In Brittany, two ponies were slowly starting to get settled. They had already used the translation scroll left behind by Starswirl, which soon came handy –er, hoofy- as they realized very few texts or signs around the area were in Equestrian.

Or English rather. Most things were either written in French, or the local dialect, Breton, which neither Rockhoof nor Meadowbrook could understand.

Their first day on Earth was spent looking for shelter. A safe haven from where they could keep an eye on the Golden Tree, yet far enough outside of the forest that they wouldn’t have to fear its mysteries. The two Earth Ponies weren’t dumb: it was clear as day that Broceliande might actually be as dangerous as the Everfree, if not more.

South of the Golden Tree, on the edge of the forest, they eventually found a place both deemed suitable. Trecesson Castle, an old stout castle with thick rosy schist walls that probably dated back to the Norman era.

The large medieval structure resided in the centre of a moat, its quiet crystalline waters showing a near-perfect reflection of the castle. Rockhoof only needed a quick look at the imposing gatehouse before deciding this would be their new home. The old structure… it reminded the two ponies of a time where they actually belonged, before the Stygian… thing sealed them away to later catapult them into a future they never should have been part of.

The castle itself provided excellent protection against any would-be aggressors with its moat; it had a well in the center of its courtyard for fresh water, large stores they could fill to endure the coming winters… and the lord’s chambers that made for a nest the old couple was all too happy to put to use.

Except for the enchanted forest some ways to the North, the countryside extended in all directions as the typical French bocage: fields and meadows separated by tall thorny hedges and levies, with many tree groves interspersed in between. Some of those fields were also connected by thin dirt roads to the castle’s outbuildings: a farmstead, equipped with both modern equipment Rockhoof was completely clueless about and all the traditional tools an Earth Pony like him should need to draw life from the land. There even was an old millstone to process grain into flour, though apparently that one had been put there for the sake of historic farming to entertain tourists.

There even was a small herbs garden next to the barn, one which Meadow appeared eager to take care of so she could start making her potions.

“I’m really starting to think we can make this work.” Rock smiled softly as he watched Meadow lead the few geese and chickens that had survived the foxes back to their coop.

“You know, I thought humans were supposed to be ahead of us in technology.” Meadow said, latching the gate behind the last chicken.

Now to try and gather the other animals… she’d have to ask Rock. The local cows weren’t sapient, unlike in Equestria, so he’d have to herd them back to the stable.

“Well they are. You saw it inside the castle: they installed electricity at some point, and they have better farming tools than us.” Rock pointed out.

While the mare was busy with the chickens, he had brought every tool he could find out of the barn for a quick inspection. Many were in dire need of maintenance, but nothing he couldn’t fix in an afternoon’s worth of elbow grease.

He may be unable to use the tractor or advanced machines, but all the forged tools and ancient stuff that had been put there for historic farming; that was something he could use. Including the ox-drawn plow once he managed to refit it to his own frame.

“Are we going to use it? The electricity that is…” Meadow said.

“Do we need to? I mean dear…” He trotted over to give her a quick peck on the cheek. “You and I know how to live without that, and it’s not like there’s anypony here to judge us for being ‘too old-school’ either.”

“Roughing it out now?” She nuzzled the underside of his muzzle. “I can get behind that. You, me, the Golden Tree and the castle.”

Fixing up the farm and the castle didn’t take too long. The building was made to last, what little time it had stayed unoccupied wasn’t nearly enough to cause lasting damage. All they had to do really was to clean up the dust and cobwebs, then remove all the spoiled food from the kitchens. With their typical Earth Pony vigor helping along -even at their age- the two of them managed to at least make the castle livable by nightfall.

As for the fields, Rock would see them plowed and sowed proper as soon as he could manage.

In the waning light, Meadow got to work in the kitchens with Rock’s (minimal) help. She grabbed a large copper pot which she hung over the open fire in the chimney; before filling it up with some food they had salvaged for a quick -but filling- stew.

She had to admit, the castle’s kitchens were rather pretty. Spacious, they had white and red checkered tiles covering the floor around an island in the center, currently covered in utensils and a pitcher of wine the two of them were sharing. The open fire of the chimney was the only source of light inside, casting a reddish glow that reflected off of the many copper pots and pans hanging from the thick oaken rafters crisscrossing above them.

They were together; sitting on their haunches with Meadow comfortably nestled between Rock’s immense forehooves, his chin resting on top of her head as they watched their food cook above the simmering embers.

Dim rays of sunset streamed in from the open door and windows Meadow had opened to let in some much-needed fresh air. They could look out into the courtyard in the center of the castle if they wanted, with its gravel path surrounding a lawn with an old gnarly apple tree and the well in the center.

“Have you checked our new chambers yet?” Meadow asked.

“I was working in the barn all day…”

“Hmm, ever the strong stallion, are you?” She leaned back in his embrace, watching the sunset through the closed portcullis of the gatehouse further down the courtyard. “I already made our bed. Hope you like tapestries and carpets.”

“Sounds real comfy…” He rumbled.

“Oh, it’s like all castles…” She smiled coyly. “They get rather cold in winters... but we got a four-poster bed and plenty of bed sheets to fool around in.”

“Hmm…” Rock smiled, running one hoof over her back. “That’s the problem with cold winters… you huddle against the cold, then you can’t tend the crops so you get bored… And it all goes naughty from there..” He breathed over her neck. “I read that little message Starswirl left you.”

“Ah...” She blushed. “I… I do know of a potion that could help me be… ripe, if you catch my drift. But only if…”

“If I want to?” He completed her sentence. “Dearest, why wouldn’t I want that?”

“We still have to watch over the tree you know…”

From the castle, the lights of Broceliande were just starting to become visible in the fading sunlight.

“We can do both you know. Give the tree frequent checks; be on the lookout for anything that might threaten it… but that doesn’t stop us from living. This tree will mature, and it will be one of the most beautiful things to grace this land. And then…”

“…And then you will teach the next generation of heroes.” An otherworldly voice finished his sentence.

Both ponies snapped their heads towards where the voice had just come from. In the center of the courtyard, next to the well, a white silhouette had just appeared, casting a faint white glow on the lawn around it. It was the same silhouette Star Swirl had met in the forest a few days prior: that of a human wizard, with the cloak, pointy hat, staff and the long beard that made him so similar to their unicorn friend.

“I’m sorry but… I don’t think we’ve been acquainted yet.” Meadow stood up carefully before walking out into the courtyard.

“As a matter of fact we have, Miss Meadowbrook.” There was a twinkle in the ghost’s eyes as he calmly stroked his ethereal beard.

The eyes were unnerving, like a pair of fireflies receded in his eye cavities.

“That’s about Star right?” Rockhoof quirked his head.

“Quite. Your friend and I are actually two sides of the same coin, though his fate seems to have been more fortunate than mine… if only slightly” He chuckled ruefully. “One mage’s soul, split in two halves that up until yesterday had been kept separate. I must say… meeting yourself really does wonders to a ghost’s health, particularly considering he freed me.”

“Hold on. Free? Split soul?” Meadow raised a hoof to halt him.

“Ah yes… you see, this world and yours, they’re bonded. Things that happen on one world tend to be reflected in the other in some way, and vice-versa. Hence the myths, languages and even city names. It’s… esoteric, to put it mildly.” He explained, fingers twisting a lock of hair in his beard. “In our case, the reflection is rather intricate. I recall one young colt and a teenage mage, both delving at the same time into magics they shouldn’t have. We merged souls that day, for a lack of a better word. We each accidentally dumped our soul in the inter-world divide, connecting them to a point where I, Merlin the Enchanter, and he, Star Swirl the Bearded, became one and the same person. That’s why we both always were so strong in magic see, two gifted mages combining their powers and reaching new heights.”

Star-Merlin paused to adjust his grip on his staff.

“It was confusing at first. All our emotions, our memories and experiences, our very being, they became one. Regardless… soul magic is a forbidden form of demonic power. We couldn’t tell anyone, ever, about that little mistake we did in our youth.”

“So why was Star –sorry, why were you- so shocked yesterday? If you’re one and the same… you should have known about it.” Meadow questioned.

“That might have to do with the freeing part… for which I’m afraid I can only blame myself.” Star-Merlin shook his head. “I… made a terrible mistake that warranted Morgane sealing me inside the tomb you came across yesterday. That seal, incidentally, happened at the exact same time your own band of intrepid heroes was sealed alongside Stygian. My half of the soul remained trapped, and with it my half of our knowledge and memories, as well as my powers. I can only thank this magical cataclysm for giving me enough power to loosen the bonds on my soul.”

“The tomb… doesn’t it mean you’re dead?”

“I am… unfortunately. The seal wasn’t meant to keep me alive, but Morgane knew I could eschew my corporeal bonds, so the Fay trapped my soul there as well. My remains are probably under there still. Either way, once I ‘loosened’ my bonds I managed to feel my equine half’s presence so I drew him to the tomb to finish the job and…” He held out his arms, before in a flash his silhouette turned into that of a ghostly Star Swirl. “Here I am, fully whole once more, with the full knowledge of both Star Swirl the Bearded and Merlin the Enchanter.”

“One person. Two bodies. Got it.” Rockhoof gave a curt nod, a frown on his muzzle as he tried to wrap his mind around the concept. “So if I’m talking to you I’m talking to Star as well?”

“Currently talking to Luna in Canterlot’s Royal Library.” The ghostly Star Swirl smiled. “She has no idea what I’m actually doing on Earth.”

“Uh… neat.” Meadow commented bemusedly. “Are you going to become a ghost on Equus as well, eventually?”

“What can I say?” Star-Merlin shrugged. “Death is a highly overrated concept… for mages anyway. Plus the whole alicorn jig never appealed to me once I looked into it, the spell can’t make alicorn stallions, so I think I’ll pass.”

Meadow rolled her eyes.

“And there’s the Star we all know.” She drawled. “Still… it’s nice to know we have a link with Equestria from here. I suppose we will be seeing you in the future?”

“That you will.” The ghostly unicorn mage nodded. “I’ll make sure to tell you all I know about Broceliande. This place holds a lot of secrets you may need to keep tabs on in addition to the Golden Tree. And I will have to tell you about the Fay and human magic later…” His head turned towards the portcullis. “For now, it appears you two have a visitor.”

And with that, their ghost friend disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving the two ponies rubbing their eyes at the sudden disappearance of the ethereal source of light. A minute later, they heard the crackling of gravel being walked on near the gatehouse.

“Hello? Is anyone there? I saw smoke…” A young voice asked in French.

Rockhoof spotted a shape walking on the bridge that passed over the moat. It was a deer, an Everfree Deer, of the same species as King Aspen’s folk from deep in the Everfree (hence the name).

An adult of that species would have been in about the same weight class as a regular Earth Pony –without the magically boosted strength though-. Deer were always attuned to nature –to the point where just about any deer could outrun even the Everfree Rangers-, and their natural capabilities made them as adept alchemists as Zebricans.

But this wasn’t an adult. It was a fawn, so young his horns hadn’t even grown yet. He was about as big as a filly, with thin limbs and a narrow barrel. His fur coat was ginger red on his back, with a white belly and little white spots all over his back.

Obviously the fawn wasn’t doing too well. He was limping, had mud stains up to his belly, and the small Spiderman T-shirt he wore might as well have been a rag at this point. He was also thin, too thin.

Rock and Meadow galloped to the portcullis as fast as they could. The fawn lifted his green eyes up to gape at them, trembling on his frail limbs.

“Je m’appelle Martin. J’ai faim.”

And then he collapsed.

At about the same time, somewhere off the shore between Scotland and Ireland, the fleet was moving along. Slowly however, thanks to the two damaged ships they had to account for. Nevertheless, Captain Gerig had found a way to put that enforced slowness to use.

The thing with the barge carrier was, she couldn’t deploy her auxiliaries while underway. The large vessel needed to stop if she wanted to put them to water, something that would normally impede fleet movements.

Not then though. Not exactly. The black-hulled vessel had pushed her engines a little bit harder just so she could speed ahead of the other ships and drop her auxiliaries while the fleet was catching up.

For what it was worth, they might as well train their barge pilots with the new additions to the fleet.

The patrol boats were the first to go, their engines revving up with a loud roar before each of them sped away at an impressive 50 knots (and they could go even faster) to start making rounds around the fleet. They only carried ammunition for their .50cals at the time, but Amadi clearly gave them the order to pay attention to their sonars. If only so they could learn how to make the difference between a whale’s acoustic signature and that of their own ships.

Speaking of which, they crossed path with a couple pods off in the distance, though the humongous sea mammals stayed well clear of the damaged vessels. They probably didn’t like the noise of the propellers, instead electing to observe from a distance and splash the patrol boats whenever they surfaced.

Rhine also spared the time to unload two of her trawlers, as a field-test to see whether they could supplement their food stores with fresh fish…

Turns out, being able to sail with a cargo vessel doesn’t mean you’re actually any good at fishing, and fly-fishing in the summer doesn’t prepare you for actual trawling.

“That’s all?!” Amadi cried out incredulously as the centaur watched his subordinates haul in the day’s catch.

Namely, two small crates of mackerel, because one of the trawlers had been lucky enough to stumble upon a small school while the nets were down. The other… they pulled up rocks.

At least they collected the mussels from the rocks to save face.

“I’m sorry sir.” Theodoros the sphinx apologized, his wings fluffed up in embarrassment. “I mean… tugs I can sail around in just fine but it’s a lot harder than you’d think to actually find the fish.”

Amadi pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. The centaur crossed his arms and glared at the two fish crates for a moment before finally shaking his head.

“Fine. Let’s call it a day with the fishing for now. Who was steering the other trawler?”

“Rickie sir.” The sphinx pointed to where a harlequin macaw with a Filipino flag patch on his shoulder was inspecting the underside of his trawler with his crew.

“Alright. Get someone to haul that fish to the galley. It’s not much, but at least we’ll be eating fresh tonight…”

“Centaurs can eat fish?” The sphinx asked reflexively.

“Ponies can at least, so I don’t see why I couldn’t. Anyway, once the fish is secure, I want you to prepare a report on possible improvements to our method. See what we can do to get more fish.”

“Aye sir.” Ted nodded. “And… there’s something else.”

Amadi’s gaze tracked two of their cadets –both had been helping on the trawlers- as they departed back towards the accommodation. With a gesture of his chin, he motioned for the sphinx to ask away.

“The report shouldn’t take long, but I wanted to know if I could fly over to the tug that’s towing Fugro.”

The centaur turned his head back down to look at the sphinx.

“Well, as long as you can fly over by yourself, there shouldn’t be any trouble, but it’s up to the guys on the bridge…” He jabbed a thumb towards the front of the vessel. “… to approve the flight plan.”

“Radar exposure, I know.” The sphinx nodded, his black mane swishing at the motion.

There was a tense pause.

“Your sister is currently sailing the tug.” Amadi mentioned, noting out of the corner of his eye how the sphinx flinched at the word ‘sister’.

“Family matters, sir.” Ted’s tail lay still, the feathers in his wings bristled. “I… do you have siblings?”

“Five of them.” The Liberian snorted. “Haven’t seen them in… six years? Seven? Can’t remember, but they never left Monrovia unlike me.”

“Not much of a family guy?”

“Meh.” Amadi waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Family doesn’t always work out, and frankly I never looked back once I left the country.”

“Your call. In my case… look, I’m lucky enough to still have family after the Event, and so far I’ve been kinda bad to her.”

“No shit, everyone noticed.” He chuckled, the laugh earning him a glare from the sphinx.

“May I go, sir?”

“Shoo.” Amadi waved him off, already turning around to go inspect the gantry crane.

Inside Rhine’s accommodation, all six Cadets had gathered inside Frederik’s cabin after a day’s work. The hippogriff had managed to squeeze a table inside his already cramped cabin, just so he’d have enough room for what they usually did in their spare time.

Typically they’d have done it in the –notably roomier- rec room, but the rest of the crew had politely but firmly suggested they do it in their cabin. It being playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Frederik was keenly reminded of exactly how small his cabin was now that all six were gathered inside. Two of them being become centaurs certainly didn’t help, as the two rather large quadrupeds found themselves squeezed side by side near the door while the rest of them had to bump elbows around the table.

“You sure we couldn’t find a better place?” Seb complained, the unicorn mare having finally agreed to socialize a bit.

Carla’s prodding certainly helped with that, particularly now that she couldn’t pull her now-healed wounds as an excuse. Thus, she found herself stuck between her boy (formerly girl-)friend and Frederik, both male hippogriff much taller than she was.

“No place where we wouldn’t have been bothered.” Fred barely glanced up from his notes. “Yo Asha, can you just turn up the A/C a notch? This cabin is a oven with us all.”

“Gonna need to make a pause for refreshments with that heat.” The centaur next to Asha, Felix, commented.

“Got that covered.” Frederik replied almost immediately with a proud smile on his beak. “The mall from the other day? Snagged a minifridge.”

“Really?”

Fred’s answer was to rummage behind him with his talons before tossing Felix an ice-cold can of Mountain Dew.

“That to your liking? I got snacks in my drawers too.”

“Damn man.” Felix took a sip of his soda. “Shoulda told us you know, I barely snatched anything but clothes while we were there.”

“Hey, for all it’s worth I’m gonna make the best out of the apocalypse if I can help it.” Fred tried to shrug with his wings, only for them to be blocked by Seb and the wall on either side of him.

“That’s nice and all but can we get back to what we were supposed to do?” Asha interjected. “You know… the campaign.”

“Well…” Fred began. “See, I have the papers.” He hefted a full stack of files from beneath the rulebooks. “But I had this idea.”

“Now you want to abandon the campaign?” Seb rolled her eyes. “Unbelievable. Dude, we’ve been on it for what? Twenty sessions? I don’t wanna loose my level 10 character.”

“Yeah, but now we’re starting after the Event, plus it was a bard anyway, so…” He glanced up towards the ceiling.

“What does that even change?” Seb countered.

“Dunno, thought you’d want to reroll your character.” The yellow hippogriff said. “Things have changed.”

“I swear you jackass… if it’s about making a chick character…” The mare ignited her horn.

She may not know any potent spells yet, but she could taze him good for sure. Her threat however, was interrupted by Carla wrapping his talons around her horn, instantly dispelling the magic and sending an unpleasant tremor running down her spine.

“I’m sure that’s not what he meant.” Carla threw Fred a warning glance. “Is it?”

“Of course not.” He raised his claws up in a placating gesture. “What I meant is… maybe we could homebrew our new races into the game? And reroll our characters just the same, but with new race attributes?”

“Really?” Felix said sarcastically. “’cause last I checked I was playing sorcerer and centaurs can’t really do magic.” He pointed out.

“Me thinks you’re stalling for something Fred.” Asha added.

The hippogriff in question raised a talon in protest and seemed as if he was about to say something before he deflated.

“Alright.” He conceded. “You got me, I hit a writing block with the campaign. Couldn’t think of what to make happen after I sent you lot to Waterdeep. Not even a bandit dungeon to stall.”

“You motherfucker, it’s been weeks!” Seb stood up in anger.

“I’m sorry, have you ever tried to be the GM?” The hippogriff crossed his arms with a huff. “It ain’t easy you know! And right now, it’s either do the homebrew and give me extra time, or we play some boring shit we’ve done already like Dragon Heist or Curse of Stradh.”

“Eh Carla, what’s he got for snacks?” Gauthier spoke up at last.

He was the last cadet of the six, a teal-furred, athletic-looking unicorn stallion with an auburn mane. Like Felix, he was French, though his accent was slightly less perceptible than that of the centaur.

Carla turned around and started rummaging through Fred’s stash, much to the other hippogriff’s protest.

“I’m seeing a couple packs of Cheetos, and Pringles. Lotsa Pringles. Pringles for days.”

“Gimme a can of sour cream flavor and it’s a deal.” The stallion nodded sagely.

“Alright, one sour cream for French-pony here.” He tossed him the can across the table.

“You could have asked you know.” Fred grumbled.

“It’s more fun if I don’t.” Carla smiled before taking out a can for herself and Seb.

“You know there’s this one thing I’ve been meaning to ask…” Gauthier started as his eyes flicked between Seb and Carla. “You changed you two.”

“Come again?” Carla tilted his head.

“I mean…” The stallion looked around the room. “I can’t be the only to have noticed, but ever since you both changed, Carla’s been more assertive. And you Seb…”

The red-furred mare addressed him a glare through her spiky blue bangs.

“Careful with what you’re about to say.” She ground out.

“I’m not about to say you’re less assertive, not as a whole at least.”

Seb was about to retort with something nasty before the centaur pressed on.

“That’s the thing really: you’re not any less assertive, but…”

“You’re agressive.” Felix butted in.

“Seconded.” Asha added as she readjusted her hooves under her impala half. “Kinda bitchy I’d say.”

“As she said.” Felix nodded at the centaur by his side. “And if I hadn’t known you before the change… frankly I would classify you as a complete bitch.”

“Well, fuck you too.” Seb sneered.

“Whatever…” Fred rolled his eyes after grabbing himself a can of Pringles of his own. Paprika flavor. “The worst thing is you both don’t even realize how you swapped roles.”

“No we haven’t!” The couple protested in unison.

“Cute.” Felix chuckled. “But have you even been paying attention to how you’re acting? I mean, Seb, you’ve been reclining against Carla for the past half-hour.”

The mare’s eyes widened and she looked down at herself. She indeed was –if only subconsciously- leaning back into her boyfriend’s forearms and the –rather cuddly- plumage on the hippogriff’s chest.

“Does that go deeper?” Asha leaned forward with a cheeky grin.

“Non’ yar business.” Seb stuttered, with only her red fur to thank for hiding her blush.

“Guys, it’s kinda personal. Can we get back to the game?” Carla suggested.

“Good idea.” Fred nodded. “Now, anyone want to suggest what stats griffons should have?”

“We will do that, thank you very much. You stick to writing that campaign.” Gauthier said, the unicorn nabbing a couple sheets from the GM’s stack in his telekinesis.

Fred rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure, antagonize the DM just as he’s planning new encounters, see how it goes.

Now where to put that tarrasque…

“Can I have a Mountain Dew too?” Asha asked.

Make that two tarrasques.

On the other side of the planet, a lone cloaked figure was watching the sun rise over Japan from the summit of Mount Fuji. Red and blacks rocks crunched under his hooves as he turned around, a thin layer of frost already starting to build up on his cloak. He flared his nostrils. The cold, rarefied air stung as it filled his lungs.

Humans had built structures on the lips of the caldera before they disappeared. Short one-floored buildings, with thick stone walls made from the local, extremely abrasive brand of volcanic rock. All the walls were sloped to minimize the effects of the strong winds that buffeted the summit. Good enough a base of operation for him, for now at least.

As he made his way back inside the ‘compound’, the cloaked unicorn stallion trotted past signs of the previous owners. An abandoned snowmobile lying halfway buried in the snow, numerous streamers with their tattered flags hissing and clacking in the constant wind, as well as countless baubles for tourists he had his subordinates toss out in the snow.

The stallion halted his step, one ear flicking towards the caldera. The entire mountain rumbled once with the grinding of stone against stone as Scylla stirred. The demon had been busy these last few weeks, burying its crystalline tentacles deep within the mountain it had chosen as the seat of its power. Already, it was starting to gather power now that it was freed from the oppressive presence of Equus’ microcosm of Immortals, as evidenced by the black crystals sprouting here and there along the mountainside, or the black clouds crackling with red lightning up in the sky.

Yet it was but a fraction of what the demon was capable of, as it had showed Mage when it first ‘recruited’ him. And he could have part of that power as well, if he cooperated, along with any riches he and his subordinates could reap from the remains of humanity.

As for Scylla, the Demon would need time to reach full power. Decades maybe.

Mage himself was already starting to benefit from the ‘alliance’. A host of black crystals now poked through his fur, with one large jagged shard having replaced his horn. Had it not been for Scylla boosting his magic, he wouldn’t have been able to install the rune arrays in the structure his subordinates aptly began to refer to as ‘the Hub’. Heating runes, ventilation to get as much air as if they were on ground level, enough shields to give Canterlot’s defenses a run for their bits, and of course the transport nodes.

Mage finally trotted inside the Hub, formerly a Shinto shrine they had emptied out, leaving only the wooden floorboards and a couple pieces of furniture of their choosing. Immediately, the strong winds, rarefied air and the biting cold abated. His horn lit up with a sickly red glow, lifting the cloak off his frame to reveal a dirty white coat of fur marred by so many dark crystals. He hung the piece of fabric on a peg near the entrance before making his way deeper inside. His only working eye passed over the forms of a couple of his subordinates present there on guard duty.

They weren’t all there of course. Most didn’t want to be assigned to the Hub due to their unease about Scylla’s direct proximity. They’d much rather be out in the world looting for their own benefit, or even tending to the monster breeding facilities.

Well, too bad then.

Mage passed the immobile form of a Kirin as he headed deeper inside. His first thrall on this planet. He was now nearly entirely encased in black crystals that were writhed in the dark flames of nirik fire. A fairly potent crystal golem he’d happily put to use when the time came for it, plus the memories he had extracted from its tortured soul (thanks to Scylla’s teachings) yielded a lot of information on the area.

What would you know; they spoke Neighponese in that so-called ‘Japan’.

The unicorn paused shortly to look into the golem’s vacant eyes. The forest he had found it in was a peculiarity as well, the numerous spirits and magic coursing through it hinting at a magic that, by all logic, should not have been there in the first place. He’d need to look into it.

But that would be for later. A cough interrupted his reflections.

Mage turned around to find himself face to face with a group of assorted creatures, some of them sporting the same black crystals that now marked his flanks and horn. Leading them were two known figures of the gang: Night and Sirius.

“Something the matter?” Mage calmly asked.

“Our plans. We want an update.” Night replied.

She was a batpony mare, with jet-black fur and mane, the latter which she wore tied up in a bun behind her ears. Mage knew that if she stayed in a dark corner, only her gleaming yellow pupils would be seen, oftentimes the last thing targets got to see. She was also rather tall (for a mare), with a wingspan to match, each edge of her wings now completely crystallized with razor sharp edges, much like the two crystalline fangs that poked out of her mouth. She was also wearing one of her trophies, a suit of armor she had stolen from a Lunar Guard and then modified to suit her needs –which of course included repainting it the same shade as her fur-.

As for Sirius, he was one of her lieutenants, a gargoyle mage with a wide muscular frame. Above a coat of fur as black as Night’s, he wore a set of leather armor and a mage’s rig (in fact, pretty much every gargoyle mage he knew wore one) with gleaming sapphires attached to its slots. The sapphires crackled with raw magic power, emitting small electric arcs that raced towards the copper-plated gauntlets the gargoyle wore.

Worked well to extract answers.

“For now the main plan is pretty simple and you should know it already: toss as many of our monsters through random teleports to hinder the locals and create an infestation.” Mage simply said.

“We know that!” The mare bristled. “I was talking about what we’ll do next!”

“Me and my branch are still looking into those humanitarian teams Equus’ governments sent here.” Mage told her.

“And?”

“I have a plan to deal with them. Remember Sonata?”

“Yeah, we lost contact with her a while back. Last I checked her sisters hadn’t seen her either.”

“She’s dead.” Mage revealed. “I tracked her down with Snowflake. What was left of her anyway.”

“Horseapples!” Night yelled. “Sonata’s far too old to die to a random threat!”

“She was killed Night.” Mage continued in a flat tone. “By a group of ‘humans’ that apparently teamed up with Equestrians. I managed to observe from a distance, but they’re probably long gone by now.”

“How?”

“Sailors. They left with their ships.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter where, I confirmed what I wanted to know.”

“Which is?”

“The sailors weren’t the problem. I have no reason to think they could have posed a threat to a siren like Sonata under normal circumstances. The Equestrians however… that must have been them who led to her death. She’s far too clever to have been tricked by humans. But that’s not what matters. The Equestrians, they’re using mage sight to locate the survivors.”

“Well, the locals produce magic. As long as they form decent-sized groups and the overall population remains low to avoid excessive background magic, then yes, mage sight seems like a good plan.” Sirius said with his arms crossed.

“It is, and I found how to exploit it.”

“Come again?”

“I can’t use mage sight myself, none of us do, but I had Snowflake spy on them. The Equestrians found a group of humans that had returned, and we beat their rescue team to the goal.”

“You laid an ambush then.” Night guessed.

“I did more.” The one-eyed stallion addressed her one of his trademark sadistic smiles. “The returnees, I captured most of the useful ones and killed off the rest. Made thralls out of them, like this Kirin here.” He pointed a hoof behind him at the crystal golem. “They’re on the other side of the caldera.”

“And the Equestrians?” Sirius pressed on.

“I left a gem decoy once I was done so they’d still come. According to Snowflake, they did, so he dropped a hydra on them.”

“Great then. But how does that constitute a plan?” Night pointed out, jabbing an armored hoof in his direction.

“Me and my branch, we’ll be keeping an eye on the Hub and dropping those ambush decoys all around to lure the Equestrians into monsters. If we get rid of them, they won’t be able to help the locals.”

“And us?”

“There’s another thing we learned. Travel between here and Equus, it’s only temporary.” The stallion said.

“What?!” Night cried out, her surprise echoed by Sirius and all her subordinates behind her. “You mean we’re going to lose Manticore Cove?”

“Yes.” Mage nodded. “We are going to lose access to it, which is where you come into play. Come.”

With a wave of his hoof, he motioned for his fellow leader to follow him inside a small adjacent room he had commandeered as his office. It was stuffed with all kinds of papers he and his goons had retrieved on their outings all over the world, mostly charts, some of them covered with bearing lines and crosses.

“We need to replace our breeding facility, except this time we don’t need to bother hiding in the wilderness since there are no authorities to challenge us on this planet. Eventually, I want multiple facilities, one on every continent if possible.”

“Why?”

“Contingencies.” He stated matter-of-factly. “Unfortunately, as I said, I’m already busy with the decoys and the Hub, so that leaves you, Haze and Might with the task of setting up facilities. Think you can manage?”

“Of course.” The black batpony rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Excellent then.” He tapped the tip of his hoof against a specific spot on his chart. “You get the first spot. I want a facility in Central America. We’ve already located a convergence point there, which we should be able to use to boost our rune arrays and power up our teleporters.”

Night looked down at the chart, and the adjoining picture showing several stone pyramids in a location called ‘El Tajin’ in Mexico.

“I’ll do it.” She nodded curtly, rolling the chart and tucking it under one wing before turning around to leave.

“And… Night?” Mage threw her a look over his shoulder. “Fair warning: Scylla isn’t the only Demon on the planet, we’re not enemies with the others but-“

“Not allies either, I know, it told me so.” She squinted her eyes. “I’ll avoid Charybdis’ goons if I can. No promises though.”

Back at sea with the fleet, a sphinx was seen taking off from Amandine an hour or two after the return of the trawlers. Ted let the winds carry him up for a few seconds before he angled his body downwards and veered in the direction of Fugro.

Just ahead of the offshore vessel, he spotted his target: Nikolaos’ tug. The little boat was valiantly towing the much bigger offshore vessel behind it, the strain on its engines making a thick column of smoke rise from its funnel. The Greek sphinx circled around once before descending in a slow glide towards the deck. He managed to spot his sister behind the helm, the minotaur cow addressing him a careful look but otherwise not making any motion to stop him.

There were two sailors out on deck, the usual system when they sailed with the tugs: each pilot on board was assigned two ratings as their subordinates. In his sister’s case, she was working with Mikhail and… well, Yancy used to be on her crew. Now, that vacant spot was filled by Diethelm, the German appaloosa unicorn. Both were smoking on deck, well clear of the snap back zone in case the towing line broke. They gave the sphinx a curt nod, but otherwise stayed in their corner of the deck, chatting and well sheltered from the spray of the waves.

Unlike Ted that is. The moment he touched down, the little tug dipped down in a trough and drenched him in seawater, something that irked the feline in him to no end. He glared up at the bridge, eyes landing on the smirk that graced his sister’s snout.

Of course she did that on purpose.

Ted shook himself like a wet dog before he carefully made his way up the steep stairs that led to the bridge. He automatically opened the door with his telekinesis before making his way inside.

The change in atmosphere was stark compared to the outside. A stifling heat hit him in the face the moment he stepped inside, courtesy of the heating Nikolaos was apparently running full-blast.

Might explain why Mikhail and Diethelm chose to stay outside.

His sister was sitting in the pilot’s seat, her back turned to him, minotaur bulk nearly too much for the leather seat to bear. She didn’t turn towards him, but Ted still took note of how her tail ceased moving the moment he stepped inside.

There was a tense silence.

“Look, I’m sorry alright?” Ted finally began in Greek. “I didn’t know you’d take it so badly.”

Nikolaos’ grip tightened around the engine telegraph, but she didn’t speak up.

“I… I just thought it was okay to joke about this. I mean, look at me, I’m a goddamn magic flying cat. Plenty to of joke material with that, right?” He paused. “It’s… you heard it like me, chances are even if we go back home, mom and dad wouldn’t reappear in our lifetime. You’re all I have left for family Nik’, can’t you give me a second chance?” He pleaded.

“Some family I have…” The minotaur cow snorted.

“Look, I thought the teasing was fine! I mean, we did that all the time when we were kids.” Ted cried out.

Nikolaos swiveled her seat around to face the sphinx. Now, sphinxes may be large even at a young age like in his case, but being quadrupeds most were still much shorter than mountains of muscle like minotaurs, particularly considering females of that species tended to be taller. His sister loomed over him as she casually leant forward, one elbow propped on her knees.

Instinctively, the sphinx found himself cowering, his tail wrapping around his forelegs protectively.

“It’s different dammit!” She rumbled. “You think I had a fucking choice with the change? I’m just trying to make do with what I’m given!”

“I’m sorr-“

“You made fun of me because I have to use a bra you bastard!” She jabbed a thumb towards her bosom. “You seen the size of these things?! I tried to go without, or just with wrappings. No can do, bozo. Now I just gotta live with people checking me out all the time, ain’t that funny now?”

Ted lowered his head.

“It’s not…” He whispered.

“Yeah, you bet it’s not.” She snorted. “Yet for some reason you thought it was a good idea to go for the low blow.”

“I didn’t mean to! I just wanted to tell a joke!” Ted insisted.

“Talk about a lousy joke. Still, proves you always go for the easy stuff.” Nikolaos pointed out.

Ted raised his head at that.

“No I don’t!” He protested, wings bristling in outrage.

“You totally do.” She insisted. “It’s always that, overused immature stuff, or stolen jokes.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of them, with only the sound of the engine and the waves crashing against the bow of the tugboat.

“Well at least I got a sense of humor. You’re always so serious…”

“Someone has to be.” She shrugged. “Guess I kind of fell into that role after a while, I’m the eldest after all.”

“By thirty seconds...” A small smile crossed the sphinx’s face. “Mom always gave me the chores because she knew you’d join in anyway…”

Nikolaos’ shoulder sagged at the memory and she ran a hand across her bovine muzzle, taking a moment to look at the black and white fur on the back of her four-fingered hand. Each of her large digits ended in a black blunt nail. Finally, she let out a sigh and motioned for her brother to come closer.

“Alright you win, but that’s only because you look like a sad kitten with that new face of yours. I swear I could just pet you if I let myself.” She said, swiveling her seat the other way so she could pay attention to where the tug was going. “So how is it anyway?”

“How’s what?” The sphinx tilted his head.

“As a sphinx obviously.” She rolled her eyes, spying her brother squeeze his frame between a console and her seat so he could be by her side.

Dude really had no idea how tempting it was just to let brush her fingers through his mane. Seriously, she could never resist trying to pet a cat before…

“What are doing?”

Shit.

“Nothing.” She replied, quickly pulling her hand away from his mane.

“You were petting me.”

“… maybe?”

“I didn’t tell you to stop.”

Nikolaos’ head snapped towards her brother so hard she almost skewered the radar screen above her with her horns. She brushed a strand of curly hair away from her eyes.

“Shit, you’re serious?”

“I mean… I guess it’s the big cat talking but it does feel kinda good… I guess?”

She obliged, scratching the back of his neck where his mane was at its thickest. The sphinx leaned in towards her, a purr escaping his throat.

“Shit bro, you’re really just a magic flying cat.” She chuckled. “So how is it anyway?”

“Weird.” Ted replied, eyes squinted in delight. “Magic and flying are neat, but at times the aversion to water is a bit of a bother, just like the lack of hands. And really, you never realize but being a quadruped with bipeds around, it’s kinda annoying, and we don’t see quite as far.”

“What, bad eyesight?”

“Nah, just because we’re closer to the ground.” He paused. “Just a bit higher… oh yeah! That’s the spot!” He purred.

“Mind if I ask a dumb question?”

“Well, we’re siblings.” Ted answered. “Ask away, I won’t tell anyone.”

“You know, if you’re like a cat… a big cat I mean, does that mean you can, you know, clean yourself anywhere?” She blushed, making a point of not looking at her brother.

It took him a minute to reply.

“You know the funny thing is…”

“You tried?”

“Aye, I did.” He nodded. “And yes, I can lick my own balls. Please don’t ask further.”

She didn’t want to.

“And you then? How’s life?” Ted thankfully pressed past the awkward question.

“Decent. I mean… minotaurs ain’t too different from humans. Still got two legs, arms and hands, plus the ridiculous strength is rather nice.”

“So you tried to bench yet?” Ted asked.

“Peaked at 600 kilos last I tried, but there’s a trick I gotta figure out if I want to improve.”

“Which is?”

“Minotaurs process magic like Earth Ponies for strength, but we got a lot more control over it. Normally, we naturally develop our muscles via magic, which is why we don’t need to train to be so bulky. We do eat a lot though.” She flexed her biceps for emphasis. “But according to what I read, we can also train to divert magic to our muscles to boost our strength.”

“Like Ki in manga?” He eagerly asked.

“Dunno, I guess? Thing is, once I figure out how to do that I should be able to lift cars like they’re made of cardboard.”

“That’s great then.” Ted spoke. “And…” He lowered his voice. “The female thing?”

Nikolaos addressed him a long look before relenting with a resigned – but very bovine- snort.

“It’s a change.” She began, looking down at her breasts. “Hard to ignore, but it could be worse. I’ll have to change how I look at life…” She trailed off, thinking about how even her sexual preferences had been changed. “But besides that, you won’t catch me in a dress anytime soon. For Christ’s sake, I drive tugboats, it’s not like I’m some lousy hairdresser that’s gonna start dying her hair pink.”

“Yeah, that’d surprise me as well.” Ted chuckled.

“Yet I’m forced to make concessions. Bras being exhibit A, it’s not like I have a choice.” She said. “As for… well, kids, I haven’t decided yet. It’s scary to be honest. Did you know a minotaur pregnancy lasts sixteen months? Who would even want to carry a kid for that long?” She shuddered. “I’ll admit, I wanted kids before the Event, but that puts things in perspective you know?”

“I guess it would. Still, glad you’re still my bro, sis.”

“I’m still the same person. Just… different. I’ve observed the others that swapped genders as well, to see how they were doing.”

“And?”

“It varies from denial, to overcompensating, to ‘trying things out for a change’. Can we please talk about something else?” She tried.

“Sure.” Ted shrugged.

They lapsed into silence for a minute before Ted opened his mouth again.

“Did you know mom had chosen some female names for us before she learned she’d be having boys?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she used to say I was supposed to be Eva and you, Artemis.”

“Artemis, really?” She rolled the name in her mouth.

Might be worth trying out.

It was around noon on the next day that all three ships and the auxiliaries reached the Emerald Island. Truly, Ireland deserved the poetic title: its verdant shores practically gleamed as they kept sailing south towards Belfast. Meadows and forests bordered the relatively steep shoreline, as well as numerous small villages that steadily grew in size the closer they got to Belfast. Several of them were no more however, having either partially or completely been burnt down by fires caused by the habitations being left abandoned. Only a few houses remained in those razed villages, scattered amidst entire quarters of smoldering ruins.

Ireland also apparently deserved its reputation as a rainy place, because it started pouring the moment they got in visual range of the place, and the rain hadn’t let up since, much to the displeasure of the Abyssinians and sphinxes in the fleet.

Their first hint of Belfast came with the appearance of Kilroot’s Power Station over the horizon, its humongous chimney as recognizable as any lighthouse. They passed it on their starboard side, marking their entrance inside Belfast’s Lough, a wide shallow bay at the mouth of River Lagan. Green rolling hills bordered on either side of the bay, covered in constructions now abandoned at their feet: Holywood, Whiteabbey, Carrickfergus, all these towns built on the shores of the bay now lay empty of their former inhabitants, already starting to show damage from the prevalent humidity and lack of maintenance.

But their goal was actually Belfast. With most buoys probably out of place, they dropped a sounding boat in the water to scout ahead of the fleet and locate the dredged channel that should lead them through the mudflats and inside of Belfast’s trident-shaped harbor. The dredged channel dove inside the extensive docklands with tall concrete piers on either side for anything ranging from dry-bulk to passengers and trucks, leading to a large turning basin that spread out in three directions towards all different terminals.

As extensive and intricate as the docklands were, the sailors in the fleet only had eyes for one particular target: the dry-docks. Belfast had a long history with shipbuilding before the Event, thanks in large part to the Harland and Wolff Shipyard that occupied the southern half of the docklands. The company hadn’t built any ship in more than a decade, but they had kept all their graving docks to assemble offshore facilities and repair ships.

The latter being exactly what they intended to do.

Two huge yellow gantry cranes loomed in the distance as they sailed closer to the repair yard. Samson and Goliath, the two cranes so significant they had become part of Belfast’s landscape, a testimony to the town’s shipbuilding history. They arched over a wide graving dock, large enough to fit multiple ships at the same time. All around, a multitude of smaller cranes, pump stations, workshops and warehouses occupied the place, so many abandoned buildings the sailors would soon have to scour for parts.

That however, would have to wait. For now, they settled with mooring as close to the dock as possible, immediately dispatching several teams to secure a perimeter around the vessels. Dry-docking was no simple affair, they couldn’t just rush in and improvise on the go.

No, they’d have to plan out the entire thing from start to finish, and that, that would take time.

Author's Notes:

You know, Ireland would be a beautiful place if the weather wasn't always so dreary over there. I haven't once sailed into Belfast without rain accompanying the deed.

Which is a shame really, lots of friendly folks there in the pubs.

Wonder what you lot think of what I did to Merlin and Star. My memory's a bit hazy on exactly what it is he did to piss off Morgane La Fay, but going with the 'mirror' effect between Earth and Equus, it seemed like a good idea to have him be sealed away at the same time as Stygian and the Pillars.

Bit of useless trivia: Meadow and Rock unwittingly settled in a castle that's on the edge of Camp Coetquidan, a military domain that belongs to the Saint-Cyr Military School. Basically the closest approximation the French Army has to West Point.