//------------------------------// // Chapter 74 - "Get Everyone." // Story: Terraria: Friendship Is Magic // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// -TERRARIA, THE DUNGEON- “Wait, please don’t!” Steven The Clothier pleads. “You don’t know what-” “You underestimate what I’m capable of, old man. Besides, who do you think it was that showed Lunaris how to perform the seal that binds you and Skelly together? Not to mention The Dungeon.” Yharim says as he then places his left hand onto Pinkamena, who stood at his side, while placing his right hand onto Steven who was still struggling against the invisible force that held him in place. Yharim chuckles before he exclaims: “Change now!” Yharim’s hands begin to glow with a gray aura which causes Steven to scream out. Incidentally, The Clothier wasn’t alone as deep within his psyche, Skeletron roars out in tandem with his soon to be former prison. Slowly but surely, an unknown energy starts to travel out of The Clothier and creeps towards Pinkamena who says internally: -I’m going to hate everything about this- Pinkamena screams out in what was best described as a mix of pain and discomfort. “Nooooo!” Skeletron roars out mere moments before he is literally injected into Pinkamena. Most notably was the fact that the rune that was once present on Steven was now on full display upon Pinkamena’s chest region. The dark pink pony drops to the floor and says: “D-damn you, Yharim…” “You’re welcome.” Yharim responds. Within Pinkamena’s psyche was a raging demon as Skeletron roars out: -How dare you do this to me! This stupid pony can not hold me forever! I will kill you, Yharim!- -Hey! Keep your mouth shut, Skelly boy. I don’t like this anymore than you do.- Pinkamena responds internally. As this goes on, Steven falls to the floor unconscious while Yharim stands over The Clothier and says: “Your usefulness as Skeletron’s vessel has ended, my dear clothier. However, I shall allow you to live for the time being. You still have a role to play in my game, after all.” Yharim then picks up the old man as he turns back towards Pinkamena and says: “Get your useless flank ready for the attack on Home Town, after we toss this old man into the cells below.” “I despise you…” Pinkamena growls. “I know and I love every minute of it.” “How does this even work?! You didn’t exactly give me a manual!” “Do I have to do everything around here? You are in control of Skeletron but once you release him, he is free to wreak havoc. I need you to do just that in Home Town.” “W-wait… you’re saying that you want me to go into the middle of town and unleash him?! I thought you said that you wanted me to control an army of the undead?! Don’t I need him for that?!” “You will. Even after the two of you separate, you will still have his power. The power of a necromancer. You will work with Skeletron to raze that town to the ground and force the ponies to combat him. After all, that’s what they planned to do eventually so I’m just speeding things up. In addition, this will be perfect for what I have in mind for The Plaguebringer Goliath.” “You expect me to just watch him tear Home Town apart? And help him to do it?” “I expect you to obey me, Pinkamena. Yes, you will assist in its destruction or we both know what I will do to your sister.” Pinkamena growls angrily before she closes her eyes in frustration and says: “F-fine… I’ll do it…” “There’s a good puppet. Come, let’s go see those prisoners down below.” Yharim starts to walk off in the direction of the cells that held The Dungeon’s prisoners all while Pinkamena stares daggers at him from behind and says internally: -I am going to butcher you for this… you’ve wronged me in a way that not even your death can atone for- “You know I heard that, right? The only reason I allow you to sass me like that is because I find it to be mildly amusing.” Yharim says in response as the two make their way towards The Dungeon’s depths. Deep in the bowels of The Dungeon its prisoners are currently awaiting for Rarity’s promise of a rescue. One prisoner in particular could feel something quite familiar as she says: “Ooh! ooh! I feel that party pony’s energy nearby! I think?... She’s coming to see me!” “What are you going on about, Candymena?” Ross Bosman The Tavernkeeper inquires. “She’s coming to save us all! Rarity kept her promise!” “Don’t get your hopes up, Candy. Not to doubt Rarity or anything but we can’t-” “No… something’s different about The Dungeon…” Magius The Wizard interjects as he cuts off The Angler’s words. “What do you mean?” Katelyn The Mechanic questions. “I can sense a great change within this place, the horrible magical energies that practically radiated from its very walls seems to have died down. No… it seems to have been… contained.” “I don’t really understand, darling.” Livian The Stylist comments. “The Dungeon Guardian creeps within the very walls of this place, keeping a watchful eye out for any intruders. I could always sense that abomination but now… I simply can’t. It’s almost as if the guardian is-” Suddenly, The Wizard’s words were cut off as the doors to the hallway of cells opens up and what is revealed instantly shocks everyone present. A large bipedal entity, accompanied by a dark pink pony, holding an unconscious Steven The Clothier. “Time to wake up, old man…” Yharim says as he brutally tosses Steven onto the floor which causes him to awake with a painful grunt. “Hey! You leave Steven alone you meanie!” Candy The Party Girl exclaims. “Who are you?!” The Mechanic inquires as she could see everything happening from her cell. Yharim simply glances towards her and chuckles as he says: “Well, well, didn’t expect to find you here… Katelyn. Draedon sends his regards.” In that very moment, The Mechanic’s blood starts to boil as she screams out: “H-how did you?... do not say that monster’s name in front of me! He murdered my father!” “Ah yes, your old man... Daedalus. I’m so happy for your loss.” As this is going on, Pinkamena instantly walks straight towards the cell that interests her most as she sensed something very familiar. A cell that held a very particular inmate: Candymena. The pony now stood before The Party Girl’s cell and says: “It’s… you… me and my sis could sense you.” “Oh my gosh! You’re a part of Pinkie Pie, aren’t you?! Oh! You guys are just like me and my-” Pinkamena raises a hoof in an effort to silence The Party Girl as she says in a whispered tone: “I can’t tell you enough how happy I am to meet you because I want to try something. You may very well be my key to saving my sister.” Pinkamena then glances over to Yharim who seemed to be having a conversation with The Mechanic. She then returns to The Party Girl and says: ”You see, me and my sis went through some things in the past but during those adventures an entity called the Light Goddess gave us a gift.” “A gift?” Candymena responds. “Technically it’s a gift with many uses but one among them is the ability to speak in a sort of mind-link with any other universe’s version of ourselves. Best part about it? Only we can access this link, not even Discord could breach it. Not too long ago, a giant brain messed with my sister and sent her to another reality, mentally that is. However, the pinkie of that world could sense us because of this gift. She couldn’t see us but she knew we were there.” Pinkamena glances over to Yharim yet again who was currently talking down to Steven, likely mocking the poor old man. “Listen to me, Candy. Can you help me save my sister? If you do this I will forever be in your debt.” The Party Girl instantly beamed a bright smile as she salutes in response and says: “You can count on me, Pinkamena. Also, no need for debts, this is what friends do.” “Wait… how did you know my- oh right… you’re a version of us. We all do this kind of thing. Anyway, let’s give this a go and if I’m right then not even Yharim can see or hear our conversation with his annoying powers.” “I’m ready when you are, other me.” Candy says as she awaits patiently for this mind-link. Then, the whole world around them swirls and morphs. What happens next absolutely amazes The Party Girl who hops happily in excitement. The world stops for a moment as the two beings were now in some sort of establishment but what caught Candy’s eye was the fact that there were ponies on nearby tables enjoying their meals. “Awwww, so many cute ponies! But, wait… where are we?” “In this place, I can change it to whatever setting I please. Where we currently are is Sugarcube Corner, me and my sister’s home back on Equus.” “Oooooh, I like it a lot!” “Not to sound rude, Candy... but we have work to do. I’m gonna get straight to it, when we return to the real world I’m going to give you a Golden Key. I need you to escape and to deliver a message for me.” “How did you get a Golden Key? Only Steven has one of- oooooh, you plucked it off of him, didn’t you?” “Kind of, Yharim was walking in front of me with Steven hung over his shoulder like some sort of trophy. Here’s the best part, Steven was pretending to be asleep as he lifted his head gently, as to not alarm Yharim, and winked at me. He then materialized a Golden Key into his mouth and spat it towards me. Note to self: Drown my right forehoof in sanitizer. It instantly clicked in my head and I knew exactly what he wanted me to do.” “Ooh, sneaky. What is it he wanted you to do?” Pinkamena smirks for a moment before she says: “He wanted me to meet you. Steven knew that you could help and he was absolutely right, you most assuredly can. Now, I want you to deliver this message for me…” Pinkamena takes a deep breath before saying: “Beware the undead for they shall be attacking in two days. Get as much help as you can possibly muster. Go find Terralestia and Sai Sahan, go collect Zecora and Gex from The Jungle. Hay, get Fluttershy to summon a slime army or even summon those Slime Gods of hers. You’ll also have the aid of everyone who’s trapped in The Dungeon once you free them. To put it simply: Get everyone.” “I’m all over it! But… what about you?” Pinkamena takes on a saddened expression for a moment before she replies: “I’m going to be an adversary in this fight. However, I want you to know that I’m not doing it willingly…” “That big old meanie is forcing you to do this, isn’t he?” “Heh, I keep forgetting that you’re one of us. Yes, he has my sister’s life force and in order to protect her… I must do as he asks.” Candymena looked as if she wanted to cry a river of tears as she says: “I’m so sorry… that big old meanie needs a good buttkicking!” “Tch, ain’t that an understatement. If you ask me it goes beyond a simple asskicking. He needs to die, plain and simple.” “Hey, Pinkamena?” “Yeah?” “I know this might sound weird but… I’d really like to become you and your sister’s friend. If you’re anything like my own sister then you’re probably not too good with all the mushy stuff but I’d still like that a lot.” Candy says as she then laughs nervously. -Of course she has a version of me inside of her.- Pinkamena says internally. Another voice suddenly responds within the dark pink pony’s mind and much to Pinkamena’s surprise, this female entity’s voice was a slightly deeper version of The Party Girl’s -You bet she does… nice to meet you, other me. Let’s have some fun together, someday.-