Chapter Text
Ever since the stars were hung back up in the sky, the DreamSMP had become a sort of hodge podge of information, and travelers coming to and from the now open server portal. Instead of just a portal out in the birch and spruce forest between the mesa and Las Nevadas, The Doomsday Relief Housing Services had gotten to prettifying it so no passerby's’ thought they had just stumbled into the middle of nowhere.
Benches had been added for sleeping and resting, with shields from the elements such as the winter snow and harsh rains that tended to come down during the humid summers. Around the portal itself was a brick path in a circle instead of just soil, each path a different material depending on where the person wanted to go. Packed ice for the Arctic, wood for Prime Path Residential, quartz for Las Nevadas. A nether portal was even set up with a nether brick path leading towards it, a gate around so any wandering mobs could just go back into the portal and wouldn’t be a danger to anybody.
A vending machine was rolled in from Skyblock that ran solely on dusted redstone, so nobody who came in or out would be without something to eat and drink. Once the December snow cleared in the spring, flowers and vegetation would be planted. For now, twinkling fairy lights and lanterns were strung around the portals and the trees, illuminating everything in a warm glow. Though with the bright stars and moon, lighting wasn’t an issue.
That’s what tourists tend to come for nowadays. The stars.
It was such a shock when the server portal to the DreamSMP opened up, that the mayor had to call a state of emergency for the day while she and her goons investigated it. Once it was deemed safe, it wasn’t long before Mayor Diana was speaking to Eret, The Red King, and Quackity, who she had deemed the de facto ‘leaders’ of the DreamSMP. She had only spoken to the leaders of Kinoko Kingdom once, but they seemed to be doing just fine without outside assistance. The one leader, Karl, wasn’t even aware his server’s portal had been closed, simply saying he had been ‘away on a holiday’. Diana didn’t know what sort of holiday he had managed to go on a holiday without leaving, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.
The DreamSMP had been in desperate need of help when trade was finally reestablished. Somehow, they were good on clothes, but they desperately needed building materials, food, and medicine. Mayor Diana had been more than impressed by the care packages they had been handing out, but they only had a health potion and gapple, no sign of any antibiotics, vaccine, or anesthesia. Those were put in special shulkers for medicine, which were to be set up by professionals.
They even received aid from the Mythland Embassy located on Skyblock. Sheep were brought to the DreamSMP for wool and meat, but by the king's advisors, not by King Sausage himself. And just recently, The Lost Empire set up trade with the nation of Las Nevadas. Emperor Graceffa had only spoken fondly of President Quackity, and ordered that containers of the finest coffee grounds, animal pelt clothing, and jade spears be sent to Las Nevadas at once. Mayor Diana had been unnerved by the red of his eyes, but she wasn’t going to be the one to rock the boat with an emperor. The mayor before her had tried to cut off trade with Joey Graceffa and MythicalSausage when they became possessed by the demon Xornoth.
It was no wonder Diana had been elected so quickly.
But that's beside the point. It was nice to see the DreamSMP begin to blossom and thrive, since the last time anybody had truly seen the server was after the disastrous event known as Doomsday. In two months' time winter would give way to spring, and the seeds they had been given would blossom into fruits, vegetables, and cotton for clothes. Hearth’s Warming had come and gone with a celebration of fireworks throughout the server, and a new beacon being put up. Less for the effects, more for the brilliant display of light.
The beacons could be seen from all around the server. The mushroom cottages of Kinoko Kingdom, the abandoned Snowchester manor that had become communal housing, and the ones still left in the Arctic could all view the effervescent rainbow beacon lighting up the sky, placed in the center of the Community House. So everyone would know where to go when they needed something, anything.
The Community House itself had been transformed too. While the walls of the bottom floor were still plastered with posters from years prior- election posters, missing posters, help wanted ads- the top floor had been turned into an HQ for the Doomsday Relief Housing Services. There was a suggestion box, a large window to look out of, free Wi-Fi that they got directly from Skyblock, and boxes of ‘give something, take something’. Each one labeled food, clothes, materials, first aid, books, toys, miscellaneous. The HQ was usually overseen by Puffy, when she didn’t have any clients.
Niki and Red were mainly in charge of Renchanting, as they always had been. Red worked his enchanting magic, while Niki channeled her magic into her pastries and lattes. It wasn’t a rare sight to see Jack Manifold handing out free samples on trays to passerby's', or for Niki to have a poster up in the window for a new sale. Two scones get the third free. Free iced coffee with every muffin. Things like that to bring a little more cheer into her bakery.
Martyn had taken up the ‘housing’ task of the Doomsday Relief Housing Services. Just like after Doomsday, he had started plans for new developments, starting with turning the Snowchester mansion into communal living. He lit the fireplaces and got to work cleaning, before he had Jack and Angel, when xe wasn’t preparing for xer upcoming teaching job, come in to measure everything out. There was plenty of space for families moving in, and the kitchen could be fully stocked to feed any number of people.
Eret was in charge of the diplomatic aspects of the DreamSMP, being the king and all. She and Red shared this burden, though she tried not to think of it as a burden at all, but her sworn duty. She’d sit with Mayor Diana, and however many ambassadors from other servers that were sent. She even was contacted by something called ‘The Hivemind’, and had a meeting scheduled. This excited her. Finally, her kingdom, her home, was flourishing.
Prime Path Residential wasn’t the only one thriving. Las Nevadas was starting to gain more citizens as people came for the glitz and glam and loud night clubs and stayed for the jobs and easy access to goods. Las Nevadas had wide sidewalks that accommodated wheelchairs of all kinds, and no vehicles were on the roads except for horses, and the occasional motorcycle that passed through.
A brand-new casino had sprouted up, seemingly overnight. When Quackity came back from the Hearth’s Warming Eve party on Hermitcraft, he found a new casino building had been built just beside the first- but without any walls, or back. The machines were all shiny and new, the floor was a brilliant gold painted marble, and there were stairs leading up to an upper floor nightclub. But no walls, or roof, or back.
It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. When he asked around who did it, Foolish had pointed to Quackity’s new friend, the one with the white hair and mask.
That’s why Quackity was bringing Etho to the meeting he had been invited to. The Doomsday Relief Housing Services had taken a page out of The Hermits book and decided to have weekly meetings to discuss new infrastructure, roads, businesses, trade deals, and more. Because of these meetings they had managed to build a new villager trading hall, and the beginnings of a greenhouse so they wouldn’t have to worry about food insecurity during the winter.
Quackity and Etho had their arms linked, Quackity using his other arm to lean on his cane. It was one of the simpler ones, made of sleek wood painted black, with a golden handle with a rose charm hanging off of a small hole. It matched his black blazer, black pleated pants, and the golden blouse he had gotten from Tommy for Hearth’s Warming. It was the first time Quackity had worn it, and it fit like a glove.
Etho on the other hand, was dressed much more comfortably. The same green puffy coat and muddy boots they had arrived with, but now they were dressed in a simple navy blue button up t-shirt and army print slacks. Quackity had asked very nicely if he could at least comb Etho’s hair back, but they just put on a gray winter beanie.
Etho’s spindly spider limbs poked out of their jacket, two of the four of them wrapped loosely around Quackity. They usually were much more reserved with their touch, but Quackity brought out the softer side they usually reserved for their closest friends. They smiled under their mask, walking with Quackity through the still janky nether hub. Some things never change.
They looked up at the nether’s new sky, admiring the same stars that hung in the Overworld. “Well would ya look at that.” They said to themself.
Quackity’s eyes followed Etho’s looking above. “Huh? Oh yeah, the stars. The sky just opened up, it’s fucking crazy, man.”
“Been around a while, and I have never seen anything like- watch out.” Etho pulled Quackity a little closer to them to avoid a hole in the roads that Quackity’s ankle nearly got caught in.
“Oh, uh thanks.” Quackity’s cheeks flushed.
“No problem, Quackers.”
Quackity’s wings gave a nervous flutter and he smiled sheepishly. There was something about that nickname that made his heart do flip-flops. Quackers. It had a soft silliness to it that Quackity didn’t think he deserved. That was a nickname you gave to a childhood friend.
“So where’re we headed again?” Etho asked.
Quackity was pulled from his thoughts by the scruff. “Oh, the Mainland! It’s a meeting with the other members of the Doomsday Relief Housing Services.”
Etho knew about Doomsday of course. They had read through the transcripts that the recap had pulled from the crystal shards. They hadn’t seen the whole thing, just the aftermath, when the hole in the bedrock had been formed. All they knew was how the server had banded together to try and help each other. They weren’t going to tell Quackity that they knew, of course, but they did give him a squeeze on the arm.
He appreciated the small gesture and squeezed back.
When they approached the portal towards the Mainland’s nether portal, Etho let go of Quackity to do a mock bow. “After you.” They said, a smirk playing under their mask.
Quackity rolled his eyes with a blush. “Why, you’re too kind.”
Etho stood behind Quackity, waiting for him to go first. Because it was the polite thing to do, and because Etho hadn’t actually used any of the nether portals around the DreamSMP before. They hadn’t even come from Empires through a portal! They had just kept wandering from The Undergrove until there was only wilderness for weeks, and finally, Las Nevadas.
The portal swallowed Quackity like a docile animal, and when Etho deemed it safe, they stepped through.
It was different than any nether portal Etho had experienced before. It felt like they were being burned alive by golf ball sized coals, only for their skin to slather itself back on and stretch snugly like a rubber suit. They fell to their knees when they exited the portal, hand over their mask. They heaved, blinking away spots dotting behind their eyes.
“Fuck! Etho- Etho are you okay?” Quackity had sweat through his blazer, his stomach in knots. He wrapped an arm around Etho’s torso, pulling them up to their feet. “C’mon, easy does it pal.”
“Wha- that isn’t right.” Etho wobbled, Quackity holding them steady. “What is wrong with that portal?”
“They’ve always been like that.” Quackity said simply.
“Well, they shouldn’t.” Etho swallowed a glob of bile lodged in their throat.
Quackity let Etho use him as a crutch, keeping them stable until they were able to walk on their own. This was Etho’s first time around the Mainland, and Quackity wanted them to have a good look around. He was glad they were visiting now, and not back in the fall when everything had gone to hell in a handbasket. Though a part of Quackity did miss it. He missed having Scar and Impulse around. He didn’t know what he’d do if Martyn left too, but thankfully he and Red were here to stay.
Etho blinked a few times and shook their head, slowly letting go of Quackity to have a good look around. The wooden path known as the ‘Prime Path’- Etho pretended not to gag just thinking of the name- was lined with shops and homes, each built from the same variations of oak wood, stone, and brick. Etho could see a golden M in the distance, and even further over the gray horizon, was an obsidian grid.
“Alright.” Etho said, clapping their hands together. “Lead the way, Quackers.”
Quackity chuckled, taking the lead towards Eret’s palace.
Eret smoothed out her dress for what felt like the billionth time. She couldn’t get the mocha color frock to sit quite right, and it was driving her up the wall. Maybe it was just nerves, as she had with every meeting. Or maybe she genuinely was just annoyed with her dress.
The plastic chairs and wooden podiums that they had been using before were replaced with an ornate and beautiful dark oak wood round table, and eight chairs around it. Everyone had their own chair, and they chose a circle table so it didn’t feel like no one person was in charge- they were all equals. Everyone at the meetings had a say.
Puffy circled around to Eret, putting a cup of coffee in front of her. She gave a smile, squeezing her shoulder. “Relax, Eret. We’re all good.”
Eret exhaled, taking the coffee in cupped hands. “Thank you, Puffy. These meetings just always make me so jittery.”
“You’ve got a lot on your plate.” Puffy shrugged, sitting beside her. “I mean, school’s gonna be opening for the first time ever in April, you’ve got trade to set up, talking to actual diplomats. It’s a lot to take in!”
Eret laughed nervously, blowing on her coffee before taking a sip. A vanilla latte with marshmallows. “I’m just glad I’m not doing any of this alone.”
“Can’t get rid of us that easily.” Puffy elbowed her gently, causing Eret to laugh again, this time in tandem with Puffy.
In through the door came Martyn, his coveralls covered in wood shavings, paint, and bleach stains. “Sorry I’m late!” He said, despite being the third person in the room. He slumped into his seat, taking a tick to catch his breath. “Been- renovations have been going smoothly, but it’s still a lot of work.”
“You’re alright, Martyn.” Eret was quick to reassure.
“If anyone’s late, it’s your boyfriend.” Puffy said.
Martyn just huffed, sitting up straight. “Renchanting’s always busy around this time, he should be here any click. Jack’s been good with the enchanter, so I’m sure m’lord will entrust the services to him for a few hours.”
Speak of the devil, Red’s heavy footsteps came up the steps. Just as Martyn predicted, his hands were covered in blue lapis dust, as were the bottom of his boots, leaving blue footprints through the palace that would have to be cleaned up later. “Apologies for the delay. Am I the last to arrive?”
Eret shook her head. “Not at all. We’re still waiting on Quackity and his guest.”
“Quackity’s bringing a guest?” Puffy asked curiously.
“Yes, but he didn’t say who. From what Quackity told me, they’ve been doing some fantastic redstone work around Las Nevadas, and thought they might be able to help out around here.” Eret said. “We still need to set up our own fax machine, as well as security cameras in the museum and-”
Before Red sat beside Martyn, he flashed Eret a sympathetic smile. “Yer majesty, we best slow down.”
Eret sighed again, turning the papers in front of her face down, and taking a sip of coffee. “...it’s weird without Pearl, right?” She blurted out. “And Jimmy?”
Martyn gave a solemn nod. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Least we got to see them all for the holidays, before it’s back to work.” He gave a hollow laugh, rubbing his temple. Red put an arm around him and he smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“What’re you gonna do?” Puffy said, tapping her hand against the table. “They’ve got their own shit going on back on Hermitcraft. I mean, you saw all that crazy stuff in the Shopping District! That statue was insane!”
“I still think Tubbo’s build was the most impressive.” Red said simply.
“M’lord, I think you’re a little biased.”
“Maybe I am!”
That got a laugh out of everybody.
Eret checked the time on her pocket watch and smoothed out her dress again. Quackity should be arriving any tick, and they had too much to discuss to keep going around like this. Yes, Eret missed the Hermits. She had tributes to all of them in the museum, hailing them as heroes for what they had done for the server. She missed Grian even if she didn’t see much of him, she missed Jimmy even if he had only recently snapped out of his funk with the prison, and she missed Pearl, Impulse, and Scar, no matter how short their time on the DreamSMP had been.
And of course, everyone missed Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo. Eret knew Angel jumped at the chance to be a schoolteacher because xe missed babysitting Michael and Grumbot. The Snowchester mansion was filled with life again, but Eret had to keep reminding herself it wasn’t the boys she had watched grow up before her eyes.
At least she was doing better than Red. He had what could only be described as empty nest syndrome from Tommy leaving the server. It was a little sad, seeing his ears and tail droop every time he was reminded that Tommy was miles away- so far away she was in a different time zone and climate entirely.
“Biased or not-” Eret tried to redirect the conversation “Our trip to Hermitcraft was an eye opener, and I hope we can take a leaf from their books and try to make our server a safer and happier place to be for our citizens.”
“Here here!” Red cheered. He didn’t have a glass to raise, but the sentiment was there.
Puffy raised her hand. “Hey, any reason why we don’t invite Techno and Phil to these meetings? I mean, they kinda represent what goes down in the Arctic.”
Eret tapped her chin in thought. “Hm, I don’t know. It’s the same reason we don’t invite Sapnap to represent Kinoko Kingdom for these meetings. There’s too much bad blood.” Eret was referring to herself and GeorgeNotFound , but also with Quackity, Karl, and Sapnap. She knew they had been an item, but now there was no word from either party about the others. “I’ve tried to set up meetings separately with them, but Sapnap seems to be content with keeping Kinoko separate.”
Martyn sighed. “Which is a shame. I mean, I’m no fan of that lot, but they have resources we could do with, and I’m sure if they came around here we’d have something they could use.”
“Ye can’t persuade those too stubborn to see past their own agendas.” Red said. “All we can do is help the people we can in our kingdoms. Quackity is willing to throw his hat in the ring, and for that I applaud him.”
Eret gave Red a grateful smile. She was glad, through all of this, they’ve had the aid of Renchanting. “Couldn’t have said it better myself, Red.”
“Where the hell is Quackity?” Puffy huffed, her horns thumping against the table when she rested her forehead against her arm.
Eret sifted through her papers. “There’s still plenty we can go over before he arrives. Let’s start with the schoolhouse, that should really be our number one priority. We have till April to prepare, and we’ve just started January. We need textbooks, school supplies, and a schedule. Angel and Amore have already built a playground out of sturdy vines and branches, which is a big help, but Amore already has his hands full with Las Nevadas. I wouldn’t want to put too much work on rose, so I won’t ask him to be a part of the faculty, but we need more teachers than just Angel.”
“I’d volunteer but-” Martyn started but was interrupted by Red squeezing his shoulders.
“Ye have enough on yer plate, my love. Renchanting, Las Nevadas, and the residents who will be staying in Snowchester all owe ye their thanks, but ye also need to remember to rest yer head.”
“Hey, it’s fine, I like the work! I like pushing myself!”
“Red’s correct.” Eret said. “You do so much, you deserve some time off.”
Martyn’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Is this just a nice way of me being fired?”
“No, of course not!”
“We’d be dead without you.” Puffy said bluntly. “Which is exactly why you need to relax a bit. Because if you drop dead, we’re all gonna be running around like idiots.”
Martyn’s cheeks dusted pink, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Aw. You guys are too much. Fine, I’ll take a break tomo-”
“You’ll take a break after this meeting.” Eret said with an air of finality. “I’ll tell Niki and Jack. If you try and get any work done-”
Martyn rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ve got the point. Geez, you really know how to push a pitch.” He propped his chin up with his hand, the other holding Red’s free hand, his arm still around Martyn’s shoulder. “At least let me see if Xisuma would be willing to come around and give us a few pointers.”
“Hmm. Fine. One email.”
“Thank you very much, your majesty.” Martyn gave a fake bow, making Eret giggle.
While jokes were passed around the table, none of them heard the footsteps coming up the steps, probably because they were missing the familiar click-clack that came with Quackity’s high heels. He was wearing a much more comfortable dress shoe today, per Etho’s request. The heels granted no traction, and there was still enough snow and ice on the ground that slipping was a very real hazard.
“Hey guys, I’m here!” Quackity’s voice came as he was halfway up the stairs.
Martyn stood up. “In here, Big Q!” He exclaimed, smiling. He was glad that Quackity, Red, and Eret were all working together, if only because it made things hell of a lot easier on him. As Quackity became more visible, Martyn started to ask, “how are things in-”
The words died instantly in his throat.
He stared at the guest who was arm in arm with Quackity. Shock was written clearly on his face.
Red stood up from the table so fast that it knocked Eret’s coffee cup onto her pile of papers. His tail ducked between his legs, and his ears pushed back.
Quackity smiled that dazzling smile. “Everyone, I want to introduce you to the future of Las Nevadas! This is-”
“Etho.” Red let what was barely a gasp of a breath, the wind having been knocked out of him.