-TERRARIA, THE CRIMSON BIOME-
Using their advanced version of a grappling hook, which incidentally was in the form of Skeletron’s arm, both Linn and Celebes The Dryad were currently traversing down the large chasm by firing the arm of Skeletron downwards. The hand portion of the appendage would grab onto a surface before pulling their wielder down in the process. The two women repeat this process all while both Tori and Twilight float downwards, given their flight capabilities.
Both Twilight and Tori had to fight off some of the flying monstrosities of the flesh as the entities tried to intercept both Celebes and Linn’s delving. This scenario plays on as they all lower themselves into the dark depths of the chasm.
Finally, after killing many of the flying entities in addition to some spider-like abominations who crawled on the walls with little to no effort, both Celebes and Linn were now able to land on flat ground as they finally, and assumingly, reached the absolute depths of the shaft.
“Phew, that was probably the worst hole I ever had to get into,” Linn comments, but instantly turns to Twilight and says: “No, don’t you dare call it a-”
“That’s what he said about her!” Twilight exclaims with a raised hoof to which Celebes facepalms and comments:
“Not only did she get it wrong… she’s also hanging out with you way too much, Linn. Ever since the lab, you two have been inseparable.”
Tori simply walks over to Twilight and gently bonks her on the head before saying:
“Clear your mind of such thoughts, lavender Princess Of Friendship.”
“B-but, I was just working on my humor,” Twilight defends as she raises a forehoof and says: “In fact, I’d say that my humor has increased by twenty percent.”
Linn starts to laugh hysterically, despite being in the dark depths of the biome of living flesh, as she comments:
“Y-you actually said those words in a serious manner. Oh sweet ancestors of mine, you’re too much, Twilight,” Linn then walks over to the pony and pats her on the head before saying: “Keep working on it.”
“If we could please get back to our mission,” Celebes injects after clearing her throat. “Perhaps we could now start looking for an altar?”
Both Twilight and Linn smiles sheepishly before saying in unison:
“Yeah, sorry about that.”
……….
Some time passes by as the group traverses throughout the fleshy underground caverns of The Crimson. The lavender alicorn did not have all too fond memories of being down here, considering past events with Brainiac who trapped the alicorn, along with three of her friends. This causes her to shudder at the memory before her fears were then swept away by Linn who places her hands onto the alicorn’s shoulder region and says:
“I know that you went through some messed up stuff the last time you were underground here. Sai Sahan told me all about it. But this time…” Linn then conjures forth her lance and holds it proudly over her shoulder before saying: “You’ve got a badass paladin like me,” She then points to Tori. “A freaking mysterious kenku ninja-rogue,” She then moves her finger towards Celebes. “And a dryad who oversaw the prison of the freaking Moon Lord for untold years. I dare another giant brain to try coming after you now.”
This does manage to ease the alicorn mare as Twilight smiles and responds:
“Thank you, Linn. That really makes me feel much better,” However, Twilight suddenly gets a thought before saying: “But now that you mention it, that brings up something that I was curious about,” Twilight then turns her gaze towards Celebes and questions: “What in the world happened to Razeem when we came here? Where did he go?”
Upon hearing those words, Celebes stops dead in her tracks; thus causing the entire group to stop walking in response. Truth be told, both Linn and Tori were also curious about The Moon Lord’s whereabouts as they had heard of the eldritch nightmare’s actions, some time ago. The Dryad takes a deep and exhales sharply before saying:
“I… I don’t know.” This causes Twilight’s ears to perk us as she responds:
“You mean he just… vanished?” The lavender mare inquires to which The Dryad turns around and meets her gaze before replying:
“That’s exactly it... he was just… gone, no trace left of him at all. And that frightens me.”
Everyone simply stares at her with shocked expressions as they were hoping that The Dryad would know something, anything, about the eldritch’s whereabouts.
“That is why we must grow as strong as possible before Razeem inevitably strikes again. I fear that this time… The Terra Blade alone won’t be enough to stop him.”
“B-but, we can defeat him once we reforge the blade!” Twilight exclaims in response as she then tries to come up with the right words to say next. “I mean, just you, me, and my friends--not to mention Discord--were enough to defeat him with your blade’s blessing. But now, we have so many powerful allies that we can’t-”
“He was weaker, Twilight.” Celebes interjects which causes Twilight’s ears to fold against her head as she questions in disbelief:
“W-what?”
“Razeem wasn’t at full power when he invaded your world.”
“That’s madness!” Linn roars out in response as she too was shocked by this revelation. Tori’s eyes widened even further than they already were upon hearing this as the kenku then closed their eyes in thought.
“H-how?” Twilight questions with a tone of disbelief. “He was weakened… and yet, was still powerful enough to rip the very fabric of space and enter Equus? The power he used to kill Princess Celestia... wasn’t even him at his max?”
“I’m sorry, Twilight… but yes,” Celebes answers hesitantly. “The seal that my ancestors used to shackle him to the moon was also designed to weaken him. Even so, even after he escaped his confines, Razeem was still strong enough to combat me to an extant. Now, I fear that he’s in hiding and is slowly, but surely, regaining his full power. Possibly even pushing himself to new heights,” The Dryad turns around once more and looks down the direction of the flesh cavern’s hallway. “And we must do the same to prepare for his return.”
The Dryad takes one final sigh as she then beckons for the rest of the group to follow behind her. The sounds of their steps echoes throughout the flesh covered cavern as they continue onwards. Twilight in particular seems to ponder on something as she says internally:
-No matter how strong you think you might become, we will stop you… Moon Lord-
……….
Having walked further down into the dark depths of The Crimson Biome, and tearing apart the fleshy wall that barred passage to the large chamber they currently found themselves in, the object of their current objective now stood before them all: A Crimson Altar.
The altar pulsated with a dark red energy all while the eyes that were etched onto it became dilated, as they focused on the group before them. Seeing this, Twilight comments in a tone of caution:
“Hey, Celebes?” This causes The Dryad to turn their gaze towards Twilight. “How can we be sure that this won’t, well... backfire on us?”
Celebes suddenly takes on a saddened expression as she responds:
“These altars, despite their appearance, are indeed going to help us forge the blade without any form of treachery,” The Dryad then places a hand over her heart before she continues: “Because… they’re dryads who have been captured by the living flesh.”
“What?!” Twilight exclaims in shock all while both Tori and Linn take on a sympathetic expression. “W-we can save them, right? There must be a way to free them all! This is horrible!”
“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Celebes responds as she starts to walk up towards the altar. Now standing mere inches before it, The Dryad places a hand onto the altar as all of the eyes that were etched onto it started to shed tears, at the very moment of Celebes’s touch. “Their bodies are already long gone and their spirits remain trapped within this altar. However, The Crimson isn’t capable of integrating these poor souls’s knowledge, their consciousness, into the biome so instead... These altars act as a prison. My hope is to one day find the means to free them… and give them peace.”
“Does The Corruption also have these altars? I’ve never seen that infection before, for obvious reasons, but you and your people have.” Linn inquires.
“Yes, Linn,” Celebes responds with her saddened tone still in effect. “The Corruption does have an altar of its own. Appropriately named: Demon Altars. The biggest difference is that it can also store sin; alongside the souls of the lost.”
“I just hope that everyone back home is ok. My family, The Princesses… everyone,” Twilight comments with her ears flat against her head. “I can’t imagine how bad things must be there. And… I hate the thought of innocent lives being forced into those altars.”
Celebes turns away from the altar and walks over to Twilight. The Dryad places a hand onto the alicorn as she comments:
“Have faith, Twilight. Yes, things are no doubt difficult back on Equus. I will not pretend otherwise. However, I get the feeling that your world is doing its very best against the infection. It’s the best any of us can do for now, which is why…” Celebes then conjures four blades from her inventory: The Blade Of Grass, The Muramasa, The Fiery Greatsword, and The Blood Butcherer. “I would like for you to do the honors. Bring us one step closer to saving your world as well, Twilight.” Celebes then floats the blades over to the lavender mare as they dance over the pony’s very form.
Twilight could only stare at the blades in awe as she then fires up her horn and takes them into her lavender colored aura. The alicorn takes on a determined expression and walks towards the altar with the four blades floating overhead.
……….
As this is going on, Tori felt that something just wasn’t right. In fact, this feeling never left the kenku ever since their battle with Samyueru. Taking notice of this, Linn questions:
“You alright, Tori? I didn’t want to pry but I noticed you were bothered by something ever since your battle with that kenku.” Tori’s eyes narrow as he gives Linn a nod in response before turning to inspect the chamber.
Seeing that both Twilight and Celebes were currently fulfilling the group’s main objective, Linn decides to assist Tori in the kenku’s uneasiness.
……….
Meanwhile, Twilight finally reaches the altar as she places a forehoof onto it and comments:
“I’m so sorry for what happened to all of you. No living thing should have to endure this,” Twilight then floats the blades over the altar as they begin to dance and circle around it. “Please, help me forge the weapon we need to save my world someday. In fact, I want to save both of our worlds, if I can.”
Suddenly, the red aura that surrounded the altar starts to glow vibrantly as it takes possession of the four blades that floated overhead. In an absolutely mind boggling display, the four energies of each blade starts to circle around the altar in rapid succession, all while the energy from the altar outlined four separate colors; which represented each blade: Green, blue, orange, and red.
The four energies then collide into each other as a new object floats over the Crimson Altar. Specifically, a blade: The Bloody Edge.
……….
All the while, both Tori and Linn were currently positioned towards the entrance of the flesh covered chamber as the kenku seemed to have spotted a crumpled up paper that was tossed behind a small blob of flesh. Tori picks up the paper and begins to unravel it as Linn inquires:
“Found something?” The kenku nods in response as they finally unravel the paper, only for both Tori and Linn’s eyes to widen in horrific realization by its contents:
Samyueru,
You are to assist Tanner The Guide in placing a demonic rune under a very particular Crimson Altar. He has a plan to capture three ponies that he’s chosen as his targets. This rune is a little different and was specifically designed to activate when a pony steps within its limits, but only once they reach its epicenter. Let’s just say that It’ll teleport them to this world’s darkest depths.
We are so close to the unification process of the two worlds. We will continue to use Tanner, and by extension the forces of The Underworld, to fulfill our desire. From what Calamitas has informed me with her interactions with ‘The Guide’, Nyarlathotep needs three of the ponies here in order to truly achieve their plans. However, one of which requires: Twilight Sparkle.
It’s a shame, she intrigued me when we spoke in Home Town. Then again, I suppose it’s ironic given what happened to a certain other Twilight Sparkle. But I digress, now go forth and fulfill this mission. Failure is NOT an option.
The Jungle Tyrant,
Yharim.
Both Tori and Linn were absolutely horrified as they turn towards Twilight and shouts in unison, with Tori mimicking Linn’s voice:
“Wait! No!”
……….
Mere moments before both Tori and Linn shouts in unison:
Twilight simply stares on in marvel at the blade that now floated before her. The alicorn fires up her horn and covers the blade in her lavender aura, bringing it closer in the process. The Dryad watches on proudly as the pony then turns around enthusiastically and exclaims:
“We did it! Now we’re so-”
“Wait! No!”
The exclamation from both Tori and Linn sadly reached Twilight and Celebes too late as the rune that was planted by Saryuesu activates itself. A vibrant barrier with demonic symbols traps Twilight from within as she shouts:
“What’s goin on?!”
“No! Twilight!” Celebes roars out as she runs towards the barrier in an effort to free the trapped alicorn, only for a surge of red lightning to zap The Dryad and actually sends her flying into the nearby wall of the cavern.
“Noooo!” Linn roars out as she rushes forth with her lance and thrusts it forth with all her might. Upon contact with the barrier, red energy starts to sizzle from the struggling forces of Linn’s lance and the barrier itself. “Dammit all! Twilight, hang on, I won’t let you go!” The pink haired terrarian then goes on to strike at the barrier multiple times before the same energy that sent Celebes aloft starts to shock Linn as she grits her teeth in pain and is pushed back. The pink haired terrarian slams her lance into the flesh covered floor in an effort to stop herself and exclaims:
“God damn this barrier!”
Seeing that she still wielded The Bloody Edge, Twilight tries to strike away at the demonic barrier in an effort to free herself, but to no avail. Twilight even tries to teleport out of the barrier but it in turn somehow managed to block any of her attempts. The alicorn then realizes what she must do as she turns towards Tori, who was trying to calculate a way to breach the barrier, and prepares to throw the blade at him as she shouts:
“Tori! Take the blade and protect everyone! It’s all up to you guys now!” The alicorn then roars out as she tosses the blade outside of the barrier, to which Tori catches it in response.
Recovering from being sent hurling into the nearby wall, Celebes shakes her head in an effort to regain her composure and fixes her gaze upon the trapped unicorn. Everyone present could only watch helplessly as Twilight literally disappears before their very eyes as the rune successfully activates itself; taking her away to another destination.
Shock was the only thing that filled the fleshy chamber as both Linn and Celebes stared on with widened eyes and hung mouths. Tori then looks down towards the blade that the kenku now possessed and says internally, while mimicking Twilight’s voice:
-I won’t fail you-
The kenku then turns towards their allies and exclaims with Twilight’s voice:
“This ends now! Tanner will be stopped!” The kenku then forms a hand gesture and shouts: “Hummf!”
-TERRARIA, THE UNDERWORLD-
A familiar demonic rune now forms into being as a lavender colored alicorn follows soon after. The rune dissipates all while Twilight is laid down upon the ashy ground beneath her. She slowly starts to come to and opens her eyes as she says:
“W-where am-” She cuts off her own words as her eyes widen in horror. “S-sweet… Celestia…” The alicorn instantly took on a facial expression of absolute fear as she took in her surroundings. Fire and brimstone was all around the pony and upon further inspection, Twilight was currently positioned just before a large cliff made entirely of brimstone, which in turn overlooked a large sea of lava.
She tries to recover her composure but this fiery underworld instilled so much fear into the alicorn that she was currently shaking uncontrollably. Then, as if her fears weren’t already instilled enough, a large entity starts to rapidly move towards her in the distance of the sea of lava: A wall of horrid flesh.
“Wha… what is t-that… thing?” Twilight inquires in a fearful tone, even on the verge of tears, as the entity now stood before her. Long tendrils of flesh which ended with opened mouths were starting to reach out to her all while the many eyes of the flesh wall gazed down upon the alicorn, like a predator about to pounce onto its prey. Every last one of the entity’s mouths started to open in tandem as they say in unison:
“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. We are: Legion, but you have the honor of calling us: Nyarlathotep. Welcome to The Underworld!”