//------------------------------// // Chapter 137 - "Ask for help." // Story: Terraria: Friendship Is Magic // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// Some time before Yharim tightens his grasp on Pinkie Pie’s life force: -TERRARIA, ANUBIS’S PYRAMID- Having arrived at Anubis’s desert domain, not to mention meeting the merfolk and humanoid changelings, the denizens of Home Town had enacted their plan and split up into two separate teams. In essence, while one team would go down to The Glowing Mushroom Biome to support the conflict with Crabulon, the other would remain topside in preparation for Anubis’s guidance and training.  The team currently assigned to head down to The Glowing Mushroom Biome consisted of Shadow Thunder, Linn, Tori, Ritsu, Magius, Helena, and Tempest. All of whom had already taken their leave via a Wormhole Potion crafted by Gex, The Witchdoctor. In addition, and before reaching Anubis’s throne room via the guide of a humanoid changeling, many of the denizens of Home Town were absolutely baffled by the pyramid’s various revelations. The images that were etched onto the walls of the pyramid caused many of them to look on with shock, awe, and when it came to one large image in particular, fear.  Incidentally and during this time, Home Town wouldn’t be left unguarded as Ross The Tavernkeeper, Katelyn The Mechanic, Livian The Stylist, and Gorglock The Goblin Tinkerer stayed behind to keep a watchful eye on the town. Just for added measure, Shadow Thunder had also created clones of himself to aid the remaining denizens of Home Town. Of course, the real dark pegasus was assigned to head down to The Glowing Mushroom Biome. -ANUBIS’S THRONE ROOM- Despite Anubis being the God Of Death, his throne room was quite lively as various conversations and scenarios played out before him. All the while, he himself was sat upon his throne and speaking with a very enthusiastic pink pony; along with an equally optimistic party loving terrarian. ………. While chatting with some of Terraria’s changelings and the various merfolk of King Amidias’s kingdom; on a large golden round table with accompanying chairs of the same coloration, both Steven and Rarity were simply in marvel, as the unicorn comments: “I must say: Despite being slightly different to our own, you changelings are quite divine,” She turns her gaze towards nearby female merfolk, “The same goes for you, darlings. I never expected to meet those who were so experienced in fashion like Steven, and moi.” “Oh, why of course, darling,” A female humanoid changeling responds as she takes a sip of her tea cup before setting it back down onto her saucer, “We simply must exchange designs sometimes, and we especially did not expect to meet you in person, Steven The Clothier.” “Ohoho! Indeed!” A female merfolk exclaims excitedly, “Even in the depths of our beloved sea, we merfolk fashionistas have heard all about your legendary clothing line, darling.” Steven chuckles with reddened features before saying: “I am all too humbled by your words, ladies. It brings me joy to know that my clothing line has reached fine fashionistas like yourselves. Especially after...” Suddenly, Steven hesitates to continue any further as he takes on a saddened expression and recalls his past as Skeletron’s former vessel. Taking notice of this, some of the others on the table looked on with both worried and curious expressions. Rarity in particular knew exactly what caused Steven’s hesitation as she says: “Steven, dear… would you like to-” “It’s fine, dear Rarity,” The Clothier responds as, shockingly, he takes on a merrier expression like a flick of a switch, “I am now free to enjoy my life. I am no longer bound to that monster and as such, I shall no longer allow him to hold me back.” Rarity giggles in response, and says: “I am all too happy to hear that, darling.” ………. “By the corals of the sea! I never imagined that I’d ever meet a lihzhard!” A male merfolk shouts in amazement as he and various other individuals, both merfolk and humanoid changelings alike, gazed upon the form of Gex; who in turn responds: “Although my kind are rare, trust me when I say that we are still far and wide, for The Jungle is where we hide and reside.” ………. After setting up some target dummies, Ceeman The Arms Dealer had challenged some of the humanoid changelings, and merfolk, to a contest of accuracy.  The gun merchant and a male humanoid changeling were at the ready; aiming their ranged weapons towards two separate dummies as Vinny The Demolitionist raises his right arm, on the far right side of the two competitors. “On your marks… take aim… fire!” Vinny The Demolitionist exclaims and brings down his arm, upon which both Ceeman and the changeling fires a single shot. The Arms Dealer was equipped with a Musket; all while the changeling used a very unique bow which was similar to that of Echo Silhouette’s. After firing their shots, Vinny runs up to the dummies and inspects each one individually. Both Ceeman and the male changeling watch on with anticipation as The Demolitionist soon turns around and exclaims: “Tie!” ………. Fluttershy was enthusiastically conversing with some of the merfolk as they told her all about the creatures of the sea. However, one creature in particular caught the yellow pegasus’s attention as she says: “Oh m-my… T-the Leviathan?” ………. Many conversations and scenarios continue to play out within the throne room. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie cries out in pain as she grabs onto her chest and falls off of Anubis’s throne, of which she was currently sitting on its arm rest. Tears were beginning to form in the party pony’s eyes from the sheer amount of suffering and pain she was currently experiencing. This causes the shocked bystanders to cry out in unison: “Pinkie Pie!” Present: Suddenly, Pinkie Pie feels a set of gentle claws holding her and as she looks up, what appears to be a wolf skull is looking down at her. “I’ve got you. Don’t worry, Dad’s gonna keep you safe, okay?” No one else could see nor hear the phenomenon, but Lord Anubis was momentarily shocked from seeing his ancient cohort. However, he decided it would be best to act oblivious to Oblivion’s ghostly presence. “Dad’s gonna fix this for you. He won’t let that bad man hurt you, okay?” Pinkie looks up at the strange vision, eyesight cloudy as she can’t fully make out the shape of the hallucination. The pain increases and she begins choking slightly, to which the skullwolf tears up and holds her closer. “Stay strong, little party pooper. I know it hurts, but you’ve been through worse.” Despite feigning ignorance of Oblivion’s presence, Anubis could only hope that whatever Oblivion was doing could help the poor mare; all while the denizens of Home Town, especially Rarity, Fluttershy, and Candy The Party Girl, stood over the party pony with concerned expressions.   The skullwolf looks up at Candy, seeming to look deep into her soul and speak with the entity within. “Candymena. Listen to me very carefully. I know you keep a Life Crystal with you all the time in case Candy gets hurt, but I need you to help my daughter. Please, my loyal subject… She doesn’t have long.” “You don’t even need to ask me twice, Lord Oblivion.” Candymena responds from within Candy’s psyche as the aforementioned heart-shaped crystal conjures into being and falls down into the hands of the highly confused Party Girl, who says: “W-wait, wha-” “Just go with it, sis. Lord Oblivion’s orders.” Candymena responds from within. “I promise you, you will be rewarded for this.” Oblivion states. “No rewards are needed. We serve dutifully, my lord.”  .......... "Uh, C-Candy? Who are you talking to?" Asks Ceeman The Arms Dealer as everyone else present were still unable to both hear and see Oblivion's presence. Candy simply ignores any and all inquiries as she continues her work with the guidance of Candymena from within. .......... As this goes on, Anubis suddenly smirks as he catches onto Oblivion’s current plans. As a fellow Ancient, only The God Of Death could both see and understand these hidden events; in addition to The Party Girl who had a very unique connection to Oblivion. “Pinkie… if you can still hear me… I’m going to let Candymena do something for you, okay? You’ll see a red heart-shaped crystal. It’ll be just like the rock candy you love. Don’t be scared by her sudden… transformation,” says the skullwolf comfortingly as he looks at Anubis. “Anubis… I’m gonna need to pull that favor you owe me.” Heeding to Oblivion’s request, Anubis spoke in a fashion that was exclusive to only the ears of Ancients, as he responds: “Took you long enough to cash that in, but here’s the thing… I do this free of charge. I like your daughter… she reminds me of her mother, Harmony.” “She certainly takes after her. Thanks, old friend. I’ll be ready to aid you against Yharim soon. You’ll have to deal with Legion first.” “Hah! You can pay me back by not sending all of your kills to me for guidance.” “No promises, but I’ll do my best, heh…” says the skullwolf with a smirk. Anubis chuckles in response, before saying: “Who are we kidding? I’ll end up dealing with it anyway...” “Probably. Must suck being the God of the Dead, huh.” he chuckles, returning his attention to Pinkie Pie, whose life force was slowly fading away. “We’re out of time, we need to do this now.”    Candymena quickly performs the action and suddenly takes over The Party Girl’s form. Much like Pinkie Pie had done when she and her sister were unified, The Party Girl’s hair deflates and her skin took on a darker coloration as Candymena takes the scene. With the heart-shaped crystal in hand, Candymena prepares to use the object, but the nearby voice of Rarity comments: “My word… what is that divine gem?” “Oh my... It reminds me of The Crystal Heart.” Fluttershy says. ………. “The gem that’ll save her life,” Candymena responds before crushing it and placing it on Pinkie’s tongue. Oblivion gently strokes Pinkie’s mane as he tilts her head up to get her to swallow it. He continues stroking her as the life leaves her eyes. “Your turn, Anubis... And you know what to do, Candymena. You’ll have to use that form’s magic to grant permission since I’m not actually physically here. I’m struggling to even manifest right now.” Candymena simply nods in response as a vibrant red energy consumes her entire form. The onlookers all around her start to back away in both shock, and a small hint of fear, as the unusual scenario plays out before them. The bipedal form of what was once The Party Girl, was now morphing into two separate spherical entities. “Wait a damn second!” Ceeman the Arms Dealer exclaims in absolute shock, “You’re a demon eye?!” Suffice to say, everyone else present were equally shocked by the two new entities before them. While the toothed eye stood floating over Pinkie Pie, the other eye begins to float around the room as the voice of Candy The Party Girl shouts: "Yippeee! It's been so long ever since we used these forms," The eye then starts to sing: "I'm like a bird, Now watch me fly away!" One bystander in particular, The Demolitionist, rubs his forehead and comments: "I need to stop drinking..." .......... Suddenly, everyone's gaze was pulled away from the two floating eyes as Oblivion concentrates, pouring the remainder of his magic into an unstable physical form; capable of being seen by all present. The now revealed Ancient looks towards The Arms Dealer, and says: “Yes, Ceeman… but these two are Wandering Eyes, not the mindless Demon Eyes. And one of my most faithful servants.” Now revealing himself to everyone present, which naturally causes shock and awe among those in attendance, Oblivion causes Anubis to sigh with a small hint of irritation, before he says: “So much for secrecy.” “Shut up, Anubis, I was gonna do this eventually. May as well let them get used to seeing me.” Regaining his composure before anyone else, Ceeman The Arms Dealer comments:   “B-but… we killed so many of your kind when we fought in The Crimson!” However, there was also a hint of worry in Ceeman’s words, as he feared Oblivion might be angered by those actions. “I know. I was there, buddy; watching from deep within both Pinkie and Mena's psyche when they were still... together. I Guess The Crimson refused my offer of an alliance, and took the eyes I sent in my stead. Oh well.” “W-wait, so you’re saying that those Demon Eyes were loyal to you?” Helena The Nurse inquires.   “A long, long time ago, yes. But in my absence, it seems most Eyes can’t resist mind control. Guess Brainiac was a little too much of a genius.” “My word, darling! That’s just dreadful! I mean, sure, they’re floating eyes… but no one should be forced into serving that brute!” Rarity roars out in response. “I don’t think Mr. I’m-The-Perfect-Mind cared very much. Anyways, Anubis, got that soul yet?” “As expected from an incarnation of Cthulhu,” Anubis comments. “And as for your question, yes, Pinkie’s soul is within my grasp. She’s not dead… but whatever Yharim is doing to her… she’s damn close.”  “Good but also… uh… Bad. Candymena, use that sick-looking soul beam I taught you.” As this goes on, many were just dumbfounded by the actions of the two Ancients and Candymena, as Ceeman comments: “Ok… you guys are not what I expected gods to act like…” “You forget that I’m The God Of Death, mortal, and yet you don’t see me pillaging and destroying things. Don’t be so quick to make assumptions based on our stations.” Anubis responds with slight anger in his voice. “Nah, the pillaging and destroying is my job. Anyways, magic, anytime now. Would be nice.” “I’d say Greed is more pillaging, you’re more for destruction,” Anubis then forms a smirk, “Then again… Harmony was pretty destructive herself, back in the day.” Shocked by those words, both Rarity and Fluttershy exclaims in unison: “Wait, what?!” “...Eh, fair point,” Oblivion says, with a shrug, as he then turns towards the two mares, “And trust me, you do NOT want to know.”   All the while, a beam of green energy was elongating from the toothed Wandering Eye, as Pinkie Pie’s breathing became more controlled. “Good job, Eye Candy. Now, Anubis, the soul.” Anubis nods in response as he held within his right hand a vibrant, but ghostly aura. From what could be observed, it looked as if both light and dark had encompassed Pinkie Pies’ soul, but the light had a noticeable dominance, to which Anubis says: “She really does take after Harmony, even her soul represents it.” “That’s my girl… Just a few more seconds.”  Anubis then kneels before the downed earth pony and gently places his hand onto her form. “Pinkie Pie… I once promised your mother that I would always protect those she loved. And trust me when I say: She loved you and your sister. It broke her heart when we agreed for Oblivion to take you two with him, when Yharim banished him a long time ago…” “...In my defence, I wanted them to have a better life than the hellhole I call home. So I did eventually let Harmony take them.” Anubis then chuckles to himself before saying: “I’d ask how you got these two into her realm, but knowing you, my old friend… you planned this. Didn’t you?” “Well… I DO have a habit of seeing future events coming. Comes with the perks of being the end of all things,” the skullwolf says with a sly grin. Hearing this, both Fluttershy and Rarity walk closer to the duo of Ancients. Many questions were on their minds, and they would no doubt demand to know more about this in the future. However, all they cared about as of this moment was for the well being of Pinkie Pie. “Will she be ok, darlings?” Rarity inquires. “We love Pinkie so much… we don’t want anything bad to happen to her.” Fluttershy comments.  “Yeah… We got it done in time. She should be waking up right about… now.” Oblivion responds. Pinkie Pie was now starting to come to as she slowly opened her eyes. She could see all of her friends and loved ones, but among them, she saw what appeared to be a wolf-skulled entity. It was strange, the being made her feel… happy? “Take your time, little party pooper. I’ve got a few minutes left in me. It's taking everything I have to keep this form together.” Being her ever explosive self, and like the flick of a switch, the party pony jumps into the air in one swift motion and exclaims: “Oh-my-gosh-who-are-you-because-you-seem-so-familiar-and-yet-I-don’t-” Oblivion grabs her out of the air with a swift movement, hugging her gently. “You may not remember me, but… I’m your dad.” The party pony was absolutely stunned by this revelation, but she also wondered about her connection with her family back on Equus. What was Marble, Maud, and all of the other Pie family members to her? Seeming to have sensed the pink pony's concern, Oblivion says: “Well, let’s just say your mom found a family that needed some laughter in their life, and you turned out to be the perfect fit. So, in reality… they’re as much your sisters as you are my daughter. Which is very much. I could’ve phrased that better,” he says, stroking her mane gently with a claw. “You suck at this…” Anubis comments with a deadpan expression. “Fuck you, Anubis.” After holding his party loving daughter for a few moments, Oblivion sets her down gently. However, before any further conversation could commence, all of Pinkie’s loved ones practically pounced onto the party pony as she was barraged with hugs and various questions. -TERRARIA, TERRARIUM- Having spoken to her motherly figure, Celebes was about to join her allies in the battle against Crabulon and his cultists, but Terra stops The Dryad by saying: “I sense your allies down in The Glowing Mushroom Biome need our aid.” “Oh, it’s fine, dear Terra. My allies are-” “No, my dear dryad. You will require the aid of The Observers.” This causes The Dryad to tilt her head in confusion as she inquires: “The Observers? But, their master is long gone.” The loving voice of Terra chuckles throughout Terrarium as she responds: “Oblivion is not truly gone, Tree Hugger. Displaced and banished, but never truly gone. He works behind the scenes to get back into Terraria. And I can sense he has succeeded in his goal.” “So… how do we get aid from Oblivion’s forces, if The Void is banished?” Celebes inquires. “With my help!” says a feminine voice from above. Looking upwards and taking notice of a small Demon Eye, Celebes raises an eyebrow. What was most particular about this Demon Eye was the fact that its pupil seemed to be ever leaning towards the left side of its sclera. “Hey, don’t look at me like that! Just because I’m a low-rank doesn’t mean I can’t bring you there!” says the Eye, zooming downwards. “Uh, Terra, you sure you can't give me someone more… promising? This one's eye seems to be… off.” “Fine, you want me to prove myself to you?” the demon eye says angrily as its pupil glows and fires a beam of energy at Celebes’s sword, knocking it out of her hand, though not far from her. “Ow! Hey, don’t do that! We need it to re-forge the Terra Blade someday!” “And I need you to not insult me!” it says, seeming to be glaring at the Dryad. “This is Derpy, Tree Hugger. They will aid you in gathering Oblivion’s forces.” Terra comments which causes the dryad to stare at the eye for a few more moments, before letting out a drawn out: “Oooook, then.” She then picks up The Bloody Edge, “So, where do we begin?”  “Well, first, I need that slab thingy you’ve been keeping, Terra. Y’know, the one with my kind swarming the sky on it?” “Indeed, I recall that day as if it had just passed.” Terra comments. Celebes was noticeably ignorant of this as she questions: “I’m sorry, did this happen before I was born?” “I think so! Actually, that makes me older than you, so HA!” Tree Hugger had to suck up her pride as she recalled her mother always telling her to respect her elders. Which, apparently, this demon eye was. “M-my apologies.” the dryad then bows in respect, and in apology. “Hmmmm… Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it. I’ve been teased a lot because my pupil sometimes moves to the side. And up. And anywhere, really,” the demon eye says, as its pupil appears to be on top of it now, spinning around. In mere moments, a portal of red and black energy is formed via the eye’s actions as Celebes was about to peer into the anomaly, but the emergence of a Crimera startles the dryad. She then kicks the flesh monstrosity back into the portal while shouting: “Seriously?! And, wait, how the hell did you do that?!” “Oops! Sorry about that… But you didn’t need to kick him… He’s a friend of mine!” “Ow…” groans a male voice from inside the portal, as the Crimera peeks back out, before retreating as the portal closes. “Thanks for the welcome…” Celebes takes on a dumbfounded expression as she takes notice of this random event. Terra lets loose a bit of laughter, before she states: “Derpy is a very special type of Demon Eye. That spinning motion that she takes on allows her to conjure a portal,” Terra giggles, “But she sometimes makes a mistake. Even so, her powers are exclusive to her, due to the fact that she shall become the next, well, Eye Of Cthulhu.” This noticeably confuses the dryad as that eye had been spawned from what remained of the aforementioned eldritch horror. “Oh, Eye of Cthulhu is just a term used to describe the next King or Queen of Eyes!” says Derpy, her pupil now leaning to the right. “You must keep in mind, that creature was Cthulhu’s way of mocking Oblivion. In fact, the other incarnations are both mockeries and, well, homage to some of the Ancients. Razeem in particular? Take a good guess who Cthulhu fashioned him after.” Tree Hugger ponders on this for a moment, but comes to a realization as she notices a very particular appearance to the opposite of Terra: Xeroc. “Wait, so the incarnations of Cthulhu were made in other beings' images?” Celebes questions. “Yes, but it’s much more than that, Tree Hugger,” Terra responds as she seems to hesitate; before she continues: “There’s something I must reveal to you. What truly happened on that day when Cthulhu was, well, ‘cut up’.” “W-what?" Celebes questions in shock. “Ooh, I remember this story!” Says the demon eye, floating from side to side in midair. “Xeroc apparently saved Cthulhu by giving the pieces life!” “What?! B-but, you told me that my race sacrificed themselves to stop Cthulhu?!” “They did, my sweet Tree Hugger… but it wasn’t strong enough to stop Xeroc from creating the other incarnations. Your fellow dryads did defeat Cthulhu with their sacrifice, but that didn’t stop Xeroc from saving what was left of that monster’s life force. That life force in turn became the monsters known as: The Moon Lord, The Eye Of Cthulhu, and so on.” The dryad was understandably mind blown as she couldn’t fathom just how deep Xeroc’s influence truly was. Terra cuts off any more of the dryad’s questions as she says: “But now is not the time to speak on those events. I promise to reveal more about it, but for now, we must focus. Derpy, I trust all is ready?” “Yep! I have the slab!” says the eye, waving it around in what appears to be its eyestalks. Terra lets loose one final, echoing response:  “Very well, then you two shall depart immediately.” Both Celebes and Derpy nod in response, although the eye seems to just hover up and down, before it begins spinning its pupil again, bringing up a pitch-black portal, darker than the deepest depths of space. “Well… Let’s go meet some eyes you’ll probably be more impressed with than me…” -TERRARIA, THE VOID- As Celebes and Derpy exit the portal, an unearthly silence surrounds them. As they look around, they find themselves on a fairly large floating island, surrounded by what appears to be space debris and a swirling, nebulous cloud in the distance. The complete absence of normal light in the area sends chills down the spine of the dryad and the sclera of Derpy. “I… to be truthful, I never really liked the place after the whole spacetime-getting-ripped-apart thing…” says the demon eye, pupil moving rapidly. “It just feels like this whole place got turned into a tomb… There used to be a whole city here, and now it’s just… a graveyard.” “By the green of Terraria… this place… it’s like I’m in The Underworld, but completely detached from reality itself.” “You’re not wrong about that,” says a metallic voice from behind them. The demon eye and Dryad whip around, the dryad in particular with the Bloody Edge at the ready. Though nothing could be seen, its presence could be felt, as a reddish glow emanates all around them. “Uh… Um… Wh-Who’s there?” asks the demon eye. “Heheh… I am Sagittarius, or as I was once known as, Venomous Sting,” the entity says, revealing itself. “And welcome to The Void, land of misery.” Celebes was understandably taken aback by the appearance of this entity as she couldn’t help but to think about the ponies. This creature was practically a mockery to their image, as the dryad comments: “What in The Underworld are you? You seem to resemble a pony… but you’re nothing like them.” “How rude, Miss Celebes. Shouldn’t you be respecting your elders?” says the metallic monstrosity, some kind of metallic grin appearing on its face. The dryad simply raises an eyebrow as she responds: “Seriously? You’re using that card on me?” “Would you rather the card where I tear you limb from limb and absorb your biomass? I can do that, too.” “Heh, you think I’m afraid of you? If I die, you unleash Twilight… genius.” “Oh my… You seem to misunderstand my abilities, Miss Celebes. If I absorb your biomass… I gain your power with it.” “That’s not how the seal works, but fine. I’m not interested in arguing with an abomination. I came here for help, so beat it.” “Aw, thank you for the compliment. But I’m not going anywhere. See, I’m the boss of this place, so you might want to hold your tongue and tell me what you want, YOU INSUFFERABLE WHELP.” says Sagittarius, seeming to glitch slightly at his last few words. “Well then, boss, quit being a nuisance and tell me if you’re going to help me or not,” The dryad then sighs, “Look, I hate Xeroc, you hate Xeroc, or at least I hope you do. So help me stop him." The metallic abomination tilts its head as it seems to be communicating to something. It growls and looks at the Dryad. “It appears you’ll avoid becoming my biomass today. He wants to speak to you. Come along.” The dryad smirks before she responds: “He wants to speak to me? So much for you being the boss. You're just the messenger.” Sagittarius’s eyes glow red before he growls, ignoring the dryad, flying to a nearby island. He waits, even putting what appears to be a quest marker above the island. The demon eye’s pupil shifts in a spinning fashion, this time opening up a blue and white portal. From it appears a small wyvern, just big enough to carry the Dryad. “All aboard!” Derpy exclaims excitedly, all while Tree Hugger stares at the wyvern, but with a look of familiarity. Then, she comes to realize that this wyvern had the ensemble of Athena. In addition, a very familiar voice chimes in: “One wyvern from lady Athena, as requested, Derpy.” says a seraph. “Thanks, Brynhilda! I’m guessing you’re coming along to visit that kenku friend of yours?” Without even attempting to feign ignorance, Brynhilda responds: “Oh sweet baby, yes~” “Oh dear Terra…” Celebes comments with a deadpan expression. “Well, are you two coming along to see him or are you going to sit there gossiping. I’m getting hungry for biomass,” says Sagittarius in annoyance. “Yeah, yeah,” Celebes responds as she then mutters in a lowered tone: “You assless pony.” Before anything could progress further, Brynhilda injects herself by saying: “Well, I'd better start heading to Anubis's Pyramid, don't want to be late!” “You just want to hurry up and see Tori…” The dryad says as she boards the wyvern. The serpentine entity hovers into the air and takes Celebes to her destination; with Derpy flying after them. ……………….. Once there, Sagittarius moves aside as a strange machine comes into view. It seems to be glowing with all different colors, though glitching at the same time. It appears to be inactive, but an ominous feeling emanates from it, somehow even colder than The Void itself. “Lord Zero, They’re here as requested.” Sagittarius says. “Thank you, Venomous. You are dismissed,” the machine says, in a calm tone. Sagittarius nods and disappears, leaving them alone with whatever new abomination wanted to see them. “So… I assume you wish to awaken The Observers once more.” -TERRARIA, THE GLOWING MUSHROOM BIOME- Crabulon continues to mock his opponents as they simply lacked the means to effectively combat against his nearly impenetrable shell. In addition, both Rainbow Dash and Echo Silhouette had run completely out of ammunition; forcing the duo to rely on close quarters combat. Echo had also shed the form of Yamata during the duration of the battle, but not due to loss of magic or fatigue. It was instead more effective to combat Crabulon in his normal form, considering the other forms he took simply had no effect. Terralestia, Applejack, and Sai Sahan were currently exhausted from fatigue; all while the ancient crab practically absorbed their misery, and frustration. “Awww, are my dance partners worn out? I didn’t even get to perform the climax of my crab rave.” Crabulon says as he moves side to side in a dancing fashion. ………. Nearby and on the outskirts of Mushroom Village, Shroom, King Amidias, and Jeremy The Angler continue to battle against Crabulon’s Prophet, who was currently engaged in a sword battle with The Angler. “I feel insulted! I should be fighting The King Of The Sea, but I instead must contend with someone as meaningless as you?!” Crabulon’s Prophet roars out. “Yeah yeah, but you know something funny?” The Angler questions with a smirk. “What?” “I fight dirty,” The Angler then kicks The Prophet in his ‘man bits’, who in turn falls limp to the ground while saying: “Y-you honorless… weakling…” “Says the crab worshipping maniac who used a giant crab mount on me!”  Suddenly, The Prophet grits his teeth in anger before conjuring forth a Healing Potion. He drinks the magical beverage and performs a sweeping maneuver. In one swift motion, The Angler falls onto his back. The Prophet is quick to act on the opportunity as he gets up and mounts Jeremy. He threatens to drive his sword into The Angler, but another blade slices the head of the prophet clean off; sending the dismembered head skywards. Jeremy could only stare in disbelief as he takes notice of a certain kenku: Tori. Imitating The Angler’s voice, Tori comments: “Today is not your time to die, angler,” The kenku says, offering a helping hand.  “Holy shit… am I glad to see you guys.” The Angler responds as he takes the kenku’s hand gleefully, who helps him back onto his feet. Incidentally, behind Tori was the reinforcements of Home Town which consisted of Shadow Thunder, Magius, Tempest, Linn, Ritsu, and Helena The Nurse. -TERRARIA, YHARIM’S KINGDOM, TEMPLE THRONE ROOM- Yharim sits on his throne with a pondering gesture as the large double doors in the distance suddenly part via his guardsmen. The parting of the doors revealed a large red dragon who enters the throne room with its head held high. The doors crashes shut behind the large entity, as Yharon says: “Brother, I have a good feeling that-” “What the hell was that, Yharon?” Yharim interjects with an authoritative tone, “You dare to bring up our past just to, what? Make your point?” “You misunderstand my reasoning for bringing up that day. What you were doing to them-” “You insufferable dragon!” Yharim roars out as he bolts onto his legs and stands at full stature, “I care not for your reasonings! You are to follow my commands without question!” “And I always shall!” Yharon exclaims in protest as he extends his wings to their full lengths, “I have always followed your orders to absolute perfection! And without question! But-” “What you did down in those cells is the opposite of following my commands! You useless scaly liza-” Suddenly, Yharim stops his words as a flood of absolute regret and guilt consumes his entire form. All the while, Yharon’s heart was absolutely shattered by his brother’s words as the dragon’s wings closed themselves and his head momentarily lowered itself to the floor of the throne room. With a saddened tone, Yharon responds: “I… I apologize for my lack of… usefulness,” The dragon then slowly turns around, “I shall prepare our forces for our coming battle… brother.” As the echoing steps of the dragon drew further away from Yharim, his left arm slowly reached out towards Yharon. By the time the arm extended fully, the dragon was already gone as Yharim whispers: “Y… Yharon… I…” The Jungle Tyrant falls backwards and lands on his throne; followed by the very same arm he had extended to be brought to his head. Absolute shame was present throughout Yharim’s body as he mutters sorrowfully: “Brother… forgive me…” The once confident posture of The Jungle Tyrant was now slumped against his throne as Yharim’s guilt continued to haunt him. .......... As Yharon distances himself from the throne room, with a heavy heart still present, he starts to ponder on his brother’s very own well being. The dragon could no longer be certain that Pinkie Pie’s life force would be safe, due to a rage induced action by yharim. With absolute determination, Yharon comments: “Brother, despite the pain in my heart… I will always be loyal to you. However, I am now more determined to part Pinkie Pie's life force from your grasp,” The dragon continues onward and says: “But first, I must speak with Pinkamena once more. I have to set up our training regime.” -TERRARIA, NEXUS- Snow was currently making his way towards a secluded portion, and on the outskirts, of the underground settlement. The leopard/wolf hybrid looks around once more before placing his hand onto the wall that stood before him. A series of rumbling results from his touch as a secret passage reveals itself soon afterwards. From the entrance, one could see a flight of stairs descending down into the torch lighted passageway as Snow comments: "I'm sorry for being away for a small while, Mom, Dad." The werebeast hybrid then descends the flight of stairs as the entrance closes behind him. Incidentally, he also strapped on a face mask. .......... After walking down the flight of steps, Snow could see a light at the very end of the descending tunnel as he drew ever closer and entered said light. What was now present before him is something that was very similar to NEXUS, but a smaller version of it as it contained only a medium sized, two story house in the distance. Large fields of grass stretched across the local area as Snow walked down a remarkably well kept dirt road. All of this was complete with an artificial sun beaming down from the ceiling. The werebeast finally reaches the house and knocks on its red door. A series of movement could be heard from within as soon enough, Snow could hear the door knob being fiddled with as the door itself opens widely; revealing a terrarian woman who smiles instantly upon seeing the werebeast. However, what was sort of off putting about her was the fact that her body contained obvious signs of: The Astral Infection. "Hello, Mom." "Snow! Oh, my sweet boy!" Snow's mother exclaims happily as she desperately wanted to embrace the werebeast, but couldn't do so as her dose of The Astral Infection was highly contagious upon contact. Snow's parents were very lucky as they possessed a minor version of the infection, but still volatile all the same. Because of this, it was easy to contain the infection from spreading throughout this underground landscape so long as the appropriate measures were taken. Snow made doubly sure to cover all bases and despite having to separate his parents from the rest of NEXUS, they were not shunned or hated by the populace due to their illness. On the contrary, everyone was worried about the couple and this separation was made only to ensure everyone's safety. "I missed you too, mom. Where's dad?" "He's using the restroom at the moment." "T.M.I mom..." Snow responds, then chuckles. His mother giggles in response, before saying: "Oh! Maybe we could all-" "I found it, mother." Snow interjects which causes his mother's expression to morph into absolute shock. She knew exactly what her son was referring to as she stutters her words and replies: "I-impossible... I thought... Y-you found... a cure?" "I did, and thanks to my recent heist, I now know what I must do." "Come inside, son. Tell us all about what's happened," Snow's mother responds as she gestures for him to enter the home and the red door closes behind them. -TERRARIA, THE VOID- Celebes collects herself for her coming words as she takes on a confident posture and says: “My allies need my assistance, and Lady Terra has asked me to seek you all out. So here I am.” “Hm… Yes, I recall you. You were naught but a child when I last saw, Tree Hugger,” the machine rumbles. This catches the dryad off guard as she was momentarily taken aback by those words. “Y-you know of me? Wait, last seen me?” “Hmm… Perhaps you do not recognize me in this form that I have taken. One moment, my dear.” The machine glows with a blinding light as a pony with Midnight Black fur and a Green-black mane appears where it once was, though surrounded by a glitch sphere. The pony smiles warmly, despite the fabric of reality practically being torn apart where it was floating. “Does this form strike you as familiar, my dear?” he says. Celebes's eyes were widened in absolute shock as she questions in disbelief: “S-Silence? Is that really you? Mother told me that you mysteriously vanished.” “Indeed, young one. I am glad you remember your old babysitter,” he says, beaming with a smile that seemed quite warm and welcoming in this hostile and cold place. “How are you here? Wait, you always told me that you came from ‘out of this world’, but I just assumed, well, a different planet.” “In a fashion, my dear… Perhaps I can spare some time for a little story. Please, make yourself comfortable, as best you can.” “I... I’d love to catch up… but, aren’t we running low on time?” “Here? No, my child, though it feels like five minutes here, it has been no more than five seconds in Terraria. The Void is not governed by the same rules of spacetime.” Tree Hugger was shocked by this revelation. She had tried to prepare herself for this realm, but the differentiation of time itself was something she could’ve never prepared for. Letting loose a small sigh, she comments: “If you’re sure about this, then yes. I… I’d like that.” Silence smiles, sitting on his haunches in the glitching bubble, a posture he had taken many times before when telling Tree Hugger a bedtime story. Some people had called the old pony ‘The Storyteller’. “A different planet… Hm… A term many have used to describe beings they cannot quite understand. It’s rather amusing. But no, I am not from a different planet. I am from the GrimDark, a place you most likely have heard of, and where our… acquaintance… Pinkamena is also from,” begins the old pony. “I knew it… I sensed it from within Pinkie Pie when I first met her on Equus, but I foolishly shrugged it off. I knew there was something about those two.” “Indeed. In comparison to most of the GrimDark, they are fairly young. You see, my fair Dryad, The GrimDark used to be a paradise, a long, long time ago,” Celebes's eyes widened in response, “In the old days, Oblivion, the Ancient of Entropy, wanted nothing more than to create, a skill unfortunately erased by the actions of The Tormentor, Xeroc.” Celebes grunts in disgust and comments: “Of course Xeroc’s involved. Terra informed me that he’s been scheming as the absolute mastermind.” “Indeed. He favors Yharim as a pawn. Think of it as a pawn promotion… Of course you would remember chess, I am sure. It used to be your favorite game to play. But I am getting off-topic. Once, Oblivion was in fact supposed to take the title of Creator, not Destroyer. Terra truly favored him for his dedication to protecting the land. But Xeroc… He wanted otherwise.” The pony takes a moment to adjust himself into a more comfortable position, causing a wave of glitches to ripple across the bubble. Silence continues: “Oblivion created the GrimDark, much to the happiness and pride of his mother, and back then, it was a beautiful place. Beautiful blue oceans, lush, forested lands… a world ravaged by neither disaster, nor war, a world at peace. I’m sure you would have loved to visit it if you were born back then.” "Let me guess... Xeroc had other ideas?" Celebes inquires. “When Terra was distracted with admiring the land her son had created, Xeroc took the opportunity to begin the destruction of the world you know as Terraria. And yet, it was not for his own twisted pleasure. He wanted the Protector of Terraria to face him. He wanted to force Oblivion to make a choice.” .......... The bubble seems to grow dark as a burning Terraria appears in it, with two mighty tyrants facing one another, one standing over the other. Celebes finds herself in what appears to be that very same land, looking around at the destruction. “Where are we now-” Suddenly, Celebes’s eyes widened in horror as she took notice of the tarnished world beneath her, “What is this?! This is… this is even worse than what Cthulhu had inflicted upon the world! What’s happening?!”  Silence’s soothing voice rings out over the landscape as a spectral image of his form stands next to Celebes. “Fear not, my dear. This is simply an illusion to truly tell you the story. You will not be harmed. Now watch, for your questions will be answered.” Silence then guides Celebes's gaze towards the nearby scenario. The Dryad's features become absolutely mind blown by what she sees: A different Oblivion, and Xeroc. “You… You won’t get away with this, father… You will answer to Terra!” “Answer? No, she will lie dead before me in due time. However, I have a proposition for you.”  “Bastard, your deals are nothing but pure evil and hellfire!” “Hahahaha, indeed. Which is why you will have no choice but to accept my proposal.” “Make your offer, Tormentor,” spits Oblivion venomously. “It is simple, really… I want you to be my emissary, my little destroyer.” “And what will I receive in exchange, monster?” “Receive? You fail to understand why I’m called: The Tormentor. YOU! WILL! GET! NOTHING!” A powerful aura emanates itself from Xeroc as he causes all of creation to quake. “I am the protector of this world. You will not sway me with ideals of power. Your offer means NOTHING!” says Oblivion, magic flowing over him unnoticeably.   Xeroc simply laughs in response before saying: “Then perhaps a display of the consequences of your decision, is in order?” The Tormentor raises his left arm and with a mere gesture, conjures forth various Ancients who were entrapped within a spherical aura. “BASTARD! RELEASE HIM AT ONCE!” yells Oblivion as the magic begins getting stronger.   “Oh I shall, but not in the way that you’d imagine,” Xeroc then calls forth the sphere that contained Anubis, and floats it before Oblivion, “Perhaps we shall start with your brother?” “Anubis… Anubis, hang on for me, okay little bro? I’ll get you free. I promise.” says Oblivion, gathering even more magic with a determined expression. “Oblivion… do not worry about me, for all shall be well. However, do me a favor… and slap our old man around!”  “Behold your decision, ‘son’.” Xeroc antagonizes as he goes on to grab Anubis by his neck and dangles The Ancient in front of Oblivion. .......... Silence looks away at this point, seeming sorrowful about something, bowing his head.   “No...no… stop! Don’t do this, Xeroc!” Celebes roars out with tears forming in her eyes, “Please, no!” “There is no point, my dear dryad… He cannot hear you.” the pony says, laying a soft wing across Celebes’s back. All the while, the dryad continues to struggle against the inevitable. .......... With a resounding snap, Anubis’s form goes limp before Oblivion’s eyes. Xeroc lets out a satisfied laugh before tossing the dead Ancient aside with no care.  Oblivion stares in shock and horror as his tears fall. A magic surge the like of which was never seen before rushes forth, surrounding the Ancient as he lets out a cry of primal anguish. All around, fauna and flora are drained of their very life essence, wilting and rotting before The Dryad’s very eyes.  As this apocalypse goes on, Celebes could only be reminded of her people dying at the hands of Cthulhu. In fact, for a very brief moment, the form of Xeroc was replaced by the eldritch horror. What she was experiencing was Oblivion’s very own version of her nightmare. A nightmare that scarred her for the rest of her life. All she could do was stretch out her hand, as if offering it to the Ancient. ……….. The other captured Ancients realize their opportunity and begin aiding in the influx of magic, strengthening it, as if calling on the Elements of the world. Taking notice of this, Xeroc looks back towards the other Ancients and roars out: “What do you think you’re all doing? There is no hope, there is no light, there is no life… only Xeroc exists.” “Father… You took away my light… Now I will take away yours.” says the still-grieving Oblivion, staring at his father with a hatred so powerful that even the shadows recoiled. Xeroc began to finally sense the change that was taking place before him as The Tormentor shot his gaze back towards Oblivion and roars out: “What’s going on here?! What are you doing?!” The Tormentor attempts to strike at Oblivion, but is stunned upon noticing that his powers are being siphoned into his opponent. “You wanted me to become a Destroyer… Then very well.” says the Ancient as the magic begins swirling around Xeroc. “Then I shall accept your proposal… But only if you are destroyed first.” “You wretched trickster! You’ve been draining my power all along!” “Good riddance, father. I hope you suffer in Limbo for eternity.” As the magic swirls around Xeroc, slowly banishing him from the world of Terraria, the illusion fades, returning the Dryad to The Void, as if nothing had been seen at all. The Storyteller floats in his bubble, looking gravely at Celebes. “I hope that was not too disturbing for you, young one… That is one of my darkest stories, as I witnessed it myself.”  Celebes’s tears flowed like a river upon seeing the story unravel before her. The Dryad stands up and runs towards the edge of the sky island before she roars out into the abyssal plane: “RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGH!”  ………. After the dryad screams out her sorrow and falls onto her knees, Silence quietly asks: “Are you prepared to listen to the end of my story, my dear?” “Why did you show me that vision? I... I don't truly understand everything I just saw, but after seeing that, I’m afraid of what Razeem could do one day. It’s just… what if I fail to stop Razeem, and history repeats itself?” The wise pony smiles softly and beckons her closer, faint blue sparks appearing on the bubble. Celebes rises onto her feet, and wobbly walks closer to Silence. The blue sparks expand, as if it were lightning striking through the clouds. “But you won’t fail, my dear. That vision I showed you wasn't the entire story, but a piece of it. It also serves... another purpose. You see, Oblivion was alone that day. No one to help him, no one to keep him strong and despite being empowered by some of the captured Ancients, he still acted alone. But you…” the pony says, waving a hoof, causing the blue sparks to form into shapes of the Dryad’s allies. “You have all your friends… All of your loved ones to help you.” He smiles, crossing his hooves and looking at her. “After all… Friendship is Magic, is it not?” Celebes’s eyes were widened in realization as she gazed upon the forms of her new found friends. A vibrant illusion of Home Town was constructed before her very eyes as all of its denizens go about their business. Ceeman and Vinny could be seen watching over the stone walls all while Rainbow Dash flew over the town. Fluttershy was seen leading a flock of animals into her home with the assistance of Ritsu. The more she watched, the more she began to realize her biggest flaw: Shouldering all of her burdens alone. She thought back to when she watched over The Moon Lord’s seal and came to question if she could’ve stopped Calamitas that day. So many of her choices could’ve had very different outcomes were she to do just one thing: “Ask for help.” says Silence, leaning forwards. “You just need to accept that you cannot do this alone. Stop focusing on the Terra Blade… If Oblivion couldn’t take down Xeroc on his own, what chance do you have to defeat Razeem? Ask for help.”  The Dryad had a world of realization crash down upon her as she recovers from her stupor and turns towards Silence, saying: “Thank you… I see that there’s still much for me to learn, huh?” “Sometimes, stories open up things you never thought were possible. Now…” Silence says, smiling. “I believe you have some eyes to ask for help from, hm?” - TERRARIA, THE GLOWING MUSHROOM BIOME- Some time after killing Crabulon’s Prophet, Tori was cutting through the members of the cult; along with the assistance of Linn, Tempest, Ritsu, Helena, Magius, and Shadow Thunder.  Shroom had just flattened one of the cultists by stomping on them, before then extending his arms and sending the other members of The Crab Brotherhood aloft. King Amidias unleashed powerful bolts of lightning from his trident as Jeremy The Angler fought alongside The Sea King.  In the background, other truffles and various merfolk continued to rage against the cult, whose numbers continued to dwindle as the battle went on. ………. Crabulon currently has Applejack pinned against his claws and dangles her struggling form before the rest of her allies. Echo, Terralestia, Sai Sahan, and Rainbow Dash stares on in horror, as the crab idol says: “So now, who wants to watch me ‘bust’ one final move?” “No! Please! K-kill me instead!” Rainbow Dash pleads. “R-R… ainbow… no… ah don’t want ya’ ta- graugh!” The cowmare cries out in pain as the ancient crab tightens his grip once more. The group could only stares on helplessly as the ancient crab was mere moments away from snuffing out the cowmare's life. Suddenly, a laser shoots Crabulon in the claw; causing him to drop Applejack to the ground as a voice calls out: “Your dance number’s over, Mushroom Crab Thing!” Derpy the Demon Eye zooms into the battlefield, pupil red with concentration as she prepares to shoot again. ………. All the while, Rainbow Dash swiftly flies in and sweeps Applejack off of the floor. She then flies over to Echo, Terralestia, and Sai Sahan, before setting the cowmare down gently.   ………. Crabulon was absolutely stunned by this, but was too blinded by shock to realize that his claw was now missing. “Ok… wait, what?” Realization finally takes hold of the crab as he exclaims in absolute shock: “Holy crab legs! My crabbing claw is gone?!” He then turns towards Derpy and roars out: “You little-” A large number of lasers shoot from a sudden anomaly that conjures itself into being, all hitting their mark on the crab’s back as multiple voices begin shouting: “For the Eye of the Abyss!” “For the honor of Lord Oblivion!” “For Terra’s love!” .......... Hundreds of demon eyes and wandering eyes begins to pour through the portal, some of them even wearing what looked to be a strange abyssal armor. As they begin to spread throughout the battlefield, several eyes stop by the injured contenders and literally airlift them to The Nurse, who appears to be shocked by the newcomers. “Ok… I’m charging for my services from now on.” A large bag of platinum coins drops from a wandering eye, who stares at her and asks: “Will that cover it?” Helena stares at the bag momentarily, before responding: “On second thought, bring all of the injured here now!” .......... In the middle of the battle against the Crab Cultists, Shroom’s fellow truffles and King Amidias’s men were combating against their foes, until a large cluster of Demon Eyes, which numbered in the thousands, swept across the battlefield and killed all cultists in their wake. However, It wasn’t just the local area that the battle was taking place in as the swarm spread itself throughout the entirety of the biome. This phenomenon caused various reactions from the truffles, merfolk, and other bystanders as they were admittedly confused by it. Upon closer inspection, Shroom seemed to be familiar with this event as the truffle comments: “Shroom remember swarm like this… Night Of Eyes.” “Oh, hi Shroom!” waves a Drippler with a blood tendril. “Remember me? Doctor Eyestalk.” “Shroom remember you. You take pony to safety for Shroom.” “Heh. Just what I do.” ………………. Witnessing the scenario before him and seeing his cultists being reduced to nothing by the second, Crabulon was so shocked by these current events that he didn’t even take notice of The Dryad who conjures forth her blade, Bloody Edge, and plunges it into the ancient crab’s form.  “Sorry I’m late!” Celebes exclaims from atop of the now panicking crab. She then turns her head slightly and winks before saying: “Had to go ask some friends for help.” No one else present could see it, but a certain green-maned pony winked back before slowly fading away. “Oh crab! She stabbed me! How the crab did she stab me?!” The ancient crab runs around frantically while snapping his claws in a fit of horror. Celebes pulls out her blade, and shouts: "Now! Derpy!" “Anyone up for Steamed Crab Legs?!” Replies Derpy, shooting her laser at the injury and blowing a hole big enough for her to fit in.   “Well… I’m crabbed…” Crabulon comments; all while Rainbow Dash, Echo, Applejack, Terralestia, and Sai Sahan stare on with their mouths hung agape.  “Is… is this seriously happening right now?” Terralestia questions in disbelief. “I stopped questioning stuff like that when Fluttershy threw around some giant flesh thing like a ball, back in The Crimson.” Rainbow Dash responds. Derpy lets out a roar similar to the Eye of Cthulhu and charges into Crabulon’s wound as the crab strikes a jazz pose. “Well, folks, that’s all for now!” Upon speaking his final words the ancient crab expands, shrinks, and expands again before exploding into cooked remnants of his former self. Various steaming crab legs were thrown into multiple directions; all while his remaining claw is sent aloft and incidentally lands in the center of Mushroom Village. Derpy gets spun around, causing her to accidentally open a green portal and allowing a slime in before crashing into a wall. “Uhhh… I’m fine! Also, dinner’s ready.” she says, waving an eyestalk around. ………. The runes that were present on the backs of the large crabs, who acted as the cult’s battle mounts, begin to fade upon the very moment of Crabulon’s death. The now freed entities start to look to and fro in confusion, as King Amidias declares:  “Praise be to the sea, my beloved creatures, for you are now free!”  All of the crabs start to click their claws together in celebration as an all too familiar scenario plays out next: The crabs start to dance. Much like Crabulon before them, the newly freed crabs were performing various dance moves suited for their anatomy. Crabs raised and lowered themselves to the ground all while others moved their bodies side to side. This event seems to have infected everyone else present as the merfolk, truffles, and even The Observers start to dance alongside them. Truffles simply leaned side to side to the beat, all while sea folk used their magic to imitate the actions of the eyes. A few eyes simply bob up or down, or side to side, but many of the Eyes are waving their stalks and their pupils, while a couple more zoom everywhere in what seems to be a very vibrant folk dance. As the celebration rages on, Rainbow Dash, Terralestia, Sai Sahan, and Applejack stare on dumbfoundedly before the two terrarians turn to each other. Sai bows towards Terralestia and asks: “Would you like to dance?” “Why, I would love to.” Terralestia replies as she takes his hand and accepts the offer. .......... Meanwhile, Celebes is trying her best to free Derpy who in turn was etched into the nearby wall. “Ow, you’re pulling my stalk… OW, that’s my OTHER stalk.” “Wait, your other what?!” Celebes exclaims as she grunts in effort, before letting go of the appendage and screaming: “Ewww! Gross!” ………. Rainbow Dash was currently watching the two terrarians dance before her as an idea pops up into her head. She turns around towards the cowmare behind her, but is surprised as Applejack was inches away from meeting her muzzle, with Rainbow’s own. “Well howdy partner, fancy a dance?” Shock wasn’t the only thing that consumed the cyan pegasus as her wings shot straight up into the air. “Wha- A.J! Don’t scare me like that!” “Ya’ didn’t answer me, sugarcube. Also, this is fer’ savin’ me,” In one swift motion, the cowmare closes the distance and locks lips with the pegasus. As if her wings weren’t already fully extended, they certainly reached their absolute lengths as rainbow’s face turned beet red.  Applejack pulls away as a very stunned pegasus stutters: “Wh-when-why d-did you kiss m-me?”  “Ah’ always knew, R.D. Ah’ just never was brave enough to act on it. Guess we ain't as tough as we like ta’ lead on, huh?”  “Wait, but how the buck did you know about my-” “Element Of Honesty, Rainbow. Also, it helps to have a kenku tell ya’ some things.” Incidentally, Tori was hanging on the ceiling and observing the duo. With a bucket of popcorn. Rainbow Dash recovers her composure and chuckles in response before she takes on a confident look and says: “Buck it. Applejack, I want you to be my special somepony.”  “Took ya’ long enough! Now come on over here and shake that flank with me!” .......... The celebrations continue on as everyone dances to their victory. Although, a very particular eye is still trapped against a wall, all while Celebes seems to be washing her hands in a nearby stream; while repeating: "Gross gross gross gross gross..." “...Help… Someone… Please…” Derpy says. -EQUUS, THE CORRUPTION BIOME, CANTERLOT CASTLE-    Ocram was currently gazing into the large floating orb before him as a portal manifests into being. This causes the entity to turn around in response as both Cozy Glow and Tzana exits the anomaly, which closes behind them. Notably, Tzana had an alcoholic beverage held within her right forehoof. “Oh golly, Mr Ocram, what did you summon us for?” Cozy Glow questions. "Hope this is good, boss. I was just taking some refreshments from rather, 'generous' ponies." Tzana comments as she brings the alcoholic beverage to her muzzle and chugs it down gleefully. "Eeeewwww," Cozy Glow says in disgust, "How can you drink that stuff?" Tzana stops drinking and gives the filly a sideways glance, saying: "I'd offer you to try some, but this is all mine, kiddo." "I'm, uh, fine..." "You say that now, but when you're a few years older... you'll thank me." “If you two are finished with your babbling," Ocram says as the entity floats closer to the duo, "Are the preparations prepared? Have you both completed your missions?" “Yup yup yup! All of those runes you told me to plant are set in place!" Cozy Glow responds, but ponders on something, "But… what are they for?” “You already know the answer to that question.” "My mission's done too, just throwing that out there." Tzana comments as she then starts to drink again. “No no no no, I get WHY you had me plant them, but you never told me about what they do.” "Aside from Blueblood, who we shall soon aid, you two are the only ones that we shall bestow this knowledge upon, so listen closely," Ocram comments which causes the two ponies to flicker their ears in attention, "Our true purpose for everything we've done in this world is to prepare it for our master: Nyarlathotep." This instantly catches Tzana's attention, even more than before, as she tosses aside the empty bottle of alcohol and says: "Sounds cool. Your boss has an Interesting name, bit of a mouthful though." "Says the pony whose mouth was just filled with that... stinky stuff." Cozy Glow responds with a waving forehoof. Tzana simply shrugs in response before replying: "I'll have you know, that 'stinky stuff' is the gift of whatever divine being influenced us to create such beauty. Besides, it's not like I can just go waltzing down The Crystal Empire and grab one anymore. I'm a wanted criminal, I've had to steal for my next meal. You haven't been discovered by The Coalition yet, so you're living the good life." "Enough, both of you," Ocram injects as the entity starts to glow with a purple aura, "Canterlot has been a most useful decoy, but now we shall move onto our new base of operations," A new portal opens up, while Ocram also floats the large purple orb and makes it follow closely behind the entity, "Tzana, you and Tirek shall remain here and gather our forces for the attack on The Empire." "Sounds like a plan, boss. Don't suppose one of you could get me a six pack from The Empire? The pickings have been fairly low as of late and stealing from those caravans entering Equestria's borders aren't as 'lucrative' anymore." Tzana questions. "You've managed to get this far, we're certain you'll survive." "Hey, uh, Mr Ocram... where are we going?" Cozy Glow inquires. "As Tzana said, you've yet to be discovered by those worms, so you'll continue to mingle amongst them. As for us, we'll be right under their noses." Ocram then enters the anomaly, with both Cozy Glow and the large purple orb in tow. This leaves behind Tzana, who in turn brings forth the very same scroll she used to teleport herself to a secret meet spot with The Princess Of The Night: Luna. -EQUUS, THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, CASTLE DUNGEON- Both Tempest and Grubber were currently positioned within their cell as guards would often pass by the containment. Many would spat insults and wish the absolute worst case scenario on the broken unicorn. However, this would not have any affect on her as she had steeled herself for this mission. “The time is almost here, Grubber.” Tempest comments in an exhausted tone. “I hope Tzana and the others are ok… things aren’t going to be good in the coming days.” “Oh, I’m sure everything will work out. Tzana has secured herself within Ocram's trusted few, even if our exposure was the cost of it. Sunset Shimmer and the others are also still playing the part, but they're not in that circle.” “Not to doubt us or anything, but... how do you know that everything will work out?” Grubber inquires which causes the mare to stare at the nearby wall, before she responds: “Because I have no bucking idea what we’ll do if this plan doesn’t work. It's all up to you now, Journey Joy.”