Everyone is back at the core, on the right side where you'd come into the room. Everyone sees Madness Steve, Derpy and the armour of the First Curse, standing at the edge.
"Did it work- Oh, there he is. He doesn't see us. I wonder what he's doing," Sabre can see Madness Steve looking at the core, speaking to himself.
"This... unnatural core, it's so impressive for what these mortals are capable of. I should destroy it, and see what happens."
"Okay, that'sreallybad- Either way, M, Celestia and Luna, go, start going, go go go!" Sabre whispered to those 3. M, Celestia and Luna quietly went over to the left with Assistant Steve and began the work on repairing him.
"Alright everyone, we need to lure him to the elevator. You six, CMC and Cadence, teleport to the elevator, I need you to be ready with those Elements of Harmony. Time, there's a bridge down the path, I need you to activate it. Dark, your with me," Sabre instructed, still whispering, looking at each one when telling them what to do. Twilight uses her magic and teleports herself as well as everyone else apart from Sabre, Time Steve and Dark Steve inside the elevator, which is luckily at the core level.
"Okay, Time, go and activate the bridge," Sabre ordered. Time Steve runs down the path and presses the button to lower the drawbridge that surprisingly hadn't been destroyed. Madness Steve hears the drawbridge being lowered.
"Right, who is there- You two!" As Madness Steve turned around, so did Derpy and the armour.
"Yeah uh... it's me, I'm here!" Sabre yelled back.
"Uh, uh... Sabre, run!" Dark Steve yelled as he began to run. Sabre began running too, and to the elevator, but Cadence teleports them inside of the elevator.
"NOW NOW NOW! ACTIVATE THEM! NOW!" Sabre yelled as Madness Steve got in the elevator, the CMC flinching and closing their eyes. The mane 6 manages to again catch Madness Steve off guard with the Elements of Harmony, and turns his False Form to stone, yet again. The CMC opens their eyes again and see they're now safe.
"AGAIN!? Oh I'll really torture you all so- You don't want to know how bad I'll torture all of you..." Madness Steve muttered.
"So uh... did it work?" Said Sabre. Time Steve meanwhile strikes lightning, pausing the time state of the stone statue. He then closes the 3 by 3 door by hitting the button beside them, then he hits the button that's higher up on the left side as you come in the elevator. Time Steve hits the button to go up and then turns back around.
"So," Time Steve casually said.
"Can we pull faces at him? It's now so tempting to do so, since he can't do anything, boo hoo, boo boo," Apple Bloom stated as she walks around the stone statue, antagonizing Madness Steve, not a very wise choice. Right now, Apple Bloom is literally asking to get tortured.
"I mean... I guess you could Apple Bloom. Yeah, Madness can't really do much at this current point in time," Time Steve responded, then turning to look at Madness Steve.
"What Apple Bloom said Madness! Boo boo, boo hoo!" Time Steve sniggered slightly, joining in with Apple Bloom.
"I'll torture you in so many ways that will have no bounds..." Madness Steve muttered to Apple Bloom. However, the yellow filly still went ahead, and pokes her tongue out at the stone statue as well as rolling her eyes and making funny noises.
"So, how is your day?" Pinkie Pie casually asked.
"I guess it ain't too bad, just trying to save everything and all that," Sabre replied with the same kind of casual tone.
"Oh... I was talking to Madness Steve, this sore loser here," Pinkie Pie pointed out. Rainbow Dash laughed at what Pinkie Pie said, and added more onto that.
"That was so true what you said Pinkie! At least Tirek and that when they lost weren't so... MAD! Ha ha, get it?MadnessSteve...mad? Ah haha ha ha ha ah ha ha!" Rainbow Dash laughed back, making a pun. Everyone laughed at the pun, Pinkie Pie as well as the CMC laughing the most at it. Only Fluttershy and Cadence remained quiet. Even with Madness Steve being just a stone statue, Fluttershy is still petrified of him just being there. Meanwhile, Madness Steve isn't so much the reason Cadence remained quiet, her reason is more personal.
"Ha. Nice one Rainbow Dash. I liked that," Time Steve responded.
"Yeah Rainbow Dash, that was a good one. I thought that was funny too," Sabre also responded.
"I... hate all of you..." Madness Steve growled.
"Well now that's just rude," Sabre responded.
"Yeah I know, so rude of him," Sweetie Belle responded to Sabre.
"I'm starting to gather that the plot isn't entirely originalagain," Pinkie Pie muttered to herself.
"I om Modnos Stov and om big n scory, roar roar- Yeah, not while he's just made of stone," Apple Bloom chuckled as she climbs up on Madness Steve and sat on his head. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are also laughing.
"Yeah what's he going to do about it?" Scootaloo chuckled along with Apple Bloom.
"Maybe um... maybe come off now..." Fluttershy nervously pointed out, warning Apple Bloom. She notices slight cracks in the stone. But to everyone else, the slight cracks went unnoticed.
"How long is this elevator taking?" Rarity moaned. She walks up to where the buttons are and presses the button to go up. Everyone could now feel the elevator actually going up.
"You didn't even hit the button Time!? Ugh, whatever, maybe it's broken," Sabre exclaimed at Time Steve before sighing the last sentence to himself.
"Ha haaaaaa..." Time Steve nervously responded.
"Right whatever- Cadence, you okay? You doing good?You'vejust been a bit quiet that's all," Sabre asked, noticing the other alicorn has mostly been quiet.
"Mentally? No. Physically? I guess so," Cadence sighed as she lifts her head up, speaking with a low tone in her voice in her reply to Sabre.
"I think... that's the same for everyone here," Time Steve responded to Cadence.
"It's not that... it's... personal. Since this thing with Madness Steve started, I've only been writing letters to him. I told him to keep himself and her away from me, because I don't know what I'd do if he and her... if they got hurt... or even worse. The letters helped me put a brave face on it. But since the letters stopped and discovering he's gone... and her... I don't know how long I can cope with all this..." Cadence murmured.
"Wait, who? You don't have to explain to me if you don't want to Cadence," Sabre asked.
"You haven't met them Sabre, but they are very special to me..." Cadence replied as she looks back down at the floor. The mane 6 and the CMC know the 2 ponies Cadence was talking about. Then finally, the elevator reaches the top, and the 3 by 3 door began to open.
"I will... destroy ALL OF YOU!" Madness Steve yelled, the stone beginning to crack, some of which is falling off.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Apple Bloom screamed as she ran out of the door first, jumping off from Madness Steve's head. She is definitely not laughing now.
"RUN!" Time Steve shouted as he next to run out of the elevator. Everyone else began to run as well.
"Okay go go go go!" Sabre exclaimed, running as fast as he can, then begins speaking again, the sounds of lightning strikes in the background.
"OoookayI think he's breaking free right? The Elements can't hold him in that state for too long. So, this is fine- I mean, all we have to do is keeping him away from the core and we're gonna be fine, so stick together everyone-*turns around whilst walking backwards*THERE HE IS! Alright let's go let's g- APPLE BLOOM! NO!" Madness Steve runs out the elevator and hovers slightly above ground over to everyone, then uses telekinesis and brings the yellow filly over to him. He then gets out his sword.
"HEEELLLLLLP!" Apple Bloom screamed as loud as she can, her lungs feeling like they were coming out she screamed so loud. Everyone ran over to her, but Madness Steve creates some form of forcefield, separating him as well as Apple Bloom from everyone else. Madness Steve now glares back at the very traumatized poor yellow filly, shaking, screaming and crying. The more Madness Steve yelled, the fright in Apple Bloom got worse.
"This is what you get for taunting... and now I'm gonna make you regret it-"
"ENOUGH!" Sabre screamed as he tries to do that energy beam to shoot at Madness Steve, and successfully does so, which Madness Steve didn't expect. He lowers that force field he had set up and lets go of Apple Bloom from his kinetic grip.
After being let go from that kinetic grip, Apple Bloom screams and cries even louder, trotting her way back to comfort of everyone else, her heart pounding, wraps her forehooves around Applejack and holds onto her with all her strength.
"APPLEJACK! Applejack..." Apple Bloom screamed, frightful tears flooding out onto her bigger sister's orange fur.
"It's okay sis, it's okay..." Applejack gently whispered, putting her left forehoof around her little sister.
"All you you! RUN! I'll hold him off!" Sabre yelled at everyone. Sabre didn't care what will happen to him. He just wants his friends to be safe. Everyone else went to run, which Madness Steve tried to stop them, but Sabre doesn't let him by getting on his way, hitting Madness Steve's False Form each time and knocking him back each time he did, until everyone else got to safety, and knew they are safely hiding.
"Okay... it's just you and me! No distractions for either of us, just a one on one!" Sabre shouted as he strikes Madness Steve's False Form with more of those beams, hitting him each time as Madness Steve didn't expect Sabre could do this. They began hovering higher and higher, striking each other with lightning.
"Sabre... you fool! You think you can win alone!? Even with you able to mimic even a fraction of those powers, it's still not enough! This will be the last mistake you'll ever make!" Madness Steve yelled at him, making a bluff attack, shooting a single fireball at Sabre. The 2 continued circling around each other
"I've been practicing, Madness!" Sabre yelled back as he also shoots several fireballs back at Madness Steve. Sabre also made it so these fireballs had extra velocity, and extra knock back power, pushing back Madness Steve away from him.
"Shadow! Bring the Pony of Shadows out of the sword, but don't make him physically present!" Sabre demanded. Sabre is going to take in darkness.
"Hm hm hmph... you got it," Shadow Sabre responded as the Pony of Shadows gets out of the Shadow Sword.
"Both of you! Fuse with me, now!" Sabre yelled.
"As you insist... Sabre," The Pony of Shadows gleefully responded, massively grinning.
"Your wish is my- I mean, our command," Shadow Sabre corrected himself. Both Shadow Sabre and the Pony of Shadows go up to Sabre, and lightning strikes on him. Through Sabre's blindfold, glowing white eyes could be seen, and a dark aura appearing around him. Several dark lines and swirls are flowing around on the aura around Sabre.
"Now... things are even, so BRING IT ON THEN!" Sabre shouted with his shadow's voice, going in to attack Madness Steve with the Shadow Sword.
"Using the darkness are you? HA! The darkness alone can't match me!" Madness Steve laughed slightly, going in to attack Sabre with his sword. But Sabre creates a darkness figure, and lobs it at Madness Steve's sword, deflecting the attack by literally using that figure of darkness as a cannon fodder.
"The darkness here has your powers, meaning your powers courses through me! The darkness doesn't control me! It courses through me!" Sabre shouted back, striking Madness Steve with dark coloured lightning. Several black tentacles then forms, coming from Sabre, forming rectangular fists at the end of each tentacle, all starting to punch Madness Steve's False Form.
"You are such a PEST!" Madness Steve shouted as he opens a massive horizontal portal in the sky, but Sabre closes it back, using the Shadow Sword in doing so.
"You have better experience in fights that aren't bound to worlds. But let's see how well you deal with world bound fights!" Sabre yelled back, striking more attacks at Madness Steve's attacks. But then, Madness Steve's False Form went up a stage. The tables have drastically turned.
Madness Steve well and truly, is fed up with Sabre. He begins using the full force he currently had and holds Sabre in place. Sabre is now unable to do anything.
"Enough of this! You're so darn ANNOYING! I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER-" Right as Madness Steve was about to not destroy Sabre, but remove Sabre from existence entirely, someone intervenes, which Madness Steve forgot to deal with. Derpy, who Madness Steve forgot to take back control of when his False Form got turned to stone for an annoying third time, she came in and pushes Sabre out the way, right before Madness Steve just erased Sabre's existence. Derpy then wraps her forehooves around Sabre and then flies up, and continues just flying up, high up, out of the world, and continues going until nothing could be seen in sight. Derpy then lets go of Sabre.
"Derpy? You're-"
"Run! Run before I kill you! Go!" Derpy yelled at Sabre.
"What do you mean-
"Just go before I do more damage than I've already caused! JUST RUN!" Derpy repeated, her eyes releasing tears, made of magma, because of the essence that has her corrupted.
"Derpy I- I have to do something! You're out of his control! I just can't leave you!" Sabre exclaimed, sniffing, as the few tears that came out evaporated from the lack of air. However, Derpy is right. If Madness Steve takes control back now, which he could do so at any moment, Sabre is certainly done for.
"Don't worry... we'll fix you after this... I'll make sure of it... I promise..." Sabre murmured back to Derpy as he teleports using the Dark Crystal, to where Dark Steve is. Dark Steve exists because of the Dark Crystal, so Sabre can easily get to where he is. Sabre also made sure all the darkness he's using also went back into the Shadow Sword when teleporting, and kept Shadow Sabre in his mindscape, knowing he's recently been helping lately with everything. Then, literally a second later, Madness Steve took back control of Derpy after realizing that he forgot to take back control. However though, he forgets about the armour as he is too focused on dealing with everyone else.
Meanwhile, Sabre felt terrible he is leaving Derpy behind. But he realized he had no actual plan to get Derpy uncorrupted, other than knowing Time Steve has to revert Derpy's state back in time to uncorrupt her. If he rushes to uncorrupt Derpy, it could actually make things much worse than better.
Time Steve, Dark Steve, the mane 6, the CMC and Cadence have ran into the main Red Kingdom. Every building had virtually been destroyed, flattened, annihilated. Rubble is everywhere, coming from Red Kingdom and Equestrian buildings. Despite this, they manage to find a destroyed building that still had a wall partially intact, one of the buildings in the market area.
"Okay... maybe he is scary when he's just stone as well..." Apple Bloom quivered, who had barely just calmed down, now only just shaking. Then Sabre appears by silently teleporting.
"Hey everyone, Madness should now just be trying to find us," Said Sabre.
"Okay, so we can catch a breather for the minute? Finally," Rarity sighed as she lets herself fall to the ground.
"How you have this much endurance Sabre... and cope with everything happening... I will never understand," Rarity added.
"Heh... it ain't easy Rarity. I can definitely tell you that much," Sabre responded.
"On more pressing matters, how long has it been? When will the other four be ready man?" Sabre moaned, now looking over to Time Steve.
"It's... hmm... it's been a good five minutes. M, Celestia and Luna should be here any second now," Time Steve replied.
(Inside the core room)
M, Celestia and Luna had just finished the repairs on Assistant Steve. All damages had been patched up. Celestia and Luna had found that Assistant Steve's systems were way more sophisticated than they expected, and were mostly listening to instructions M had been giving them.
"Okay... that should be it. Let me turn him on," M said as he went to the back of the robot, presses a button, turning the robot on.
"Now, awake. All capacitors have been fixed! You two aren't such morons after all. But, you two, are still morons, and I can't help to increase your intelligence. Your minds are far too subpar for me to do help you become more intelligent," Was the first thing Assistant Steve said to Celestia and Luna when he got turned back on, not even a 'thank you' from the robot.
"Yeah... get used to him saying things like that. It's normal for him. Again, I apologize for that. Blame Professor Red for that one," M pointed out.
"It's alright, M- Is M your actual name, or do you go by another... more official name?" Celestia politely asked.
"Oh uh, long story- Just to sum it up. I was helping Sabre with some stuff. 'M' was what he came up with to refer me as when I was still hiding who I was- It doesn't matter, what matters is since then, me and Sabre became good friends," M explained.
"Also, Assistant, you need to uh... reactivate the towers. If you do that, can you catch Madness off guard and send him away?" M instructed, now looking over at Assistant Steve.
"I have, indeed caught Madness Steve off guard before, and teleported him away. He is quite easy to teleport somewhere else, when he isn't paying attention. My systems and reflexes are fast, and I can tell when to go in, and make that move or not," Assistant Steve replied.
"Before you do though, can you find the rest- The six, those three younger ponies- Just find Sabre at least," M requested.
"Why yes I can... I have detect the location of, Sabre. Would you like me to take you three to them?" Assistant Steve asked.
"Yes," M replied.
"Okay. Teleporting... Red Apprentice, Celestia, Luna, to, location of... Sabre. Now teleporting," Assistant Steve's responded, his eyes scanning M, Celestia and Luna, the 3 he needs to teleport. Once he finished his scanning, he summons lightning, teleporting M, Celestia and Luna. After he did, Assistant Steve started inspecting the core. Luckily, Madness Steve had done nothing happened to it.
Now, the robot could focus on restarting the towers. He walks over to the elevator, and goes up in it, taking the usual single minute to get to the top. Once the elevator reached the top, and Assistant Steve got out and closed the elevator doors, the redstone antenna popped out of his head.
"Towers. Restarting... restarting... restarting... restarting..." Assistant Steve kept saying on repeat carefully, and slowly, but surely gets the 4 towers back online.
(Back where everyone else is)
M, Celestia and Luna are by where everyone else had been hiding for the past 5 minutes or so.
"Oh, hey you three. I'm guessing Assistant is fixed now huh," Sabre spoke, noticing M had come back, as well as Celestia and Luna.
"Yes Sabre, so now we just need to distract Madness Steve for that robot to activate these towers M was on about," Celestia responded.
"Distract? Distract!? You think I can't tell where you all are especially from that lightning!?" Madness Steve yelled, bringing the only standing wall down with a single strike of lightning. Celestia and Luna used their magic to form a colourless shield around everyone, Celestia's horn glowing yellow, Luna's horn glowing blue. The mane 6 used their Elements of Harmony to strengthen the shield.
"That shield won't work against me! I will not be stopped by THOSE THINGS AGAIN! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" Madness Steve shouted as he directly flies into the shield, upon making contact with it, the shield shattered. As Madness Steve went in to destroy everyone in one hit, Twilight teleports everyone over to the destroyed entrance into observatory just in time.
"Into Professor Red's lab!" Twilight yelled, but then the observatory gets blocked off by a massive ball of bedrock, magma, obsidian and those pitch black blocks. Either side of the path leading to the entrance of the observatory, tall and collosal walls of magma and pitch black blocks sprang out of the ground, stretching to the forest all the way to the hills. Any grass between these walls became lava, and any trees became dust, being blown into the air.
"Everyone, be careful, Madness could come from anywhere- WOAH!" As Sabre looked to see where Madness Steve, he almost got hit by a lightning strike, but not the usual lightning strike, the one that just struck was partially orange and red. He then sees Madness Steve flying between the 2 walls he made. He had everyone trapped, and any escape attempts made this time, Madness Steve just outright stopped.
He then lands on the ground with his feet, and approaches Sabre, Time Steve, Dark Steve, M, the mane 6, the CMC and the 3 other alicorns, all who backed away as far as they could, until they no longer could. There's nowhere else to go.
"Oh no no no! No, no, no!" Sabre panicked, shaking more as Madness Steve got closer.
"I'm... SICK of ALL OF YOU! I'M GONNA-"
"I would like to make an announcement!" Assistant Steve yelled at full volume, interrupting Madness Steve. Madness Steve immediately recognized that voice, and he immediately looks to see where Assistant Steve could come from to teleport him away.
"I have restarted the towers. Now expelling, Madness Steve. Towers, activating." Assistant Steve began using the towers to begin teleporting Madness Steve away, taking him by surprise. Madness Steve expected the robot to come and catch him off guard himself, not by using the towers. With a few lightning strikes being summoned on Madness Steve, he gets teleported away to somewhere else.
Everyone pants, all exhausted and relieved. How they all survived this, they all don't know, but they aren't going to question it. But the beautiful buildings of the Red Kingdom have been left absolutely destroyed by Madness Steve. But that's a different problem. Everyone just lets each other have a quick breather for a moment.