-TERRARIA, THE DUNGEON: DEPTHS-

“Let go of me! You damned warrior goddess!” Hades exclaims, but his choice of words were very poor as Athena smirks and responds:

“Gladly.”

She tosses Hades against a nearby wall of the hallway with frightening force, getting a painful grunt out of him.

Greed looked on with a fit of laughter as Silence sighs, even commenting:

“We seriously don’t have the time for this…”

Polterghast simply watched this scenario take place, but the legion of souls did wonder whether or not Hades could be added to their collective if Athena ‘killed’ him.

“Calm down, will ya?!” The fiery god pleads after he raises himself off of the floor and turns his gaze to an angered Athena.

“Calm down?!” Athena responds with a wrathful tone. “Our pantheon was nearly wiped out during the fight with The Devourer!” She begins to list off a series of individuals, raising a finger for each one on both hands, “Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Apollo, Aphrodite, Pandora, Hera! They’re all gone, Hades! And if anyone is still alive, they’re likely in hiding or trapped!”

Hades’s eyes widened in shock, “W-what?! Even Zeus?! B-but, how did you survive?!”

“I became an Ancient as Zeus passed on his station to me before he was killed,” Athena responds. “He was the first and original Ancient of Space, but he died in the fight with The Devourer. He saved me by banishing Acropolis for one-thousand years, taking me with it,” She then points an index finger towards Hades scornfully, “But you wouldn’t know that since you ran away! You spineless coward!”

“It wasn’t just the Greek pantheon, Hades,” Silence comments. “Egyptian, Norse, Christian, Buddhism… These are only SOME of the cultures who suffered from The Devourer’s hunger.”

The newly released god fell onto his knees, absolute shock and horror filling his form as he looked down to the floor in his stupor, “All of those cultures… gods and goddesses…” Hades looks back up towards the others, “The Devourer got them all…?”

Silence looks down in sorrow and nods. Even Greed closes his eyes and comments:

“I know I make it a hobby of mine to take gods and imprison them… but do you know why I do it?”

“Because you’re an asshole just like this spineless wretch?” Athena responds in anger; pointing towards Hades who winces in response.

“Athena, enough with the hostilities.” Silence responds.

“They asked me to do it, Athena,” Greed responds to the Queen of The Seraphs.

Athena looks towards him with a confused and shocked gaze as Silence, already knowing the reasoning thanks to his station, allows Greed to continue.

Greed sighs before saying:

“A number of gods and goddesses, even demis, came to me with a destroyed composure. They simply gave up… they were literally so depressed by their lost pantheons and cultures that they wanted me to take them.”

Athena was simply taken aback by this as she remained silent in her shocked state.

Hades grunts annoyingly, “Now I really want to go back,” He says before looking towards Greed, “Greed! Why did you even spit me out?! We had a deal and I was actually having a damn good time in there!”

“Technically, Greed did make good on his deal. However, you did not say how he was to hide you, did you?” States Silence, matter-of-factly.

Greed shrugs, “He’s a bit slow… give him time,” The Ancient turns towards the newly released god, “And you’d do well to watch your tone with me, boy.”

Hades winces, but seemed to ponder on something, “Wait, just what the hell is going on here?!”

“You remember that favor you owe me for literally hiding you from Twilight’s hunger? It’s time to pay up.” Greed responds.

Hades wipes a hand across his face, “Fine! What is it?!”

“You’re Lucifer’s trusted ally, even long before he and Rarity ‘hooked’ up. I’m going to call him here, and I need you to keep him calm.” Greed said.

Hades raises an eyebrow, “That’s it? No strings attached?”

“There is the slight possibility of death or dismemberment by way of GrimDarks. So you might want to make another deal with Greed afterwards.” Silence comments.

Hades raises his hands in recollection, “Ok, ok, so let me get this straight. You’re letting me out just so my old pal Lucifer can chat with this guy?” He says as he points towards Silence.

“I was VERY serious about the GrimDark threat. And it may not be from outside forces if you continue to test my patience, Hades…” Growls Silence, a brief series of glitching occurring on his wings.

Greed stomps the ground beneath him, causing the entire dungeon to shake, “‘This’ guy is an Ancient like me. Show some respect, boy.”

Hades’s eyes widened, “By the flames of The Underworld! This guy’s an Ancient?!”

Silence glares at Hades as Greed answers with an annoyed tone:

“Yes. Now shut your mouth so I can get Lucifer here.”

A multicolored energy surrounds Greed’s form as he seemingly concentrates with closed eyes. Then, a tuxedo wearing terrarian drops from the ceiling via a worm-hole as Lucifer Pit Lord falls to the floor, grunting as a result.

Lucifer lifts himself up and dusts his clothes off before commenting:

“Bloody hell! Look, Rare’s old man, the next time you-”

“Apologies for the sudden summoning, Lucifer, but time is of the essence.” Silence interjects.

Lucifer’s eyes became infuriated as he glanced towards Silence and seemed to sense something, “That energy… it’s just like bloody Oblivion’s...”

“Yes, I am in fact originally from the GrimDark. However… I am also the Ancient of Knowledge. Please keep this in mind as I explain our reasoning for summoning you.”

“Woah hoho there, Luci. Relaaaax,” Hades comments and places his right hand onto Lucifer’s left shoulder, “Listen to your old pal, Hades, and keep your cool.”

“Hades? The fuck are you doin’ out?” Lucifer questions with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s not important right now,” Greed responds. “I suggest you listen to what Silence has to say before you act.”

“In fact, perhaps you will get some satisfaction out of this, knowing your… history with Oblivion,” Silence said with a small sigh. “Recently, his daughter died in a fight against Cosmos, the Kitsune Tyrant. As a result, Oblivion was forced to relinquish his station to keep his daughter and himself alive. However, the plan somewhat backfired as Pinkamena’s consciousness took over.”

Lucifer blinks twice, looks towards Greed, and looks back to Silence, “Are you bloody telling me that Oblivion is gone?”

“Oblivion relinquished his station and has been forced to pass it on to his daughter. He is no longer the Ancient of Entropy.” Silence answers.

Lucifer could feel a sense of laughter rise within his form, but a growl from Greed causes him to jump in shock, “Do not mock a man’s family, Lucifer… Lest I punish you in Oblivion’s stead.”

“Perhaps you should have been the Ancient of Vengeance or Justice, my dear Greed.” Says Silence with a warm smile.

Greed rears back in disgust, “Bleck! Hearing ‘justice’ reminds me of that damned rabbit.”

“My apologies. I thank you for putting Lucifer in his place, so to speak,” Silence says, calmly ruffling a wing.

Greed shrugs, “Like I said, I make good on my promises. I’m the Ancient of Greed, not deceit or bullshit.”

Silence nods in response, and turns to Lucifer, “Now, Lucifer. Despite the obvious signs that you desire to attack me for even daring to be near you, we have much bigger problems than petty squabbles.”

Lucifer stares at the Ancient of Knowledge momentarily, then sighs before throwing his hands into the air and shouting:

“Fine! Bloody hell, fine! What’s the fuss all about anyway?”

“Unfortunately, due to Oblivion’s sacrifice, the GrimDark is now uncontrolled. Several denizens have already escaped, including but not limited to Pinkamena, Rocket to Insanity… And one just recently freed, Rainbow… EXE…” Silence’s eyes seem to turn to pinpricks.

Suddenly, Athena’s feathers shift as the mention of that name pulls her out of her silenced state, “And then there’s Abaddon...” She said fearfully.

“We have no time.” Says Silence. “Lucifer, you will have no choice but to aid us in containing the GrimDark. All of Terraria could very well be in danger now that my… mother… is free.”

Lucifer then ponders on something with his right hand to his chin, “So a bunch of my bloody demons are going to invade soon, and these GrimDark wankers are also gonna be fucking about up here? And Abaddon is among them?” He earns a series of nods from the others present and lowers his hand, “Terraria’s gonna be hell on earth… literally.”

“And of course, you are an Ancient who specializes in dealing with hell on earth… if you don’t mind the joke.” Silence said.

Lucifer shrugs, “Meh, it’s a pretty good one. However, I’ll let the mortals fuck with Nyar and those traitorous demons who follow that wanker. If the GrimDarks are back, we’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

“Indeed. We will have to call upon another Ancient as well… One who specializes in infections and diseases,” Silence comments. “In fact, I am fairly certain he is listening right now, correct, Decay?”

Suddenly, a sickly green miasma begins to form like smoke from a campfire as it begins to take on the shape of a humanoid. In addition, the green miasma is covered mostly by blackened gas, but the green vapors seemed to act as the entity’s ‘eyes.’

The newly formed Ancient floated just above the group before lowering itself to the ground. Polterghast clicks its mandibles in anticipation as the ghostly enigma says with hundreds of voices in tandem:

“What, or who, are you?”

The being turns towards Polterghast and speaks in a tone akin to a ghost:

“I am Decay, Superancient of Disease... Sickness… Plague… Infection.”

-TERRARIA, ACROPOLIS-

After being knocked out by Athena, Pinkie Pie was currently unconscious as she laid leaned up against a tree that was present on the large sky island. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Shroom were all gathered around her. However, a certain cyan pegasus held onto her own chest; in a very particular spot, as her wound from Pinkie Pie was revealed to be healed thanks to Applejack’s actions.

“Thank Celestia ah’ had a Healing Potion, RD,” Applejack comments. “Had to give it to ya’ muzzle to muzzle.”

“Thanks, AJ…” Rainbow Dash responds, but turns towards the unconscious party pony with a saddened expression, “What the hay was that? Why did Pinkie attack me?”

“It wasn’t exactly Pinkie, darling,” Rarity responds as she sits before Pinkie Pie’s form, “It’s a bit of a story, but Silence told us the truth of it all.”

Fluttershy turns towards Rainbow Dash, “There’s so much going on here that’s just so crazy.”

Shroom was currently caressing the party pony’s mane in a concerned fashion.

“Ah’ll explain everythin’, Rainbow,” Applejack said as she goes on to tell her lover everything that Silence and Athena had informed them of. However, unbeknownst to the group, there was another conversation taking place within Pinkie Pie’s mindscape.

-PINKIE PIE’S MINDSCAPE-

Within this mysterious realm of dream-like fields of grass and skies, Harmony was currently holding onto the whimpering form of her beloved child, Pinkie Pie. The pink mare was crying uncontrollably into her mother’s mane as she sobs:

“I-I h-hurt her, m-momma… I hurt m-my friend,” Pinkie continues to wail into Harmony’s glowing pink mane as The Empress herself pats her on the back while saying:

“It wasn’t you, my sweet. Please, do not blame yourself for that.”

Pinkie Pie raises her head to meet Harmony’s eyes with her own, tears still pouring down them, “I’m nothing but a monster, momma! A monster who tried to kill her friend!”

“That wasn’t you, Pinkie Pie,” Harmony responds defiantly, “You are a mare who loves her friends, and they love you too. What happened out there isn’t your fault… but theirs.”

Pinkie Pie looks at her mother in confusion, “W-who?” She questions with a small sob.

Harmony looks over her right shoulder with an angered expression and says:

“You can stop hiding, fiends. I will make you pay for making my Pinkie suffer like this… Shadows of Abaddon… foul GrimDarks!”

A series of laughter echoes throughout the mindscape, and what was most unsettling to Pinkie Pie was that it was her very own laughter. Then, another pink mare manifests itself before them as they said:

“Ooh, you’re very perceptive, ‘mom.’”

Harmony gently places Pinkie Pie onto the grassy field of the Mindscape, shielding and keeping the party pony hidden behind the ancient’s well-toned hind legs.

“You are no daughter of mine,” Harmony scowls. “You are NOT Pinkie Pie!” She stomps her front hooves in unbridled anger, “Just as Nightmare Moon isn’t Luna, you are not my daughter! Shadows like you only pretend to be the individual you prey upon, but you are NOT them!”

“Well, duh, silly!” The pink mare responds. “Oh! Where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself,” The pony then stands on her hind legs and mockingly lowers her upper body in a grateful gesture, “I am Pinkamena Diane Pie, and I’m not alone either.”

In a shocking scenario, another pink mare manifests herself, “Hey there, Diane!” She greeted by waving her left forehoof.

“Hello, Rocket to Insanity,” Diane responds.

Pinkie Pie could only look on in horror from behind Harmony’s hind leg as she stared at the two mockeries of herself. However, a sense of anger overtakes her as she points her right forehoof towards them and shouts:

“You two meanies! You hurt Dashie and tried to attack my friends, didn’t you?!”

The two mockeries laughed in unison as Diane is the first to recover and says:

“Those so-called friends of ours abandoned me! So I made them all pay for it with sweet, succulent, torture!”

“And Dashie tried to kill me for something I didn’t even do! Can you believe that?!” Rocket to Insanity questions, then chuckles, “Boy was I glad to get sweet payback after I recovered in that hospital. I even got my Rainbow Dash sent to Tartarus! And yes, that’s after I got to beat her up quite a bit.”

Harmony spreads her wings to their maximum lengths as she declared:

“Enough! I will not allow you two to haunt her mind any longer,” She narrows her eyes, “I shall purify you in my cleansing light!”

Suddenly, a certain party pony stands proudly alongside her mother as Pinkie Pie shouts:

“I’m fighting too, momma!”

Harmony glances towards her daughter, “Sweetie, no, allow me to-”

“These meanies made me hurt Dashie, and forced me to attack my friends!” Steam leaves Pinkie Pie’s nostrils to emphasize her current anger, “They made me really, really, reaaaally, ANGRY!”

A sense of pride overtakes Harmony as she smirks in response to her daughter’s words, and turns back to their foes before saying:

“Then let us fight together, dearest daughter!”

“I’m ready to party!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, conjuring forth her Blue Phaseblade.

The two grim versions of the pink mare grin in unison and shout together:

“So are we!”

Both sides lunge towards each other as a battle within the party pony’s mind takes place.

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.