//------------------------------// // Chapter 81 - Shadow Thunder's Revelation. // Story: Terraria: Friendship Is Magic // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// -TERRARIA, HOME TOWN- Twilight was absolutely stunned by her internal realization despite everything that was currently going on. Starlight Glimmer, Linn, Shadow Thunder, Tori, and a recovered Celebes The Dryad continue the fight against Yharim. The lavender alicorn shakes her head in an effort to regain her sense of reality as she flies forward and shouts: “Yharim! Please, I’d rather talk! The fighting doesn’t need to continue!” “Are you insane, Twilight?!” Linn exclaims. “This guy is beyond just talking to!” “Twilight, Yharim is the one who released The Moon Lord. It was he who ordered Calamitas to weaken the seal that binds Razeem. He is the reason that monster went to your world in the first place. Princess Celestia is dead because of Yharim, Razeem was just the executioner. Words alone will never reach this tyrant.” Celebes comments. “The Moon Lord?!” Linn and Shadow Thunder exclaim in unison while Tori’s eyes widen in shock. “You freed that monster?!” Linn questions in disbelief. “As if destroying my home wasn’t bad enough, now I come to learn that you released the ultimate spawn of Cthulhu?! You absolutely deserve to die!” As this is going on, Starlight flies over to Twilight and says: “What are you planning, Twilight?” “I think I can get through to him. Maybe I can help him where no one else had ever tried before.” “Twilight… he’s very different compared to any other opponent you’ve ever faced back home. He’s even worse than I was back in the day… Are you sure that you could get through to him? For Celestia’s sake, he has Pinkie Pie’s life force. How can you possibly reach someone who resorts to doing something like that?” “I… I don’t know, Starlight. It’s just that I feel like he needs help, he told me that he wants to cure his depression.” “Ok, wait… are you saying that he did all of those bad things because he’s depressed? Can’t he just, I don’t know, talk to somepony?” “I know it sounds ridiculous, Starlight, but I’ve seen and heard about ponies who became depressed back home and what they do in an effort to escape that depression. I truly do want to help Yharim, but… all the things that he’s done. This is perhaps the most conflicting battle I’ve ever been in. I want to make Yharim pay for what he did but I also can’t help but feel sympathetic for him. I don’t even know what makes him feel so depressed and yet I still want to help him.” “Oh Twilight… you have such a good heart, you know that?” Starlight then sighs before she continues: “Look, I’ll support whatever it is you want to do but please hear me out on this. To put it simply: Not everyone can be saved, Twilight. Maybe Yharim does have a valid reason for doing all of this but he is still responsible for a lot of the pain and suffering that’s been happening as of late. Even if you were to make him see the light, I’m afraid of what others will demand in compensation.” “I know…” Twilight responds sadly. “I’m going to rejoin the fighting. It’s strange though, why is he just taking all of our attacks? He was retaliating before but now he’s just… floating there.” As Starlight had observed, everyone continues to attack Yharim from multiple directions. Suddenly, Yharim lifts his right hand and prepares to snap his fingers. “I think I’ve played with you all long enough. It’s time to get things rolling…” Yharim finally snaps his fingers which causes Pinkamena to appear before him in an instant, much to her confusion. Moments before Yharim snaps his fingers: Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena continue to zoom around on the rooftops of multiple buildings throughout Home Town. They’d clash blades when they hop into the air before they land onto another building. They finally came to a momentary stand still on top of Candy Cane Corner as they clashed blades once more, albeit with Pinkie Pie struggling in the process. “Mena! We can put an end to this, together!” “He has your life force! How exactly are we going to put an end to it, if it results in your death?!” Pinkamena roars out as she kicks Pinkie Pie away, causing her to ski across the roof of Candy Cane Corner. “That’s enough,” Another voice says which causes Pinkamena to turn her head to its source. “Candy… stay out of this.” Pinkamena says. “How can I? This is just wrong!” “Have you not been listening to anything I’ve said? Like I told my sister, I have no choice!” Pinkamena exclaims as she rushes forward and prepares to strike at The Party Girl. However, a sudden change takes place during that time as Candy’s hair drops down to her neck and her skin darkens in tandem. “Then I guess it’s time we danced, Mena.” Candymena says as she grabs the dark pink pony by her face, lifts her up, and slams the dark pink pony into the roof. “Please don’t hurt her!” Pinkie Pie pleads. “I’m not hurting her too much…” Candymena says as she blocks a forehoof from Pinkamena which was targeted at the dark pink terrarian’s face. “I’m buying you some time to figure things out on your own.” The two dark pink beings continue to duke it out on the rooftop, leaving Pinkie Pie to ponder on those words. -This would be so much easier if I could just toss her this blade. Sadly, Yharim is watching me… he’ll kill her if I-- Pinkamena says internally, but her inner thoughts are cut off as she suddenly vanishes away. However, just before she vanishes, the dark pink pony smirks as she drops the Muramasa. Pinkie Pie looks towards the sword with a questioning gaze as Candymena says: “Well, well, looks like that jerk offered Mena the perfect cover. This changes things…” “What do you mean?” Pinkie pie questions. “She was hoping that you’d manage to take the blade from her forcefully. However, her teleporting away like that was the perfect cover to ‘drop’ the blade accidentally.” “So she couldn’t just give it to me because that big old meanie was watching her?” “Yes, he would’ve killed you if she gave in willingly. Fortunately, you should be spared thanks to her charade and we now have the means to stop the undead. The Muramasa is so much more than just some blade… it can control the undead and even destroy spirits. Let’s just say that during me and my sister’s imprisonment, Steven would often talk about this weapon.” Pinkamena reappears before Yharim in addition to a few other individuals, much to her own confusion. “What’s going on? Why did you-” “Don’t question me and get Skeletron out here.” Yharim responds annoyingly. “Yharim! Wait!” Twilight calls out as she finally joins the conflict. “Please, I’m begging you to reconsider everything! I want to help you!” “Oh not this again…” Yharim says as he then chuckles in response. “Why do you even want to offer me your help anyway? Oh let me guess, you want to show me sunshine and rainbows?” “I want to show you the magic of-” “Yeah, yeah, friendship and rainbows and ponies and- bleurgh. Gag me! This isn’t The Hallow, Twilight.” “Wait,” Shadow Thunder says in response. “How do you know about The Hallow?” “Oh come now, almost everyone in Terraria knows about it. Ah, I can sense that you are a pony who was born there. Before it disappeared, that is.” “The Hallow? We’ve heard of it before but we never tried to explore it.” Starlight comments all while Linn, Tori, Celebes, and Shadow Thunder watches Yharim cautiously. Pinkamena listens contently as she perks up her ears. “I won’t ask you again!” Shadow Thunder roars out. “How do you know about The Hallow? It’s home to all the ponies of Terraria!” “WHAT?!” Starlight and Twilight exclaims in unison. “Ponies are actually native to this world?!” Twilight questions. “That certainly explains why you’re here, Shadow. At first, I was thinking that you somehow got sucked here with us.” Starlight comments. “Yharim…” Shadow Thunder says angrily. “I’m starting to get the impression that you know what happened to my family and friends, you know what happened to The Hallow… tell me!” “Poor little pony, you’re about as otherworldly as these two when you think about it. You really want to know what happened to that disgusting biome?” “Do not mock The Hallow in front of me!” Shadow roars out as darkness starts to gather around him. “Oh how ironic your very existence is, pony. You can control the darkness despite being born from a biome of light. Then again, that doesn’t surprise me at all… Pony Of Shadows.” “Do not call me that!” “Why not? It’s accurate, isn’t it? You're a pony who can control shadows...” “The Pony Of Shadows?!” Starlight inquires. “You’re this world’s version of that thing?” “No, The Pony Of Shadows was a tyrant who often opposed The Hallow before The Empress Of Light banished him into limbo. Because of my powers… many thought that I would be the next tyrant but I have nothing to do with that monster!” "Hah! Now that's just a lie," Yharim responds as he points towards Shadow Thunder. “You and I have something in common, pony. Why don’t you tell them who that entity really is?” Yharim inquires mockingly. This catches everyone’s attention to which Shadow Thunder grits his teeth in anger towards Yharim. “You and I are nothing alike! I’m not a monster like you!” Shadow Thunder exclaims. “I’d disagree… we both had a brother who betrayed us. That’s right, I know all about that. Your mind is an open book and I can certainly relate to that chapter of your life.” Suddenly, Twilight catches onto what Yharim was hinting towards as she says: “Shadow Thunder, are you… The Pony Of Shadow’s brother?” The lavender mare’s inquiry causes Shadow Thunder to take on an expression of shame. In a saddened tone, Shadow Thunder answers: “Yes… he was my brother. His true name is: Stygian. As I said before, he tried to take over The Hallow and The Empress Of Light was forced to banish him. She didn’t do it alone, however… I helped her… I banished my own brother.” "It's still complicated but I think I understand now," Twilight comments as she and Starlight felt sorry for the dark pegasus. "Your world's version of Stygian was in fact The Pony Of Shadows, your brother. When this Empress Of light entity banished him into limbo, he then found a way into our world. From there, he took over our world's version of your brother, our Stygian." "But then, what happened to him after we sent him back into limbo?" Starlight inquires. "The same thing that happened to The Hallow," Yharim responds which catches everyone's attention, especially Shadow Thunder's. "Your brother did indeed return to this realm but let's just say that he and The Hallow met an unfortunate fate." "What are you talking about?!" Shadow Thunder exclaims. "You asked me earlier about what happened to The Hallow. So, let's answer your question with another question." "What?!" "Have you ever tried asking Legion, The Wall Of Flesh? Let's just say that the forces of light and dark are currently within their grasp. Want to see your brother and The Hallow again? Go talk to them."