//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 - Journey To The Flesh And A Bee-utiful Plan. // Story: Terraria: Friendship Is Magic // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// -TERRARIA, HOME TOWN- It’s bright and early in Terraria as Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Starlight Glimmer say their goodbye’s to their Terrarian friends and Rarity as they double check their armor, weapons, and equipment before they take their leave. This causes everyone to comment: “Please be safe darling, we already lost Princess Celestia... I don’t want to lose any of you too.” - Rarity. “Twilight, I will continue to work on my next experiments in your absence. I call my next project: Tinkerer’s Workshop.” - Gorglock The Goblin Tinkerer. “You won’t have me there to heal anything fatal, please don’t be reckless, ok dears?” - Helena The Nurse. “That goes especially for you, Rainbow. Speaking of, I got something for ya.” - Ceeman The Arms Dealer, he then tosses Rainbow a new weapon along with one-thousand rounds of ammo: The Minishark. Rainbow nods in understanding and makes the weapon/ammo vanish as she stores them into her inventory. “I wish I could go with you ladies, sadly I’d just end up getting in the way.” - Lucan The Merchant. “I wish you all luck on your journey... I wish we could assist you more but we need to watch over the town while you’re gone. Just be sure you all come back.” - Tanner The Guide. “Don’t you worry ladies, I might not be able to accompany you but I can give you all some of these babies. Been saving em’ for a rainy day haha!” - Vinny The Demolitionist, he gives all of the ponies five sticks of dynamite, they all nod gratefully and store their pieces of dynamite into their inventory. “Ok, everypony ready?”, Twilight asks as she turns to Rainbow and Starlight, both of whom nods enthusiastically. The trio leaves the eastern gate and stand side by side as they look towards the dirt road, they all narrow their eyes in determination and take a step together. “Ok, let the journey to the flesh begin!”, Twilight exclaims as she and her fellow ponies summon their slime mounts, mounts them, and ‘hops’ down the road giving one last wave to their friends as they hopped off into the distance. The trio couldn’t help but to admire the landscape around them as they made their way to their destination, Twilight trusts Rainbow and Starlight to know where they’re going and what their plan of action was but she wanted to play it safe as she asks: “Everypony remember the plan?” “You bet!, we’re gonna rendezvous with the rest of the adventurers outside of The Desert.”, Rainbow Dash replies. “Then, we’re gonna march together through said desert and make our way towards The Crimson Biome just beyond that. I got to say, I am a bit nervous Twilight.”, Starlight says as she takes on a saddened expression. “I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t afraid too Starlight, but I do know this. As long as I have my dear friends with me, we can handle it. We’ve overcome so many challenges together and we’re gonna do it again.”, Twilight’s words causes both Rainbow and Starlight to perk up and smile. Together, the trio shouts: “For Equus!”, As they continue onward towards their new, yet incredibly dangerous, adventure. -TERRARIA, UNDERGROUND JUNGLE- “Give us one good reason why ah’ shouldn’t buck you all the way back to Equestria you varmint, or simply slice you in half!”, Applejack exclaims as she stares daggers at her foe, the cowmare’s silver sword at the ready against the groups new... Visitor, Hornet 626. Everyone else in the group are ready for battle as they take combat poses behind Applejack however Fluttershy tries to stop things before they escalate and says: “Um, maybe we could avoid conflict.”, Sadly, her words falls on deaf ears which causes her to sigh sadly. 626 narrows their insectoid features and says: “Listen to me, neither of us likes each other especially after what happened yesterday. However, I know why you’re here... The Blade Of Grass.” “You better tell us what ya’ know, you hornets attacked us fer’ no reason yesterday. We did nothin to y’all!”, Applejack exclaims. “It’s not about what you did pony, It’s about what you’re going to do. My Queen has the weapon you seek however she will not let you take it, I’m here speaking to you because unlike my mother I’d rather not put The Hive in danger. That blade has been nothing but a burden yet her majesty is so obsessed with it. We survived for a long time, long before that blade ever came into our lives. She fails to realize that more adventurers will seek the blade and sure, we could fight some of them off, but what about the day when a powerful opponent comes for it and slaughters The Hive?”, 626 asks which causes everyone to ponder on the words the hornet just spoke. Fluttershy, to everyone’s surprise, walks forward and asks: “So, you want us to take the blade away from your hive?. But, wouldn’t that anger your Queen? Oh dear, I didn’t think these blades would be so much trouble”, 626 looks upon the yellow pegasus curiously. “Yes, pony, that is exactly what I’m offering. My mother will be angry for a time but at least her obsession over it might disappear, worst case scenario I’ll... Challenge her. I must admit I’m glad It’s you I’m speaking to now because I have a plan, it strongly involves you and-” “Hang on fer one dang minute hornet!”, Applejack exclaims as she cuts off their conversation, everyone else watches the conversation go on as Pinkie Pie nervously put a hoof in her mouth. “Lemme guess, you want Fluttershy to give herself up so y’all can take her prisoner huh?, yeah that’s right, I can read you like a book. You expect us to just let you take-” “You’re coming too, orange pony.”, 626 says as the hornet points one of their legs towards the cowmare. “Yer crazy if ya think-” “Enough!, both of you!”, Everyone, aside from 626, stares on in shock at the being who was responsible for the exclamation and cut off Applejack’s words, Fluttershy. “Applejack, we need to do what they say.” “Ooh, this is getting good. Popcorn anypony?”, Pinkie asks as she looks towards Gex, Zecora, and Ritsu munching on the delicious snack. They all stare at her with a deadpan expression. “Are you out of yer’ mind Fluttershy, we can’t trust this hornet.” “Applejack, we don’t have a choice!. What do you suggest huh? That we fight our way into The Hive which is probably swarming with hundreds if not thousands of hornets?. We’ll be killed, we need to go with their plan. You’re the element of honesty for Celestia’s sake Applejack, why is it that I can sense this hornet’s desperation yet you can’t? And don’t you dare tell me it’s because they are animals. This is our best chance at getting the blade...”, Fluttershy says as she looks down with a saddened expression. “Your pony friend is much wiser than you, I can get you the blade but you must let me catch the both of you. You want the blade and I want it far away from The Hive, you have no reason to trust me but your friend is right. I’m your best chance at getting that blade... So what say you, pony?”, 626 asks as the hornet looks to Applejack. “...”, The cowmare remains silent as she stares right back to the hornet, she then turns her gaze to Fluttershy whos eyes practically begs her to agree with the hornet’s plan. Finally, Applejack takes a deep breath as she tells Fluttershy: “I’m only doing this fer’ you, sugarcube. I trust you with ma’ life so if you think we should play along, even though I still don’t like it, I’ll be there for ya.”, Applejacks words causes Fluttershy to hug her as the pegasus whispers: “Thank you Applejack.”, The cowmare then turns back to 626 and says: “But let me say this hornet, to be honest with ya? I don’t care one dang bit about what happens to me or even yer’ hive, sorry if that sounds cruel but it is what it is ya hear?.”, Applejack then walks closer to 626, with Fluttershy following behind her, and says: “Fluttershy is right, I can sense no lies in your words. As much as I hate to admit it both of y’all are right, we need that blade and this might be our best chance... But, I’m gonna warn you right here, right now hornet. If Fluttershy is... Killed, by you or any other one of you hornets, I don’t care if it’s the last thing I do... I’ll make sure your hive burns down. We clear on that?” “Clear as newly harvested honey, pony.”, 626 says as the hornet nods its head. Applejack turns her head back to the rest of the group and says: “Ok y’all, while our hornet... Guest, takes us away y’all got’ta follow us. Don’t do anything to attract attention to yer’self ya hear?”, Gex and Zecora nods in understanding however a pink blur zooms past them as Pinkie Pie hugs Applejack and Flutteshy, along the way she managed to scoop up the pegasus. She brings them into a group hug, on the verge of tears, and says: “Please be safe you two, I love you both so very much.”, Applejack and Fluttershy hugs the party pony with content smiles. Suddenly, Pinky escapes their grasp in a pink blur and re-appears in front of 626. “Now you listen to me bucko, Applejack said that if anything happens to Fluttershy she’ll make you sorry. But, If I hear anything happens to either of them...”, for a very brief moment Pinkie’s mane deflated and her fur greys out. ”I’ll hunt you down...”, As soon as Pinkamena finishes those words she returns back to her normal state and says: “No pressure, just a warning. Good luck everypony!”, Pinkie says as she zooms away in a pink blur and returns to Gex and Zecora. 626, admittedly, felt something very...eerie about the pink pony’s warning. “So, how do we go ‘bout this hornet?”, Applejack questions. “I’m going to sting you both, I won’t inject you with anything dangerous, fear not. However, we need to make it look believable, It won’t threaten your lives It’ll just be enough to knock you both out.”, 626 replies as the hornet prepares its stinger. “Hold still.” -TERRARIA, EDGE OF THE DESERT BIOME- Twilight, Rainbow, and Starlight stares in amazement at the sight before them. Every direction they could look there were Terrarian adventurers going about their business from preparing their equipment to chatting amongst themselves. Everything was going well, until things got awkward for the group of ponies as everyone present took notice of the trio and... Stopped. Awkward silence ensues as all eyes were on the ponies, then, the most unusual thing happens: [CLAP] [CLAP] [CLAP] [CLAP] [CLAP] [CLAP] It started from a single adventurer clapping slowly until it erupted into the whole crowd clapping their hands and cheering for the ponies as they scream out: “Woah, they really are ponies... Tanner was right!” “Two of them has wings?!” “Check that one out its got a rainbow mane.” “The lavender one in the middle looks like the other two combined.” “What’s that on their butts?, brands?” “You ponies draw quite the crowd, huh?”, A mysterious female Terrarian says as she walks up to the ponies, she was wearing silver armor just like the trio of Equestrian’s but what made Twilight, Rainbow, and Starlight’s jaws drop was the color of her hair. It was the colors of the rainbow however it changed passively from one color to the next, she also had magenta eyes and light colored skin. A most notable part of her appearance was the simple fact, she has large angelic wings. The Terrarian continues as she says: “I’m a mage from the far southern continent, my name is: Celestia.”