The door slammed shut, four people in the room. One was grimacing, acting intimidating. It was the red-head, Petra. Her fiery personality burned brightly. Two people were solemn, their faces telling no secrets. The last one had gone pale, his hair ghast-white with fear.
"I'm telling you, you've got the wrong guy! Honest, I would never hurt anyone. You've got to believe me!" DanTDM pleaded. "If anyone's been wronged here, it's me! That enchanted flint and steel everyone's talking about? I found that, it's mine! At least, it was, before someone stole it."
Jesse merely hummed in response, ready to use whatever he reveals for or against him.
It was quiet, nobody speaking aloud. People were in groups of those they knew personally and trusted. The YouTubers and Cassie stood over to the right of the door, staring intensely at each other. Even after all their years together, they didn't trust one another. Me and Midnight's groups stood to the left of the door, keeping away from the drama of the potential murderers. Petra leaned on the wall beside the door, acting as a bodyguard. While most of us stayed close to the door, me and Lukas were at the other side of the room. Lukas was standing by the kitchen door, I sat in a chair a while away from him.
It went about the same as usual. Well, however 'usual' this could possibly be, what with there being way more people than before. The other Petra would go in and out to bring the suspects around the place like normal. Throughout the process, I was just sitting there. It was like being in a hospital waiting room, there was minimal talking, a ton of people, and it took absolutely forever. Every now and again, I'd look over at Lukas. Oddly enough, he seemed troubled. Then again, Midnight's looked even more troubled. I honestly don't know how we are able to tell them apart, we must just know them decently enough.
'I can't even imagine how nerve-wracking this must be for the other group…'
Nonetheless, I couldn't help but try.
'...If I were in that seat, what would happen to me? Would the gang think I'm the murderer? I haven't been around as long as the others, what if they don't trust me as much as I think they do?'
Of course, my thoughts were foolish.
Hopefully Midnight was doing okay.
Eventually, Lukas caught me staring. I cast away my gaze as soon as it met his, trying to act less like I was staring at him like a creep. When will I finally realize that it's a terrible idea to stare at people? Unfortunately, he didn't look away. Instead, he kept staring at me with an odd look on his face. After a few seconds of gawking at me, he smirked and looked away. It was at that moment, I knew exactly what he was doing. He was teasing me!
My face flushed.
'What a jerk he is, messing with me for worrying!'
I didn't really know what to do, so I walked up to him. I moved in front of him with my arms crossed. As I glared at him, he smiled.
"Hey," He said, grinning like an idiot.
He knows I can't stay mad at him, and he's using it against me!
"Hi," I replied.
Despite his bright expression, I could still see a troubled look in his eyes. He was just as worried as me, what a hypocrite.
"So, uh, what have you been up to?" I mumbled.
"I was just looking at this thing," He gestured to his portrait.
"Y'know, I never got a good look at this thing."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, and I honestly think I should. How about right now?"
"Oh, it's fine, it's really nothing."
"Nah, I think I should."
"Oh no, you don't have to-"
"No no, I really, really, think I should."
"But-"
I spun around and took a few moments to really take in the beauty of this glorious portrait.
"It's great, absolutely beautiful."
"I.. don't quite think that's the word."
"It really.. prominates your best assets?"
This made him laugh, a brief state of amusement that swept away any other thought or emotion. His laughter made me beam; I smiled brightly and laughed along with him.
Despite the endless amount of anxiety this place brought me, I shut it all out. Me and Lukas' mere closeness soothed me, if only a little. It said he was sticking around. It said he was my friend.
Maybe someday, he'd be more.
…Like best friends.
After a bit longer, Midnight's interrogation was finally over. She, along with her Jesse and Petra, left the room. My Jesse followed shortly after, his face uncharacteristically solemn. Like Jesse's, Midnight's expression was unreadable. Or at least, I couldn't see it from the other end of the room. For all I knew, she could have been an open book if seen up close. I simply assumed otherwise. Nonetheless, it was impossible to estimate how it went.
"So, have you decided?" Asked Stacy.
"Yes, who do you think the white pumpkin really is?" Piped up Stampy.
"Now hold on, hold on everyone." The other Jesse said. "First of all, I want to thank everyone for answering our questions. There's still not 100% proof of anyone, but…"
"But?"
"Yes, where are your suspicions leading, Jesse?" The other Ivor questioned.
Lizzy spoke up immediately, "Jesse was definitely questioning Stampy the longest."
"What? No!" Protestested Stampy.
"Dan was in there way longer!" Accused Stacy.
"Hey, not cool!" Dan responded.
"Guys, guys, come on..." Cassie reasoned.
And finally, after all his silence, my Jesse spoke up.
"I don't think there's evidence to accuse anyone yet."
"What?" Gasped Cassie.
"Yeah, that's surprising," Mumbled Petra.
The other Jesse nodded, then said, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to accuse anyone unless I'm 100% sure, and I'm not."
"Wow, way to take a bold stance, Jesse," Cassie Muttered.
"Well, I for one am not comfortable being surrounded by possible killers. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to barricade myself in the library for my own safety." Stated Dan.
"Fine, suit yourself," Grumbled Lizzy.
"Yeah, I'm more in the 'safety in numbers' camp myself. Heh…" Stampy mumbled.
Having the answer they wanted, the YouTubers left.
"Well, that certainly was some excitement," Muttered Ivor.
"Yeah, no kidding," The other Lukas agreed.
"If the White Pumpkin is still around though…" Started the other Petra. "They might be trying to set up more traps. We need to figure out how these things work. Like, we know that the Sparklez trap was triggered by those buttons under the table, but what about the trap that turned Torque Dawg into a pincushion? If we figure out how these things work, we might be able to find more proof about who the White Pumpkin is, how they're operating…"
My Jesse burst out, "It must have been triggered from nearby, just like the table buttons!"
"Sounds like we need to investigate near the traps then," Stated Ivor.
"You guys go on ahead, I'm going to stay here and keep an eye on these other people. I don't want them trying anything when we're not looking," Explained Lukas.
"Thanks, Lukas."
In the end, both Lukas and the other Lukas agreed to stay and watch the door. Of course, that would make things a mighty bit more complicated later, but that didn't matter right now.
Realizing something, I walked over to Midnight.
"Whatever happens, we have to make sure you are as far away from the chase scene as possible. We can't have you being framed or something."
"Okay," She replied.
The two groups talked by themselves to make this far less confusing, thankfully.
"Back into the kitchen. So, what are we looking for, exactly?"
"This whole house could be full of traps.. I just want to make sure this place is safe before someone else gets hurt," Replied Jesse.
"An excellent plan!" Praised Ivor.
Jesse moved away and talked to the other Jesse, them both going off together to look for clues. It didn't take long for them to notice the eyes of the creeper portrait.. or the lack thereof.
"Does this painting have.. eyeholes?"
"Oh, yeah, how'd I not notice that before?" Questioned the other Petra.
"Seems worth taking a closer inspection," Suggested Ivor.
So, Jesse punched it.
"Oh!"
For some reason, the main two thought it was a good idea to climb into it despite all the things that could possibly go wrong.
"It's some sort of secret passageway! Very clever," Exclaimed the other Ivor. "What do you suppose that lever does?"
"Okay everyone, make sure you're nowhere near that arrow trap!"
Everyone collectively backed away, huddled uncomfortably close to one another. Poison green arrows flew from the ceiling, embedding themselves into the stone floor.
"More of those potion-covered arrows, nasty," Muttered Petra.
Said floor then plummeted into the earth, then flew back up to retake it's past position.
Ivor stated, "Well, seems like we found out how the White Pumpkin killed TorqueDawg."
"Yeah, and how he's getting around the house," The other Jesse added.
"I assume we're investigating the creepy passageway?" Asked Petra.
"I think we've come too far to turn around now."
The other Jesse then began to climb up the latter, swiftly followed by my Jesse.
"Well, after you then," Grumbled the other Ivor.
We all followed behind them, forming a long line of people trailing through a murderer's labyrinth. Doesn't really seem that safe, now does it?
"I hope Dan's okay locked up in the library," The other Petra worried aloud. "We could've put them in even bigger danger, what if there are even more traps in there?"
"Well, even if it isn't the right person, at least he'll be safe," Replied Jesse.
Eh, debatable.
"I.. guess that makes sense."
"Sort of?" Mumbled Ivor.
We stopped infront of another painting.
"What do you think that is?" Pondered Jesse.
"A.. painting?" I replied jokingly.
"Look, a lever!" Ivor said distractedly.
"The amount of redstone wiring that must be hidden in this place.. amazing." Exclaimed the other Ivor.
"Ooh, mystery lever, I wonder what it does?" Pondered my Jesse.
"You're not going to pull it, are you?" Questioned the other Petra.
"No..?"
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Ivor whispered quite loudly, "Don't feel bad, I was tempted too."
The other Jesse stepped up to the painting and stared through.
"See anything that this lever might be connected to?" Asked the other Ivor.
"It's the library, I see Dan locked in there.."
I could hear the faint mumble of Lizzie and Dan talking.
"The White Pumpkin.. he's in there!"
"Then let's go kick his butt!" Exclaimed Petra.
And so, Jesse punched through another painting. We rushed through, pulling out our weapons.
"What on earth-?!" Shouted Dan.
Turning towards the painting, Jesse was preparing to attack. Unfortunately, the White Pumpkin was always one step ahead of them. The back of the fireplace opened up, spiders erupting from it. The display before us was quite a bit disturbing, but that's not what matters, so I guess I'll just ignore that. A cage fell in front of the door, causing sounds of worry and distress to come from the other side of it. The two blonds must've just realized they couldn't open the door.
"Spiders, They're everywhere!"
More murmurs of talking from the other side of the door, then thundering footsteps descending.
The other Jesse and my Jesse ran to the painting and smashed it. The rest of us ran to help Lizzy and Dan. There were spiders everywhere, more than in the game. There were at least five per person, we could barely move through the room without getting bit. I got knocked around quite a bit, but I quickly regained my footing and fought to the best of my extent. Due to the amount, we couldn't reach each other to help. Surprisingly, Lizzie survived. However, that caused a chain reaction. Several spiders pounced on Dan at once, toppling him over and putting him in a place of weakness. They kept attacking and attacking, not giving him even a chance at a fair fight. We could hear his screams, but no one could do anything. He flashed red, then poofed out of existence.
"ENJOYING THE PARTY?"
Everyone turned in sync. The two Jesses were fighting the White Pumpkin. Obviously, we had to help them-
"Ouch! What…"
I looked down to see the sharp fangs of a spider in my leg. I wriggled my leg, trying to get it off of me. It flew through the room, smacking against the wall and dying.
'Oh right, there's spiders.'
The White Pumpkin disappeared through the fireplace, the two leaders right on his tail. The trapdoor shut behind them.
"Jesse, are you okay?!" Called Petra.
"We have to break through!" Shouted the other Ivor.
It took a bit, but with all seven of us, we managed to break open the cage blocking the door. The trapdoor hadn't been an option, it was too tough. We rushed through the doors to try and find Jesse, meeting up with the YouTubers soon after. Together, we rushed into the room that kept our four companions.
"What's going on in here?!" Shouted the other Petra.
I must say, it was an odd display. One Lukas, mine, had a pumpkin in his hands. A bruise was on his neck, which he rubbed lightly as he adjusted to the pain. The other Lukas seemed to be having a hard time getting his footing, he must have been hit in the leg or something. The Jesses were mighty disoriented, the White Pumpkin having disappeared without a trace.
A loud gasp was heard from Stampy, followed up by him shouting, "You've caught the White Pumpkin! Grab him, quick!"
"On it!" Yelled Stacy.
Stacy, Stampy and Cassie moved forward, but were blocked by the two leaders.
"It wasn't him," Grumbled Jesse.
The other Jesse reasoned, "My friend was there with him the entire time, it couldn't have been him."
"Well, then, it's both of them!" Argued Stacy.
I saw Lukas look at me. I didn't originally want to intervene, but now I felt as though I had to. Never hurts to stick up for your friend, right?
I asserted, "Lukas wasn't even at one of the buttons! How could it possibly be him?"
"Look, these horrible things only started happening when your groups got here! And now.. Dan is gone too."
"I say we throw them outside and let nature take its course!" Cassie grumbled, totally not seeming like a psychopath or anything…
"What? 'Outside' outside?!"
"Where all the googlies are?!"
"No, you can't do that!" The other Jesse shouted.
"I don't know guys," Lizzie mumbled. "They tried to save us. It feels wrong to throw their friends out to the zombies."
Both leaders let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you!" Exclaimed my Jesse. "See? You all heard Lizzie, right?"
"Fine," Sighed Cassie.
Both of the blonds thanked her, which she simply ignored.
"Don't go celebrating yet we've still got to do something with you to make sure you're not roaming around freely."
"Like what?" Asked my Lukas. "Lock us up in a closet or something?"
'And.. he jinxed it.'
"There was a closet in the main hall with a lovely iron door, seems like a perfect place to lock someone up!"
"Oh, well… I mean, I was mostly joking-"
"I guess that's fair. But I'm keeping guard, because I still don't trust him."
Everyone went silent.
"...You guys okay with that?" Asked my Jesse.
'Well obviously they're not gonna be…'
My Lukas simply shrugged.
The other Lukas mumbled, "Well, I'd prefer not being locked in a closet…"
"It's fine, Jesse, I'll look over them," Reassured the other Ivor.
"Yeah, I will too," Said my Ivor.
"Looks like someone's growing attached…" I teased.
He glared at me.
'Well, goodbye cruel world, Ivor is going to murder me in my sleep.'
"Come on, Cassie."
She stared at us, then at him. Reluctantly, she followed him, a sound of frustration escaping her throat.
"Don't get any funny ideas, blond guy! This isn't because I like you or anything."
"No, of course not," Lukas said, grinning.
"Quiet, prisoners aren't supposed to talk!" Scolded Cassie.
Then, they left. That's four less allies, definitely more harm than help.
"Okay, well what are we supposed to do now?" Asked the other Petra.
"Somehow the White Pumpkin was able to escape that room when the two chased him into it. We need to figure out how he did that," The other Jesse replied.
"Sounds like a plan to me."
If you know me well, you'll know I get bored easily. So, I went to bug Midnight.
"Hey, Midnight!"
"Oh, hey!" She replied.
I told her about my Admin book, all the ripped pages and such. I didn't really show her the non-ripped pages, since I didn't want to spread misinformation to her universe, since there's a chance the Admins in her world are different than the ones in this world.
It didn't take long for the leaders to go over to the White Pumpkin portrait and smash it mercilessly. Everyone gasped dramatically for no reason whatsoever.
"Whoa, another secret passage." The other Jesse Remarked.
The two leaders walked into the secret passage and messed with the item-frames, unlocking the iron door before them.
"Oh wow, you got it open!" Exclaimed Stampy.
"Yeah, you guys should stay here, it could be dangerous," Said the other Petra.
"No, I totally want to follow you into your friends' creepy secret passageways," Sassed Stacy.
Of course, my Petra was stubborn, so the two leaders and the two Petras all went in. I didn't really know what to do, so I went in too. I assume that Midnight followed us in, but I don't really know when. I was too busy watching everyone ladder-build racing.
…Petra won, if you're wondering.
"See? Told you we'd make it!" Said my Jesse.
"Yeah, I just hope that this works…" Replied Petra.
"You think we're gonna find the White Pumpkin down here?" The other Petra asked her Jesse.
"I'll be honest, I hope we do," He replied. "And this time he's not walking away with just a scar on his mask."
"Brutal, I like it."
"Hey, do you guys hear…" Started my Jesse.
"Lots and lots of zombies?" Asked the other Petra. "Yeah, I do. Starting to smell them, too."
"I'm sure everyone can agree," Said Midnight.
We walked out in front of some cages, which caused the inhabitants of said cages to rush up to the bars and start pounding.
"Well, that explains all the zombie noises," My Petra mumbled.
"What's that?" Asked the other Petra, staring at the random pond in the middle of the next room.
"I think this is where all the stuff goes after those hoppers upstairs suck it up," Explained the other Jesse.
"I suppose that makes sense. That means this is Dan's stuff, right?" I asked.
The stuff drifted down into the water, collecting in hoppers and gliding up a tube.
"Okay, but where's the loot going from here?" Questioned my Petra.
"Hopefully right to the White Pumpkin," Replied the other Jesse.
My Jesse asked, "Hey, you see the light coming out of that tunnel too, right?"
I replied, "Yeah, and it seems less zombie-inhabited than the others."
"If we can get up there I think we might be able to follow the loot to wherever it's going," Said the other Jesse.
"Well that's awesome, nice find!" Praised the other Petra.
"Grab some dirt, guys, we're going climbing."
We collected the dirt mound in the back of the room, then built up to the pipe. We had built a two by two due to the lack of blocks, so Midnight and I were very close to falling.
"Okay, I think we can jump from here," Said Petra.
And then a spider crawled up the back of the tower, right where me and Midnight were barely holding on. This caused the leaders to jump off immediately, the Petras following suit. They almost fell, but they made it. While Midnight jumped, I focused on the spider. I did what any logical person would, I punted it. Then I jumped. I was very disoriented, but luckily I didn't fall.
Once we all caught our footing, we walked ahead into this creepy lair thing. That seems like a great idea. There's also an odd amount of hissing and meowing.
"Weird, that almost sounds like..."
"Cats?"
My Jesse turned the corner, then let out a shriek. He then proceeded to punch off the head of an armor stand. He immediately quieted down. We kept walking, finding a little farm with white pumpkins growing.
"It's just some sort of growing station, weird," Said Petra.
We heard footsteps and turned. A large black shadow with cat ears grew on the hallway wall.
"The White Pumpkin must have heard us!" Panicked Jesse.
The other Jesse didn't say anything, pulling out his weapon and listening. The supposed White Pumpkin turned the corner, letting out a shriek.
"Stampy Cat?!" Questioned Petra.
"Boy, you gave me a fright! What are you guys doing down here?" Asked Stampy.
"We're trying to catch the White Pumpkin," Said the other Jesse.
"Oh, I was afraid of that…" Stampy mumbled. "I needed to find you because I have something important to tell you! I have something to confess, something I haven't told anyone."
"...Where is this going?" Asked Petra.
He pulled out an enchanted flint and steel, tinted green.
"I stole it from Dan. It was just supposed to be a joke, a harmless prank, but then… Well, you've seen what happened."
"Wow, didn't see that one coming," Mumbled Jesse.
"Definitely suspicious," Said the other Petra.
"I know!" Shrieked Stampy. "That's why I had to keep it a secret! I may be a thief, but I'm no killer! But that White Pumpkin is, and he's killing people for it! And now we're down in his lair! I was thinking, maybe I should.. give it to the White Pumpkin."
"What?"
"Just, maybe that would make it all stop, right? Maybe?"
First we need to figure out who this 'White Pumpkin' really is, then we'll figure out what to do from there," Replied the other Jesse.
"I.. I suppose that's a better strategy."
We kept moving forward towards a pair of iron doors.
"That looks like a 'lair door' if ever I saw one," Observed the other Petra.
The other Jesse flipped the lever to the doors and we all stepped through.
"Oh wow!" Awed Jesse.
"Very creepy.." Mumbled Petra.
"I would not put this in my top ten places I've ever been." Grumbled Stampy.
"Well, there's where the meowing's coming from," Said Petra.
"Don't worry, we'll get out of here as soon as we find something that proves the White Pumpkin's identity," Announced the other Jesse.
Then, the leaders went to go do their thing. This time, me and Midnight decided to help. Jesse went over to the chest that happened to have a cat on it, the other Jesse speculated they could lure said cat away with a fish from the pond. So, Midnight and her Jesse collected materials and made a fishing rod. My Jesse and I then took that rod and went fishing, being successful after a few moments. Finally, Jesse placed the fish, alluring all of the cats in the room to that one
"Ugh, cats give me the creeps!" Groaned the other Petra. "No offense, Stampy."
"None taken… I'm not really a cat!" Said Stampy, whispering the second half loudly.
"At least I can finally get in here now," Stated the other Jesse.
Now with the chest cat-free, the other Jesse could open the chest. With triumph, he went and flung open the chest's lid, searching through it for just a moment.
"It's full of portraits, loads of them," He observed aloud.
Placing one on the wall, it was revealed to be a crossed out portrait of Petra- or at least, one of the Petras, but which was not quite obvious.
"Oh, I do not like that," Mumbled my Petra.
"I guess he already had all the x-ed out ones ready to go," Speculated the other Petra.
"There's everyone in there! Even me.." Noticed Midnight.
"Honestly, I kinda want to keep mine," I said jokingly.
"Why?" Asked my Jesse.
"Eh, it's kind of like a souvenir or something. I'd like something to remember this by!"
"But.. why?!"
"I dunno-"
I shrugged, then reached in and took mine, proceeding to pocket it afterward.
"Wait, you're actually taking it?" Questioned Midnight. "I thought you were just kidding."
"Oh, I was, but now I simply feel that I must actually do it."
"...But what does it all mean?" Asked Petra. "The cats, the crossed out portraits…"
"Yeah, the portraits, there was one person who didn't have a crossed-out portrait, someone who's a known cat person," Pondered the other Jesse.
"Okay, so who did it?" Asked Petra.
"Yes, you figured it out?" Wondered Stampy.
"The White Pumpkin.. is Cassie Rose, she's the murderer."
Lightning flashed once more, thunder echoing through the room and spooking the cats.
"Oh man, you're totally right!" Exclaimed Petra.
"I don't believe it," Mumbled Stampy with sorrow.
"Ugh, not only is she the White Pumpkin, but she owns way, way too many cats!" Groaned the other Petra.
"Well, come on you guys!" Shouted my Jesse. "It's time to prove our friends' innocence and catch us a White Pumpkin!"
We walked into the room with the others, hard expressions on our faces.
"I'll go round everyone up!" Said Stampy.
He ran out of the room, determination written upon his face.
"What's going on?" Asked Stacy.
"You were down there for a while," Stated Lizzie. "What's happening?"
"Did you even find anything?"
"Quickly, where's Cassie Rose?" Asked the other Jesse.
"Cassie? What, why?"
"Yeah, what's up?" Replied Cassie.
Intense staring, soon cut off by Stampy walking in.
"No sign of Cassie, but… Oh!"
"Are you going to tell them?" Questioned the other Jesse. "Or should I just do it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The White Pumpkin.. is Cassie Rose. She's the murderer!"
"No way! That can't be true, right?" Asked Lizzie.
"Yeah, Jesse. I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that," Said Cassie, sass very noticeable in her voice. "Look at the facts, we caught Lukas and his weirdo look-alike with that pumpkin head right after poor Dan got taken out! I think you're just lying to protect them."
"Cassie's making a lot of sense, Jesse. Do you have any evidence to back you up?" Lizzie questioned.
"There's something that's been bothering me for a while now, something that happened in the Great Hall shortly after Torque Dawg was hit with that trap," Began the other Jesse.
"What's that?"
"Cassie Rose was already in the room. No one else was there, and Torque Dawg's picture was somehow crossed out."
"That doesn't prove anything, your blond friends are still way guiltier looking!"
"Well, what about what came next? When we were down in the basement, we found some very interesting items, items for the White Pumpkins' evening.. festivities. And there was one very significant detail, The White Pumpkin had portraits all ready to go, pre-x'd out, one for each of us; except for Cassie."
Dramatic gasps filled the room.
"You're doing great,Jesse," Encouraged the other Petra. "Now go in for the kill. Metaphorically."
"But it was the last piece of evidence, dear friends, that helped me really figure out who we were dealing with here. Cats, dozens of calico cats, and they all looked just like Winslow," The other Jesse Revealed.
"An amusing story, Jesse, but if you saw all those supposed cats just like mine, then what color is Winslow?" Questioned Cassie as she moved to hide Winslow. "It shouldn't be a problem if you saw a hundred."
With confidence adding a low thunder to his voice, he replied, "Winslow is black, white, and orange."
Though she already knew the answer, Cassie moved away and stared at Winslow for just a moment.
"Cassie, is this all true?" Asked Stacy.
Instead of letting Cassie say anything, though she definitely would've either lied or said nothing, the other Jesse continued speaking.
"This whole thing has been about your crazy scheme to get a portal key, hasn't it? Killing whoever gets in your way."
For a moment she looked shocked, but that quickly faded as she began clapping, slowly and eerily.
"How very clever, Jesse. Well, I guess that's it then, you caught me. I am the murderer."
A boom of thunder sounded at that very moment.. despite the fact that there were clear skies.
"But what did any of us ever do to you?" Asked my Jesse.
"Directly, nothing, but you idiots had the thing that I most desperately needed. I've been stuck in this stupid world with it's stupid two moons for years! Trapped, with a portal right under my nose, but no key to open it. That is, until I finally heard that this world's portal key had been found. I knew it was one of you, so I tried to earn your friendship, figure out who had it."
"How could you, Cassie?"
"Well, the jokes on you, because Stampy had the portal key the whole time," Said my Jesse.
"What?!" Shouted Lizzie.
'You idiot, what if she went after Stampy now? She obviously could just take his inventory and run away if she wanted to! She has ender pearls, first of all; second of all, she's really fit.'
"...Stampy? Really?" Grumbled Cassie.
"Oh come on, look at the big picture, people! Come on, the big picture!" Stampy scolded.
"We need to do something with you, 'Cassie Rose.'"
"I vote we build an obsidian prison and surround it with lava!"
"No, no, no, no, no! I won't let you do that!" Cassie shrieked. "I can't, no! This is your fault, you did this to me!"
'Woah, what a big shift in character. I always wondered what made her act like that.'
Everyone stepped forward, weapons out. Well, except for me and maybe a couple others, but the majority did.
"I'll fight all of you, each and every one of you! I'll-"
A pit of sand beneath her caved in, plummeting her down as new sand came, burying her alive.
"Another trap, we need to dig her out!" Shouted Stampy, punching the sand out of the way.
"After Everyone she's hurt?" Asked Stacy. "She can dig herself out."
Me and Midnight stayed back, knowing that either way, the outcome is the same.
"Wait, look!" Called Stampy. "I can't believe it, she's gone."
"What a way to go," Said the other Ivor.
"Yeah, I guess in all the chaos, she forgot where her own traps were… Wow," Speculated Petra.
"Poor Cassie," Mumbled Jesse. "She did some terrible things, but no one deserves to be trapped away from home like that."
"If only she just asked us for help, we could have avoided this whole thing," Realized Stampy.
"Hey, it's morning," Said the other Jesse.
We all walked over to the windows and peered out. It was in fact morning, and all the zombies were burning to nothing.
"I guess… I guess that's it then."
"Yeah, we're free!"
"And we're alive," Said the other Ivor. "Let's not waste it standing around; there could still be traps everywhere in here!"
Walking out the front door and into the sunlight was freeing. It felt amazing after all the time we spent cooped up in that mansion.
"Ah, I've never been so happy to smell rotting flesh," Said Ivor.
"Yeah, that is… Yikes, that is pretty rank," Agreed Jesse.
"I feel bad that Dan and Sparklez aren't here to smell it," Sighed Lizzie. "Or Torque Dawg and Cassie, I guess."
"It is really sad that they're gone, but I think they'd be happy that you guys made it out okay," Replied Jesse.
"I think you're right."
"Lucky for us, that portal brought you all here," Said Lizzie.
"Speaking of which, I have no idea how to begin finding our exit portal," Mentioned the other Ivor.
"Well, Cassie said it was right under her nose, right?" Asked Stampy.
"That's true," Agreed the other Jesse. "Maybe it's nearby."
He started walking down the stairs, and we followed.
"Hey, whaddya know, there it is!"
"A fabulous coincidence!" Shouted Ivor.
"So, I guess this is goodbye, huh?" Questioned Stacy.
"Yeah, just let us know if you ever accidentally find yourselves in our world, heh," Said Lukas.
'Wait, when did the blond guys- I mean- the Lukases, get back? They've been silent this whole time, I didn't even notice them!'
"I mean, that's a nice offer and all, but I don't think we'll be portal hoping without a portal key," Sighed Lizzie.
"Oh, well I think Stampy's got you covered there," Pointed out the other Jesse.
"That's right! In all the excitement, I almost forgot about that!"
"It was just meant to be a prank, a harmless prank, and I am so sorry, so very, very sorry!"
"Yeah, come on, it's Stampy! You know he would never actually try to hurt anyone."
"Hey, it's cool, guys. You can share it!" Suggested Jesse. "Make, like, your own Order of the Stone!"
"Yeah, I guess I could live with that."
"Yes, that's a wonderful idea!"
"Well, I'm not great at goodbyes, so… I'm actually just going to start walking home," Stacy explained, walking away. "Thanks for everything."
"Me too, bye you guys!"
"Byeeeeeeeeee!" Shouted Stampy, as he ran, rather oddly, to catch up with his friends.
All of us except Ivor and the other Ivor waved. Which looked rather weird, seeing as we created a sea of arms, due to there being eight of us waving at once.
"What a strange, strange bunch of individuals."
"Cassie Whatsername was talking about being trapped here, from another world… What if she was one of the Old Builders?" Pondered the other Ivor.
"Man, that's too bad if it's true, seeing as she turned out to be.. y'know, the White Pumpkin and all," Sighed the other Jesse.
"Yes, hadn't thought about that…"
"I just can't believe we finally met someone who might be an old builder, and she's a pumpkin-wearing serial killer. Typical," Groaned Petra.
"Well, here we are. Would you like to do the honors, Jesse?" Asked Ivor.
Thus, my Jesse walked up to it. He pulled out his flint and steel, struck it, and.. nothing happened. The fire disappeared, showing no difference to the 'portal.'
"That's weird…"
There was a meow from the top of the portal. Low and behold, it was Winslow.
"Winslow?"
"That's strange, I thought-"
The ground below us caved, and we fell.
Unfortunately, we all fell on eachother.
"Augh, what happened?"
"I can't see."
The lights suddenly powered on, revealing an obsidian room. We were on a platform, a rather small one. Luckily, no one had fallen into the pit below us.
"Well, that's.. ominous," Said the other Lukas.
"Do you hear that?" Asked Ivor.
Underneath us, a swarm of creatures slithered in the pit.
"Endermites!"
Falling would lead to a slow, grueling death. That is, if you didn't die from the height first. Our health was lowered greatly by the first drop, another would be fatal. There was also the fact that I was dumb and left my armor at home.
"And there it is, Jesse! You're trapped, stuck!" Shouted Cassie, her voice echoing through the cavern. She let out a laugh that sounded either crazed, or cliche.
"Come on, Cassie, just let us go and we can go our separate ways," Said Jesse.
"After everything you've done to me? No. I don't know how much time you've spent with endermites, but the poor things are eternally hungry. I would throw the flint and steel up here before I drop you down to find out how sharp their teeth are."
"Ugh, guys, I just realized… I dropped the flint and steel when we fell, I have no idea where it went."
"Me too…"
So neither leader had their flint and steel.
"Uh, tick tock, tick tock, Jesse? What's it gonna be, the flint and steel, or your lives?"
"Okay, you're right, you win. We'll give you the flint and steel, but let us out first."
"Hah, no, I'm not falling for that one. Nope, this is taking too long, I'll just let the endermites eat you and fish it out of your inventory."
She smiled, pulling back on her mask.
"IT'LL BE THE BEST FISHING TRIP EVER!"
There were gasps for some reason.
"WINSLOW, MY PET, ACTIVATE THE TRAP!"
Winslow proceeded to do absolutely nothing. Cassie, muttering to herself, finally went and flipped the switch.
"PREPARE FOR YOUR DEATH."
The platform began to split, breaking into three as more blocks fell. We were all split between the two exits, the other group was on the opposite side of ours, and our group was on the opposite side of theirs. Both leaders pearled up to the control panel. I don't really remember them getting ender pearls, but I suppose I probably wasn't paying much attention.
Jesse pulled the lever, but it just started going faster. It was getting pretty crowded down here.
"Uh, it just started going faster!"
"She booby-trapped her booby-traps? That is so.. paranoid."
The other Jesse, sword already out, removed the lever entirely.
"WHAT, YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD DO IT? JUST LIKE THAT? TRYING TO GET 'LEVERAGE?'"
Okay, I admit, I almost laughed at that.
Cassie jumped down, axe swung over her shoulder, to which they quickly rolled out of the way.
"GIMME THAT KEY!"
Together, the two leaders knocked Cassie into the obsidian chamber. Unfortunately, she still had ender pearls. She quickly teleported out, the leaders already over at the ledge to look for us.
Logically, all eight of us shouldn't have fit on the three blocks down here, but the adrenaline from fearing for your life makes anything possible.
"Guys!" Yelled Jesse. "Holy crap, you're all alive, thank goodness!"
The two of them were smiling wide with relief. They quickly threw down the lever from the control panel, which we used on the door as fast as we possibly could. We ran through the door, up flights of stairs, through a door at the top. It took a long time, we missed much of the battle, but it was worth it.
"WINSLOW, WHERE ARE YOU? WE HAVE TO GO. WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT WANDERING OFF?"
"I think you should give that back, Cassie," Yelled the other Jesse.
"NO, I'M AFRAID NOT."
She pulled a lever and the sand beneath the two leaders began to fall. They ran and leapt, just barely grabbing the ledge. They both hauled themselves up, determination written on their faces.
"I'LL GIVE YOU ONE THING, YOU ARE INCREDIBLY TENACIOUS!"
They sprinted at her, swords in hand. Just as they were about to reach her, she struck the flint and steel, knocking them away. She ran up to them and struck the final blow.. to the flint and steel, blocking them off with fire instead of just killing them, because apparently she didn't learn from her mistakes.
"THAT'S NETHERRACK, JESSE! IT STAYS ON FIRE FOREVER!"
She began walking away triumphantly pulling the lever to the exit.
"WELL, WINSLOW, THAT'S THE LAST OF THE OBSTACLES. WE'RE FINALLY GOING HOME! COME ON, WINSLOW."
And there was the portal in all of its glory.
Looking up, the leaders saw us.
"WINSLOW! WINSLOW, COME ON! OH FOR THE LOVE OF… YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU BUT YOU MAKE ME VERY TIRED SOMETIMES!"
And so, my Jesse decided to grab her attention, "Hey! Hey, White Pumpkin!"
"YES, JESSE?"
"Nothing, just wanted to get your attention."
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING AT, BUT I'M BORED WITH IT!"
Letting out a battle cry, the Petras jumped down and attacked her. Meanwhile, the other Lukas poured water on the netherrack.
Just as the flint and steel were about to fall off the edge, the Ivors came. They didn't really think before they acted, shouting about it in the vicinity of Cassie, but they meant well.
"YOU'RE ALL DYING NOW!"
"Uh, no thank you."
The other Ivor threw it to Jesse, who caught it and struck it right in Cassie's face, catching her mask on fire. She flew up into the air somehow, I guess gravity doesn't work now, and fell into the pit of obsidian. She pulled off her mask, coughing, and threw it to the endermites.
"Well, I bet you're real proud of yourselves. Look at me, stuck again, out of ender pearls!" She shouted with fury.
"And that's where she wanted us to end up," Grumbled Ivor.
"Trapped.. in my own trap… Ha, of course, of course…"
"Well at least you're still alive," Reminded the other Jesse. "That's more than Torque Dawg or Captain Sparklez or Dan can say."
"You're right, of course you're right…"
They began walking away, forgetting something entirely.
"Wait, at least don't leave me here all alone! Give me my cat, my dear sweet Winslow? He's my best.. my only friend. Please?"
For a moment, they thought. Then, finally, Jesse picked up the cat in his arms and tossed him to her. She caught him and held him close, mumbling to him.
"Wow, so she kept the real portal hidden down here all this time!"
"Unless this one is a trap too," Muttered the other Ivor.
Lukas disagreed, "I don't know if even she'd be that paranoid."
"Only one way to find out!" Declared Jesse, taking out his flint and steel.
"Oh, that reminds me, where did my portal key go?" Asked the other Jesse.
"Here you go," Said Midnight, handing him his portal key.
"Thanks… Where did you even find this?"
She merely shrugged.
"Just found them somewhere, so I grabbed them."
Jesse finally walked to the portal, crouching as he struck the flint. Blue fire lit, this time lighting the portal.
"Good sign so far," Said the other Ivor.
"Yeah, no trick floors or arrows or anything," Agreed the other Petra.
"Okay, sure, but who's going first?" Asked the other Lukas.
"We're a team, we all go together," Said the other Jesse. "That includes you guys as well."
"Ready?" Asked my Jesse. "One, two.. three!"
We all sprinted forward into the portal. And as I saw this world drift away, I made a promise to come back.
"Adventure!"
This is the longest chapter I've ever made. Its over 7k words and I honestly don't know what to do now that I've finished it. I mean, I guess I'll just write more or something...
'Nooooooooo! I need a break, I'm so tired!'
You can't get tired, Zenna.
'I can't?'
You're in Minecraft, Zenna. They only sleep to keep away monsters and to pass the time during the night.
'Oh yeah, I forgot.'
Well, bye!
'Bye!'