Terraria: Hardmode
Chapter 72: Chapter 72 - Of Deserts And Boutiques.
Previous Chapter Next Chapter-TERRARIA, CAMELOT: CAKES N’ BAKE-
The morning continued to go by; demons still raged against the barrier overlooked by Linn and her forces. Within the establishment of one of Camelot’s greatest restaurants were various individuals from the castle. This consisted of the Element Bearers, Zecora, Starlight Glimmer, Braelor, Shadow Thunder, Callie, and a very special entity: Tanner The Doll.
The group sat on a large rectangular table with a red covering; white stripes going across the fabric, much to Rarity’s delight. Both Twilight and Braelor sat on the two widths of the table alone, although the alicorn had sat The Doll on the table before her, while everyone else sat on either length.
“Ok, everyone,” Twilight says. “We have an important task to undertake, and once we fill our bellies, we’ll be on our way to saving Terraria!” She raises a forehoof.
The Doll clears its throat... Despite appearances, “Just to recap: We’ll be entering The Underworld in order to unleash a powerful force to use against the demon invasion. For the time being, we can rest up while both Queen Amore and Princess Cadence are gathering other adventurers to aid us on our mission.”
The Doll’s words garner various nods from everyone else before he continues:
“I understand that some among you have already been down there. Twilight… Zecora… Starlight... None of us will judge you if you choo-”
“Forgive me for the intrusion but fear will not exclude my inclusion,” Zecora interjects. “Although The Underworld is an unpleasant place filled with lava and ash,” She smirks, “It will not stop me from kicking demon ass.”
As some of the ponies were shocked by the zebra’s choice of words, Braelor chuckles, and comments:
“I like your attitude. Odin would commend your spunk.”
Starlight nods in response as Shadow Thunder was sat on her left, and Rarity sitting on her right.
“Same here,” Starlight said without hesitation. “I’m ready for whatever The Underworld throws at us,” She fires up her horn, “And this time I won’t be as helpless, nor will I be a prisoner,” The unicorn bumps the dark pegasus next to her, “Plus I’ll have my special somepony here to watch my back, along with my friends.”
“You know it, beautiful,” Shadow Thunder responds with a wink as the couple nuzzles each other. Incidentally, and on the opposite side of the table, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash feasted on their meal.
Callie simply continued to devour her meal which consisted of a stack of three pancakes with a slice of butter on its precipice. Drizzled over with a fine syrupy substance.
“You two are simply beautiful together, darlings,” Rarity coos, then gasps as she remembers something, “That reminds me! Starlight, where did you say this world’s version of me was located?”
“Oh! She owns her very own boutique,” Starlight responds as she points a forehoof towards a nearby map that was etched onto a wall of the establishment, “You can find it down the road from here. Just be sure to take a left at the marketplace and you can’t miss it.”
As Rarity claps her forehooves together in anticipation, Applejack turns her gaze towards The Doll and Twilight, “So how are we gonna get down to The Underworld anyway? Y’all got some kind of shaft or somethin’?”
Braelor places his drink onto the table as he was drinking the beverage during their exchange, “The Hellevator behind the Order of The Guide is out of the question. That being said, we do have an alternative and it has much to do with you, Rarity.”
The fashionista’s ears perked up, “Whatever do you mean, darling?”
……….
The doors to the establishment open up as a dinging bell sounds off. A male butler sporting a mustache from the castle was now present as he stood before the check-in podium or front register.
“Good morning, sir!” The woman stationed there greets. “We welcome you to our fine establishment!”
The butler bows respectfully, “Thank you very much, ma’am. I’m here to meet up with various other individuals, but one among them is Twilight Sparkle. A pony.”
“Ah! You must be another member of their group, they’ve already told me about your coming,” She gestures towards their table, “They’re just over there.”
“Thank you. Please, have a lovely day,” The butler responds as he makes his way towards the aforementioned table.
……….
Braelor was currently addressing the table as he gathered everyone’s attention, “Now that we’re all set on supplies we just need to wait for her Majesty to send word,” He turns to Rarity, “Make sure you have that Ice Mirror of yours ready. Since Twilight, Zecora, and Starlight have been in The Underworld before, one of them can take us there without the need for a Hellevator.”
Rainbow Dash ponders on something, “Hey, now that you mention it… Did Echo Silhouette ever give it back to you after the whole ‘training on the moon’ thing?”
“Oh, dear me! I never even thought of taking it back from him,” Rarity responds. However, everyone’s attention was taken away from the butler who had entered the establishment. Said butler now stands before them all as he clears his throat and says:
“Sorry I’m late, everyone.”
Twilight tilts her head in confusion, “Do we, uhm, know you…?”
“Is this the message from The Queen?” Shadow Thunder questions. All while Rainbow Dash, Starlight, Applejack, Zecora, and Braelor look at the butler. Callie was still eating her food but was nearly clearing her plate.
The butler chuckles as green energy flashes in his eyes.
Everyone instantly knew who he was as Applejack comments:
“Echo? That you, partner? Why in da’ hay are ya’ll hidden?”
“People haven’t seen a changeling in eons, remember? Not since the Time of the Ancients,” The disguised Echo responds. “I’m just playing it safe.”
The ‘butler’ takes his place on the table, “Oh, Rarity, I forgot to give this back to you,” He conjures forth the Ice Mirror from his inventory, “Guess I forgot to do that after our battle on the moon.”
“It’s quite alright, darling,” Rarity responds as she fires up her horn and floats it towards Twilight, “Here you are, dearie. Simply think about where you last were in The Underworld and it sort of just takes you there on its own.”
The alicorn takes the mirror within her lavender aura, inspecting it quizzingly, “This is simply fascinating! I can feel such powerful magic from this mirror.”
As Twilight continues to admire the mirror, Rainbow Dash turns towards Braelor, “Hey, where did Tori, Statis, heck, even The Mech go?”
“Statis is currently with Tori,” Braelor responds as a smile forms onto his face. “I don’t know how this will turn out, but I’m hoping Tori will aid Statis in regards to their culture. Both of them hail from the same nation, but unlike Tori, Statis was cut off from it long ago.”
“I heard that The Mech was being worked on by both Katelyn The Mechanic and Gorglock the Goblin Tinkerer,” Shadow Thunder comments.
“Oh, that’s right. Queen Amore asked Celebes to bring those two here,” Starlight said, then laughed sheepishly, “I must say: Pinkie Pie’s punishment for The Dryad was pretty… brutal.”
“Wait, what exactly did Pinkie do to her?” Braelor questions as a sudden series of laughter escape from Rainbow Dash. Even Applejack had to hide her snickering as she covered her muzzle with her hat.
Twilight, Echo, and Rarity were in conversation as Callie had managed to finish her plate, but then snapped her fingers as another round of pancakes appeared before her.
“Pinkie Pie made copies of Celebes’s bikini pictures and posted them all over Camelot! Bwahahaha!” The cyan pegasus finally responds with laughter.
……….
Outside the establishment and on the streets of Camelot, an emotionally defeated dryad walks with her head slumped down and sporting reddened features. As she continues to trek, onlookers seemed to praise her as they shout:
“Hey! You look hot, Dryad!”
“I wish I had a body like hers…”
“What I wouldn’t give to spend a night with that bombshell.”
“Ooh! Do you think she’ll model for us?”
Celebes was absolutely defeated as she comments in a lowered and saddened tone:
“This has to be the second-worst day in my life… second only to when my people died against Cthulhu…” She covers her face in embarrassment, “Silence will never marry me now…”
-TERRARIA, ANUBIS’S PYRAMID: THRONE ROOM-
Silence suddenly sneezed as the pegasus pony was currently sitting on one of the multiple golden chairs around a large oval-shaped golden table. In addition, other Ancients were present as Athena and Decay sat in their own seats. Anubis himself was on his throne while a number of humanoid changelings stood on guard.
“You alright there, Silence?” Anubis questions.
“Pardon the sudden action, but I’m pretty sure a certain dryad is thinking of me,” A smile forms onto Silence’s muzzle, “She can be quite adorable when she gets flustered.”
“Where are those two nimrods?” Athena questions. “They’ve been gone for nearly a whole day!”
“The Ancient of Greed was handling some business with Polterghast and Hades,” Decay responds. “Lucifer Pit Lord is with them. They should be arriving very soon,” A thought comes to the ancient, “Where is Odin? I figured you’d have gathered him here, too.”
“Odin, much like my brother, Oblivion, was one of Yharim’s main targets all those years ago,” Anubis responds. “We were forced to banish not only him but all of Asgard. When the Devourer of Gods went after them,” The Ancient of Death placed a hand onto his face, “We couldn’t allow Odin to die… Do you have any idea how catastrophic it would be if the very embodiment of time itself disappeared? The old man will be very pissed when he gets back, seeing as my brother and I kind of knocked him out while he had his back turned to us. But, as I said, his death would not be very kind to all of reality.”
Athena looks down in sorrow, “It’s all my fault… If I was only a little stronger, I could’ve-”
“Now don’t you blame yourself, Athena,” Anubis interjects. “Your power being waned is not grounds for self-blame.”
The Queen of The Seraphs slams her fists onto the table, “If I was at my full power, me, Oblivion, and Odin alone could’ve stopped Yharim dead in his tracks!”
Silence, equipped with his knowledge of the past Guides, instantly knew of what Anubis was referring to as he comments:
“My condolences, Athena… I know why your once proud warrior spirit, and your prowess, was shattered… Setheroth, or Seth for short.”
A river of tears was trailing down Athena’s cheeks at the very mention of the name, “Oh, my sweet boy… I’m so sorry…”
Decay simply remains silent as the gray misty entity looks on with their green eyes.
Anubis was in the process of walking down the flight of steps at the base of his throne, approaches Athena, and places a hand onto her shoulder. Saying:
“I’m sorry for that… I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for you. To have to fight your own kid…” He sighs, “Oblivion would never be able to harm Pinkie and Mena. Hell, even that bastard Greed loves his kids just as much.”
“For once in your undead life, you’re right,” A familiar voice injects itself which causes all in the throne room to turn towards its entrance. “Anububu, I’m hooome!” Greed exclaims with his arms spread apart, donned in his terrarian form.
Anubis groans with a facepalm, “I still hate the fact that you’re here, Greed…”
“Aww, that’s sweet. I hate you too, Anubis,” Greed responds as he then conjures forth a golden handkerchief and offers it to Athena, “Here, you could use this.”
The Queen of The Seraphs stares at Greed expectantly, a river of tears still strolling down her face, “I’m not in the mood for any of your fuckery, Greed…”
“Oh for Terra’s sake, no tricks, no ‘fuckery’, and yes, I give this to you for free.”
“Gee, how gracious of you,” Anubis says while rolling his eyes. Earning a shrug from Greed.
Silence facehoofs, “Please, we’ve already discussed putting such petty squabbles aside in The Dungeon.”
Greed turns towards Silence and Decay, “Silence, Decay, good to see you. Unlike the mutt over here…”
Anubis growls in response, “I’ll slap you like a bitch if you run your mouth again, worm-boi.”
“Ooh, he can bark! But can he bite? Here, doggy-doggy!”
“Go back to your caverns you useless insect!”
“Make me, you undead mutt!”
“ENOUGH!” Silence shouts as he stands on the table, “Why can’t you two just get along?! Greed, you seem neutral with me and Decay, you even offered some comfort to Athena. But why can’t you do the same for Anubis?” He turns towards Anubis, “And you certainly didn’t help the situation either.”
“I can tolerate many things, Silence,” Anubis responds before pointing a claw towards Greed, “But I can’t stand this wretch being anywhere near me!”
“Why? What has happened between you two?” Silence questions. “We must destroy this obvious cause for division before the GrimDarks strike. We know that they’re here in Terraria, but they’ve yet to reveal themselves openly. The last incident reported was with Pinkie Pie and Mena, but none have been seen ever since.”
“You want to know why I despise Greed? Oh, I’ll tell you why,” Anubis comments with venom in his tone. “You did nothing to help us against Xeroc, Yharim, Nyarlathotep, Cthuhlu, or even the Devourer! You just sat in your cavernous realm while the world was nearly destroyed on multiple occasions!”
Greed chuckles in disbelief, “Is that what you think? I just sat in my cavern and did nothing? I did what I always do when something threatens the world: I protected my daughters. Sweetie Belle and Rarity are my only concern, and thanks to Rares and Lucifer, Steven also falls under my protection. If I had to choose between the world or my children... Let the world burn for all I care.”
“You idiotic selfish fool!” Anubis exclaims in anger.
“Oh, that’s rich coming from the brother of a certain skull-wolf who let his obsession with Harmony cause a number of calamities. Need I bring up Oblivion letting Yamata escape? Even though Akuma begged him to stop that seven-headed hydra? How is that different from what I did? I chose my loved ones without giving a damn about the consequences, but suddenly it’s wrong when I do it?” Greed scoffs, “That’s what I despise about you, Odin, Harmony, and a few others. You all love to throw that in my face, but not ONE of you ever called him out on it. Hypocrites.”
“So that’s what this is about,” Silence says. “You feel as if Lord Oblivion simply gets a slap on the wrist by the others while you get hatred thrown your way for doing the same thing.”
“Exactly.” Greed responds. “That’s what I like about you, Silence. At least you’re not blind enough to ignore this odor of hypocrisy among these guys. If doing my part as both a father and the Ancient of Greed earns the ire of them, then they can all fuck off.”
“I’m sorry…” Athena mutters which shocks everyone else present, even cutting off Anubis’s coming words. Greed was thrown aback by this as he blinks twice in response and says:
“Come again?”
She turns to him as the golden handkerchief he offered her is held within her grasp, “I said: I’m sorry… I never thought of it that way until now. I hated you for the same reason Anubis did, but after hearing that… I’m sorry, Greed.”
Greed sighs as he takes the seat nearest to him, “Sorry about your kid… Seth sold you all out to Yharim from what I remember.”
Anubis raises an eyebrow, “I thought you didn’t care about Yharim?”
“I don’t, but my daughter has been around Yharim’s domain thanks to wanting to be around her sister, Crystal Moonbeam. She told me some things about the Jungle Tyrant’s actions. Turning Seth against you all was one of them.”
“We will need to secure Crystal Moonbeam in the future,” Anubis said. “I will not let another one of my nieces be under Yharim’s grasp.”
“Crystal Moonbeam loves the Jungle Tyrant, seeing him as her own father. And I have no reason to deny that he loves her the same way,” Silence comments. “It would seem that even Yharim has things he still cherishes.”
Anubis was naturally shocked by this revelation, “W-wait, are you seriously saying that she stays with him willingly?”
“That is exactly what I’m saying,” Silence responds. “Crystal Moonbeam is not forced to stay there, no, she chooses to be by Yharim’s side,” He points a forehoof towards Greed, “While chatting with Greed, he revealed to me this information straight from Sweetie Bell Gluttonia’s personal observations,” The pegasus chuckles as he hovers in place, “It would seem that despite the absence of a story, one of my lessons can still be taken away from all of this.”
While still floating in the air, Silence takes on a pose that he usually does for his storytelling, “We must never allow hatred to blind us from what needs to be done, and while some ancients may be enemies, our coming battle with the GrimDarks will make us what Terra always wanted us to be: A family.”
Greed laughs, “Hah! Don’t count on it, Silence. Too much bad history between some of us to simply wash away. All ancients coming together? Abaddon, Sanguine, Lucifer, and a few others say otherwise,” He points to himself, “I’m personally just here for my daughters’ protection. Once this business with the GrimDarks concludes, we’ll all just go back to hating each other. It’s just the way things are now.”
Silence chuckles, “And yet, you offered Athena a handkerchief to wipe away her tears with. You also love your children more than anything else. That alone makes you a better ancient than Abaddon. Trust me… I know from experience how he treats his own ‘children’. It gives me hope that one day we can all truly stand side by side against Terraria’s greatest foes, and while I know that may never include every ancient in existence... I hope to see you among us, Greed.”
A momentary silence overtakes the throne room. During this time, Anubis made his way towards his throne and sat upon it. Decay still remained silent even throughout the entire affair.
“We’ll see, Silence,” Greed finally responds. He then turns towards Anubis, “But you can eat shit and die.”
“Yes, fuck you,” Anubis responds.
Athena turns towards Decay, “You’ve been quiet, Decay. Any thoughts?”
Everyone turns their gaze towards the misty entity who, in turn, responds with a simple:
“I love all forms of sickness, plaques, and infections. They make me happy.”
“Oooo… k?” Anubis responds.
“Don’t go judging their interests,” Greed comments. “So much for being unbiased, oh great ‘Judge of the Dead’.”
Anubis responds with a middle finger.
Silence turns towards Greed, “I was surprised to see only you show up. Where is Lucifer?”
“He and Hades went to visit Rarity in Camelot. I just got done keeping Polterghast within my caverns before coming here.”
-TERRARIA, CAMELOT: RARITY’S CAMELOT BOUTIQUE-
The clothing establishment was currently closed for the day as a very particular conversation was taking place within. Four individuals were present which consisted of Rarity Gluttonia, Lucifer Pit Lord, Sweetie Gluttonia, and Cleveland the Tax Collector.
Currently positioned behind the store’s register, Ter-Rarity comments:
“It’s always so good to see you, darling.”
“Rarity,” Sweetie Gluttonia responds flatly.
“How’s it going, Sweets,” Lucifer greeted with a respectful bow. “You look very good, las.”
Sweetie sighs, “Look, I don’t have time for this. What do you two want, Luci?”
Silence overtakes the establishment as Cleveland seemingly grows nervous. This unease also prompts him to say:
“I brought her as requested, m-mistress.”
“I see that moron,” Rarity Gluttonia responds, which causes Lucifer to place a hand onto her right shoulder.
“Woah there, babe,” Lucifer says. “Not to say that you being like this isn’t a huge turn-on for me, but we’ve got important business to attend to.”
“And you should stop treating Cleveland like he’s a pawn, Rarity,” Sweetie Gluttonia comments through a growl, “He’s a living being, not your pet.”
“He’s the Tax Collector, da-haharling,” Rarity answered with laughter before taking on a devilish smile, “As far as I’m concerned… He IS my pet.”
Lucifer facepalms, “Damnit, Rares, we won’t get any-”
“Lucifer, please take Cleveland outside,” Sweetie Gluttonia requests as pressure starts to build up all around her, “I need to speak with big sis… alone,” Her voice deepens at the word ‘alone’, eyes flashing with a vibrant magenta.
Lucifer places both of his hands onto the Tax Collector’s shoulders as he guides them out towards the exit, “Trust me, pal. You don’t want to be in here when those two get heated,” He leans in and whispers into Cleveland’s right ear:
“Between you and me, it would be a bloody dream come true to have a threesome with those two.”
The two men leave the building as the doors to the boutique closes behind them. Both Rarity and Sweetie Gluttonia began to channel powerful auras all around them as the fashionista comments:
“You’re lucky this shop isn’t exactly normal, Sweetie. Otherwise, everyone throughout Camelot would be feeling rather strange from our powers.”
“Is this what you had Cleveland bring me here for, Rarity?! If you’re trying to get something from me, you’re making very poor progress!”
“Fine! Then I’ll get right down to it!” Rarity roars out as a powerful purple and black aura surrounds her form, “I’ll ask you once more, sister… Where. Is. My. Son?!”
Sweetie laughs in bafflement, “Seriously?! I gave you the benefit of the doubt and that’s what you ask for? You already know the answer to this question, Rares!”
A pulse leaves Rarity’s form which not only throws away every piece of fabric within the store but also causes various items to spin all around them as if they were caught within a cyclone. In addition, the innards of the boutique began to shift as a whole new realm was revealed. Their background was completely purple with streaks of black dancing around the newly revealed realm.
“You know, Sweetie… I could always just head on over to the Order of The Guide and crack that barrier. You know, the very same one that keeps the demons from leaving the Hellevator.”
“Don’t you dare do that, Rarity! Camelot is still in the process of evacuating its citizens, and if the demons were unleashed now-”
“They’d have a bloodbath,” Rarity Gluttonia interjects as she looks down upon her sister condescendingly, “I gave you ample opportunity to reveal Steven’s whereabouts to me, sister. But now I’ve reached my limit, and who knows what I’d be willing to do just to find him.”
The two demi-ancients were mere moments away from waging all-out war within the realm. However, their attention was taken away as they noticed a series of green electricity sparkling into existence. The very fabric of space began to tear itself apart before their very eyes as a hooded figure wearing a light-green cloak escaped from the breach. In addition, this new figure seemingly pulled them from Rarity’s conjured domain and brought them back to the inner portions of the now ruined clothing store.
Both women’s eyes were widened in shock as Rarity Gluttonia comments with cold sweat:
“Wh-who are you…? How could you have done that so easily?”
Sweetie Gluttonia looked on with absolute dumbfoundedness. She had seen many feats of power in her lifetime, but none anywhere near the prowess that this hooded figure was displaying.
The hooded figure was noticeably feminine as green hair could be seen exposed from the light-green covering. The female raises her hands and unveils her facial features as a beautiful dryad was now revealed. She smiles vibrantly and says:
“My name is Terra, creator of Terraria.”
“T-Terra?!” The two sisters shout in unison as Sweetie Gluttonia lowers herself onto a knee, Rarity’s mouth dropped in the process with wide eyes.
“Great all mother, it is an honor to have you here,” Sweetie said.
“F-father once said that there was one being in all of the universe I was never to challenge…” Rarity Gluttonia says after recovering from her shock. “T-Terra… what… why are you h-here?”
“To stop your foolishness, my dear,” Terra responds. “Your threat of cracking the barrier over the Hellevator will interrupt a series of events that simply must take place. I can not allow you to do that.”
Ter-Rarity swallows a lump, “I-I just want to see my son… Surely, you can’t blame me for making such a threat…”
“I know. Which is why I am not here to punish you, dearie. However, I will give you a severe warning: Do not interfere with the coming events. I always try my best to not include myself in the affairs of ancients and demi-ancients. But If they ever try to derail our plans, I must enforce my will and intervene.”
“Y-yes, m-ma’am,” Rarity Gluttonia responds with a cold chill.
“Pardon me, Terra,” Sweetie Gluttonia comments as she rises to her full stature, “But what do you mean by ‘our’ plan? Are you working with someone else?”
Terra giggles with a hand covering her mouth. Then, she closes an eye and waves her index finger back and forth, “It’s a secret, my sweet. There are things that not even the ancients are allowed to know.”
With those final words, Terra disappears in a vibrant pillar of green light which wisps her away as a result. This leaves behind both Rarity and Sweetie Gluttonia.
“Wow, Terra… this was my first time ever meeting her,” Sweetie said. “Dad always told us about her, but to see her for myself… she really is amazing.”
All the while, Rarity leans against her store’s front register with a hand to her face, “Leave me be, Sweetie… I have some cleaning to do before I re-open the shop.”
Despite the feeling of anger that was still present within Sweetie Belle, a growing sense of sympathy overtakes her as she approaches her sister. She places her right hand onto Rarity’s right shoulder as their back is turned.
“Rarity… sister… I can on-”
Rarity slaps away her sister’s hand and turns rapidly to face them, but what Sweetie saw on Rarity’s face was something she never saw once in their time together: A river of tears.
“Leave me alone, Sweetie. If you won’t tell me where Steven is then we have nothing more to talk about.”
“Sister, you must understand-”
“Are you deaf?! I said: Go!” Rarity roars out as she points towards the exit.
Ter-Rarity’s outburst causes Sweetie Belle to lower her gaze as she sighs sadly before turning around and taking her leave. She stops just before the exit, her hand grasping the door handle, as she looks over her shoulder and says:
“Even if I did tell you where he was… even if he did still have his memories… there’s something you’re not realizing, sister,” This gets Rarity’s attention as the fashionista turns towards her sister. “Would Steven even want to see you? Also, I’m afraid of what will result from that exchange. Will Steven become something he doesn’t want to be? Or will I lose my sister in the process,” Sweetie turns back to the door and opens it before she continues:
“Think about that, big sis.”
……….
Having left her sister’s establishment, and as Sweetie Gluttonia makes her way down the streets of Camelot, said streets seemingly becoming clearer as the evacuation efforts had drained it of its citizens, three individuals could be seen approaching her. This gains her attention as she gazes upon the forms of Celebes, Cleveland the Tax Collector, and the third was someone she recognized immediately.
“Arche? What the heck is he doing here?” She questioned.