Sabre, M and the mane 6 are now outside of the armour, away from the citadel. They are by some trees, leaves covering over the top, keeping them hidden from the ever darkening sky.
"Sabre you're back!" Dark Steve said with relief as he runs up to Sabre.
"Dark Steve? You're alive? I'm happy to see you're okay," Said Fluttershy.
"Thanks, I hope you're okay too... Fluttershy. Just had to quickly remember your name. It's good to see you all are okay," Dark Steve responded.
"Barely," Applejack responded back to Dark Steve.
"Yes- I know you're all confused, but just hang on I'm about to confuse you all even more," Sabre responded as he notices the CMC by Assistant Steve, who is switched off as he looks forward over to a tree only 10 blocks away.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders, come out!" One by one, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came out of hiding, crying out of relief the names of their sisters, running up to them and hugged them. Apple Bloom and Applejack. Sweetie Belle and Rarity. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. Although Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo aren't biologically related, they're very close and are like sisters.
"Rainbow!"
"AJ!"
"Rarity!"
"Scoots!"
"Darling!"
"Lil sis!"
"However long we've been gone... you've looked after them? Thank you so much for looking out for them. We are grateful to have you as our friend Sabre," Twilight spoke to Sabre, relief in her voice being noticeable, thankful for Sabre.
"No problem Twil- Wait, you six know these three- I guess that kinda make sense," Sabre responded.
"Yeah, Rarity and Sweetie Belle are sisters, so is Applejack and Apple Bloom. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo are very close, they're like sisters after a camping trip," Pinkie Pie explained to Sabre.
"Then how come none of you chose to tell me about them earlier anyways too huh? None of you decided to tell me about them three- Alright, that's fine I'm okay with that. Just... " Sabre sighed as he looks over to Assistant Steve.
"...Assistant Steve, wake up!"
"Now, awake. Hello Sabre, Dark Steve, Cutie Mark Crusaders and- Ah, Red Apprentice, and you six, welcome," Assistant Steve greeted as he turned back on.
"Assistant Steve, I'm pretty sure that this isn't meant to be some casual chat," Dark Steve pointed out to the robot.
"Yeah, Dark is right everybody. What matters is that we need to get out of here," Sabre stated, agreeing with Dark Steve.
"You're all approaching me in a bunch of fear, after leaving that citadel. What has happened, and where has the Red Leader, Discord and Derpy gone?" Assistant Steve asked.
"They um... they uh- Look, what matters is that we need to get out of here!" Sabre demanded Assistant Steve, stuttering at first, not quite sure how to put it to Assistant Steve that Hypno Steve, Discord and Derpy are still in the armour.
"I cannot leave. I'm now programmed to find out more knowledge, in order to continue moving forward," Assistant Steve responded.
"No- Assistant Steve, we need to GO!" Sabre yelled at the robot.
"You lot have gone this way! I can sense your presence here, you're all not even far away! You left Hypno Steve, Derpy and Discord in the armour, but took seven more out!" Madness Steve shouted, his voice sounding to get closer, that voice of anger. A week ago, Madness Steve was messing about with everyone. Now, he genuinely wants to get everyone out of his way, dead and torn apart several times slowly and painfully. Everyone apart from Assistant Steve began to shake, and went deeper under the cover of the leaves. The CMC right now are deep down petrified of what he'll do, as is everyone else, all of them shaking and quietly squirming. While everyone is dead stricken of fear, Assistant Steve is looking as to where Madness Steve may be approaching from. Madness Steve's voice began to get closer, but not just closer, the angry fiery voice began getting overall louder too.
"I'll destroy all of you! I will not let any of you escape, especially not to that kingdom! No longer of this messing about! I'm gonna make sure all of you suffer very greatly! No more of this! I will not allow any of your shenanigans- Oh, there you all are!" Everyone sees Madness Steve, glaring at everyone as he gets out his sword. A single sweep with that sword would wipe them all from existence.
"Oh no! Oh no! Assistant Steve, get us out of here, NOW!" Sabre screamed in the face of the robot, shaking him.
"Umm... yeah, okay. Now, to the Red Kingdom. Here we go," Assistant Steve casually responded as he began striking lightning, taking everyone to the Red Kingdom. Sabre sees Madness Steve trying to jump into the lightning to attack Sabre.
"GOOOOO!" Sabre screamed, turning around and closing his eyes.
Sabre, Dark Steve, M, Assistant Steve, the mane 6 and the CMC are back at the Red Kingdom. They are by the water fountain. They appear to be safe, for now at least.
"Were you trying to make us go deaf!?" Scootaloo yelled at Assistant Steve.
"Also, what if we burnt to death in that lightning!?" Apple Bloom also yelled at the robot.
"Ah right- Yeah, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, that's how most beings from here teleport, by channeling lightning. That type of lightning won't hurt you," Sabre explained.
"What matters is that we're safe, and we can take a breather-"
"We have a problem," Assistant Steve stated, interrupting Sweetie Belle.
"What? What's the problem?" Sabre questioned the robot.
"My sensors indicate fourteen beings inside of here, including me," Assistant Steve replied.
"Counting yourself as a being, that's weird," Sabre thought to himself. Everyone began counting, but with everyone here, including Assistant Steve, they only counted up to 13.
"Uh... fourteen!?" M exclaimed.
"HE'S HERE!" Fluttershy screamed as she darted to the flower field to the right. Sabre looks to the left, and sees Madness Steve too, walking at pace nearby a massive rose bush, looking for them all. Luckily, he isn't looking in their direction.
"Fluttershy's right! Here's here! Run run RUN! Go go go go go! Go go go go! Over to Fluttershy, into the flower field! Hide!" Sabre yelled as he began to run over to the field of rose flowers with Fluttershy, as everyone else definitely is. They jump over the stone and andesite wall, into the flowers, everypony getting as low as they can, Sabre, Dark Steve and M crouching, and Assistant Steve standing where the flowers are tallest. Everyone is shaking, all are scared for their life, apart from Assistant Steve. He is a robot, and doesn't feel the same kind of emotions in the same way everyone else does.
"This is bad... this is bad... oh no..." Sabre said whilst panicking.
"Well... obviously this is bad! He is trying to find us to kill us!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, shaking as everyone is.
"The plot could at least be original and not copied from episode two hundred and sixty three of Rainbow Quest!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Pinkie Pie, is it? I see you're trying to pretend this is some sort of story, then give a random title, and pretending to break what is know as, the fourth wall. Please stop attempting to do that. You can't do that, you moron," Assistant Steve responded.
"When I find you all, I'll inflict so much pain onto all of you!" Madness Steve yelled as he began hovering around nearby buildings, and making them crumble apart, turning them into black concrete powder, which then became all sorts of materials once the targeted buildings collapsed, some even causing rips in space time.
"What... is that thing?" M asked Sabre, who is absolutely terrified as everyone else is.
"That is Madness Steve- Right, you haven't seen him before have you?" Sabre responded.
"The Red Apprentice hasn't seen Madness Steve before. Only Professor Red and I have- Well, and the Red Leader," Assistant Steve replied to Sabre.
"Assistant Steve, just SHUSH! You're gonna get us all KILLED!" Scootaloo quietly hissed at Assistant Steve.
"Yeah- Also, can you not crouch Assistant- I guess that makes sense. You're Assistant Steve, you're not meant to work like a regular steve, you're a robot," Sabre added onto Scootaloo.
"That is true. I am not able to crouch such as you. But, I am still sufficiently hidden," Assistant Steve responded.
"Now, where is he- Oh- There he is! There he is! Oh no..." Sabre said as he went to peak over the wall to see whereabouts Madness Steve is. He flies right past everyone, making both buildings beside the flower field turn to black concrete powder, which then quickly collapses and turning into magma blocks.
"When I found you all, I'll destroy all of you, then bring you back, to destroy you all again! I will do this over and over many more times, making every single death more PAINFUL than the LAST! I will remove... EVERY LAST BIT OF HAPPINESS FROM ALL OF YOU! Then, I'll place you all back into that armour, Sabre, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo being a new addition to it!" Madness Steve shouted as he began teleporting random buildings from Equestria, and flings them all over the Red Kingdom, destroying several of the buildings of the Red Kingdom and creating a lot of debris. Cracks began to appear out of the ground, and beneath the ground, a portal opens, which leads to an unknown reality. No one knows where it would lead to, but everyone is certainly sure they don't want to find out.
"What is he, what does he want!?" M exclaimed.
"It's... complicated," Sabre stuttered out his reply.
"Warning! My safety parameters are trying to be triggered," Assistant Steve stated.
"Wait... safety parameters- No, you don't mean what I think you mean!?" Sweetie Belle questioned Assistant Steve. She remembers what Assistant Steve said about having to activate some sort of parameters, which involves the core.
"Yes Sweetie Belle, the parameters that are making me want to activate the core, and explode this entire kingdom," Assistant Steve replied.
"WHAT!?" The mane 6 shrieked in shock.
"Why man!?" Sabre yelled at the robot.
"I have calculated our chance of survival, and it is very slim. There is a better chance of exploding the core, and take Madness Steve's False Form with us, and to delay him further," Assistant Steve explained.
"That is an absolutely terrible idea!" Sabre exclaimed.
"Why would Professor Red give Assistant Steve that function to begin with!?" Twilight muttered to herself as she slaps her head with her left forehoof.
"That's a function!?" M exclaimed as he looks at Assistant Steve. He knew of the robot for a long time, and never did he know that self destructing the core was even a function built within his systems.
"You didn't know either M? You were gonna be the Red Leader and you still don't know these things?" Sabre responded.
"Why would I know that?" M replied, snapping slightly as he replied.
"Did you at least know about the core?" Sabre next asked M.
"Yes," M sighed as he replied
"Instead of calling us morons, call Madness Steve a moron," Pinkie Pie said to Assistant Steve.
"Yes, Madness is quite a moron, but that is not core related with this situation. Please, find me a safer route, or else in about five minutes, I'll activate my safety parameters," Assistant Steve responded.
"Uh... he... he sees us..." Sweetie Belle squirmed, shaking as if she was cold, but she is shaking so bad, she thought she felt her soul left her body because she's so scared. She points her left forehoof in the air, everyone looks where Sweetie Belle is pointing.
"Found you..." Madness Steve growled. Right before Madness Steve used his abilities and compressed the destruction of a metaverse into that small space there, Twilight teleports everyone out the way just in time. Madness Steve knew they got out the way, but where to?
"Where did you all go NOW!?"
Twilight teleports everyone to the destroyed observatory. Everyone went through the entrance and went down a few steps. They could see Madness Steve is still searching for them around. He is completely ravaging the Red Kingdom, just to find them.
"We need to focus on stopping those... stupid parameters. We'll all be destroyed if we don't do something about them," Dark Steve stated.
"Yeah, Dark has a point there. We have to do something. If we don't do something about these safety parameters, we'll all be destroyed. Even if Madness doesn't destroy us, the core will- Wait, what if we bring Assistant to the core? Assistant Steve, calculate if you're closer to the core, if we took you down there in the elevator, would you feel better about it, would the safety parameters not activate anymore?" Sabre asked Assistant Steve.
"Calculating... I'm gonna find out now," Assistant Steve replied.
"The only reason I'm not destroying this kingdom, is because I want to hunt you all down! When I find any of you, I will torment the will power out of all of you!" Madness Steve shouted as he flies past the observatory a few times, luckily him not spotting anyone as he did
"I'm just tempted to call him a sore loser, for losing the fight a few days ago," Said Pinkie Pie, trying to get anyone to laugh at least a little bit. It did work slightly, Rainbow Dash chuckled slightly at Pinkie Pie's statement.
"Calculated. We would have a higher likelihood of surviving, if we're closer to the core. We must approach it, safely," Assistant Steve stated. Everyone began to approach the entrance out of the observatory.
"Right, there he is flying about. We need to get to the hills without Madness knowing- Rainbow Dash, I need you to distract him. Do you think you can do that rainbow thing, like you did in the air when you fought Elemental?" Sabre asked.
"A Sonic Rainboom? Was that what you meant Sabre?" Rainbow Dash asked back.
"Yes, that, do that and distract him. I'll stop him from pausing time- Rest of you, head for the elevator," Sabre instructed. Everyone apart from Sabre and Rainbow Dash went for the hills, where the elevator is.
(Rainbow Dash's POV)
I really didn't want to be the one distracting that... thing. Madness Steve... he is quite something. I'm not scared by many things, and I don't easily tell anypony when I am scared. Madness Steve though... you're basically lying if you say you're not scared of him. I'm certainly scared of him... but nopony... well, no one truly knows... how much I fear him. He can pause time, technically making him infinitely faster than me. I couldn't escape him if I wanted to. I fear him a lot. I've never been more scared in my entire life.
"Sabre... I'm scared to do this... what if he sees me?" I slowly whispered to him. My voice in saying that was so slow in that, because I'm so scared.
"Don't worry, if he sees you, I'll jump in and protect you. Everything will be okay Rainbow Dash. You just need to distract him," He replied. I may be scared, but I trust Sabre. One thing I've learnt about Sabre over these past few days, is that he's loyal, very very loyal. I even see a bit of all six of us in him. Sabre's friendly, loyal, honest, kind, generous, and he's generally fun to be around. I- Well, many of us wish we could just sit down and relax. I have trust in him that he'll protect me if Madness Steve sees me. That helps me push the fact I'm scared to one side. I must show no fear, time to distract him.
"Okay, here goes nothing," I said to myself, in my own mind. I close my eyes, time feeling like it's slowing down. I start scraping my hooves on the ground, ready to flap my wings to get in the air as quick as I can. I look up, and when Madness Steve is looking away, is when I'll go into the air. I open my eyes. I'm now ready. He's looking the other away, time to make my move. I quickly get into the air, and fly straight past Madness Steve without him seeing me. I began to fly high up into the sky, so high that I could make this the biggest Sonic Rainboom I've ever done. After going above the clouds, I dived down, and pressed my wings close to my body, my back hooves extending all the way back, my forehooves extending infront of me, making myself as streamline as possible. I then hear my Sonic Rainboom going off right behind me, and it's certainly a big one
"Trying to taunt me!? I'm coming!" Yes! It worked! Madness Steve is distracted! However, I'm diving so fast I could feel my flesh rub against my bones and pulling my skin, ouch! It's painful, and I had no control. I'm flying so fast that if I tried to extend my wings out to slow myself down, the air resistance would instantly break them. I couldn't even turn as I'm going so fast.
"SABRE! SLOW ME DOWN! HELP!" I screamed to Sabre. I was so focused on making Madness Steve distracted, that in return, I've lost control of my speed.
(No longer in Rainbow Dash's POV)
"SABRE! SLOW ME DOWN! HELP!" Rainbow Dash screamed to Sabre.
"Oh no oh no! What do I do what do I do!? We need to help Rainbow Dash!" Sabre exclaimed to himself in his head.
"Do what you did earlier, like when you held Derpy in place back at the hub. Do something similar to that. That should stop Rainbow Dash's acceleration," Shadow Sabre suggested, again trying to retain Sabre's trust, the only reason and motivation for Shadow Sabre to help, which is slowly, but surely, working, as his suggestion to Sabre pressing the right button down at the core saved him earlier. Sabre listens to his shadow, and aims the Shadow Sword at Rainbow Dash. He then thinks as hard as he could. He manages to hold Rainbow Dash in place, stopping Rainbow Dash and helping her regain control of her flight. Sabre puts the Shadow Sword away and runs up to the pegasus, who slowly gets back down to the ground.
"Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Sabre asked.
"I really didn't like that! Anyway, Sabre, let's get out of here!" Rainbow Dash yelled in a whisper in her reply. Sabre and Rainbow Dash quickly manages to catch up with everyone, who are running to the elevator in the hills. Rainbow Dash is also running, instead of flying. She had just enough of flying for one day after that close call.
"I have calculated that we will not get caught, if we keep up this pace," Assistant Steve stated.
"The plot just could not get more unoriginal," Pinkie Pie muttered to herself
"Okay let's go! Let's go go go! Go go go go, he's distracted-"
"Trying to distract me Rainbow Dash? Very clever, I will give you that. But that distraction failed, and now, I know you're heading in the other direction! You all went over to the hills, didn't you!?" Madness Steve yelled. Sabre had just jinxed it.
"Oh no oh no! Go go go go go! We need to get into the elevator NOW! Come on!" Sabre yelled as he and everyone else began to run even faster. The CMC never had run so fast in their entire lives, with the exception of when they turned themselves into grown ups that one time, running around at the fair in Appleloosa. They're running now, because they want to live and not be killed, adrenaline not only pushing their limits, but breaking them too.
"Come on come on... we need to get out of here. He's already in here... there's no forcing Madness out of the kingdom. It's not safe anymore- What if Madness finds the elevator- It's gonna be all bad if that happens. We'd be in big trouble," Sabre said to himself in his head, not out loud, then yells over to Assistant Steve.
"We almost there!?"
"Yes, we have arrived to the elevator. Please, get in. I'll close the door behind us," Assistant Steve said whilst everyone ran into the elevator. When the robot walked in, he closes the doors. Everyone is panting from the running. Even Rainbow Dash is panting, just not from exhaustion, and from the levels of adrenaline flowing throughout her.
"Okay, okay, okay, let's go, let's go let's go!" Sabre yelled. Once the 3 by 3 door closed, Assistant Steve pushes the button and the elevator began to go down.
"It's a bit cramped in here, not gonna lie," Said Applejack.
"I don't care if it's cramped! All I care is that Madness Steve loses us!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, crying fearful tears.
"I'm sorry, I failed everypony-
"Twilight, don't say that. This is none of your fault. You done your best, and that's what matters. Whether we win or lose, whether we die or not, we tried our best. Just know that, and that none of us are mad at you," Fluttershy interrupted Twilight. Twilight sighs and nodded.
"You all have disappeared! There must be a secret entrance into the hills where you all have gone into! You think that distraction worked do you!? I will find that said entrance and get to where you all are going- Ah... what's this, a button? Does this button lead to where all of you have gone?" Madness Steve yelled, ranting until he notices the button to call the elevator from the outside. He presses it, and the call request is sent to the elevator. He patiently waits there, waiting to see if the button does anything as the elevator still has to take everyone else down.
"We have now arrived at the bottom floor," Assistant Steve stated.
Assistant Steve opens the door and everyone else, in panic, rushes out of the door. Assistant Steve went and opens the first security measure, the 3 by 3 smooth stone door that's 2 blocks thick. He walks up to the scanner, then presses the button, and the door began to open. Whilst Assistant Steve is trying to go through the security measures and everyone else is panicking, the elevator doors close, and the elevator began to go up.
"The blue pony did trick him, despite what Madness says- Briefly, at least," Said M.
"Yeah but now he knows where we're going!" Sabre shouted, not at M, but out of panic. The 3 by 3 door then fully opens and Assistant Steve immediately walks through to access the second security measure, the drawbridge. Everyone quickly follows the robot through the 3 by 3 door.
"Are you sure this is still a good idea!?"
"My parameters are forcing me to approach the core. We have no choice now," Assistant Steve replied to Sabre as he pushes the button to lower the bridge.
"Shouldn't we at least close these things up to buy us a little more time though!?" Apple Bloom yelled her suggestion at Assistant Steve, fearful and petrified for her life as much as everyone else is for theirs except Assistant Steve. As the drawbridge is still lowering, Assistant Steve went to close the 3 by 3 door.
"Ah, these things many call... an elevator, a lift, or whatever! This must go to where you all are going! When I catch up to you, the fate of all of you will be even worse than Starlight's! Sabre and the six saw the state her corpse was in, it'll be even worse than that!" Madness Steve yelled. The elevator has reached the top, and now Madness Steve is going down in it.
The drawbridge is now fully down, and everyone ran across it. As soon as everyone else is across, Assistant Steve walks across and brings the bridge back up. Then there's the 5 by 5 netherite door. Sweetie Belle, out of sheer fright and panic, doesn't wait for Assistant Steve to open the door. She uses her magic and teleports everyone to the other side of the door. Everyone is now in the core room.
"That was very dang-"
"We're already in danger!" Sweetie Belle interrupted, yelling at Assistant Steve, never being so scared at all in her life.
"Will all this at least hold him off?" Sabre, knowing it won't hold off Madness Steve, asked Assistant Steve anyways, in the very vain and pointless hope that he may be wrong, and the security measures may hold Madness Steve off. However, Assistant Steve's reply shatters all hopes for that.
"No. I'm pretty confident that this will not hold him off."
"When I reach where you all are going, you'll all come to a miserably painful end," Madness Steve stated in the background.
"I'm scared! Are we going to die!?" Scootaloo cried out loud.
"I don't know... we'll all face whatever's coming, together..." Rainbow Dash stuttered out in her reply, giving a little bit of comfort to the orange pegasus.
"Uhhh... can we just keep running?" M said with wishful thinking.
"It's a dead end, we're done for!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, ruining M's wishful thinking.
"Our chance of survival is slim. It's dropping by the second. I am sorry, but my default parameters are switching. I must, hit the button," Assistant Steve said as he walks over to the control panel, to press the left button, the one that self destructs the core. M immediately ran up to Assistant Steve, trying to pull him back, but isn't able to. But Twilight, with her horn glowing purple, shoots a purple beam of magic at Assistant Steve. Her magic fried all the circuits and systems in Assistant Steve. The robot drops down, lying on the floor before he got anywhere near the panel. Even some smoke began to come out of Assistant Steve.
"I'm sorry! I- I didn't mean it-"
"Twilight, it was a needed action. He was going to blow up the core. If it weren't for you, Assistant would've blown everything up," Sabre interrupted, reassuring Twilight that she did the right decision.
"Well, this core thing, what can we do with it? M, you must know something, surel-"
"I have NO IDEA! No one was told how this thing WORKS!" M yelled, interrupting Applejack. Then the sound of an explosion stuns everyone in place, shocked, and scared. Then there's another explosion, and the netherite blocks making up the 5 by 5 door flung out, creating debris. In that debris, there's a shadow of a figure, but as soon as the debris cleared, everyone immediately know that they're in trouble.
"You all have been unintended pests! Now it's time to end this!" Madness Steve yelled as he approaches a few blocks closer to everyone. Sabre, Dark Steve, M, the mane 6 and the CMC step backward until they all reach the edge. Then where the netherite door was, a black portal opens. Derpy and the armour which Madness Steve stole off of the First Curse, comes out of that portal.
"You all have lost! Everyone you care about... is gone... and SO WILL ALL OF YOU!" Madness Steve shouted, no mercy being shown in his voice, flies closer to everyone.
"NO! Stay away! Don't come any closer!" Sabre yelled as he tries to push Madness Steve back by hitting him with the Shadow Sword, but is unsuccessful in doing so. Madness Steve began striking lightning, near where everyone is, aiming it slowly is. Sabre, Dark Steve, M, the mane 6 and the CMC closed their eyes and screamed. They see no way escaping this, and believe they are all done for.