Minecraft: Stonesword Saga/TheEnd1CHP
Prologue
Morgan is dreaming about Minecraft. The narrator mentions about the various dreams that he had about the game, from starting out with wooden tools, to attacking anything in his path. However, on this night, Morgan was having a nightmare as he is seen on a small island, with nothing but an endless void below him. He decides to make a Nether portal, but soon realizes he didn’t craft the flint and steel necessary to light it. Enraged, he swings down the pickaxe on the island, but the force was too great, and the island shatters into pieces. Morgan screams as he falls to certain death, but he suddenly wakes up in bed, still screaming, and although he realizes that he is safe in the real world, he still wonders as to what he could do to save Minecraft.
Chapter 1: It Was a Dark and Stormy Afternoon! So Obviously an Ominous Warning of Things to Come!
Later that day, at Woodsword Middle School, a thunderstorm is brewing outside, but Morgan barely notices it as his mind brings back various memories involving Minecraft, such as dressing up as an enderman for Halloween. Finally, the school day ends, and Morgan races out the classroom to meet up with his sister, Jodi, who appeared to had just finished art class, as she has paint stains on her nose and fingertips. Morgan is confused by her appearance, knowing that math class was usually her last class for the day, and Jodi says that it was, but she decided to use water-color paints on her math test, hence the paint stains. Morgan then asks Jodi if she needs to wash up, but she replies that there is no time, knowing that they need to get to the library as soon as possible. The two hurry down the hallway, waving at a few Wilding Scouts as they head to the library, and then go by members of the student government of Woodsword Middle School, with Po, one of their friends, being one of them.
He immediately joins up with Morgan and Jodi, informing the class president, Shelly Silver, that he wouldn’t be able to join the rest of the student government for a meeting. Shelly Silver is fine with this, saying that she could drop in and play Minecraft with them sometime. Soon after, Theo and Harper also join up, with both of them exclaiming that today is the day to stop the Fault and save the Evoker King, and the five then head out the front doors of Woodsword Middle School and make their way to the Stonesword Library, trying their best to avoid being drenched in rain as thunder clapped overhead and the wind didn’t seem to slow down. Upon arriving at the library, however, they notice Mr. Mallory standing outside the front entrance, cradling the library’s hamster, Duchess Dimples, close to his chest. Mr. Mallory then explains to the group that the library is closed indefinitely as the roof has collapsed from the storm, and the building is flooded as a result. Morgan then asks if the tech equipment is OK, and Mr. Mallory frowns as he pulls out a VR headset from beneath his poncho, which is dripping with water. He explains that all five headsets were caught in the flood, leaving the group devastated.
Chapter 2: Water: Bane of Books! Enemy of Electronics! Honestly, Why Do We Even Keep Water Around?
Back at home, Harper tosses and turns in her sleep, unable to stop thinking about the damaged library, and wondered if there was a way to fix it. As she laid awake in bed, she comes to realize that Minecraft itself isn’t going away, and that it wouldn’t hurt to start over from the beginning, but she also realizes that the version of Minecraft that they are playing is very special to them, thanks to the usage of the VR goggles to transport them into the game, and Harper thought that the Evoker King would be destroyed if the world was also destroyed. The next day, back at Woodsword Middle School, Morgan, Jodi, Harper, Theo, and Po all met in the gym instead of the tree out in the front lawn, as the storm was still raging outside. Harper and Theo visibly yawned from trouble sleeping, and Jodi had bags under her eyes. Meanwhile, Morgan is an energetic as ever and wonders if there is anything they can do to get back into that world. Po then suggests time travel, but Morgan and Jodi quickly understand that that is not remotely possible. Theo then explains that there isn’t much that can be done without the VR goggles, as although the Minecraft world is stored on the computer in the library, there is no way to access it without using the VR goggles.
Just then, someone says to them that they are also upset about the library. Harper turns toward where the voice is coming from, noticing Ms. Minerva dressed in all black and her face is obscured by a black veil. Harper then asks her if she is going to a funeral, but she explains that she is mourning the destruction of the library. Another voice then says to Ms. Minerva to stop being dramatic, that voice being Doctor Culpepper, who says that the library needed a force field, but Ms. Minerva shrugs off that suggestion, saying that a force field can let light through, which can damage books in the process. As the two talk about the suggestion some more, Mr. Mallory comes in from outside to greet the Wilding Scouts, who have volunteered to help clean up the library, and all materials from the library are available online as well. Theo then asks if the Wilding Scouts will end up missing class, but Mr. Mallory explains that the school calendar from where they are is on a different schedule, and that they are on a week-long break. Just then, a school bus pulls up to the curb, and several Wilding Scouts step out with their umbrellas held high. Harper then notices Ash and cries out happily.
Chapter 3: Welcome Back, Ash! I Hope You Like What We’ve Done with the Place.
Morgan, Jodi, Harper, Theo, Po, and Ash soon engage in a group hug before Ash asks the five on what has happened in Minecraft. Theo explains that the world that they are on right now is about 90% destroyed, and Harper mentions about the VR goggles that got destroyed when the Stonesword Library was flooded. Ash then mentions that Doc had given her a VR goggle when she moved away, much to the surprise of everyone. They all engage in a group hug once more before a sound of a crash echoes through the gym. Everyone in the school is curious as to where the sound came from, and soon after, Doc and Ms. Minerva dash over to the former’s lab, only to find that a tree had fallen outside and crashed through a window.
Chapter 4: Ash Stands Alone! She Also Runs, Jumps, and Fights Alone. But I’m Sure She’s Got This. She’s Very Capable!
The lab is quickly closed off and students are informed to return to their classrooms. Meanwhile, Ash and the rest of the Wilding Scouts spend the rest of the day across the street at the Stonesword Library. As they finish, Ash joins the rest of her friends in Woodsword’s cafetorium with permission from Ms. Minerva. Harper then mentions to the group about connecting Ash’s VR goggles to the library’s computer by piggybacking off the schools’s Wi-Fi, and everyone seems to be in agreement, with Harper also mentioned that Doc had already boosted the school’s Wi-Fi signal to the maximum allowed so this would be possible. Morgan then warns Ash about how it appears that the entire Overworld is falling apart, and she takes that into account as she dons her VR goggles and logs into the world. Ash’s avatar appears in the same spot where she had left it: a tranquil plain near some flowers, with all of her supplies close by. Just then, a zombie approaches her from the edge of the forest, but it doesn’t burn when it goes out into the sunlight.
Ash then thrusts her diamond sword enchanted with Sharpness at the zombie, but it breaks apart before it can even land a hit on it. She then punches the zombie with her bare first, which knocks the zombie backward, but the ground beneath it gives away almost instantly, and the zombie falls into the void below. Ash wonders as to what is going on, and then the blue sky around her glitches out into a pitch black, and the sun gives off way less light than it normally does. Ash then asks to herself as to where the butterflies are that could help her find the last piece of the Evoker King, but doesn’t get a response.
Chapter 5: The Wisdom of Butterflies: Embrace Change. Seek Shelter from the Storm. And Eat Your Greens!
Back in the real world, Ash informs the group of everything that happened in Minecraft. Morgan then says that they should be able to join her using their pairs of VR goggles, but Harper reiterates that the goggles are busted, as Mr. Mallory allowed her to take a pair home to inspect its components. The group then decide to ask Doc if she can help make new pairs for them, and soon find her in the butterfly sanctuary. Ash then asks Doc if she is gathering cocoons, and she says that she is, adding that she is about to let the adult butterflies free into the open to allow her to find a safe area where the cocooned caterpillars can finish their metamorphosis. Jodi then jokingly asks Doc is she is going to be injecting them with super chemicals, and although she agrees, she also says that she made a promise with Ms. Minerva to not do any genetic tampering on school grounds. Harper then assists Doc with gathering the remaining cocoons while Theo asks Doc about making new pairs of VR goggles.
Doc sheepishly admits that she doesn’t have all of the necessary parts at the moment, adding that it could take weeks to rebuild one set, but she does mention that there is a temporary solution to this problem. Taking Ash’s VR goggles, Doc opens a small panel to reveal input and output jacks, saying that the goggles are meant to be networked, and a whole set can be rigged by using a memory card, some ethernet cables, and pairs of sunglasses. Harper is excited upon hearing this, saying that she has everything they need except for sunglasses, and Jodi then says that she has pairs of sunglasses in her backpack, showing off some pairs to the group. Just then, the rain stops, and Doc opens a window to allow the adult butterflies to fly away. Morgan asks if they will be OK, and Doc says that they will, adding that they were born to fly, and that the group can learn to embrace change just as the butterflies did.
Chapter 6: Wearing Sunglasses Indoors? Totally Acceptable If They’re Hot-Wired with Improvised VR Tech!
The next morning, before school starts, the six (Morgan, Jodi, Harper, Po, Theo, and Ash) are back in the cafetorium, and join Ash back in the world of Minecraft thanks to the pairs of sunglasses that Jodi had brought them. They almost immediately recognize effects to the Fault around them, such as the black sky, and a tree glitching in and out in the distance. Po’s costume was different as well, appearing to be half-bee and half-axolotl. Ash’s sword is surprisingly back in its inventory, albeit with a different enchantment than last time. The group then decide to build a tower, and although Po has cobblestone, it ends up being placed down as an assortment of different colors. Nonetheless, the tower is built, and Ash sees a butterfly off in the distance when she climbs to to the top of it, but the group aren’t able to follow it for far enough before they make it to the edge of the platform that they are on. Morgan suggests building a bridge to catch up, but Po says that he used up most of their building materials for the tower. Nonetheless, the group are optimistic that they are close to resolving the Fault.
Chapter 7: The Duchess on Holiday! (Also, There Are Some Important Plot Developments, But It Will Be a While Before Their Relevance Becomes Apparent.)
Later that morning, Morgan, Jodi, Harper, Theo, and Po arrive early to homeroom, while Ash heads over to the Stonesword Library to work on more repairs. A wastebasket is set up near Ms. Minerva’s desk to catch water droplets from the ceiling, which had begun to leak. As the storm passes by slowly, Jodi checks on Duchess Dimples to see how she is adjusting to being in a classroom. Ms. Minerva then interjects and says that the library might be closed forever as the Wilding Scouts aren’t able to fix the roof. Po, Harper, and Theo all disagree, saying that they also use the library for checking out books and topics like bees and programming as well as using it for playing Minecraft. Morgan then mentions to Ms. Minerva about everything that had happened in their game so far, from when they befriended the Evoker King, to when it split into six different mobs, and then how the Fault formed. Ms. Minerva then asks if they had considered starting a new world, but Morgan disagrees, saying that they can’t leave their old world behind until they know if the Evoker King can be saved. Ms. Minerva respects his decision and feels glad that he told her about it, and says to him that although secrets and clubs can be fun, that they can make people feel alone with their problems, knowing that the bigger the community is, the smaller the problems are. Morgan decides to keep this in mind, but quickly changes the subject as his classmates start listening in.