Kill Tyler.

It was a perfectly reasonable thing to do; moreover, it was a perfectly correct thing to do. Rational. And Herobrine, who was the most important being in the world, asked it of her.

Yes, she wanted to say. I will kill Tyler for you, she wanted to say.

But she couldn't make her mouth move, couldn't make the words come out. She was weak. She had no will of her own.

Ember, this isn't what you want. You have to fight him!

She had to fight Herobrine? No. She didn't have to fight anyone ever again. All she had to do was kill Ty, and this discord in her head would end. She would be happy. She would rule the world, with her friends, and no one would ever suffer again.

Ember tried to work her mouth. I will kill Tyler. I will kill him. I will kill him.

But try as she might to suppress it, a part of her was screaming the opposite. A part of her was screaming hate at Herobrine for what he'd done to her, and hate at herself for still believing in him. She couldn't kill Ty; hadn't she already decided?

No. She must kill Ty. Her head throbbed. She had to kill him; there was no alternative. It was Herobrine's will for her to kill him. She must do what Herobrine commanded. He knew what was right. He was always right. He was perfect, and she must obey.

Herobrine was the only thing she had left to believe in. He'd saved her, when Notch had abandoned her. He'd raised her from a weak little girl into a powerful hybrid. He wouldn't hurt her…

WE HAD THIS TALK ALREADY! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!

It hurt to listen to Zariah, though. It was so much easier to just obey.

And yet, she still couldn't quite make herself do it.

Her head filled with pain. Kill Ty. Kill Ty. Kill Ty.

Ending him would end her pain. She would be happy. It was so logical, so right… She had to do it.

So what was stopping her? Why couldn't she kill him? Everything was telling her to kill him, everything. The voice against killing him had faded to a soft murmur, a buzz in the back of her mind.

Ember, you have to listen! Just trust me! He's manipulating you!

She realized purple had flooded her vision. Zariah. Zariah was trying to control her!

GET OUT OF MY HEAD! Ember screamed, bashing at the dragoness's consciousness.

No. Zariah grappled with her for control. Herobrine is trying to control your mind!

You're the only one doing that!

Let me help you!

The pain was building to a boiling point. Her head felt as though it might pop. Her eyesight was starting to narrow; it was as though she were looking through a long tube. On the far end, she could see Herobrine, glaring at her impatiently. "Kill him, Ember," the god whispered. "Do it now, and this pain can end."

Ember took a deep breath, and screamed, forcing Zariah out of her thoughts. "I'LL DO IT!"

The headache vanished. She morphed into her hybrid form, fingers turning into claws, and lunged at Ty.

"No!"

Something collided with her, knocking her off her mark. Ember flipped to her feet, ready to fight, and-

Standing opposite her, crouched in a fighting stance, was a slender hybrid with icy blonde hair. "Aradyn?" Ember whispered. She'd come back? What was going on?

The smaller girl's face was twisted with sadness. "Em, please. You have to listen to me. Herobrine doesn't care about you! He doesn't care about anyone! He's just using you!"

That clicked. She'd known that, she'd been about to kill Herobrine. Of course! She was here to fight him-

"Ember, kill Aradyn. She's lying to you," Herobrine warned.

No, that was all wrong. She wasn't here to kill him. Herobrine was right. He was the one telling the truth. But Aradyn… Aradyn had abandoned her. Aradyn deserved to die.

"Goodbye," Ember breathed, spreading her wings back and preparing to pounce. She felt no regret, only a sense that finally, finally, things would be right again.

"Hello!" someone called cheerily, smacking her across the face. She collapsed to the ground, feeling herself falling unconscious. But as her eyes dimmed, she caught a glimpse of a two-headed dragon smashing into Herobrine. Jason?

And I shall leave it right there.

SOTC: "Carousel," by Melanie Martinez