Previously:

Bits of Endstone crunched beneath his feet as Simon shifted. Grian raised his eyebrows with question. "Either you're going to have to slip through time and create a double, which I do not recommend," Grian paused and glanced at Xequla, still not sure what to do with him. "Or you have to die to give up the stone."

Simon paused to let that reality sink in. His brother Luke would be able to help the Coders just fine. He just felt bad to leave him like that. "I know the costs. But before I go, what do you mean one more stone? I thought this was the last stone?"

Grian slowly nodded before a light flashed in his eyes. "I know how to find the seventh stone!"

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"You do?" Everyone asked simultaneously.

"Yeah," Grian nodded his head rapidly. "How could I not see it before?"

Xisuma looked at the void thoughtfully. "Riddles, once cracked, always seem easier."

"Care to let us in?" Zedaph inquired.

Grian scrunched his eyelids together in thought. "The first part of the riddle was simple.

One of you has the stone, but to reveal itself is untold.

That meant that we had to figure out based off of the next parts who has the stone. Next part was harder, but I think I solved it.

You must find your mortal enemy and trust him three-fold.

We all have enemies, but who has a mortal enemy?" Everyone shook their heads, so Grian continued. "I had a mortal enemy, one from another dimension. Xequla could have just killed me and taken my place, but he didn't."

"Sometimes I thought about it," Xequla admitted. "But I understand that I don't belong here."

Once Xequla finished, Grian continued explaining the riddle. "To trust him three-fold. I had to trust him not to kill me, backstab me, or kidnap me. I had to make him a friend.

To break free the bondage, find the other self within the wreckage.

My other self was the Salmon Ghost. He died earlier, so I had to find him again, even though I didn't. When I went through time I changed, leaving myself behind. Then I realized that I needed that part of myself, the prankster, and I had to find him in the rubble.

Where worlds meet, the mortals keep, the stone of light away from blight.

Where worlds meet, that is our group. We are people from other worlds and dimensions. As for the mortals keep part, it meant that one of us had the stone in us."

Right as Grian finished up, white light started flashing through his chest. A breeze gusted through, ruffling everyone's feathers. A ball of light shot off of one of the rays and started circling Grian.

It took the form of a tiny human, clothed in white. She had no wings to hold her aloft, but simply hovered as she was revealed.

"Who are you?" Grian asked nervously.

"I am Aura, the Light Pixe." She curtsied deeply. "You have set me free from the stone, so that I may aid you in the fight.

"Do all of the stones have Pixes?" TFC asked, glancing at his own cracked one.

"They do," Aura replied. "Pull you stones out."

Everyone one complied, and once they were all out, Aura shot a blast of white light at Mumbo's Overworld Stone. A green ball of light shot out and formed another female pixe, this one clothed in a flowing green dress.

"Umber," She bowed at Mumbo. All the other stones were activated, each pixe saying his/her name.

"Oyxn," TFC's pixe said, bowing in his end attire.

"Cendis," The Nether pixe shot tiny flames out of his hands when he appeared.

Zedaph got a female pixe who introduced herself as Fernis. The command stone produced a gruff male pixe under the name of Orcus. Xisuma's pixe flew around him before settling on his shoulder with a tinkling laugh.

"Stowne," Her voice came out gently as she smoothed out her purple and blue hair.

"Not to be rude," Xisuma started. "But how does this help us?"

"You have activated the stones," Aura answered. "Now all you have to do is unite them, with the help of us, to defeat the darkness."

Simon looked at everyone before he put his stone on the ground. "Guess it's time to say goodbye. Say hello to Wels for me, will you?"

At those words, Simon faded away, leaving only the stone and Orcus in his place. Orcus touched the stone, and Wels flashed into existence in the prone position.

He was helped up by Zedaph and Tango, and he rubbed his head in confusion.

"What?"

That question was not easily answered, so over the course of an hour, the group took turns alternating telling Wels what happened since his.... demise.

Grian wasn't surprised that Wels had a faraway look in his eyes after the story wrapped up its tale.

"So I'm the guardian of the Command stone now." Wels looked dazed as Orcus handed him the stone. "And we need to defeat the darkness."

"You won't get away with this."

Everyone whirled around at the voice behind them. It was like metal scraping on metal, quite and unpleasant sound. It was the darkness, that flowed with evil and seething red eyes.

"We are the guardians," Grian stepped forwards, shoulders thrown back and the stone glowing in his hands.

"You are nothing!" It hissed back, growing larger. "You group of misfits think you can defeat me? I have swallowed thousands of worlds!" To prove its strength, it shot a blast of evil blackness at Xisuma. Xisuma's quick reactions saved him again, but he wouldn't be able to take another hit like that.

He had summoned a shield of purple light to block the attack, but upon contact the darkness ate the shield instantly leaving a weakened Xisuma.

"See?" It gloated. "I am more powerful than you and can strike down your defenses in one blow."

Grian hesitated for a second, glancing at Mumbo. When his mustached friend gave him a nod, he spoke with more force and passion than before.

"We might be misfits, we might have each had our downfalls, but we stand united. We are the guardians and the protectors, under the unity of friendship. Can you say the same? No, for you shall not prevail."

The darkness seemed to hesitate for a split-second. In that time frame Grian shouted, "Now!"

Seven different colors of light shot out from each of the Guardians stones, forming a multicolored shield in front of them. The darkness replied by starting to eat away at the shield. For the time being it held easily, held together by all seven of them. Iskall and Xequla stood in the center of it all, amazed at the sight before them.

The pixes, led by Aura, spiraled up towards the top of the shield. There they shot each of their small beams into one ball of pure golden light. With their free hand, they shot a beam down to their respective stones, making a bond.

All at once, the shield evaporated and the darkness was shot in the core with the golden light.

"FOOLS!" It cried out as it started imploding. "You have started something that cannot be undone!" With that it disappeared with a bang, knocking everyone over in the blast of cold air.

"Did we do it?" Mumbo asked with trepidation.

"We did it," Tango gasped. "WE DID IT!!!" He fell over laughing from the stress and exhilaration of it all. Everyone joined him, just as surprised as he was.

"I think it's time we go home," Xisuma told everyone breathlessly after they were all done.

Wholeheartedly agreeing, Zedaph started making the portal.

"Wait," Xequla stopped Zedaph. "I do not belong here."

Everyone looked on sadly as Xequla walked over to Grian. A nod was shared between them before they pressed their palms against each other, creating a bridge. Xequla slowly turned to mist, returning to his universe.

"I never thought I would be sad to see him go." Grian said quietly.

"I think we all went through loss." Xisuma put his hand on Grian's shoulder. "Take us home Zedaph."

The portal that was created was a special one, designed to direct the user to wherever they desired. Tango was whisked to the Nether, where he found a slightly stressed Fireren ruling the kingdom.

Xisuma found himself in his base, all traces of the darkness gone. Wels went with Xisuma, and stayed with him in the large prismarine base. Iskall was plopped right on his iceberg, rather than inside of it.

Mumbo and Grian both ended up in Mumbo's orb of a base. Grian squealed when he saw Rueben, making Mumbo fall over in laughter.

Zedaph went back to his family, managing to convince the council for him to keep the stone. They were rather moved by the tale he told, and were fairly convinced that they were under the control of the poison.

Miraculously, all the spectators returned, and all the hermits agreed to use them more often. To do so, they moved to another world to start anew.

Scar lost his gracefulness again, and soon Xisuma had to set up a respawn in the world when Scar managed to die to a Panda.

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(Play this song while reading this next part.)

So now that you have heard our tale, would you like to hear the riddle? Perhaps in hindsight you can see what it really means.

Poem of the stones
We are three,
We are thee,
Heed us not,
Darkness you will feel blot,
The existence of life,
As fragile as ice,
The other four,
The ones with open doors,
Brave holders they need,
Till we are united indeed,
The codes stones we are,
Forever more,
To find a keeper is hard,
Even harder to find one pure of heart.
Search far and wide,
To find the Netherite.
Suffering from betrayal and hate,
He was perfect for the bait.
Nether stone safe,
Time for the second take.
On wings of white,
Free of blight,
Find we the Eltherite.
Humble and free,
He rescued me.
For the third stone,
One who knew the loan,
The cost, the suffering, the pain,
He knew that was the game.
To the void and back,
Rescued from attack.
Three stones for three dimensions,
A fourth one to temper their rank.
A blustering Bumbo,
A Mumbo was found.
A redstone genius was he,
But very humbled indeed.
To find this power was rare,
To control it was fair.
The fifth lay out of sight,
Hidden deep in the mine.
One of great patience found it,
I'd say he deserved it.
The sixth was safe,
For it held the key to life in its place.
Another one destined for it indeed,
When the holder of it will recede.
The seventh one the trickiest,
For at its best,
Hides itself from the struggle of one.
To break free of the bondage,
He must look past the wreckage.
To find his other self,
And confront his greatest enemy.

Some would say this is a fable, or spinning of yarn. That such a thing as stones could exist and control dimensions. It is hard to believe, I can tell you that. For I went through a lot to see the end of my biggest mistake.

This is a true story you have heard. How do I know?

I am he, Grian, Guardian of the Light Stone. And those others? They are my best friends.

We are the guardians, the ones who fought against the darkness and won. We are ready should it come again, even if we are in different dimensions.

We are the Protectors of the Universe.

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That was a nice 2000 word, no interruption ending am I right? As sad as I am to see this story end, like season 6, I am ready to start a new book! I am still going to put oneshots in here every week, so stay tuned. Will this book ever be completed? Probably not.

Come with me to my Missing Hermits book! All my energy will go into that after a short break. (It will probably be no more than a day.)

Thanks to Patrik Peitchman who redid the Star Wars theme. I thought it had that perfect touch of happy/sad to it. See you in the next book!

Love you all!

-Buurn