Herobrine's POV

The tree was burning.

I stood motionless, watching the tree burn. Flames danced. A sense of calm washed over me.

The fire went out.

I turned, surprised, and saw Blue, with his arms outstretched. Water swirled in his palms as a miniature tornado.

"Come back, Brian." He whispered. "We missed you. Emit had a huge temper when he found out that Ben drove you away."

I chuckled. I could imagine him doing it.

"Brian, please." He stretched his arms towards me. I took a few hesitant steps towards him.

Suddenly, a green light flashed and Green tumbled out. "Blue!"

Something was wrong, but I couldn't tell what.

"Green." Blue nodded. "What happened?"

Green started waving his hands around, making weird gestures with his fingers. I didn't what he was doing.

"Okay." Blue nodded. "Are you coming?" He turned to me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Jay and Code found someone." He paused. "Two someone's, actually."

"And they are the sisters Jeb has been hunting high and low for." Blue continued. "And Jay confirms it."

Notch's POV

I was taking a stroll through the woods and relaxing myself when I heard a small scuffle.

And then some grunting sounds, and a small whimper.

I looked around for the noise, and saw a clearing with a crowd of zombies.

I ran straight for the crowd, pushing and knocking away hostile zombies until I found a small rainbow-coloured figure rolled up into a ball, in the middle of the zombies. He had wounds and cuts all over his body, and he was bleeding.

I knocked away a zombie and scooped up the small limp body. I ran away and clinbed a nearby tree, looking down at the zombies.

I laid the kid on some branches and leaves, and started hitting zombies away from the tree with a diamond sword. But there were too many of them. They just kept on coming.

Where did all the zombies come from?

I looked into the distance. There was more zombies coming from either side, and I could see skeletons, creepers, and endermen approaching.

Who is the kid, and why are all the monsters out to kill him? Is Maxine after him?

I shivered. Maxine was the lord of monsters, and she was not someone you want to be enemies with.

In the distance, I could still see more monsters approaching. Blazes, wither skeletons, slimes, magma cubes, you name it.

These monsters are supposed to be in the Nether. Why are they here? Maxine is really coming after this guy.

I didn't see any zombie pigmen though. Maxine probably thought they were too dumb or something. But anger one of them, and you get every pigmen in the world after you.

Then I saw it.

Hordes of red-eyed pigmen, groaning from a distance, all shuffling towards the same target.

I jumped down the tree, trying to distract the monster away from the kid.

Then it hit me.

The solution was so simple, so easy. Why didn't I think of this earlier?

I jumped back up the tree and scooped up the small figure. I got ready to teleport.

3,

2,

1!

I closed my eyes, waiting for the tingly sensation when I teleport, but it never came.

I opened my eyes hesitantly, and found myself in the same place on the tree.

I sighed and tried again, but nothing happened.

Now what do I do?

Lick's POV

I was flying in the air- something I won't usually do but could- and simply relaxing myself when I saw that the forest near me was covered by monsters. I sighed.

"Now what has happened?" I flew over, looking down at the green canopy of trees. I saw two figures perched on top of one.

One looked like Notch. The other was a small rainbow figure, huddled up and shivering.

Junior? Junior was Rainbow's adopted kid. Rainbow found him running away from a forest full to the brim with monsters. Fits the exact scenario in my mind. Now. I commented dryly.

I flew even closer, then fell. I yelped as I fell on top of a tree, standing up.

Where did my powers go? I tried flying, I tried teleporting. Nothing worked. I stepped away from the centre of the tree, right below where I fell.

I smashed headfirst into a invisible wall.

"What the-" I cursed. "Maxine."

Lord of monsters, and a experienced magic user, she could summon monsters at will and control them.

Yes, she. Apparently being a girl didn't make her less violent and more soft. It did the exact opposite.

I ran over to where Notch was, occasionally summoning throwing knifes to throw at the monsters.

I reached Notch. He looked tired, and Junior was unconscious.

"Lick?" Notch asked.

I ignored him and bent down, looking at the small figure.

It was Junior all right. And he looked terrible.

We need Boss Steve. I realized. We need an expert in magic to escape this place.

"Lick?" Notch asked again. "Monsters!"

I looked back, and saw a swarm of monsters trying to climb the tree. A few was suceeding and more were coming up. A skeleton shot an arrow at Notch and he crumbled to the ground.

I threw the knife I was holding and hit the skeleton, and summoned another.

Instead, a shimmering image of a knife appeared. I tried again, but the same image appeared.

"You can't summon things here." I heard Notch say. "The only reason I could is because Maxine's magic doesn't affect me as much. Nobody knows why."

"Then give me a weapon." I stretched out my hand.

Notch concentrated, but the most he could do was an arrow.

"Sorry, Lick. But a good thing is that it's unbreakable."

I sighed but launched myself at the monsters, hacking and stabbing at them. The arrow felt good in my hand.

After a long while destroying monsters, I was dead tired and the monsters were still coming in waves. I was trying to make a path for Junior and Notch to leave, but the monsters just kept on coming.

"We need some help." I climb back up the tree. "Can you connect to someone?"

"Mind connection doesn't work here. Maxine made sure of that." Notch looked thoughtful. "Mind link might work though. Try it, Lick."

Brian? Brian? I sigh. Nobody answers.

"He's not coming, is he?" Notch asked.

"Just me and you." I nodded.

"I'll go out." Notch offered, noticing my tired look. I tried to protest, but he pressed me down on the leaves and jumped into battle.

I sighed and turned my attention to Junior Rainbow Steve. I patted his ruffled hair, and he stirred.

"Junior! You're awake!"

"W-who are y-you?" Junior asked.

"I'm Lick. Remember me?" I asked him. He nodded hesitantly, and I went on. "And the man down there fighting is Notch. He found you in the middle of the forest, wounded and unconscious."

Junior shivered. "Maxine... s-she's coming for me."

I frowned. We had been correct. "Why?"

"M-Maxine w-wants rev-venge... Boss Steve d-did something... I'm not sure what, but she's been a-angry ever s-since. W-when she t-took me, Rainbow was s-still f-friends with Boss Steve."

L-Lick! P-please! D-don't leave me! Lick? S-shadow? W-where are y-you? W-why? W-why are you d-doing t-this?

"Brian?" I called. "What's happening?" My head pounded as the desperate calls continued.

P-please! W-why are you l-leaving m-me? J-joining the enemy?

Notch leaped up on the tree. He saw me curled up on the leaves, and ran over.

"Lick? What happened?" He asked.

"I-I don't know. He j-just c-collapsed all of a sudden." I distantly heard Junior say.

Notch grapped my hand tightly. "Lick. I'm going to try to help you, ok? Calm down."

He put his hands in mine and grasped it tightly. I felt a pulse of heat steadily entering my body, and I stood up shakily.

"Are you ok?" Notch asked worriedly. "What happened?"

"I heard Brian's voice in my head. He was screaming at me not to leave him. Shadow, too. He was screaming at both of us."

"What do you think happened to Brian?"

"I don't know. But one thing's for certain. Brian is in trouble."

Blue Steve's POV

(So once in a while I'll put a POV that's not for one of the main characters. Enjoy Blue Steve's POV!)

I stared at the fallen form of Brian. I didn't know what to do. I tried healing him. I tried hitting him. I tried shaking him, dunking him in water... nothing works.

Everyone is staring at the curled up figure on the ground, screaming and thrashing.

"No no, please no." He whimpered. "Don't leave me."

Tears streamed from his face. "Why? Lick? S-Shadow? W-why did you l-leave m-me?"

I don't understand. This has never happened before. Is this a vision? A dream? Or is it really going to happen?

Or has it already happened? I felt a sense of dread. Did Shadow turn?

But as I looked over my shoulders, Shadow Steve was staring at Herobrine as concerned as any of us. In his eyes were a tint of discomfort and confusion.

What about Lick? He wasn't here.

But ome thought of Lick turning to the enemy sent my mind reeling from the thought. Lick is forever loyal to his friends.

I felt a sudden pulse of magic coming from Herobrine, and I snapped my gaze to Green. He nodded, and I knew he had also felt it.

I knelt down next to Herobrine. The burst of energy seemed to be a distress call in his mind. But to who?

I sighed. The two new people were standing next to Jay, who looked very uncomfortable about this turn of events.

"Does this... always happen?" I heard a small voice ask.

Jay replied softly. "No. I don't know what is happening either."

I ran my fingers through Herobrine's hair. He seemed to calm down a bit and his hands reached out to grasp something.

Is he having a hallucination?

I took Herobrine's hands, and he leaned on me, sobbing into my arms.

I was stunned. H-he...

My first instinct was to push him away. I was ready to, but when I saw those glowing white eyes dimming, I relented and he clinged on me desperately.

I sat down, casting a helpless glance at everyone. I didn't like being touched, and they knew that. A awkward silence filled the air, only interrupted by Herobrine's occasional sobs and gasps.

What do I do? I stroked his back softly, and he went quiet, tears still streaming from his cheeks.

I ran my hand through his hair, enjoying the silence and the sound of his soft breathing.

"Blue..." Green Steve started softly, but a wave of my hand silenced him.

I gently placed Herobrine on the ground, and stood up. I sighed softly.

"What... what is happening with him?" Red asked.

I shivered, still nervous from Herobrine's touch which made my skin go all tingly.

I didn't like insecurity. But I was insecure. I could seem confident on the outside, but on the inside is another thing entirely.

I rubbed my arms, trying to get rid of the tingy sensation. "Maybe he had a vision, maybe it was only a dream. Or it could be something that triggered pure terror. I don't know for sure." I sighed. I didn't like not knowing things. "He might even be relieving his own past. Got trapped in his memories."

"We have to ask him when he wakes up." A voice I hadn't heard before spoke up.

I turned and saw one of the girls Jay and Code found.

"I'm Raven." She said. "This is my sister, Sparrow."

Sparrow was a cheerful girl dressed in white. She waved enthusiastically. "Hi! Nice to meet you!" She chirped.

Raven, on the other side, was dark and all business. "We could get in his mind and check." She paused. "Specifically, I can."

I stepped aside. "Try."

She knelt down next to Herobrine and touched his forehead. A black mist rose from her fingers and seeped Herobrine's head.

She sat motionless for a minute or two, then she stumbled backwards, her eyes wild.

"What happened?" I asked, worried. Jay rushed to Raven's side and helped her up.

"I-if I had went through something l-like this, I-I would have went cr-crazy too." She whispered, a slight tremor in her voice. "I-I understand now."

"What did you see?" Shadow asked slowly.

Raven snapped her gaze to Shadow. "Y-you!"

"Me?" Shadow asked, pointing to himself.

Raven nodded vigorously. "You! And a masked man. What are you planning?" She asked, her eyes as black and as hard as obsidian.

Shadow took a step backward. "W-what?"

"You betrayed them!" Raven screamed. "All of them." She pointed at everyone. "Went to join the enemy. You are the enemy! The man with a mask followed soon after."

Shadow took another step backward. "I-I b-betrayed them?" A tear leaked from his eyes. "And L-Lick? Never!"

"Don't try to deny it!" Raven yelled at Shadow, who flinched. "You betrayed them. Fought them. Left them. You are the reason he is like this." Ravem gestured at Herobrine.

Shadow stood rock still. "I'm the reason Brian is like this?" He mumbled under his breath. "I fought against the Steves? I left Brian? Betrayed him?"

Shadow suddenly took a step backward. "If I'm the reason, maybe I should leave." He took a step backward into a tree, then disappeared.

"Raven!" Jay exclaimed. "W-why did you say that?"

Raven turned her eyes to Jay. "J-Jay?" Her eyes were blank. "W-what did I d-do?"

"Chased Shadow Steve away so his dark side could be revealed and potentially destroy us all." Red Steve said coldly. He had been sort of a friend to Shadow Steve. They got along well, and Red was apparently taking this very seriously for once.

Raven's eyes flashed in realization of what she just did.

Without a word, she turned and ran away from the group.

And all eyes turned to the still figure of Herobrine on the floor.

"Shadow Steve and Raven are gone, Lick is missing, Brian is currently... in a problem, and our pride and ego are missing." After a long silence, Gold Steve spoke up.

"That was a great way to sum it up." Swallow said, voice full to the brim with heavy sarcasm.

Jay sighed. "We need to find Lick, Shadow and Raven. Get information out of Raven about her vision. Figure out what's happening to Brian. We got a lot on our to-do list."