"Right, let's just go over the plan one more time," Said Sabre, looking at each person as he calls their name.
"You, First Curse, will spread that... nothing of yours, to stop Madness teleporting directly to us."
"You Hypno- Well, we know what you're doing, as this is the whole point of the plan. Anyway, when we get Derpy, you need to take control of her as soon as. We may only get one shot at this, and if any one of us mess up, Madness Steve will just destroy as, as he is isn't really too happy right now."
"Dark, you and I, will use our abilities to try and bring Derpy to us. As the Dark Crystal was made from the Shadow Sword, which has Madness' essence, you should have some of his abilities and be able to help with this."
"Now you, Assistant, I will need you to keep an eye out for us, incase Madness comes and finds us regardless. As long as you catch him off guard like you already have done so, you're to teleport him away somewhere- I don't care where, but just not where we are."
"Okay, got it," Assistant Steve responded.
"Okay, we all got what we're meant to do?" Everyone nodded in response to Sabre.
"Question. Where are we going to do all this?" Dark Steve asked.
"The Rainbow Hub," Hypno Steve replied.
"How will the Rainbow Hub help Hypno? The portals haven't been activated in... I don't know how long... forever- Plus, they only take us to different places inside of this world," Sabre asked in response
"Back when it was still in use, yes. But with the essence in that sword, it can refurbish the portals. It will not just refurbish them, but it will allow us to cross between realities. Doing this will help us to get to Derpy quicker," Hypno Steve explained clearly, by not letting his voice echo.
"Okay, if we're all ready, let's do this. Hypno, take us to the Rainbow Hub," Said Sabre.
"Okayayyrr, you gototwtr itrtrtrrr," Hypno Steve responded. With Hypno Steve still being partly a Red Steve, he use his ability to silently teleport to take everyone to the Rainbow Hub.
Sabre, Dark Steve, Hypno Steve, Assistant Steve and the First Curse are now at the centre of the Rainbow Hub. Natural vibrant green leaves and vines had overgrown around the unnatural, crumbling grey stone structure over time. The portals, 2 on each of the 4 sides, are the most intact parts of the hub.
"I will need to run redstone around the portals. These portals were originally controlled, and powered by the third hero. I will also need a bottle of that essence Sabre, to make the portals connect to different realities," Assistant Steve stated.
"Okay, sure," Sabre responded as he hands over to Assistant Steve one of the 5 remaining bottles of essence. Assistant Steve began to do his thing, and connecting the portals with redstone materials. Assistant Steve is also being careful to not use supercharged redstone. From the knowledge his creator, Professor Red had gave him, the First Curse can't handle supercharged redstone materials, and he is needed for the plan.
"First Curse, spread the nothing about to prevent Madness coming here. Just don't hit the portals, and be mindful of Assistant Steve," Sabre ordered.
"Your request... is my command..." The First Curse responded. He began to hover about, striking lightning in different places, making parts of the ground become nothing. Not one with nothing like the darkness wanted, literally nothing, absolute nothingness.
Sabre had been to the Rainbow Hub recently, when he tried to save Elemental Steve, Spike and Dinky from the world below, and the portal they escaped through happened to take them here. But Sabre began to think about how much time had actually passed. The place hadn't been used for a while. The last time Sabre remembers of it still in use, was when he witnessed Void Steve destroy one of his close friends, Funny Orange Steve. Soul Steve and Corruption Steve were also present at the time. Then everything from there followed forward. All of it seem a long time ago now, especially when compared to the times he is currently in now. Sabre looks at the nearby hole near the centre, where he originally buried the Shadow Sword with Light Steve, after defeating Void Steve the first time round, never intending to use the sword again after that, but here he is now, using it, in recent times. But these circumstances made it acceptable. Madness Steve is out there, and any tool that can be used against him, must be utilized. No one even knows what Madness Steve's weakness even is, or if he even had a weakness. When Sabre tested the abilities of the curse to change his appearance to look like Madness Steve, he didn't notice any weaknesses. He only had strong emotions in response to very awful things. Those strong emotions went away after he switched back to his Faceless Form. Sabre thinks he may be onto something with that, but it's something he will have to work on when he gets at least the mane 6 out of the armour. That sort of stuff is more of their expertise, and would be able to make a better guess, Sabre thought.
(Hours from sunset)
It is only a few hours from sunset. They have these few hours to make it work. If they don't, Madness Steve will know where they all are, and is simply going to destroy them. They know this, because he is no longer holding back and toying with them. He is out for blood, and immeasurable quantities of it. During that time period, the First Curse had made it so Madness Steve doesn't just roll up and directly teleport to them all. Everywhere around the Rainbow Hub other than the portals, the stand in the centre and the redstone wiring being literal nothing. Assistant Steve meanwhile finished working with the redstone, refurbishing the portals with technology. The essence had also been put into the circuit, so that the portals will connect to different realities, and hope Derpy randomly shows up. Assistant Steve activates the portals with the redstone, and all 8 portals lit up.
"It's been a while since we used the hub. Man it all seems like a long time ago now- Sabre, you must focus, we've got a task to do," Sabre said to himself. Sabre uses the curse to change his appearance to look like Madness Steve, summoning lightning as he did.
"Assistant, hide and get ready to repel if the real Madness comes here," Sabre demanded, his voice sounding like Madness Steve's voice. Assistant Steve nodded and goes below the stand, into the area where the Shadow Sword was originally intended to stay buried in forever. Sabre then looks over to Hypno Steve.
"Hypno, be ready to take control when she gets here." Hypno Steve nodded in response to Sabre. As Sabre went to use the Shadow Sword, all of a sudden, strong emotions began to come to the front of his mind, even brief flashbacks. He remembers what Shadow Sabre had done whilst in control, and he looks at his shadow to give a death stare. Shadow Sabre right now is just casually watching as things unfold, waiting for the moment when Sabre needs more of his help, or to take control again, or maybe even make himself physically present once again. Meanwhile, the anger in Sabre went away as soon as it came. Sabre gets back to the task quickly too, and summons lightning into each of the 8 portals.
"Derpy! I demand you come to me!" Sabre demanded, almost saying it in a threatening voice. However, he needed to, or Derpy would catch onto what's happening, and alert the real Madness Steve. Sabre felt angry at himself, very very angry, for yelling at Derpy in this way. Derpy couldn't help it. The poor pegasus is forcefully being controlled. Lightning even began to strike on Sabre, the guilt and anger towards himself being so great. The lightning slowly dies down. When it seems like it did, in the background, a plethora of lightning began summoning out by one of the portals. Derpy comes over to Sabre.
"You have called for me," Derpy said, leaving magma hoofprints where she places her hooves as she walks over to who looks like Madness Steve, but is actually Sabre.
"Ah yes... Derpy, I called you to come here, so uh... we uh... we need to- HYPNO, NOW!" Sabre demanded. The first part, he spoke with Madness Steve's voice, but goes back to using his actual voice when he screamed over to Hypno Steve. The former leader of the Red Steves meanwhile ran up to Derpy and began striking lightning, trying to force his way into Derpy's mind to take control. Meanwhile, Derpy tries to teleport away, but Sabre began using the Shadow Sword to block off any potential routes she could teleport to. The pegasus flaps her wings, and pushes Hypno Steve out the way with them. Dark Steve began to use his abilities to keep Derpy in place. Derpy is now well and truly pinned still. Hypno Steve tries again, striking lightning as he ran up to Derpy, and successfully enters her mind. All of a sudden, lightning began to strike on Derpy.
"Ah ha ha ha ah ha ha! Ah ha HA HA AH Ha ah ha ha!" Hypno Steve chuckled as he began taking control more and more of Derpy, summoning more and more lightning. Very soon, he had full control of the pegasus, taken off of Madness Steve, and the lightning died away.
"Hypno, you now in control man?" Sabre asked, looking at Derpy.
"Yesyesysws, Iyiyiyi amam. Let me familiarize with how this body works," Hypno Steve replied. He walks around in a small circle a few times with Derpy's hooves, and then hovers up with Derpy's wings. That's all Hypno Steve needed to do.
"Okay, everything is good," Said Hypno Steve, who right now is currently piloting Derpy. Meanwhile, Sabre didn't switch back to his Faceless form, he uses the abilities in the Shadow Sword to remove the curse completely as he didn't need to use it now. Just like before, the emotions he felt died down in terms of the volatile strength in them. Sabre began to really think why, but he can't quite put his tongue on it though. Why did he have those strong feelings and emotions toward his actions, and now don't as soon as he changed back? Sabre doesn't know.
"Hypno, you've got control of Derpy, what do you- Well... we need to do next?" Sabre questioned. For all Sabre knows, this could be one massive mind game Hypno Steve is playing. Sabre wouldn't even be surprised if it is, given Hypno Steve's personality. It isn't however. Hypno Steve is doing this, because he cares about his apprentice, M.
"I sense the armourwr come backackck into this reality, and isisws coming our way. We must get out of here," Hypno Steve replied as he uses the new found abilities he has control, beginning to take everyone back to where they were originally, outside that destroyed observatory, by using Derpy's right forehoof to stomp on the ground below.
"Don't worry Derpy. If you're in there, stay strong for us, please..." Sabre quietly whispered to himself.
Sabre, Dark Steve, Hypno Steve/Derpy, Assistant Steve and the First Curse are back where they originally were.
"First Curse, again, thank you for coming to help us. We may of got off the wrong foot, but for now, I can trust you," Sabre said as he looks at the First Curse.
"You are welcome... Madness Steve is a threat to the very existence of all of us," The First Curse responded.
"Anyway, you should get out of here, before Madness sees you," Sabre suggested to the First Curse, who takes Sabre's advice. He summons lightning, and teleports back to his home in the swamp. Meanwhile, Discord notices everyone is done from observing everything, from his dimension. He teleports himself, and the CMC back as well. The CMC notice everyone is here, except for the First Curse and Hypno Steve. But they also notice a strange dark coloured pegasus. They immediately recognized her as Derpy, mainly because of her wall eyes and her cutie mark.
"I see you've removed that curse, Sabre," Said Discord.
"Yeah," Sabre responded.
"Where is Hypno Steve, Sabre?" Apple Bloom asked.
"It's mememwewe, hererererwrrrr," Hypno Steve replied as he walks over to Apple Bloom.
"What in the name of Equestria has Madness Steve done to her!?" Scootaloo exclaimed, almost instantly noticing the change of Derpy's appearance.
"I don't entirely know Scootaloo. All I know is that Derpy been corrupted. She's been through a lot. But Hypno managed to take control of her off of Madness Steve," Sabre replied. Sabre sighs before again speaking.
"Taking control of her, I still think isn't right. But we don't have much of a choice right now."
"So, does this mean we can find whatever this... weird armour is now?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yes Sweetie Belle, not just that, Hypno says he can sense the armour in this reality- Infact, Hypno, can you take us all to the armour?" Sabre asked, originally talking to Sweetie Belle, before looking over to Derpy, who's under the control of Hypno Steve.
"Yesyes... I canananwnwnrnrrr. I've froze the armour in place ah ha ha- Jokes aside, we need to go now, otherwise thisisws willilwlwl ofilwlwl beenofofwvwv for nothingingingwngng," Hypno Steve replied as he uses Derpy's right forehoof to stomp on the ground, silently teleporting everyone near the location of the armour.