-TERRARIA, YHARIM’S KINGDOM: ARENA-

The large gong was struck, and In that very instance, Cosmos flies high into the air and sends forth various thunder clouds, “You’re outmatched, bitch!” She shouts.

Mena rolls to the side as she launches several Vampire Knives at the clouds, each one seeming to be surrounded by some form of pink energy. The clouds that get hit seem to explode into shockwaves.

“Allow me to disagree,” Mena comments between gritted teeth.

The Kitsune Tyrant starts to laugh while holding her stomach with both of her claws, “Oh, yippee! You destroyed a bunch of clouds, sooo impressive,” She then snaps her right paw as a microphone appears within her appendage, “Ooh! I know just the song for this momen-”

A knife seems to bounce off the microphone; forcing Cosmos to drop it to the ground where it shatters with a rather unpleasant ringing noise.

“Mic drop,” Mena says, allowing herself a smirk.

Mena begins to rapidly fire knives left and right at the Kitsune Tyrant with a determined look in her eyes as she gallops to a wall. Bouncing off it, she leaps high in the air, swiping at Cosmos before landing on what appears to be a light platform of pink energy. Each knife that impacts explodes into shockwaves, causing several skin-deep cuts to appear on the chaos mistress.

Grunting in a mix of pain and annoyance, Cosmos disappears in a cloud of strawberry milk mix and reappears high above, “So she learned how to actually hit me,” She said. The tyrant then shrugs before snapping her right paw as an orange aura engulfs her form which wisps away any injury Mena had managed to inflict upon her, “A cute effort, but you simply can not kill me effectively. Besides, It’s nothing a simple snap of my paws can’t fix.”

Mena chuckles at the disappearance of her quarry; looking up to Cosmos, “Try to get away, but there’s no escaping Alcatraz… Enjoy that reference, people.” The pink pony said.

Mena begins to jump, landing on a new platform each time as she reaches the level of Cosmos in a blur. She seems to grow faster and faster as she spins around the Kitsune Tyrant before what appears to be multiple slightly-transparent copies of herself appear, all slashing in unison. Strangely, this attack only seems to cause one deep cut, straight around the Tyrant’s midsection. This is followed by another cut, followed by several whirlwind stabs, finishing with a blow to the head throwing Cosmos downwards.

“This is a fight, not your comfy little chaos dimension. Start acting like it, else you’re gonna go home bleeding. Or maybe not at all, depending on how I feel,” Mena says, landing on the ground gracefully.

……….

Observing from the audience, Braelor couldn’t help but laugh at the Kitsune Tyrant’s overconfidence as he held a bucket of popcorn within his grasp.

“Cosmos had better get it together,” Braelor said. “What she fails to realize is that Mena here has learned a lot during her secret sessions with Yharon,” He takes a handful of popcorn, brings it to his mouth, and greedily devours it.

Swallowing his meal, the terrarian places his popcorn onto the seat next to him, “She’s a whole different mare compared to what happened back in those cells,” He said then chuckles, “Plus, there’s always those flames in her inventory should things get nasty. Courtesy of Sweetie Belle Glutonia.”

……….

After recovering from being forced to the ground, Cosmos digs her claws into the jungle dirt of the arena, growling while doing so. She rises back up and floats a few feet off of the ground before aiming her left talon towards the pink mare; shouting:

“Fine! Let’s get dangerous, pony!” A barrage of orange energy balls is unleashed from her claw, a predatory smile adorning her face, “Try to dodge this!”

Mena grits her teeth as she begins to perform several unbelievable feats of gymnastics. Some orbs she flips over, others she blocks with a knife, and yet others she uses as a springboard. Once the barrage is finished, the mare lands on the ground again, shaking out her mane, no worse for wear.

“Not too bad, Mena, not too bad… Guess the rust’s getting kicked off,” she mutters to herself, throwing her own barrage of knives at the kitsune. Several knives hit their target, some kind of pink stream emanating from the air to Mena whose fur seems to shine a slight bit more as she absorbs it.

The Kitsune roars out as she clasps her paws together, “Come! Fight for me!” She shouts as orange energy manifests itself before her. The energy molds into a tortoise-like entity which happened to be a denizen of the Jungle Biome: Giant Tortoise.

Taking the limited time she could, Mena flips out a strange lavender flame from her inventory and gently adds it to her Vampire Knives. The glow around them appears to turn slightly purple as a result.

-Never had to fight one of these myself, but I know they’re hella dangerous… Toxin, take care of it.- Mena states internally.

-On it, Mena.- The symbiote responds mentally, shifting itself into a slightly different form.

-Be careful- The voice of Skeletron injects, -That is a Giant Tortoise. Their shells are comparable to that armor forged from Hallowed Bars. For others, their shells are even more durable than that.-

“Shiiiiit…” Mutters Mena out loud as the tortoise seems to throw itself directly at her. She drops to her belly, narrowly avoiding getting hit full-force in the face, and sends a single purple knife flying at Cosmos, hitting her mark right in the paw. The flames appear to be spreading onto the Kitsune Tyrant’s fur very quickly.

“Wh-what?! Grauugh!” Cosmos roars out in absolute agony as the lavender flames overtake her form, “What is this?! What is it doing to me?! It burns! My powers are being suppressed!”

The kitsune Tyrant conjures forth a bubble of water in an effort to douse the flames and floats into it hurriedly. But to her utter horror, even being submerged in liquid wasn't enough.

……….

Among the roaring audience who were enjoying the spectacle, Sweetie Belle Glutonia, Crystal Moonbeam, Princess Cadence, and Tirek were all looking over a railing that had the perfect bird’s eye view of the arena.

Sweetie Glutonia was currently narrowing her eyes in realization, “No way… that lavender flame… so she’s using it now, it seems.” She comments.

This garners Crystal Moonbeam’s attention as she turns to her half-sibling and flickers her ears before saying:

“Why do those flames feel so… wrong?”

The daughter of Greed closes her eyes, licks her lips, and responds hesitantly:

“The flames that can potentially kill gods and ancients, spewed from the very maw of The Devourer itself... God Flame Inferno. There are only a handful of resources left of these flames in the world, and hidden away in the most secretive of locations.”

The purpose of these flames causes a small ‘yelp’ to escape from Crystal Moonbeam, but a gentle hand from Sweetie Glutonia comforts her.

“But, then... how did Mena get them?” The Princess questions as she overhears their conversation.

Sweetie Glutonia fidgets her fingers together nervously, “I, uh, took those flames from my dad’s hoard. It's a small amount, but still enough to aid Mena with that wretched tyrant.”

“Y-you stole from Greed?” Princess Cadence questions with utter shock.

Sweetie Glutonia rubs the back of her neck, and laughs sheepishly, “Y-yes. But, to be fair, I only took some of the flame that he keeps within his hoard, not all of it. Look, I did it to help Crystal, and since Mena was the one who saved my sister, I owed her a debt. My father wouldn’t get mad at me since I did it for my family,” She turns her gaze back to the battle, "She just used up the small bit of those flames that I gifted to her. Make it count, Mena."

……….

Mena, meanwhile, does her best to avoid the tortoise that was summoned by Cosmos as Toxin attempts to strike at its shell, to no avail.

“This damn thing won’t die!” Groans Toxin in annoyance.

With the pain still present in her tone from the lavender flames, Cosmos roars out as she elongates both of her arms and pierces the jungle grounds of the arena. However, something was noticeably clenched within her palms. A sickening red coloration consumes the ground as enemies from the Crimson Biome burst forth. Notably, multiple Crimeras.

With a mischievous chuckle, Cosmos comments:

“Time to put these Crimson Seeds to use.”

“Oh for BUCKS SAKE!” Roars Mena, now throwing herself away from the Crimeras erupting forth as well as the tortoise.

As the pink mare continued to dodge her opponents, the Kitsune Tyrant states internally:

-I’ll be sure to keep this contained… the last thing I want is to piss off Yharim, but I despise this pony almost too much to even care!-

Gritting her teeth, Mena says internally:

-This is getting to be too much for me to handle, Skelly-boy… You mind helping out here?!-

-I can’t! Yharim thinks I’m dead, however… I can channel my power into you. I may not be able to form physically, but allow me to empower you instead.- Skeletron responds mentally.

A grey aura starts to surround the pink mare as Skeletron shouts from within:

-You’re going to have a really bad time!-

“Ready for a blast from the past, bitchsune?” Growls Mena, slamming a grey hoof into the ground as a large group of skeletons bursts forth, fully armed. Her eye flares up with a pinkish aura as two floating knives made completely of pink energy rise to either side of her. She seems to be sweating slightly as they do so. With a mere gesture from her left forehoof, the skeletons she summoned rushes forth to combat the Crimeras and giant tortoise.

The flames that had consumed Cosmos's form had dissipated, but their effect had plagued the serpentine kitsune's mind. As the aftermath, various patches of burnt fur became all too prominent. With an extremely cautious posture and pained tone, the Kitsune Tyrant says:

"This is impossible! How could such a flame even-"

“LET’S GET STRAIGHT TO THE POINT!” Mena interjects from the opposite side of their battlefield as what appears to be a party cannon with the words ‘Life Is A Party’ on it appears, beginning to charge up. Several pony skulls rise up on either side of it, seeming to fire off rapid-fire pink blasts at Cosmos.

……….

Taking notice of this from his balcony, Yharim places a hand to his chin in thought, “When did she become adept at necromancy?” He questions.

A rumble escapes from Yharon’s chest before he answers:

“I had Calamitas sense her for any influence left behind by Skeletron. Luckily, he is long gone, but a piece of his power is available to her as a result. Of course, this is after you added those abilities to the Plaguebringer Goliath.”

In truth, Yharon’s words were less of an answer, but more of a lie.

Yharim stares at Yharon for a moment before turning his gaze back to the battlefield below, “I trust you, brother. If that is what has transpired, then so be it.”

The dragon adjusted his wings as he says internally:

-I’m sorry, brother. I know you’ll think that I have betrayed you, but I need you to realize what you’re too blind to see.- Yharon turns his gaze towards the crowd. Specifically, at Braelor, -I can only hope that Statis pulls this off.-

However, unbeknownst to Yharon, Yharim took note of the purple flames that Mena had possessed as he states internally:

-God Slayer Inferno... how did she manage to get that?- He raises his right hand, donned in a golden gauntlet, to his chin.

-Someone gave it to her, but who? Also, how exactly DID she manage to improve so much after what happened in the containment quarters? She must have someone powerful aiding her progress. Someone within MY kingdom.- The Jungle tyrant then lowers his hand and sets it onto his lap.

-And then there's also that creature she has bonded to her. Hmm... It would seem that I have some questions that need to be answered.-

-MENA’S MINDSCAPE-

Within the mind of the dark pink pony, two individuals watched on with glee as they sat on a field of grass. In addition, the atmosphere all around them was nearly transparent while a fog seemed to dance on the borders of the grassy field.

“THAT’S MY DAUGHTER!” Cheers Oblivion from within, his tone quite enthusiastic.

Valencia was currently facepalming while commenting:

“Good grief… your time with Sans in Ross’s Omniversal Tavern is rubbing off on her, too…”

“Hey, those blasters pack a punch! Though I think that Party Cannon was inspired by her sister, heh…”

“Oh great, now I can’t un-hear Sans’s way of talking now!” Valencia exclaims with her arms high in the air.

“You just wait. If I know how I started using those, she’s gonna come up with some CRAZY attacks! So happy she takes after me…”

Valencia suddenly gets nervous, “Y-you don’t t-think she has, well, another ‘Empress’ in her too, do you? Something like Harmony’s?”

Oblivion seems to pause, before looking at Valencia in a serious manner.

“...I wish I could say she didn’t. With luck, Cosmos won’t force it to appear.”

Valencia stares at the Ancient for a moment before turning back to the conflict taking place in the outside world, “Let us hope it doesn’t come to that... The Void, or GrimDark, must be contained. Xeroc’s greatest mockery must never be unleashed.”

Character inventory/equipment:

Fluttershy: Statigel Armor(pony, equipped), Overloaded Blaster, Eviscerator, Crimslime Staff, Corroslime Staff, Slime Staff, Finch Staff, Snow Flinx Staff, Hornet Staff, Blood Clot Staff, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Healing Potion, Honey Comb(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Honeyed Goggles, Slime Mount, Staff Of Necrosteocytes, Purified Jam.

Rainbow Dash: Necro Armor(pony, equipped), Star Cannon, Minishark, Eviscerator, Aquatic Discharge, Bloody Rupture, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Healing Potion, Aero Stone(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Bone Glove(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Victory Shard, Slime Mount.

Zecora: Crimson Armor(zebra, equipped), Dune Hopper, Sausage Maker, Beenade, Tooth Ball, Aorta, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Various Potions, Rocket Boots(equipped), Honey Comb(equipped), Sand Cloak(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Bloodstained Gloves(equipped), Bone Glove(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Honeyed Goggles, Skeletron Hand.

Starlight Glimmer: Meteor Armor(pony, equipped), Space Gun, Starfury, Vein Burster, Purple Phaseblade, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Mana Potion, Healing Potion, Victory Shard, Rocket Boots(equipped), Aero Stone(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Bone Glove(equipped), Slime Mount, Book Of Skulls, Skeletron Hand.

Rarity: Meteor Armor(pony, equipped), Space Gun, Hornet Staff, Snow Flinx Staff, Ice Mirror, Blood Clot Staff, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Mana Potion, Angel Wings(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Slime Mount, Book Of Skulls, Skeletron Hand, Staff Of Necrosteocytes.

Applejack: Crimson Armor(pony, equipped), Vein Burster, Orange Phaseblade, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Rope, Metal Detector, Healing Potion, Angel Wings(equipped), Honey Comb(equipped), Flurry Boots(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Honeyed Goggles, Slime Mount, Bone Glove, Skeletron Hand.

Twilight Sparkle: Meteorite Armor(pony, equipped), Space Gun, Book Of Skulls, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Mana Potion, Ichor, Victory Shards, Aero Stone(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Slime Mount.

Pinkie Pie: Crimson Armor(pony, equipped), Vein Burster, Blue Phaseblade, Bloody Rupture x2, Aorta, Deathbringer Pickaxe, Blood Lust Cluster Axe, Metal Detector, Angel Wings(equipped), Honey Comb(equipped), Flurry Boots(equipped), Brain Of Confusion(equipped), Mana Polarizer(equipped), Bone Glove(equipped), Honeyed Goggles, Slime Mount, The Blood Butcherer, Skeletron Hand.