Just east of the Dungeon, which is west of Hometown, a familiar Snow Biome is expanding at a rate almost akin to the flow of lava. Anything it passed over became engulfed in the blistering cold and crushed under avalanches.

An outpost was built here sometime after denizens of Hometown retrieved the Ice Mirror, and it stood firm ever since. But now it was being sieged by the biome’s expansion, mountains of snow pushing against the hardy walls of the settlement as those who dwelled within scrambled against the force of nature.

All while a ferocious blizzard practically blocks out the sun.

“Yak no tink it good idea to fight snow and weather.” The yak, donned in cobalt armor, decreed as he and other occupants, which consist of Terraria and an assortment of species from the former Equus, prepare for evacuation.

“Agreed,” A female, cobalt-armored terrarian said. “Evacuation of this outpost is underway, so let’s get our asses out of here.”

“Well, at least it’s just the harsh weather,” A crystal pegasus pony mare began, sporting the same armor as the terrarian and yak. “Things can’t possibly get any-”

“NO!!!” The yak and terrarian shout in unison, both extending a limb.

They failed, and a sudden, thunderous commotion echoes throughout the area, followed by the roars of two monsters bursting out of the snow, coming into everyone’s view and locked in combat.

From what everyone in the outpost could see, a strange, cyclopean, bipedal deer-like entity was wrestling with a wolf-like being within the blizzard.

The black-furred wolf enters a bipedal stance and grabs onto the cyclops’ antlers, but the cyclops roars out and summons two purple spectral-clawed hands of equally massive proportions. Lavender energy creates the outline for these hands, while black energy fills in the rest.

The manifested hands swipe and punch the giant wolf, causing it to yelp - but the wolf immediately lunges forth and bites onto the cyclops’ right arm in retaliation.

The kaiju’s conflict caused the yak and terrarian to look at the crystal mare with deadpan expressions.

“You just had to say that, huh?” Asked the terrarian.

“Great…” The yak began. “Now we have monsters.”

“S-sorry…” The crystal mare fidgets in place sheepishly. However, her eyes suddenly shot wide open in fear as she spots something floating over the nearby mountains.

“For the love of Cadence…” The mare’s dread-filled words caused the yak, terrarian, and others to turn toward whatever had garnered the crystal equine’s fears.

“It-it can’t be!” One of many nearby voices roars out.

“It’s the frozen castle that stalks these lands!”

“Cryogen! It’s Cryogen!”

The ever-present blizzard suddenly grows in strength and intensity, causing those within the evacuating outpost to pause, including the two battling kaiju - both looking up at Cryogen’s mighty and vast presence, slowly hovering toward the direction of the settlement and the two monsters.

Crygogen’s great mass slowly makes its way through the sky, surrounded by a protective series of glacial shards that could skew any who dared to sack the flying domain. But what happened next caused further waves of shock and caution to spread amongst the masses.

The seemingly sentient castle began to shift before their very eyes, taking on a polyhedron-shaped protective glacial shell. However, it attained its protective rings of glacial shards that orbit it.

The large wolf howls at the fortress before running away on all fours while the cyclopean, bipedal deer vanishes via a shadowy aura that cloaks its form. And although some of the outpost’s residents managed to escape, a large number still remained within the settlement.

Screams and shouts go off as Cryogen suddenly rushes forth at surprising speeds, careening toward the outpost.

The crystal mare’s legs shook as her fear froze her in place. Her yak and terrarian companions tried to break her out of her stunted state but failed. Acting quickly, the terrarian throws the pony onto the yak’s back, all while the crystal mare keeps her eyes locked onto Cryogen.

She couldn’t explain this feeling. There was fear, of course, but something else lurked beneath said fear. If she didn’t know any better…was that…recognition? But how? How could that thing feel familiar to he-

[KBLOOMFSHK]

Something crashes into the snow-covered earth, and the crystal mare’s thoughts are suddenly thrown off as she’s literally thrown away to safety. During her moments of fear-instilled shock, she had foregone any recognition of what was happening in the real world. Let alone Cryogen slamming into the outpost.

The crystal equine tumbles and rolls in the snow before landing on the edge of the biome, grains of grass and dirt gracing her stomach region.

The pegasus slowly regains her composure, lifts her frontal portions with her forelimbs, and looks back over her shoulder. Sadness fills her heart as she spots the yak, terrarian, and many of her fellow guards of the outpost she had come to know ever since she was stationed here following the event many would call the Rise of Nyarlathotep, become crushed under Cryogen’s weight.

She immediately jumps onto her hooves and backs away in fear, her breaths about as rapid as her heart rate. At her back lies vast forestation, green fields, and a path that stretches into the forest. But her vision focused solely on the aggressive polyhedron-shaped obstacle that began to float out of the snow in front of her.

By Cadence’s grace… Blood and splatted patches of gore littered the crash site, some of which dripped down from Cryogen itself like raindrops as it ascended slowly yet ominously.

But that strange feeling of familiarity from before returns, prompting the pegasus to absorb every last detail of Cryogen. Hardened walls of ice, protective shards that fanned out all around the structure and could also pierce anything in their path, it all checked out.

[THUMP] [THUMP]

Her ears perked up. “W-what…?”

[THUMP] [THUMP]

“Is that a…heartbeat…?”

The unmistakable sounds of heartbeats had graced her ears. And it was somehow similar to a certain other heart she had always known. She was then filled with so many questions - why was she only now hearing those heartbeats?

Then, Cryogen’s polyhedron-shaped dome began to crumble as it reached an adequate elevation. The crystal pony watched as dome pieces fell to the snow fields beneath the flying castle. And soon enough, the pegasus lets loose a sharp gasp as she spots an all too familiar symbol brandished on the unveiled castle’s face, which glows vibrantly with multicolored energy.

The same snowflake with olive branches logo of the Crystal Empire.

---

A whirlwind of orange leaves manifests itself on a road that stretches on in either direction, Twilight’s Castle being a recipient of one end, which rests in the heart of Hometown. Due to the actions of Nyarlathotep, familiar lands, cities, and towns from Equus became displaced in various sections of Terraria.

Notably, Hometown and remnants of Ponyville practically melded into each other, not to mention the reparation efforts. Even the Everfree Forest could be seen in the distance, a constant companion to the town that had rested on its edges for time immemorable.

The forms of Applejack, Twilight, and an earth pony stallion with a golden coat and golden-red eyes appear as the whirlwind dissipates.

“That was amazing, Applejack!” Twilight commended. “Is it a type of teleportation spell?”

“Uh…kind ah?” The dryad pony answered with a shrug. “This magic stuff’s been a real tussle to get a hold of. Ah’m still new to it, but ah’ve learned a lot from Celebes, so progress is bein’ made.

She’s been mighty happy to know that there’s still dryads around, although only me, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom seem to be the only hybrids to turn up.”

“Speaking of Apple Bloom, have you located her?”

“Naw. Not yet.” Applejack’s features harden in determination. “But that’s another reason why ah’m determined to master these powers. ‘Cordin to Celebes, with enough prowess and mastery, ah can connect mahself to the entire world. Nature practically becomes mah eyes - it’s strange - but useful!”

“Fascinating…” Twilight awed with an agape mouth. She then turns to the golden stallion, who looks around curiously and thoughtfully. “I’m sorry, uhm, what was your name again?”

The stallion’s ears perk up as he turns to Twilight. “Ah. Apologies. My name is Dinath K. Noone special, just a humble caretaker to the Dryad Resting Grounds.” He places a forelimb behind his neck and laughs awkwardly. “I sadly misplaced my own means of teleportation, so I appreciate the lift.”

“Heh,” Applejack chuckled. “No problem, partner. Yall are tend’n to mah kin, so it’s the least ah could do.”

Dinath nods. “Well, I’d better get going. Oh!” He suddenly cries out in realization. “I believe you dropped something back in the cavern, Miss. Sparkle.” The stallion conjures forth a book from his inventory; its back and front cover is made of crystal, and white pages are held within.

But most notable are the words going across the cover in a golden text:

Elysia

Twilight confusingly takes the book as she and Applejack cocked their head. “Did…yall drop that when ah teleported ya the first tahm, Twi?”

“N-no…” Twilight responds. “I don’t remember holding a-” As she lifts her gaze to look at the stallion, she and Applejack are shocked to see that he is gone, “-book… W-what…?”

“What in tarnation?” Applejack inquired as she looked around, only to find passing strangers of all forms of life. Former denizens of Equus, terrarians, slimes, beast folk, elves, dwarves, and other races that had migrated to Hometown.

“Where’d he go?”

“I…I don’t know…” Twilight looks back down at the book held in her hoof. “This book… It…”

Suddenly, a presence catches their attention in the sky. Applejack, Twilight, and several passing residents of Hometown are drawn towards a cobalt-wearing crystal pegasus mare, who is clearly overwhelmed with exhaustion.

The crystal mare descends, albeit turbulently, and she tries to fly straight. But she inevitably surrenders to her exhaustion and begins to freefall.

As the crystal pony fell, many, Applejack and Twilight among them, had attempted to aid the falling pegasus, only for a rainbow blur to zip past the mare, causing her to disappear, only for Rainbow Dash to appear in front of Applejack and Twilight.

“Woah!” The rainbow pegasus shouts in concern while carrying the crystal pegasus on her back. “What gives? She looks like she’s been through Tartarus!”

“Great catch, sugarcube~.” Applejack trots over to her lover, planting a kiss on their cheek. “Guess ah should’ah known you’d come flying to the rescue.”

Rainbow puffs her chest out. “As expected from the fastest flyer in Equestria and, eventually, Terraria.”

Applejack was about to form a witty remark, especially since she had a particular kenku in mind. Still, the pegasus mare on Rainbow’s back begins to cough as she regains consciousness.

Acting quickly, Rainbow lowers herself to the ground, Applejack carefully lays the crystal pony onto the ground, and Twilight fires up her horn.

“I’ll cast a healing spell,” The alicorn said. “Throw in a little stamina rejuvenation, and…there we go.”

With the spell cast, the crystal pegasus slowly comes to. “Wh…where…”

“Easy there, partner.” Applejack pats the mare in a comforting gesture. “Try tah get it together before-”

“M-monster!” The crystal pegasus screamed as she suddenly rose up onto her hooves at a speed that Rainbow Dash had to admire.

“Giant monsters! Snow!” Her breaths were panicked. “Castle! D-danger!”

Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, and nearby residents looked at the mare with worried looks.

---

Nearby and positioned on a building's rooftop, the golden stallion, Dinath, looks down upon them with a neutral expression.

“Twilight… Grow stronger, my beloved student. Of course, I’m also referring to the other you, who resides in the world beyond the mirror. And, one day, I hope to bring together all three.

Even now, dark forces work behind the scenes to challenge you, those you love, and everyone you have ever met in your travels. You must all meet your adversaries with courage, strength, and intellect.”

As he spoke, Twilight could be seen heading toward the direction of her castle with due haste, all while Rainbow Dash and Applejack tended to the crystal mare, who seemed to have screamed something that set off the lavender alicorn’s haste.

“In time…the call of Elysia will beckon to you all. And when that time comes…”

Twilight finally throws her castle’s crystalline doors open via her magical grasp, running in with batted breaths, not bothering to close them behind her.

“The multiverse shall quake from the war that’ll ensue in the Outer Realms.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 111 - You'll find these circumstances...Chilly Estimated time remaining: 43 Minutes