"Huh?" Sky and Ty both asked at the same time.

"You were wrong," Herobrine smiled. "Two more guesses."

Ember's stomach clenched. If it was what she thought… He wouldn't. It would be…

The exact type of thing he'd do.

Sky gulped. "Um… you're going to fuse me with a different dragon?"

"Guess again," the god purred silkily.

Herobrine wouldn't! It's insane! Ember swallowed. Would he even survive?

That's what Herobrine wants to find out, idiot.

Z, I was asking you. It wasn't rhetorical. Answer, please.

Zariah gave a mental snort, and Ember felt flames flicker in her nostrils. So you want my opinion?

Minus profanity, yes.

He'd survive. Whether he'd still be himself, I don't know. Mygin is a very different personality, and Ion is just plain aggravating. Now shut up. I want to sleep.

Ion was the other dragon, Ember knew. His lime green eyes flicked over her curiously, and then he chirped. She guessed that was a friendly sound. He didn't seem to be able to talk, though. Mygin glanced up at Ember and growled low in his chest.

"I give up," Sky said. "What's the surprise?"

Herobrine chuckled. "I'm not going to fuse you."

Ty gaped; even from a dozen or so meters above him, Ember could see the gesture. "Then what are you going to do with the other dragon?"

"That, Tyler, is a most interesting question, with a most interesting answer. Join us, Ember, so that I can explain and be sure that everyone is listening."

There was a painful sensation of being squeezed into an infinitesimal space, and then she was a hybrid girl again. Ty wrapped an arm around her as she swayed, disoriented, and Ember leaned gratefully against him. He was so warm, and so steady. "You okay?" he asked, his voice low.

"I'm fine."

"You look… green. Here, sit down." Ty sat on the ground, letting Ember rest her head on his shoulder as he settled her beside him.

Ember couldn't relax, though, because she knew. She knew what Herobrine planned. She was sure of it.

"Tyler, the reason I have brought two dragons is that I intend to fuse them both—with Jason."

As Sky and Ty, combined with Wispice and Rose, who were both listening in, made varied noises of shock, Ember could only sit numbly. Two dragons in Jason's head. It was just like she'd thought.

Three voices in one mind. It was bad enough to have Zariah in her head. But how would it feel to have another dragon? Another mind, chiming in with comments and suggestions whenever it felt like it? Another voice, arguing all the time?

"Why?" she managed to croak. Why do this to Jason?

"Because I am quite curious as to the outcome. Adam, I want you to watch this. Ember, you will stay here with Aradyn to accompany Jason after the transformation is complete. The rest of you, return to the house."

"You can't do this," Ty hissed, standing up and flaring his wings. "I won't let you do this to Jason."

Herobrine threw Ember a pointed glare, and she remembered their earlier conversation. Tyler will most likely be terminated at the end of his usefulness. She'd promised to make him behave, in exchange for his being left alive.

Ember stood and tugged at Ty's arm. "Don't," she whispered into his ear. "Don't make things worse."

"How could they get worse, Em? I'm not going to let this nutcase hurt Jason."

The nutcase in question snarled, his white eyes narrowing. "You, stupid mortal, are getting on my nerves."

"Ty, apologize," Ember said quietly.

"No way."

"Do it. Please." Before you get hurt.

Ty glanced at her. "Em, I'm not going to apologize. I'm not going to let Herobrine do this."

Are you insane? "You can't do anything about it."

"I can."

"No. Just apologize and shut up, right now." Do you have a freaking death wish?

"No."

Herobrine would kill Ty. Ember couldn't let that happen. "Do it," she growled, feeling scales brush against the inside of her neck. She was about to erupt into a dragon.

"Em, listen to me. We can figh—"

She smashed into Ty, pinning him to the ground before he could finish the thought. No. They couldn't fight a god. If Ty said it out loud, Herobrine would incinerate him. That would be unacceptable. "Do it now!"

"Get off of me!" Ty kicked at her, and she could see the beginnings of green scales bursting out across his face. He didn't know how to transform. Right?

It didn't matter, because she was changing, swelling into a dragon. Ember moved back as quickly as she could, trying desperately to avoid crushing Ty. Purple flickered into her vision, but she shook her head. She needed to protect Ty. She needed to protect him from even himself. He needed to learn to obey Herobrine. It was for his own good.

Ty roared in agony as a green dragon burst into being through his skin. His dragon form was much smaller than Ember's, with minty scales and wings covering the lithe muscles. His green eyes shone brightly and dangerously as he growled. Ty was only about eight meters tall at the shoulder, but he had long, sharp-looking teeth. Ember didn't want to find out how they'd feel if he sunk them into her tail. "I am not going to let Herobrine hurt Jason! I am not going to apologize for being loyal to my friend!"

"Ty, don't make me hurt you!" Ember roared, jumping into the air and rising quickly. Ty struggled to keep up, and the miniature tornados unleashed by Ember's wings only served to drag him down again and again.

"Is that a threat?"

Ember kicked Ty with her hind paws, sending him falling towards the ground. She folded her wings and dove, slamming him into the ground on his back. The scales on Ty's belly would be soft. She could tear him open easily. He was helpless. "I will hurt you if I have to. You have to apologize. You don't understand, Ty!"

Ty hissed, but seemed to realize he was beaten. He shrank and shrank until her paws only clutched at air. "Fine," he spat, a hybrid again. "I'm sorry, Herobrine, for calling you a nutcase. I suppose I don't understand why I have to betray Jason. I don't understand. Maybe I'm just a stupid mortal."

Herobrine growled. "Very well." He waved a hand, causing Ty, Wispice, and Rosewing to all vanish. "I teleported them. Now, it's time for the… fun… to begin. Aradyn! Bring Jason here!"

However, as Jason was half-dragged, half-carried forward, all Ember could think about was the stricken look on Ty's face. She'd done the right thing. She might have saved Ty's life. So why did she feel so awful? Three minds and one body. That was Jason's fate. And Herobrine… he was only doing it out of curiosity. It wasn't… it wasn't right. Ty had tried to stop it. Ty had tried to protect Jason.

"Do you have any preference as to which dragon we use first, Jason? I wouldn't want any unnecessary discomfort during the process," Herobrine said with a sickly sweet smile.

Jason only trembled. This was wrong. This was very wrong.

But you're not going to do anything about it.

I thought you were napping!

Since when do I nap, idiot?

Since… Ember thought for a moment. Since never.

Precisely. So you're just going to sit here, aren't you?

What else could I do?

Zariah's answer was swift. Bite off Herobrine's head. He'll taste nasty, though.

Z, he's immortal. And I don't want to fight him!

If you really thought it was wrong, what he's doing to Jason, you'd try to fix it. You'd try to stop Herobrine.

But it would be pointless.

You think it would be pointless. He's taught you to be weak.

He has not! she protested.

This is why I hate you, you stupid girl. You're pathetic. With that, Zariah withdrew from their mental link.

Ember only watched as Herobrine began the procedure to transform Jason into a hybrid.


Whoa. That was crazy, for multiple reasons. Why, Ember, why? Why do you always side with Herobrine? Why do you never learn that he is CAPS LOCK EVIL?

Mygin is my own invention. Creds for Ion go to ArcticHuntress. You should really check out her Herobrine fic; 'tis quite scary, y'all. Ion becomes more important over these last fifteen chapters.

Wait, did I just say last fifteen chapters? Yes, I did. This book is almost over, and therefore the series is, too. There are a few chapters left. Maybe twenty. Maybe fifteen.

Maybe ten.

Ha. I'm mean.


SOTC: "Fix You" by Coldplay.