Miley yawned, rising up from the damp cave floor. The sound of Zombies wandering the caverns stirred her from sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she looked to her side to see a young man in white clothes standing next to her, holding an archery bow.

"Oh, you're asleep," he spoke, "Wasn't sure if you were, or something happened to ya, or what..."

The goo girl yawned again. "Oh, no, I'm alright..." She sat for a moment in drowzy silence. "Just half-asleep."

"That's good..." The Skeleton boy stood up, "Well, I've gotta get going. I hear they're understaffed at the Stronghold, so I'm gonna go see if I can help."

"The... Stronghold...?" Miley repeated.

"Yeah, they wanna fix up the place. Really fallin' apart... You can come along, if you want. They need all the help they can get."

Miley thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea..."

Quickly sliding across the floor, Miley followed the Skeleton through the caverns.

"Woooah..." Miley said, spotting a structure of Stone Bricks resting near the top of the ravine the Skeleton had led her to. She could see small points of red light, likely redstone torches, placed around on the walls, and wooden beams criss-crossed the ravine. In the dim light of the torches, Miley could spot other people working. Mostly Zombies, each wearing crude hats of stone or iron, hauling stone across the bridges up to the structure.

She spotted a few people, clad entirely in green, dashing around with cases of TNT. Others, still, dressed in white, and more dressed in black with red markings, were placing the roughly formed bricks into place, slowly but surely repairing the structure.

"Even broken, it's quite a sight," the undead archer next to her stated.

"I can't imagine what it would be like when it's finished..." Miley said, her gaze never leaving the workers. Before they boy could respond, another young man, this one wearing a green hoodie, walked up to them.

"Hey, Aero, nice to see you!"

The Skeleton, Aero, nodded to him, "Same to you, Criss. Looks like progress hasn't been halted or anything?"

Criss shook his head, "Nope, but we did find something interesting you might want to see."

Aero raised an eyebrow. "Really, now? I doubt there's anything here that I haven't already seen."

Criss smirked, "Well, just follow me and we'll see about that."

Miley followed the two boys through the chilly, dimly lit hallways of the stronghold. Every so often, they would pass someone working, and most would end up stepping in the puddle that trailed behind Miley as she slid across the floor.

"It's just around this corner..." Criss stated, "Found it with the help of this one girl. Kinda feral, she was... But she was certainly helpful."

The three turned the corner, and ahead stood the threshold to a room unlike any they had passed. To the sides lay lava pools, and in the center of the room stood a small staircase leading up to a ring of some sort.

The staircase was blocked off with iron bars, which looked relatively new.

"I take it back," Aero stated, "Never seen this before."

Criss smirked again, seeming to have found his own trademark, "I told ya this was something."

"What is it?" asked Miley, "And why is it gated off?"

Criss' smug look didn't change, "We're not sure exactly, but we believe it to be a doorway or gate of some sort. That being said, we don't know what's on the other side, so we aren't risking sending some poor sap through."

"Can something come through it?" Aero asked.

"That's a very real possibility," Criss said matter-of-factly, "However, we haven't seen anything ourselves..."

"Do you think the girl who helped us find it would know what it is?" Aero said.

"No idea," Criss said. "Didn't bother asking her."

Miley noticed the awkward silence before Aero continued, "Well, anyway, this girl and I are gonna get to helping with repairs to this place..."

"Alright," said the boy in green with a dismissive wave. "See ya later."

Miley yawned as she slinked along through the dark caverns, exhausted from helping work on the dilapidated stronghold. At that point, all she really wanted was to lay down and take a nap.

She soon reached her usual spot: a small alcove next to a vein of twinkling gold. She slowly settled inside, and let her body sink into itself, soon appearing to be no more than a green puddle of slime. Soon after, the tired girl fell asleep.

"H-Hello...? E-Ender? Where are you?"

An unfamiliar voice stirred Miley from her sleep. She tried to ignore it, thinking it would just go away.

"Can you hear me? Ender?"

Miley groaned slightly and rose up from her puddle form. Taking a peek out of her nook, she spotted another girl in the dim light of the redstone ore.

She was rather tall, and had long black hair that reached her legs. She wore a heavy black coat, with buttons down the front, and white fluffy trim on the arms and waist. She wore long dark gray socks, and no shoes. Miley couldn't help but wonder how she could walk around a cave with such footwear.

The girl seemed to be frightened, as evidenced by her shaky voice and habit of whirling around at all the small noises Miley had long learned to disregard.

Miley, for some reason, felt compelled to help the girl, and she left her spot and spoke up.

"Hey. Are you lost?"

The other girl shrieked at the new voice, almost toppling over.

"It's alright, it's alright! I won't hurt you!" Miley quickly assured. "Just follow my voice."

Slowly, she saw the girl turn around, and her gaze was captured by the girl's purple eyes that seemed to catch the faint light and reflect it, giving them the appearance of being luminant.

"O-Okay, now just walk forward. Take your time..."

She watched as the frightened female slowly shuffled her feet, moving forward at a pace that would bore a snail. Soon the girl was within reaching distance, and Miley extended her hand about halfway. "Here, just reach out and take my hand."

The girl hesitated, but ever so slowly reached forward with her hand. Upon first contact with Miley, the girl recoiled backward, wailing in terror.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH! Tha'ts not funny! Why would you do something like that!?"

Miley blinked, bewildered, "What? What are you talking about? That was my hand!"

The girl didn't respond, instead stayed rooted to one spot, crying and sniffling.

"Alright," Miley sighed, "You don't have to move, but we can't just have you wandering these caves hollering to the Sky Dimension like that."

Again, the girl was silet, save for a few whimpers.

"Can you tell me your name?"

A few seconds passed, and Miley wasn't sure she would respond, until she heard a whisper.

"Mandy..."

"Mandy... That's your name?"

The girl nodded in response.

"You don't seem to be from around here... Where are you from?"

Another great pause, before Mandy replied. "Far."

Miley sighed, "Well, if we don't know exactly where you need to go, looks like you're stuck here until we find someone who does..."

"Ender..."

Miley looked up at Mandy again, "Hm?"

"Ender..." Mandy repeated. "He's my protector. We got separated when we arrived here... I've been looking for him."

"What does this... Ender... look like?"

Mandy paused, trying to think up a description.

"Tall... Black... Long,long arms and legs... Purple eyes... Glowing brightly in the dark... Makes the monsters go away..."

"I see..." Miley said. She didn't recall ever seeing anything like that before. "He sounds important to you..."

Mandy nodded solemnly.

"Well until we find this Ender, would you like to stay with me?"

Mandy was hesitant as she looked over Miley once, then twice, and finally a third time, before she silently nodded.

Miley suddenly felt her heart soar as she smiled in satisfaction.

"Okay! We can go out and find something comfortable for you to sleep on in the evening, but right now, we should sleep until the moon rises..."

She reached out to take Mandy's hand again, but the girl quickly pulled away.

"Please, don't... I mean... Uh... I'm... not very... comfortable... with other people touching me..."

Miley could tell that Mandy wasn't giving the full story, but decided it wasn't any of her business.

"Alright, well, we'd best get some rest then..." Miley said, "Tonight will be a bit busy..."

Mandy nodded and sat down against a vein of coal nearby.

"Good day, then..." Miley said before settling to sleep in her resting place.

The crescent moon hovered just above the horizon. Various denizens of the night emerged from the various caves, eager to spend another night on the surface. Among the many people wandering about were Miley and Mandy, having just left the cave they slept in.

"Alright, so let's get you some wool. We'll have to find you some Sheep..." Miley decided.

"Sheep?" Mandy responded.

"Well, yeah, where else do you think it comes from?"

Mandy didn't respond.

"Anyway, if we want to get any wool, we should move fast," Miley said, then slid down the slope before them.

Mandy looked around nervously and skittishly followed behind her.

Soon, Mandy held several pieces of wool in her arms, all collected freshly from the flocks of Sheep that (formerly) roamed the land.

"Well, I think that should be enough for you," Miley said with a smile.

Mandy looked down at the wool she held, and smiled shyly at Miley.

"Thank you..." she spoke softly.

Miley's smile widened, "You're welcome! I'm glad I could help!"

Mandy turned to gaze out across the land from the hill they stood upon. The many people of the night still wandered and socialized with one another.

"It's all very pretty... I wish I could see more..."

"well, there is this one spot I really love, maybe if you want, we can go there tomorrow night?"

Mandy looked over at her, thinking over the offer, before smiling, a tint of pink covering her cheeks, and she nodded.

"I'd like that."

"Okay, it's not much further now... Just down this hill," Miley instructed her companion, who had her eyes closed for Miley's "surprise" as she guided her by the hand/

Mandy didn't really hear her. Her mind was too focused on the fact that Miley's hand was made of, well, slime, and it made her uncomfortable. However, she didn't complain, and kept her eyes shut for her.

"Almost there!" Miley exclaimed.

An unknown sound met Mandy's ears. She kept her eyes closed, but soon the potentially serene sound only grated on Mandy's nerves, especially when the ground beneath her grew cold and soft.

"Miley, w-what is this place?"

She didn't hear Miley's answer, as Mandy began to scream bloody murder as she felt her legs become suddenly wet. She opened her eyes, but quickly wished she hadn't. Surrounding her on almost all sides was water, water, everywhere.

Miley nearly leaped out of her slimy skin upon hearing Mandy suddenly scream louder than she had ever heard.

Mandy's eyes were wide open and filled with terror as she realized where she was. She began moving backwards, but stumbled and fell on her back into the ocean, the water soaking into her clothes.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Mandy! Mandy! What's wrong?!" Miley shouted as she approached the hysterical girl.

"Get away from me!" Mandy screeched at her, the girl's violet eyes filled with a mix of hate and betrayal, and Miley felt her heart break.

"What? Mandy, please, what are you ta-"

Miley stopped when she noticed a shadow looming over her. She turned to see a tall, black figure standing behind her, purple eyes glaring down.

Before she could respond, one of the thing's long arms reached out and grabbed Miley, violently throwing her across the small beach.

Regaining her bearins, Miley looked back to see the figure cradling the weeping girl in its arms. It turned and glared menacingly at the slime girl, before both were suddenly gone in a thick cloud of smoke.

After a few seconds in stunned silence, Miley broke down into tears, sobbing into her hands as she dejectedly slithered back to her cave. Upon finally reaching her alcove, she slid inside and didn't come out for the rest of the night.

"Miley...? Yo, Miley. You alive?"

Miley recognized the voice. It was Aero's, no doubt concerned about her staying cooped up in a small hole for about three days.

"Go away." It was meant to be a hiss, but sounded more like a sob.

"Miley, please come out. You've got to talk to someone about what's wrong..."

Miley was quiet, but sighed. "Alright... Alright..."

"W-Well, after I left the stronghold the other day, I found this girl... She looked so lost, and I don't know why but... My mind heart told me I have to help this girl... So I offered to let her stay with me for a while..." She paused for a moment.

"Then I wanted to show her the beach. It's my favorite spot up there, but... once she hit the water, she completely flipped out, screaming like a banshee. Before I could figure out what was wrong, some big shadowy man took her away..."

Aero was silent, unsure if Miley was finished.

"I... I just miss her so much, Aero! I just feel so... empty without her here... I know I've only known her for a few days but... It was the happiest I've been in a long time..."

Miley didn't speak up again, so Aero spoke.

"Please don't take offense to this, and correct me if I'm wrong but... it sounds to me like you may have fallen for her."

Miley was silent, thinking about what he said, and it seemed to make a lot more sense that way. It didn't make her feel any better about her absence, though.

"Here, c'mon, let's go work on the stronghold. Maybe if anything, it'll help keep your mind off of her..."

Miley nodded, "O-Okay..."

Miley and Aero both arrived at the room containing the mysterious gateway structure that was discovered. They found it was mostly empty, save for two figures that Miley's eyes widened at the sight of.

At the bottom of the steps stood the girl that Miley had developed a crush on, staring at the floor, sniffling. At the staircase stood the tall figure, who was currently attempting to pry apart the metal bars to gain access to the structure.

"M-Mandy...?" Miley whispered.

The girl heard her, and whirled around on the spot. To Miley's surprise, her face seemed to light up. "Miley!"

The figure turned to the slime girl, and its purple eyes glowered in hate. In a puff of smoke it was gone, then suddenly rematerialized behind Miley, picking her up by the head.

Lifting her up, the figure made a noise that sounded like a half-roar, half-scream, and pulled it's free arm back into a fist. Miley shut her eyes tight.

"Ender, STOP!"

The punch never came, and Miley cracked open her eye to see Mandy glaring at the figure, Ender, she called it? Ender stared back at her, as if unsure what he had heard.

"Put her down, Ender," she commanded with an air of authority, her eyes gleaming with such seriousness that it belittled Ender's own anger-filled gaze.

Slowly, Ender lowered Miley to the ground, and released her, stepping back, next to the bewildered Aero.

Before Miley could say or do anything, she suddenly felt Mandy embrace her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Miley! I'm so, so sorry!"

"Wh-What...?" Miley whispered.

"My kind... We can't touch water... It hurts us... I should have told you that! There... There was no way you could have known! I'm sorry! I couldn't bear to leave like this, but I couldn't find the courage to come find you! I thought you would hate me!"

Miley slowly cupped Mandy's cheek in her hand, lifting her face to her own.

"Mandy... I could never hate you... I'm sorry for what I did..."

"Miley..."

"Y-Yes...?"

The girl in black smiled. "I love you."

Mandy immediately pulled Miley into a gentle kiss, surprising her, but Miley soon was returning it just as eagerly.

Ender, who stood watching up to this point, shifted uncomfortably before turning around. As he did so, he saw Aero , who still watched, smiling supportively. Ender swatted the archer's head, receiving an irritated "Ow..." before Aero also turned away, rubbing the sore spot.

Soon, the girls drew away from each other.

"I... I have to go, Miley..." Mandy said sadly. "My home is just through that door. I need to go..."

Disappointed, though understanding, Miley nodded. "I understand... Maybe I could come visit sometime...?"

Mandy smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I would love that."

Ender turned back to them and stood over Mandy. He lowered himself so that she was standing inside his hollow body, then stood back up. Mandy now hung in the air inside the hollow area, and she smiled at Miley through the mouth-like opening below Ender's eyes.

"He's like a coat... That's cute..." Miley giggled.

Mandy grinned. "Goodye for now, Miley. I know I'll see you again."

"Bye..." Miley said as the Ender stepped backward and they disappeared in a violet flash.

Aero stepped next to Miley.

"Well, I'm glad everything worked out."

"Yeah..." Miley sighed happily.

"And you can go see her anytime. And she can come see you."

Miley smiled even wider. "Well, when that day comes, we can't have her disappointed by an ugly ruin. Let's fix this place up for her."

Aero nodded with a smile, and followed Miley out of the Portal Room.