing is almost impossible to hit!" yelled a warrior. "I can barely see in this storm!"
"It's coming back! Everyone, take cover! PRINCESS, IT'S AFTER YOU!" yelled a guard.
Twilight barely had time to look back at the monster. Once close, all she could do was to leap forward, barely avoiding its striking claw. While she managed survive, the ground beneath her vanished. After tumbling down, she quickly flew out of the pit. Actually spotting the creature was almost impossible in the heavy rain. There he was, afar, turning around for another strike.
"Twilight!" yelled Minny Miner from across the hole. "Get behind obsidian! It's one of the few blocks it can't destroy!"
"Here you go, Princess!" yelled a warrior who had overheard. They both took cover behind the wall, under a quickly made shelter, and she was firing arrows at the Enderdragon while Twilight tried to come up with a new plan. Despite the situation, it was a good thing it seemed to be after her specifically. Getting its attention was the most important thing, as it kept the monsters from attacking anyone else that was fighting.
"Princess, just use your magic on it!" said the guard, ducking as the dragon swept over them, the wind almost blew them away. They both quickly built another roof, blocking a strike of lightning.
"I can't, I have to save everything I've got for Herobrine!" said Twilight.
"Well, what are we going to do?!" asked the guard.
"We... are going to build a wall! It's true we can barely see in this rain, but neither can he! If we make a wall out of obsidian and trick him into colliding with it, then we might be able to strike him while he's hurt!" said Twilight. "You, tell the other guards to build a wall at once. I will distract it, then lead it into-"
They were both interrupted. There had been a sound much louder than the thunder, to the west, like an explosion, followed by another blow from the east.
"Seems Scootaloo and Trickery finally placed the dynamite. Rarity's and Shining Armor's warriors have probably entered the city. Come on, go! You know what to do!" said Twilight to the guard. They ducked as the dragon came by again, then the guard ran away to get help.
Twilight quickly started to build another roof, but then, in the faded light, a zombie appeared from just around the corner. In a single motion, Twilight kicked the creature in the leg before stabbing it with her sword. She was shocked, but mostly unharmed, except for the bite on her leg.
"I didn't pack milk. Did anyone-?" but before she could finish the sentence another zombie had appeared. This one didn't survive nearly as long, but it distracted Twilight enough so she couldn't take cover in time. The Enderdragon merely grazed her head with its tail, yet she was thrown several blocks back by the impact.
With barely any balance she managed to stand up and spot the dragon, all the while finding another piece of shelter.
The bite, how long will it take for me to become insane? Will it take longer because it bit my leg? Maybe royalty like me are immune? But she quickly realized that was wishful thinking. Could she get milk? Where? Would it take long before she succumbed? What do brains taste like, anyway?
"Oh no... Pinkie Pie! I need to get to the medic!" said Twilight.
The dragon charged again, and this time Twilight simply wasn't able to avoid the strike. Its tail hit her side with the force of a train, making her tumble away. Her side felt like it had simply cracked, yet she was able to stand up. While certainly painful, it would take something far worse than a tail to stop something like her. Unfortunately, that 'something far worse' had turned around for another assault. Spike swooped down towards her again.
"Twilight!" yelled a voice, and the princess felt herself being tackled away from the danger. Momentarily confused, Twilight looked up and saw a dear friend.
"Rarity! Thank you, but why are you here?" asked Twilight.
"I saw that horrid creature, once my ponies got inside the town, I came to help you," said Rarity.
"That's Spike," said Twilight.
Rarity looked down at Twilight with nothing but immense surprise, but with a shake of her head managed to regain her focus.
"Listen, I was bit by a zombie, I need to get to Pinkie Pie," said Twilight.
"Very well, just go! I'll face Spike," said Rarity, her voice certain and confident. "Your plan, whatever it is, better work. I want my Spike back, understand?"
"Yes. Remember, he'll destroy every block he touches, but he can't destroy obsidian. There's a wall being built nearby, just get his attention, and then trick him into crashing into it!" said Twilight before hurrying towards a large tent at the back of the battlefield.
"Leave it to me!" said Rarity.
***
The large tent, surrounded by sturdy stone walls, had already been filled with ponies. Some were too hurt to get back into the battle, while others simply needed a bit of help before they bravely charged back out into the storm.
Pinkie Pie and the little changeling Caring were the most busy out of every mare and stallion tending to the wounded. Rosy and Lively were there, to Twilight's surprise, but she couldn't afford to pay it much mind. Pinkie Pie looked more like a pink blur moving between the beds, giving out bandages, applying pressure to wounds, and handing out food. She spotted Twilight as she hurried inside.
"Phew, let me tell you, this is no cakewalk. Would you like some cake as you walk out?" she asked.
"Pinkie Pie, do you have any milk? I was bitten by a zombie," said Twilight, a bit stressed. She needed to get back out, where the action was. She needed to get into the city.
"Sorry, all out," said Pinkie Pie.
"There's no milk anywhere, not even for baking," said a familiar voice in the back. It was Derpy Hooves, looking directly at Twilight while applying pressure to a wound of a poor soldier. "Whatever it is your doing, you should have planned for things to go wrong."
"Then I have no choice. I have to keep fighting until I fall. Keep up the good work," said Twilight.
"Good luck with whatever you're doing, let's have muffins afterwards!" said Derpy.
***
While there were still ponies and pawns fighting tooth and nail out in the open fields, it seemed a large part of the army had moved into the city itself. By the time Twilight reached the main gate someone, probably Scootaloo and Trickery, had blasted a huge hole in it. Fire had started to spread over the rooftops, lightning having ruined every top floor in the city. There was a lot of swords clashing around Twilight as she ran, particularly inside buildings where ponies were safer from the elements.
She had never imagined that any storm could have possibly have been worse than the one so many years ago, but here she was. Yet again she was trying to save Haven and its ponies from forces they couldn't quite understand. Victory was near, she simply needed to get to Herobrine and do her part. The tower was clearly visible in the distance, even through the thunderstorm.
"Twily!" yelled someone from the side. Turning, she saw Shining Armor run up to her through an alley. "Thank Celestia you're okay!"
"I'm fine, thank you. Shining Armor, how is the assault going?" asked Twilight, still running.
"Better than expected, but this is probably just a good start before we get overrun."
"Do you have any milk?" asked Twilight.
"What? Why?"
"No reaso- I was bitten by a zombie," said Twilight. "It's starting to affect me. I need to get to the tower."
"I'll help you all the wa-"
"No you won't!" roared a voice as something large hit him with tremendous force, pushing him to the side, in through a door and into a house. Twilight had just seen a colorful blur. Rainbow Dash.
"Now, sugarcube, this ain't no way to behave. Put down that sword and we can talk this through like good honest folk," said Applejack.
Twilight didn't hesitate to lounge at her poor controlled friend. Suddenly Soarin jumped in front and blocked the strike with a sword of his own. She instantly backed away from a retaliating strike, a bit shaken, but ready for more. The eyes of her enemies weren't quite as unsettling as what she was herself ready to do to help them.
"Get off me!" yelled Shining Armor from inside the house. Rainbow Dash was thrown out of the house, but landed on her hooves right in front of Twilight, then jumped away as the princess swung her sword at her.
Shining Armor ran out and stood beside Twilight, glanced at their enemies, then turned to her. "Two on three, seems unfair. They don't stand a chance against us, the real Punishment."
"No time for clichéd bravado, attack!" said Twilight.
They all charged towards each other.
***
Rarity had little experience with bows and arrows, yet she had managed to hit Spike a few times. Each time, she had loudly apologized, and then taunted him.
"Come on, you overgrown corrupted gecko! I expect you to give it your all! You might be a mockery of my dear Spike, but at least you're a mockery of Spike! You should be able to do more!" she shouted as she fired another arrow.
The beast roared in anger as it approached. Rarity constantly looked behind herself as she backed away, making sure her flurry of arrows never stopped angering the beast. It was close, both the beast and the newly built wall.
Spike got closer, and closer, and he was almost about to hit it, but then veered very close to it, avoiding it entirely.
"Come on! We just finished this thing!" said Minny Miner as Spike circled around for another attack, yet again flying through the earth itself, hurting whoever was unlucky enough to be hit by the monster.
"He's too clever for that, or at least he can see well enough to avoid our trap! Do you have any suggestions?!" asked Rarity.
"I don't think we can do much, except hit him until he dies!" said Minny.
Rarity looked at all the ponies who had been hurt, and could only imagine those that had been killed... and those that would die if they couldn't stop the dragon. "That will take far too long! If he beats us, then he'll move into the city to the majority of our ponies! We can't let that happen!"
"Well, do you have any good ideas?!" asked Minny Miner.
Rarity looked at the wall, and then Spike, who had finally fully turned, on his way back to them. "Just one, but I wouldn't call it good."
"What is it?" asked Minny.
"Take this bow, stand next to the wall and keep firing at him, get him to aim for you," said Rarity and tossed Minny the weapon.
"Alright, fine!" said Minny, beginning to attack the beast, indeed making him aim for her specifically.
Meanwhile, Rarity built a simple staircase up to the top of the wall, hurrying up while Spike was approaching. He was nearly there. Rarity looked at the beast, like it was a caricature of her dear friend. She took a deep breath, hoping that her crazy plan would work. Sword at the ready, she braced herself.
"This is the most idiotic thing I have ever done, except maybe wearing brown with yellow," said Rarity, and then began to run to the edge. With a leap, she suddenly felt herself being swept away by the large dragon, and she held on for dear life. The wind alone would have thrown her off if she hadn't given it her all. Rain hit her face like a million tiny stings, and everything around her was a dark blur, only ever illuminated when lightning struck. The very texture of the scales beneath her burned like fire, but she didn't allow herself to lose her grip.
Spike struggled, but she kept climbing up along his neck. There was no way she would be able to severely hurt him with mere cuts, but her sword could still be useful. With all the force she could muster, she stabbed into his very cheek from the side. Thinner skin allowed her to pierce it all the way in to the hilt, and she took out a second sword and did it again on the other side.
Then, she used the very clothing on her to cover his eyes, effectively blinding him.
"Now TURN!" yelled Rarity, jerking both hilts to the side, forcing Spike in a different direction, all the way around, but there was a problem. He was going too fast, and even if she could have remembered exactly where the wall was, she wouldn't have been able to see it.
Rarity wasn't sure what to do next, but realized there was another option. "Only one thing harder than obsidian." Then, she pushed forward with all her might, forcing Spike to dive, dive towards the ground... and then he went through it. Further down, second after second, making them pass through earth, gravel, lava, diamonds, all of it. Rarity kept her hold strong, above all else, the dragon couldn't be allowed to hunt Twilight anymore.
"We'll see you in the void, Herobrine!" yelled Rarity. Then they came to a complete stop as they hit bedrock.
Just like that, with the cracking of bone, they turned red and vanished together.
***
"Is that the best you can do?!" shouted Shining Armor before Rainbow Dash hit him from the front like a missile. He could barely keep up with her. Before he could even catch his breath, Rainbow Dash flew into him from behind, knocking him to the ground.
Twilight ran over to him, pointing the sword in her mouth towards their assailants. "Quickly, get up!"
Shining Armor quickly got on his legs, ready for more. "Persistent, aren't they?"
"So are we... did you really have to bite one of them?" asked Shining Armor, looking at Soarin's neck.
"It seemed right at the time," said Twilight.
"The infection's gone that far, huh? I know how that feels. Just don't bite me, alright?" said Shining Armor.
"Need any help?" asked a voice from around the street's corner. Scootaloo walked out into the open. "Because, well, we finished early," she said, just as a series of explosions went off in the distance. Trickery walked out after her, both looking at Herobrine's pawns with menacing looks. They both attacked at once, Shining Armor joined them.
"Twilight, get to the tower! We'll hold these off and then catch up with you!" said Shining Armor.
"Be careful!" said Twilight and spread her wings, she then quickly left. Even without the bite, she was in a hurry. She needed to get there soon, before Herobrine had a chance to ruin everything.
Shining Armor, Scootaloo and Trickery fought well after Twilight left. It went even better once Applebloom and Sweetie Belle showed up.
***
Sharp's ponies, including Sharp himself, had reached the tower before Twilight and they were in the middle of basically slaughtering more than a dozen guards. Twilight sneaked by in the chaos, running up the stairs. To her horror, she realized that she would have preferred to turn around, walk back down and begun biting ponies, any of of them would have been fine.
Shaking her head, she kept running upwards. Distant explosions went off, yelling, thunder, rain, swords clashing and crackling fire could clearly be heard. Most of it faded away as she climbed higher and higher. Twilight realized she would have been soaked even if it hadn't been raining, sweat and blood, some of it not even her own, covered her entire being. Red, all of it, no changeling blood visible anywhere, good. Her body ached, her side especially.
At last she reached the door, she flung it open, ready for whatever could happen next.
That's when Herobrine pierced her with a sword. It went through her body, she stumbled, feeling pain, having trouble breathing. Losing her balance, she stumbled forward into the room, falling over to the side. Barely able to move, she looked up at the smiling abomination.
"And just like that... I won," said Herobrine.
Twilight just looked at him, trying to focus all her power on making sure the princess's plan would go as it should. They were so close... just a little more...
"N..."
Herobrine leaned in. "What was that? Couldn't hear you!"
"No... No, you h- ha- haven't w-won," said Twilight, clenching her jaw as she desperately tried to stand up, failing.
He just grinned, smirked, but his wide smile eventually just... faded away. "Twilight... what did you expect? Honestly, just between me and you, what in the world did you think was going to happen? Did- did you think you had some magic that could help you? Did you think I had a bunch of extra lives and once you killed me enough times I would just... cease? Twilight, there's nothing left in this world that can kill me. At most, it can stall me, but never kill me. I deleted it, now it's gone along with everything else I don't like, and soon you will be too."
"C... can you... tell me something?" asked Twilight, trying to focus on something in the room that wasn't flesh, pain or a villain.
"What?" asked Herobrine.
"Why did you... save Minny's disc? Why didn't you just make it go into the void, like the beacon?" said Twilight.
"That's it? Fine. Sure. I saved it because it meant a lot to Swift Digger. I used his body because it suited me, but he just... screamed at me to not touch anything he cared about. I threw him a bone."
"Lots of love in that disc of his," said Twilight.
"Yeah, probably. I can't feel it, but I think I understand it."
"Why... why did you attack them?" asked Twilight, gasping for breath.
"What? Who?" asked Herobrine.
"Minny... Swift... their friends..."
Herobrine stared at her coldly. "Because they wouldn't stop calling me a mistake."
"You are a mistake."
"Quiet," said Herobrine.
"Mistake."
"SHUT UP!" yelled Herobrine.
"MISTAKE!" shouted Twilight, unable to keep from coughing.
"You should be dead already!" said Herobrine. He walked up to her and started to, quite brutally, stab her in the side. Blood flowed everywhere, and eventually Twilight lied still. "Come on... vanish so I can just destroy you," he spat, backing away.
But Twilight didn't go anywhere, in fact, there was something happening outside that just made her grin. She looked at Herobrine, raising her head like she wasn't even hurt. Sure, there was pain, but due to her nature she could mostly ignore it.
"Can't kill me like that, Herobrine," said Twilight, and simply stood back up.
"What? How are you still alive?!" shouted Herobrine, actually looking intimidated.
"It's not me you should be afraid of, Herobrine. It's that," said Twilight, nodding towards the window, smiling.
Herobrine turned around, and his face suddenly got as pale as his eyes. Far, far, far away, there was something bright, visible even through the rain. It was the beacon, and its light was becoming wider and brighter. He knew it could only have meant one thing: somehow they had activated it.
"NO! NO! NO! HOW?! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT?!" yelled Herobrine, turning back to Twilight, but he didn't care to hear her answer. He lounged for her, shoving his sword through her very neck, but she was barely staggered.
"Herobrine, here's the last thing you'll learn from me," said Twilight, finally letting go of her concentration, allowing her blood to turn green. A bright flame surrounded her for just a moment, and suddenly she was gone. In her place, beaten, crushed, hurt, but proud, stood Timey. "If you want to kill a changeling you go for the head. Time for your punishment."
***
No, thought Herobrine, confused and actually frightened. I need to get away... the void, maybe I can hide there! Maybe... maybe it won't reach me there?!
So he did. He ran, out through the door, out of sight, where he took a leap into nothingness, beyond nothingness, through space bent so it could fit inside the pin of a needle.
He landed on an uneven surface of stone and dirt. Everything around him was hauntingly dark, yet he could see perfectly in the chaotic realm. Everywhere there were floating objects, large chunks of land, entire continents, buildings, blocks, broken projects and dreams, failed ideas everywhere. Everything that had ever vanished, been deleted, removed, rejected, it was all there... he could see it all, recognized it all... except for one thing.
Usually, in the void, his bright white eyes was the only thing that one could have seen in the endless expanse of nothing and darkness... but in the distance there was a blinding light. Herobrine moved as close as he could, suddenly finding himself in a tall forest that would have been frightening and dark, if not for the gigantic pillar of light a stone's throw away.
He wanted it gone, demanded it would vanish, he gestured it to do so... yet it refused to go away. For the first time since gaining control of the realm, he had been denied something inside the void. All he could do to combat its effects was to protect himself from the burning energy, something that would have pushed him far away had it not been in a realm he could control.
Desperate to get it to stop, he ran towards it, feeling it burning him, but he kept moving forward. In the center of the light was a winged shape.
"TWILIGHT!" yelled Herobrine.
"Yeah! How about that!?" yelled Twilight.
"HOW!?" yelled Herobrine, still trying to move forward, the light so strong the very rays seemed to push against him, the light so bright, so thick, that his shadow stretched out for miles behind him.
"When you tricked Spike into destroying the beacon, it went here, along with everything else that's destroyed. All I needed was for someone to distract you while I got here through the end that Minny had made! She said it herself, the end was closer to this realm than anything else! I just had to teleport here! Timey was the perfect distraction, because he's royalty just like me. By default, you can't see through his eyes. You were so busy trying to look at him that you didn't even glance into the void, giving me time to find the beacon, set it up, activate it, and use the formula!"
"How did you even get to the island so quickly?!" yelled Herobrine.
"Fluttershy's enderponies, of course. Actually finding the beacon was the hard part. I used magic to search for it, but it was nowhere to be found. Seems like you did a very thorough job of getting rid of it... but then I'm guessing Timey mentioned it like he was asked to, making you think of it, making it appear somewhere because the void follows your whim, allowing me to find it. Congratulations, Herobrine, you lost!"
"It's not over yet!" yelled Herobrine.
"Yes, it really is," said another voice, neither his nor Twilight's. Suddenly, Herobrine lost control of his legs, and he started to move backwards. "Fuck off, Swift!" yelled Herobrine to himself.
"KEEP GOING, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" yelled Swift Digger, his proper form beginning to flicker into existence.
"Dead weight," said Herobrine bitingly, simply splitting off from Swift Digger, leaving the pony, the body, the prisoner, behind.
If Herobrine could just have reached Twilight, then perhaps he would have been able to fix it, finally win once and for all.
"Stay away!" yelled Twilight with determination, focusing her magic into a beam that hit Herobrine right in the chest, tossing him backwards. He got up, and brought forth a bow and arrow. He aimed his bow, almost ready to fire right into her head. The light got brighter and brighter. It was almost time. Everything or nothing, all he had to do was not miss. He wouldn't. Swift Digger was too weak to physically reach him.
"Look out below!" yelled a voice.
Herobrine glanced up. "Unbelievable." Then, an Enderdragon was steered right into landing on him by a white and purple mare.
***
Twilight felt it, a power, endless and absolute. The formula was finished, she was done as well. She just took a deep breath, focused, and let it flow. Bright light enveloped them all, lighting up the void entirely. Through the brightness she could see Herobrine writhe, hear him shriek, yell, scream, insult her, then his body was distorting into something twisted and frail, until finally he wailed and faded away into dust and then nothing. Then, there was silence.
He had merely been but a nightmare, a terrible idea, a gist, given a physical form. Now he was less than a thought: a bad memory.
It was calm, serene, even beautiful, but Twilight was glad when something broke the silence.
"Thank you for what you've done, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Before we do anything else, let's talk," said a kind voice, Swift Digger's.