"Guys, check it out." My friends turn to me, hope so strong in their eyes. "We build a cobblestone ramp, lay down some track, attach the TNT to the minecart, a-and launch it off the ramp like a rocket!"

I smile at the end, but the same time quite terrified. The Nether minecart ride was bad enough, and now I'm suggesting to propel myself in one towards the Wither Strom! Have I gone insane?

"Heck yeah! I love that idea!" Both Axel and Olivia smile at me, and thankfully can't see my fear.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and-" The Wither Storm roars behind us, startling all of us. "LOOK OUT!"

A purple beam streaks in front of my eyes as I scamper back, but Axel yells out. I turn and freeze at the sight of Axel stuck in the monster's beam of death. I watch completely stunned and horrified at him being dragged up.

"AXEL!" Olivia gets her senses back and jumps to catch him. I shake my head, now is not the time to be freezing up. It's the worst time actually.

The beam starts to pull her up too but this time I have a grip on myself. I grab on her ankle, thankfully not getting pulled up too. But the tractor beam has grown stronger, I can barely keep them in place. There's no way I'll be able to pull them out like this.

Still, I grit my teeth and pull with all my might. But the beam is just too strong, my grip keeps slipping despite my fingers burning with effort. I can't let them go though, they're my best friends. They have been forever and this is not the way we separate.

"I can't... hold on..." I can hear their gasps of panic, and I wildly start to look around. Maybe I can find something that will help.

"I got you!" That's Lukas! I whip my head to his voice, and sure enough, there he is. He came back to help us!

I smile despite the situation, my relief can't be contained. "Lukas! You're here!" Unlike the Order of the Let Downs and just left all the work to us. Olivia gets pulled away even further, and I redouble my efforts back on my childhood friends.

"Ocelots.... distract that Wither Storm!" The other Ocelots are here? I can feel my feet starting to rise, and focus entirely on keeping my friends with me. I'll think about that later.

"Hey you! Get a load of this!" The air whishes and booms, but I'm too worried about my friends to look at what Lukas is doing.

The beam finally moves, releasing my best friends from its grasp. They drop from the air and I fall back. We all get winded by the impact, but we still have a chance now. We can still stop the Wither Storm.

"Lukas, thank you!!" While I feel endlessly grateful, my fear only grows stronger. I nearly lost my lifelong friends, and would have if Lukas didn't show up. This is it, we either all die or I save them.

"Hey, anything for a friend." Strength flows into me from his words. He's right, I have to do anything to keep my friends safe. I refuse let any of them get into harm's way again, even if I have to sacrifice myself.

"Now let's hurry up and build this thing!" I look back at Lukas, but he and his gang have separated keeping the great storms confused. I suppose it's now or never.

We all start building madly, the racket of fireworks and roars and blocks and my own rapid heartbeat and panic pants filling my head. I can barely think, too worried that everything will go wrong and all my friends will die and the world will be eaten because I wasn't a good enough hero.

"You guys done yet?" That's Lukas, his voice really strained. Now that I'm paying attention, the fireworks aren't going off as rapidly as a few moments ago. Are they running out?

"J-Just need a few more seconds..." Somehow, I go even faster placing the few stragglers. If the fireworks aren't enough anymore and the Wither Storm looks at this thing, it's over. We don't have enough blocks to build something else.

A wave of relief crashes onto me. "Okay! It's finished!" Only for a flood of fear to overwhelm me when I remember the next part.

"Quick, climb on!" I shake like a madman while I enter, whimpering slightly. It's so hard to think. All the pressure and stress and anxiety and fear beating down me.

"And Jesse... I know you can do this." Olivia looks up at me, and I smile at her. A small ray of hope breaking through my fear.

"So do I." I turn to Lukas, he's grinning victoriously as if it's now a certainty that the Wither Storm will die.

"We all do." My fears fade away from me, only with a diamond will left. My friends are putting all their faith in me, I won't let them down. I will keep them safe.

"Thanks guys, it means a lot." I spot Rueben climbing up the build, it's obvious what he's trying to do and I can't let it happen. I ignite the TNT and push off, now Rueben won't have enough time to get to me.

"Now go demolish that Command Block!" The TNT explodes, adding more speed as I rocket down. I look at Rueben, who's too far away to jump on, before I fly into the air.

This is so much worse than the Nether. I death grip the minecart before gravity pulls it away from me. I flail through the air, my blood roaring in my body as I watch the frightening huge Wither Storm get closer and closer to me. The monstrous head even more terrifying up close with their huge teeth.

I scream, loudly, the entire time. I don't possess the mentality to be ashamed though as I hurtle into the belly of the beast. The temperature instantly drops into freezing, and my scream is cut off when the bitter air cuts my lungs with icy daggers.

I slam into something, it's body probably, and stumble down further. Crashing over and over again into other blocks until I finally come to a stop. I give a quick word of thanks to Ivor for this awesome armor as I stand up. I definitely wouldn't be standing without it.

It's so dark and cold in here. The only light a hazy red and mutant glowing mushrooms. My fear takes ahold of me again, and my heart pounds wildly. Some selfish part of me wishes Rueben was here so I wouldn't be alone, but he's safe now. Nothing is more important than that.

I start to walk further into Wither Storm, when I suddenly spot someone's eyes. Staggering back, I whip out my sword to face them. But... they're dead. Dozen and dozen of dead eyes, the faces leaking out a purple glow, starring at me.

They aren't dead Jesse, you can save them. I begin to walk again, looking down to avoid the withered people. I have to keep pushing on, or else my friends too will become like this and these people will forever be trapped in this inky darkness.

Great rumbles shake the ground and everything begins to move. I fall into what I thought was a wall and tumble down onto the new floor. I open my eyes and look directly into Ellegaard's face, oozing purple at the eyes and mouth and her skin all gray and decaying.

I scream and franticly push away from her. Another wave of adrenaline floods into my system and I start to run. I can't stop seeing Ellegaard though, but next to her face Olivia's appears, then Axel's, then Petra's, and Rueben's too. Even Lukas gets himself a spot on the wall of my rotting friends.

Everything shakes again and gravity thrusts me into the wall again. I bang on a few things again, trying not to think that those things might be people. Or worse yet, people I know.

When everything settles, I stagger back to my feet again. Only to see the Command Block right in front of me. I make a mad dash for it, speeding up when tremors run through the ground again.

One moment, just one moment to catch my breath. I run a hand through my hair, as if I could just rub all this fear off of me. But I'm here, I'm at the Command Block. It's now the easy part right? Just hit it a few times and everyone will be saved and my friends won't have to keep running away from an inevitable death. Simple.

Taking a very deep breath, I approach the block. It's almost a shame really. This block could have been used to solve any problem. But instead it was only used with greed and anger and all of its good potential has to be stamped out in order to stop this chaos.

I walk up the obsidian until I stand right front of it. "We meet again Command Block, but now it's time to destroy you." I pull out my sword and raise it above my head before smashing it onto the block.

Sparks fly, and I lower my arms to shield my eyes. Violent quakes rattle my mind and a slithering noise rises. I look up and gulp when I see the tentacles all around the Command Block awaken and thrash about.

I try to strike at the Command Block again, but a tentacle is about to smash into me. Quickly, I take a step back but lose my footing. I crash and roll off of the platform, away from the Command Block.

The great black tentacles are writhing, protecting the Command Block. Despite the freezing temperature, I break out in a nervous sweat. How in the Nether am I suppose to get past that and get to the Command Block?

I wish one of my friends were here, anyone. Someone to just talk to and can share all of this fear. Fear of what's going to happen now that it's angry, fear of failure, fear of getting hurt, heck, fear of getting killed! But no, in order to protect them, they can't be here. I have to do this all alone.  

More tentacles break through the walls and my legs are quick to start running. I look around me, the things are everywhere. But then I turn around and see another one right in front of me swinging at me.

Without time to run from it, I raise arm to protect my head. My panicked heart tries to break my chest, but no blow ever came. Lowering my arm, I see that my sword cut through the tentacle. This sword can actually hurt the Wither Storm!

"Whoa! Why didn't I always carry and enchanted weapon?" A big wide smile of hope spreads across my face. No matter how hard it tries to protect the Command Block, this sword will kill the Wither Storm.

I make my way back over to the Command Block, slicing any tentacle that tries to stop me. Finally, after watching these things scoop up so many people, I can finally fight back against it instead of just running away.

"Awesome weapon, for the sake of the world, please don't fail me now." I take a deep breath and slowly shuffle towards the Command Block. Every single tentacle that attacks me gets to feel the sharp blade of my sword. Within moments, I've cut down almost all of them.

I approach the block, sword at the ready. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to quickly strike at it twice before anything happens. Taking a stance, I lower the sword and swing it across my body. A small blast comes with the sparks this time, and it pushes me out of range.

Before I can even gain my breath, a powerful jolt shakes the ground. I'm sliding across the obsidian before another hits. It sends me flailing towards the ceiling, or ground now. My head slams into something now the way down and my mouth burns as I roll to a stop.

My fire in my mouth gets stronger, now companied by some disgusting taste, and by impulse I start coughing. I let go of my sword to support my body tries to hack something out of it. To my horror, two teeth pop out. My gag reflex kicks in and blood spews out of my mouth.

It's freezing inside the Wither Storm, but with everything going on, I couldn't have said I felt cold. Now though, an immoveable chill seeps into my mind. It numbs all my sensations, I can even feel my frantic heartbeat slow down. And for the first time in what I think is forever, I don't feel afraid. I don't feel anything.

I continue to lay there and stare at the huge hole next to me for a moment. I figure I could have just failed and died if I fell through that, but who cares? I didn't and still have to fight this thing.

Sighing, I look at the Command Block. That block is pretty far away now and it would take a lot of energy to get there. Everything is just so cold and heavy and slow. I mean, what are the odds I'd even succeed if I did try?

So far, I lost Gabriel, and apparently Ellegaard too, to the Wither Storm. Magnus was killed because I took his armor. And by pure luck everyone else is still alive, although Petra will die soon anyways.

After all, everyone and everything dies eventually. Perhaps it's this world's time to die, and the Wither Storm is just cutting the string early. Yeah, might be considered a downer that some people won't have kids or fulfill their dreams. But those kids would die too, so why even let life torture them?

The walls shudder and I glance over at them. The Wither Storm's heads pop out, roaring furiously while their stupid tractor beams roam around for me. Those stupid rays that suck up and inflict misery on the people I care about.

My heart starts to pound again, a determined rhythm to destroy those friend snatchers. Anger banishes that chill and replaces it with a raging inferno. I stand back up, a murderous wrath distorting my face.

"All right, I've got a new plan for you great black menace." I grab sword and point it at the Command Block, fury seeping into each word. "I'm going to use your own accursed tentacles to destroy your heart. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

I start to climb up the side of the walls, not caring about anything else but getting up there. The tractor beams still try and catch me, but they can't stop me. Nothing can.

Steeling myself, I leap onto one of the heads. I had a harder time staying on a buck horse than I did this thing, it's almost pitiful seeing how much trouble it caused. The ground far below me remains in the back of my head, but I don't care. I just have to kill this thing. Everything will be right again once I kill it.

I jump off of the head, soaring through the air before I clutch onto a dangling tentacle. Glaring at the Command Block, I climb up the tentacle. In my glare though, I never noticed the other tentacle swinging at me until the impact.

All the air of my lungs gets pushed out of me as my body crumples up once the tentacle slammed into me. I pancake on the wall, fireworks of color explode in my eyes adding more pain to my head that feels like it just got cracked open.

Limp, I tumble to the ground. And somehow land in the worse way possible. A stinging and seething pain comes to life in my right thigh, bring me to tears. My anger melts away under the onslaught of pain and misery.

And how could I have forgotten that haven't slept since the day before Endercon nor eaten since that day? I even gave all the potatoes to the group, I didn't eat any myself. I might have been able to ignore that earlier, but oh boy my body is not going to let me forget about it now.

Remembering though if I just lay here, the world dies. And despite earlier thoughts, I will not let that happen. So I reach over and grab my sword again, before starting to get up.

Only for the pain in my leg swell to a truly torturous experience. It immediately collapses, and as much as I just want to barrel through that pain, I simply can't get up again. I didn't just bruise the bone or anything, it must be completely shattered or something. That leg just cannot support any weight. It's not willpower here, it's physics.

Even if I somehow managed to limp and crawl my way back up to the head, I can't just leap off like I did before. If I tried, I would plummet down into that hole and fail. Not an option. But there must be some way for me to do this.

I roll out of the away of a tractor beam, the purple ray instead picking up one of the cut tentacles. I sharply inhale, a light blub just went off.

"HEY YOU! Bet you can't catch me!" The black head immediately looks over at me, my body already getting dragged up. But to me, those few terror filled seconds of just praying that I will be the luckiest person alive as I'm banking on this one move, feels like an eternity.

I turn towards the Command Block, bring my arm back, hoping my throwing skills have improved since my egg tossing back at Boom Town. I wait until the tractor beam brings me up a little higher, and I throw my sword.

There's nothing I can do now, and fear squeezes its icy fingers around my soul. The sword spins as I think of all my best friends dying and going withered because I missed. It passes through the tentacles while I realize the head will bite my head off if the Command Block still needed another hit.

But then an explosion of bright lights erupt as the Command Block bursts apart. The sword just vanished, it could be anywhere. Then to my absolute pleasure, purple light of the Wither Storm goes out, it is no longer alive! And gravity takes effect again and I'm falling and falling right into the hole.

At first I'm too relieved to scream, I did it! The Wither Storm is dead! My friends are all safe and alive! Petra will be healed of her sickness! All of the withered people are freed! The world won't die!

Then everything around me starts to explode, the blast throwing me around as if I'm nothing more than a piece of paper in the wind. And then I scream, every explosion another hit into my already sore, sleep deprive, starved, aching body.

But all of that ends when I collide into the ground. The only thing I understand now is the crackling of my most of my bones breaking, the wheeze of my lung futilely still trying to keep me alive, and the dull thud of my heartbeat slowly slowing down.

I'm dying, just like Magnus. Thankfully, I've been blessed enough to only feel a numb tiredness. Still though, I strain myself for any signs for my friends. Is it too much to ask for to see my friends one final time?

"Does anyone see Jesse? He should be down by now..." That's Olivia, they must be close by. If I can just alert them somehow.

"Aww dude! Do you... Did Jesse make it Olivia?" Come on guys! Don't let me die alone, find me! I'm right over here.

"Guys, look! My sickness-" Petra's voice just stops, but I'm glad she got better. I wouldn't want her to die with me.

"You did it Jesse!" Another voice, pretty sure it's Lukas's but it's getting really hard to hear, cuts off its excitement. "Wait, where's Jesse?"

"I was hoping he was with YOU!" Olivia is definitely panicking now, and that's it. I don't want to listen to this anymore. Through the cold and numbness I manage to open my mouth and groan. I was hoping for it to be louder, but that should do.

"Shush! Do you guys hear something?" They didn't hear it, so I take another portion of my dwindling energy to let out another groan. This one's even quieter, but I can feel their footsteps getting closer to me.

"Oh my- this can't be. NO! JESSE!" A tear slips from my eye when I hear how heartbroken Olivia is. I feel her approach and fall to knees, her warm fingers brushing softly my cheek as muffled sobs glide into my ears.

Something soft nudges my face, and I successfully manage to open my eyes. Everything's fuzzy, but I look into the eyes my pig for my last time. He lets such a sorrow filled whine, and I can't help but say something.

"Sorry boy... but I gotta... leave now...." I'm breathing heavily from that one simple sentence, but I still want to talk to my other friends. Before all my energy dies away completely.

"Come on Jesse!" I look at Axel, for the first time ever, I see the big man cry. "You're invincible, nothing gets to you..."

"Axel's right, you are way too tough for some puny fall to take you out! You can't die from that!" I smile at my two stubborn friends, I'm so glad that I got to live my life with them.

My eyes flicker over to Lukas, the newest best friend. His head's down as silent tears run out of his eyes. Knowing him, he probably thinks I want to spend my last moments with my older friends. But that doesn't make him any less of true friend of in my eyes.

"Lukas..." The blonde stiffs up and stares at me wide eyed. "Thanks for... being... friends with... me..."

"Jesse..." I never knew ocelots to cry, but Lukas just lets out a sob and collapses right next to Olivia. He grabs my hand and tightly clutches onto it. "I'm so sorry I let Aidan bully you. I should've stop-"

"Hey.... we're all..." I have to stop and catch my breath. This is it. I can feel my life slipping away. Gathering everything I have left I look at all my bestest friends and open my mouth one final time.

"Thanks friends... for making... my life so... worthwhile. I... wouldn't ... hesitate....... to do it... all again..." Distantly, I feel myself go limp. But hey, at least I died with a smile on my face surrounded by the ones I love the most.

~

At first, everyone rejoiced. The great storm plaguing the world was gone. People were solemn about the hero's death, and greatly respected him for Jesse's sacrifice. He did what he set out to do. Save everyone and keep his friends alive.

However, it wasn't too long before the new Order of the Stone started to crumble. The loss of Jesse tearing them apart from the inside.

Rueben, Jesse's beloved pig, refused to leave his memorial. He ate less and less and wouldn't go in no matter the weather. One night, a massive storm broke out. And Rueben wasn't strong enough to fight it. He died from exposure right next to Jesse.

Petra was hardly ever seen. Releasing all of her fury at night and then locking herself away all day in her bedroom. The warrior refused to talk to anyone about her grief and struggles, she would rather fight them herself. Then she went out one time blinded by anger, tiredness, and grief. The next day her body was found with an arrow lodged in her head.

Olivia just couldn't stay awake. Once Jesse died, life slowly starting losing its happiness. She slept more and more, saying at least in her dreams Jesse is alive. Axel tried to coax her back into making redstone machines, but her heart wasn't in it. So one day, she went to sleep and simply never woke up.

Axel was in complete denial. He truly believed that one day he would wake up from this nightmare and see Jesse in their tree house again. As the others started to die, he madly clutched to this dream he needed to survive. Then he just accepted reality, and sat on an ignited TNT.

Lukas, no one knows what happened to him. He was constantly grieving and guilty he wasn't a better person to Jesse. And then, poof. If he didn't die from his extreme grief, which is unlikely, then would eventually die alone wherever he dug his grave.

Ivor blamed himself for Jesse's death, and felt he didn't even deserve to be spat on. For a few days his old friends kept him alive, but Ivor couldn't take it anymore. He didn't think he deserved to live. Not even a week after Jesse died, Ivor drank a potion of harming.

The Order of the Stone was cracked and cracked until it broke. All of its members were the smartest of the smartest and toughest of the toughest, but none of them could survive the grief Jesse brought.

And while Jesse did save this world, he never showed the citizens of Sky City that there was ground and freed them from their prison in the sky. The Youtubers were all killed by Cassie Rose. P.A.M.A. would eventually capture Harper after a long time and would begin to infect other worlds. Until then, the Old Builders kept innocent people enslaved in their cycle of torture and Romeo would continue to bury worlds.  

So while Jesse would have been heartbroken if Rueben was the one to die, it would have been better. In a way, Rueben sacrificed himself for Jesse, so that he could continue helping and saving many more people. But without that sacrifice, many more suffered. Ultimately, it was the wrong choice from stopping Rueben from jumping into Jesse's minecart.

****

Ahh, that was fun. Not only do I get to write Jesse's death, but the emotional stress being the final hope of the entire world. Can't get much better than that.

And the challenge is almost over... so I want impactful, more emotional oneshots for these last couple ones. I'm sure some of you remember that there's two squeals (and two days) left I haven't done.

Yep, since I already set up the last two oneshots I can just hop right on in without any introduction needed. You have been warned.

ANYway, tomorrow's oneshot is Lukas! Be back for that one!