They stood there, waiting to be swarmed. The banging got louder, and they could hear groans and rattles from every direction. A minute passed while they stood, but to them it seemed an eternity. They looked at the door, waiting. The noises stopped. They waited and waited.

Just then, they heard a loud crash, and soon the room was crawling with unspeakable vermin. Steve rushed them, and started slashing enemies with his sword, severing limbs this way and that. Twilight and the others rushed to help him, beating back the throng. Spike was running around, breathing fire on the mobs until he ran out of breath. The smell of dead, burning flesh stung their nostrils, and they quickly covered their faces. The enemies number dwindled down, and only half of the original mob still stood. Steve was able to finish them off with quick slashes and jabs, and Rainbow Dash helped by creating a sizable tornado, sucking the mobs into its deadly whirlwinds. All that stood now was a lonely skeleton, still creeping ever forward. With a kick, Steve sent it stumbling to the center of the floor. He stood over the creature, and with one good swing, removed its head.

There were bodies lying everywhere. and the stench was unbelievable. As they stepped among the corpses, they found something shiny. Twilight picked it up, and discovered it was a small, green orb. They turned it in their hooves, wondering what its use could be. Steve came over, and took it in his hooves. "Oh my... you found an ender pearl. We need these to access the End portal. And it just so happens, I only need one more."

He ran to the library, and pulled a book out from the shelf. It opened, revealing a dark, stone hallway. They ran down until they saw a light. Inside, the chamber was a massive dome. The ceiling depicted a great stone tower, stretching into the sky. The walls were lined with obsidian and stone. In the center, there lay a circular object, resembling a piece of the moon. As they stepped up to it, Steve gazed at the portal. All of the spaces around it were full, except for one. He got some orange dust-like material out of his bag, and merged the two items.

"Uh, Steve... what are you doing?"

Steve continued merging them, and smiled. "I'm making an Eye of Ender. These are what you use in the portal. Once I place this, the portal will open. But there is much that must be done before we go. That dimension is dangerous, and unpredictable. And the Ender Dragon resides there. We will need everything we can get before we traverse through the portal."

He placed the Eye in its place, and stood back. Almost immediately, a black film appeared in the frame. In the blackness, what seemed like stars glistened and shimmered. Rarity was amazed, and imagined herself in a dress fashioned like the film. Steve smiled at them. "Before we go there, we will first need to go to the Nether, then the Aether. Once we have done this, we then need diamonds, and plenty of them."

Rarity raised her hoof politely. "I believe I can help with that. Spike and I are expert diamond locators. We could easily find some."

Steve looked puzzled, but continued. "Alright then, you'll be tasked with this mission. But the rest of us will still help you. Hang on, there's diamonds on your butt." He raised his pickaxe, and swung.

"OW! Whatever in the name of Celestia did you do that for?"

Steve blushed. "I'm sorry, I get rather... odd when I see diamonds. Please forgive me."

Rarity smiled, and rubbed her sore flank. "It's quite alright, darling. Where should we go first?"

Steve thought, and dryly said, "I don't know, but I can tell you there is a cave system not far from here, filled with treasures. If we can get to it, I have no doubt we can find diamonds, and many other things, along the way."

Twilight was confused. "You mean the one in the side of the mountain, over there? We got chased through there by all those mobs."

Steve scratched his goatee thoughtfully. "Then we must be more prepared, and tread cautiously." He grabbed pickaxes and swords for everypony, and a few apples for them all. They exited the house, anticipating the trek ahead. The sky was sunny, and they could hear pigs and cows, which were grazing not far from them. They went over to the hole they had come out from, and remembered it was behind the waterfall. They went through it, and were immediately met with terrible noises, coming from every direction.

"Stay close to me, and don't wander too far." Steve brandished a torch, and they started the descent. The crude passages and damp air made their torch flicker, and shadows danced along the walls. Every so often, they would come across an intersecting passage, and would leave a torch to mark their trail. As they made their way through, they discovered something odd. The passages looked much older than the other ones they had gone through, and soot marked the ceiling.

"Umm... shouldn't we be a bit careful around here? It looks like somepony else came through here, and what if they're not friendly?" Fluttershy looked around, trying to sum up the scene. There was a small puddle of water on the floor, and a light shone below it. There was a cave under it. Fluttershy motioned towards the strange opening, and everypony went through, unsure of what they would find on the other end. They did find it odd how this came about, but many things were odd in this land of cubes, and this one lonely colt helping them. Only Celestia knew what lay in store for them, and she certainly wasn't about to tell.

Author's Note

What's in the cave? Will they find their answers? Will you find yours? ALL UP NE-

Enough of this nonsense. Hope you're enjoying, and I will meet thee in the next chapter.