In a Far Away Land

by TheReaderAndWriter

Despicable Army

Twilight felt the wind in her mane as she, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Shining Armor traveled on the desolate railway track stretching far along the landscape towards the horizon. They each had a little cart, all traveling close enough to touch each other. For the last several days they had felt a tug as a burst of speed sent them further forward, and Twilight was starting to feel sick of it.

Like being sick at sea hadn't been bad enough.

Glancing behind her, she saw a couple of sights that worried her. Firstly, her brother gazed off into the distance with the slightest hint of anger in his eyes. Whenever Twilight talked to him every trace of whatever was troubling him vanished, only to return when he thought she wasn't looking. She wasn't surprised; they were, after all, on their way towards Lock. He had insisted to come along, despite Twilight's wishes that Shining Armor would stay in Constant to help everyone. "Twilight, you don't know these criminals like I do. If they are still safe, you're going to need somepony like me." While Twilight didn't want her brother to feel all that pain again, she couldn't deny he had a point. She knew how to reason with the sane and sensible, not dangerous criminals.

The second thing Twilight noticed was a similar look on Rarity, but not angry, just hollow. She just looked so empty and depressed.

"Rarity, I-"

"Don't, Twilight, just don't," she immediately snapped to Twilight, her eyes suddenly filled with fierce aggression.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"I don't care if you didn't mean for this to happen. You are partly to blame for Spike getting killed. You are partly to blame for all of this!"

"That was Herobrine!" said Shining Armor.

"I said 'partly'. It might have been his trap, but Twilight sprung it. Twice."

"Everything will be fine," said Shining Armor.

"Twilight keeps saying that, but recently things have just gotten worse and worse," said Rarity.

Twilight wasn't quite sure how to respond, but she tried. "Rarity, I know I've made mistakes and, again, I'm sorry, but you can't just sulk like this! I need you to be at your best for what's ahead! Listen, I... if there's anything I've learned from all of this, it's not how to be a princess, or how to lead, or how to be creative. It's that things are going to get worse before it gets better." She looked ahead to finally spot their destination. "Right now I need you to be prepared for the worst."

***

Considering that Lock was essentially just a gigantic prison, the actual building one could see from outside was downright underwhelming. Nothing about it gave the impression there could be over a hundred criminals down below. To be safe, Twilight's group had stopped and gotten off the tracks quite a distance from Lock's entrance: a tiny little wooden shed in the middle of an open field.

"It's taking a while, isn't it?" asked Shining Armor, lying hunched behind a row of natural dirt blocks, peeking over the edge.

"We don't know how difficult it is for her. We should be happy she could come along," said Twilight.

"I suppose," said Rarity. She turned to the side. "You're awfully quiet, Pinkie Pie."

"Oh, what? I was imaging having a huge party in my head because I got so bored. The blue elephant says
'hi'," said Pinkie Pie.

Rarity scoffed in disgust. At first Twilight thought it was in response to Pinkie Pie just being a bit tactless in a darker part of their lives, but... "The blue elephant? But he's a terrible guest! He always ruins the punch-bowl!" said Rarity.

"Well, I had to invite him because he had some of my favorite snacks," said Pinkie Pie.

"Please tell me he at least brought along Pelican Petunia, she always livens up the festivities with style," said Rarity.

Shining Armor turned to Twilight. "Are they really having this discussion? About imaginary parties? Now?" he whispered as their chat continued in the background.

"Shining Armor, if you don't like my friends, just say so, but right now I'm about to find out if my friend Applejack's manipulative abusive psychopath of an ex is being controlled by a horrid abomination or could attempt to murder me because he's actually still himself. My friend Rarity just lost her kind boyfriend, basically our brother, and Pinkie Pie just got dragged into a war from her safe home. If I had to, I would invent my own character, Susette Sparrow, and let her join the imaginary party, just to help us lighten the mood a little bit," said Twilight, giving her brother a very intense glare.

"Okay, okay," said Shining Armor defensively.

"She can bring any purple elephant she want," said Twilight.

"Blue."

"What?" asked Twilight.

"You s- Nevermind. How long until this Fluttershy returns?" asked Shining Armor.

"She's just being careful. That hasn't changed," said Twilight.

A few moments passed, Twilight and her brother just kept her eyes on the shed in the distance. "Wish I knew a spell to make binoculars."

"Or a recipe to craft some," said Shining Armor. Suddenly, Fluttershy appeared right in front of them. They both jumped in pure shock, but quickly recovered. "You scarred the apples out of me!" said Shining Armor, picking up the golden apples he had dropped in a lapse of concentration.

"Fluttershy, is it safe?" asked Twilight.

In response, the Enderpony just slowly shook her head.

"Damn it, I fear- Wait, of course it isn't safe. What I meant was 'Do you think Herobrine has been there?' Is it safe in that Herobrine hasn't been there yet?" asked Twilight.

This time, Fluttershy gave a simple nod, then vanished into thin air.

"Where did she go?" asked Shining Armor.

"Back to that End dimension, or world, or whatever it may be to rest."

"She isn't going to do more?" asked Shining Armor.

"We can't risk her dying. Enderponies are unfocused, even when Fluttershy rules them, but at least they are relatively harmless now. Imagine if Herobrine could control them through her? Herobrine' being able to teleport is bad enough. Imagine him having a, potentially endless, number of Enderponies at his command," said Twilight.

"I shudder at the thought. It would all be over," said Rarity.

"Right. Come on, time for us to go into Lock," said Shining Armor.

They all got up from their hiding spot and walked to the shed. Two guards were sitting outside at a table, relaxing with a few drinks in the shade beneath a thin wooden roof.

"They are allies, right?" asked Rarity.

"Probably," said Twilight. She recognized one of the guards, someone who was from Promise Peak. It was Clear Cut. They didn't plan having conversation, however. Without pause, Twilight focused her magic, hitting them both with a harmless beam. The guards immediately slumped forward onto the ground. "Doesn't change the fact that they have been out here for a while, and Herobrine can probably see through them."

"Are they hurt?" asked Rarity.

"No, don't worry. They just fell asleep. Pinkie Pie, I need you to make sure Herobrine can't see through these guys, can I trust you to do that? Along with every other guard we send up?"

"Sure thing! It will be all dark and cozy, like a slumber party!" said Pinkie Pie.

"I can't help but to wonder why Herobrine doesn't seem to have come here," said Shining Armor.

"He's probably busy dealing with us, and I don't think he would expect us to ask these criminals for help," said Twilight.

"It's a very good thing he doesn't seem to be that aware of everything that happens to the ponies he sees through. It could be like watching a thousand screens at once, something is just bound to be missed when you're trying to do everything at once," said Shining Armor.

"Could be," said Rarity.

"I can actually relate. When you're commanding others you have to have a lot of balls in the air at once, but sometimes it just becomes too much," said Shining Armor.

Twilight went ahead and opened the door to the shed, and immediately spotted the staircase in the corner, leading down into the earth.

"That is quite the staircase," said Rarity. It was completely straight and not very steep, being made with slabs instead of stair blocks. The bottom could be seen an extreme distance away, and the stairs was only two blocks wide. "Why is it made like that?"

"Strategy; if there is an outbreak this hallway is one of the last defenses. The close space makes it hard for a lot of ponies to squeeze through. We can let water flow down and drag them back, or hit them with arrows," said Shining Armor.

"I'm not planning on using it," said Twilight. "Come on."

They took the first step down into the depths of Lock.

***

The majority of Lock that was not supposed to house the prisoners had often been described as gray and bland. Most corridors were straight and made out of stone bricks, with only torches to add any diversity.

"Who designed this?" asked Shining Armor.

"It was a pony in Haven, a mare named Proper Conduct. She was a bit strict, but she was really good at giving advice when we designed this," said Twilight.

"Ah, I know her. My warriors used to call her 'Peppy'. She didn't like living in Promise Peak, so she moved. She knew how to design good, strategically sound buildings, but she was never very creative. I can't have spent more than a month stationed in Lock; it has a tendency to wear you out," said Shining Armor.

"Who designed the area that houses the criminals?" asked Rarity.

"That was a few designers," said Twilight. And Spike, she neglected to mention. "I overlooked it, but they did fine without me. I'm not much of a designer."

"It's funny how we've made a prison that only the guards are miserable in," said Shining Armor. They rounded a corner, and saw what amounted to a large gate, almost made completely out of obsidian. To their side was a large window that allowed one to peer into the prison of Lock.

"Are you sure we shouldn't have kept the guards at our side?" asked Shining Armor as they walked up to the window.

"We will be able to handle this on our own. It's not like we're actually going into the inner parts of Lock. We'll just talk through a few bars today and hope it goes well, " said Twilight, looking out over Lock.

Along the giant obsidian walls, forming a black dome, there were several elevated windows allowing one to observe things in the housings below. Up above there was a very large round window, allowing the sun to shine down upon what could only be described as a small village. Fields of wheat and crops were visible, along with trees and small lakes. It was formed well, and only the dome broke the illusion and reminded one that they were not too far away from bedrock. A few dozen ponies were visible.

"Are- are you just letting them run around like that?" asked Rarity.

"What were we supposed to do? Just keep them in small cages? In this world it just wasn't possible to make a good system like that, so we decided to try this instead. The idea is that we encourage rehabilitation. Perhaps, with enough time, some can be released based on good behavior," said Shining Armor.

Twilight thought the idea was sound, but she didn't like how her brother said it. If anything it sounded like he was reading from a pamphlet.

"You don't like it, do you?" asked Twilight.

"If- if I'm going to be completely honest with you, no. I hate them, every single one of them. Even ones like Harry O'Hooligan. You have no idea," said Shining Armor, clenching his teeth.

Twilight wasn't quite sure what to say, but for the moment she needed to enter the area which allowed her to find and talk to Sharp Edge. "Come on, help me get the gate open. I'll need all four of you."

***

"Sharp Edge, please come to the visiting room number four! You have an urgent unscheduled visit!" yelled Shining Armor out through an opening overlooking Lock. He quickly got back inside into the command center and Twilight pushed a button to close the opening. "I really wished we could have crafted some sort of loudspeaker, but even then these monsters wouldn't have listened much. Twilight, since you have magic, I'd rather not be in the same room as Sharp Edge," said Shining Armor as she headed towards the door leading to the visiting rooms.

"I know this is hard for you, but I might need you for this. I have never handled criminals like this," said Twilight, stepping into the hallway.

"Any other guard would do."

"Shining Armor, if you are really uncomfortable, I will allow any other guard still outside to take your place, but this is hard for me too. I haven't forgotten what Sharp Edge did to you, and I haven't forgiven him, but right now we have to try getting their help. We will need any help we can get, and I trust your help more than anyone's right now. I did ask that you would stay in Constant, didn't I? This was the reason," said Twilight as she opened the door to the room connected to the visiting rooms.

"I honestly don't know if you're desperate or just so shaken by Spike's death that you're not thinking straight. These are rapists, murderers, and psychopaths," said Shining Armor as Twilight turned off the light in the waiting room and locked the door. Sharp Edge was sitting in there with confidence, a small light was on, and Rarity would have let him and only him in through the command center.

"We need more time, these ponies are physically capable of fighting back. If Sharp and his ponies betray us, or die, we lose instantly. If we get Sharp and the criminals on our side, we will last a bit longer. If we do nothing, we risk having Herobrine get a hold of Sharp as well as dying within a short time. This is something I, as a leader, feel we have to risk. It's everything or nothing."

"To me, these ponies are nothing," said Shining Armor. Twilight unlocked Sharp's door and turned the lights back on inside the visiting room and was about to open her own door.

"Please don't think like that. What they did was horrible, I know, but I hate seeing you like this," said Twilight with her hoof on the handle.

"Are you saying you've forgiven them for what they've done to Promise Peak? To me?" he asked with slight anger.

"No, sometimes you can't forgive, or forget, but you might be able to let it go," said Twilight.

"Twilight, look at me," said Shining Armor, lowering his voice. He paced up to her. He stood so close even the smallest scars were clear as day. "They did this to me, they hurt friends of mine, they hurt fellow ponies! I will never let that go... I will never actually act on these emotions. I follow both the letter and the spirit of the law, and I will never strike these bastards in anything but self-defense. I still stand by that, but I will not let go."

"You know, if it's any comfort, I forgot about you years ago," said a familiar voice right in front of them. Through the small openings in the iron door she saw Sharp sitting on the other side of metal bars.

"Hello, Sharp Edge," said Twilight, not hiding the fact that she wasn't happy to see him, but taking great care as to not sound outright angry.

The criminal had not changed much, except for perhaps a few extra scars gathered from over the years. His bright red mane had been cut very short, but his orange coat was unchanged.

"Hello, Princess Twilight Sparkle. You wanted to talk to me?" he asked with a smugness as Twilight and Shining Armor walked inside the room. "What is this about you needing my assistance?"

"Can it, Edge. This isn't one of those situations you can exploit. If you so much as try, it's going to end badly for everyone," said Shining Armor, his voice having become so strict. He had changed his entire persona so quickly and thoroughly he could have been a changeling.

Twilight noticed Sharp Edge's grin diminishing somewhat, even though it clearly didn't disappear. "You know, Shining Armor, you put on this mask of discipline and is trying to draw my attention, make me take the situation seriously and all that, but all I can think about right now is if my second kid would be an Alicorn if I did your sister."

Shining Armor didn't exactly lash out, but the glare he gave could have petrified a cockatrice. "If you say anything like that about my sister again I will-"

"Brother, he's just trying to get to you. You should know better," said Twilight.

"Exactly, and I can't believe it's actually working. I don't care about her; she's not my type. I suppose this sort of goading works better when 'your sister' is literally the only thing you care about anymore."

"That's not true, I have-"

"You have Promise Peak, yes, but you don't have a wife anymore, do you? Or a child as you expected to have by this age? No little playtimes, diaper changes or lullabies to sing over the crib, right? Face it, Shining Armor, you barely have anything at all. Must kill you to know I started a family, and you never even got a chance," said Sharp Edge.

Shining Armor looked like he was about to lose any trace of composure he had left. Twilight had asked him to just stay, but he did this all for her. She was very grateful, but he still had to keep calm.

Sharp Edge scoffed. "Maybe that's for the best. After all, like she would still want someone so covered in-"

"Enough," said Twilight with a steady voice. Both Sharp Edge and Shining Armor looked at her. She knew that they knew: she meant business. "We are here because we're facing a threat bigger than anything else in this world. It would eat you for breakfast, so listen up, Sharp Edge."

The criminal lost the last bit of smugness in his face. "Fine... I'm listening."

***

"And that's the whole story. Now, are you going to help us, or would you rather just sit here waiting for Herobrine to come and get you?" asked Twilight.

Sharp Edge gave her an unamused look. "It's funny, that you could actually be capable of manipulation, and lies, I heard. I honestly never expected that of you, Princess. Lying to cover your own hide, and forcing me and my ponies into helping you. Why, you're a pony after my own heart."

"Shut the hell up, Sharp," said Shining Armor, but Twilight raised her wing.

"No, Shining Armor, it's alright. Sharp Edge... you are absolutely right. I'm not exactly giving you much of a choice, and it's true I spent years lying about my actions. It was a relief when I found out it wasn't my fault, but that doesn't change a damn thing about how I behaved. Right now it's more important that I'm trying to solve the situation. I hate it that I have to use these means, believe me, but this one is just one of those sacrifices I have to make," said Twilight.

"Well, right or wrong, it's important that you've got conviction. I wouldn't have accomplished anything without that. You know, I can't help but to think that it's a bit funny. Whether they are 'good' or 'evil', every single major player in this game seems to use some nasty tricks. Princess Twilight, I will help you. On one condition."

"If you're asking to be released, then you can forget it. In fact, this isn't even some parole you can escape from. One of my friends have Enderponies that will teleport you all to the proper places when the time is right, and they will keep a close eye on you."

"Oh? Well how come your friend doesn't tell the Enderponies to just teleport into Haven, grab everyone there, and teleport them into cages so you can stay safe longer?" asked Sharp.

Shining Armor gave him an annoyed look and sighed in exasperation. "Don't you think we already tried that? We tried it before we left for this place. You know what Herobrine's ponies did once they were in their cages? They held their breaths until they died."

"So you can teleport anywhere, then?" asked Sharp Edge.

"The Enderpony's teleportation isn't very pleasant, or even precise. It takes time to get working, too. It would take twice the amount of time to teleport to Constant from here than if we had used the rails. I might be able to teleport further and quicker, but I can't do it with so many," said Twilight.

Sharp Edge shook his head. "Nevermind, I'm getting distracted. My condition, Princess, is that I will be allowed to see my daughter."

Twilight and Shining Armor simply stared at him for a few seconds.

"That's it? What about your friends? Won't they want something as well?" asked Twilight.

"They will either do what I say or they will be Herobrine's new little toys. Don't worry about what they want. I never do," said Sharp with a chilling, yet casual, voice.

"Fine. Rosy is probably not going to like it, and you will only see her through bars, but you'll see her nonetheless. I'll just have to talk to her first," said Twilight.

Sharp Edge leaned back slightly where he sat, contemplating to himself. Eventually, he looked right at her. "So, how are you going to do this? Are you going to just attack Haven, hope Herobrine's forces become disoriented and take back the city?"

"Of course not. We can't risk anything large like that until I've figured it out. He will just come back, stronger than before."

"Well, too bad. Tricking the enemy and claiming a town is what I'm the best at, after all. It would have been much better if you had simply defeated him with that beacon you spoke of," said Sharp Edge,

Twilight couldn't help but to groan at the thought. They had been so close to defeating Herobrine. "If we had just hurried up, or if Spike had talked to me, or if I hadn't been so easily duped, or if Minny Miner had actually just-"

Then it hit her. Moments from days gone by flashed before her eyes. Errant thoughts brought back memories, and through memories: ideas.

...claiming a town...
...the void...
...the enemy...
...heap of trash...
...not being omniscient...
...In the void Herobrine is nothing short of a god, his thoughts become reality there...

"I've got it! I know a way we can beat him! Sharp Edge, how quickly can you get your criminals to get ready for the battle of their lives?" asked Twilight.

In response, he simply raised his hoof. "Just a moment, please," said Sharp Edge. He got off the block and walked over to his door. After pulling a lever and opening it, he leaned his head out. "Hey, asshole! We're going to fight an evil god in an epic battle to stop him from devouring our souls and make us his zombies! Pass it along!"

"Balling!" yelled a gruff voice somewhere inside Lock.

Then, Sharp Edge simply closed the door and returned to his seat. "The best part about being surrounded by criminal idiots is that they are so easy to deal with," he said with an amused smirk.

"So that's done?" asked Twilight.

"Yes," said Sharp Edge, clearly expecting Twilight to be impressed.

"Good, because you're coming with us back to Constant right this moment! I will meet you, and only you, at the exit," said Twilight and got out of her seat. "Come on, Shining Armor. We've got work to do," said Twilight.

Just like that, they both left Sharp Edge alone in the room, looking genuinely confused for the first time in a long time.

"Twilight? What's is it? How can we beat him? What did you figure out?" asked Shining Armor when they were galloping through the hallway. "You actually looked downright excited! I haven't seen you like this in years!"

"I'm pretty sure I figured out exactly why Herobrine wanted Minny Miner dead. I know how we can beat him, but I'm going to need to get back to her as quickly as possible. I need to ask her some things," said Twilight.

"What things?" asked Shining Armor.

"Oh no, that's a secret to everybody," said Twilight. She peeked into the room where Rarity and Pinkie Pie were. "Girls! Come on! Get Sharp out of there! We're going to need him at the meeting!"

They both looked a bit lost. "What meeting?" asked Rarity.

"The war meeting in Constant, of course! We, the new Punishment, are going to assault Haven with every single pony we've got! It's an all-or-nothing assault! In the meeting, I'm going to need Fluttershy, Shining Armor, Timey, Minny Miner, Sharp Edge, whoever is in charge of Promise Peak and basically every single pony who represent the fighters! We're already at war, it's time for our first and also last battle as Punishment!" said Twilight with gusto.

"Have... have you gone insane, Twily?" asked Shining Armor.

"Probably! But I also have a plan! You're simply going to have to trust me for now. I'll tell you about it later, right now I need to think things through until we get back to Constant. You know, it really is funny: I came here expecting the worst, but what I got is probably the best anyone could have hoped for," said Twilight.

Author's Note:

We are getting closer and closer to the end.

Comments

[Oddboy]

This story is extremely underrated. It deserves far more attention and upvotes than it has.

You have actually managed to make a good Minecraft crossover. I am astounded. Don't get me wrong, I love that game, but it isn't a very good choice to crossover with, given what it looks like, how it works and the fact that it basically has no storyline.

But you somehow made it work. Fuck if I know how, but work it does.

Upvoted with all the power of the burning sun!

[TheBreadPony]

"Balling!"

Comedy gold right there. Why isn't this guy a millionaire yet?

[DauntedSuperior]

"Have... have you gone insane, Twily?" asked Shining Armor.

"Probably! But I also have a plan!"

I wish you could do more with Pinkie, but by Celestia do I love how you've written Twilight.

Oh and I 100% agree with this guy-5002703