Several individuals sat on crystalline thrones surrounding the renowned ‘Cutie Map,’ save for the ones bearing the cutie marks of the Element Bearers. Others stood nearby and at several portions of the crystalline chamber, such as the Pillars of Terraria, Rajah Rabbit, leaders of Equus’s nations, and Terraria’s.

And the Cutie Map, which once depicted Equus, now showed the transparent entirety of Terraria.

However, vast portions of the map were shrouded in magical clouds despite its now-improved size, except for familiar locations once trod upon by Twilight, her friends, their many allies, and displaced landscapes from the former Equus.

“As you can all see for yourselves,” Harmony, Empress of Light, begins as she stands at the forefront of the crystalline, circular-shaped table map. “What was once called the Cutie Map back on Equus is actually an artifact we ancients and heroes of old used countless years ago, long before Equus’s creation. It allows one to traverse this world instantaneously via Pylons.”

A dark-blue hoof rises into the air, its owner sitting on the right side of the crystal table.

“Yes, Luna?”

“These Pylons thou speakest of. Pray, is it not the same as the crystalline structure thou used during our battle with the Corruption?”

Harmony nods. “Indeed. That was the Hallow Pylon, but there are others, too.”

“A Pylon’s appearance changes based on its surroundings,” the voice of Silence chimed in from across the table, Oblivion and Anubis positioned on one side with Celebes on the other. “If you were to set one down in the GrimDark, it would effectively become the Grim Pylon, for instance.”

“Same goes for the desert, jungle, snow, infections, and every other biome that exists regardless of its size and nature,” Anubis said.

“From how these crystals seem to act,” Cadence comments, Shining Armor and Athena sat on both sides, “It’s almost like they can adapt to any biome without issue.”

“That’s because they can! Ahahahaha!” Rajah Rabbit boasts as he hops into the air, front flips, lands on the Cutie Map, which impressively supports his weight and size, and flexes his arms while striking a pose. “You know those crystals each Pylon is made of? Hah!” He roars while striking another pose, causing several of those in attendance to facepalm - or hoof and claw - and chuckle.

“They’re from none other than Terra herself! Oh yeah!”

Athena giggles at the heroic figure’s actions, who proceeds to front flip off the table as she turns to Cadence. “Not just anyone can overpower an entire biome. And while infections can, of course, infect a biome, they’re not exactly destroying another space. They’re integrating it into themself, not destroying it.”

“I see,” Shining Armor accepts with a hoof at his chin. Another thought follows moments after. “So what exactly makes these Pylons capable of adapting to any biome so well, even the infections? Or maybe the question I should ask is: exactly how strong is Terra?”

At that moment, the room fell silent, and all eyes except for those considered fresh arrivals from Equus, like Shining, Cadence, and Luna, fell on the pony-turned-utopian.

“She is the most powerful being I’ve ever seen,” Silence answered matter-of-factly. “And believe me, I’ve met many powerful entities in the GrimDark, including my mother, but none hold a candle to Terra.”

“Most certainly,” Celebes the Dryad agreed at his side.

“Let me put it this way, Shining Consort,” Oblivion adds.

“It’s Shining Armor.”

“Yes, that’s nice. Anyway, if you ever asked yourself, ‘Who’s the strongest in Terraria?’ - Terra is the answer. And don’t let anyone else say otherwise.”

“Like Oblivion.”

“Exactly. Like Obli-” The skull wolf’s eyes widen, “Hey! Fuck you, Anubis.”

As the brotherly duo bantered, Harmony made her way around the table, intending to take her seat on that side, which was the empty throne alongside Oblivion. She formed a mischievous smirk along the way, and rather than taking her seat…

“And on top of that, I-!” Oblivion takes notice of his lover’s presence, cutting off the conversation, “Oh hey, baAAABE?!”

In one fluent motion, Harmony sits on his lap and adjusts herself, effectively blocking out the skull wolf from a certain angle.

The Empress clears her throat. “Now then, shall we continue?” She said as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hah!” Anubis cackled. “Yes, death by snu snu, wolf boy.”

Silence shook his head while others had varying reactions.

“Awww,” Cadence adored from across the way, resting her chin over joined forehooves. “That’s so romantic.”

Oblivion seemingly ignores his brother’s gest and the reactions of others as a claw rises and taps on Harmony’s shoulder. “Look, babe, as much as this turns me on, now’s not the-”

“Oblivion,” Harmony interjects. “Chairs are meant to be silent. So be silent, my dear.”

The claw ‘thumbs up’ and disappears behind Harmony. “Welp…guess this is my role in this meeting now.”

As everyone recollects themselves from the antics, Harmony remains seated on Oblivion as everyone awaits the next subject to be brought to attention.

“I’d like to bring up something that’s on everyone’s mind,” Steven the Clothier starts, standing next to his fellow Pillars as they lined a nearby wall. “What about our fellow Pillar, the Guide?”

“Ah, yes,” Silence agreed with a sage nod. “We must find Pomp immediately.”

“Agreed,” Athena said. “A world where a Guide is allowed to run amok is a world waiting to be destroyed.”

“According to reports,” Helena the Nurse began, “the Guide has already destroyed several settlements and has claimed many lives in doing so. But most disturbing of all…he’s recently claimed one of Dr. Draedon’s laboratories.”

“By Terra…” Katelyn, the Mechanic, said ominously. “I know better than anyone how horrible things could get if the Guide uses Draedon’s tech against us all.”

Murmurs began to echo throughout the room in agreement. “Then I believe we should call it to a vote,” Harmony said after a remorseful sigh. “Given the threat that he poses, with a heavy heart, I ask who here favors slaying the Guide to allow for a more proper one to be born? It is a hard decision to make…so I understand any hesitation…”

“Think of it… Can you all imagine what could possibly grow to be another Yharim with the knowledge of a Guide?” Celebes cautioned. “I shudder at the thought.”

A choking silence takes hold. Then…a hand is raised, and everyone looks toward its owner.

“I vote yes,” Athena states. “We cannot allow this Guide to tarnish the honor of those who came before him.”

Another hand is raised. “Yeah…” Anubis comments, followed by a sigh. “Shame. I really like the Guides…”

Harmony raises a hoof, and Oblivion’s claw rises behind her. “I had a Guide die in my arms once. His name was Mimir. He helped Anubis and myself in our fight against Fenrir,” the skull wolf said. “The Guides never hesitated to fight alongside any of us. If this guy wants to be tough shit, then tough shit. Let’s get rid of ‘em.”

More and more appendages rise with an accompanying statement from their owner.

“I…can’t raise my hand,” Rajah Rabbit said with folded ears. “While I agree with the threat he poses, I can’t bring myself to do the deed…”

Luna, Shining Armor, Cadence, and other leaders from the former Equus all shared a look. “We who once hailed from Equus wish to remain neutral in this vote for reasons similar to Rajah Rabbit,” Luna decrees.

“Truth is…we don’t know the Guides as well as all of you,” Cadence said with folded ears. “This is a complicated situation for us. If he attacks us all, we’ll naturally defend Home Town. But we can’t - no, we won’t go hunting for him.”

“That’s fair.” Silence nods. “As the Ancient of Knowledge, I suppose it is my duty to- NNGH!” The ancient then cries out as he tends to a painful migraine, prompting Celebes to place a worrying hand on him.

“Silence?” The Dryad asked. “Are you ok?”

“What’s wrong with him?” Oblivion questioned.

“He’s been having strange migraine-like symptoms as of late,” Celebes answered. “We even tried visiting the Nurse, but still nothing.”

“I-I also asked Lady Nightcrawler to access my psyche to see if she could find anything,” Silence managed, gritting his teeth. “With my consent, of course.”

“Wait…” Candy, the Party Girl, begins as she looks around. “Where is Lady Nightcrawler? And Sir Daybringer?”

“That’s just it,” Luna chimed in. “My mother has yet to awaken since entering thine Ancient of Knowledge’s mind. As such, my father has remained by her-”

The doors to the throne room are thrown open via a lavender magical grasp.

“E-everyone!” A panicked Twilight Sparkle shouts at the entrance after taking a breath. “Cryogen! Cryogen has awakened!”

Cadence urgently fires up her horn and teleports out of her seat, reappearing before Twilight in a burst of light-blue energy.

“Twilight!” The pink alicorn wraps a wing around her panicked and fellow lavender-colored alicorn. “What’s going on? Who’s Cryogen?”

Every ancient stood tall and firm at the very mention of that name. Well, except for Harmony and, by extension, Oblivion.

“So the time has finally come.” Harmony states.

“You knew that Cryogen would awaken?” Twilight questioned.

Harmony nods. “As Nyarlathotep died, he undid many seals and curses with the powers he wielded. It was only a matter of time until ancient foes would rise again.”

“Actually,” Oblivion began as his claw rises into the air from behind Harmony, “eldritch are technically genderle-”

“Shut up, my beloved.”

“Shutting up.” Oblivion’s claw disappears behind Harmony.

Athena determinedly slams her hands on the table. “Then let the hunt beg-!”

Suddenly, a cool breeze travels throughout the room, halting Athena’s words as she and everyone else look around, and the chilling wind causes the opened doors to creak as they slowly sway back and forth.

“Anubis,” Oblivion said as he turned to his brother. “You feel that?”

Anubis’s features hardened, which was enough to draw the attention of everyone else present. Let it be known that death, despite often being the center of jokes among the ancients, was a force to be reckoned with when he got serious.

“Yeah…I do,” Anubis responds, slowly standing up. Once he rises to his full stature, the Ancient of Death closes his eyes in concentration.

“Spiritual prowess is at work here…and this cold…it’s not-” the death being’s eyes shot wide open in realization.

“It’s her... So you’ve come to visit me, eh-”

[KSHLINK]

Ice consumes the room as a sphere of blue energy had manifested over the Cutie Map and exploded at such a rapid pace.

“Aaaahn!” Twilight cries out as she’s thrown out of the room and rolls on the floor. She collides with the hallway wall, letting out a painful ‘Oomph,’ and comes to a stop.

“C-Cadence!” She cries out as she quickly looks back to the room, eyes widening as she spots her childhood foalsitter frozen solid in ice.

Before whatever happened, happened, Twilight recalled how Cadence quickly pushed the lavender mare outside of the throne room but was unable to escape herself. And Twilight didn’t take long to realize that everyone within was frozen solid.

“B-but how?!” The idea was absurd. How could ice contain some of the most powerful beings she’d come to know? They could easily just shatter it from within!

Twilight’s ears perked up as hurried steps could be heard coming her way from down the hall, garnering the alicorn’s attention.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called out, trailed by Tzana, Linn, Arche, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Mena, Zecora, and Terraria’s own Cadence.

“What in tarnation?!” Applejack questioned. “What ‘appened here?”

“I-I don’t know!” Twilight screamed in response. “They were all talking; I came to warn them, and then this weird ice just showed up out of nowhere!”

Cadence, the Princess, looks over to the ice wall, which displays her alicorn counterpart.

“Oh, no!” She runs over to the ice, “I’ll save you, my fellow agent of love-!”

“Wait,” Tzana said as she swiftly appeared in front of the Princess, stopping her in place. “Don’t touch it.”

“What?” The Princess questioned in worry. “It’s just ice! Surly we could-”

“Literally everyone in that room could’ve busted out by now,” Tzana reasons with suspicion while looking at the ice and the encased alicorn. “Something’s up.”

“Yeah…” Mena said, walking forward. “My dad alone could break this stuff with just a blink of his eyes.”

Tzana nods. “And Princess Luna is immune to ice magic. Whatever this is, it’s not normal.”

“A chilling assessment, child of an Elemental Host.” A new and haunting feminine voice suddenly echoes out, causing everyone to form a circle formation instinctually.

“Child of an Elemental Host…?” Tzana muttered, astounded. “...What?”

“I’m sensing meanies!” Pinkie Pie screamed as her body twitched and shivered. “Meanies everywhere!”

“Anyone see anything?!” Arche asked, looking around.

“Nothing on my end,” Linn answered.

“Oh! Is that you, Arche?”Another female’s voice began. But whereas the last one possessed an authoritative composure like Luna’s, this one was more high-pitched and crazed. “Long time no see, little brother!”

Arche’s eyes widened in horrifying realization. “No…”

A black and purple portal opens further down the hall, opposite where Tzana, Linn, Applejack, and the others had arrived.

All eyes then rested upon another equine, who exited the breach while whistling a tune, an earth pony wearing mage attire with a grim color scheme. They perfectly resembled Arche, save for one crucial detail: it was a mare.

“Hi, everyone!” The newly arrived mare greets with a waving forelimb. “You guys catch the weather forecast? Getting real chilly as of late, huh?”

“Why are you here, Synergy?!” Arche roars out.

“Awww,” Synergy feigns pain. “Is that any way to talk to your sister, baby brother?”

“You’re not my sister.” Arche defied. “Not anymore.”

Synergy shrugs. “Eh, so be it. What use is family anyway, am I right?”

“Enough, Synergy,” the authoritative, feminine voice said. “You have work to do.”

“Tch.” Synergy scoffed while rolling her eyes. “You’re such a killjoy, Snowdrop.”

Suddenly, realization dawns on Mena. “Snowdrop…I know I heard that name before…”

“I’d assume as such, considering I’ve seen you around Yharim’s old domain, Mena. I wasn’t around much for my own reasons, but I recognized you instantly.”

“Yharim’s involved in this?!” Twilight exclaimed as Mena scoffed, muttering, ‘Of course, he’s involved somehow.’

“Ding, ding, ding!” Synergy emphasizes with a gesture. “Give the discount Devour of Gods a point!”

Twilight growls, preparing to retort that comment. But a sudden presence careens past her.

“I’ve had enough,” Arche roars out as he rushes forward and grabs onto his sibling, “of your bullshit!”

“Oh, okay. We’re doing this now!” Synergy shot back as she was forced through her portal by Arche, both disappearing as the anomaly closed behind them.

Snowdrop’s resulting annoyed sigh echoed through the hall. “Fine. It looks like I’ll have to do the heavy lifting myself.”

A cooling whirlwind then manifests as the temperature slowly drops with every passing second. The whirlwind explodes and forms a pillar of ice, and the silhouette of another equine can be seen within.

“Our enemies’ intentions are clear to us all,” Zecora said with narrowed eyes. “But they’ll find that we are ready for a brawl.”

As stated, everyone shifts in preparation for battle.

The ice pillar shatters moments after arrival, and as the pieces fall to the crystalline floor, an ice-coated pegasus stands before everyone with folded wings, closed eyes, and a lowered head.

As the final piece of the former pillar fell to the floor, the newly-arrived pegasus raised her head and opened her haunting eyes as it flashed and was consumed by blue energy.

“I sure hope you’re right, zebra, for I am not just any opponent. I am cold - absolute zero. For you see, in this universe, there’s only one absolute...” Snowdrop suddenly unfurls her wings as a wave of power blows past everyone, hairs and manes fluttering in the chilling wind.

“Everything...freezes.”

Arche and Synergy roll and wrestle against one another on a grassy field on a cliff’s precipice, which offers a fine view of Home Town, although it looks more like a capital than a ‘town’ in the distance.

“We really should stop doing this, brother,” Synergy said as she managed to pin Arche beneath her, looking down at him. “We’ll miss my finest work yet.”

Arche blinked, ears twitching from what he heard. “W-what?!”

Synergy looked off into the distance, Arche following her gaze from below. “Watch this.” Black and purple energy flashed in Synergy’s eyes, and an enormous portal appeared outside of Home Town and within a vast forestation.

The forest immediately began to freeze over as a powerful blizzard spewed out of the breach.

“See, I got to thinking,” Synergy said, but Arche maintained his wide gaze on the Snow-Biome-spilling portal. “Instead of waiting for Cryogen to expand the Snow Biome and eventually reach this place or wait for you dumbasses to go to it, why don’t I just give you guys a helping…portal.”

At that moment, an ominous and icy fortress began exiting the portal, accompanied by a drawn-out and horrifying horn sound mixed with whirling winds.

Cryogen had long since awakened.

Cryogen is now in Home Town.

"You know what put the ancients to sleep? The Ice Age!" - Snowdrop.