Author's Note

So originally this chapter was supposed to be uploaded on Monday.

It's Friday.

Sorry for the wait. But hey, at least I'm going to return from vacay on August 11th so that means I'm going to be working soon. Hope you like the chapter.

When The Darkness Falls

“Hey, uhm... Beatrix?” Midnight called out as the duo trekked through the grassy field. The mare in question looked back at her blue feathered companion, noticing how his body shivered from time to time. They had been walking for some time now and while Beatrix’s speech had brought faith into Midnight, it seemed that it had vanished by now.

“What is it Midnight?” The platinum-maned unicorn asked as she slowed down to walk beside him. The blue pegasus only gulped before pointing above, causing her to look up and notice that the sky had turned purple, the sun hanging halfway to sunset.

“It’s getting late Beatrix. We need to go back home.” Midnight said, his words unintentionally causing the mare to stop in her tracks and remember something important. She soon began to shiver as fear gripped her soul.

“Home… I’m supposed to be back home!” Beatrix yelled out as she slowly began to hyperventilate, her pupils shrinking, the mare hugging herself to try and keep herself from losing it.

“That’s what I just said! We need to go back home!” Midnight yelled as he grabbed the unicorn by the hand and tried to pull her back towards the direction they came from, but she remained still like a statue. She turned around and gazed at him, causing the blue pegasus to freeze when he noticed her eye color glowing.

“Remember when I said how you were just an alternative of somebody I’ve met before? Well, it’s because I’m not from this world! Yes, I woke up in this world without any explanation, but I have portals to open my way through dimensions!” Beatrix yelled, holding her hand out and trying to show Midnight her talent only for the magic to fizzle out. “The only problem is that I can’t use my portals anymore! It’s almost as if my mana reservoirs have been tapped out and my connection to my stronger forms has been blocked off! I need to go to that home Midnight, my home!” The unicorn cried out, her horn sparking with magic but unable to fire anything off. The blue pegasus simply looked away uncomfortably for a few moments before looking back at her.

“I think we should talk about it in our small cabin during the night. That way we can get everything clarified and avoid any future confusion, alright Beatrix?” The blue pegasus asked, grabbing her by the shoulders once more to calm her down. After taking some deep long breaths, the unicorn finally stood in peace, though Midnight could tell that the storm still brewed within her body.

“Sure I guess. I don’t want to sound like I hate being here, I love the interesting mechanics of this world and getting to meet you, but my friends and family back home will be worried as to why I’ve suddenly disappeared. I need to get back to them, ok?” Beatrix stated though she noticed how the blue pegasus sighed.

“Yeah, I understand… could we go home now?” Midnight suggested, trying to lead her back towards the cabin only to be stopped as she grabbed him by the arm.

“Let’s explore a bit more, ok? It doesn’t seem that late, and we can always run back the way we came from if we do indeed get stuck outside.” Beatrix stated as she slowly began to walk forwards, causing the blue pegasus to stare at her in disbelief.

“Beatrix… I said it’s very dangerous outside, and chances are you won’t be able to survive the night.” Midnight stated, crossing his arms and standing still. The purple mare turned around and gazed at him with her soft eyes.

“Please…” Beatrix begged. “Yes I know the danger, but I’ve faced tougher foes before!” The mare stated, causing the stallion to roll his eyes and shake his head.

“Alright, give me an example then. I would be happy for you to explain more about your adventures at the cabin, but one line couldn’t hurt.” The blue pegasus said as he gazed at Beatrix. The unicorn smiled, placing a hand under her chin as she began to ponder just what exactly she could say that could convince her Guide. Snapping her finger once she discovered something she could say, Beatrix looked back at Midnight with a smug look.

“Hmm… I don’t know… maybe fighting somebody who not only was the son of a creator of worlds but who had harnessed the power of the sun itself and was a Vice Lord, one of the most dangerous figures in the multiverse?” The mare answered, causing Midnight’s eyes to widen as he began to calculate just how strong such a figure must be. The numbers he ended up with shocked him to the core.

“By Terraria… If she’s able to face such a being… then surely the Legend of Cthulhu would be nothing compared to her.” The blue pegasus whispered, making sure that Beatrix didn’t hear what he said. After taking a few seconds to think about it, Midnight let out a sigh as he resigned his position. “Fine, let’s go ahead then. If what you said is true, well the least I can do is put a bit more faith in you.” The blue pegasus said, causing Beatrix to smile.

“Thanks! Now let’s move forward!” The purple mare said, taking a step forward only to stop as she felt the air change around her as everything began to feel… sandy. Taking another step, the terrain suddenly changed in front of Beatrix as the dirt below her was replaced with sand. Cacti dotted the desert and vultures flew around in the distance. Shocked by this sudden news, Beatrix immediately took a precautionary step back, causing the land to revert to its grassy counterpart.

“Midnight, can you explain what’s going on here please?” Beatrix asked as she placed one foot forward and one foot back, the two distinct biomes appearing at the same time, mixing and fighting for dominance. The blue pegasus sighed as he stepped next to her, feeling the coarse sand around him.

“We’ve just entered a desert biome. Think about how Terraria is made up of multiple endless worlds, but on a smaller scale. We’re just jumped to another ‘world’, a micro planet with its own features, enemies, and materials. When standing between two biomes, it’s like you’re standing in the middle of a portal, letting you see both sides without actually stepping into any of them.” The Guide explained. Slowly nodding and understanding the concept, Beatrix slowly began to walk ahead, moving over large sandy slopes while making sure she didn’t accidentally bump into any of the prickly plants.

The desert biome ended up being rather short, as after walking for only a minute through it the world suddenly shifted as they entered a forest biome again. By now the sun began to collect a reddish shade as it got closer and closer to the horizon, still far enough where Beatrix deemed it safe to continue exploring, but close enough that it placed the blue pegasus on edge.

Two blue slimes jump into view, their gelatinous bodies shaking as they steady themselves for another jump. With her trusty wooden sword in hand, Beatrix parries the first incoming slime, letting Midnight knock back the second with his bow. The two slimes jump at the mare again, but with her large arcing swing, they are repelled for a second time. Goo begins to splatter the ground as they are close to being defeated, and with a final swing and shot, the duo end up killing both monsters at the same time.

“See? Fighting these creatures is a piece of cake, ain’t it?” Beatrix states proudly as she picks up the gel that had been dropped by the two creatures, noting how they had dropped copper coins next to them. The blue pegasus next to her though was not as confident as she was as he constantly looked at the setting sun.

“Well, wooden armor and weapons will only get you so far, which is why I’m worried about staying outside during the night.” Midnight said, only to wince as Beatrix wrapped her hand around her shoulder, bringing him into a friendly hug.

“Don’t worry Midnight, things will be just fine!” The purple mare said, smiling at the blue pegasus while ruffling his mane. “Sure, I do end up getting into wet and sticky situations, more often than I’d like, but I push forward and eventually overcome it! Same will happen here, I’m sure of it.” Beatrix stated, though deep in her head she began to become worried at what types of creatures have caused her Guide to become so afraid of the night. It couldn’t be that terrible, could it?

Midnight simply sighed as they began to walk forwards again, his anxiety not being helped by his constant checking of the sun.

“I hope you’re right, don’t wish to see you die the day you come here.” Midnight stated, before suddenly wrapping his arm around himself as he stepped in front of Beatrix. Before she could ask him what happened, the mare soon shivered as she felt the temperature suddenly drop around her. Gazing at Midnight, she gave him a nod as she smiled, and the two stepped forward at the same time, changing the environment once more. Snowflakes soon began to drift down around them, coating the ground white while dark boreal trees hung high in the air. Apart from the temperature, which caused both to slow down a bit, the place seemed like a nice area to be in during winter.

“Wow… this place looks nice! Maybe not Crystal Empire level, that’s a whole new tier, but it’s very nice…” Beatrix stated, shivering a bit and letting out some air, causing a white puff to appear from her mouth. Letting her body adjust to the cold, she soon began to walk again, forcing Midnight to follow behind her.

“Yes, it is a very nice place. If it weren’t so late we could try and have a snow fight.” Midnight said, only to let out an ‘oomph!’ as his face suddenly said hello to a snowball. The blue pegasus frowned at Beatrix, who gave him an innocent smile while hiding both her pickaxe and a stack of snowballs. Instead of rebuking her, Midnight simply let out a grin as he lowered himself towards the ground and quickly picked up a handful of snow. “Oh it’s on!” Midnight yelled as he turned it into a ball before throwing it at the mare, hitting her in the face. Letting go of his worries for the moment, the pegasus instead began to concentrate on pelting Beatrix with as much snow as he could, the mare in turn mining up more snow blocks and turning them into balls of soft destruction. The two continued to playfully fight, both of them being hit and hitting the other, the air being filled with hundreds of flying snowballs.

Eventually, the two soon began to become tired, the two resting on the snowy ground, the cold no longer bothering them as they tapped into the area’s natural magic which provided them with warmth. Beatrix simply smiled at Midnight, happy that he seemed to have gotten over his worries, even if it was for a bit.

“Thanks for playing fair. Ya know because you’re a pegasus and you could’ve flown high into the air.” The unicorn said, pointing at the stallion’s massive wings. The pegasus gave them a blank stare before sighing.

“I’ve… I’ve never learned how to fly.” Midnight said, much to Beatrix’s shock, her mouth becoming wide open. “I was young when my dad left, which meant that I wasn’t able to learn how to fly and became a grounded pegasus. Not like he could’ve helped anyway since he was a unicorn and my pegasus mother ended up dying or going missing when I was still a foal. As I said, things in Terraria are very rough.” The blue pegasus stated, though his mentioning that his father was a unicorn caused Beatrix to pause for a moment as she remembered some details about the Midnight from her world.

“I think it’s safe to say that when we end up going back to the cabin you’ll have to tell me some of your life as well, alright?” Beatrix asked, wanting to know if what she had in her mind was true. The stallion shrugged as he began to stand up, shaking the snow off his body.

“Sure. It’s only fair given that you’ll be telling me your story.” Midnight said, smiling while he helped her up. As he looked up though his pupils suddenly shrank, his old fear coming back again. “No no no no no no no! This can’t be happening!” The blue pegasus yelled, causing Beatrix to look at him with worry.

“Wait, what happened?” The mare asked before yelping as she felt the stallion grab her by the hand and pull her with him. “Hey! Your grip’s hurting me!” Beatrix complained as she tried to pry herself away, but was unable to shake him off due to his strength. The stallion suddenly stopped dragging her, letting go of her hand as pure terror gripped his heart. The mare yelped as she ended up falling on her rear, the snow softening her landing but nevertheless, it hurt her a bit. “Hey! I asked you a question! What’s happening?” Beatrix yelled, but Midnight seemed to be too distracted by what was ahead to hear her.

“No… They’re here already…” The blue pegasus said, shaking in fear. Before she was able to ask again, she suddenly noticed something off about the sky. Looking up above, she noticed how the sky was now dark, the only light being the stars that twinkle up above. Soon, Midnight’s warning about the creatures of the night appeared in her head as she began to hear horrifying sounds in the background, causing her body to tense up in fear.

“Oh, dear…” Beatrix said, before yelping as she felt something knock her onto the ground. Rolling herself around, she froze as she saw a sickly humanoid creature, its flesh rotten and melting away from its face, eyes red and leaking blood onto its torn clothing. It stared at her hungrily, and just when things couldn’t have gotten more screwed over, it raised an arm, not its arm, but a torn one, the bone visible and coated with dry blood, yet somehow part of it remained clean enough to glow in the light of the rising moon.

The mare instinctively raised her sword just when the zombie was about to slap her with the rotten arm, the two weapons meeting in the air, but even though it was rotting away, the zombie somehow proved to be much stronger than her, pushing her back. An arrow fired into the air from behind Beatrix, hitting the monster and causing the top of the skull to fall onto the ground, revealing a mauled brain that still pumped like a heart. The mare’s natural reaction was to gasp in fright, which caused her to be a second too late to block a subsequent attack, the hand slapping against her face and nearly twisted her neck, the shock nearly causing her to go unconscious. Beatrix’s eyes became half-lidded, a red hue appearing at the edge of her vision, which only expanded and darkened as she felt another blow hit her. Echoes soon began to fill her head as her life began to drain away, and the last thing that she could remember was something grabbing her underneath her arms and hauling her into the air before she blanked out.