"The Madness Dimension, as in... the dimension that's basically been containing Madness for... however long?" Time Steve questioned.
"Yes, don'tnt makedontmakemakeake memakememememe repeatmereapeatpeatptrtrrr myselfselfwlfrlfrfrrr," Hypno Steve replied.
"Why would Madness still be there- I mean, he wanted to get out of there... so, why would he still be there?" Sabre wondered.
"There's no time to explain. Let's get this over with," Hypno Steve replied, and then looks at Derpy.
"Asaswsrs nonenonewnwnrn ofwvwvrv youyouyou knowyouknow howknowhowhow to makeake thisiswsrs, and there's not enough time to get the recourses. Butututwtwtwtrtrrrrrrr, onlylylylywywy onenenewnwn out of us all has the power to create these blocks, and I have the knowledge." Derpy walks backwards, away from Hypno Steve.
"I need control again, but it's up to you, Derpy. Our destiny, is dependant on the path you choose to take."
"I don't know..."
"With the events that followed altering the end, the key isn't just Sabre, you play a part in it too, Derpy. Your part in this is important. We all have our roles in it all, but followed by Sabre, you have the next biggest role, which you'll figure out in time. That is all I will say for now, we're running out of time," Hypno Steve responded to Derpy.
"I've been contwold and only just got back... but whatever it is... and if it'll help my fwiends... I'll let you," Derpy grudgingly agreed, walking closer to Hypno Steve.
"Derpy, you sure you wanna do that?" Sabre double checked.
"If it'll help save evwething, then yes," Derpy replied. Hypno Steve summons lightning, and takes control of Derpy.
"Now, listen, when I make the frame for this portal, everywhere must be set on fire, which I'll do. We can't afford mistakes, as if it isn't done correctly, we'd have to start over again, and the more we do, the more time we'd lose," Hypno Steve explained. With being in control of Derpy, he turns her around and uses her left forehoof to stomp on the ground. With Derpy's abilities, Hypno Steve creates a 30 by 30 by 30 cube frame of these pitch black blocks, with a floating 2 by 2 by 2 cube of them in the centre of the cube. Hypno Steve stomps Derpy's left forehoof down on the ground again and lights the whole area on fire, activating the portal, emitting black particles. Hypno Steve then exits Derpy's mind, summoning lightning as he did. After Hypno Steve exited, and Derpy is back in control, she shakes her head, getting her senses back together.
"Woah- So uh, we just go through, and we'd be there Hypno?"
"Yes. Now, what are you allwlrlrrr waitingingngng forwaitingforforfrfrwrrrr? Go in, allwlwl ofofwvevrvrrr you, it'll take you all where you allwl need to be," Hypno Steve replied to Sabre. One by one, everyone goes through, M being the last.
"Apprentice, can I tell you something, quickly?" Hypno Steve requested to M before he went through.
"Yeah?" M asked, who turns around.
"When you take the mantle as the new Red Leader, I... I want to wish you luck, and that you do well. With the dwindling time I... or we have left before everything collapses, I want to see you succeed. Remember the knowledge I've taught you over time, before and after I became this, apprentice. I wish the best for your future, whatever it shall be, because I care about you," Hypno Steve replied.
"Thanks, I couldn't of asked for a better mentor than you. Yeah, Sabre and the others have taught me a lot too, but you taught me to be a leader, a leader of a kingdom. I don't see you as Hypno, I see you as my teacher, my best friend," M warmly responded back as he turns back round and walks through the portal. As everyone else, including Hypno Steve's dear apprentice had walked through, Hypno Steve looks around him as everything is collapsing. This is what Hypno Steve foreseen, the end. Anything past that is a grey area to him, whatever happens past that, he doesn't know. Even if they all did succeed, Hypno Steve still wouldn't be free.
Everyone else are now inside the Madness Dimension. In the centre of the place, there is a pile of blocks, magma, bedrock, obsidian, and the pitch black blocks Hypno Steve went into further detail on. The whole sky is pitch black, and the only sound in the background are inconsistent lightning strikes.
"Woah... this... is the Madness Dimension?" Sabre gasped as he looks around him, as everyone else is looking at the surroundings. Everywhere, there is floating blocks of magma, bedrock, obsidian and the pitch patch blocks, only being clearly visible by being infront of the other different blocks. On top of the chunks of magma are also on fire. These chunks of blocks go on endlessly, forever, in all directions. Where everyone is standing, they are on an island made entirely of bedrock.
"This place is super eerie... I don't like it..." Starlight quietly spoke, shivering, not because she's cold as the dimension is incredibly hot, it's because she's scared, everyone's certainly scared as well.
"What happens if we don't succeed mummy?" Dinky quietly quivered.
"It'll be okay... my little muffin... it'll be okay... don't wowry..." Derpy quietly whispered as she replied, shaking, and hugging her daughter tight with her left forehoof. Dinky does the same with her left forehoof, tightly hugging her mother back.
"I believe we can do this. We have a plan. Our kingdoms, our homes, everyone out there is relying on us. We must stick to the plan," Said the Yellow Leader.
"I'm scared... how do we get out..."
"Sweetie Belle, it's okay, we have each other. Whatever happens, we have each other," Sabre spoke in a quieter and slower tone. Sweetie Belle, shaking uncontrollably, looks to Fluttershy as she began speaking.
"I'm... I'm scared too..." Everyone is shaking, the dimension alone is enough to make them shake. They haven't even seen Madness Steve yet, not since he became completely free from the Madness Dimension. If their attempt to reform Madness Steve back to Calmness Steve fails, everyone doesn't know what would happen, but they do know one thing, that would be the last thing they all would ever do.
"This entire time, I've tried to hide how scared I truly was... but I can't anymore..." Rainbow Dash quivered, tears running down her face, unable to hide how scared she truly was anymore, fear eroding away at the mask that hid the dread within her, mentally and physiologically breaking down.
"We all are, and it's okay to be scared, Rainbow Dash. But we have to keep going. There's four paths, do we split up, or do we stick together?" Sabre notices there is 4 thick floating paths, also made completely with bedrock, inconsistently curving, mostly left and right.
"We should all probably stick together. We'd easily get lost if we go alone. Plus, we'll have each other's presence to feel a little more at ease," M suggested.
"Wished we had Red Steves back at the Rainbow Kingdom, their wisdom would've been very useful in certain situations that occurred there," The Green Leader said to himself.
"I sense two gateways of sorts connecting. I say we go this way," The Indigo Leader suggested, pointing his right hand at the path on the right infront of him.
"I do as well, I say we should follow Indigo's lead," Elemental Steve stated, nodding in agreement with the Indigo Leader.
"I'm with Indigo and Elemental. They know their connection stuff," Dark Steve also agreed. Everyone else also agreed, and began walking on the bedrock path they all agreed on. As everyone starts to walk, Sabre, turning around to make sure everyone is keeping up, spots 2 others, who definitely weren't there as everyone went through that massive portal. Nobody else notices due to the dark surroundings of the Madness Dimension, but Sabre did. He slowly tries to get behind everyone else as they move forward, and once everyone is distant enough, Sabre turns back round to the 2 beings.
"Shadow, Pony of Shadows, what are you doing here? After you two tried attacking me and Derpy, you two went back in the sword. How are you here, how is this possible?" Sabre aggressively questioned.
"Of course we did. But, everything is falling apart. Even you are falling to everything Madness is doing," Shadow Sabre replied.
"Again, with the darkness, you could've stopped this. We could've stopped this. But now, nothing can stop Madness Steve. Even the might of the darkness pales in comparison to what he can do. Madness Steve has destroyed and wiped the existence of beings with boundless power, beings with omnipotence... even they are just mere subjects to be dealt with," Said the Pony of Shadows. Sabre looks to his shadow as he began speaking.
"Even the areas in your mind are collapsing, as the areas in everyone's mind. This will continue, for an eternity, until everything you know and care about is no more. But it doesn't matter, because we are free again. I wonder if we speak to your friends, will it delay whatever it is they're trying to achieve?Would it distract them from their goal... would it distract you?"
"Both of you, don't you dare- Stay away from them! I'll just take you back into the sword, Pony of Shadows. As for you, Shadow, I'll just trap you inside of my head again. I've let you roam around long enough! The only reason you still have influence is because of the sword, which I intended to destroy, but all this happened. But either way, I'll deal with you two right now!" Sabre snapped, everyone else along the path getting further and further away.
"Whatever you do Sabre, it won't work, not while this is going on," The Pony of Shadows responded.
"It will, because I'm gonna stop it- My friends are gonna stop it- We all are gonna stop it! We're gonna reform Madness Steve back to who he was, and once we do, he'll be Calmness Steve again. Then everything will revert back to how it was!" Sabre shouted, getting louder ever so slightly with each sentence.
"Do you truly believe that? Do you truly believe that deep down Sabre? Even with all the information given to you, you still don't understand that you were part of a loop. Hypno spoke to me, when he was messing about with your mind. The loop has been broken. Even if you achieve your goal, even if your friends achieve their goal, everything will eventually cease to of ever happened. But yet, if you don't, and let Madness do this for all of eternity, you still get to speak to them ponies for just a little longer. Such a catch twenty two, wouldn't you say... Sabre? Maybe in these final moments, you'll find comfort in the darkness," Shadow Sabre chuckled.
"Whether that is true or not, we're prepared to cross that bridge when it comes to it. Twilight said she could send me back in time to start this... loop back up. Not only that, what you never understood, is that friendship and love matters, something you'd never understand. You and I are alike, but are so different. Either way, I won't let you, Shadow, or your new buddy get to me," Sabre replied.
"We aren't buddies, we are one, Sabre. The darkness between our realities have become one. I am technically an extension of you as well now. Imagine if you listened to our proposal to join the darkness, no one would've been able to compare to your power, not even Discord could dream and crave the power you could've held. Stygian, who you don't know, you would've been even more powerful than he ever was when he had the darkness. You could've repeatedly kept Madness Steve's False Form at bay at your will, and rule with an iron fist. Wasted opportunity there Sabre, but oh well, I guess we're going down together," The Pony of Shadows chuckled.
"This world? No. This universe? No. The two realities? No. All realities are coming to an end Sabre. Whether I'm here or not, the fact you see both of us means Madness is affecting your mind. Maybe us both are here, maybe we should speak to your friends, and show them that even the darkness is coming back... returning... another problem on the list of issues to be dealt with-"
"I don't care Shadow. The darkness will never rise again, not now, not later, never-" Shadow Sabre continues talking over Sabre.
"Your situation is so unique, one of the rare few able to witness the end, while so many have already fallen. You witnessed Ponyville, and it's destruction, an asteroid, the size... comparable that of a mass extinction event, destroying all life, what was once living. That is just only the beginning. Not just asteroids, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, but much more, fallen upon everywhere. You'll witness all of it. You will see all of it, until there is nothing. While I'm being tortured, it's... comforting that I'll be tortured along seeing you being tortured Sabre. I will be the only one you'll be able to speak to. You will be alone, again, stuck with just me, for an eternity..."
"I don't care- Just-"
"Sabre, are you okay?" Twilight asked, poking her hood. Sabre jumps as he turns around, then turns around again, Shadow Sabre and the Pony of Shadows no longer there.
"Yeah... I'm fine, Twilight," Sabre replied.
"If you like to talk about it, we can, just me and you," Twilight lightly said.
"Thanks, Twilight, but I'm alright. Let's catch up with the others," Sabre responded. Twilight nodded. Sabre and Twilight, with haste, walks back up along the bedrock path.
Sabre and Twilight has caught up with everyone else. The path all of a sudden ends, everything past that, there is a square that's pitch black.
"So... who wants to go in first? I am certainly not!" Therapist Green Steve exclaimed.
"Me neither," Apple Bloom firmly stated.
"How do we know if it leads us anywhere?" Scootaloo questioned, looking at the Indigo Leader.
"I don't know, but I know it leads us, somewhere," The Indigo Leader replied.
"Dinky, stay here okay, I'll go first." Derpy is the first to go through and she immediately disappears once she fully gone through. She then comes back through.
"There's this path... that lukes like an L," Said Derpy. Sabre goes through the pitch black square to see for himself, and also comes back.
"Derpy is right everybody, there is a path. However, it's a lot more narrow, and there is nothing around. Everyone, in single file, we don't want to knock anyone off into whatever is below," Sabre instructed. Everyone gets into a long single file of 26, Sabre at the front and Light Steve at the back. The line goes in this order, Sabre, Dark Steve, Derpy, Dinky, the leaders in colour order of a rainbow, M (Red) to Violet, Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Therapist Green Steve, Time Steve, Elemental Steve and Light Steve. Sabre, leading everyone, walks forward, through the pitch black square. The bedrock path is now just 3 blocks thick. Sabre, trying to keep in the middle, walks forward. The path goes in an L shape to the left, so Sabre turns left once he reaches there. He then walks, walks and walks, everyone following Sabre. Meanwhile, inconsistent lightning continues striking in the background, making everyone jump almost every time.
(A literal day later)
Everyone has been walking for a whole day, without rest. If they did, there was the chance of accidentally rolling off of the very narrow path. However, the bigger sisters of the CMC let them get on their backs so they could sleep and get rest. Derpy did the same for Dinky. They're fillies still growing up. Everypony didn't feel comfortable letting them come, but they also knew there weren't any getting around them, and it's too late to go back now.
"We've been walking for ages!" Rarity moaned, panting whilst trying to not slow down.
"Are we there yet Sabre?" Pinkie Pie yelled over, yawning afterwards.
"I don't know, it just... it- It just keeps going. I'll let you all know if I see anything okay," Sabre yelled over back. Then in the distance, there are 2 blurry yellow glows.
"Hey everyone, I see something!" Sabre exclaimed, somehow still having the energy, he ran in the same direction he has been walking.
"About time!" Starlight shouted. Everyone else speeds up to keep up, but unable to full on run. Meanwhile, as Sabre got closer, the 2 yellow glows are fires, lit on blocks of magma, surrounded by a hollow blackstone brick dish, supported up by polished blackstone poles. As they got closer, a building emerged out of the pitch black darkness. Ahead is a 3 by 3 entrance, with no door. Inside, the path is obsidian, a single strip of bedrock on each side, and then a single strip of fire, a block apart from each other, separated by a block of bedrock. On the outside, there's a very thick overhanging edge made of bedrock, and 2 blocks above that is polished blackstone roofing. On each side on the outside, blue fire could be seen.
"Guys, I think we've made it to our stop," Sabre slowly, but loudly said. As everyone else got closer, they could see the structure.
"There's a pillar supporting it below. This building must be much larger than what we're seeing," Rarity stated. She notices a 3 by 3 thick pillar of bedrock.
"Yeah, this place is probably so massive that we can't even see it all, plus it's super super dark- No pun intended by the way," Said Dark Steve.
"CMC, wakey up, it looks like we're here," Said Applejack. Whilst yawning, the CMC slowly got off, then yawns. Dinky also then gets off her mothers back. Everyone else waits a few minutes, just letting the CMC and Dinky slowly wake up.
"Alright everybody, let's go inside of this building," Sabre said as he passes through the 3 by 3 space. On each side, the whole wall is made of the pitch black blocks, a slit in them and blue fire outside each slit for every other block. The roof above looks like the back of a skeleton, but the vertebrae and ribs being made of polished blackstone, and the gaps between each rib having tinted glass, which blocked off most light from escaping, which kept the outside almost completely pitch black. Everyone then eventually gets inside the structure and they continue to walk.
They all then reach a hallway of sorts. The obsidian path goes off in 3 directions, to the left, to the right and straight ahead. The path straight ahead, there is a polished blackstone wall, a single block tall, being on the bedrock blocks that are on the edge. To the left and right ahead, there is the polished blackstone wall going across as well. Over the wall is a lot of fire, and a single bit of blue fire on each side, inside a pitch black cuboid. Further ahead over the polished blackstone walls is also lava, but it's black. On each side, the shape is the same. From the other side, it makes some sort of L shape, connecting into a right angle triangle. The rest of what's over is a bottomless pit, nothing but pitch black. Ahead on the other side, there are 5 paths instead of 3. There's a path to the left, to the right, and 3 on the same bedrock wall straight ahead. On the wall straight ahead, between the path to the left, the path straight ahead and the path to the right are tall polished blackstone torches. Above, there are hollow tinted glass pyramids, chains dangling down from the highest point in them, holding lit polished blackstone lanterns, the rest of the ceiling being made of bedrock. The further they ventured, the more fear built up inside everyone.
"Can't tell what's worse, the world below or this," Said Elemental Steve.
"To be honest, the Demon Steves weren't that bad... well, if you compare them to Madness that is," Time Steve responded. Everyone then makes it to the other side.
"Okay, which way do we go now?" Therapist Green Steve wondered.
"There's a set of stairs on each side. It looks like they go down to the same area. I say we check that out, before we go straight on," Sabre suggested. Everyone agreed with Sabre.
"I think we should only have a few go down. It'll save more time," Time Steve suggested to the group.
"And it'd be more efficient, as we won't be barging one and another," The Yellow Leader added to Time Steve.
"Yeah, I'll go down there. Who else would like to come? I'll need at least five others to come with me," Sabre asked. The 5 volunteers are Time Steve, Elemental Steve, Twilight, Spike, and Starlight.
"Okay, we all good? Let's go down, come on everybody, let's go," Sabre said as he, Time Steve, Elemental Steve, Twilight, Spike and Starlight walks down a set of stairs made of polished blackstone slabs, 3 blocks wide, 2 blocks long.
"So uh... how much did I miss?" Spike wondered
"You missed a lot, Spike. But now's not the time to explain," Time Steve replied.
"To be honest, I don't think you'd wanna know what went on," Starlight replied to Spike.
"After everything is fine again Spike, and you still really want to know, I'll explain it to you," Twilight responded. Everyone got down to the bottom of the stairs, and then turns right, as to the left is just a tall tinted glass window. To the right, there is a square-shaped room. The path is obsidian again, and 3 by 3. In the middle, the path splits off into 3 ways, in a cross shape. In each of the 4 corners there's a 3 by 3 pool of black lava, lava pouring down from above into the middle. The paths to the left and right leads to a room, whereas the path straight ahead leads to the set of stairs that are on the other side.
"It looks like to the left and right goes to two different areas. There's two paths, and six of us. I say we split off as a three and meet back here after a bit. What do you all say?" Sabre asked.
"Yeah, it will cover more stuff quickly," Spike replied. They all agreed which direction to go. Sabre, Starlight and Spike went to the left. Time Steve, Elemental Steve and Twilight went to the right.
The room Sabre, Starlight and Spike has the whole floor made of obsidian. There are chairs, with a table, all made of polished blackstone. The whole wall around the room is made of tinted glass, showing nothing but the pitch blackness outside. In the middle of the table are some lit black candles.
"Hmm, looks like nothing is here. Just some... chairs, and a table," Said Sabre.
"Aren't we meant to be looking for Madness Steve?" Spike reminded Sabre.
"Yes Spike, we are. Just that um, well, Madness probably knows we're here- I mean, it's his home. This is where he's lived for so long," Sabre replied.
"However though, maybe- Not maybe, definitely... definitely, we should just all chill after all this is over, enjoy life. I don't know why, but it seems we all just meet and do stuff when things are falling apart. After this, we should just have a day out with everyone. *Looks at Spike* Spike, I haven't actually known you for too long as well, with everything that went down. I'm sorry you had to go through all that."
"It's not on you Sabre, don't worry about it," Spike replied.
"Yeah, anyways, the other three should be done by now-" Sabre as well as Starlight and Spike could hear Time Steve and Twilight loudly speaking, both sounding competitive.
"I can read books faster than you!"
"I can read twice the amount of books you've ever read in your entire life in under five seconds!"
"Okay um... Starlight? Do you mind if you uh... go get Time and that? We need to regroup with the others back upstairs," Sabre stated. Starlight nodded as she walks to the opposite room and collects Time Steve, Elemental Steve and Twilight. Time Steve and Twilight have calmed down.
"Okay look, we need to go back up upstairs alright. Follow me, come on," Sabre said as he walks back out to the room with the pits of lava in each 4 corners, the other 5 following Sabre, who then turns left, going back up the stairs they came down on.
"Hey Sabre, did you find anything down there?" Light asked.
"Not much Light, just a room with chairs around a table," Sabre replied.
"There was also a small library that just happens to have bookshelves, with infinite space from the looks of it," Starlight also replied.
"That's something in common you could share with him Twilight. Madness Steve must like reading, and you do too," Fluttershy suggested.
"That's a good idea there Fluttershy," Sabre responded.
"It looks like we've got one way left to go, and it's to go down that main corridor, and I don't like the look of it," Said the Blue Leader. Everyone starts heading through the main corridor, the path straight ahead from the entrance in and that incredibly long bedrock path outside. The path in the corridor is 9 blocks wide, on the very edge up against the wall either side is blue fire. The 7 blocks in the middle of the massive path is made of tinted glass, below being black lava. Above everyone, there is also a 7 block wide piece of tinted glass, with black lava above. In the black lava both above and below, letters in the Galactic Language are imprinted with magma, and the type of glass being red stained glass instead where the magma is, the characters of the letters being 5 by 5 at widest. Lastly, the walls have a diamond pattern of pitch black blocks and bedrock. Everyone starts walking down the path. At the end of the corridor is a massive tinted glass dome, magma blocks dotted around on the glass, up until in the middle at the top, where it is completely pitch black. In the middle of the dome on the ground is a circle made of bedrock, with 4 polished blackstone dishes on each corner, then a single block thick circle around going inside. In the middle is a throne, the throne itself being made of polished blackstone and the part where you sit being made of the pitch black blocks. Surrounding it is fire, both orange and blue, the closer to the throne being more orange, and the further away being more blue. On each side, just outside the dome is a replica Madness Steve's face on each side, being 6 blocks tall and 8 blocks wide.
"Huh? Where is he? He ain't here... so where?" Sabre wondered. Instantly, Madness Steve appears on the throne, no lightning from teleporting, not even teleporting at all, just appearing out of nowhere. Everyone steps back, away from Madness Steve, especially Dinky, who Madness Steve traumatized beyond mental and psychological repair. Derpy gets infront of Dinky, making her daughter feel sightly safer, although it's pointless to a being beyond the concept of omnipotence and omnipresence. The mane 6 got infront of the CMC, who are shivering. The one that steps in front of everyone else is Sabre.