-TERRARIA, YHARIM’S KINGDOM: DRAEDON’S LAB-

Tension, and sweat-inducing anticipation. That was the best way to explain the current atmosphere within the lower portion of Draedon’s Laboratory.

Calamitas was now standing before three of Yharim’s council, the same trio who had accompanied the Jungle Tyrant. This consisted of the Storm King, Siranul, and Signus. All of whom took on combative stances against the witch.

Samyueru was also present in the room but slipped back into the shadows in retreat. The kenku knew all too well what the witch was capable of and observed the processions in stealth. They then narrowed their eyes and conjured forth a Recall Potion. The bird folk drinks the beverage and is wisped away seconds after. Whether it be cowardice, or to live to fight another day, maybe even both, was anyone’s guess.

In addition, Yharon stood in a midsection between the two opposing forces; growling towards the witch for striking his brother.

However, conflict was deeply being festered in Yharon’s heart. The dragon needed this plan to succeed as to separate Pinkie Pie’s life force from Yharim’s inventory. In retrospect, he hated seeing his brother being hurt before his very eyes. And to make his situation even harder, he still needed to make it look as if he were aiding Yharim and the others.

The Ravager was still unconscious and strapped to its restraints. All while the soon-to-be showdown was taking place before it.

The clone of Calamitas lied motionlessly on the floor, barenaked due to her recent confinement. Both Braelor and Statis managed to get near her, although Braelor needed to be helped onto his feet after Yharim’s beating.

……….

“So this is how it’s going to be, huh?” Calamitas questions. “You three puppets will defend him? He’s only using you!” She seems to power up as her crimson aura pulsates, “Just like that bastard used me!”

Both Siranul and Signus ignore her words, but the Storm King was bothered by this as he states internally:

-I thought the boss had her as his right hand… but if he’s doing this to her, who’s to say I’m not next?-

“I will not allow you to harm the master,” Siranul antagonizes as the leader of the Lunar Cultists also calls upon his magic, a blue aura surrounding him, “You will meet your end here and now.”

Calamitas scuffs, “You of all people should be joining me, Siranul,” She smirks, “Or should I say… Lunaris?”

Upon the witch saying that name, something seemed to click within Siranul’s form as he twitched his head. Although his mask hid his features, he did indeed scrunch his face momentarily in conflict.

Signus prepared to strike at Calamitas as a series of electricity gathered before the entity, “We will devour you, witch.”

“And then there’s you, Signus,” Calamitas said as she turned her gaze towards the creature, “You’re no better than Lunaris here. Both of you are corrupted, and mind-controlled,” She extends her right hand towards them, “Join me, all of you, and together we can be-”

“Enough!” Yharim shouts as he hurriedly makes his way towards them, even passing Braelor, Statis, and Calamitas’ unconscious clone. Of whom Statis was now covering up with clothing, and looking down upon her with pity.

“Not another word, Calamitas. This is just one big misunderstanding,” Yharim offers her his right hand, “Come, let us return to-”

“Oh, cut the shit, Yharim!” Calamitas exclaims in a fit of rage. “Your charismatic act won’t work on me!” She points towards her clone, “Especially since the proof is right there!”

“I assure you, Calamitas, I only made her to relieve you of your loneliness,” Yharim responds, drawing closer to his allies standing before the witch. “I tried to give you a sister.”

Calamitas simply laughs, “Ohoho, you wanted to relieve me, alright,” She grits her teeth in anger, “By killing me with a fucking Mech, and a damned clone of me!” Her red aura was now emitting a powerful force of wind as clothing, hair, and even lab equipment were being fluttered and thrown around.

“Calamitas! Calm down!” Yharim shouts as his allies behind him shielded themselves from the wind being formed by the witch who, in turn, says:

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” The witch rushes forth in a flash of red energy and grabs onto Yharim’s chest plate, “Let’s take this to someplace more spacious, hmm?”

“Shit…” Yharim comments.

[SNAP]

With a snap of her finger, Calamitas causes both herself and Yharim to disappear in a flashing, crimson light.

This leaves behind the remaining members of Yharim’s allies along with Yharon, Braelor, Statis, and the witch’s clone.

-Forgive me, brother.- Yharon says internally with sorrow. -I will come to aid you against the witch, I promise.-

However, before anyone else could make a move, Calamitas’s voice echoes within the large room as she says:

“While I entertain my gracious ‘friend’ here, I’d like for you all to play with... The Ravager. Have fun together.”

A red aura surrounds the Ravager’s body as both of the skulls which acted as the entity’s heads flared up. Each one possessed its own colored aura which acted as an eye. One red, and the other, blue. The four pillars that were etched onto the being’s body became lit as a blue flame burning on the precipice of each pillar.

“Nyahahaha! We’re finally free! Here we come, baby!” The Ravager roared out as the two skulls spoke in unison. “We will ravage you all! Give us blood, flesh, let there be carnage!”

The newly freed Ravager unleashes a series of fleshy tentacles, a piercing edge made entirely of bones and Temple bricks. Said bricks originating from the original Golem that the Ravager was made from. These appendages were aimed towards everyone present for no one was an ally to the fleshy abomination.

Yharon, Signus, Storm King, Siranul, Braelor, and Statis all dodged the attack. In addition, Braelor himself picked up the unconscious clone of Calamitas in order to save her from the encroaching tentacles with razor-sharp edges.

“You three! Go and assist my brother!” Yharon exclaims towards the Storm King, Siranul, and Signus as they all dodged the golem’s attacks, “I will deal with this abomination!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me?!” Storm King responds. “I want to tear this thing apart! No one attacks me and gets-”

“Silence, Storm King!” Siranul interjects. “Yharon’s will is one and the same with Master Yharim’s. As he wills it, so it shall be!”

Another series of thrashing tendrils from the Ravager cuts off their conversation, forcing everyone to dodge once again. Among them, Statis and Braelor--still holding Calamitas’s clone in his arms--were now approaching the exit to the room. They took advantage of the opportunity to slip by, and incidentally, everything was going according to their plan.

……….

Standing just outside of the room’s exit, and in a large hallway that accommodated Yharon’s size, Braelor gently puts down the witch’s clone and comments:

“Poor girl… you don’t deserve any of this.”

“I agree…” Statis responds sorrowfully, then takes on a determined expression, “Let’s take her with us. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, actually.”

“So have I,” Braelor responds; brushing a hand through the clone’s silver hair, “If Twilight were here, I can already see her plucking this girl from this place... taking her in like she was her own… teaching her...”

A smile forms onto Statis’s features, “Just like she did for us.”

As the sounds of conflict cry out within the room, not to mention a powerful dragon’s roar, a portal opens up next to the trio as Sweetie Glutonia emerges and says:

“Braelor, Statis! Everything is going to- wait, what are you doing with the clone?” She questions, taking notice of the aforementioned entity.

Both Braelor and Statis look toward each other, nod, and turn back to the Demi-Ancient.

“Can you keep her safe for us, S.B.G?” Braelor questions.

The daughter of Greed blinks twice, “Um, sure? What are you going to do? Wait, don’t you have Pinkie Pie’s life force? I thought you two leaving was the signal?” She rubs her head with a small chuckle, “I’m a little confused here.”

“The plan is still technically the same, and Yharon has just given us the window to get Pinkie’s life force back,” Statis responds, looking down at the clone with pity, “She’s another one we want to save.”

Sweetie Glutonia forms a smile, “I understand.” She approaches the clone and places a hand onto their head. A surge of sympathy overtakes the Demi-Ancient as she comments:

“By my father’s hoard… t-this girl…” Her features drop into sadness, “They probed her... experimented on her. Sweet Terra, I can almost hear her screams...” She removed her hand, “She’s like a child who doesn’t know any better. Her body is of a young adult, but her mind… it’s like a child's.”

With an invisible force, Sweetie Glutonia lifts the clone into the air and floats the unconscious woman next to her, “I’ll keep her safe, I promise. But why don’t I just leave her-”

“Don’t you even think about it, S.B.G,” Braelor scolds. “I know what you’re going to say, and no, you’re not going to fight alongside us.”

“Why not?!” She responds. “I can fight too, you know. I can walk right into that room, and kill that Ravager with a single touch of my hand!”

“You’d also be a food item for Yharim to capture. He’d throw you into The Devourer’s realm without hesitation,” Statis responds. “What if he comes back and spots you, huh? What if the witch can’t distract him for long enough?”

The Demi-Ancient grits her teeth, then slump her shoulders in defeat, “Fine, fine, I get it. I won’t get involved for now,” She points an index finger towards the duo, “But if Crystal is threatened, risks be damned, I’m helping her. And I don’t care if I have to fight even Yharim himself just to do it.”

The two men nod in response.

“There’s also the fact that your old man would go on a rampage,” Statis comments. “People can say what they want about the guy, but Twilight always did call him a great parent to you and your sister.”

“Yes… that he is,” Sweetie Glutonia responds, and sighs happily, “The best dad a Demi-Ancient like me could ask for. Although, I do wish he’d change some of his… habits.”

Suddenly, another roar from within the room can be heard, followed by a rise in temperature as searing flames alighted the hallway from within. Sweetie Glutonia acted on their request and entered the anomaly she created, taking Calamitas’s clone with her.

Both Braelor and Statis conjure forth their weapons and equipment. The ninja donned his Statigel attire and dual-wielded a pair of curved daggers. Braelor dons a fantastic set of armor accompanied by a shield and wielded a mighty hammer.

"I didn't have enough time to get my equipment ready. The beating I got from Yharim might've been lessened if I had this on from the start."

The duo turns toward each other.

“You ready?” Braelor questions.

“Does a bear take a shit in the woods? Of course, I am, ya nut.” Statis responds with a sly smirk.

In one swift action, the two armed men turn the corner, run into the room, and bare their weapons while letting out a war cry. Braelor shouting:

“Come at us, abomination! We… will… huh?”

The two men looked on with stupefied expressions and hanged mouths as a large number of remains from the Ravager littered the room. There, lying sideways with his wings folded against him as if posing for a picture, Yharon was looking over his right claw while leaning his head against his left claw.

“Ah. Welcome back, gentlemen,” Yharon comments as he takes notice of the shocked duo. “You took your sweet time out there. Fear not, though, I’ve already taken care of things here.”

The duo remains silent due to their ever-present shock. Seeing this, the dragon chuckles as he lifts himself off of the floor, and stands at his full stature before saying:

“The others have already left to aid my brother. I have given us a window to retrieve Pinkie Pie’s life force. To them, it’ll look as if I’m still contending with that golem,” He looks around at the shattered and gore remains all around him, “Or former golem, as it were.”

Braelor and Statis finally recovered from their stupor as the two men shared a laugh together.

“I guess that’s a Jungle Dragon for ya.” Braelor comments.

A saddened expression forms onto Statis as he says with a regretful tone:

“Just like Twilight’s number one assistant... Spike, the thunder Jungle Dragon.”

..........

Unbeknownst to them all, a single piece of flesh covered in a red and blue aura creeps away. In addition, etched onto this flesh were pieces of Temple bricks and bones.

And here we are, ladies and gents! Out with the training saga, and on to the starting phase of the long-awaited W.o.F fight!

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.