Magi Chronicles: Fires of Equestria

Chapters

Chapter 1 -- Firefall [E]
Chapter 2 -- Impact
Chapter 3 -- Discovery [E]
Chapter 4 -- Breaking Ice
Chapter 6 -- Knowledge
Chapter 7 -- Apprehension
Chapter 8 -- Acquaintance
Chapter 9 -- Hindsight
Chapter 10 -- Ruin
Chapter 11 -- Arrival
Chapter 12 -- Reconnaissance [E]
Chapter 13 -- Adaptation
Chapter 14 -- Reunion
Chapter 15 -- Recall
Chapter 16 -- Nightfall
Chapter 18 -- Artifact
Chapter 19 -- Invasion
Prologue -- A Song in the Darkness
Chapter 5 -- Reality
Chapter 17 -- Assault

Chapter 1 -- Firefall [E]

Sunrise—the dull, orange glow danced above the horizon, broken up by the rising and falling of the hills in the distance. The orange skies above Equestria began to brighten toward a sparkling yellow against the contrast of brilliant blue when day proceeded to advance. The chilling autumn air brought in gentle winds that crossed through the multi-colored trees, causing many leaves to fall like snow. Small pillows of clouds floated aimlessly along the skyline. The hills were dotted with yellow hay-stacked roofs and wooden-framed buildings. The town of Ponyville had yet to come to life. A rainbow-maned pony flashed across the sky at near-blinding speed, patrolling the skies before embarking on her day with friends.

Today was a special day—the sunrise marked the coming of the princesses, Celestia and Luna, to the town. Luckily, the townsfolk had already prepared a day in advance. A door had swung open. The first of the inhabitants jumped out with a face full of joy, hopping up and down along the streets and chanting a short, sweet song over and over. Another came out with a bundle of food trays floating about and set them on a table near the town hall. Soon after, more came out—eventually, the whole town came to life within an hour. No sooner did the sun peek out from beyond the horizon, lathering a nearby mountaintop with golden brilliance. The day started out on cue.

A golden chariot appeared on the horizon, governed by two stout pegasi royal guards and escorted by several other guards. As planned, there were two occupants in the chariot. One had a mane that sparkled in the sunlight and worn a crown a bright as the sun—the other, darker one, had a flowing mane that glittered in the light and wore a chest plate and crown as dark as obsidian. Celestia and Luna, guardians of the cycles of day and night, arrived to Ponyville on schedule.

Their approach was subtle, as the escorts flew in for a quick landing, shortly followed suit by the chariot. Upon the first to welcome the princesses was a violet alicorn with dark-striped hair. “Princess Celestia. Princess Luna,” she spoke. “It is an honor to see you again.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” Celestia spoke, smiling quaintly at the gathering crowds that came to greet them. She briefly gazed over to Luna and then beckoned to the crowds. “Thank you all for coming. It is with our greatest and utmost gratitude that we celebrate the Autumn Solstice.” She paused for a moment. “I do not usually hold such an event, nor would I celebrate it this often, but today is a special day. We celebrate the anniversary of the Crystal Empire on this day and welcome their citizens across Equestria.”

The crowd cheered in excitement. A few crystal ponies had made their way to the town and were delighted to hear the news.

As the day went on, various activities had been set about around each avenue—making sure the princesses hadn’t got bored during their visit. Hide 'n Seek were amongst the most common activities, as well as apple bobbing and several taste testing booths around different parts of town. Several pegasi were hard at work, continually positioning a few tufts of clouds for a mini rally to present to the princesses. Despite the hectic mood in the skies above, the rest of the visit had gone better than expected.

The day had gone by fast, as the sun quickly began to hide behind the mountains. Late-night activities had already been prepared, and Philomena, Celestia’s pet phoenix, made an appearance and threw on a spectacular surprise display. It wasn’t until sunset when things outside the town began to wind down for the night. The town itself was still alive as the princesses continued to enjoy their stay. Lightshows and various activities were held in the guise of what light there was left. Stories were told amongst small groups ranging from common folklore to frightening horror tales. It was just before dusk when the crowds had gathered around the town hall to chat and sell goods amongst others.

It was once considered a tradition to honor those who had lost their own lives to service. Many people had strived to gain hope left behind by many of the unknown faces that had perished before the winds of war. There would be a wisp of courage that ran through the desolate and seemingly uncharted landscapes that were, once, home to a large colony of survivors.

Things were different.

The air reeked of fear as the civilization, known to many as a beacon of hope, had begun to show signs of fatigue, its weakness prodded constantly, and its greatest defenses rendered inapt of following through. It was a trying time—the Magi Civilization, in the year 20162, was under siege by a sudden attack led by their aggressors, the Rygoliths. Once, the air was peaceful and the lands of Litopia unscathed by fear. Now, the inhabitants are forced to flee from their home or hide in safe zones—far beneath the tarnished landscapes they had once cultivated in sheer beauty. Other nearby planets had shared the same fate, and it was so that the Rygoliths had to move on in their quest to fulfill their ultimate goal.

In a neighboring solar system, the planet Marcovi was undergoing a crucial change. Home to the legendary creatures known throughout the multiverses as the Precursors, many of the inhabiting colonies made amends to the fallen worlds, and prayed that the gods would defend their home hence the threat would come their way. What they did not expect was the fact that some had already arrived and had approached the planet from the night sky—avoiding detection from the naked eye. A few had noticed their entrance, but an early warning was too late. Worse, the aggressors had approached one of the most important cities on the planet.

Arriving by smaller drop ships, the Rygoliths boarded off and prepared themselves as they had begun their briefings and strategies to take over the city. The Rygoliths, bearing a striking resemblance to their lesser kin, the Metal Heads, came well-prepared and begun to storm the city from the North and East parts. They had brought heavy artillery to take care of attacks from above, and had reinforcements of heavy gunships and smaller recon drones to scout the surrounding areas. They had been trained to fight efficiently in wars, and so with each passing hour, block after block of furious gunfire and elemental chaos, the aggressors had slowly stormed their way through the city, until at last, they came to the most sacred site known only to the inhabitants.

~~~~~~

Within, the halls had shone with a bronze brilliance—stone walls tinted with a light shade of brown and etched with symbols only they could understand. The inhabitants of these halls had only mere moments to find the safety of the safest hiding spot before the Rygoliths would storm through.

“My lord.” An elderly figure hurriedly strutted through a bronze archway with several others, one of which was a young boy—whom the elder was speaking to. They all resembled humans, as they bore tall, slender bodies with tan skin. The only notable difference was their ears were long—greatly longer than an elf.

“We cannot afford to lose our hopes on these people! You must take shelter at a safe place!”

“But where would this ‘safe’ place be?” the younger one replied. He had black, somewhat mottled hair and diamond blue eyes. He wore a bright orange robe with black outlines. “I cannot risk being discovered by our aggressors in this condition.”

“Wherever the elements are strongest, it will be a lure for the aggressors. You must go to a place where the elements are least felt—they will help guide you there.” The elder figure took out a small multicolored rock and placed it in the younger figure’s hand. “This stone will help channel the power of the elements to give you strength when their presence is least felt. You must use it wisely, as it may attract the aggressors’ attention.”

The young one nodded and proceeded down a dark hallway.

“My lord—” The figure stopped halfway down the hall and turned around. The elderly held up a hand. “May the Precursors have mercy on you.”

The young one nodded once more and disappeared in the darkness. A set of stone doors closed and the darkness was swallowed up by a wall of impenetrable stone.

Author's Note

Chapter has received further revisions-- mostly to better explain the opening scene

Chapter 2 -- Impact

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 3 -- Discovery [E]

Serenity loomed over a large meadow, overlooking a winding river that gently flowed along the rolling hills between Ponyville and Canterlot. A few birds flew above the trees in a seemingly unusual fashion, but it was otherwise an ordinary night. On one side of the river, the remains of the torn shuttle had scarred the riverbank in its crash landing into the meadows, its fall cushioned by the trees that it had rammed in to. Fortunately, the landscape itself did not look awful.

On the other side of the river bank, a lone figure laid in the tall grass and cattails—it was the boy, who had survived the fall from above. He remained motionless, despite the movement of other woodland creatures that began to gather around the seemingly lifeless body. A rabbit focused its attention to the figure and prudently hopped over towards him, keeping its guard up in case anything was to move out of the darkness. The rabbit eventually got close enough to where it touched the hand of the figure. He twitched his hand slightly, but had remained motionless afterward.

The sounds of rustling bushes caught the attention of the rabbit, and it noticed a few birds flying overhead-- just feet from the tops of the tall grass. This startled the rabbit, and it dove back into the safety of the thicket. The rustling of bushes and tall grass became louder, and voices could be heard in the moonlit meadow-- growing louder at each passing moment.

The birds that had flown above the river had landed on top of the smoldering wreckage and made loud chirping noises. As they looked in every direction they could see, one of them caught a glimpse of the figure partially hidden in the tall grass. The bird projected an ear-piercing shriek and darted straight towards the motionless body, landing right on top of its chest.

A yellow equine flashed out from the trees and toward the edge of the river. The figure sported wings and long, loose, wavy strands of pink hair. It turned its head one way and looked the other, catching sight of the bird that was supported by... something. The figure silently gasped and flew over to the bird, where she began to see more of the awkward beige being that was lying down on the grass. Her eyes narrowed as she came within less than a foot of the strange being. She let out another silent gasp and muttered a few words. “Oh, my…”

A light blue equine flew above the treetops, a rainbow trail snaking behind it. It barely caught sight of the yellow figure that advanced toward the dark spot that laid flat on the moonlit grass.

"Fluttershy!" the light blue figure exclaimed, in a high-pitched raspy voice. She also sported wings, but had a spectral mane flowing down to the bottom of her neck, and her tail was the same way. The rainbow-maned pony dashed quickly to the ground next to Fluttershy.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash! Don't startle it..." Fluttershy said softly, raising her hoof above the figure.

Rainbow Dash let out a quiet chirp, covering her mouth with her hoof to refrain from bothering the figure. Her eyes narrowed as she made eye contact with the figure's physical appearance. The shape seemed similar to a few different species on Equestria, but something felt out of place with this one. The bird on top of the figure flew onto Fluttershy's shoulder and folded out a wing in the direction of the river. It was attempting to point out the strange metal wreckage that had crowned the top of the riverbank on the other side.

"What... is that?" Rainbow Dash cocked her head sideways, utterly confused as to the nature of the strange object. She was equally confused about the figure that lay before her hooves.

Several other figures appeared out of the thicket and stopped just shy of the river's edge. One of the taller figures spotted Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and pointed them out to the others. A purple unicorn was the first to arrive between the two other pegasus ponies, followed suit by a party of five others.

Twilight Sparkle, the purple alicorn, looked upon the motionless figure with a steady gaze.

Rarity, a white unicorn with a gorgeous purple mane, held a terrified look as she lowered her sight upon the figure.

Applejack, an orange pony with a blonde mane tied into a ponytail and who seemed to always wear a cowboy hat, carefully approached the group as she noticed the dark figure partially hidden by the cushioning grass.

The princesses, Celestia and Luna, examined the group just before they both caught sight of the figure.

Lastly, Pinkie Pie, the pink party pony, hopped along the river bank and stopped in midair as she laid her eyes on the strange figure. How she was able to stop and float in midair was only a nightmare to figure out-- let alone what she may possibly be thinking as she continued to stare at the figure with her mouth agape.

Twilight lightly pushed on the figure and took note of its movements as she did so. "Whatever this thing is, it certainly is affected by gravity and motion." She looked around and studied the landscape briefly before she laid eyes on the figure once again.

Rarity, shocked by Twilight's push on the unknown figure, held out a hoof. "Twilight, you should know better than pushing the poor thing. We have no idea where it came from, or whether it'd accept your push as a notion of curiosity."

Upon hearing Rarity's words, Twilight tapped her hoof on her cheek. "Hmm, it does seem to be in some form of discomfort." She looked up to Celestia. “Do you have any idea what it may be?”

Celestia studied the figure for a long moment. She seemed to recall faint memories of a certain group of beings, but could never really figure out what they were or what their intentions were about. She nodded her head.

“Ah reckon this thing might be listenin’ to us talking.” Applejack adjusted her hat, keeping it from sliding forth in to her field of vision.

Rainbow Dash beat her wings proudly, her hind hooves barely grazing the tips of the grass. “Oh, don’t be silly, Applejack. I’m sure it’s just in a deep slumber. I’d be out like a light bulb if I was out in the middle of the woods by myself. I wouldn’t even notice a herd of buffalo charging by me.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “And ah reckon you’d be considered a laughin’ stock to yer fellow pegasi friend up ‘n Cloudsdale if that happened.”

“Hmph! Way to be a buzzkill.” Rainbow Dash growled and flew back down to the ground, crossing her front arms and sitting down on her rump diligently. Applejack knew how to blow out Rainbow’s fire.

Rarity raised a hoof, gently tapping the bottom of her chin. “It’s just terrible thinking about this strange creature without any sort of comfort out here.” She gently rubbed the pale arm of the figure. She shivered as she felt the boy’s cold, dry arm. “Come to think of it, it really needs something warm. What kind of a blanket would it prefer?”

“I’ve got a few blankets at home, Rarity.” Fluttershy calmly flew up between Rarity and Twilight. “I use them for my animal friends, so some may be a bit small, but they might work.”

"Perhaps we should take it to our castle to give it some comfort while it is 'sleeping?'" Luna spoke, bringing comfort to the rest of the group with her calm voice. She glanced towards Celestia, who glinted in appreciation. Twilight drew a blank stare at the notion for a quick moment before nodding in agreement.

"I would agree," Celestia said. "My sister and I will escort it to Canterlot. It seems to have been on a long journey from wherever it came from." Her horn enveloped itself with her magic, and similar strands engulfed around the figure on the ground. As she began to lift it up from the ground, the figure let out a quiet sigh. Celestia noticed this and hastened her ability. With the help of Luna's magic, the figure was properly supported by both of their magic.

Pinkie Pie gasped at the sudden realization of a thought. "Oooh! Oooh ooh ooh! Maybe when it wakes up, we can throw it a BIG welcoming party-- with fireworks and cake and confetti! It'll be the best welcoming party in all of Equestria!"

"Pinkie..." Twilight grumbled softly, with a disgusted look painted on her face. She knew exactly what she didn't want to hear at this point.

"There'd be giant balloon statues of me and everypony else outside of the castle, and..."

"Pinkie."

"...there'd also be events, like Pin the Tail on the Pony, water balloon fights, and..."

"PINKIE!" Twilight roared through the meadows, attempting to keep her own sanity from blasting a magical crater around her.

Pinkie Pie giggled softly and blinked innocently towards Twilight. She managed a big grin on her face. "Yes, Twilight?"

Rarity rubbed one hoof on Twilight's back. "Oh, don't be too hard on her, Twilight. She's just as surprised as we are to the arrival of this... thing," she said, reassuringly.

Twilight sighed in relief, thanking Rarity for her kind words. Celestia and Luna were well ahead of them due to Pinkie's earlier distraction. Celestia held a warm smile, carrying the figure alongside her with her sister. It had been a long time since she had done anything cooperatively with her sister, and she realized that it had been an even longer time since she had learned about wherever this being came from. It almost felt as if there was something missing-- something off-key.

Twilight, who had been consumed in a brief period of deep thought, quickly cast away her assumptions and sprinted forth, catching up with Celestia and Luna. "Princess Celestia, what should we do? Should we help out as well?"

Celestia looked back. "Of course. It will need all the help it can get to regain its strength." She smiled and turned back to face the figure once more.

“What happened?” the voice of a humanoid bird broke out within the cockpit of a space shuttle. The avian figure stood tall and wore tight-fitting clothes that almost looked like armor at first glance. From the sound of its voice, it was a male individual, and he sported a beautiful array of feathers with various hues of brown feathers with muddy red accents. His eyes were of a brilliant gold, and his expression seemed less than pleased by what news he had heard.

He was amongst a crew of a few others in the cockpit, one of them being another humanoid avian with a pleated tan skirt, a dark gray vest, and a multitude of light brown and gray feathers over the rest of its body. The avian was female, based on the bulge of its upper chest. She had icy blue eyes and was primarily focused on the screen in front of her, which displayed a set of coordinates and pulsating bars. Sounds were emanating from a set of speakers next to the monitor, indicating a communications system between the operator and the rest of the crew to whomever was on the other side of the comm-link.

The member in front of the comms operator was a light-haired humanoid figure, with a marine braid in her hair. She sported a dark green heavy vest and camouflaged pants. Her hair reached down to her lower waist, and she had bright green eyes. She was focused at the canopy in front of her, which meant she was one of the two vessel operators. She was constantly checking in with the comms operator behind her, making sure she was heading in the right direction.

The other vessel operator was a male humanoid with dark, wrinkly skin. He had short, floppy ears that almost resembled a dog, and he had small, brown eyes. He had no hair on the top of his head, nor on his face, yet he seemed young of age. He had a tight fitting dark vest and pants, and was focused on the canopy window, as well as a screen with a circular green display. The display had a revolving white line that circled around the screen and highlighted several dots that the line passed over. This was assumed to be a radar display, and he kept checking up on it routinely while keeping a steady pace forward.

The furious avian figure had a clenched wad of feathers as its fist, and the skin above his nostrils began to blush with a red hue. Despite having a beak, he could speak fluently. Eagorans were exceptionally skillful in communicating with others.

The female vessel operator looked up at the reddish-brown figure and spoke with a heavenly sweet voice. “Randan, what’s the matter?” She glanced to the other Eagoran, who held a worried look on her face.

Randan sighed, letting go of some of the pent-up anger that was brewing within him. “It’s the commander. He’s not responding to any of our calls.”

The other Eagoran figure turned her head and looked up to Randan. Her voice was almost as soothing as the other female, although higher-pitched. “I’m sure he will be fine. It is, indeed, unusual that he wouldn’t be answering. Maybe he’s just beyond our range of communications.”

Randan managed to smile a bit. “Thanks for the reassurance, Cassandra.” He took another deep breath in and sighed, flushing out the rest of his frustration and giving him focus once more. “Renae, Otan. How long do we have until we gain another mission update?”

Otan, the wrinkly figure, glanced down at a display with shifting symbols and words. He spoke with a fairly raspy, guttural voice. “Based on prior communications with HQ, I’d say about ten minutes, give or take a few.” He looked over to the other operator, Renae, who nodded in agreement.

Randan nodded and walked over towards the canopy window, studying the starscape that glistened before them. He took note of a few passing stars, analyzing them and archiving the images to an onboard database, which would soon be transmitted back to their location of origin—their home, the Magi Civilization.

He whistled at some of the planetary clusters from his discoveries. “Any one of these places could be a prime resting spot for our commander.” He chuckled, holding his hand to his chin, as he continued to categorize all of the passing star systems. Some of them were, indeed, stellar resting spots, while others were uncomfortably uninhabitable. He made a few grimaces to a few planets—one of them sporting an oozing acidic surface. “Would anybody want to live on a planet full of battery acid?”

The other crew members shook their heads and held sour expressions.

Randan tossed the holographic screen into the slot of a CPU-like device, which processed the information and prepared it to be inserted to the database. It was almost like clockwork inside the cockpit.

Cassandra jumped from her seat when she heard a loud beeping sound emanate from her console speakers. The rest of the crew turned around to face her and see what the fuss was about.

Otan was the first to speak. “What in the blazes was th—” Before he could finish his question, a familiar voice could be heard throughout the cockpit. “Ah, it’s HQ.”

Renae flipped a few switches, and a shudder closed the canopy, hiding the starscape from view. The cockpit dimmed a bit, but was still bright enough for everyone to see. A holographic screen flickered to life, showing a well-dressed male individual in a corporal’s hat and uniform. The man appeared to be in his post-adult years, as signs of aging were evident on his face, though he still held a tall posture despite his appearance. Renae spoke in a delighted voice. “General Reichert. What a pleasure to hear from you again.”

The man spoke. “Well, it’s good to hear from you too, Renae, Otan, Randan, and Cassandra.” He cleared his throat. “I assume the space shuttle Harmony is in working order?”

“It’s never treated us any better,” Otan spoke happily.

“I assume you have a new update to the mission for us?” Randan inquired.

“As a matter of fact, yes I do.” Reichert held a small holographic screen in front of him. He hovered over a few buttons and a screen appeared right in front of each of the crew members. The screen had the coordinates of their present location represented as a triangular chevron, and two other dots—one of them pulsating with a widening green circle. The red pulsing dot was assumed to be an aggressor vessel or group.

“We’ve recently picked up a faint signal from the Elzar region not far from where you’re stationed to be. We had only just received this signal a few minutes ago, and have cross-referenced it to be of Precursor origin. We believe it to be a type of distress beacon.”

Everyone’s eyes widened and faces stiffened. They looked at each other in motionless horror. Cassandra spoke with a faint, dry voice. “Th… The commander..?”

Reichert couldn’t do much but evict the same emotion. “Oh, my…” was all he managed to say. “If you will excuse me for one moment…” He got up and put the link on hold.

Randan collapsed on an empty chair and sighed in disbelief. “Dammit…” He shook his head and covered his face with his feathery hands. “Now what?”

Renae still looked at the others for what seemed like half an hour, before the screen flickered back to life. Reichert was present once again, but was accompanied by another, younger figure. She was an Eagoran figure, but most of her feathers were covered by a tight-fitting corporal’s uniform. The crew members immediately knew who it was.

“Lieutenant Hena,” Cassandra spoke, flashing away her look of horror. “It’s an honor to see you again.”

The lieutenant cleared her throat and spoke with a lower-pitched harmonic voice. “It’s an honor to see you again, members of the Harmony vessel.” She assumed a commanding position, standing tall and making eye contact with the crew members. “We were only made aware of the distress beacon, but we did not take into account who was on board the vessel. We can only hope that he is okay.”

The others shared concerned looks with each other.

“We have notified the Halo and Beta task forces over to your scouting lane, and we are also calling for the Atlas unit to make their way to your present location. We are re-enabling and reassigning you, effective immediately, to combat patrol.” She pointed out the red dot that flashed on the screen. By its updates, the red dot was not far from the Harmony’s current position, but was also closing in to the location of the distress beacon. “We’ve also discovered a large quantity of Rygolith drop ships heading for the location of the signal. We do not believe that they have an exact location of the signal, as they are travelling to and from various systems. Fortunately, we can only assume that the signal can be safely retrieved by us, but it’s only a matter of time before they find its origin.”

The aggressors—they knew. “You will be designated as the mission coordinators. Anything that we relay to you before the mission starts will be for you to relay to the rest of the units. We will brief all of you before you embark. We need you, and the combined units, to secure his present location and to keep the enemy Rygolith unit at bay—force their retreat, if possible, without engaging in heavy warfare. This will be a combat patrol mission, and you will be fully armed in case of an emergency. We will also have reinforcements available if things get out of hand quickly.”

Reichert stood from his seat. “This mission must be done under complete long-range electronic radio and radar silence. This means no contact from any outside sources, including communications from Headquarters. The aggressors must not know of your arrival, or they will immediately suspect your intent and will attempt to engage you without warning—thwarting the safety of the mission, and of your lives. You will be allowed to use short-wave radio transmissions to coordinate with the other units and to home in on the location of the distress beacon.”

Hena spoke. “We are counting on you, crew members of the vessel Harmony, to safely secure the Commander’s location. He is a critical combat asset to the Civilization’s well-being. Losing him would mark the beginning of the civilization’s end.” She saluted with Reichert, and the crew members did the same. “Ate-zuo.”

The holographic screen flashed to a blank state and the cockpit brightened. The crew members in the cockpit drew heavy breaths, knowing full well what they were about to be faced. This was a mission of fate.

Renae stood up from her seat and made her way to the back of the cockpit, signaling Randan to come with her. “We’ll need to notify and brief the rest of the crew.” He nodded and followed suit. “Cassandra, keep tabs of all communication lines and flag down the Halo, Beta and Atlas units for us. Otan, keep a watchful eye on the radar. If you see anything pop up, notify us immediately.”

Otan saluted. “Will do, ma’am!”

Cassandra smiled. “Roger!”

~~~~~~

The double doors opened and a larger room came in to view, carrying a few vehicles of varying size. One of them was a small buggy sporting heavy duty wheels and plush suspension that would be able to hold a few people. Another was a large transport rig with several heavy duty composite wheels and a covered bed behind the cabin of the truck, which was for the buggy that was parked next to it. It seemed like it’d also be used to transport a large group of people as well.

Hanging above was a fairly small aerial vehicle. It was large, since its wings were folded up, but was small enough to fit inside the vessel. The aircraft had a set of camera lenses on a circular dome—a vision instrument. It was an unmanned aerial drone in storage. It had a three-bladed propeller on the back-end, and it carried sensitive reconnaissance equipment on its wings, as well as a few tactical long-range missiles.

All of the vehicles seemed to have a similar power source—a glowing crystal with an orange tinge emanating from the outer edges, deepening towards the center—Power Eco crystals. The crystals were hidden behind vented grates that allowed heat to escape. For now, the crystals were cool to the touch, since the vehicles were not in active operation.

There was a work crew of at least twenty others of varying physical differences. Some of them were of Eagoran descent, some of them looked like Rygoliths, while others looked like normal humanoids with subtle differences. The few Rygoliths that were on board had regular engineering outfits and were analyzing the state of the large transport rig. They were quickly racing around the perimeter of the vehicle. The Rygoliths were found together as an untamed, uncontrolled scouting party. They were found by the Magi Civil Defense and were brought to peace by being offered shelter from the aggressors. In essence, varying groups of nomadic Rygoliths fought proudly alongside the Magi, showing further resentment to their originally hated leader.

Randan and Renae both clapped their hands, and all of the work crew stopped what they were doing. Randan spoke above the sounds of the mass drive engines that hummed above the workspace. “Everybody, gather around! We have an important announcement to make!”

All of the work crew dropped whatever they had carried and obeyed the order, surrounding the two commanding members. One of the Rygolith members smiled. His eyes glittered with a brilliant golden luminescence, and the skull gem on his forehead helped aid in the brilliance. His skin was a deep shade of purple with dark spots on his arms and legs. He slung a wrench over his shoulder as he anticipated the news. “Well, it’s been a while since we’ve been given an update. What’s new this time?” he spoke in a low guttural voice.

Renae glanced to the figure that spoke and smiled. “It’s been a while for us as well, Gelar. We have just been reassigned to a new mission by HQ.”

All of the crew members held puzzled looks. Some of them gasped in surprised. Another one of the Rygoliths stepped forth and spoke in a high-pitched raspy tone. “A new mission? What have they reassigned us to?”

“We have been assigned to combat patrol.”

The work crew held a sign of both concern and anticipation. Gelar spoke. “Combat patrol? What’s the occasion this time? A surprise attack on an aggressor settlement?”

“No,” Randan held up a hand. “We are doing a combat patrol and defense for an important figure of interest. He is a critical combat asset to the Magi Civil Defense and to the civilization as a whole. You may know who that is. If not, we will brief you about him later.”

Everyone knew, and continued to listen carefully to the coordinator’s words. “Good. So you all know who we’re talking about. This will be relatively quick.” He pointed out the small armory on the side of the vessel. “We have plenty of arms for everyone, but we will also be aided by the Halo and Beta units, as well as support from the Atlas command vessel—Atlas I.”

A young woman exclaimed in surprise. “The Atlas I? That’s being deployed to combat? Awesome!”

Renae extended a hand to the young, giddy female engineer. “It seems we have someone on board who knows about the Atlas.”

The girl grinned. “I helped support the mechanical engineering crew for the Atlas project. That is one doozy of an aircraft just to put together. Imagine all of the blueprints…” She gawked, rolling her eyes in disgust. “I’ve never seen the Atlas deployed in combat! This may even be its first deployment!”

Randan chuckled. “Good work, Jenna.” He resumed eye contact amongst the others. “As instructed, we are all designated as the mission coordinators, so it will be our job to relay important mission details with the other units. We will be boarding the Atlas I to assume our mission details and we will be briefed by HQ about the circumstances of the mission and the objectives.” He rubbed his hands together. “Right now, let’s focus on setting up!”

Renae clapped her hands, and everyone quickly moved about the workspace, packing up their dropped tools. Most of them continued to work on the vehicles, while some set their tools aside and opened up the armory, taking inventory of all stocked equipment and arms at their disposal.

Chapter 4 -- Breaking Ice

It had only taken a few days since the fall of Marcovi for the bulk of the civilization to fall into the grip of fear and chaos, once conquered by happiness and peace. The upper echelons of the Council were fast approaching the tightrope of fate, as their last-minute options ran thin. It would only be a matter of time before the rest of the civilization fell into terminal pandemonium, without the aid of the Council.

What kept that from happening was a small, yet essential, part of the civilization. It was a very basic, well-known concept that was first educated to the most astute scholars; now, just about everyone knew about the legends. It was the notion that all worlds were governed by a single, powerful force that kept all of the worlds in close connection to each other. The Elements, the driving force behind the veil of the cosmos, played a key role in keeping the civilization in check—even in the face of unfathomable odds.

Light and Dark were the foundations that drove the elements in to existence. The creation of more worlds prompted the creation of a greater balance to keep the bonds of Light and Dark in check. The Elements of Nature were created, sealing the bonds between the worlds and comforting the balance between the greater domains. Guardians were elected from the cosmos to become the soul defenders of the individual elements.

~~~~~~

Mar’xem, the Guardian of Fire, is an individual of invaluable courage and unbreaking fortitude. He was first deemed as a cursed soul with a gift of unstoppable fury. He had learned to control his fury at an early age, following an incident that had nearly decimated his own hometown. He is well-disciplined, but still carries fragments of his rage—a burden he holds with his element. He is a great speaker, often carrying his own voice across great distances to be heard. Sometimes, he can be a bit of a mouthful. He is claimed to be too much of a talker, and is sometimes blamed with speaking on behalf of his siblings more often than not.

Aaron, the Guardian of Ice, is an interesting individual. He is considered the wisest of the brothers, but is also the most soft-spoken. He is a man of few words and almost never deploys himself into diplomatic or political disputes. He usually lets his brother, Fire, do most of the talking. Ice, like his namesake, has a more isolated personality, but he does not lose his grasp on the element he represents. He holds a strong connection with his siblings, often extending his wisdom at key moments. He speaks few words, but people listen to him when he does manage to say something relative to the situation.

Kendan, the Guardian of Lightning, is an individual of astounding valor and insight. He is the most active of the siblings, and his element reflects his personality almost like a mirror—spunky, quick-minded, and noble. He is quick to attract attention on a dime, and uses his own wits to his advantage. He is certainly not the most social of the brothers, but he still has quite a bit to say. His intuition is an invaluable skill that, unlike his other siblings, grants him the knowledge to adapt to a given situation even before it occurs. He does not use his insight to gain any unfair advantages, as he is aware of his own limits.

Emily, the Guardian of Wind, is an individual of delight and motivation. She favors the nostalgic energies of nature that glide along the worlds within an orderly flow. She has learned to keep herself in sync with the energy, due in part to the element she represents. Her personality reflects her element, in that she is self-disciplined and will never leave anything to chance. She has a delightful desire to let her own knowledge flow freely through the twisted bands of the elemental sea.

Erika, the Guardian of Water, is an individual of breath-taking beauty and unparalleled elegance. She is the most elegant of her siblings, and her benevolent nature offers soothing comfort to those in her presence. She is considered the Healer, and as her element suggests, she is rhythmic and gentle in her knowledge. She has a way of communicating with others; often times, her sweet melodies attract the noble and the worthy before her.

Crystalle, the Guardian of Earth, is an individual who exemplifies strength and tolerance. She is considered the most rash of her siblings, but she usually does not show her true colors unless she truly felt it necessary. Like her element, she holds a steadfast personality and is highly social towards others. She always stands her ground even if it may be unnecessary. Like her brother, Ice, she withholds a great amount of wisdom, although she does not hold nearly as much experience as her outspoken brother.

~~~~~~

The House of the Elements, a refuge where the six guardians carry out their duties, is a place sought out by many who could only dream of walking amongst the righteous. It is a place even the most noble would dare not approach; to a normal outsider, it is a forbidden place. Strangely, the House of the Elements is not a typical castle retreat surrounded by a large colony like in the old stories of kings and nobles. Instead, the House lies in a substantially large canyon floor, surrounded by overgrowing foliage and large, spectacular waterfalls.

The place, itself, looked more like a cottage carved into the canyon wall. It was a fairly large complex, with enough room to hold festive ceremonies and large gatherings. They did not use the space for such occasions. It was their home. The elements had strong ties here, and they used the large ceremonial hall as their focus point to sense the cosmos beyond the civilization. They were the chroniclers of the balance of the elemental forces that fed the worlds and beyond.

Outside on the porch, near one of the waterfalls, Ice and Earth were focusing on a small strand of power that was felt through a passing wave of energy, taking in as much knowledge and information as they could. It was hard work memorizing and categorizing fonts of information. Such is the way of a vast world, and they knew they had to keep up with the worlds to ensure that the proper balance was maintained.

Fire stepped out from the hallway and out on to the porch. He took a good, long gaze at the two, feeling their presence in the air. He felt the energy as well, although it didn’t feel as strong to him. He took one small, quiet step forward.

Ice wrinkled his nose—he kept his eyes closed. “All is well, brother?” he spoke with a calm, collective voice.

Fire halted, standing still as he examined the two siblings. It was clear that Ice had felt his presence even before he stepped outside. He chuckled and rubbed his nose briefly. “For the most part, we have felt nothing of unusual happenstance,” he spoke in a kind manner, holding his hands behind his back. He took a few steps forward once more, letting the trail of energy flow across his fingertips as it gradually became stronger and more prominent. “I’m guessing there’s not much to note about this strand?”

Ice tilted his head slightly. “I suppose it’s not too exciting. There is still some use with this knowledge.”

Fire extended his hand. He could feel the faint presence of a young girl running through a beautiful meadow, letting her absorb the majestic wonders of the life force that surrounded all living things. The life force was the essence of the elements—the driving power of the civilization. It was what enabled the Magi to utilize the powers of the elements. He brought his hand back to his side and studied the two siblings in their embrace. “Have I told you how stunning you two look?”

Ice only managed to smile. Earth brushed back her bangs. She managed to giggle lightly to her brother’s remark, and spoke in a light, harmonic voice. “That wouldn’t be the first I’ve heard of that claim.”

All three of them smile and chuckled towards one another. A familiar voice could be heard echoing throughout the complex. It was Lightning’s voice.

“Brothers! Sisters! Come quick!”

Ice and Earth opened their eyes and had quickly let go of the strand. They focused their attention to Lightning's call—there was a sense of urgency hinted by their sibling. Fire had already made his way to the temple forum, where the other three siblings were. Ice and Earth were the last to arrive.

Water stood in front of a dish of water that was illuminated with a bright blue brilliance. She held her hand over the dish, not expending a flinch.

Fire spoke in a tone of concern. “What is wrong, brother?”

Lightning turned to face his brother. He held a worried expression. “It’s not me. It’s her.” He gestured toward Water, who was beginning to breathe harder and faster. It took about a minute or so when she gasped for air and ripped herself from her focus. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

Ice stood forth and bowed to his sister. “Is everything alright, sister?”

Water, knowing full well about what she had felt, looked up to her brother and gave a bitter frown. “I’m afraid not, brother. I fear something may have happened to the guardian.” She looked up through the skylight above and analyzed the skies above. “I cannot feel his presence.”

Everyone stood back in fright. Wind gasped. “The precursor guardian?”

Fire held a hand up to his chin. “You can’t feel his presence?”

Water nodded. “I’ve only noticed a slight change in his powers a few days ago. Between then and now, his presence started to fade, little by little. Now, I cannot see past the veil of the elemental division.”

Ice stepped forth and loomed over the dish. “Perhaps he is still fine. It may be that he has reached the edge of the elemental bonds. Who knows what could lie beyond the threshold of the known worlds?”

Earth stood next to Ice, contemplating about his mixed feelings he had displayed. She knew Ice had concern over the boy, but she also knew that he had a subtle tone of clairvoyance. He wouldn’t let the boy’s sudden disappearance get the best of him. “While we were delving deep into the banks of a passing elemental stream, we noticed a strange power—some sort of strange energy. We felt the boy’s presence, and as you described it, sister, his power was waning further towards this force.” It was at this point everyone drew their attention to Earth. “I believe he’s headed toward the one place we have not spoken of for a long time. This may be his time of trial that we have all been waiting for.”

The others looked at each other, taking in what their sister had said. It was a lot to process, but the explanation helped draw out some confusion. Everything began to fall in place.

“Brothers and Sisters,” Fire said, extending his arms out to his side. He tilted his head up towards the hole in the ceiling, which had illuminated the observation room which they were all standing in. “Let us come together and open the door. The time has come to extend our reach beyond the edges of the civilization. Let us spread the light of hope and defeat the shadows of fear. Let us uncover the hidden secrets of the worlds beyond, which had plagued us with concern for many eons.” The others joined him and encircled the observation dish, which then began to develop a dome of multicolored light above it. “Let us reawaken the spirit of harmony within ourselves.”

At those words, the elementals closed their eyes and spoke ancient phrases to themselves. These phrases had a profound effect on themselves and to their surroundings. The dome of light intensified and shot a shaft of brilliant multicolored light up through the crack and into the open sky above. Their powers caused a shift in the elemental sea, which brought in streams of elemental magic right through the center of the pillar. The ethereal movement created a current of swirling energy that renewed and replenished lost portions of power from the fallen worlds.

A familiar world, lost in the mists of time, had resurfaced. The guardians were the first to realize, though they were not alone. They were still unaware of the circumstances that were burdened upon the rest of the civilization. Things would change drastically once they found out that the situation was much more grave than they had anticipated.

The winds blew on the frail, withered leaves of the maple trees, covering the ivory walkways of the castle courtyard. Canterlot, one of the few refuges of harmony, was a city unlike any other in Equestria. The grand facades and castle towers loomed over the skyline, portraying their beautifully crafted stone work. Their awkward shapes helped keep them from succumbing to the fiercest of severe weather patterns. Just about the entirety of the castle was hewn from hardened sandstone and ivory, and a lot of the sandstone surfaces were lathered with decorative patterns in many colors and variations. The tops of the towers held the most exquisite and intricate designs—sometimes even representing the spirits of the sun and moon themselves.

The inside of the castle held the fruits of the inhabitants’ labors. Tapestries and fine arts lined the ballrooms and hallways, setting a perfect spacious atmosphere where even the most skilled artist would be left at awe. Several statues stood idly along the edges of the Grand Hall—the crossroads of the castle grounds. The grand hall was a remarkable sight, with red linen carpet spanning all across the floor to the four entryways. One archway led out to the courtyard, another had followed a staircase, which split in to two separate directions. The final archway led into another, smaller hallway with a spiraling staircase that led to the upper part of the main complex.

Out in the courtyard, several tall towers were supported by an array of reinforced stone supports. The towers themselves hung out over the cliff, which would easily give the faint of heart anxiety. For those who braved such heights, it was a spectacular view to see everything above and below. Most days were spotless in the weather, yet there were a few extreme days in between. Strangely enough, the castle itself wasn’t cold, despite being placed near the top of a mountain.

Princess Celestia, the princess of the sun, held an astonishing role within the walls of Canterlot. She was a gorgeous individual who held herself true to her words. She was an honest, respectful, and wise mare, and she never flaunted her duties. Her flowing mane sparkled with the spectrum of the softest lights, and her white coat reflected the sun’s radiance off of her, giving her greater visibility while standing in the light. As she was a princess of the sun, she held her own wonders within Canterlot, but at the same time, she was also burdened with the hardship of monitoring and caring for the land of Equestria.

Celestia’s sister, Princess Luna, also held an important role in Canterlot. She was the princess of the moon, and her true purpose would be witnessed during the night. She was a dream walker, meaning that her responsibility was to take tender care of each and every ponys’ dreams. Her dark flowing mane sparkled with starlight and was much more noticeable in the dark. Her dark blue coat held a pristine sheen that made her a mystical individual, sometimes flaunting her own beauty before her loyal subjects. Luna was well-respected and charming, and she had a way to influence other’s self-esteem. She, herself, had been burdened by her own past, which had influenced her to keep a few personal memories to herself. Her own reserved nature was a telltale sign of her troubles, but many had never dared asking her of her troubled past.

~~~~~~

Celestia’s quarters was placed at the very top of one of the suspended castle towers, and, undoubtedly, one of the furthest away from the main castle courtyard. A dark stone fireplace marked one end of the room and a large oak closet on the other. In between, a large couch with purple velvet covers lined one side of her bed, which, surprisingly, didn’t look too much like one. Her bed was a thin mattress adorned with a silk purple blanket and two white linen pillows. An oak table stood at the head of her bed, topped with only a few candles and a few golden trinkets of her recent travels.

The door opened, and Celestia trotted through with the boy slightly suspended from the ground with her magic. Luna followed shortly, as well as Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. The rest of Twilight's friends chose to wait behind.

Celestia gently positioned the boy on the couch, placing her hoof on his chest and adjusting him to a comfortable posture. She took the silk blanket from her bed and wrapped it around the boy, sealing him—from neck to toe—from the cold autumn air that hung over the castle. Only his head remained visible. He still had his eyes closed, and he continued to breathe in a deep, rhythmic trance.

Twilight held a hoof to her head and hummed in question. “Should we try to wake it up?”

Celestia shook her head. “No. It has been on a long journey from wherever it came from. It needs its rest.”

Luna stroked the head of the boy, parting his short, furly black hair. “It’d be interesting to see what it may be dreaming about. Wouldn't thou agree, sister?”

The thought almost made her laugh. “That would be fairly interesting.”

“Aren’t you able to, princess Luna?” Twilight asked.

Luna raised an eyebrow to the question. “That would require knowledge that is, frankly, out of our reach.” She frowned, continuing to look down on the boy’s relaxed posture. “We do not know what it would do if we interfered with its dreams.”

Twilight continued to hold her hoof to her chin, concocting yet more questions and ideas. It took her a full minute before an idea struck her. “I got it! Maybe the royal library may have some old books and tomes about what this thing may be and, perhaps, where it may have come from.”

The princesses looked at each other, then back to Twilight. Celestia stood forth. “That is a good plan, but I’m not sure the library would even have the knowledge of such a thing. I guess it’d be worth a try.” Luna nodded.

“Then I shall return with answers to many of our questions!” She whipped her tail and sped out to the door. She stopped at the threshold. “Hopefully…” With that remark, she was gone. Only the princesses and Fluttershy remained.

Fluttershy gently tiptoed to the side of the couch and stroked his arm from underneath the blanket. She was surprised at how cold he was—she could almost feel it shivering. “Oh, my goodness. It’s cold.” She had a worried look on her face. She wrapped one of her arms around the figure and caressed him tightly, letting her warmth seep in to the frail boy’s chilling body.

Celestia walked up to the foot of the couch and placed her hoof on the boy’s cheek. Fluttershy was right. The boy was frigid cold. She rushed over to the closet behind the couch and searched for a bigger blanket. She found one of a bright blue color that had been stuffed with duck down. She carried it over to the couch. Fluttershy took the blanket and wrapped it around the boy along with the existing blanket, tucking it underneath him and making sure to cover every inch of his body, except for his head.

The boy breathed out heavily, parting the ends of Fluttershy’s long pink hair. She looked up at him and studied his facial features for a long moment, wondering if he was awake. He still held his eyes closed, and she continued to hold him in a warm, welcoming embrace.

The boy breathe out heavily again—this time, it whispered something as it breathed. It was barely audible, but it was clear that words were being said.

Luna crept closer, trying to hear what he was trying to say. She leaned in close enough to where her ear was inches from the boy’s mouth. She could pick up faint traces of the boy’s inaudibility. It was clear that it was still asleep, but she knew that any amount of information would be crucial to help best accompany him. She made out only a few words, which were repeated a few more times.

"Help… cold... can’t..."

Luna cooed, brushing the boy’s cheek with her hoof. The boy started to move, but, out of spite, was hung up by Fluttershy’s embrace. He moaned quietly, letting himself fall back on to the couch’s cushions. Luna studied him for a moment. “He looks a bit uncomfortable.” She noticed that Fluttershy still had him locked. She cleared her throat. “Fluttershy, would thou'st mind giving him a little breathing room?”

Luna’s words snapped Fluttershy out of her daydream. Almost immediately, she slid her arm out from behind the boy and pushed herself up into the air. Her face blushed heavily, as she was rendered speechless.

The boy turned to his side. Unbeknownst to his own surroundings, he rolled himself off of the edge of the couch. Had it not have been for Luna’s quick reaction, he would’ve suffered great pain from the fall—another issue the princesses did not want to be faced with. Wrapped in an aura of magic, Luna carried the boy to Celestia’s bed. Celestia took the disheveled blankets and gently laid them on top of the boy, with the larger blue blanket going on top of him first.

Celestia hunkered down and planted a soft kiss on the boy’s forehead, which seemed to send him back into a comfortable slumber. She stood back up and walked over towards Fluttershy. “He should be fine now. We’ll stay here with him. Twilight probably needs help finding books about his background.”

Fluttershy acknowledged, and turned around to fly out of the room.

“Oh, and one more thing…”

Fluttershy stopped in midair, turning around to hear what Celestia wanted to add.

“Tell Twilight that she may look in the restricted section. There may be something of use in that part.”

Fluttershy nodded, and flew out of the threshold. Celestia and Luna glanced at each other. Luna looked down at the boy and sat herself next to him, hugging him close and stroking his back. An expression of worry hung between the princesses.

Author's Note

The first few chapters were made to set up the scenario and to give depth to a pressing situation. Not everything in the future can be done without worry.

The next several chapters will start to see more interaction and development with Equestria and the ponies.

Chapter 6 -- Knowledge

Author's Note

My extended apologies for the long delay between the last chapter and the current. Had a long, grueling battle with any writer's nemesis-- Writer's Block.

Things should start panning back towards normal story writing-- well, normal in my books, anyway. If some of this chapter feels a little short, I can always expand on it a little. I'm not about to abandon some much-needed thirst for knowledge. Be sure to catch up on the earlier chapters to get a sense of where everything is at this point ;)

Stay tuned. More chapters 'a comin!

Chapter 6 -- Knowledge

Planet Jumping—it was an intergalactic game of Cat and Mouse. For some, it gave a thrill of exploration and adventure by cataloguing strange planets strewn off from the bulk of society. For others, it was a time of recollection. The peace and serenity of travelling through space was an experience not many get to partake in.

For two particular civilizations, the concept of Planet Jumping was neither a fun game, nor a relaxing vacation. It was a race of daring survival against brutal dominance. The aggressors had sworn to crush the civilization with an iron fist. Their brutal nature led them endlessly and effortlessly into bloodshed and cruelty.

Things were not always like that from the start. The first of the Rygoliths were, once, nomadic, peaceful and wise. Separated by the bonds of their ancestry, they were the sentinels of the shadows. Their words once carried the whispers of the faithful and spread unity upon the lands. The Nobles, ambassadors of the faith, once held a truce with the civilization to provide safety and security in exchange for land to cultivate and thrive.

Fate had taken a drastic turn when the Nobles were usurped and executed by one of their own. A blood-thirsty, power-hungry individual brought the truce to a bitter end and accused the civilization for failing to provide them with their ‘promised land.’ This began a downward spiral of relations between the civilization and the Rygoliths. That situation, alone, was not the only problem that they were faced.

What, ultimately, blew a hole in their relations was the rise of a Metal Head resistance against the voracious czar. Split between two different feuds, the Rygolith clan was forced to retreat into the shadows, hiding their presence and their plans. They had sworn to defeat both the Metal Heads, which had already shown great remorse against the clan from earlier debacles, and the Magi, who were deemed a greater enemy.

~~~~~

The spaceship Harmony made its way to a point between two giant, fairly cloudy planets—each with a strong magnetic field that overlapped, and danced with, each other. It functioned as an effective cloak to avoid direct contact with the aggressor’s radar, while maintaining crucial communication with the reserve forces that were on the way to the rendezvous point.

The pilots of the spaceship closely examined a holographic screen, which took up much of the view of the canopy. The screen displayed vast colonies of planetary solar systems and key vantage points. There were several mobile marks on the screen—each of them representing different units. A deep blue chevron represented the Harmony’s present location, and was, virtually, at the center of the map. A set of red circular icons to the top-left represented the approximate location(s) of the aggressor squadron. Several blue marks to the right of the screen depicted the locations of the incoming support team, including the Atlas Command Vessel. The final mark on the top-left corner of the screen was a pulsating green chevron, which represented the approximate location of their objective.

No one on board, except for one of the engineers, had seen the Atlas vessel up close, but they assumed it would be a great enough deal to send it out into early deployment. The Atlas was a large command vessel that was, literally, a floating fortress. It resembled an aircraft carrier—more than doubled in length and width, and supported by four gigantic double-propped rotor units. The amount of power needed for the operation of such vehicle was unfathomable. It took a record amount of eco crystals to draw basic auxiliary power, and another set to produce enough power to jumpstart the arc reactor that powered the essential systems of the Atlas—including the rotor units themselves.

To move such a large vessel around space, a propulsion system was necessary. Ion drives were fairly common amongst smaller vessels, like the Harmony, which was built mainly for reconnaissance missions, but for larger vessels like the Atlas and any other large dropship/ mothership, it would need more than just ion drives to move around the emptiness of space. The Atlas had a combination of, both, ion and eco drives—boosters which harnessed the energies of both blue and power ecos. Both the static nature of blue eco coupled with the conductive force of power eco provided a very large, very heavy form of thrust that could easily move a small dropship across the cosmos at staggering speeds.

The designers of the Atlas had solved two major hurdles in the creation and production of the Atlas project: capacity and efficiency. The ability for the Atlas to function as a highly stable transport vessel and to control the effective input and output for the Atlas’s flight envelop gave it a remarkable advantage in the front lines. Not only was the Atlas built to last, but it was also built for stealth. Many of the surfaces of the Atlas were designed and arranged in non-linear patterns and shapes, which rendered it virtually invisible to common radar systems. It would have to take more than a dot-and-point or Doppler radar system to detect the presence of the Atlas.

Randan stood next to the canopy window, his hand underneath his glowing beak, looking out toward the still, black skies. The halo of light that was reflected off of one of the gaseous planets illuminated much of the cockpit, which eliminated the need for artificial light. There was an air of uncertainty that circulated around his thoughts. He knew that the mission would come with outstanding risks and consequences, but the price of those risks would be offset by the reward—keeping ‘him’ alive. The presence of the boy would keep the cycle of the elemental bonds flowing, and would ensure the safety of the civilization. Without him, things would unravel quickly.

This thought was what gave everyone onboard the starship Harmony greater hope, courage, and determination. It was a grim time for all—with the civilization on the brink of war and a brutal, savage army gaining the upper-hand; the slightest slip could undo all that the civilization had worked for. In the darkness, there was a light at the end. All of the crew members knew that the threat to their existence was there, but it was that feeling that gave them an unusual drive. It was not a normal situation and few were not trained for combat, but in the presence of expert militants, there was always the feeling of hope that stood strong within every single living being.

Cassandra stood next to Randan as he continued to gaze upon the cosmos. His still posture diluted the air with questionable uncertainty, which she picked up on almost immediately. Eagorans were notable for their passive quality to sub-consciously feel the thoughts of their own kind. Randan turned his head toward Cassandra for a brief moment and faced the speckled darkness.

A watch on his arm beeped and vibrated for a few seconds and he looked down to look at it. The small screen lit up and words scrolled across. It was a page from the incoming crew. He waved his hand across the control panel in front of him and a holographic screen flashed in front of the canopy. The blue chevrons were drawing closer, and one was flashing.

Cassandra heard a slight crackle emanate from the communications console. A few seconds later, a voice spoke through.

“Harmony MG-1, this is Atlas GHQ. Over.”

Cassandra sped to her seat and quickly put on her headset. “Atlas 1, this is Harmony. We read you loud and clear.”

“Copy that. We are approaching the rendezvous point, at vector 307, on schedule.”

“Roger, Atlas. Requesting express permission to board the vessel upon your arrival?”

“Harmony MG-1, landing request accepted.”

Cassandra slid the holographic screen to the side, ending the transmission link. It didn’t take long for them to notice the brief shaking of the Atlas vessel. The canopy was, soon, obscured by the vastly giant vessel. In all honesty, it was bigger than they had expected, and the gargantuan rotor units only made it more so. The rotors were not active, since there was no air to act on in space, so the entire vessel had to rely on the ion drives to maneuver it into position. Thankfully, it had enough drives on all parts of the vessel to do so.

The crew members also noticed that they were oriented in an inverted position—opposite of the Atlas. They had to maneuver the starship so that they could execute a safe landing inside the vessel. An inverted landing would cause some headaches for sure.

After reorienting the ship, the ion drives fired up and pushed it along toward the Atlas. Ortan flipped a few switches on the overhanging console and Renae guided the ship toward the docking bay. The heavy doors of the bay slowly opened and lights flashed across the floor. A few crew members from inside, who wore spacesuits and were tethered to the bay walls, assisted in guiding the Harmony to its requested position. The doors opened to full length, allowing the starship plenty of clearance to maneuver inside. Once the wings crossed the threshold, Renae pushed the throttle handle to the idle position, and gently pushed it forward to activate the smaller, forward-facing ion drives. The force of the drives pushed the Harmony to a gentle stop.

Once the ship was at a standstill, the vessel crew members flew over and pulled the ship down to the bay floor. Several panels opened up and hooking mechanisms deployed, ready to accept the starship. When one of the hooks clamped down on one part of the ship, the rest soon engaged, securing the Harmony. The crew members pushed off toward their tether hooks and one of them activated a console. The bay doors closed and locked themselves in to place. The silence was soon replaced with a blaring alarm that increased in volume. The docking bay filled with air and pressure, which allowed the members to walk on their feet and take off their suits.

Renae gave the thumbs up to the rest of the crew. Cassandra spoke through the speaker of her headset. “Atlas 1, this is Harmony. We have boarded the vessel.”

“Landing confirmed. You have permission to enter the vessel.”

“So, let me get this straight. Palierelia, or whatever your name is,” Rainbow Dash stuttered, floating beside Cadence and Twilight in an effort to gauge her current understandings, which the others desperately needed as well. “If we’re not dreaming, then what ‘exactly’ do you mean by our physical selves still at where we are?” She cocked her head towards Celestia. “Does this mean we’re still at Canterlot?”

Celestia shrugged and nodded in possible agreement.

Paleia let the reins of her hair flow gently in an oncoming breeze from the outside, pushing aside some curtains along the walkway. It reminded both princesses of a Canterlot they once knew, but their memories only recalled the peace they had while they were still the royal keepers of the Elements of Harmony. “It must be tough to sink in what I have told you, is it not?”

“We have never heard of this type of concept, O’ graceful Paleia of Aniliath.” Luna’s voice echoed quaintly through the hallway.

Paleia was impressed by the dark one’s tone and regality. She’s always had an interest in the studies of other lands, but to come face-to-face with those from a land she has not spoken of was a true blessing—if not timely. “I implore your efforts to keep this situation as civil as you possibly could.” Her smile quickly turned to a frown. She came to a sudden halt as she heard the whispers of a passing elemental strand. The voices of the Elementals slowly worked through her mind. As she attempted to gather what she could, the air around the complex began to grow heavy, and the sun started to fade and darken the hallways.

Paleia’s eyes snapped open, and a sudden tremor was felt throughout the hallway. Her heart raced as she knew, exactly, why. The others were curious, but soon noticed Paleia’s growing concern. Celestia held a straight posture. “What is the matter? Is something wrong?”

“The architect…” She whispered out of her mouth. She regained her focus just as quickly as she had lost it, and turned to face a long, dark hallway, which was only beginning to darken even more. “We don’t have much time to explain. Hurry, the Halls of Nigh are closing!”

With the others trailing as closely as they possibly could, and fear starting to take hold, the group made it to the inner parts of the complex. Another strange tremor was felt—this time, a light, harmonic hum filled the air. To the equestrians, it sounded like a small batch of bees over a garden nursery. The resonance, shortly, began to intensify, and another tremor shook the hall.

“We are where we need to be,” Paleia shouted, as the humming grew louder to where it enveloped all other sounds, including the howling winds that wracked through the halls. Paleia’s voice still carried soundly, as though she were standing right next to them. She had made a connection to them even before the pandemic resonance engulfed their senses.

‘We are at an impeccable impasse. You must keep the boy safe at whatever costs necessary. He resembles a beacon of hope for all who have known of his existence. It is only a matter of time before ‘they’ find him—his nemesis. We will be watching out for him, but you must keep him out of harm’s way. We pray that you will not let us down, fellow Equestrians…’

Silence and darkness enveloped…

Twilight could only moan after what seemed like a grueling headache. Her body laid slump on the ground next to Fluttershy and Rarity, who were still in a deep slumber. Twilight opened her eyes as she gazed upon Celestia’s room. The air was silent, and the atmosphere was calm. It became apparent that something in the room was amiss—an absent presence. She couldn’t get a fix on what that was, but as soon as the rest of her mind came back in to place, she suddenly realized that the bed was completely flat. The boy was gone. There was no hint of any struggle, or of any motive of where he may have gone.

Cadence and Luna began to show signs of their re-emergence from the strange mind delve, as they were to put it. Shining Armor also started to awaken, with the guards following up with stretching their legs.

It was a strange daydream that they had put up with, and soon everyone was wide awake from the events that they had experienced.

Twilight and Celestia held woeful expressions, as well as Cadence and Luna, who continued to chatter with each other about what they had been through.

It was at that point that Rainbow Dash had swiftly flew out of the balcony and held her hoof above her eyes, searching the landscape below for any signs of ‘foreign’ movement. Twilight, who noticed Rainbow’s unannounced exit, could only take one step before Rainbow disappeared from the balcony. She turned around to see Shining Armor, engaged in heavy conversation with the guards. After a few minutes-worth of talking, the guards dispersed out of the room in a moment’s notice. Twilight walked up to Shining Armor, still holding a depressed expression.

Shining Armor helped lift his little sister’s spirit by hugging her closely. “Don’t worry, Twilie. We’ll find him and bring him back safely.” He glanced up towards the princesses and Cadence. “I have a feeling that whatever that Paleia individual said, I’m sure we’ll need to be prepared for whatever she mentioned is coming. If what she said is true, we’ll need to keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn’t make any sudden mistakes.”

Celestia nodded. “I shall let the light of the sun be my eyes to look upon him, wherever he may be.”

“I’ve sent my patrols to do a thorough search of Canterlot grounds. He couldn’t have gone far. Knowing Rainbow Dash, though, she’s probably ahead of the pack by now.”

“Like she’s always had. Rainbow’s nevah given up a challenge, just fer anypony.” Applejack brushed her head, and sped out of the doorway, with Pinkie Pie bouncing and prancing behind. Twilight, Cadence, and Luna trailed, with Rarity and Fluttershy being the last ones out before the doorway closed.

Inside, Celestia gazed out upon the balcony, letting the autumn air flow through her mane. Her essence sparkled in the sunlight, letting it flow upwards toward the afternoon sun. Its radiance sparkled and intensified, giving her a birds-eye view over much of Canterlot, and part of the forested valleys below the shadow of the mountain. If he had gotten farther than Canterlot, then he would not have gone any further than the valley foothills.

Chapter 7 -- Apprehension

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Chapter 8 -- Acquaintance

Furiously pacing back and forth in front of the doorway to Celestia’s room, Twilight groaned for a good few minutes. Her friends, eagerly, watched on as they heard several grovels of anticipation from her.

“Uggh! Why would the princess want to talk to this ‘Asura’ person without even inviting me to the conversation?” She, finally, stopped pacing and fell to the floor on her back. She expelled a sigh of disbelief. “There are so many questions that I want to ask! Couldn’t I have just, at least, asked a few beforehand??”

“Ah’m sure the princess doesn’t want th’ poor feller t’ get overwhelmed with questions to th’ point of burstin’.” Applejack trotted over to Twilight, and patted on her shoulder in reassurance. “No offense, sugarcube. Ah’m sure you’ll get yer chance once they’re done.”

“Hopefully he doesn’t mind that we throw him a super-special welcoming party in Ponyville!” Pinkie Pie bounded in glee. She held her hooves against her hips, and started flapping her arms in the same manner as wings. Her cheerful smile did not detract from her ecstatic mood. “It’ll be the best day we could ever have!”

“I do believe he would enjoy that,” Rarity inclined. She gently brushed her hoof across her mane. “Maybe I could design something that would strike him fancy for the occasion. After all, I did find his outfit, somewhat, drab. How could anyone stand to wear such mediocre attire? The travesty that would incur.”

Pinkie Pie wrapped her arms around Rarity—her smile wider than before. “Now that’s thinkin’ like a chicken, sister! They could be his welcoming presents!”

“I do like the idea of that,” Rainbow Dash fluttered to the ground, gleefully cheering at a sudden thought. “Maybe we could, also, take him out to watch some sort of sporting event? I heard that the Wonderbolts were putting on a cloud racing exhibition on Phillydelphia.”

“Wha’ kinda sports does he enjoy seein’ er doin’, though?” Applejack brushed the back of her head.

“Um, maybe he’s the sort of person that likes to tend with animals.” Fluttershy hovered above. “Having known that he has ‘strange, magical powers,’ he could have a strong bond with nature… somehow.”

Twilight twitched her head in surprised after hearing what Fluttershy had said. “You’re right! Cadence did mention something about him having magical abilities.” She stared back at the sealed double doors that had hid the princesses, and the boy, from view.

“Magical powers?” A tough, masculine voice blurted out, catching the six off guard. The voice came from the golden-clad guard that stood next to the doorway. His mane was a mixture of a fiery red and iridescent orange, and it flowed out from the top of his helmet. His coat was of a majestic creamy, light beige, which accented well with his darling green eyes. What wasn’t typical of the guard was that he held an inquisitive look on his face.

Twilight brushed the back of her head, slightly blushing. She stammered. “Well, yes… heh heh.”

“I seem to find it interesting that a ‘human’ could possess such a talent,” he continued. “I had been told they couldn’t.”

“Well, see, that’s the thing,” Rainbow Dash inclined. “He’s not human.”

“He’s not?” His curiosity grew. “Well, that must explain his, hmph, unique appearance.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Hey. Don’t I recognize you from somewhere?”

The guard held his tongue. “I don’t seem to recognize you off the top of my head…”

“Weren’t you one of the ‘door ponies’ for the princess’s tea party down in Equestria at one time? You know, where I made those funny faces at you?”

“Hmmm. I don’t seem to recall…”

“Where the princess lost her pet phoenix and found out that Fluttershy had been taking care of it the whole time?”

Fluttershy kept herself close and smiled innocently—her face flushed with red.

The guard thought hard. “I do seem to recall being told a bit about that event, although the particulars were never fully explained.” He cocked his head a little to the side. “If I may, might I ask why you decided to throw such ‘funny’ expressions toward them?”

Rainbow snickered quietly. “Well, I just wanted to see if they were able to flinch since they both stood as still as statues. I guess that would’ve been a breach in their, uh, ‘protocol’ to laugh or tell me to stop.”

“Isn’t what you’re doing now a breach in protocol?” Rarity inquired.

Rainbow’s gleeful expression flipped upside-down.

“Well, if I may, miss,” the stallion beckoned, and set his spear against the threshold of the doorway. “On any other day of grave importance, you’d be right. I’m not, usually, one to engage in ‘general’ conversations, but on days like these, where the princess doesn’t have anything of importance planned, us guards have less work to accomplish.” He faced the doorway with a stern posture. “Seems to me that whatever is going on in there may seem a bit important, but I’ve, yet, to see any further directives from the captain.” He knelt over to Twilight, who was standing in front of the doorway. “I’m sure, thought, that he wouldn’t mind speaking his head off in front of me for a whole day, if he found out that I was talking to you all.”

Twilight returned a grimace of concern. The guard went back to his usual upright position. Applejack and Rarity stood next to Twilight, as she continued to stare at the intricately patterned double door. She then stepped forth and hugged her head against the wall, laying her ear next to the crack so that she could attempt to hear what conversations were playing out within.

~~~~~~

Inside, the air was warm and subtle; it was filled with various scents of herbal teas and oranges. Princess Celestia and Luna sat together on one end of a long couch facing away from the embroidered fireplace with Asura on the other, next to Celestia. The couch, itself, was furnished quite extravagantly, with red velvet cushions and golden lacing on the edges, and its frame worked in the most exquisite gold. To the left of the couch, two large cushions, decorated in the same fashion as the larger couch, had been occupied by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, with Cadence sitting nearest to Asura. It felt awkward for him to notice that he was sitting down much lower than the others were, taking into account that they were, effectively, standing on top of the cushions rather than sitting, as he had noticed most normal humanoids do. He wasn’t surrounded by humanoids, nor were they ‘normal,’ by his regards.

Perched on the table before him, the welcoming scent of fresh herbal, peppermint, and orange teas filled his senses. The teas sat on an exquisite silver tray, and he felt a welcoming presence hang in the room. He watched as a teacup ascended in to the air and hovered over to Celestia in an aura of golden haze. Another cup had been enveloped in a pink aura, which floated over to Cadence. Asura leaned over towards the table and took a cup in hand. He felt the warmth of the tea conduct through the cup and onto his fingertips, which was a soothing sensation. It helped make him feel more secure and at home. This was a much different environment that what he had expected to run in to.

He, then, leaned himself back on the couch and held the cup in two hands, gently blowing on the tea to make it more tolerable for drinking. He briefly looked up to see both Cadence and Shining Armor watching him while drinking their teas. Sheepishly, he looked back down and took a small sip. The flavor of the tea overwhelmed his senses. He could not put to words what herbs that he noticed, but they seemed very familiar. One that he could, easily, pick out was licorice root—it had a very distinct, rough taste, but was as soothing as mint.

Celestia cleared her throat. “So, Asura, I take it that you enjoy the tea?”

He nodded. “Yes. It’s quite wonderful.” He set the cup down on his lap. “It has been quite a while since I’ve last had tea. I’ve never had anything quite like this.”

Cadence set the teacup down on the table with a modest tap on the glass. “It does have such a delightful taste.” She brought a napkin up to her and wiped off her mouth.

“We do believe that we haven’t introduced ourselves,” Luna spoke, in a humble tone. “I am Princess Luna, Keeper of the Night and Guardian of Dreams. I am also sub-ruler of Equestria.”

“I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria. I am the denizen of the Sun.”

“I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadence. I’m the heraldess of the Crystal Empire, and Mistress of Love.”

“I am Prince Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot Castle.”

Faced with such regal introductions, he felt undermined by being surrounded by such royalty. He was, also, undoubtedly underdressed. Still, he had to bring himself to grounds and offer his introduction that would match up to their standards. He felt dumb not coming prepared, but he would, soon, have to learn how to handle his own merits.

“I’m Asura. I am the patron of the Elements and guardian of the Precursors.”

“Elements?” Cadence exclaimed. “You hold the Elements of Harmony where you’re from, as well?”

Asura blushed. “Well, not exactly. I’m not familiar with, what you call, the Elements of Harmony. I’m assuming that is how you all are able to harness magical abilities?”

Celestia chuckled at that remark. “It is not the Elements of Harmony that gives us the ability to use magic. It, simply, runs in the bloodlines of unicorns and alicorns, such as ourselves.”

The term ‘alicorn’ was a first to hear for him. He had heard of many legends and myths concerning unicorns, but was told that they had not existed since the time after Cosmos. The fact that they ‘simply’ carried magical properties was a definite nose-wrinkler for him.

“If thou doest not use, or ever heard of, the Elements of Harmony, where doest thee come from to use such powers, as thou demonstrated toward the captain’s troops?” Luna shot a gaze towards Shining Armor, whom was eager to listen in on what would soon follow.

Asura cleared his throat. “Where I’m from, we possess and harness the powers of, what we’d like to call, the Elements of Nature. The elements were derived from the balance of two greater elements—those of which being Light and Dark. The Elements of Nature were created to ensure stronger stability between the two greater elements, and they also helped achieve greater focus in the use of ‘magical’ talents.”

“Elements of Nature,” Shining Armor held a hoof up to his chin. “Do you mean like fire and water?”

Asura nodded. “Those are two of the six elements that are encompassed within the Elements of Nature. Fire, Ice, and Lightning are the first three that encompass the basic domains, and they are signified as the ‘Brothers.’ Wind, Water and Earth are the second set that also encompasses the basic domain, and are signified as the ‘Sisters.’ Together, they form a balance, or bretherin.”

“And are these elements signified by physical personas?” Celestia asked. “Are there people that these elements are represented by?”

“Yes, there are.”

Surprised by the simple answer, Celestia smiled.

“And how doest thee use these ‘elements?’ Doest your people use the elements with the purpose of entertainment, or doeth they have a greater, more meaningful and repercussive purpose?”

It was somewhat difficult to digest Luna’s question at first, but after a few moments of thinking, he was able to piece together what was being asked. “We use the elements in a way to better ourselves, whether it be useful to entertain or defend ourselves. We acclimate to situations by use of the elements most appropriate to help preserve or highlight key events.”

“And how many of these ‘elements’ are there?” Cadence asked.

“Seventeen, by our current count.”

She blinked.

“What are they? I know you’ve listed eight of them, but what are the others?” Shining Armor spoke.

“We also have elements, such as Balance, which is the fundamental element that governs the powers of Light and Dark; Kinetics, which utilizes the talents of telekinesis and space-time warping; Essence, which governs the life force of the Elements; Lucid, which gives us the talents to teleport and cloak ourselves and others; and there is the Master Element, which was, once, used by Cosmos, himself. There is an element that we do not speak of, but we do acknowledge its existence.”

“Do the Precursors have an element that they use?” Celestia asked.

Asura raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Yes, in fact we do have our own element named after us, respectively.” He scratched the back of his head. ”I’m curious. How did you hear about the Precursors?”

Celestia uncovered a journal that was underneath a few other books on the table, and handed it over to him. He held on to it as Celestia released her grip on it by her golden aura. Asura gazed in awe as he glanced at the book’s title. “I’ve seen this book a few times before, back in my old study.”

“You have that book, as well?” Celestia gawked. Luna was just as surprised.

“I remember glancing through several pages, while I was looking through the ancient archives. It was, mainly, the author of this journal that caught my eye.” He opened the book and peered on to a random page within the book. “The author must have done extensive studies. He must have had stupendous patience and copious amounts of time on his hands.”

“Well, he was one of the greatest wizards of our time,” Celestia inquired. “Starswirl the Bearded was a pony of exceptional talent and had held the most utmost respect toward others.” She pointed out a portrait above the doors, which depicted of a muddy-yellow coated individual with a long white, mottled beard and wore a royal blue robe and hat, which came to a point just beyond the edge of the canvas.

Asura studied the painting for a few moments, taking in the amount of talent from every brush stroke to create an accurate portrait of someone he did not recognize. “Outstanding.” He picked up the tea cup and consumed the last of what was left. He leaned forward and was just about to set it back on to the tray, when Cadence interrupted.

“Hey. Would you care to demonstrate one of these ‘abilities’ of yours, for us?” She clapped her hooves together in anticipation, giving out a high-pitched giggle from her wide grin.

He paused, letting himself clear out any confusion that had, briefly, troubled his mind. He knew of the implications of using his powers to impress others, but he’d done it before. What was more disconcerting was the fact that any use of his powers was at his own risk of becoming a large target of scrutiny. He set the cup down and leaned back on the chair. He had analyzed the scent of the peppermint tea which was inside the lavender teapot. He held his left arm up—his palm facing upward and fingers flush with the floor. He placed his other hand in his pocket, which kept the stone handy.

A small ball of brilliant light appeared above his hand, and the teapot began to levitate off of the tray. It soon began to move towards the teacup, slowly tipping over as it drew near. As the other watched in amazement and awe, the pot had tipped over such that it dispensed the hot tea into Asura’s cup. Once it had become full, the pot went back to its upright position and hovered back to its original spot on the tray.

Celestia blinked—her mouth agape. Luna held a similar expression, as did Cadence and Shining Armor.

“My, that was… Impressive…”

A sugar packet had, quickly, levitated to Asura’s hand. He took it and ripped the top part off, exposing the inside. He, then, sent the open packet over the teacup and inverted it to dispense the sugar within. The empty packet fluttered down to the table next to the cup, and a spoon soon hovered in to the air and into the teacup, where it then stirred the tea and mixed the dispensed sugar for a few good rounds. The spoon came out and was set next to the teacup. The cup then hovered in the air and was met by his hand. He, willfully, accepted the soothing sensation of the warm teacup and took a sip of the, piping hot, tea.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other—their mouths still agape in awe. Cadence had a difficult time registered what had happened in front of her, while Shining Armor was, simply, dumbfounded by the stranger’s remarkable talents.

Asura smiled, reassuringly. “How’s that for a demonstration?”

Celestia tried to put words to her mouth, but found herself opening and closing her mouth inadvertently, unwilling to speak. Cadence was, also, at a loss of words.

Before anyone could speak, the doors gently swung open and a lavender pony came in with a large grin on its face.

Shining Armor, unable to do anything else, turned his head and his expression melted away to a gleeful smile. “Twilie!”

The others were distracted from Shining’s outcry, and shifted their attention towards the incoming ponies—that being Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

Celestia grinned. “Twilight Sparkle. How nice of you to join us with all of your friends. You came at just the right time.”

Twilight held a confused look, leaning her head slightly sideways “You mean I wasn’t intruding on anything?”

“Not at all. Makes yourselves comfortable.”

“Howdy, stranger,” Applejack said, waving her hoof towards Asura.

The others took notice and were all attentive towards him.

Celestia gestured toward the six newcomers. She pointed out Twilight. “Asura, this is Twilight Sparkle. She is my faithful, and beloved, student. She and her friends are all bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”

Twilight bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Asura.”

The orange, pony-tailed pony stood up, adjusting her brown cowboy hat. “Ah’m Applejack. It, sure, is a nice pleasure t’ meet ya.”

Rainbow Dash fluttered up in the air. “The name’s Rainbow Dash. We’ve met once, but it’s an honor to meet you again.”

The yellow coated, pink mane pegasus hovered in the air. “I’m Fluttershy,” she said, softly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, don’t worry about her. She’ll warm up to you, like she did with us,” The white unicorn said, her purple mane styled in a glorious fashion. “I’m Rarity. It’s nice to make an acquaintance with you, Asura.”

The pink pony bounced up and drew a big smile on her face—her furled mane floating amidst the constant hopping. “I’m Pinkie Pie! What a great opportunity to meet you! Do you like books and tea? I hope you do, because that’d be super awesome and stuff!”

Asura chuckled. It wasn’t the first time that he’s been through formal introductions, but it was his first time facing such introductions in a timely manner. “Well, hello all.” ‘I can tell that this is gonna be a long day for me.’

Chapter 9 -- Hindsight

As the day went on, the brilliant sun rose high in the sky, letting loose its irradiating warmth. The combination of the radiance with the chilling autumn winds made life in Canterlot inviting. During the seasonal change, trees began to change colors, from their luscious green to a multitude of fiery colors—a mix of reds, oranges and yellows—which made the landscape blush and stand out against the dark, lush valley floor.

Asura and Celestia walked out of one of the tall, spiraling towers that dotted the castle grounds, followed shortly by Luna, Twilight and her friends, Cadence and Shining Armor. Asura took a quick look around his surroundings. It reminded him of the tall structures that made up one of Marcovi’s most remarkable and articulate ancient archives, the Knowledge Towers. He remembered the bronze facades that criss-crossed the upper super-structures, sharing the towers and providing ease of access to one archive with another.

There was a throbbing sensation pulling at the tip of his mind. Something was trying to garner his attention, but he didn’t know what it was. Something seemed out of place, as though he was forgetting about something important. He brushed off the feeling, and the throbbing pain slowly melted away. His attention returned to the intricately carved walls of the spires that stood up from over the supporting structure of the castle. He looked down one side of the walkway to realize that the structure had hung over the side of the mountain itself. It was a long drop towards the bottom of the valley below, but fortunately he did not have an immediate fear of heights.

What troubled him was the fact that the sun still felt like it was spying on him—watching his every move. The presence felt greatly intense with Celestia right next to him, who was also keeping an eye on him. He felt the eyes of several others looming in his direction. It became clear that everyone around him drew interest in his gait. It seemed apparent that they had never seen an individual before that could walk in such a natural, uninterrupted flow—on, only, two legs. Celestia had seen Discord walk on several occasions, but his gait was much more awkward and lopsided—being the entity of disharmony and all.

Asura, shyly, looked up towards Celestia, who shared a gentle grin back to him. He felt a pleasant warmth caressing his cheek. Silence had filled the air, save for the autumn winds that came up from the valley below, and the rhythmic footfalls of hooves on the granite floor.

She broke the silence. “I’d watch your step, if I were you.”

Being that she had been around the castle grounds for many generations, she had not lost a single step in her footing. Asura looked down to see a sudden shift in texture, as the granite floor introduced a change to dirt and cobblestone. His foot, expecting to land in the same place as before, missed the intended step and fell an extra inch to the cobble walkway. His loss of footing caused him to tremble forward and he leaned forward, taking the momentum of his sudden shift of footing. As he tried to regain his sense of balance, he started to lean over towards the muddy dirt before him. Right before hitting the sodden dirt face-first, he hung just inches away from being covered in a muddy mess. A dark blue haze had surrounded much of his chest, and he was brought upright on to his feet, next to Luna.

“Thou shalt heed the words of thy princess.”

She smiled, and brushed him off with a powerful stroke along his hind legs. It was a strange feeling having something other than a hand stroke against his own self, but it, also, felt decently pleasing. These ‘Equestrians,’ as he put it, were gentle and kind in nature. He returned a sheepish grin. He wanted to hide his own face for such a terrible mistake, but he realized it was too late to take back his own actions. Frankly, there was no scoffing or laughing from anyone else. It was, most likely, the looming presence of Celestia that restrained them from making such ludicrous opinions.

Twilight came up from behind, wearing an expression of worry. “Are you alright?”

Asura nodded. “I’m fine. Lost my footing, is all.”

She responded with a bright smile.

As they continued along the path, trees of varying types loomed overhead, creating a natural archway of intertwined arms. The canopy was lathered with an array of multicolored broad leaves, preparing to disembark from the tree limbs during the seasonal change. They re-emerged from the thicket, appearing before a large spiral building towards the base of the primary support that held the rest of the Canterlot grounds above the cliff. Various scents hung in the air—the smell of baked goods clung to the side of the mountain and became more obvious as they drew near. A tingling sensation could be felt in his chest, and his stomach grumbled in remorse. It was loud enough for Celestia to pick up on.

“I see somepony is starving for a bite to eat.”

His face blushed red, and he withdrew behind Celestia as they came upon the open doorway. The scent of fresh-baked goods hit his senses like a brick wall. Inside, he saw, what appeared to be, a mess hall. It was decorated with portraits of the princesses and various cooking utensils upon the walls, large shelves displaying fantastic delicacies, and a remarkably large kitchen at the back. Several ponies and various other figures raced along the kitchen counters, preparing meals and constructing pastries at a, seemingly, frantic rate.

Celestia beckoned Asura to come sit down at one of the long tables. He went along and sat down next to her, with Twilight to the opposite side. When everyone had sat down in their places nearest to each other, they all began to look across the table.

“So, Asura,” Twilight said. “What is it that you enjoy eating?”

Asura, keen on quelling his increasing hunger, sought to answer her question. “Well, I doubt you folks have anything that I’d prefer, although, by the looks and smell of things, I feel like I might enjoy whatever you ought to present me with.”

Celestia nodded. “Good answer.”

One of the figures within the kitchen spotted the newly-emerged group. It gave a slight exclamation in a high-pitched squawk, and rushed over to the table in a trail of flying feathers. The figure had the head and wings of an eagle, but had the body and arms of a lion. Its cat-like hands ended with eagle talons at the end of its appendages, and it wore a baker’s cap. Asura, soon, realized that the specimen before him was a griffon. He had seen many tales of griffons of similar appearance, but were only told of in legends of ancient mythological societies, where the first nomadic tribes appeared in the lands north of Marcovi and constructed a gargantuan statue of their god—that god taking the form of a mighty battle-scarred griffon.

It unfurled its moustache and cleared its throat. “Your majesty,” he spoke in a strange accent. It was almost as if he was being too formal. “I am a pleased to be a’ service to you, once again.”

Celestia held up her hoof. “Good afternoon to you as well, Jacques.” She gestured her hoof to the empty table. “You have the specialty prepared?”

“Vhy yes, your majesty. Ze special cake is a ready to be served.” His twisted moustache bounce around every time he twitched his head to get a good head count. He stopped shy of the count when he made eye contact with Asura. “And, eh, who might zis fine fellow be?”

Asura cleared his throat. “Asura. I am a guest to your majesty.”

“Monsieur Asura. Vhelcome to ze Canterlot Bakery.” Jacques finished his head count, and proceeded to head back to the kitchen. “Prepare ze specialty for ze majesty!”

One of the cooks managed to pop out from behind the swiveling doors inside the pantry. “The princess is here?” The cook made eye contact with the group and saw both princesses seated. “Oh! Right! Cake!” The cook disappeared, and Jacques returned with a handful of rolled up red velvet tablecloths, stuffed with finely polished, chrome-plated forks and knives. Asura took the knife out and studied it. He saw the reflection of his own face off of it, and proceeded to make funny gestures in front of it. The knife was polished enough for it to act as a tiny mirror. Cadence giggled at the sight.

Asura looked up and saw Cadence’s face blush from her own chagrin. “What?” he insisted.

Before long, unable to control her own thoughts, Cadence bellowed out in sheer laughter. The others watched on, as she tried to regain her breath, only to find that she, herself, couldn’t stop laughing. “You… you… you’re looking at… the… the knife… funny!”

Joining in on the fun, Pinkie Pie started laughing manically, garnering the attention of a few others within the hall, as well as a few cooks.

Faced with the assault of happiness before him, Asura sheepishly cowered underneath the table in an attempt to suppress his embarrassment. In the time he had been in the presence of the princesses, he had become bold enough to start expressing his own feelings, though he still had a long way to go. He felt a hoof gently massaging him on his back, and felt Twilight’s mass comforting him. “Oh, it’s alright, Asura. You’ll get used to everything around here.”

Celestia, also, offered a helping hoof. “It’s a glorious day. You should feel good. Cadence saw what you did as an invitation toward happiness. You shouldn’t feel awkward about your actions.”

Asura looked up to her. “You really think so?”

“Yes. Look at her.” She pointed over to Cadence, who was still heaving with exasperated giggles in between breaths. “It must be tough for you to understand certain things up front, but you shouldn’t feel bad about the things that you do to make others feel happy.”

That, alone, was enough to lift his own spirit. He hadn’t been here long, but he realized that what she said was true. He, truly, felt at home here.

The pantry doors swung open, and three ponies marched out with a giant silver platter adorned with the most decadent chocolate-lathered cake he had ever laid eyes on. His own jaw dropped, as the behemoth specialty came in to the middle of the crowd. It descended on to the table, and, upon landing, the mass of the cake made the whole table creak.

The cooks bowed and left back to the kitchen. Jacques reappeared with a stack of porcelain plates and handed them out, one by one, to everyone. “Enjoy your meal.” His exit was just as quick as his entry, reassuming position at the countertops and chopping ingredients with extraordinary precision and speed.

Celestia took the large knife that was place in the cake, with her golden haze, and sliced down all the way to the platter. The knife came out and was place on top of the cake again, and it gently slid down the length of the cake until the cut portion was free. That portion was enveloped with the same golden aura and was brought forth from the rest of the cake. It turned to the side, and landed right on Asura’s plate. The layers of the cake held the strong scent of bittersweet chocolate, a smell he was more than familiar with. There was also a sweet, fruity scent which he picked up on, as the cake was also adorned with a deep red jelly layer between the chocolate buttermilk layers.

As the cake was, methodically, sliced and served to everyone, she set the knife down on to the tray with half of the cake remaining. She took the fork and stuck it into her slice.

“Dig in.”

Upon that command, everyone else took their utensils and proceeded to enjoy their meal. It was an interesting sight to see that the ones that didn’t have horns still managed to use their utensils without trouble. He held his fork in hand and cut in to the cake. He brought the morsel up to him and took a good, brief whiff. It smelled heavenly, and decadent. ‘What are you waiting for, you fool? Just eat it!’

He engulfed the morsel in to his mouth and began to chew on it. The next moment, he was reeling on the fantastic sensation of bittersweet, creamy chocolate, mixed with the spongy texture of the cake base, topped off with what tasted like cherry and raspberry—both fruits he was familiar with. They seemed to have incorporated a lot of familiar ingredients into their diets. He gave a long groan of satisfaction, as he took another bite without hesitation. Within a minute, his plate was empty, save for a few morsels of baked batter and swirls of chocolate. He attempted to reach the knife for a second helping, but he couldn’t quite get there. He saw that Celestia was still enjoying the last of her first serving, and the others were still working on theirs.

He brought up his hand, and a small ball of energy appeared. A white halo enveloped the knife, as it hovered gently in the air. As it ascended, it garnered the attention of the others beside him. The knife sliced in to the cake with efficient ease, and kept itself in position. The knife, then, twisted to the side, allowing the slice to move over a little—giving him something to aim at. The knife fell flat to the platter with a light tap, and the slice became enveloped with the same white aura. It hovered just above the platter, and it turned over and landed on to his plate. Twilight sat aghast at the sight, along with the rest of her friends.

Celestia chuckled. “Well, I see somepony’s eager for more.”

Twilight, shell-shocked by Asura’s use of his own magic, set to find words to place on her mind. “That… was…”

“AWESOME!!” Pinkie Pie roared, tearing Twilight’s attention away from Asura. “I’ve never seen anything like that before! Can you do that again? Can ya? Can ya??” She clapped her hooves together in glee.

Asura thought for a moment, and brought up his hand once again. This time, the knife traced its last movements much quicker than before and prepared another slice. He enveloped the slice and cleared his throat. “Who wants another?”

“Ooh, ooh! Ooh! Me! Mee! I do! I do!” Pinkie shouted. The cake slice hovered past Twilight and right over Pinkie’s plate. Her expression was short of jubilant.

He heard the clamping of the platter beside him, and saw that Celestia was slicing up the rest of the cake.

“I think everypony is ready for seconds. Mind doing the honors?” She glanced over to Asura, who nodded. The ball of energy re-emerged above his hand, enveloping the rest of the cake. He blinked a couple of times and brought his fingers into a cusp. He, then, opened up his hand, and each individual slice separated into the air and hovered right on to all the other’s plates. There were a few ominous ‘ooh’s’ from several bystanders on the other tables, including a few from the cooks as well.

Asura took the fork again and chowed down on the second slice in front of him, making sure that every bite was savored to his liking. He, certainly, did not expect this to be his first meal of the day, but he couldn’t argue with a good taste.

~~~~~~

When the day dawned upon the evening hours, the group emerged from the bakery and treaded back down the cobble walkway—the sun grazing the top of the mountains just beyond the rolling foothills and snaking rivers. The air grew colder as it got closer towards nighttime. Rainbow Dash flew ahead of the group and kept herself afloat next to Asura. “You have got to tell me that you can do more than that!” She spun herself around so that she flew backwards. “Are you able to fly?”

Twilight beckoned Rainbow Dash with a nudge to her leg. “Rainbow, don’t push him.”

“I’m not. I just want to see if he can fly.”

Asura shook his head. “I would if I could, but I’d be pressing my luck at that point. The powers that I have are limited only to small, mundane tasks.” He took out the stone that was kept in his pocket. “This stone can only grant me enough power to sustain myself. Out here, the influence of the Elements is weak.”

Celestia studied the rock intensively. “So, that little rock is how you were able to accomplish such tasks.”

He set the rock back in to his pocket. “I could accomplish much more, without the aid of the rock. Out here, though, I have very little or no affluence, so I must have a focus that can draw reserves from the surroundings.”

Luna rubbed her chin in thought. “I see. Perhaps, thou could find a way to bring these ‘Elements’ closer to thee. It may seem fitting to use your more advanced talents to make a living out here.”

“At this rate, it’d be a very dangerous gamble to go that far,” Asura inclined.

“Oh? Pray tell.”

He, suddenly, remembered why that throbbing feeling had occurred earlier today. He perked his head up and over the edge of the railing, and scanned the valley below. He saw, what looked like, a scar in the foothills next to the river. “I just realized. My ship. Is it safe?”

The others looked at each other in question.

“Pardon?”

“The ship that I arrived in. Where is it?”

Celestia looked over to him. “Oh, yes. That. It’s…” She trailed off.

‘Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good,’ he frowned at the thought. “I need to get back to it.”

Twilight stirred at the thought. She rallied up the others and stood before Asura. “We know where it is. We’ll take you there.”

He smiled. “Thanks, Twilight.”

Author's Note

I had a little fun with this chapter, although I would've preferred having him stuff Pinkie Pie's mouth with delicious cake. Oh, the hilarity and food fights that would ensue.

Anywho, hope you're enjoying the progress so far. Let me know if anything seems 'off' and whatnot.

Chapter 10 -- Ruin

Travelling through the tall grass at sundown wasn’t an easy task, especially for him. Twilight and her friends were, easily, covering ground faster than he was, but he was not alone. Shining Armor offered to carry him along to get to his destination quicker. When the river came in to view, it was still as quiet as it was before—save for the frogs and crickets that would, soon, begin their melodious outcries.

Just as they promised, the wreckage was visible on the other side of the river. It was a complete disaster to his eyes. Celestia flew over to the twisted pod, carrying Asura with her. Cadence, quickly, hopped over, allowing herself to recognize the unknown, metallic object.

Asura squeezed through a tight gap in the crushed canopy that was missing all of its glass. The interior of the ship was caked with charcoal and black soot—remnants of electronics and upholstery burnt up in entry of the planet’s atmosphere. Large piles of dirt covered much of the floor, allowing plants to grow and overcome the vessel inside. He spotted a cabinet door, scarred black from the flames of the entry, and he proceeded to attempt to open it. He pulled on the latch, but it would not budge. He figured that the heat of the frictional forces soldered the door shut.

He held his rock in his pocket, and an orb of light appeared in his hand. This time, the orb spontaneously flickered and a bright orange flame jettisoned forth on to the cabinet door. He heard the latch give way, and put out the flame just as quickly. He pulled the door open, and saw a black box inside. It had a blinking blue strobe light on one side. The light was bright, illuminating the entire interior of the vessel. The light gave him a good view of the calamity that surrounded him.

He was inside one half of the vessel, with the other half partially buried in a marsh pit just below where he was. He took the box out of the cabinet and set it on the dashboard towards the front end of the wreckage. From there, he caught sight of a small screen with fluctuating lines and sets of words that blinked with a vibrant blue-white light. He tapped one end of the screen, and a row of squares popped up—indicating a keypad. He pressed on the screen several times, which changed the pulsating light’s color to a bold amber. A small watch popped out of one end of the box, and he took it with him. A sound emanated from the box—an electronic female voice.

“Emergency diagnostics device removed. Failsafe protocols now in effect. Diagnostic reviews active.”

The watch vibrated, as the screen flashed to life. It showed the words ‘scanning’ above an oscillating bar. The screen changed, and it became the same as what was on the black box.

Emerging from the wreckage, Asura nodded to Celestia and Cadence. “I found what I was looking for. Hopefully, I can figure out what happened to the shuttle on my way here.”

Celestia examined the wreckage one last time. “Should we try and bring it back with us for you, so that we can attempt to fix it?”

Asura sighed. “I’m afraid it’s too damaged beyond repair. Attempting a repair on it at this rate would be unreasonable, if not torturous.”

Celestia nodded. Asura hopped on her back, and she leapt off of the ground—back toward Canterlot castle.

~~~~~~

It was dark. Celestia had already finished the lowering of the sun, and Luna would, soon, bring the moon up from behind the mountain that held the castle above the valley. Celestia landed on the balcony of her room; Asura jumped off, and she opened the door leading inside. The air was cool and comforting, as a slight breeze blew past the tall golden spire. Her room was vibrantly lit by several candles, each of them putting out a modest amount of light.

Asura set the watch on the table and sat down on the couch. The screen went blank, and a bright green wireframe sphere hovered over the watch. There was a knock at the door, and Celestia marched over. “Come in.”

The doors opened, and Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor came back in to the room.

Celestia bowed and gestured over toward Asura, who was busy working his way around the green sphere.

“Where’s Twilight and the others?” she asked.

“They’ll be here shortly,” Cadence reassured. “They had to tend to their own rooms first.”

They walked over to the table. Asura finished tapping on the green sphere, and it turned yellow in color. A window appeared on the front of it, and the watch emanated the same electronic voice.

“Identification requested—key code required.”

He tapped on the keypad below the prompt, and a string of asterisk characters appeared on the prompt below the message. Once he tapped on the green arrow next to the prompt, the sphere changed back to it green state.

“Welcome, Asura. Three critical diagnostic reports are currently pending review.”

The screen showed three prompts highlighted in red. He spoke to the orb. “Show me the one that was prompted first.”

The orb disappeared, and was replaced with a large rectangular screen that spanned the length of the table. It showed an orthographical view of the ship, with a red reticule highlighting the top portion.

“Diagnostic scans reported an unknown anomaly physically altering the mass of the shuttle. Abnormal shift in mass was detected approximately ten seconds after launch. Unknown anomaly was scanned and identified thirty two seconds after launch.”

“Next.”

The red reticule highlighted multiple parts of the ship around the original reticule.

“Diagnostic scans reported multiple compound fractures around the unknown anomaly. Scans identified the cracks to be degrading hull integrity, and atmospheric control management was unable to rectify the issue. Compound fractures continued to degrade hull integrity, and exterior atmospheric capacity was lost. Further damage later reported in failsafe sensors, and early warning systems failed to trigger due to integral hull damage. Occupant was not forewarned.”

“Next.” His heart raced as he analyzed the data that had appeared.

“Diagnostic scans reported acute compromise in hull integrity. Atmospheric management dashboard reported sudden loss of pressure. Report estimated around 3,500 nautical miles from planetary atmosphere. Early warning systems triggered from impending critical hull failure. Emergency escape pod failed to deploy. Shuttle suffered catastrophic separation—approximately 1,500 nautical miles from planetary atmosphere.”

Asura sat down on the couch, covering his face in disdain. He still had to soak in what the reports had shown, but he knew that what was shown had revealed his greatest fear—he was the target of sabotage from his enemies. He was, now, stuck in Equestria for, what may seem to be, an indefinite amount of time. There was no way for him to communicate to his allies, and, equally, there was no way for him to know if his enemies were coming. He was completely out of the radar, and critically exposed; there was no way for him to defend himself.

Celestia sat down next to Asura, who was still in shambles. She gently rubbed his back to ease his frustration. “I’m not sure exactly what is going through your mind, but I can tell you that we’ll do everything we can to help get you back on your feet as best as we can. I can guarantee that.”

Asura looked up to her, his face glittering with tears. “You… you really would?”

She tightly held him in an embrace, supporting her chin above his head. “Of course.” She wiped off his tears that snaked down below his eyes. “Twilight has some incredible friends that can help you accomplish wonders during your time here.”

It caught him by surprise that these ‘Equestrians’ cared so much for his well-being, but he had to trust their insight. He was in it for the long haul, and he had to prepare himself for the upcoming trials that had lain ahead.

~~~~~~

Asura was given a room next to Celestia’s quarter where he could stay for the night. It was a small room, but it served him just fine. It had a small love seat in one corner and a bed had been set up underneath a large window that revealed the night sky. On the opposite side of the seat, there were a few dressers and shelves—most of which were empty and/or unused. He made his way to the bed, which was adorned with a bright blue blanket on top of a lavender comforter. The comforter felt soft to the touch, and the bed itself felt even more so. It was fairly large—big enough to support three people comfortably.

There was a different presence that lingered around him—something different than what had loomed around while the sun was still high in the sky. This presence felt closer and more welcoming, as if it was urging him to climb in to the bed. He did so, and felt himself sinking in to the covers—letting out a sigh of relief. The cushion felt like he was lying down on a cloud, and felt the invitation of sleep grasping at the edges of his mind. However, at the same time, his mind rushed with the fear of his enemies, and the fear of losing connection with the elements completely. If he were to lose hold of the divine thread that clung to the edge of the civilization, what would become of him? How would he be able to survive in a world unfamiliar to himself?

These thoughts raced through his mind for several minutes, and at first it seemed that he’d be able to close his eyes and worry about getting a proper night’s sleep. The next moment, his eyes snapped open, re-introducing the same fears back into his mind. It troubled him to the point of breaking, and he couldn’t withstand it for much longer. He rolled around in the sheets, trying to find a comfortable spot to stay—only to find his mind inviting the same nonsense all over again.

He felt the movement of air rushing past him; it came from the other side of the room. He looked out from above the sheets to find Luna at the doorway. She gently closed the door and proceeded to walk over to him—an air of uncertainty hung over her.

“Does something trouble thee?”

Asura nodded, slightly trembling as his mind continued to race and circle with the same thoughts. It began to plague his soul, and Luna had, somehow, picked up on it.

“I noticed that thou art having difficulty sleeping,” she continued. “I figured that thou would require some company for the night.” She drew a soft smile, radiating her presence toward Asura. He continued to tremble, but felt the lingering presence intensify and lightly caress him. Luna stood forth before the edge of the bed, her iridescent mane flowing across the sheets and barely touching his arm. He felt the looming presence intensify and gripped his body even more.

“Lu-Luna. What…?” He found it difficult to breathe. He felt the presence tickling every inch of his body. Luna climbed in to the sheets and nestled herself just above him—wrapping her arms around him. The presence around him retreated slightly, but continued to assault him with gentle teases and tingles. Luna had moved herself on top of him, and she embraced him with tender love and care. He heard her speak right up against his ear—her melodies quelling his racing thoughts. He truly felt at peace in her presence—his gaze beginning to weaken.

“Thou shalt find thyself to sleep;

Let thy princess comfort thee;

Let thou dreams depart their way,

And let thy spirit welcome me.”

The short verse sent waves of pleasure and fatigue into his mind. Soon, his eyes were closed, and his head lay slump in her arms. She tightened her embrace and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. “I shall find thee in thy dreams.” She caressed her head next to his—her mane covering most of his face. Her horn had become enveloped in a dark blue aura, and she closed her eyes.

‘Sister. I am in his dreams.’

~~~~~~

Celestia lay sprawled on her bed, which was a mat that had been laid on the floor. Her horn was enveloped with a golden haze that had been covered over with Luna’s magic as well.

A golden field of tall grass sprawled into view. Asura took a few heavy breaths to absorb his surroundings that enveloped his eyes. It was the same field that he had remembered in his early childhood. A quick look discovered that the field was part of a school. The building sported two three-level buildings lined with windows from top to bottom, a single story building off to the left, and a fairly large playground in front of him. He appeared much taller than the children that were playing on the sets, but he smiled at the nostalgia of young happiness. Charm overtook frustration—enlightenment overtook fear. For the brief moments that he spent analyzing a memory from long ago, he felt the weightlessness of his sub-consciousness carry him forward through the playground. The children ran right through his form, as if he was only a specter.

As more children ran right past him, he saw a woman walking right towards him—in a slow but methodical pace. He recognized her almost immediately and held his hand out. She did the same. Instead of her hand flowing through his form, he could feel her warm touch. He knew that she wasn’t just part of his consciousness. He had been summoned.

“Asura,” the woman spoke.

“Paleia,” he replied.

“It has been a while since we last spoke. Are you alright?”

“Yes. I’m fine. I managed to survive the crash, and have met with the locals of the inhabited planet.”

Her eyes flickered. “The Equestrians?”

He nodded.

She let go of his hand and gestured him to follow. The scene slowly faded from the school grounds to the courtyard of the Knowledge Towers—an environment he was too familiar with. What seemed out of place was that the environment hung with the feeling of emptiness, as if the towers had been constructed from empty shells.

“Paleia, what is wrong? I remember the towers used to be more pristine. Why do they feel empty?”

She turned around with an expression of sorrow. “A lot has changed in such little time. Our aggressors have desecrated a significant portion of our numbers. Time is now running deathly thin—I fear that the war is beginning to march forth much earlier than expected.”

The war. Upon hearing those words, the structures above him began to crumble and fade away into a dismal spiral of dust and rock. The falling fragments tumbled down and landed perfectly outside of the courtyard, sparing both him and Paleia. When the fragments fell and the dust cleared, he was stricken in mortified fear at the new landscape that revealed itself before him.

The landscape was all but desolate, and great tracts of land were desecrated. Few buildings remained, standing tall as valiant as before. He fell to his knees before the rampant carnage that littered the horizon. It was, as if, death had spilled upon the land and leveled the entire city.

“Why?” It was the only word that muttered out of his mouth.

Paleia drew herself next to him and knelt down, gripping his shoulders. “Our enemy is searching for you. They will do whatever they can to seize control of your power. You hold the key to awakening the great spirit of Cosmos to dispel of this recklessness. If that power falls in to the wrong hands, innocent lives will be at their mercy. They will kill everything that they find, and they will stop at nothing to ensure the destruction of our grand civilization.”

“Why me?”

“You have an untapped power that can restore the balance of the elemental chaos that feeds the rage of the Rygoliths. They rely on this chaos to uproot the House of the Elementals and to destroy the network that binds light and dark together. If they accomplish this, the bonds of light and dark will separate once again, and they will do terrible damage beyond our repair.”

She places an amulet in his hand. “That’s where you come in. In order for them to unseal the bonds, they need to use that essence to break the spell that he placed before his disappearance. If you were able to reach his soul and release him from his slumber, our fates would be saved and the damage they caused would be undone.”

A loud footstep was heard from behind. Paleia and Asura turned around to see both Luna and Celestia standing forth in basking winds and swirling dust of the colossal wreckage. Paleia returned an earnest grin. “Princess Celestia. We meet again.”

Asura stared at Paleia in question. “You’ve met before?”

Paleia nodded.

Celestia raised her hoof forward. “Don’t worry. We heard everything that was said.”

“We will make certain that he is granted the proper care that is needed,” Luna inquired.

Paleia bowed. Asura heard the sound of grunting nearby. Paleia picked up on it as well. They turned around to find a man crawling his way from underneath the debris. Asura identified him as the architect. “Brimoy!”

Brimoy coughed heavily, trailing behind him his blood-soaked robe. “A-Asur…a…”

Asura knelt down to Brimoy and helped him up. “Brimoy! What happened? Are you alright?”

The old man chuckled, as his mouth filled up with saliva and blood. His expression soon became wild with fear and fright. He grabbed a hold of Asura’s arms and began to crumple down towards the ground. “They… they’re coming… for you. I was helpless… to defend… myself. They will… hunt you down…”

“Brimoy, stay with me.” Asura shook the man in worry. “Where are they now? What happened?”

“They… were on… Gausis IV… where I am… now. I tried to stop… them, but…” He trailed off as his head lay slump against Asura’s arm.

“No, no no no. You need to stay alive, Brimoy. I need you to stay alive for me.”

The old man chuckled, spitting out blood in between breaths. “I’m… already dead… I’m… going to see… them now…”

“No…” Asura quelled in tears as he fought trying to recover the man from his grueling state. “No. Brimoy. Brimoy!”

“Don’t… don’t let them… stop you. Don’t waste… your life, Asura…” As he muttered the last words, the old man crumbled in Asura’s grip—heaving his last breath before withering away into a lifeless pile of ash and dust.

Asura took the ashes in his hand. His emotion getting the best of him, his face glittered with tears and he covered his face in his hands. Paleia knelt down and comforted him.

“Asura,” she whispered softly. “We need to keep moving. I need to keep going.”

Still sobbing, Asura looked up towards her. “What about… me?”

She looked over to the princesses, who were both worried. “You just stay where you are. They will protect you. They will find a way to keep you out of harm’s way.” They both nodded. “I need you to trust them, Asura. We all need to find shelter from the coming storm. You are in the best position to halt the storm’s entrance, but you must stay vigilant.” He kept a hold of Paleia’s pendant. It was her personal good luck charm that she kept with her. “I will see you when the storm passes.”

She got up and walked forth in front of him. The winds picked up, and the fragments of the towers began to swirl around the courtyard—eliminating the remaining parts of the towers. She stepped out in to the strong forces of the winds.

Asura stood up and faced the incoming winds. “Paleia!”

She turned around.

He held up his hand with her charm. “Stay strong.”

She held up her hand in response. In a single blink, she was gone. He brought his hand down and examined the charm that he had held. A piece of debris flew by—he turned around and both the princesses were gone. The maelstrom grew stronger as it closed in on him, until the forces were touching his arms. A single piece of stone flew straight towards him in an instant. He braced himself for impact.

He gasped awake, expecting the full force of the stone platform to eviscerate his soul. Luna was, also, wide awake after having to deal with a surprise concrete boulder. The bed beneath him felt comforting, and Luna’s embrace greatly accentuated that comfort. She gazed deep in to his eyes and pressed her nuzzle upon his nose. Tears began to quell in his eyes.

“Brimoy…” he muttered.

Luna gently stroked the back of his head, urging him to lay his head back down with a brief gesture. “I’m sorry.” She hugged her forehead against his. “I’m sorry thou had to witness such terrible fate.”

She twisted her head sideways and locked a kiss upon his lips—catching him off guard. The feeling was both awkward and pleasing to him at the same time. His sorrow began to melt away—she knew it wasn’t the time to mourn for his loss.

What came next was a big surprise for him. Her kiss intensified, slowly suckling more of his lips and beginning to devour his mouth. This sent a gigantic wave of pleasure to reverberate down his spine, as the princess of the night slowly coaxed him back to sleep.

Chapter 11 -- Arrival

Author's Note

Here it is-- the turning point for, both, the civilization and Equestria! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 11 -- Arrival

The interior of the Atlas command vessel was a sprawling network of hangars and briefing rooms, as well as a few armories and storage areas near the front of the vessel. The hangars comprised, mainly, of small aerial vehicles—most of them outfitted with advanced weaponry. Several land vehicles were, also, in the mix—most of them appeared to be large multi-wheeled truck designed to carry troops to reconnaissance points. In one of the hangars, the starship Harmony beckoned with all its glory, as few crew members worked around the clock and outfitted it with several defensive measures, which included several retractable racks of numerous short-range air-burst missiles.

The atmosphere in the main briefing room was tense. It was the largest room compared to the others, but it was, still, quite cramped. Dozens of individuals—Rygolith, Magi, Eagoran, and the like—crowded in the small space, eager to listen in on what was about to be said. The crew members of the Harmony vessel stood up front, facing toward everyone else. The captains and commanders of the Atlas vessel stood by.

Renee was the first to speak. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” Everyone bowed and offered their salutes to her. “I’m sure you’re all aware of the pressing circumstances. General HQ has notified us of the mission objective beforehand, and we will be relaying that information to you. General Reichert extends his foremost wishes to all of us here today.”

One of the vessel commanders stood forth. He wore a tight blue uniform, and his figure was tall and stiff. “We have, also, been briefed about certain details by HQ, and they had appointed the Atlas vessel to be the temporary General HQ throughout the entirety of the mission.”

Renee acknowledged. “As crew members aboard the vessels Harmony and Atlas, we are the designated mission coordinators. As of now, all mission objectives and details will be relayed through us and the coordinators of Atlas GHQ.”

She walked forward and a holographic screen appeared in front of a white board. The lights in the room dimmed, making the screen easier to see. The screen showed three different marks. One was a green chevron on the right-side of the screen, with the word ‘Atlas’ above it; a red chevron appeared in the center of the map, with the word ‘Hostile’ above it; a blue pulsating chevron appeared on the bottom left side of the screen, with the word ‘Obj’ above it. She stood next to the screen and pointed out the blue marker. “General HQ had detected a distress signal originating from the surface of the planet, designated EQ-519. Sources trace that the shuttle’s occupant was, none other than, the commander himself.” A few gasps were heard among the crowd. “We do not know the specifics of the situation, nor have we identified any further intercepted communications, but we must assume that the commander is in dire need of assistance.”

She shifted her attention to the red marker on the screen. “Furthermore, we have received information that a Rygolith aggressor search party had been dispatched, and is attempting a search and seizure campaign of their own. The specifics of their objectives remain unclear, but what we do know is that they are closing in on the source of the distress signal.” She highlighted various red markers above nearby planets nearest to the blue chevron. “Based on current trajectory logs, the aggressors do not know the exact location of the beacon. It is to our speculation that they are unable to receive the broadcasting signal at this distance. We are the only ones to be receiving the signal, securely. However, they may be able to get a better hold of the signal once they begin closing the gap.”

The screen shifted, and the map zoomed up on to the planet in which the blue marker highlighted. “As of now, we are under executive order ARD-1510. We have been re-tasked as a search and rescue force. We will be fully armed in case of emergencies, but we are not to engage the aggressor squadron, or any inhabitants that may, possibly, inhabit EQ-519, under any other circumstances. As of now, we have no communication with General HQ, as this mission must be done under complete long-range radio and electronic silence in order to avoid conflict with the enemy.”

The map displayed current geographical and topographical data beside the planet. “Our preliminary scans show that the planet, EQ-519, is habitable, with a good chance that there may be life on the surface. It is unclear as to whether intelligent life-forms may be present, but as it stands, the commander may have a good chance of survival, lest he survived the crash landing.”

One of the crew members observed the revolving globe. As it revolved, she noticed something odd in one of the areas toward the northern region. There was a region within the arctic circle that was, oddly, uncovered, and upon closer inspection had a tall tower sticking out from the ground. The Rygolith analyst spoke. “Miss?”

Renee diverted her attention to the analyst, who was studying the map closely. She raised a talon up at the screen, and revolved the map around the strange region. Renee saw the region as well, and stood forth to talk a closer look.

“Wonderful inspection, Aldrea,” Renee said. The odd region had confirmed the possibility of intelligent life on the planet. The tall object was surrounded by a network of trails and smaller objects—more than likely a residence of some sort.

She cleared her throat. “As it turns out, we may be dealing with the high possibility of intelligent life aboard EQ-519. As per executive order ARD-1510, we are restricted from engaging in to combat with other habitants. If worse calls for drastic measures, an emergency alternative would be to deal with the situation lightly, or be dealt with quietly. We do not want to raise concern with the native populace.”

As the holographic screen switched to a topographical view of the planet, she focused her attention to the blue chevron on the screen. “We will be descending in to the northern polar region, where we speculate there is little to no foot traffic from the natives. Once we have set up camp, we will send out two Skyhawk drones to scout the area and to explore the crash site. If there is any evidence of tampering or of the commander, both Skyhawk units will report back with their findings.”

She circled around the entire forest region. “If we do, in fact, find any evidence of the commander, we will send a search-and-rescue squadron comprised of special ops infantries aboard the Harmony vessel. From there, their mission will be to retrieve the commander, and bring him back to Atlas GHQ safely.”

She cleared her throat. “Assuming that all goes to plan, this should be a fairly simple task. If, however, the situation becomes complicated as it plays out, we will improvise as necessary to the pressing circumstances. If he has taken refuge in a native residence, we will have to implore the use of greater standards for stealth and recovery. Again, we do not want to get the populace in a furl with us, so we need to be on our guard at all times.”

An alarm sounded within the briefing room. A strobe light flashed blue, and the screen switched to planetary view. It showed the green chevron closing in on the objective. A voice was heard over the intercom system.

“Attention. Destination threshold. Preparing vessel for orbital correction.”

The thrusters on the upper side of the vessel fired, as it oriented the belly towards the surface of the planet, while keeping a steady forward momentum. Renee dismissed all of the crew from the briefing, and they all hurried out of the room back to their original positions—working faster to achieve their goals before they descended in to the atmosphere.

The captains of the Harmony made it to the bridge of the Atlas command center. The planet in front of them was a remarkable sight. It looked familiar to a planet that they had hardly remembered, but it was a moving sight. Large, swirling clouds danced along the skies, and green lush lands swept across from either side of the horizon’s edge. Large masses of water dotted the landscape—easily dismissing any doubts and questions of the possibility of life.

The planet was, soon, visible only at the bottom of the front bay canopy, and the vessel drew itself toward the edge of the atmosphere. One of the commanding officers stood forward before the crew members and saluted. “Should we depart the starship Harmony from the Atlas vessel? It is ready to be deployed at any time.”

Randan thought for a moment, and then he nodded his head. “Yes, we should deploy it before entry. The weight of the Atlas might be too much at this point to recover from a full stop.” Renee nodded in agreement. Otan and Cassandra raced out of the bridge and sped their way in to the large hangar bay, where the Harmony was stationed. If they were to keep the vessel in one piece, they would be the ones to help operate it. The crew members here knew how to handle such aircraft, but Otan would never leave that to chance. He was the first to pilot the craft when it came out during its early testing phases, and since then he’s become fully aware of the craft in all angles. Cassandra was on a similar boat, but being a communications officer for several years, it gave her the advantage of relaying technical information quickly across multiple platforms of communication.

The Atlas vessel was, truly, an aircraft full of talented individuals, including those from the 48th Infantry—the Special Ops force. They had been trained under varying circumstances, from advanced tactical espionage to search and seizures of prime militant targets. This mission was to be proven as the most difficult and dangerous mission they had ever partaken. Not only did they have no direct communication with General HQ, but they were also dealing with a planet of unknown intelligence. If things did go wrong during the mission, they wouldn’t have much to prepare themselves with.

They could not go back at this point. Otan gave the thumbs up, and several members entered the aircraft. Otan and Cassandra followed suit, closing the side door. An alarm rang within the hangar, signaling the release of pressure and the opening of the hangar door. Otan took his position on the left side of the dashboard and Cassandra manned the communications control panel. One other crew member, a gray and brown-feathered Eagoran, addressed herself as Aidra, and she took the controls next to Otan. She had enough flight experience to take over for Renee, and she was good friends with Cassandra.

Cassandra took the headset and opened up a channel with the Atlas.

“Atlas, this is Cassandra, aboard Harmony MG-1. We are beginning pre-flight checks.”

“This is Randan, aboard the Atlas GHQ. Roger that.”

Otan and Aidra simultaneously went over the essential controls on the dashboard and made sure all switches were in their active and non-emergency states. Otan flipped one switch and the entire canopy flashed red with a shrill alarm. He, quickly, turned it off. “Failsafe systems fully operational.”

Aidra checked the throttle handles above her—making sure they were still in their idle positions. “Checking pre-flight data—Echo 12-3975. Doing a pre-check of eco boosters.” She tapped on a holographic screen, which revealed a gauge for the eco drives. Both gauges showed full capacity, which was a good sign for both of them. “Eco drives at full capacity.”

“Harmony MG-1 to Atlas, eco drives at full capacity.”

“Copy that, MG-1. You have permission to take off at the ready.”

Aidra took hold of the throttle handles. Otan flipped a switch, which disengaged the hooks that kept the vessel tied to the hangar clips. Once all of the hooks disengaged, the vessel floated freely up, just enough for them to clear all four sides of the doorway—which had already been opened to full length during pre-flight checks. “Harmony MG-1, deploying forward boosters to exit the hangar.”

When she moved the handles forward, a jettison of white smoke ejected from six different areas at the front of the ship, giving it enough momentum to back out through the hangar and out into the blackness of space. The scenery was very different, though. The planet loomed just below them in perpetual darkness, as the sun hid behind—choking out all visible light, save for the aurora halo visible on the edges of the horizon.

“Harmony MG-1 to Atlas, we are floating free from the hangar. Proceeding to landing zone.”

“MG-1, roger. We’ll see you at dinner.”

With the transmission ending on that note, Aidra pulled back on the throttle handles, which engaged the eco drives above. A melodious humming mixed with the volatile churning of the caustic resources sent the Harmony vessel hurtling towards the atmosphere, following closely behind the Atlas I. There was a rapid shaking as they grazed the tip of the atmosphere, and an alarm sounded with the forward console displaying a window.

“Vessel, approaching atmospheric terminal velocity.” Otan knew what the prompt said, even without looking at it. The vessel violently shook around, as the nose of the craft started to catch fire. “Harmony MG-1 to Atlas GHQ—we have broken through the atmosphere and are trailing your position. Proceeding to lower altitude to commence deceleration.” Within a few moments, the entire canopy was engulfed with licking flames, as the vessel started to descend toward the surface. The flames obscured the entire view, and lit up the canopy in a siege of brilliant light. The melodic humming was soon drowned out by the frantic howling of the flames that lathered the entire vessel. They could feel the aircraft speeding up very rapidly, as they began descending toward the surface. The vessels hurled across the night sky like arrows trailing fire.

The Harmony’s large delta wings helped keep a stable flight envelope, even during such extreme descents. The Mother Goose-class aircraft were able to handle all sorts of atmospheric entry and departure protocols. It was clear that the Atlas had no problem with entry, but the real challenge came to when it needed to depart from the planet’s surface. The designers had solved that major hurdle with the inclusion of high power, high efficiency Eco boosters.

When the Harmony vessel began to straighten out its trajectory, and the dancing flames began to dissipate, Otan flipped a switch, which slowed down the aircraft even more. “Harmony MG-1, deploying flaps. Commencing deceleration. Currently at a velocity of Mach 14, at vector 024. Velocity steadily decreasing.”

“Atlas GHQ to MG-1. Currently commencing deceleration protocols. We are activating rotor units. Please keep your distance of 400 meters.”

“Harmony MG-1 to Atlas GHQ. Roger that. We see you. Maintaining current course at your discretion.”

“Atlas GHQ to MG-1. Please set your heading to vector 010.”

“Roger. Switching heading to vector 010.”

Aidra took the handle and flipped a switch on the side of the upper console. A slight droning could be heard above, which shook the aircraft for a brief moment. “Harmony MG-1, switching to electric propulsion. Twin turbines are active and ready to cruise along flight headings.” Before long, the droning mellowed out to a harmonic hum, with the sound of massive amounts of air being moved across the wingspans.

The Mother Goose-class aircraft were, also, classified under the VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) category. Two high-torque impellers nestled on the upper portion of the fuselage, just above the cockpit. The twin impellers fed through a dual network of pipes that began to constrict, causing a build-up of air pressure. Once they got to a certain point, the pipes ended to two barrels, which jettisoned the super-charged air through an airfoil-type outtake. The long barrels provided enough cover for the outtakes, as well as fed more air through, causing negative pressure to suck in even more air. Eventually, the outtakes gathered enough pressure to provide lift and thrust in the direction of which the barrels were pointing. With four barrels, two on each wing, the amount of power was distributed evenly along the aircraft, generating enough thrust to keep the aircraft airborne, while cutting expensive fuel costs dramatically. The aircraft, also, sported bleed vents, which enabled the pressurized ducts to bleed excess air—which came in handy during power-up or power-down sequences, preventing dangerous runaways.

“Harmony MG-1 to Atlas GHQ. Electric propulsion fully functional. Cruising at velocity of Mach 9 and decreasing. Currently at vector 012.”

“Copy that. Rotor units are fully functional. Atlas GHQ is now airborne from free-fall.”

They could see the Atlas vessel moving along the skyline, with the floodlight beacons flashing on its edges. They were staring, directly in line, with the vessel, so they could not see the moving rotors. However, they noticed that as they got closer, the mechanical force of the rotors produced a great amount of flapping. As they got within four hundred meters from the vessel, the thumping of all eight gargantuan rotors was greatly intense. They could feel the entire aircraft shake just from the Atlas at a safe distance. An immediate thought came to Otan’s mind, as to how they were going to accomplish the first task as quietly as possible. With the Atlas giving off that much noise, someone was bound to notice.

‘Oh, my beloved subject. My sweet, sweet Asura. How thou hath, kindly, given me thine affection. Prithee that thy princess shall keep thou from harm’s way, and pray that thou accept thy princess’s affection to thee.’

Asura gently snored against Luna’s cheek—her gaze emblazoned upon him with her pastel teal eyes. She stroked his cheek softly, which welcomed another outward breath and encouraged him to snore once again. She enjoyed the sound, and it gave her the satisfaction that she had been craving for thousands of years. To sleep with another pony was one thing; to sleep with another being from beyond the stars was a delightful experience, and would, probably, be a once-in-a-lifetime event—even for an alicorn such as herself and Celestia.

‘Oh, how thy princess adores thee. How thy princess enjoys hearing thine noises thou make when…’

‘Noises?’

Her ears perked up. She heard the distant melody of continuous thumping through the open window. It was, certainly, out of place to be hearing somepony stirring up a ruckus on Canterlot grounds during the twilight hours. She, gently, snaked her legs from underneath the sleeping body, and stood up to poke her head out of the window. The thumping, clearly, didn’t sound as close as Canterlot at this point. It sounded distant—as if it was as far north as the Crystal Empire.

‘It couldn’t be the empire, itself, making that entire ruckus, could it? Deep drumming at half-past midnight? What might Shining Armor and Cadence be doing at such a time? I still feel their presence inside the void, and no-pony has alerted me of anything unusual.’

Shaking that thought, the thumping had faded away, and all was quiet once again.

‘Well, that ended quickly.’

She grinned at the thought, and crawled her way back into the sheets, caressing the sleepy Asura in her hooves once again. His snoring made her giggle, as she gently stroked his cheek again.

‘Oh, how thy princess enjoys hearing thine noises thou make when thou journeys to thy princess’s dreams.’

After passing by the threshold of the northern arctic landscape, the external thermometer reported a gradual drop in temperature. Aidra kept a check on the aircraft’s heading, as the Atlas trailed behind with its booming payload. This was, definitely, not the ideal situation to get caught up in, especially with the appearance of the tall structure that loomed ahead in the distance. In the few minutes of travelling across the tundra, the thermometer reported a sudden spike in temperature, as the ground below transformed from snow back into grassland. Otan, suddenly, realized where they were headed. “Shit. We need to divert course. Now.”

Cassandra, hurriedly, pulled up the headset and re-established communication. “Atlas GHQ, this is Harmony MG-1. Requesting Atlas GHQ to divert heading to vector 050, immediately.”

“This is Atlas GHQ. Harmony MG-1, please state your reason for re-route.”

“Atlas GHQ, we are headed straight towards an occupied residency. Any further in this current vector and we will, likely, pass right over the settlement.”

“Too late…” Aidra cursed under her breath, as the rest of the settlement snuck right into view.

“Harmony MG-1 to Atlas GHQ. Belie re-route executive. Prepare to enter residency airspace.”

The Crystal Empire stood as valiant as ever. The crystal-carve walls of the various multi-colored homes and shops that dotted the landscape almost appeared as assorted rock candy to one’s eyes. The arrangement of the roads and trails were constructed in such a way that, from one look high up in the sky, it resembled the intricate network of a snowflake. The castle that spiked forth from the center of the network stood tall on three base supports. The tower gleamed with remarkable beauty, even during the night. At the bottom of the castle, the pulsating beacon of the Crystal Heart kept the empire in its pristine state of glory. After the battle against King Sombra, Shining Armor and Cadence had taken residency within the castle interior.

Inside, the remarkable castle did not fail to impress—even the noblest of individuals would fall to their knees of such magnificent spectacle. Crested diamonds and crystals arched their way up to the ceiling of the main hall, and great portraits of previous rulers had been adorned up on the walls—save for Sombra. To the right of the passage, a smaller room had lain emblazoned with the most intricate works of furniture a king or queen could die for. Shining Armor and Cadence had outdone themselves by staying in the castle, but their work that they had to accomplish during their time here would be proven futile had they not made that choice.

A bed with diamond supports sat in the middle of the back wall, which sat several feet from a fireplace to the right. To the left, a window offered the night sky a view in, which allowed the princess of the night to keep tabs on the sleeping duo, who had occupied the bed. Both Cadence and Shining Armor had sprawled themselves underneath the sheets, allowing themselves to feed off of each other’s heat and comfort. Shining’s ears twitched, as a melodious thumping drew near. It was, barely, noticeable, but after a few minutes the thumping grew louder—to the point where it started to shake the castle. Shining Armor cracked open his eyes, and yawned in fatigue from earlier events. The thumping became obviously apparent that it tore him from his grogginess, and he climbed out of bed.

The castle shook violently, as the thumping grew louder. Cadence was yanked out of her sleep, when a portrait fell from the side wall and landed with a smack.

“What in the name of Celestia is going on?” Shining Armor said, his voice trembling from the shock of the incredible thumping from outside. He proceeded to make his way toward the balcony just outside of the main hallway, with Cadence trailing behind. When they got out to the balcony, they witnessed the greatest spectacles they had ever laid eyes upon.

The roaring of the nearest object was staggering, as it passed a few hundred meters from the castle. The thumping swallowed out the roar of the smaller object, as a much larger, and stranger, object flew almost directly above the two. The amount of wind produced from the object almost toppled them over, as portraits and parchment were sent flying all over the interior of the halls. The sound was enormously deafening. It felt like the castle could shatter at any moment.

Cadence and Shining Armor had covered their ears as the object passed over, and they could feel numerous shockwaves flowing up and down the entirety of the castle supports. As the object flew further away, the sound became less deafening and, even, became quiet more quickly than its arrival. Shining Armor and Cadence drew heavy breaths and looked upon each other in mortified terror—still feeling the slight springing and jolting of the castle.

Cadence was the first to speak after their prolonged silence. “What, in the name of Equestria, was that??”

“I have no idea. We need to get back to Canterlot. Fast.” Shining Armor disappeared in the blink of an eye. Cadence turned around to see the last flash of his mane disappearing behind the archway to their bedroom. She, quickly, followed suit and knew what she must adorn herself with.

Shining Armor emerged with his emblem-enameled chest piece and steel hooves. Cadence emerged with her golden tiara and gold-crested hooves.

‘Princess Luna. We are coming straight for Canterlot Castle. Something just happened.’

‘Thy princess acknowledges thee, Shining Armor.’

After receiving her immediate response, they both hurried out from the hallway and made their way to their personal chariot.

“This is Atlas GHQ. Might I, just, say that was one hell of a close call there!”

“Yeah. Well, don’t press your luck. We should, probably, expect the locals to send some of their investigation services after us.”

Otan placed his elbows on the dashboard with his face covered in his hands. He sighed in disbelief over what just happened. Not only did he see the entire township in astounding detail, but he had, also, caught a clear view of a couple that emerged from the tall tower. The expressions he saw on their faces were, short of, surprised. He noticed that they looked equine in appearance. He had seen many strange life forms in his lifetime, but something tells him that this was going to be a, completely, different experience.

The two vessels passed over a large glacier that stood as an impenetrable wall from the lowland tundra. They had reached their general destination without any mechanical mishaps, though their hopes had dramatically dropped, as they had, embarrassingly, blown their cover right off the bat. Things were not off to a good start, and they had to show extreme caution from here-on out. Further discovery, or apprehension, was not on their list of priorities.

Luna lain her head softly against Asura’s, brushing her cheek against his. His skin felt smooth as silk against the fur of her coat. After receiving Shining Armor’s immediate distress, she kept herself on the alert for any stalwart presence. She had alerted Celestia of Shining Armor’s distressed arrival. She continued to qualm herself by keeping him safe within her grasp. He did look heavenly when he slept soundly.

She felt the presence of both Shining Armor and Cadence at the door to Celestia’s quarters. Cadence made her way to the spare room’s door. There was a knock, and she heard Cadence’s voice shout through.

“Asura! It’s me, Cadence! Are you awake?”

Luna focused her attention back to Asura, and her horn became enveloped in a dark haze.

‘Asura. Wake up. Thou art being summoned forth.’

Within a few moments, the haze disappeared, and a quiver of life flickered in his eyelids. He opened his eyes indolently, and gave a soft moan of fatigue. She smiled happily back to him as she gently lifted him up from his pillow. His senses lazily glided back to him, though he was still somewhat out of focus.

“Lu…Luna…?” he spoke, softly.

“Asura,” she whispered in his ear.

“Asura? Can you hear me?”

Cadence’s shouting and sense of urgency pulled him right out from his delusional mess. His eyes snapped open, and Luna gently pulled away from him. He continued to stare long and hard, while he felt a strange tingling sensation near the lower portion of his waist. “Luna, what’s going on?”

Her expression became that if concern. “I’m not sure what she needs.”

“Luna? Is that you? Is Asura awake?”

“Yes. I’m awake. What is it, Cadence?”

“Okay. You need to come in to Celestia’s room right now. It’s urgent.”

Asura and Luna looked at each other, and proceeded to rush toward the door. Luna opened it, which spooked Cadence a bit.

“Oh… hi, Luna.” She blushed, slightly, with an awkward smile. Luna knew, exactly, what was going through Cadence’s mind for that split moment. She glanced down at Asura with dancing eyes.

Cadence’s expression melted away into concern. “We need to talk to you guys about something. It’s big.” Several other hoofsteps could be heard around the corner. Twilight and her friends appeared behind Asura and Luna, sharing the same expressions of worry and curiosity.

“Cadence? Is there something wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Perhaps. Come in.” She gestured to the open door, where Celestia quaintly stood.

~~~~~~

“A big, metal object flew over th’ Crystal Empire?” Applejack asked, in dismay. “Are you sure ye two sugarcubes hadn’t been drinkin’ any of mah apple cider before bed?”

“I swear, on my line of duty, I had never, in my entire life, seen something like this before.” Shining Armor held out his hooves before him. “It… it was massive!”

“And it made so much noise. It was terrible! It, literally, shook the entire castle. It, probably, frightened some of the crystal ponies to death as well.”

“A flying object?” Rainbow Dash inquired. “What did it look like? I’m sure it was, probably, some raging storm cloud from Cloudsdale that had to make its way north to bring snowfall on schedule.”

“This was nothing like I had ever seen. It didn’t even look like it came from Cloudsdale.” Shining Armor took a deep breath. “It looked… other-worldly.”

That word tipped off Asura’s senses. Had help finally come to his aid? Had his enemies finally found his hiding spot? His heart pounded at the thought.

Luna leaned forward, and offered a relaxing hoof to Shining Armor and Cadence. “I’m going to need to know what it is that thou saw. Please place thine hooves together, and recollect thy memories of what thou hath experienced.” She looked over to Asura, who was ill-stricken with panic. “Asura?”

He looked up. She gestured him to come closer and hold his hand out above her hoof. She closed her eyes, and a powerful surge of magic flowed through his mind and the minds of Shining Armor and Cadence. To his mind, he saw Shining Armor racing to the balcony of the castle and saw a strange black form against the sky. Then, he looked up and saw a larger, more symmetrical object. His own memories paired up with images, and then two and two met…

He jerked back from Luna’s grasp, and hunched over on the couch—heaving and panting frantically. He knew, exactly, what it was that Shining Armor and Cadence saw. “Oh… my god…” Everyone stared at him in concern. He continued breathing heavily, as he attempted to sit back upright. “They… they’ve come to rescue me…”

Shining Armor and Cadence looked at each other—expressionless.

Chapter 12 -- Reconnaissance [E]

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 13 -- Adaptation

The morning sun rose high in the sky, radiating its magnificent glow against the mountainside and the castle that nestled against its side. For the moment, the air stood quiet—not a single breeze drew near. Contemplation and question stung Canterlot at the sudden arrival and apprehension of a strange object in the middle of the night. It drove many of the commoners inside its walls towards their breaking point, as things kept unfolding without a mere explanation.

Inside the throne room, the air was calm, yet the bitterness of confusion and frustration was tense. Perched before the princess’s thrones was the metallic object that flew around the base of the valley last night. It was a remarkable construction, crafted in a way that even the most understanding blacksmiths couldn’t comprehend. Twilight and her friends stood next to Celestia’s throne, while Shining Armor and Cadence sat next to Luna’s, whose throne was vacant. Celestia had an idea of where her sister had gone off to, but, during a time of need, it seemed somewhat out of place.

The object before them was supported by a large red velvet cushion—the same kind as was seen from her quarters.

“What is it?” Shining Armor asked diligently.

Celestia shook her head. “We still have no idea. Perhaps Luna is going to wake up Asura so that he can answer that question.” She looked up to see a procession of guards, along with stallions and mares that came from Manehattan to study the object.

One of the mares bowed. She was a jet blue pegasus with a curly brown and red mane and wore a white coat over most of her body. “Your highness.” She spoke in a whimsical tone, almost as if she was in surprise after being summoned here on such short notice.

Celestia nodded. “I know this might be an inconvenience for you, as it is for all of us. We’ve just had this ‘thing’ flying around the lowlands of Equestria. We were curious to know if you could figure out what it is?”

The mare stared at the object, almost in disbelief. “I, uh…”

An earth stallion stood forward and took a short bow. “Your highness. We do not know off the top of our hooves.”

Shining Armor studied the group inquisitively. “You’re going to try and find out beforehand?”

“The more information we can acquire about it, the greater understanding we have of its origin.”

~~~~~~

The sun’s rays dazzled past Asura’s face from the window, creating a delicate golden glow on his skin. He steadily opened his eyes and let out an invigorating sigh. He stretched his arms up as he pulled himself from the hugging confines of the soft bed. It was the best sleep he’s ever had in a long time. Luna’s delicate nature, certainly, worked wonders on his wracked physique. Nothing in the world could feel any better, and he could appreciate no less at this point.

He sat on the bed, with his feet touching the linen carpet. The fibrous strands tickled the bottoms of his feet, as he began to lift himself up. As he did so, he felt a looming pain creep in to his chest. It felt odd—out of place, even. He had a good rest, and he hadn’t put himself into any compromising positions. Still, he proceeded to stand up. The pain worsened, and it felt as if his insides were beginning to burn. It got to the point where it became excruciatingly unbearable, and he fell back onto his knees.

He braced his lower waist with his hand, reeling on the immense pain that crippled his body to the ground. He panted and grunted with every breath. The pain started to overcome much of his abdominal area, and could be felt starting to creep up his arms, legs and neck. He attempted to reach into his pocket, only to find the absence of the stone. Worried, he looked up to find it resting on the edge of the table next to the bed. He crawled over to the foot of the table, and attempted to reach the stone. His efforts proving futile, he slid back down to the ground, shifting the table and causing a flower vase to crash on the carpet. Dirt and water littered the carpet underneath the table, and broken masonry made its way to Asura’s hand. Unfortunately, the shifting weight did not force the stone to budge.

His mind went wild. The reality of his underlying fears was catching up to him. Something deep inside was changing. His power started to fade, and it began to affect his mind. The pain was agonizingly intense, as his short grunts turned to long moans, and occasionally screams. The magic of Equestria had taken a delayed effect, and was beginning to dissect his spirit. Without a tenuous grasp on the elements, he did not know whether the magic that invaded him would eventually cleanse him or kill him. He did not want to know the outcome—he had to get the stone before the rogue magic caused irreversible damage.

The door blew wide open, and two guards came rushing in to find him on the floor, heaving in massive pain. One of them stood by, while the other knelt down to him, supporting him with the guard's hoof. “Sir! Are you alright?”

“What is the matter with him?” Luna rushed through the threshold, hearing the cries of pain from within the lower confines of the halls. An expression of worry crossed her face.

The guard dragged Asura around and looked towards Luna. “I have no idea, your majesty. We heard him fall to the ground and yelp in pain.” Asura continued to breathe heavily. His body began to convulse slightly.

Luna summoned her magic, and brought him close to her. She grasped his neck and stroked his cheek to try and comfort him. His frantic breathing began to slow down, and his focus started to return. The pain continued to linger, and he struggled to regain his own strength. He muttered a few words, softly. “The… the stone…”

Luna looked toward the desk to find the stone lying on the corner. She noticed the broken vase on the floor. She summoned the rock over to her and placed it in his hand.

The pain, almost, immediately subsided. He took in a heavy breath and sighed in relief. It took him a few minutes to recover, but he was able to stand on his feet again.

“What was that all about?” she asked, in worry.

Asura, still slightly traumatized by the experience, drew his attention to her. “When I first came here, the effects of your planet’s power did not take effect on me, nor could they when I had the stone in my possession. Frankly, the effects of Equestria’s magic had a profound delay.” He tilted his head down in earnest. “In short, I am starting to adjust to Equestria’s climate, but, unfortunately, that reaction is… slightly volatile.”

‘The Elements of Harmony nearly killed him?’ The thought rang through her head—it frightened her. “Art thou going to be okay?”

Asura nodded. “For the time being, yes. As long as I have the stone in my hand, the effects of the change won’t be as intense.”

Luna dismissed the guards back to their stations. She turned back to him. “My sister requires thee to come to the throne room for a matter of… grave importance.”

Asura looked up. Were his allies brought before the princess and expecting his arrival? There was only one way to find out. “Okay. I’ll come with.”

~~~~~~

The analyst ponies continued to survey the strange object that sat before the princess’ thrones. It was an odd sight for the scientists from Manehattan to approach such royalty in sudden circumstances. They were, incredulously, the greatest technologically adept minds of Equestria. This object, however, proved to bust their own minds instead. Nothing on Equestria was this technologically advanced, and nothing like this had ever been built. They were curious on how it got its power, its intellect and its propulsion.

The lead mare tapped one end of the object’s vent case on the main body. In a moment’s notice, the internal compartment whirred to life, and lights on the front part of it flashed for a brief moment. The round dome on the front turned a full three hundred sixty degrees. The analysts backed up almost immediately. The glass lens on the dome seemed to move in and out, as though it were adjusting its eyesight. The lens focused itself upon the thrones.

The morning atmosphere was tense. The crew of the Atlas vessel conversed amongst each other and prepared an external outpost outside of the vessel. They had lost one of their most advanced recon drones, and the other was still on watch for the other. Skyhawk One, precariously, circled around the mountain, where Skyhawk Two was taken to the structure that was built on the side. Something told the coordinators that they would not be able to get the drone back without, physically, going to the settlement. If some powerful force was able to drag the drone towards that settlement, they’d probably have to expect the worst. Getting caught out here would mean serious trouble.

The generals and group coordinators stood amongst one another in the command deck. The screens were littered with live feeds from the Skyhawk One drone, as it continued to survey the mountainside and its residency. Randan stood with his hand below his chin—he sighed. “What should we try and do at this point? From Skyhawk One’s vantage point, the grounds look to be heavily guarded. Someone of grave importance must be living there for that much security to be warranted.”

Otan nodded. “That ‘someone’ seems to have a plethora of powers to their disposal. Being able to snatch a drone right out from the sky means that they could, easily, pick us off without hesitation.” He began to study the feeds closely. “They seem to have remarkable artistry and architectural abilities to be able to pull off something so grand. At this point, we should, probably, hope for the best and that they don’t pull the drone apart.”

Randan wrinkled his nose. “I highly doubt that it’ll be spared. Seeing that they have it in their possession, it won’t be long before they start spying on us with their drones…”

The screen before them flashed with a new feed next to Skyhawk One. The footage was white at first, but then it came in to focus. It was, undeniably, Skyhawk Two, and it was showing a green light on all statuses—save for its turbines. Randan shouted to the rest of the crew and brought the feed up on all of the other monitors. He could not believe his eyes at what the screen was showing.

Celestia got up on all fours and proceeded to approach the strange object with a slow and steady pace. The ‘eye’ of the object followed her incoming approach, and she stopped just a few feet away from it. The analysts stood by, awaiting further instruction.

She cleared her throat. “Hello, stranger. As princess and ruler of Equestria, I demand to know who, or what, you are.”

The object did not share a response. The dome tilted its optical lens back and forth to get a sense of its surroundings. When it, finally, came back to her focus, she continued to hold the same, flat expression.

She tapped her hoof on the ground a few times. “I’m certain that you might be frightened or confused of your current circumstances, but I can assure you that you are in safe hooves.” She smiled. “There is no need to fear. No one can judge your opinions, and no one will come to harm’s way. Enlighten us with who you are and where you came from.”

A voice crackled from the object. “Under my superior’s orders of Executive ARD-1510, I am unauthorized to converse with inhabitants not of our own society.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What can you converse of then?”

Luna stood if front of the doorway, with Asura behind. She eyed the object that had been presented before the thrones. Asura took notice, and was bewilderingly shocked to find the Skyhawk drone in the room. ‘Impressive. How did she get that in here, and why aren’t ‘they’ here?’

Luna stood next to Celestia, eyeing the object rather precariously. "What a 'strange' creature this is. Never, in our lifetime, have we seen such remarkable individual." Luna sat on her throne. "Would thou care to enlighten us about thyself?"

The drone spoke once again. “Under my superior’s orders of Executive ARD-1510, I am unauthorized to converse with inhabitants not of our own society.”

‘Executive ARD-1510… What a good, little robot you are.’ He realized what that order was. He stood tall, and cleared his throat. “As your ranking commander of the Magi Civil Defense Force, I am authorizing the dismissal of Executive ARD-1510.”

Everyone in the room was shocked to hear his words. Even Luna and Celestia were at a loss of words as they stood, blankly, on their thrones. Shining Armor was, simply, dumbfounded.

The drone’s gimbal unit turned around to see the spectacle that was the commander—standing valiantly in the middle of the throne room.

The entire command room was in shock and disbelief. One moment, they were listening to the words of the strange beings that loomed over the drone, and they listened to the drone’s replies—which was a part of its response to take orders from their superiors. The next moment, they heard ‘his’ voice. The feed flashed to the back of the room, of which where it was held. In the middle of the footage stood Asura.

Renee and Cassandra drew heavy breaths, trying to catch up on their own thoughts. Randan, simply, stood still as a statue in front of the screen—his eyes widening at the sight of the commander himself, who was in, presumably, excellent condition. Whoever these inhabitants were, they had taken extremely gentle care of him.

“Oh my god,” Renee said, as she was almost at a loss of words. “It’s him.”

The throne room fell silent—all but the wind that blew gently outside. Asura stepped forth to arm’s length of the drone. He felt the need to assure his allies that he wasn’t just a mirage. He did not know what the princesses were capable of—in fact, he barely knew anything about them at this rate—but he knew that they could have attempted to coax his fellow crew with an image of himself. He laid his hand flat on top of the drone. He could feel the cool metal on the palm of his hand and fingertips. He slid his hand back, allowing the drone’s touch receptors to fully sense his movement across its body.

The drone responded with a few audible tones. “Yes, sir. Commencing dismissal of Executive ARD-1510, to allow communications with native inhabitants—at your discretion.”

Another voice emanated from the drone—a familiar voice. Randan, his closest colleague in the Civil Defense Corps, and an invaluable leader in his assignments. It was Randan that encouraged Asura to take leadership as the commander of the Civil Defense Force, as any guardian should. Protecting the civilization was at utmost priority for, both, the civilization itself and to the Precursors. Having a small specialized unit of the larger military force meant that they could offer humanitarian needs to struggling societies, or offer strategic reinforcements to grueling battle zones falling behind in objectives. They were trained under the guise of ex-military corporals and lieutenants.

“As leading officer of the Civil Defense Corps A-197, Randan Weninger, it is my honor to accept and welcome all communications with the local inhabitants.” There was a moment’s pause. “It’s good to hear and see from you again, commander.”

Asura nodded. “The same to you, Randan.”

The drone fell silent for another few moments. Celestia’s eyes sparkled in the sunlight. To meet with others from his world was a blessing. Her gaping maw melted away into a passionate grin.

“This is the commanding officer aboard the Atlas Command Vessel. Objective secured.”

As soon as those last two words were muttered from the drone, the loudspeaker erupted into exuberant cheering and applause. There were a few hoof claps amongst some of the bystanders. Asura was surprised. He had heard of the Atlas command vessel, but he did not realize that they’d be getting their hands on it so soon—let alone deploy it in active duty.

Celestia spread her wings out before the drone, letting the light shine bright inside the throne room. The drone’s gimbal swerved to her direction, where she acknowledged its sight. Her gleaming smile could be seen on the reflection of the outer lens. “I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree, henceforth, that you are welcome to step forth onto our land. We humbly welcome you all to Equestria.”

The cheering from the loudspeaker subsided, leaving only several others to converse with each other. “It is our honor to accept your invite, Princess.”

“HOORAY!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “New friends to party with! This is the BEST REUNION EVER!!!”

~~~~~~

The hangars within the command vessel flooded with excitement and charm. Progress of the outdoor command outpost came to a halt. Fears of apprehension and impending failure were replaced with joyous cheers and welcoming pleasures. Inside the command deck, the coordinators conversed upon themselves in celebratory cheers. They did not expect a sudden turnout such as this, but they were glad to see and hear the familiar face and voice of their commander—the leader of the stars.

Randan and Cassandra embraced each other in a warm hug, tears of joy flowing out from her eyes. “We did it.”

Randan gently brushed on her feathery head. “Yes, we did. Granted, it was in the most unlikely circumstance, but at least he’s okay.”

Cassandra looked up at him and giggled slightly.

Otan patted Randan on the back. “Let’s go say hello to our hosts.”

Chapter 14 -- Reunion

Shining Armor walked alongside Asura, as Celestia carried the drone to an outdoor grass field. The drone continued to move its gimbal system around.

“So, ‘commander,’” Shining Armor playfully nudged his shoulder into Asura. “Where’d you end up picking that title up from?”

“Yeah,” Twilight Sparkle chimed in. “Why didn’t you mention anything about that?”

“We are most interested and eager to hear of thine explanation, Asura,” Luna said, in a cheerful tone.

Asura blushed slightly, as he was playfully assaulted with eager questions. “Eh, it’s a, rather, long story. I could, possibly, shorten it down for you, if you’d like.”

“Oh, thou dost not have to mind the fine details.”

Asura took a deep breath. “Well, for starters, as a guardian of the civilization, I have to take up many responsibilities. First, and foremost, I have to ensure the safety of my ancestral traditions and of the Elemental bonds. Second, I have to keep watch over the Civil Defense sector, and oversee critical operations to ensure the safety and security of the civilization as a whole.” He glanced over toward Shining Armor. “That is how I became a commander of the Civil Defense Force. I, also, had a close friend who further encouraged me to join because he had noticed my outstanding leadership, and the last commander they had wasn’t so bright.”

Shining Armor wrinkled his nose. “I’m guessing he didn’t make all the right decisions?”

“You could say that.” Asura grimaced at the thought.

Shining Armor shrugged. “Well, nopony’s perfect.”

“Sounds like you have a lot to manage on your hooves,” Cadence said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t find that easy.”

Asura coughed. “Eh, no. It’s not an easy task, but it has to be done to ensure that the civilization’s strength remains.”

Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof against her chin. “So, from the way I gather from all of this, your duty is a cross between Twilight and Shining Armor, right?”

“Well, if you put it that way, I guess so.” ‘She does make a good point.’

They reached a large open field, and Celestia placed the drone on its wheels. Earlier, Asura noted that the drone was upside-down when it was kept in the throne room. Asura noted that the turbines weren’t starting up, even though all of its functions were properly working.

“Skyhawk One to Skyhawk Two. I have a confirmed visual on you. Are you all right?” An electronic voice emanated from the drone.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I won’t be able to go anywhere, though. Turbines one and three are jammed.”

Just to his suspicion, only two of the turbines spun freely as their motors revved up to idle speed. He got up to one of the jammed turbines and attempted to spin it. To his surprise, the intake fan spun with little effort, yet the motor did not start. He thought long and hard about any possible causes. Perhaps when Celestia forcibly dragged the drone to her, it had put undue stress on the aircraft, which caused the turbines to fail.

It seemed as though Celestia had another plan with the use of the open field. He heard the sound of the Mother Goose aircraft coming close. He had caught a glimpse of its wingspan upon the horizon. The gray blur didn’t seem to move at first, but then as it drew near, its form began to take shape. The bulky fuselage was supported by its giant wings, which housed the air-driven turbines that kept it afloat, as it slowly inched toward Canterlot. The impeller units on top of the fuselage gave the aircraft a slight optical illusion, as though they were no more than skylights for the large cargo bay behind the cockpit.

Cassandra’s voice was heard from the drone. “This is Mother Goose One, call sign Harmony MG-1. We are preparing landing sequence on residency grounds. Commander is in sight.”

The aircraft was much larger than they had anticipated. Celestia chose, what she thought would be, the perfect spot to keep the vehicle perched—she was beginning to have second thoughts. As the aircraft got closer, its details became more profound. The sleek profile of its wings became thicker, and the empty outtake barrels began to rotate upward, which caused the aircraft to slow down to a crawl as it approached the lip of the castle grounds. The surge of airflow through the aircraft’s manifolds was intense that dust began to blow all over the open field. The powerful air currents continued to support the Harmony, as it hovered just above the field. The massive airflow caused the grass below to bend over, and all the manes of the nearby bystanders flapped in the intense currents of the jet wash. Miraculously, it wasn’t deafeningly loud, as opposed to the Atlas, yet standing close to the Harmony while its impeller units were at full power felt like standing near a tornado in reverse.

More onlookers arrived to the field to herald the great spectacle of the Harmony aircraft, which its name was made visible on both sides of the lower cockpit. The aircraft began to slowly rotate itself around, angling its rear cargo bay door towards Asura. When it approached the appropriate angle, the aircraft began to lower itself toward the ground. The massive amount of air being blown around intensified as it drew closer to the field. Landing gear deployed on the undercarriage, sporting multiple wheel joints and hydraulic rams that connected the landing gear to the undercarriage support structure.

When the Harmony touched down, the landing gear gained tension, as it supported the heavy weight of the aircraft. After a couple of minutes, the motors of the impeller units shut off, letting the impellers slow down and carry less air. The bleed vents opened to allow the air to flow above and below the wing, causing the outtake barrels to lose the negative pressure zones within them. The intense winds subsided, and the atmosphere within Canterlot became quiet—save for the impeller unit that continued to slow down to a halt.

As more guards and onlookers approached the field in number, Celestia, Shining Armor and Asura stood forth before the rear bay door. A hissing sound emanated from the door, and the sound of several release latches caused the door to jostle slightly. The door, finally, began to open up—its gaping maw pivoting down towards the ground. When the hatch was almost at full extension, various figures could be seen standing within the vast cargo bay, precariously lit up with internal industrial lights. A couple of wheeled vehicles could be seen attached to the floor of the cargo bay.

Once the hatch touched the ground, several of the figures stepped forth and proceeded to walk down on top of the door—it, effectively, doubled as an onramp. Asura continued to step forth and was several feet from the base of the ramp. He saw Randan at the front of the approaching assembly, and he held a cheerful expression on his face. Asura and Randan stood within arm’s length of each other, and continued to stand in total silence for a few moments. A single tear beaded down Randan’s left cheek, and before-long embraced Asura with a heartwarming hug. Asura responded with the same. The two chuckled amongst each other, and the crew within the Harmony happily cheered and applauded.

Randan withdrew his hug, and held on to Asura’s arms. “My goodness. Look at you! I’m surprised to see you like this.”

Asura smiled. “What were you expecting? Covering my six in a hostile marshland?”

Randan laughed. “Well, with all due respect sir, I thought that was gonna be a likely scenario. I really am glad to see you standing here.”

Asura nodded. He turned around and gestured toward the princesses and Shining Armor. “I really couldn’t have been here without these folks.”

Randan made eye contact with the princesses. Celestia exchanged a welcoming smile. The two approached each other in modest formality. Randan extended his feathery hand toward Celestia, who brought out her silken white hoof in return. He took hold of the princess’s golden horseshoe and, gratuitously, shook it. “It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I am Randan, Randan Weninger.”

“The pleasure is mine, Randan,” Celestia said, in a harmonious tone. “I am Princess Celestia. Welcome to Canterlot.”

Shining Armor extended a charming grin to Randan, as he offered a salute. Randan followed suit with his salute. The crew within the Harmony cheered once again—this time, the onlookers and guards that surrounded the vessel began their celebratory uproar of applause as well.

Otan and Renee stood by Asura, eager to hear his stories of his survival and encounters. The rest of the crew descended from the bay, and surrounded Asura in a happy mob. A few of the crew members gave him hugs and handshakes, before one of them picked him up above the crowd. He was supported by several more members who dragged him along in a circular procession. Asura crossed his legs and held his chin up with his left hand. He shrugged toward Randan and the princesses when he revolved around in their view. Luna giggled at the sight, and Shining Armor laughed. The crew’s cheer became increasingly exuberant, which caused the onlookers to exclaim in excitement.

Pinkie Pie bounced around the princesses and Randan in a pink flurry—her excitement garnering interest from a few crew members.

Rainbow Dash hoof-pumped in the air, next to Applejack and Twilight. “This, really is, the best day EVER!” she exclaimed, in a whimsical cheer. Her friends shared the same excitement as everyone else around them.

~~~~~~

Music and dancing was heard inside the Grand Hall, with rows of long red and violet linen tables extending much of the length of the hall itself. It was midday, and the atmosphere around and within Canterlot radiated with harmonious celebration. The hall filled with dense conversations and belated bouts of laughter. Denizens of different provinces from all over Equestria, whom were visiting Canterlot for a short time, had got caught up in the celebration and took part. Several groups of crystal ponies were, also, in attendance, whom all had shared stories of rumors about strange objects flying in the sky above Equestria. They had little idea that the operators of the objects were the guests of honor.

The hall was a full house, with not a single seat to spare for others that came in to see what the commotion was about. Situated near the upper ceremonial balcony at the back of the hall, Celestia and Luna sat nearest to the doorway that led to where the Elements of Harmony, had once, rest. Asura sat next to Celestia, along with Randan and Cassandra. Twilight sat next to Luna, with her friends following down to the procession of the Harmony crew. Shining Armor sat between Cassandra and Cadence, whom were, happily, conversing with each other. The folk dancers that made their way down the rows had put on spectacular performances—happily entertaining the masses that were in attendance. Musicians had, also, made their way down the rows, offering their heartwarming singles to add to the melody of the environment.

Randan, vigorously, waved his hand in front of him, as he retold memorable experiences of his past, and shared vibrant jokes amongst his fellow crew mates. “So, when I approached the last soldier standing, you want to know what I said to him? I said, ‘If you’re planning on letting yourself get singled out like that again, don’t bring an entire army with you. Bring only yourself.’” Asura had heard that joke before, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Surprisingly, Shining Armor found it, modestly, pleasing, as he smirked.

After several minutes of the massive conversation that partook in the hall, Luna got up and sucked in lots of air. She bellowed out, as if she had a megaphone tied to her throat.

“HEAR YE, HEAR YE.” The conversations slowly died off to darting whispers—the unusual silence befalling the, once ecstatic, Grand Hall.

“FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS,” her voice lowered to an approachable volume, addressing the crew members directly. “Ladies and gentlemen.”

Her booming voice continued. “’TIS WITH OUR MOST SINCERE, AND DELIGHTFUL, GRATITUDE TO WELCOME OUR NEWEST GUESTS OF HONOR TO CANTERLOT.” The crowd erupted in applause. Luna’s ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’ came in handy on this occasion. As the applause dissipated, she continued. “AS THY PRINCESS, WE CANNOT EXPRESS ENOUGH OF OUR JOY TO THINE REMARKABLE ATTENDANCE TODAY.” Another round of cheering circulated around the hall. “MIN SISTER AND US HAVE PREPARED A SPECIAL FEAST ON THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION.” To Asura’s ears, this ‘special feast’ sounded quite pleasing. “WE PROMISE THAT THOU SHALT ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL MEAL.” With the slam of her hoof to the ground, she spread her wings and encased her horn in a dark blue aura. “LET THE FEAST COMMENCE!”

The crowd cheered once more, allowing the conversations to continue on schedule. Right on cue, the entrance of the grand hall was flooded with a line of pegasus waiters and waitresses—all of whom were carrying silver platters of entrees and appetizers. Randan nudged his elbow against Asura. “What have you gotten us into?” he said, jokingly. They both laughed, as the servers continued to circulate to and from the hall with more platters. As the contents in the platters were revealed, the crew members reveled in delight before their delicious appetites. Exquisite salads and delicious vegan meals lined the tables. Fine pastries and crafty cakes were, also, set on display for all to see. Astounding appetizers, also, occupied much of the tables, giving everyone in attendance more options to enjoy.

The cooks and assistants, easily, had their work cut out for them. The restaurant that would, normally, have been in casual operation was closed to the public, due to their overwhelming preparation schedule and catering service. It was a joy for them to reprieve themselves of their hard labor after only a few hours of preparation. Fortunately, a lot of the food that was prepared didn’t require the use of ovens. What did get baked were, mostly, meals that Celestia had them prepare ahead of time for Asura’s welcoming gathering. The timing could not have been more rotund with the arrival of his allies. She saw fit to treat them all to a helping of sustenance, after all they had been through. It was the least that she could offer from the top of her head.

Randan picked up the fork and studied the platters before him carefully. Cassandra helped herself to fulfill both her and his appetites by dishing up his plate. She held his plate out in front of the platters, attempting to gauge his needs. Randan made eye contact with, what looked to be, vegetarian lasagna. He licked the inside of his lips, nodding his head to her.

Asura held up his hand, and had compelled a sharp knife to cut him a piece of the lasagna, since he noticed it as well. Since he felt generous, he cut up two additional pieces. When the knife set down next to the platter, the three slices hover inches from the table and set themselves onto the three plates in front of himself, Randan and Cassandra. Celestia winked at the use of his skill. Cassandra managed to make a faint giggle, and Randan nodded to Asura.

Down the table, a Rygolith engineer attempted to flag down Asura. From the corner of his eye, Asura looked up from his plate to catch the other’s attention. The Rygolith tilted his head up, as a means of saying something. Asura knew what it was, and he smirked with vivacious intent. He held up his hand, and a tomato hovered in the air above the salad bowl. The Rygolith opened his mouth, and Asura winked. “Think fast, partner!”

The tomato flung up in the air, and arced down to the Rygolith. It plopped into his mouth with an encouraging smile. A brief cheer sprung up from the members around him. “Yeah! I’ve always wanted to do that!”

“Striiike!” Asura heard Luna exclaim in joy. She held out her hoof, which Asura reluctantly bumped a clenched fist upon. “Thou know how to entertain the masses.” He chuckled. Out from the corner of his eyes, he noticed another Rygolith that took her leave. He thought nothing about it, until it dawned on him on the way she walked. Was she sore? It, certainly, seemed out of place that she’d still have a hatchet sheathed on herself, since they were in a friendly environment. Something bothered him about this one that he’d never seen before. Perhaps she was one of the newer recruits.

Asura finished the last of the succulent vegan meal before him, and he proceeded to follow the Rygolith newbie. Randan had noticed her exit as well, but he found himself completely absorbed by the meals that spanned in front of him.

Asura walked out past the threshold of the hall, and found that her pace had quickened. She made her way behind a thicket of bushes. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ He followed close behind, hugging close to the bushes, attempting to attain the position of the Rygolith. Whoever she was, she was displaying some unusual behavior. He peered over the side of the bushes to find her standing near the edge of the walkway, overlooking the valley below. He heard her faint voice, which she was apparently communicating through her watch. Asura had his watch on, yet nothing came through on his end. ‘Strange. Why would anyone be using a private channel…? Unless…’

He, slowly, walked along the path towards her, attempting to get a better ear on what she was saying. Her voice was barely audible, but she could hear something coming from the watch at this point. Within a moment’s notice, he heard the Sarrath tongue from the receiving end of the channel. His heart pounded at the thought. Was she a spy? She closed the watch and looked up at the sky—she breathed out in a long sigh.

Asura took one step forth, with the stone in his hand. “I’m assuming you had a private chat with one of our companions?”

The Rygolith gasped in surprise. She pulled out her hatchet in response, only to find him just feet away. “Oh, commander.” She let her guard down. “My apologies. I thought someone was going to try and…”

“Spook you?” Asura asked, in curiosity. “What are you doing out here?”

She held her head down, as she put the blade back in its sheath. “I was speaking to the repair team. Skyhawk Two is just about ready to go back in to service.”

“Ah, good,” he said, reluctantly. At first, he almost believed what she had said, but he knew that the repairs weren’t going to proceed that far ahead of schedule—especially with over half the repair team inside the hall. He wanted to be subtle about his accusations before just outright arresting her—to give her a chance.

The Rygolith looked up at him. She could almost tell that something bugged him. “Is everything alright, commander?” He noticed something in the way that she spoke. It wasn’t how a normal Rygolith convert would speak. Something considerably strange was at work. At this point, he was about to abandon subtlety.

“I’m not going to ask you again—“

In a flash, the Rygolith closed her distance with him—her hand on the hilt of her hatchet. She charged him at full force, but was met with a face full of violet mist. The mist dissipated, and she spat in disgust from her failed rush. She, then, felt a strong gust of wind forcing her down to the ground—face-first. The force knocked the wind out of her, as Asura stood just above. Anger crossed his face.

“So, you’re with ‘them,’ aren’t you?”

She growled menacingly, and with a swift move, she twirled amidst the barricade with her blade in hand. The blade sliced through air as he backed away and continued his hold on her. She chuckled fiercely. “And I suppose you’re gonna try and get rid of me, aren’t you?”

“That’s the idea, traitor.” In a single swipe, he forced her along the ground. As she lost momentum, she threw her blade at him, which, unfortunately for him, met its mark. Asura gasped, as the blade pierced into his lower waist. Beads of blood began to rush out of the wound. He fell to his knees, with the cackling Rygolith stepping up and walking over to him in a sinister gait.

“You’re weak, boy. Out here, you’re nothing but a regular, little soldier.” She pulled the blade out of him, which made more blood pour out. She held the hatchet in her hand—preparing herself to deal the lethal blow.

A single gunshot rang through the air. The bullet pierced right through her chest. She yelped in pain, as she fell forward and let the blade out of her grasp. She collapsed next to Asura, who was struggling to cover his wound with his hands. Otan stood with a handgun in his grasp, with two other soldiers behind him with semi-automatic rifles in hand. The two soldiers pointed their rifles at the Rygolith that laid motionless on the walkway. One of the riflemen pushed the barrel against the motionless body. The Eagoran looked up and nodded to Otan. “Clear!”

Otan rushed over to Asura, who kept pressure on his wound with his hands, though he was struggling. “Commander! Are you alright?”

The Eagoran spoke on his watch. “Alert! The commander’s hurt! We need medical assistance down here, now!”

Asura gasped, as he was brought upright. “I shouldn’t have… followed her, Otan…” The pain was getting worse.

“No, no. You did the right thing. None of us would have noticed her leave as you did.” He looked up to see Randan and Celestia rushing over to them.

Randan got on to his knees and grabbed hold of Asura. “Commander! What happened?”

His eyes, weakly, glanced over at the deceased Rygolith’s body. “She… was…”

“A spy,” Otan finished. “And a damn good one as well.”

Randan’s eyes closed in disgust. He clenched his fist. “Dammit! Why are we, suddenly, getting the short ends of the straws now?” He looked down to see a pool of water building up on Asura’s lap. Celestia, overhearing the conversation, was fixated on the wound that had befallen him. It was as if her own heart had been broken. She knelt down closer to him, rubbing his chest. “I… I have failed…”

In that moment, a blood-curdling scream could be heard from within the hall. “SISTER!!” Luna burst out from within the hall and darted straight toward the gathering. “PLEASE TELL ME THAT HE IS NOT…” She hung in the middle of the air, as she saw him lying on the floor—his life in jeopardy, as she gazed upon the grievous wound that continued to bleed momentarily. Tears quelled in her eyes. She fluttered down towards him, and as Randan was about to give Asura to Celestia, Luna snatched him in her arms and embraced him tightly. Her intense sniffling erupted into cries of agony.

Celestia glanced toward Randan—her face glittered in tears. “ So, this is how your enemy treats others,” she said. A hint of anger began to rush through her veins. A foreign individual had committed an unspeakable act upon Equestrian soil, turning the princess’ worlds upside-down.

Randan nodded. “Yes. The Rygoliths are… ferocious in nature. They aim to strike fear into the hearts of those who fight against their will.” He looked over to Luna, who still sobbed and leaked tears onto Asura’s face. “That spy found an opportunity and opened a corridor for attack.” He picked up the hatchet and took a good look at it. He was, somewhat, surprised to see that it came from the Harmony’s armory. He, also, noticed that there wasn’t as much blood stained on it. “I don’t know about you, but I think he’ll be alright. It’s going to be a long recovery for him, but I don’t think the blade punctured too far into him.”

Celestia sighed with relief.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Shining Armor exclaimed, as he rushed toward the gathering. He caught eye of the group, and to Asura’s wound. “Oh, no… what happened?”

Celestia looked up at him. “He got hurt. They had a traitor amongst them—their enemy.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“We still don’t know,” Randan inquired, continuing to look at the blade. “But one thing is for certain. War is coming, and this traitor has made the first strike against us.” He reached over, and closed the Rygolith’s eyes, before a few of the crew carried her off toward the Harmony vessel. “May that individual suffer its consequences.”

Luna had finally listened in on the conversations around her, hearing about the ‘traitor’ that was hauled away. “Traitors deserve their rightful punishment for committing such a heinous crime. We do not accept unconditional threats against anypony here in Equestria.” She looked back down to find Asura still struggling in his breaths. He seemed to be recovering in a rapid rate, however. Randan was right—the wound wasn’t severe, but it still pained the princesses to witness such terrible outcome, especially since he was exposed without the adequate protection of his native elements.

“Randan,” Celestia spoke. “We will take him to my quarters. Have your medical assistants come there when they arrive.”

Randan nodded in agreement. He patted Asura on his shoulder, as he was raised up in the air by Celestia’s and Luna’s magic. “Hang in there, buddy.”

Chapter 15 -- Recall

It seemed like a good, long moment for Asura—the surge of pain rushing through his own body, and the throbbing sensation that he felt in his waist. His hazy vision caught a glimpse of Celestia’s room. His body felt like it was supported by a cloud. Despite being a flat mattress on the floor, Celestia’s bed felt comforting. The silk blankets that sat on top of it tickled his skin, alleviating most of the pain that surged within.

It was the first time he had, actually, felt fear. At one point, he, instinctually, felt angry, but quickly melted away into panic once again. He felt naked without the elements empowering his soul. The rock he had possession of did not grant enough power, which further aided in his insecurity. He had help from his fellow comrades and of the Equestrians, yet something still bothered him.

The lingering presence of the rogue magic clung to him like a tumor. As long as he had the stone in hand, the effects of the magic did not bother him. He knew that once he would let go of the stone, the swirling energies would invade him. He was not about to let himself become any more vulnerable than he already had.

Celestia sat down next to him, rubbing his waist with a soft, wet rag and cleansed as much of the wound as she could. The cold water stung, yet the comfort of the bed eased his pain. Once the rag was out of the way, Celestia gazed upon the wound. The wound expelled no amount of blood, yet it was still deep. His skin around the wound throbbed with the rhythm of his heartbeat. To him, it felt surreal and unnerving.

Cassandra knelt on her knees, and held up his head with the palm of her hand—hidden by her feathery appendages. She held a glass of water in her other hand, and slowly tipped it towards his mouth. He held his lips tight against the glass, and a stream of water entered his mouth. He drank a modest amount from the glass, letting it flow down through his body. Cassandra took the glass away and gently lowered his head on to the soft velvet pillow.

“It’s going to be alright, sir,” she said, her soothing melody suppressed his racing thoughts.

Asura breathed in heavily. “I know. It’s, already, beginning to feel better.” He glanced toward Cassandra and Celestia. “Thank you, once again.”

They both smiled back.

He still felt the repercussions of the attack and felt fearful that his next encounters might not turn out the same way. Still, he felt a little more confident that he had others to support him whenever he veered out of line. It was a dumb decision for him to take initiative on his own terms, yet he had, quite possibly, saved the princesses from a potentially fatal outcome. As a guardian, such risks are meant to be taken, but without the governing power of the elements by his side, he had to be a little more careful on where he made such sacrifices.

There was something within him that made him vex in a strange manner. It was a partial tug on his consciousness—a question, that had been yanking on him since he had first woken up in Equestria. He contemplated on the circumstances of his escape prior to his arrival, and came to that overbearing question: why Equestria? Was there something on his colleague’s minds that made them decide that this was the best place for him to seek shelter from the growing darkness that loomed over the rest of the civilization?

As he thought about those questions, something else came to mind. Why did the energies of Equestria suddenly try to invade him? How come these energies weren’t affecting him while he held the stone? It was, certainly, strange that Equestria’s magical presence would have a delayed effect. Something odd was at work, and it was unnerving for him to try and figure out what that was. Maybe the magic of Equestria would point him toward the intended direction of his answers—an obscure clue that would help to unravel the veil of secrecy that was locked within the deep vaults of the Divide.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that a choice would have to be made. Either he would have to endure the absence of the elements and continue searching for his answers in the blind—taking into account greater risks of his own life and the lives of others; or, he would have to embrace the unknown energies of this new world—to embrace the Elements of Harmony, willingly. It would not come without consequences, but the more he thought about it, the more desperate the situation became.

The consequences of his actions would come to no fault compared to what was coming. If the Rygoliths were to come at his most vulnerable stage, there would be no way to defend himself or his friends—let alone Equestria. They did have a form of defense that, surely, outrivaled his team of highly-trained operatives; unfortunately, they were not prepared for the Rygolith’s brute force that they dispelled against their adversaries. Equestria would fall within one fell swoop of the iron fist of Kor.

Perhaps he could be wrong. He barely knew much, if anything, about the princesses—let alone the Elements of Harmony. They did have profound courage, despite having a weakness for seeing brutal conflicts. He found it strange that they had met Paleia once before—his most trusted mentor and advisor. Had they used their powers and ended up at the Halls of Aniliath? Paleia had taught him all about the Precursor traditions, ever since he was at an early age. He had become stronger than she had ever dreamed. He had fully embraced the Elements of Nature with a welcoming hand, and felt the balance of the Divide churning within its confines. It was striking, and unnerving, to know that they could read his mind and sense his feelings, even though he had never encountered them before. Could Equestria be his true calling?

He had to take a leap of faith at some point. He, desperately, needed to regain his lost strength in order for him to move forward. He took the stone out from his pocket and placed it right next to Celestia’s hoof. “I need you to keep this away from me for now.”

Celestia looked down, confused about his claim. “Why now?”

Luna knelt down to him. “Did thou not tell us that our magic would hurt thee?”

Asura nodded. “Yes, it will. I think there might be something that it may be trying to tell me—a message, perhaps.”

Luna and Celestia looked at each other. Celestia carried the rock over to her. She seemed a little hesitant to just keep it away from him, after all this time with him guarding it at every waking minute.

There was a slight tingling sensation within his chest. He could, easily, brush it off without worry. It felt strange that the pain did not intensify right after letting go of the stone from his grasp. Something told him that it would suddenly try and flow through him all at once. He prepared himself for the worst. He began to tense his muscles, in an attempt to agitate the magic, to jump-start the process. Within a few moments of shifting his weight around, the tingling began to intensify.

At first, it felt like hundreds of appendages were stroking every inch of his body. It was hard for him to suppress the awkward sensation, but he was surprised that the magic would assault him like this. Maybe he had, already, taken a fair amount inside of him when he had woken up earlier. Before long, the sensation grew to a pinching internal pain. ‘Okay, here we go. Nice and steady.’

His arms and legs twitched with each stroke of pain that shot through his body. It felt like shockwaves that matched the rhythm of his heartbeat. The fact that his heart rate shot after felling the first of the few painful strokes meant that he was going to have a tough time recovering himself later on. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms together, lying flat on Celestia’s bed.

The struggle became more intense—the pain felt like a fire had sparked inside of him. Soon, his tingling extremities became engulfed in the aching wildfire. He clenched his fists as hard as he could, bracing the soft silk blanket that Celestia had placed upon him. To her surprise, when she touched his forehead, he didn’t feel hot—instead, he felt frigid cold, like he did when they first found him.

His breathing became even more arduous, expelling each breath that parted Celestia’s hair. He began to groan as the rogue energies started to take over once again—this time, he was giving it a chance to manifest his spirit. Surviving physical pain seemed like an ordeal to overcome, yet it was the least of his problems. Surviving spiritual pain would prove to be excruciatingly, and exceedingly, painful.

Cassandra held on to Asura’s arm. She sensed his distress from the intense discomfort. She was surprised to find that he felt cold—almost too cold. He was of Icinian descent, yet this phenomenon was way beyond her medical expertise. She gently glided her other free hand across the top of his forehead, in which he responded with a small groan. “It’s going to be alright, sir,” she said, calmly.

Randan stood near the doorway out in the hall. He stood before Shining Armor, showing signs of growing concern. Randan crossed his arms and held his chin up with one hand.

Shining Armor shook his head to move a few strands of hair away from his eyes. “I’m getting awful worried about these ‘aggressors’ you guys keep talking about. Are they always this brutal?”

Randan shot a still glance. “They weren’t always like that.” He lowered his eyes toward the floor. “According to what I’ve been told, they used to be our allies, until someone took control and declared a coup against his own people. From there, things went downhill. Our relations got worse and we had no choice but to accept their declaration of war.”

“Must be tough. I’m hopeful you guys will find out how to push through.”

“We already have a way through,” Randan turned his head toward the doorway. “Trouble is, I don’t know if he’ll even be able to resolve it in time. Whatever he’s looking for in those old books that he’s read, I don’t know if we’ll even get a fighting chance once judgment arrives.”

“Well, passion has a way of biting one pony in the flank.”

“You said it.” Randan almost chuckled at that remark. ”Let’s hope I can be proven wrong, and pray that all of this prevails.”

Their attention was split by Asura’s sudden yelp of pain.

~~~~~~

“Oohh! If only I could get my hooves on one of those bad guys, I’d kick’em all the way out of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash furiously exclaimed.

“Ah hear ya on that, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “But we gotta let these folks handle th’ problem first before we go in an’ mettle in their affairs.”

“But we can’t just sit around and do nothing about it, Applejack! We’re the Elements of Harmony, and we have to protect Equestria from anything that poses a threat! From what they’ve done to him, it’s obvious that they’re enough of a threat as is!”

“Rainbow Dash has a point,” Twilight said. “What if his civil defense force isn’t enough against their adversary? There’s got to be something that we can do.”

“But Twilight, what if our elements won’t work against ‘em? Ah mean, they come from a different world th’n ours.”

“Don’t be silly, Applejack,” Rarity said, gallantly walking up between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “The Elements of Harmony should be able to work on just about anything that crosses paths between us and Equestria. Surely, you don’t think that we’ll be up against anything worse than, say, Discord, right?”

Applejack grimaced at the thought. “That’s just it, Rarity. What if they’re worse th’n that? We don’t know what they’ll be like.”

They heard a familiar and ominous voice just above them. “Did somepony call my name?”

Twilight growled lightly. “Discord, we’re having an important discussion right now, and we’d like it if we weren’t disturbed.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Twilight Sparkle. I only came to listen in on what was being discussed,” Discord chuckled, appearing on the finished oak table next to them in a flash. The mischievous draconequus was only about as tall as the glass of water that sat near the end of the table. “After all, I do enjoy taking part in a little chit-chat now and then.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, sighing in disgust.

“Oh, Twilight,” Fluttershy calmly spoke. “Don’t be too hard on him. He just wants to join in on the conversation.”

Discord ran a claw inside both of his ears. “Now, I heard you talking about some sort of ‘adversary?’” He rubbed both hands together, grinning wistfully. “Mind spoiling the details to dear Discord?”

Applejack cleared her throat. “As we were sayin’, we don’t know if our elements’ll have any effect on’em.”

“On who?” Discord twisted his head around with a curious look on his face.

Fluttershy flew over next to the desk. “Oh, Discord. I don’t think you’ve met him, but there’s this person, named Asura, that came from another world.”

Discord gasped in surprise. “Another world?” He fell flat on the table, laughing manically. “Well, why didn’t you say so, dear Fluttershy?” As soon as he stopped laughing, he stood up and snapped his lion claws. In a flash, he appeared next to Fluttershy in his normal size. His horns just about touched the ceiling of the room.

Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack. “I almost liked him when he was small.” Applejack smirked in response.

“Well, ladies,” he said, stretching his limbs and unfurling his long, snaky body. It was somewhat unusual for him to be this bubbly. “Do go on. I am dubiously interested in hearing all about this ’Asura.’” He fell to the floor on his stomach and crossed his legs. He supported his head up with his lion paw. “So, you don’t think your Elements of Harmony will work against this individual?”

“That’s not who we’re talking about right now,” Rainbow Dash said, shooting an angry glare at him. “We’re talking about his enemy.”

He let out a bitter chuckle. “Oh, things just keep getting better and better.”

“Well, yes,” Twilight scowled. “Except that one of his enemies’ assailants actually tried to murder him!”

Rainbow Dash growled menacingly when Twilight said those words.

“Oh my,” Discord’s gleeful expression flipped to a somber tone. “That seems, rather, unfortunate—something out there that will, actually, hurt somepony.”

“Yes, well,” Rarity said. “If we’re going to have any chance of success, I’d say we should give the elements a chance. While Applejack may be right, we should, at least, help him out and his fellow friends.”

“Well, I’d agree to that,” Fluttershy waved her hoof in the air.

“I’m all in!” Rainbow Dash stuck out her hoof toward the center of the circle. Fluttershy softly placed hers on Rainbow’s hoof. Rarity stuck her hoof out.

“Oh, I’d like to help out with that!” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down with glee, and stuck out her hoof out to the gathering.

“Aw, pony feathers… Ah guess Ah’m in, as well.”

Twilight stuck her hoof out. “It’s settled then.”

They were all astonished to see Discord’s hand in the pack as well. “Well, if this seems dire enough, would it not help to add in a little chaos to the mix?”

They all looked at each other in surprise. Twilight grinned at the thought. “You know what? That doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Maybe we could benefit with a little creative chaos this time.”

Discord deviously chuckled at Twilight’s idea.

“But!” Twilight interrupted. “We still hold true to our promise, and so do you. You know what happens when you step out of line, right?”

Discord stopped for a moment. He shook his head in agreement.

Pinkie Pie glared at him, curiously. “You Pinkie promise?”

He sighed. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” He snapped his eagle talons and a cupcake appeared in his hand, and, indubitably, shoved it into his eye.

Pinkie giggled happily. They all raised their hooves in the air, including Discord.

“Alright, everypony,” Twilight said assertively. “Let’s go help him and his friends out in any way we can!”

Her friends cheered, and Discord chortled in glee. Their cheerful moment was broken when they heard Asura’s scream through the hallway.

Applejack’s eyes widened. “Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

Fluttershy shivered. “Oh, that poor thing!”

“I take it that’s Asura?” Discord inquired. “He doesn’t sound too happy by the looks of things.”

“I don’t think he is,” Twilight shook her head in worry. “C’mon, girls!” She raced out through the doorway and made her way up the flight of stairs to the next floor, her friends following close by. Discord, simply, snapped his fingers and appeared next to where Shining Armor once stood.

~~~~~~

Randan quickly approached the gathering around Celestia's bed. Asura had his arms clenched around his chest, fighting the extreme pain that had invaded his entire body. Both Cassandra and Celestia held him in a comforting grasp, attempting to ease the pain that swelled to astonishing levels. Without the presence of the stone, he felt naked-- helpless against the onslaught of Equestria's magic.

Randan, worriedly, peered over Cassandra, getting a better view of what was happening. "What's happening to him?"

Celestia replied. "Our world's magic is infesting his spirit. He seems adamant in accepting Equestria's power."

Randan nodded. Another shout from Asura sent shivers down his spine. Was this kind of sacrifice necessary? What would happen if he failed to attain what he was looking for? He knew that Asura had studied extensively through his Precursor peers, but not knowing the certainty that had loomed over him and his allies made the sinking feeling inside his gut even more prominent. Would he be ready to take on the role of Commander if Asura succumbed to his own peril?

It was a frightening prospect, but he knew Asura well enough that he had earned his trust long ago. Asura was breathing rapidly, and his mind began to cloud up in a dark haze. The pain almost became too great for him to handle. The fear of losing this battle would be the end of him, but the uncertainty of his success would prove to be an even greater ordeal.

Celestia was surprised to see Discord looming over the gathering. His flowing body perfectly arching over her gave her a slight sense of insecurity, but also of interest. He pulled on his shaggy goatee. "And what ails this poor creature, Celestia?" he pondered.

"He is an outsider to our world's energy. He is simply attempting to adjust to our climate."

He chuckled lightly. "Well, he seems to be having a hard time doing so. Maybe all he needs is another layer of a gentle touch." He snapped his lion claws. Upon doing so, he yelled in surprise, backing himself away from the gathering. His mouth was agape and his eyes went wide. "Good heavens! Why did you not tell me he had his own magic??"

Celestia curiously looked at Discord, and Twilight snickered slightly. Celestia looked back at Asura. To her surprise, his breathing began to lighten, and his bouts of pain subsided. Small moans escaped from each breath, as his head laid slump in hers and Cassandra's arms. They gently laid his head down on to the pillow.

Luna lit up her horn, and gauged Asura's condition. She was, quaintly, surprised that his consciousness was still intact. "Sister, he is alright." She closed her eyes and began to prod her way to his sub-conscious spirit. If he were to attempt to answer any questions that had been knocking on his mind since his arrival, they would be able to draw similar conclusions. After all, it was strange for the magic of Equestria to be acting in this manner.

Celestia lit up her horn and connected to Luna's spirit. She felt Asura's mind flowing against her spirit, gently wrapping her energy around his. She felt Discord's presence. "Discord?" she said. "Would you care to join us?"

Discord perused his thoughts, dragging his eagle talons across his chin. "Well, I suppose a quick peek wouldn't hurt." He stretched out his hands, hearing the cracks of his weathered bones. He held out a paw just above Asura's head, and felt the boy's energy flow through his own.

The void felt empty. Not a single thing could be seen within the vast darkness that loomed around him. Asura stood in the middle of a dark and vastly unfamiliar place-- a place where the Halls of Aniliath once stood. The disappearance and death of Brimoy, the architect of the Divide, brought about a sudden change to the entire landscape that used to be their sacred forums. Now, it was nothing more than a cosmic wasteland of emptiness.

The only thing that existed, that he could see, was the swirling masses of the elemental essences. They seemed to be within arm's reach, yet every attempt to grab a piece of the essence was all in vain. It felt like he could not move, as if the air around him held a firm resistance against his own soul. The ethereal wasteland of multicolored plasmatic waves flowed effortlessly-- it was a peaceful place, yet it also served as a grueling reminder of the hardships of being a Precursor.

Being a Precursor guardian was an even more difficult hardship. The amount of knowledge bestowed upon him in order to preserve their way of life was a remarkable feat. Paleia had led the teachings of her peers to show honor and respect to the world around them. When it came down to Asura to learn from her, she taught him much more than her normal scholars. She went through and taught him about all of the elements, the interconnection between them and the world that they share, how the elements are shared between different forms of life, and how each world was intertwined by the fate of the stirring elemental chaos that Cosmos sought to protect.

As he floated through the cosmic soup, he noticed a small shaft of light peering through the dark empty space. He attempted to try and make his way to the light, yet he was still held back by the strange force. Oddly, he was moving in the direction of the light, but the progress was agonizingly slow. It felt like the essence around him was flowing much faster than he was. He needed to figure out what was happening.

He attempted to speak out towards the light, but he only found that any attempts to talk were futile. Nothing could be heard-- not one sound could be heard in the ethereal void. It was hopeless. He felt confident that the light he saw could be one of the last refuges of the Divide. He had to make his way over there, somehow. A strange thought had come to his mind. It felt like he had seen this at some point before. He couldn't point out that strange feeling, but it felt prominently like a past memory. It did explain the unusual sensation of his inability to move around, yet it felt more like a dream. In dreams, one could move about freely like a ghost.

The closer he got to the light, the more distinct the shape became. It looked like a radiant marble doorway of the same ethereal essence that flowed around him. It hit him when he recognized the doorway-- it was a threshold to the deeper banks of the collective memories of the Precursors and their ancient ancestors. This was part of the knowledge that Paleia had given him when he learned, extensively, about the ancestral heritage of the Throne of Aniliath. Cosmos, himself, built the throne as a focus to collect memories and thoughts of those who held direct ties and descendence to the House of Aniliath.

Aniliath was a name both familiar and distant. She was one of the celestial gatherers to the universal council. Several other members had gathered in the council to hold meetings and to discuss of the progress of their universal empires. Aniliath was his wife, and she led the Precursors on their crusade to accomplish his dreams.

The doorway came within reach, and not before long did it open-- just as predicted. Beyond the doorway was a darker corridor. Solid walls of hewn bedrock stretched to what seemed like infinity. The darkness was only swallowed up by even more darkness. It was a strange atmosphere, and no sooner could he start to hear voices echoing from further down the corridor. There was a faint glow just in front of him, yet it was well beyond his reach.

The voices seemed quiet, yet intimidating. For the better part of several minutes of him being adrift in the dark hallway, the voices became more prominent. The glowing light revealed a large chamber basked in a light blue radiance. It looked like an amphitheater completely encircled by tall pedestals crowned with pits of blue flame. There were several figures that occupied the chamber. One of them was, unmistakably, Cosmos himself.

The chamber was the communal forum where the gods and goddesses of power met and collaborated their efforts and discoveries of their advancing creations. Of those individuals that stood within the forum, a lone pony-like figure stood gallantly with a long, ragged white beard, a long tattered robe hiding its deep blue body, and a tall, pointed cap with bells that hung off of its brim. He recognized the being to be Starswirl, the Bearded, after Celestia had shown him a picture of the wise unicorn.

There were two other pony-like figures that stood next to Starswirl. One was as dark as the night sky and had a mane that sparkled with glittering starlight. The other had a light mixture of red, orange, and blue on its coat, and its mane was a cloudy combination of all three colors. 'Representatives of Starswirl?' he pondered for a long moment.

Before he let his mind wander any further, he was torn out of his thoughts by Luna's sudden outburst. “Mother? Father??"

The other pony’s attention did not phase. They continued to stare toward the center of the chamber. A large marble altar spanned across the very center of the meeting space. It almost looked like a roundtable. A small glass-like ball hovered just several inches from the smooth marble surface, emanating a soft white glow that reflected its light off of the glossy surface. It was, almost, like the subtle glow of moonlight.

Celestia arrived just behind as well, and... ‘What in the name of Aniliath is that thing?’ His puzzling gaze loomed upon the tall draconequus that had made its appearance behind Celestia. It appeared to have the physical qualities of many different animals—magically sewn together to create a living construct of… chaos.

Luna continued to gawk at the sight of her parents, and Celestia gasped in astonishment. “Mother!” She ran up to the figures, awaiting the heartwarming gaze as the figures continue to stare without a shift in attention. Celestia fell right through the ponies—her embrace only hugged through air. The incorporeal images phased through her body, and Luna could only gaze in surprise.

Celestia got back up and brushed herself off. “Mother?” She waved her hoof in front of the lighter alicorn with the cloudy multicolored mane. The mare’s gaze simply shot through the princess’s waving hoof, as if she did not exist.

“What happened to mother?” Luna inquired, taking a few steps forward.

Asura spoke. “It’s a memory from long ago.”

Both Luna and Celestia shift their gazes to Asura, almost immediately understanding his words. It did explain why their parents did not pay any attention to them. Several other figures had approached the table, as did the two alicorns.

“Is this thine memory, Asura?”

“No, it’s not. It came from a repository that had been passed down through generations. I had been given the chance to study the repository, but had lost some of the memories over time. The fact that this has resurfaced means that I can remember what to look for.”

Several of the robed figures raised their hands toward the glass ball. Its color became a vibrant blue. Within moments, rings of light encircled around between the glass orb and the edges of the chamber. The rings held countless numbers of stars, planetoids, and cloudy nebulas. It was a universal atlas—they were the world-builders.

The rings of the planetoids shifted around and spun in random directions. Cosmos stood closest to the marble table—both of his hands working in tandem with a strange magical field. The field altered the positions of the many rings that surrounded the orb, almost like a holographic screen. Luna and Celestia gazed at the mesmerizing sight—the fact that there was this many worlds beyond Equestria were more than they could have ever dreamed. It was, also, a truly remarkable sight to see that their parents had taken participation in this group.

“What is this?” Luna said, bewildered by the bizarre scene that unfolded before her.

“This is the World Forum—a gathering of the World-Builders of the civilization's beginnings.”

“Our parents were a part of the World-Builders?” Celestia inquired.

“It appears so.”

“That must explain why we did not see them as often. We are, most, intrigued by this discovery,” Luna said.

The spinning rings came to a halt. Several stars and planets radiated their presence and stood out from all the others. These bright points of light represented themselves above the figures around the table. An image of a planet appeared above the alicorns—a representation of Equestria.

“Fellow creators and ambassadors of the far realms,” Cosmos spoke, his deep voice echoing throughout the chamber and within the halls. He carried an air of authority before him. Everyone else around the table bowed. “We have come together once again to attribute to our creations. Whether it is out of spite or in pleasure, our creations shall continue to prosper.” He let down his hands, and the planetoid rings disappeared in a flash, leaving only the images to hover about the representatives that stood before the table.

“I have called all of you here for a matter of grave importance. Many of you may have felt the tremors of the Dimensional Divide tugging against your creations.”

The other figures nodded.

“The Dimensional Divide is collapsing.”

There were a few gasps, while other wildly talked amongst their neighboring creators.

“Cosmos!” one of the figures erupted. “What do you mean the Divide is collapsing? The last time we held a meeting, you had said everything was fine!” The small crowd roared in agreement. Only the alicorns remained silent, listening contently to every word that was being said.

“What does this mean for our creations? Will we have to rebuild what it destroys? Can you imagine how much hard work we have put ourselves through to accomplish all of this?”

“We demand an explanation!”

The crowd roared furiously with each other. The alicorns still held their tongue, gazing amongst their concerned neighbors.

“What have we done to deserve such punishment from the Divide?”

Cosmos cleared his throat. He held an air of contempt. “A lack of attention is the curse of the Divide’s instability.”

One of the figures lashed out. “You caused this to happen??”

“How dare you! We have put all our hard work into our creations, and you have let this happen to us?”

At this point, the air filled with ethereal anger and fear. The robed figures argued amongst each other, sharing curses at one another. The hot atmosphere was enough to put Luna and Celestia on edge. The alicorns, though slightly concerned, still shared no opinions to their infuriated neighbors.

An explosion of energy burst forth from the center of the table and fanned out across the entirety of the chamber.

“SILENCE!!!”

Cosmos’s booming voice rang through the hallway, rivaling that of Luna’s Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Need I remind you that this was created to allow us all to do our work!!? I simply cannot, and will not, carry on if you are all unwilling and incapable of controlling yourselves!!” The heated atmosphere quickly dissipated as soon as his words were made clear. Everyone was still worried about the implications. “I will agree with you that my negligence to the Dimensional Divide has become greater, but we must remember that the Divide has always been shattering itself apart since it had been forged into existence.”

“What do you suggest we do?”

Cosmos almost sighed, as if troubled by his only option that he had. “We must seal the breach.”

“That’s suicide!”

“We’ll likely kill ourselves if we do that!”

“There has to be another way!”

The crowd spoke to one another, but not in frustration. They felt a notion dread creep through the hall.

The dark alicorn tapped its hoof on the marble table. “Perhaps, it is a necessary sacrifice to keep the Divide from collapsing,” he spoke, carrying his harmonic voice through the chamber. “If what he presents to us is our only option, perhaps the Divide is in an, otherwise, irreversible state that he, himself, cannot fix on his own. If it has been longing to separate since it has been forged to existence, should we not take the opportunity to save our creations from the perils of our own downfall?”

The crowd whispered to one another.

“I admire your insight, Starlight,” Cosmos said. “Your courage and devotion to your people have set a shining example for the rest of us. If anyone else here is, equally, encouraged to take their oath and protect our creations from the hands of destruction, lend us your prayers.” He gazed amongst the rest of the group. “For those of you who choose not to make the sacrifice, I bestow upon you our oath of protection. If you choose to stay behind, you will have a greater burden placed upon your shoulders.”

Starswirl approached the alicorns from behind. “If it makes all the difference, I will lend a hoof to your aid.” The two alicorns turned around to face Starswirl in bewilderment. Cosmos raised a brow in surprise.

The light alicorn spoke in a melodic tone. “Starswirl, you know that there will be no return if you do this,” she said.

“Morning Glory, Starlight. You are both the pinnacles of Equestrian might. I cannot let either one of you give yourselves up so willingly. Both of you have an important role to fulfill, and I’d hate for your children to follow the foolish footsteps that I have taken.” He turned around to face Cosmos. “It is Cosmos and I that must make amends to the coming chaos. I, myself, have brought this burden upon us. I am, as much, guilty as he is for letting the Divide split apart like so.”

Both Starlight and Morning Glory gazed upon each other.

“As a true friend of Cosmos, and being a remarkable inspiration to Equestria, I myself shall take the oath to preserve what we have worked hard on. You have much more to offer this world that I will ever hope to achieve in my lifetime.”

Starlight and Morning Glory acknowledged Starswirl’s words. He was not a direct contributor to the creation of the worlds, but he was a wonderful apprentice and mentor, and Cosmos recognized those words of wisdom.

‘In order to achieve immortality, you must first learn to embrace mortality willingly.’

“Morning Glory, Starlight. I hope that your successors will find somepony that will carry on the burdens of my life’s work. I have come to the end of my time.” Starswirl’s decision was well-timed.

“So that’s what happened to Starswirl,” Celestia whispered.

Starswirl slowly walked over towards Cosmos. At the same time, a few of the robed figures followed suit and stood next to him, in an arc. Only the two alicorns and three robed figures remained out of the arc.

Those within the arc had closed their eyes, and faced the ceiling. The energies that were encased within the glass ball began to radiate. The ball illuminated itself in a brilliant flash of white light. An arc of brilliance jutted forth from the ball and surrounded Cosmos and the group around him. Starswirl had his horn illuminated, accepting the aural bubble. A great humming could be heard surrounding the chamber—the same buzzing that Celestia and Luna heard when they first encountered Paleia at the Halls of Aniliath.

The strength of the energies surrounding the table became greatly intense, despite being only a memory. It felt as if gravity had taken a greater presence, and was forcing down Asura. The buzzing became more prominent, and the howling elemental energies began to drown out of focus. A bright flash grabbed his attention, as the center of the chamber was illuminated with a shaft of light that struck through the bedrock ceiling. Nothing could be seen within the column. The entire air filled with the commotion of the intense energies and the unbearable buzzing that soon invaded their minds.

It was as if the whole room had gone blank. A loud explosion could be heard ringing through his head. The radiating energies slowly expanded towards him and the princesses. They were the first to be enveloped by the strange maelstrom, then the strange draconequus figure. As the swirling mass inched closer, he attempted to back away get a good, long look at the swirling mass and to gauge whether he could see anything from within. It only took a few more moments…

Cassandra was slightly spooked by the sudden re-emergence of Celestia, Luna, and Discord. Randan sat on the couch, gauging the princess’ state of astonishment.

“What happened?” he asked.

Celestia continued to breathe heavily. Discord could only shake his head wildly, attempting to straighten out the doves that were, literally, fluttering around his head.

Cassandra leaned forward and wrapped her hand around the top of Asura’s head. She held her other hand on top of his chest, feeling for any heartbeat or deep breaths. She did feel a faint heartbeat, and his breathing was light. All of a sudden, she jerked backwards in fright, as he gasped for a fresh breath. His eyes snapped open, taking in the bedroom that came into sight.

The pain that had, originally, surrounded him subsided. He took a good few minutes to recover from his excursion to the far memory banks of his mind. Somehow, the magic of Equestria had pulled out memories that had been lost in time. He did not feel any different, spiritually, but physically he felt greatly rejuvenated.

He, gently, raised himself upright, sitting in the middle of the bed. He rubbed his chest to feel the wound that had marked him. To his surprise, he did not feel any gash. He lifted his shirt to find that the wound had fully healed. Cassandra did not notice, and was left baffled.

He felt the presence of the stone nearby. Oddly, it was set on a table on the other side of the couch. It was a strange feeling, and one he could not fully understand.

Celestia leaned in front of Asura. “Are you alright?”

Asura nodded. “Yes. I, actually, feel much better. Whatever Equestria’s magic had done made me remember more of the past than I had already known—our past, lost in time.” He gazed upon the princesses. "I think our worlds are more connected than we had first realized."

There were still a few questions, but at least he had a good start. It would only be a matter of time before fate would find itself marching at the front door.

Chapter 16 -- Nightfall

Outside in the arctic air, several crew members of the Atlas vessel set up a temporary camp. Off-white canvas sheets surrounded the carbon fiber wireframe. The strong gusts of the arctic north proved to be a challenge for the members that set the sheets to protect the sensitive equipment. Once all of the sheets were in place and bound, a metallic cylindrical tube was raised on to the trunk of one of the wheeled trucks.

The tube housed a special instrument used for long-range telecommunication. It was designated the HRIC, or the High Resolution Imaging and Communications satellite. The satellite had an array of high-powered visual instruments and infrared communication sensors. The satellite was, also, outfitted with state-of-the-art quantum artificial intelligence. It was important for a satellite to have real-time access to its own controls, especially out in space in unfamiliar territory.

Inside the tent, the canvas covering retained a modest amount of heat, despite the frigid conditions outside. A space heater was set next to a large console that almost doubled as a table, which held a large green wireframe sphere above it—the same sphere that emanated from Asura’s watch. A few of the Atlas crew members surrounded the console, analyzing the images that were on the sphere. A long streak of green and white lined one side of the sphere, which indicated their path of approach during their earlier descent and the drones’ discoveries when they were sent out on their first scouting run.

A long red dotted line was seen from the spot where the Atlas was sitting. The line exceeded the sphere’s boundaries and was encircling the sphere in a circular path a fair distance away. It was the satellite’s plotted trajectory for launch. A mechanical female voice emanated from a small box on the edge of the console.

“This is the HRIC Torus, call sign HSAT One. All systems are functional. High-Resolution lens is active and calibrated. Communications system is set to transmit and receive.”

“Copy that, HSAT One,” Asura’s voice was heard through the speaker on the console. “You have permission to take off at the ready.”

“HSAT One, roger.”

“This is Atlas GHQ to Canterlot Tower. We are monitoring HSAT One’s data. Live feed is active, and long-range communications are on standby. All systems are a go.”

“This is HSAT One, beginning final pre-launch checks. Scanning eco drives and calibrating solar panels to optimal position for atmospheric flight.”

For a few moments, the speaker went silent.

~~~~~~

Asura sat on the couch next to Cassandra and Randan. Celestia, Discord, and Shining Armor stood opposite of the table. They were all fixated on the sphere, which relayed the satellite’s data. Two flat screens hovered just before Asura and Randan. The screen before Randan relayed the satellite’s footage. The inside of the tube that it was housed in was dark towards the bottom. He could see the eco trampoline on the bottom, which would be used to jettison the satellite from out of the tube.

The screen before Asura held essential flight data, which included telemetry, navigation, course trajectories, and communication channels. There was a sidebar on his screen that had a revolving logo. The logo was that of a capital M, with one half of it black and the other half white. A shield was embossed behind the M, with two swords that crossed each other behind the shield. Below the logo, there was a spinning circle, with the words ‘scanning’ above it.

The satellite’s voice was heard from the watch. “This is HSAT One, pre-launch checks complete. Eco drive is at maximum capacity. Trampoline is armed and ready for launch.”

Asura pushed the screen aside and stopped the sphere from revolving. He tapped on the chevron where the satellite was located.

“This is Skyhawk One. HSAT One, I am currently monitoring your position. You are in the clear.”

“Copy that, Skyhawk One.”

“Skyhawk One to Skyhawk Two. How are you feeling, buddy?”

“This is Skyhawk Two. Repairs to jammed turbines are complete. I will be taking off to join you shortly.”

Asura grinned. “Copy that. HSAT One, you are a go for launch.”

“Copy. Countdown to launch in five… four… three…”

The trajectory line dimmed as the countdown got closer.

“…two… one. Launch.”

~~~~~~

There was a slight pop within the tube, and the elongated satellite shot out from the tube to an astounding elevation within only a few seconds. Once the satellite’s ascension began to wane, the drive on the bottom fired and pushed the satellite up toward the clouds. The trail of blue flames that burst down from the drive gave off very little smoke. Surprisingly, the drive was not deafeningly loud even from a short distance to the ground.

“This is HSAT One. Trampoline launch was successful. Eco drive is active. I am currently accelerating to the edge of the atmosphere to begin lunar-synchronous orbital protocols.”

“Copy, HSAT One. This is Atlas GHQ. We are monitoring your ascent. Keep it nice and steady.”

~~~~~~

“This is Canterlot Tower. We are, also, monitoring your ascension. Everything looks good on our end,” Randan said, analyzing the trajectory path of the satellite. The path behind the chevron became a solid red, indicating the satellite’s previous location. The dim red path in front indicated the approximate path the satellite would take. They were counting on the fact that the satellite would have to deviate from its course by a fraction to maintain optimal range with the eco drive.

“Lunar-synchronous?” Celestia inquired with a curious look on her face.

“It’s where the satellite enters a similar orbit as to another object—for instance, the moon,” Asura said.

‘They must do this all the time where they’re from,’ Luna chuckled. She never heard anyone refer to her moon as an ‘object,’ yet his explanation of that word did make some sense.

“And what does this ‘satellite’ do, exactly?” Discord asked. His eagle talon touched the edge of the sphere, trailing along the path of the satellite.

“It’s an instrument that establishes long-range tele-communications, and it also has an on-board imaging system to gather atmospheric data. Essentially, it’s a scientific satellite that allows us to communicate with our allies back at home,” Randan said.

“What kind of a name is Hsat, though?” Luna said. “Wouldn’t thou want to give it a proper name?”

Asura almost gagged at the question.

Randan spoke. “Well, it’s a convention that we give it so that we can coordinate with several other units at once. If we gave each of our assets a long name, it’d be an arduous task to sort through them all.”

“Huh,” Shining Armor pondered. “That does seem to make sense. Makes my head hurt just thinking about how difficult your task is back at home.”

“Indeed,” Cassandra added. “What you see here is only scratching the surface of what we normally do. What we’re doing here is not standard to our procedures. We were re-tasked here for combat patrol.”

“And part of that task was to secure my location,” Asura noted. “The shuttle that I arrived in had broadcast a distress beacon from its black box unit, where I retrieved this watch from.”

“We hoped that the beacon would be safely retrieved by us. It’s a good thing it did.”

Randan pondered for a moment. He took a long, good glance at the sphere and the satellite’s trajectory. The chevron made it well beyond the boundaries of the sphere and was about to graze the edge of the atmosphere. “I wonder if the satellite will pose any problems.”

“The information sent from the satellite should be well-encrypted to keep them from intercepting it.”

Randan nodded at Asura’s reassurance.

“Them? As in, the aggressors?” Shining Armor inquired.

“Exactly.”

“Pray tell. Who are these ‘aggressors’ thou keep on mentioning about?”

Asura took in a deep breath. “Our aggressors are known as the Rygoliths. They were, once, our allies long ago—serving as the civilization’s guardians. They held a special union with the civilization’s core. They had established a tradition of order and wisdom amongst their kind—the Sentinels. One of their own, however, established a coup and rebelled against us and shattered the Sentinel traditions.”

“Betrayal,” Celestia said.

Asura nodded. “Since then, our relations with them dwindled. Years passed by, and they retreated to the shadows beyond the civilization’s reach. When they regained their strength, they found that our civilization was beginning to weaken. The Dimensional Divide had begun to crack, and they used that as their opportunity to prod our defenses.”

“And that’s what made them declare war against you,” Shining Armor said.

“But why would they do such a thing?” Twilight asked.

“We granted them the right to protect our civilization. In return, we would grant them a place amongst the civilization—a promised land that they had been searching for since their first deep space explorations. Saekar Kor, the one who started the coup, became corrupted by the curse of his own greed. He accused us of failing to provide them with what they wanted. We, simply, did not fully understand all of the galaxies that we had discovered. We did not even know if their ‘promised land’ existed.”

“His own corruption devised a lie in order to assault thee?” Luna said in concern.

“Essentially.”

“Well shoot, Twilight. Ah told ya we’d need these folks to handle th’ situation themselves.”

Randan held up his hand. “Based on the latest readings we had received before we cut ourselves off from General HQ, our current forces are severely underpowered compared to what they’ve sent in this direction.”

Rainbow Dash nudged against Applejack. “See? I told you they’d need our help.”

Asura looked over to Randan. “What you brought is all the firepower we have?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The Atlas only has three Warthog fighter craft and two Stingray helis in our arsenal. The Mother Goose is also outfitted with defensive measures. It’d be enough to fend off the first wave of attack, but beyond that we’d be short on stock.”

“We’ll need to call in reinforcements then, if it pans out towards that direction.”

“Might the Elements of Harmony be enough to drive them back?” Twilight asked in earnest.

Asura rubbed the bottom of his chin. “From what Celestia has told me, it seems like they could be powerful enough. I’m not quite sure if the Elements should be used in that manner, though.”

“The Elements of Harmony can be used to dispel any threat that invades Equestria,” Celestia said. “Surely, you must use your elements in a similar manner within your civilization.”

Asura nodded. The satellite’s voice crackled in the speaker.

“This is HSAT One. I have reached terminal elevation. Beginning lunar-synchronous orbital protocols. Calibrating high-resolution gimbal systems, and authenticating Civil Defense communications.”

“This is Atlas GHQ. Roger, HSAT One. Authenticating communication links and establishing secure connection. Live feed is still active on our end.”

“This is Skyhawk Two. I am at the launch pad. Initiating pre-flight checks and calibrating gimbal system. I will be joining Skyhawk One for landscape assessment and planetary mapping.”

“Planetary mapping?” Twilight said in a curious tone.

Randan pointed out the sphere. “It means that we’ll be able to get a good view of the world. In order for us to get to points of interest quickly, we’ll need to know what the landscape is like before we get there.”

“You don’t want to be left in the dark,” Shining Armor said.

“Right. Analysis of the landscape ensures that we can send in appropriate assets to the trouble zone. Knowing the terrain gives us an advantage when we send in the right equipment.”

The screen before Asura flashed once. “This is HSAT One. Secure connection established. Broadcasting first hail to General HQ under encryption code 003.” The sidebar that contained the revolving logo and the circular icon took up the entire screen. Above the icon, the word ‘connecting’ appeared for several seconds. A prompt appeared below the icon. Asura tapped the small keypad area to the left of the screen. After finishing, the prompt disappeared, and a bar appeared where the icon once was. The bar began to fill up from the left side in steps. When the bar filled up, the screen disappeared, and a larger screen appeared in front of the sphere.

“This is HSAT One. I am receiving General HQ’s return hail. Secure line established for long-range communications.”

The civil defense logo appeared on the screen once again, and another bar appeared below it. The bar filled up much quicker than the last one. The screen flashed once to reveal a briefing room with several figures occupying the space. Asura identified one of the figures to be the general himself.

“This is Atlas GHQ. Live feed with General HQ is up. Canterlot Tower, are you receiving the feed?”

Randan spoke. “Affirmative. Live feed of General HQ is up for us.”

The general’s voice could be heard. “This is General Reichert from the Civil Defense Operations base in Gerushia. Atlas command vessel, I am receiving your feed, and we can hear you loud and clear. It’s good to hear from you again.”

“Copy that, general. It’s good to be back in the loop.”

The general saluted. “I take it that your mission went well? Is the objective safe?”

“Objective is safe and sound. The natives on this planet took good care of him.”

“Excellent. That’s great to hear.”

Asura cleared his throat. “General Reichert, this is Commander Asura Envar of the Civil Defense Force. It’s a pleasure to be speaking with you once again.”

“It’s good to hear your voice again, commander.”

The crowd in the background cheered in response. Celestia grinned affectionately to the cheering.

“General HQ, we would like to inform you of our new allies.”

“Oh? Go on.”

Luna cleared her throat. “Perhaps in person would be a better way to explain.” She winked to Asura, who nodded in agreement.

“Hello, general,” Celestia spoke. “I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria. On behalf of my citizens, it’s a great honor and privilege to speak with you.”

“It is my privilege to speak with you, princess. I extend my thanks to you for taking care of our commander.”

“The honor is ours,” Luna proclaimed. “I am Princess Luna, sister to Celestia, and co-ruler of Equestria.”

“I’m Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard of Cante—” he was stopped short by Celestia, who nudged him with a wink. He cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Of Equestria, sir.”

“It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I’d imagine we’d be having a lot of discussions between us, Captain Shining Armor.”

Asura cleared his throat once again. “General, there are a few things that I need to address beforehand.”

“Go on, commander.”

“First off, we need to address our security protocols more closely. Earlier, we encountered a spy on our fleet.”

“A spy?” The general’s voice grew concerned.

“Yes sir,” Randan spoke. “The spy injured the commander, but fortunately the wounds inflicted were not life-threatening.”

“We have a growing concern that the spy may have made an attempt to communicate with the approaching Rygolith fleet, to zero in on our location. We do not have a lock on their current position as of yet.”

“That seems disconcerting, seeing that the spy may have alerted more than just the approaching vessels as well. We’re seeing massive movement closing in on your proximity, but we did not know why at first. This sort of revelation is surprising.”

Asura’s heart sank. The situation became greatly dire. ‘More flagships approaching Equestria? It’d be the end of all of these citizens for certain.’ “I think we need to re-task several units to provide reinforcement.”

“We’ve already begun rounding up reserve units to be sent your way. A few units of the armed forces have been alerted by the sudden shift in activity.”

‘The armed forces…’ “So, the war has begun to take its turn. Kor’s planning on wiping us out for good.”

“That’s what it seems like, based on their current activity. He plans that by getting rid of you, it’d be easier for them to take down the civilization in one fell swoop.”

“I’m afraid that the civilization is now torn between two medians of impending doom. I have discovered that the rift of the Dimensional Divide is beginning to collapse once again.”

The general could only groan in concern. “That rift is what keeps the civilization in one piece. If what you say is true, and he does attempt to get rid of you, there won’t be anything to stop it from shattering.”

“I fear that he may be using that as a way to destroy the civilization and beyond, exhausting it as a weapon of mass destruction.”

“If that’s true, then he and his forces must be stopped at all costs.”

“There might be a way for us to halt the destruction of the rift.” Asura paused for a moment, thinking heavily about the memories that had reappeared not too long ago. “There are some questions that still need to be answered while I’m here. This world might serve as the key to the civilization’s survival. With the help of the Equestrians and their power, I might be able to re-seal the breach somehow.”

“Seems like a risky gamble; however, you are the guardian of your faith, and I will respect your intuition. Do what you have to do to maintain the civilization’s well-being.”

Peering out from the other side of the moon, a lone starship quietly loomed in front of the planet, designated EQ-519. The solitary flagship was crafted and assembled in a way to make it appear as an asteroid. It was an effective form of camouflage that the Rygoliths employed upon their adversaries. The rough armor plates that patched the outside of the flagship reflected a modest amount of light, but it still retained its stealthy presence, as though it was nothing more than a mere rock in the field.

In the command bridge, just at the front of the ship, Isara, the Rygolith clan leader stood tall with her arms crossed against her chest. She held her chin up with a clenched fist. Studying the planet before her, she drew up several plans for her team to make an attempt to pull Asura out of hiding.

A doorway spiraled opened, and a large scorpion-like creature clattered its way in. The Rygoliths did not always hold humanoid appearances. Certain creatures specialized in different tactics based on how they were conceived at their birth. The scorpion excelled in surprise attacks and brute force, with its massive pincers doubling as drills for it to burrow through soft ground. The desert was its favorite environment.

The scorpion knelt down toward Isara. It spoke in a high-pitched grumble. “Your excellency. The troops are ready to depart, at your command.”

Isara smiled. “Right on schedule.” She turned to face the beast. “We will send them out once we have a few more garrisons trailing our lead. It shouldn’t take long for them to arrive.” She tapped a talon upon her violet cheek. “Perhaps you could soften them up, beforehand—provide a distraction so that we can gain the upper hand against him and his forces while we finalize preparations?”

The scorpion looked at Isara in earnest perplexity. “You want me to hunt down the boy?”

Isara tilted her head. “It wouldn’t do us any good if they were able to, somehow, strike us now.”

The scorpion nodded. “Very well.”

Isara rubbed the top of the beast’s head and scratched behind its ears. “Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

Satisfied by the leader’s words of assurance, the scorpion proceeded to march its way back out through the open doorway.

“One more thing…”

The beast stopped in its tracks, eager to hear what needed to be said.

“Try not to hurt any of the civilians down there. We only need to rid of his forces, and to retrieve him for my master’s 'plans.'”

The beast proceeded through the threshold of the doorway, which closed up in the same spiraling fashion. Isara returned her gaze to the lush planet. Within a few moments, the streak of metal shot past the canopy of the bridge, which was headed straight towards the surface of the planet.

“Time to play a game of Cat and Mouse, little boy,” she chuckled menacingly.

Asura stood out on the balcony from the main hallway just outside of Celestia’s quarters. He breathed in the cool night air that tickled his cheeks. The starlight above helped with straightening out his thoughts that were littered with doubts and uncertainty. The energies he had willfully absorbed into his own soul had shown him a massive clue as to how and why Cosmos disappeared—in fact, it was one of the answers he was looking for.

It still troubled him that the clues he was presented with did not hint towards any indication of how to find Cosmos’s spirit, let alone awaken the shard of the overlord’s spirit that resided within him. Was there an ancient gathering place where Starswirl and the princess’s parents had gone to in order for them to connect with the World Builders? Where would that gathering place be?

He continued to look up at the stars, contemplating his own resolve. He still could not answer the overbearing question that loomed over him like a veil. Why Equestria? That inquiry clung to his mind like a tumor, continuing to embitter his thoughts with unsettling doubts.

He felt the gentle touch of a hoof on his back, which sent his mind reeling in a dazzling display of pleasure. Luna rubbed her hoof down along his spine, and back up along the back of his ribs and shoulder blades. His physical anatomy mesmerized her, and she felt herself gravitate towards him every time she made eye contact with him.

She cooed next to his ear. “What dost thou see in our night sky?”

“Well,” he pondered, tilting his head sideways. He felt the fur of her nuzzle resting against his neck. “It’s quite different seeing the stars from another world. The constellations are different.” He pointed up to a slightly light grouping of stars and hazy light. “Right there is where the bulk of our civilization lies.”

Luna sighed in awe. “That is your home?” Her horn lit up and her magic traced the outline of a constellation just before them. The outline took the shape of a crab. The brightest points of the outline were over the patch of light he pointed out. “Thy home lies on the constellation by an old memoir of a long lost friend. She believed that there would be a world beyond the stars that yearned out for us just as much as we yearned for the stars themselves.” Asura turned his head toward Luna. “Thou art the embodiment of that belief. We have yearned for the stars for many centuries, pinning as we did for something to become of them.”

He blinked. “You’ve been waiting for me?”

“We did,” she crooned. “Our connection with the stars expressed to us of the untold wonders of the world beyond Equestria, yet we could never quite reach them. They were simply too far away for our spirits to touch. It soon became tradition to honor those that have perished with constellations to reach out to the worlds beyond our own—to reach out to the stars. We would hope that one day those calls would be answered.”

He looked down in anguish to her words, but was met with her hoof pushing against his chin. Her eyes bored into his. “Thou shalt not feel pity. With what thou hath showed us in your stay, we now realize that the worlds beyond are closer than we had thought. They are not just dreams anymore. Thou may have a point when thou said that our worlds may be connected in more ways than one.”

Asura could only gaze back, but he understood what she was saying. “I would agree. Our worlds share the cosmic connections between one another. Our guardians tend to the elemental energies to ensure that the bonds remain tied together.” He chuckled, feeling her breath tickle against his cheek. “I’ve also been reaching out toward the stars, hoping to find a world away from the chaos that ensnared us—a world where I could rest and find peace. I think… I may have found it.”

A sensual aura could be felt hugging against him. Luna pressed her muzzle against his nose. “We finally get to touch the stars. It hath been so long since we had dreamed of what lied beyond our gaze.” She rubbed her hoof against the back of his neck. “Now, those dreams have become a reality for us…” She turned her head to the side a bit, her eyes half-ajar. She inched herself closer to his lips. Asura pressed two fingers on her lips, catching her by surprise. “Is there something that burdens thee?”

“I just don’t know if that’s right for us to do that…” he stuttered. “We haven’t gotten to know each other very well, and you’re a princess—a ruler of this world. I am only a guardian of mine.”

She giggled at his refusal, further confusing him. “Min confused star child, we are both guardians. We are the guardian of our precious night, and we safeguard our subjects’ dreams.”

‘A dream walker? So that’s how she’s able to reach into my mind.’

She continued to gaze into his eyes. “We know more about thee than thou think during our trips within thine memories. Thou need not worry about our affection to thee.”

‘What? She’s peered deep into my mind?’ His heart pounded at the thought. As though she sensed his distress, she tenderly planted her lips against his, cooing lovingly. His mind went wild, conflicting itself with doubts and pleasures. The mare’s touch was more delicate than he had realized, and his thoughts began to slow down. He began to fall into Luna’s loving embrace, and she wrapped her wings around him. He took in a deep breath, which only caused Luna’s lips to clasp onto his even tighter.

In that heartfelt moment, Asura encircled his arms around Luna’s neck and closed his eyes. It was the first time he had shared any feelings toward another person, let alone another being. It felt alien to feel loved and to share his love with another being. He heard Luna’s voice at the back of his mind.

‘Our love is only as natural as a stallion and a mare is to a filly and a colt. We may have our differences, but in our hearts we share similar desires for one another. We hope that thou will accept our affection and our security for as long as thou remain in Equestria.’

As the two lip-laced lovers continued to share their affections, the night sky twinkled with brilliance. The stars above outlined the shape of both Luna and Asura in their love-locked kiss. The outlines of small hearts appeared just above the main shape. The outline was interrupted by a streak of light that arced across the sky. The shooting star got close, and its brilliance shot out upon the castle walls and the valley floor.

A few moments later, a faint howling sound trailed behind the star, and the landscape beyond the lower valley hills to the south erupted in a dazzling flash that lasted for only a mere second. Several moments pass when the shockwave of the star’s impact could be heard. The sound tore Asura and Luna from their deep kiss. They both looked out in the general direction from where the sound originated from. Luna could tell that it came from the direction of Ponyville.

Asura saw the faint plume of dust in the distance. ‘Could it be…?’ His thoughts were torn apart when he heard his watch emanate an audible alarm from within Celestia’s room. Asura quickly turned himself around and raced down through the hallway and into her quarters, with Luna trailing behind.

~~~~~~

All was quiet in Ponyville. The night sky glimmered above with the moon’s gaze shining down upon the lifeless village. A lone tree house, marking Twilight’s home, stood tall in the middle of the township, a few blocks away from the town hall.

Inside, the chorus of snoring was heard in Twilight’s bedroom. Spike, Twilight’s assistant, slept soundly in his thatched bed, covered by a soft sheet with various stars embroidered on it. Down below, the sounds of an owl could be heard breaking the silence every few minutes.

The peace that surrounded the house was broken by a faint howling sound that grew louder. It also grew, strangely, brighter as the sound drew near. Soon, the piercing howling dominated the air, and the owl’s hoots became frantic. A loud boom shook the house, snapping Spike out of his delusional sleep. He yelped at the top of his lungs, and dove straight underneath Twilight’s bed. The house was illuminated for that split moment, before the air became quiet and dark as it was before.

Shivering, Spike drew himself from under the bed, and proceeded to jump on top of the nearest windowsill to get a good view of whatever it was that made the loud sound. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, yet his senses were still tingling violently. He went downstairs to see Owlicious fluttering around the room, hooting in fright.

“Hey, Owlicious! What’s gotten into you?” he pondered. “Did you hear that, too?”

Owlicious only gave a hoot in agreement, as he continued to flap his wings upon his nightstand. Spike grinned and scratched the owl behind his neck. “Aww, its okay, little guy. I’m sure it was just a thunder strike,” he chuckled. “You never know what Rainbow Dash could be up t—“

He stopped short, as he noticed that it was still dark outside. “Wait a minute… it’s still dark outside. Rainbow Dash couldn’t have done that, could she?” He peered out of the window behind Owlicious and noticed a strange plume of smoke rising just in front of the Everfree Forest.

He stared out at the plume in awe, and he proceeded to make his way down to the main level of Twilight’s study. There, he found the pedestal where he kept his papers and quills. He stood on top of the log stool and dipped a quill into an ink jar. He then began to write on the parchment that was lain out before him, reciting his words aloud.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle…”

~~~~~~

The wireframe sphere was flashing with a red halo. The chevron of the satellite was blinking rapidly. Randan was confused, and Celestia was frightened out of her wits from the sudden exclamation of the watch. Asura sat next to Randan and tapped on to the sphere.

“Atlas GHQ to Canterlot Tower. We just received a ping from HSAT One. Request appears urgent.”

“Alright, bring it up.”

A screen appeared in front of Asura, and he analyzed the data that scrolled across the screen.

“This is HSAT One. I have just discovered a suspicious object that landed several miles south of Canterlot Tower. Requesting immediate re-task of Skyhawk drones to analyze the impact crater.”

The image on the map rendered an area where the satellite saw the ‘star’ land at. Before long, a scroll materialized in front of Celestia in a plume of green flames.

“A message from Spike?” Twilight asked. Celestia nodded, and she gave the scroll to Twilight, who promptly opened it up. She read the contents of the message aloud.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

“I know it’s not normal for me to be up this late, but I heard something loud crash just outside of Ponyville. It tore me out of my sleep. I’m not sure what it was, and Owlicious is still frightened by the noise. We haven’t heard anything else from the crash, but it sounded like it was some sort of thunder clap. Everything was bright as day for a moment, and then it was gone. I’m sure just about everypony in town is shook up from it as well.

“I sure do miss you, Twilight. Your home is just not the same without you.”

“Oh, Spike. I miss you, too.”

“Your humble, and somewhat frightened, assistant,

“Spike.”

Rarity gasped. “Oh! Poor Spikey-Wikey! He’s all alone and he’s terrified by strange sounds in the middle of the night!”

“Sounds like Ponyville’s in trouble once again,” Rainbow Dash asserted. “Time for us to move in and clean house!”

“Hold on there, partn’r,” Applejack shouted, grabbing Rainbow’s tail with her teeth. “We still don’t know what this thing’s all about. Who knows, it could just be some ol’ space rock ‘f some sort.”

Asura spoke to the sphere. “HSAT One, I am authorizing the re-task of Skyhawks One and Two for immediate investigation of unknown object.”

“This is Skyhawk One. Re-task orders confirmed; heading to crash site on the double.”

“This is Skyhawk Two. Re-task orders confirmed; moving to the scene pronto.”

“Copy that. This is HSAT One. I still have tabs on the impact crater. Image is still obscured by settling dust.”

“Roger; setting our course to image beacon.”

Asura noted the two yellow dots of the drones making their way westward from a desert at the far corner just before the edge of the arctic north met with the edge of an ocean.

“This is Skyhawk One, making my pass by Canterlot Tower.”

The sound of the drone could be faintly heard from outside the open archway to the balcony of Celestia’s room. The other drone flew closer, and its floodlights could be seen flashing against the night sky.

“This is Skyhawk Two. I have passed by Canterlot Tower. Proceeding to crash site.”

Within a few minutes, the drones met with the chevron, indicating the crash zone. Shining Armor pondered for a moment. “What happens if that turns out to be something more than just some space rock?”

Luna added. “Indeed. We felt the falling star’s presence, and it did not feel like any old rock. It was as if there was a… strange presence within it.”

Randan glanced over to Shining Armor. “If it turns out to be ‘them,’ we’ll have to prepare ourselves.”

~~~~~~

The drones flew over the township of Ponyville, as addressed by the natives from Canterlot Tower. They made their way to the settling dust cloud, slightly illuminated by the moonlight above. It was a remarkable sight, but their work would be cut short when their discovery would come to a striking surprise. One of the drones got close to the plume and attempted to disperse it with its turbines. The other drone hovered just above to catch a good view of the crater itself.

It saw bits of metal dispersed around the edges of the crater, yet there was nothing in the epicenter. An odd mound of dirt jutted upward from the bottom of the crater, leaving the bits of metal to litter the outside. The drones analyzed the metal plates strewn across and came across a striking, and unnerving, discovery.

~~~~~~

Asura and Randan analyzed the feeds of the drones as they scanned the crater.

“This is Skyhawk Two. I have analyzed the metal particles on the crater walls. I’ve cross-referenced upon multiple databases and have come up with a confirmed match.” They awaited the drone’s response. “The metal appears to be of Sarrath origin.”

Randan’s face stiffened. “So, it is ‘them.’”

Shining Armor glanced at Randan, then at Asura. It was obvious that there was a hint of panic in his eyes. “What should we do?”

Asura straightened himself on the couch. “We’ll have to take precautions and take a closer look at the crash site. They've just sent us a knock on our door.”

Chapter 18 -- Artifact

After the return trip from their debacle in the town of Ponyville where the Rygolith scorpion was captured, the crew members on board the Harmony vessel did a quick check on the princesses, Shining Armor and his guards, and Twilight and her friends. Aside from the shock and awe from witnessing a firefight before their eyes between two feudal extraterrestrial groups, there were no outstanding injuries—save for a minor bruise on Celestia’s mid-waist after Asura plowed into her just seconds before the scorpion was able to blow them all into oblivion.

Now that the scorpion was in the defense corps’ custody, everyone was able to get a sigh of relief. That moment would not last, though, as they knew the enemy was finally at the edge of the atmosphere. Time grew slim for the defense force, and Asura carried the greatest amount of weight on his shoulders. The survival of his own kind and of the Equestrians depended on him—there would be no time left for any more deviations.

He had to find a way to bring Cosmos back from his eternal slumber.

The only obstacle in the way was that Asura wasn’t entirely sure on how to do that. He knew where to start, but he did not know whether the Path of Ascension was still usable. If he could use it, how would it help him re-awaken Cosmos? It was a gamble that he wasn’t sure he was willing to play around with.

On one hand, doing nothing would’ve meant the end of not only himself, his kind, and the Equestrians, but the entirety of the civilization and the known Universe as a whole. The strength of the Dimensional Divide was clearly demonstrated when Cosmos first let it crack apart. If he was able to keep its destructive powers from spreading further, who else would be able to keep that from happening this time? The Rygoliths were playing a dangerous game, and they would be playing out all of their winning cards for naught if they succeeded with their end result.

On the other hand, accomplishing his task would possibly mean suicide. Would he be ready to sacrifice his own life if it was the only thing he could do to bring Cosmos back to life? Could there be another way to deliver the seed of existence while still retaining his own life force? He certainly did not want to leave this serene beauty and everything else behind him.

It was a conflicting moment of thought. He had a serious amount of self-doubt that would not wander away from him. His whole life had been searing with doubts since he first sworn his oath to becoming the protector of his people. Now that he was thrown into the middle of an impossible choice, faced with an eventual and upcoming cataclysmic doomsday, he had nowhere else to turn to.

There was something that he had—his closest friends and allies were reunited with him, and he made a new alliance with a race that could potentially save his skin and the lives of countless others. If all the cards played out in his favor, perhaps this could undo all the damage done and unfold the Rygolith’s plans.

At least he had something to think about besides the searing doubts that invaded his mind. It soon dawned on him that Luna was quick to pick up on his pain. For as long as he was awake in Equestria, she wanted to mend his suffering and clear his thoughts so that he could think straight. So far, she has been partially successful, but she knew that tender love and care would not be enough. She still felt pain and suffering in his heart and she knew full well that it would not go away. He was burdened with both a privilege and a curse—a curse that would slowly eat away at his own dignity.

She had to get to the source—she needed to look past his mind and peer into his own spirit. If the lives of her and her sister’s subjects depended entirely on him, she needed to make certain that he needed to be put on the right track. Any mistakes between now and the foreseeable future would surely be met with their own downfall.

Would she regret mating her soul with his? It was possible, but the outcome would hopefully prove otherwise. She would only need him to cooperate without any flaws. She needed to figure out what it was that was causing him so much distress. It was beginning to confuse and frustrate him, and she knew that it would only get worse unless somebody was to guide him.

Now would not be the time for her to act, but soon she would get her chance.

Twilight Sparkle trotted up next to Celestia, hugging her closely with her wing as she did moments ago before the vessel landed back on Canterlot grounds. They were both in slight shock from the ordeal, but the medical officers were nice enough to lend a helping hand and some words of advice. It wasn’t an instant cure, but at least they had someone to turn to if their anxiety worsened. They were thankful that these people protected them from the creature that threatened to inflict harm.

“Princess?” Twilight spoke, after a few minutes of uninterrupted silence between them.

“Yes, Twilight?”

Twilight turned to face the crew on board the Harmony vessel. Her brother and Cadence were the last to step off of the ramp. She shifted her attention towards Asura who was speaking to a few of his crew as well as her friends, eagerly listening to what he was saying. At this distance, Twilight couldn’t make out what he was saying.

“Are we sure that we can trust him?” This caught Celestia off-guard.

"What makes you say that? Is there something on your mind?”

“Well, we don’t really know why he came here, do we?”

“He’s here because he needed to get away from whatever it was that was attacking his home. That thing that he fought earlier must’ve been one of them.”

Twilight’s eyes gleamed in the sunlight. “He told you about this?”

“Not exactly. It was from one of his closest mentors.”

Twilight gave a puzzled look. "How—?" Before she could finish, Luna cheerfully pranced up to the two, shedding an aura of questionable delight. Celestia didn’t know if she was being seriously happy or if she was just trying to keep herself from mentally breaking down from anxiety. Either way, it was mildly amusing for her to see.

“Pray tell, what must you two be discussing about away from our young hero over yonder?”

Celestia chortled when Luna perceived Asura as a hero. “I’m fairly certain that he hasn’t done anything ‘heroic’ as of yet, sister—at least, not anything significantly life-changing.”

“He did save thee from the jaws of that… ‘thing’ that assaulted us earlier. Thou should at least give him credit for that.”

Celestia shrugged. “Of course, there’s that. What’s gotten in to you?”

“The doctors say that keeping thyself cheerful is a good way to overcome anxiety attacks. Would thou not agree, Twilight?”

Twilight managed to shrug hesitantly. “I suppose so…”

Luna heard Cadence’s call from across the courtyard. “Oh, I must depart. Cadence and I are going to attend to some ‘private’ business in the kitchen.”

“Private?” Without another word, Luna was quick to flee from the two in a flaunting gait. Celestia was dumbfounded by her sister’s departure. “And to think that I’ve known her for this long and yet she still surprises me.” Twilight chuckled at Celestia’s remark.

Isara paced around the command console of the bridge, pondering to herself in silence. The metal of her boots clanked in precise rhythms. It was beginning to bore her that Kor and his battalion had not arrived yet. It was testing her patience, which she already had little of to begin with.

She held both hands behind her back, continually pacing back and forth—thinking of her next battle plan. Her first strategy of sending the best heavy infantry down below proved to be futile. The notably feared Scorpion had become no match to the boy’s ever-strengthening presence. It bothered her that he’d retain all of his strength on an isolated, alien planet. Something had to be done, and quickly.

At last, the monitor in front of the bay window flickered to life. The picture revealed a similar looking figure of her stature and build. It was Saekar Kor, the battle lord. She bowed to him with one arm across her chest. Something was off with the picture, though. Instead of him bowing in response, he stood there, glaring angrily through the screen.

“Captain Isara,” he spoke, his voice mechanically augmented by the console relays. “I am displeased with your efforts to apprehend the boy. As I was told by my insurgents aboard your ship, you sent down one of our best warrior patrols.” She knew now that it was only a message. “You should have realized that his strength and integrity would prevail, and now they have one of our best units in their hands! It was your duty to handle this quietly!”

He inhaled sharply. “I should not have let you jump so early. This would not have happened had I given you the order to stay behind the flagship. Do you realize what you have done? You have jeopardized the entirety of our efforts, and now we have the potential of another enemy to face amongst their ranks!”

He briskly turned away from the screen for a mere moment, exhaling with a menacing growl. He turned back and raised his clenched fist, pointing a single finger towards the top of the screen. “If we lose this war, I will have your head! All that we have worked towards would all be done for naught, and it will have been because of your chain of command that will have ruined our opportunity to rebuild our society! I want him alive—do you understand me?? Do not fail me again!” He lowered his hand and turned away from the screen. “End message.”

The screen faded, and the bridge was silent once again. Isara hung her head down, frustrated from the message that Kor left for her. It was clear that she made a huge mistake by pulling the trigger too soon, but she had done it to attempt to disable much of his armed acquaintances. Unfortunately, they were better prepared than she had anticipated, and this new alliance with the native populace could also pose a credible threat to her and Kor’s forces.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two small dropships flash out from hyperjump. She immediately knew they were both from Kor’s flagship.

“Going for the silent strike force this time, my lord? Let’s hope this plan doesn’t flop.”

After a few hours of consulting and debriefing with the Atlas and Harmony crews regarding the events that played out earlier, he finally retired to his room. It was already dark outside, and the moon was beginning its slow ascension into the starlit sky. He found it awe-striking that Luna could accomplish such a feat without breaking a sweat. A feat like that would easily cripple him head over heels, even with the full spectrum of the elemental forces at his fingertips.

He found it equally surprising that the elemental guardians would force the elemental barrier beyond the civilization’s limits. The overall influence was still weak, but it was enough that he didn’t need to rely on the stone—not that he needed it in any case.

Something deep inside was bothering him. It felt like a tiny fireball had lit up and was continually burning him from the inside. Ever since he left his home, he felt that same ember in the middle of his chest. It felt like pieces of his soul were missing. A lot of it had to do with the loss of his fellow friends and mentors when the Rygoliths invaded his home, but there was another, more obscure reason to the solitary flame. It did not spread, nor did it intensify.

It was going to take much of his brainpower to figure out the underlying source of the internal ember inside him.

‘Perhaps Luna could help…?’ he pondered for a brief moment. ‘Nah, I don’t think she could possibly understand…’

~~~~~~

Princess Luna and Cadence walked through a red curtain, covering a secluded portion of the rear of the castle’s largest kitchen. There was a clear crystal teapot filled with a muddy brown brew on a brass tray with two small crystalline green cups—one of which had a small blue vial, with a radiating clear liquid inside, sitting next to it.

Luna focused her attention on the blue vial, curious as to what it may be.

“Curious about the vial, Luna?”

“Why of course. What is it for?”

“It’s for Asura. He’s been feeling a little under the weather lately, since we’ve been around him.” Cadence looked up. “If it’s all true about what’s out there, I think that he’ll need all the focus that he can get. I don’t want to get tied up in this conflict, and I’m sure none of us want to either. The potion should help us narrow down any clues as to how we’re gonna get ourselves out of this mess.”

Luna scratched her chin. She raised the vial in the air, closely examining the content inside. It almost looked like it came from Celestia's private collection. “I believe I follow what you’re saying. This would help focus our ability to look deep inside his mind to any untouched memories that he may have?”

“Sounds about right. It shouldn’t do anything to him while he’s awake, but once he falls asleep, your magic should slip right through his mind.”

Luna nodded. Something grazed the edge of her mind at that moment. “I think I’ve overheard earlier about Twilight questioning his true intent. It seems like she doesn’t trust his word.”

“Perhaps we could take a look at how he came here as well. After all, you said yourself that memories never lie,” she winked.

Luna blushed at that phrase. “Of course.” This was going to be her chance to guide him. She hoped that she would be able to control his pain and help him focus on his thoughts without the obstacles of doubt and frustration. She poured the contents of the vial into the cup, followed by the tea supported by Cadence. Within minutes, the glowing liquid mixed completely into the tea, leaving behind no trace. She didn’t like the idea of manipulating somepony with a simple, unassuming potion, but it was necessary given the present predicament they were placed in.

~~~~~~

Asura laid himself flat against the sheets on the bed. The moon’s rays illuminated much of the sheets, giving them a soft glow that bounced off of his cheeks. It reminded him of the glowing bronze citadels back at home. He ran his hands through his hair, sighing heavily amidst the running thoughts that scoured his mind. It was yet another anxiety attack, and it had slowly intensified since the last attack. He was already faced with a battle for survival, but now he had to face a battle against his own sanity.

Equestria’s magic was somehow instigating a reaction from his own powers. It wanted to saturate his spirit with more power, but that came at a greater risk of instability. He knew that an oversaturated soul could harm himself or others around him. He did not want that to happen here—especially not amongst those of royalty. It was fortunate that his body was mostly resilient to preventing rogue magic from overflowing his own powers, but this magic was becoming more persistent and relentless as the days went by. Sooner or later, his spirit would reach the breaking point and allow the magic to flow within him like a broken dam.

He didn’t want to think of the complications that’d arise from that. The princesses assured him that everything would be alright, but he started to believe that they did not think this completely through. Could he trust them? Could they do something about it if his powers did manage to break loose?

He rolled onto his back and moaned in frustration. ‘I really don’t want to think about this.’

“Is there something wrong?”

Luna’s soothing voice filled the room, and reached his ears. He uncovered his face and turned around on his bed to confront her as she closed the door. Cadence poked her head through the door for a brief moment before the door clicked quietly. Luna had a brass tray with an exquisitely crafted crystalline teapot and emerald teacups filled with a dark, minty tea. Asura sat up and crossed his legs, taking in the relaxing scent of the tea.

“Are you ill?” she asked, lowering the tray onto the table next to the bed’s headrest.

“If you mean ill as in a heavy migraine, I suppose so." He shook his head slightly, combating against the swirling madness that toyed with his mind. "I just can’t help it with these thoughts blasting through my mind. It feels as if someone cranked a faucet all the way to full power.”

“And you’re having trouble focusing because of these ill-gotten thoughts?”

“Yeah, I just…” he sat still for a moment, trying to ease himself through his internal chaos. “I just can’t find time to relax with everything that’s happened in such a short time. The war, the divide… it just doesn’t add up for some reason. Normally, I’d be able to recall memories on a dime, but since I came here, I’ve just been so scrambled.”

Luna blinked. She recognized that issue all too well, as she had been put in the same spotlight 1,000 years ago. She raised the teacup with the dissolved pill up in the air and in front of him. He grabbed the cup with one hand, allowing the heat of the cup to pierce through his skin. Some of his racing thoughts receded.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said this,” he spoke softly, “but I’m glad that I have you all as friends.”

Luna gleamed. “Really?”

Asura nodded. He took a sip of the warm tea. “I’m certain things would be entirely different if they made it here first before my team did.”

“They?” Luna cocked her head sideways. “Oh, you mean your adversary? Of course, if that’s how they act towards thee.”

Luna poured herself some of the tea in the empty glass. Asura took note that the glass wasn’t full when she first came in, but dismissed that thought soon after. It only took him a couple of minutes to finish the tea before he got his second helping. After placing the pot back on the tray, he noticed that the pressure pushing against his soul was receding.

“Strange,” he said.

“What’s wrong?” ‘Does he know about the potion…?’

“I feel… somewhat better. Just now, it felt like the world’s magic was just trying to crush my spirit into a crumpled wad, but now my head feels lighter than air.”

“That’s… wonderful. We’ve always believed tea would help relieve us of our daily struggles of our busy lives.”

“You know, that’s not bad. Even if it’s just for a day or two, that’s something for me to think about.” Asura raised his cup, and Luna raised hers. Both cups clinked softly together, and they both enjoyed their last sip. Both cups hovered back onto the tray, and the room darkened as the lit candle next to the tray was blown out. Luna was somewhat caught by surprise.

"Did you do that, Asura?"

Asura shook his head.

“Huh, must’ve been one of our night guards outside.” She passed off the thought and let Asura slide into the sheets.

“Time for me to get a good night’s rest for once,” he said.

Luna smiled. “Let us hope.”

Asura laid an arm above Luna’s lower waist, rotating himself to a comfortable posture. Luna did the same with a front leg, letting the diamond slip-on slide off of her hoof as she brushed it back against the sheets. Asura closed his eyes and was immersed into a deep slumber within a few minutes. Luna’s horn lit up and attempted to sneak her way inside his mind.

Candence was right. To her surprise, she found it relatively easy to slip straight into his memories. Almost immediately, she came up to one that looked like it’d answer Twilight’s question. It was a personal memory, and it didn't occur that long ago—in fact, it was only a recent event.

'I'm gonna need everypony to see this...'

~~~~~~

Cassandra rushed around the corner of the hallway, heading towards Asura’s room. “Asura?” she beckoned, sharing an aura of potential excitement. The night guards that stood next to the doorway gave her a quick glare. One of them put up a hoof next to her mouth and hissed, urging Cassandra to tone down her voice.

She quickly froze in place and covered her mouth. “Sorry… I didn’t know he was already asleep…”

The night guard lowered her hoof and grinned slightly. “Is there something you need to discuss with him?”

Cassandra shook her head. “Nah, I’ll wait till the morning.”

The night guard nodded. Within the next few seconds, all of the candles in the hallway blew out at once. Cassandra’s heart skipped a beat, while the night guards looked over towards the royal guards standing next to Celestia’s quarters. They all exchanged looks of uncertainty amongst each other, wondering why all of the lights went out.

“Does this usually happen at this time of night?” Cassandra asked.

“No, this is not normally practiced at this time,” one of the royal guards answered. Cassandra soon became worried. This kind of tactic was commonly practiced in certain warzones to hide a person’s presence when hiding in a dark place. Opponents would use the light to their advantage to discern the occupancy of a shelter with ample supplies. Cassandra stood by, waiting for what the guards were going to do next.

Cassandra’s watch crackled. “This is Skyhawk Two. It looks like much of Canterlot Tower has gone dark. Can anyone give us any updates?”

Cassandra spoke into the watch. “Skyhawk Two, this is Cassandra. I’m a bit uncertain as to the current circumstances myself. Give me a few minutes to discern what’s happening.”

“Copy that.”

~~~~~~

Rarity and Fluttershy slept soundly in their roll-up sacks, made for them by Discord, who was also fast asleep after having a short stroll around the castle grounds earlier. He'd taken the opportunity to go on a short trip around the castle grounds to relieve himself of his nervousness, and to catch up on old memories. It’d been a long time since he had touched the castle’s walls, and while he almost turned some of the walls into granite pudding for his own amusement, he found it quite relaxing that just about everything was the same as they'd been before his imprisonment.

Twilight held up a long piece of parchment and a quill next to a shaded candle, writing down what looked to be a list of plans for the following morning. Spike snored soundly next to Twilight, which gave her a sense of security and enlightenment. At least he was safe and sound.

Rainbow Dash paced back and forth above Twilight. “What should we do when we go on our ‘tour’ of Canterlot with Asura? Is there something in that book that tells us of any hints—perhaps of some monument or doorway that we should look for?”

Twilight lowered the parchment to gaze upon the leather-bound book on the floor. “I’ve taken a good look through much of the book already, but there seems to be no indication of any special artifacts or symbols to show any sort of ‘hidden room’ within the castle walls,” Twilight replied. “If anything, most of this book is just about all of Starswirl’s observations and of the alliances between the ponies and Precursors.”

Rainbow Dash planted both hooves in her face, sighing in dismay. “Well then how are we supposed to find what we’re looking for if he never left us any clue on how to retrace his footsteps? I mean, wouldn’t it have made it easier to just leave a map that says, ‘hey, I was here and this is how you get here’ in his personal studies?”

"If only everything was that easy, sugarcube," Applejack interjected.

“That’s just it. Maybe the Precursors don’t want anypony to stumble onto their sacred sites, so it was better to let everypony believe that these ancient artifacts didn’t even exist, maybe until somepony born of their heritage…” There was a sudden flash of realization in her head.

Rainbow Dash picked up on Twilight’s realization. “…until somepony from their world came here to rediscover them!”

“But Twilight,” Applejack muttered quietly, so as to not disturb the others in their beauty sleep. “Didn’t ya say that ya didn’t trust’im earlier?”

“Yes, but I mentioned that because I might have been a bit more uneasy after what we’ve been through earlier.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Yeah, did you see what he did to that thing? He took down that beast single-handed.” She punched the air and lunged herself across the room, reenacting the fight in poor recollection.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. She cleared her throat. “I think the princesses have more trust in him at this point. I mean, Celestia allowed him to push her down that hole.”

“That was t’ save ’er skin, Twilight.”

“Exactly. I’m sure if they didn’t trust him enough, she wouldn’t have let him do that.” She gazed out of the window to her right, looking at the moon that lit up the night sky. “I just hope that we can figure out this mystery before more of those things come.”

Rainbow Dash gulped. “Yeah, me too.”

“Me three,” Pinkie Pie bounced up from behind Twilight. She had a worried look on her face. “It would be a shame for us all to have to miss out on my super-duper special parties because some evil space goons decided to come here and ruin all of the fun.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “The horror.”

“But it’s true,” Pinkie exclaimed. “Nopony would be happy without my parties, and if nopony was happy, then we’d all be in trouble, and if we were all in trouble, those monsters would spread tyranny and chaos across all of Equestria, and if those monsters spread tyranny and—”

Twilight stuffed her hoof inside Pinkie’s mouth; she hissed with another hoof against her lips, motioning her head toward the others who were still sound asleep. Discord managed to roll himself onto his back, making absurd and incomprehensible noises a few times before humming to himself in his sleep. Twilight removed her hoof from Pinkie’s mouth with a soft pop, letting Pinkie breathe in deeply.

“We’ve got to think about something. Where would we start looking for clues?”

All four of them pondered in deep thought.

“Oh, what about the library?” Pinkie exclaimed quietly.

“We’ve already been in there. That’s where we found the book,” Twilight responded. “That was our first clue.”

“How ‘bout th’ grand hallway?”

“That’d probably be way too obvious for anypony not to notice a ‘secret’ doorway in an area that they can wander freely about in,” Rainbow Dash said.

"Hmm, yer right 'bout that."

Twilight thought for a few moments. She looked outside toward the moon, thinking that Luna would provide some suggestions, but she felt nothing. Perhaps she was sound asleep, peering through the minds of everypony who were also in deep slumber. “I wonder if we should take a look at any buildings closest to the mountain—perhaps any hallways that stretches through the mountain itself?”

The others shrugged in agreement.

“That just seems like alotta ground fer us t’ cover.”

“Well, it’s gotta be somewhere within the castle walls. I’d imagine Starswirl didn’t have to travel very far from his personal study to get to where he needed to be.”

Pinkie raised her hoof. “How about we search around his study then?”

“Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said. “You are a genius sometimes.”

Twilight grinned. “I’d say that’s a great plan. We’ll talk more about it in the morning. I’m gonna need some shut-eye in the meantime.”

Rainbow stretched her arms and legs across. “Yeah. I’m gonna hit the sack as well. See you all at the crack of dawn.” She flew straight into her rainbow-striped sack and nestled herself comfortably. Even if it was provided by Discord, it was still a generous act of him, if it wasn’t for Rarity’s persuasive antics.

“Ah should git mahself some rest as well. See y’all in th’ mornin’.”

With Twilight and Pinkie Pie the only ones still up, they chatted briefly with each other about their finalizations for the plan in the morning.

“Oh, I can’t wait! Asura’s gonna be thankful that we’ve made him a super awesome plan. I mean, it’s not as awesome as a planning party, but we could always throw him one before we set out on our tour. Oh, maybe we could have a touring party, and have us split up in two or more groups for us to cover more ground?”

“Why don’t we talk about this in the morning?” Twilight said. “My head’s starting to hurt from all of this pre-planning, and I’m gonna need all the sleep I can get.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said, bouncing her way to her fluffy pink sack. She made one final bound and sunk into the sack like it was a portal to another dimension. Her head then stuck out of the opening of the sack and she turned herself to rest the left side of her head on the pillowy cushion.

“G’night, ev’rypony,” Applejack said, closing her eyes and letting the soft bed send her to sleep. Twilight slid herself in the sheets of her sack, being careful not to disturb Spike too much. She nestled the bottom of her chin on the top of Spike’s head in a warm cuddle, and wrapped one of her wings around him. Before she could blow the candle out with her magic, the candle blew out on its own.

“Perfect timing…” she said to herself. She didn’t bother to notice that the rest of the castle had all of its candle lights blown out at the same time as well. She closed her eyes and let herself fall to sleep. She felt a slight tingling sensation enter her body through her horn, followed by Luna’s reluctant voice.

~~~

‘Sister! Twilight! Cadence! You all need to see this!’

~~~

“What?” Twilight asked in confusion. She had just fallen asleep in her room and now it felt like she never went to sleep at all. She saw her friends next to her who were in the same disposition as she was.

“What’s going on?” Rarity asked. “Why did Princess Luna bring us here?”

“The better question is what prompted her to summon us here?” Celestia inquired.

“Princess…” Twilight exclaimed in shock. “I didn’t know you were here as well.”

Discord’s voice bellowed out from behind with an uncomfortable yawn. “Ugghh, I was having a marvelous dream until ‘dreamcatcher’ decided to drag me here.”

Twilight and Celestia both looked at him in dismay.

Rainbow Dash fluttered just above him, snickering in delight. “Maybe she wants to toy with you a little bit, just to make things even between you two.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that, Rainbow Dash. I’ve hardly done anything to her, except, perhaps, altering one or two of her dreams to turn her precious moon to cheese.”

“What’s going on?” Shining Armor asked, approaching Celestia and Twilight with Cadence by his side. “Is it another one of Asura’s summonings to his people?”

Both princesses shrugged.

In the blink of an eye, a dark hazy cloud materialized in the large dome-like room where they were held in. Luna made her appearance from the cloud, smiling in glee.

“Hahaa! It worked!” she exclaimed happily.

“What worked?” Celestia asked, still confused about the situation.

“We were able to get into Asura’s memories so that we may look closely and answer any questions about how to find clues for these ancient whereabouts scattered across Canterlot.”

“Oh good,” Celestia and Cadence chimed together.

Twilight’s eyes widened at what Luna had explained. ‘She’s actually made it inside his memories? Since when did she try doing that? That’s incredible!’

“Yes, dear Twilight; tis’ most incredible indeed.”

Twilight blushed. She forgot that Luna could read her thoughts as well while in her pocket realm.

“I found something that might answer another question of yours as well, Twilight.”

Twilight looked up. “What do you mean? You mean why he came here?”

“Precisely. Would you all like to take a look?”

Everyone looked at each other.

Cadence shrugged. “Why not? It’d be interesting to see what his home looked like, aside from the Hall of Aniliath that we’ve seen already,”

Luna nodded, and turned to face the multicolored glass wall that stretched to the top of the dome in one corner of the room. The glass glowed softly, revealing a window of another world through Asura’s eyes in his memory. Everything was in near-perfect detail. All at once, everyone’s thoughts faded away and were replaced with his memory.

The usual sounds of Canterlot and Equestria were replaced with foreign, unusual sounds. There was a strange sensation of an unusual energy that flowed around their consciousness. They were all inside Asura’s mind—more specifically, they were reliving a specific event that happened only a couple of weeks ago, or so they thought.

Various voices could be heard from behind. Asura turned around and smiled to the group of Precursor elders who were standing around an oval table, conversing with one another and praising each other to the day of Somris. It was the day where the selected nobles would ascend to a higher rank in their society. Asura was one of those chosen to ascend from his studies and to receive the mark of the guardian.

They did not know who these people were, but Asura’s thoughts helped them understand quickly.

They heard his thoughts as they examined the scene around them through his eyes.

The people standing around the table all wore the same decorative robes, but each one was of a different shade of brown, yellow and orange. Asura wore a light tan robe. He was accompanied by two equally young companions. They were his closest friends and brightest scholars of Paleia. Inna, the black-haired woman, stood to his right, and Keran, the blonde haired man, stood to his left.

One of the elders nearest to them slowly turned around and stepped forth, holding a forged bronze box in her hands. Asura bowed to the elder and held on to the box. A powerful surge of energy could be felt emanating from the box. It felt strange to them—it was a natural occurrence otherwise.

“Asura Envar, son of the House of Keior,” the elder spoke, “we pass onto you the key to the gateway of the heavens. The Hall of Henath has called forth your presence.” Asura stood up from his bow. This was a rare occurrence to be accepted as a guardian. He had trained for a long time under Paleia’s presence. The key was the Heart of Mar, an ancient relic that would unlock the doorway to the Guardian Sword. It was a powerful artifact, forged by Mar himself, to intertwine the souls of the Precursors to ensure of their safety. "It is time for you to bear the mark of the Guardian."

Asura understood the principles and hardships he had to partake, and he almost got caught up in the moment when he just about released his grip from the box. If he'd done so, even if it was a mere accident, it would have meant his declination of the Hall’s invitation.

“Do you accept Henath’s call?”

Asura nodded. “I accept their call. I will do what is right to protect our heritage and to defend my people from any harm that threatens our peace.”

The elder let go of the box; it was now in his hands. The Heart of Mar pulsated with pure energy within the box. Inna and Keran smiled and congratulated him. The elders around the table bowed to him. With Asura taking his final bow, the elder ushered him and his colleagues to the front gate of the citadel. As they walked along the the side of the table, the elders bowed and praised Asura on his accomplishments that led him to this day.

The giant bronze gate swung open. The light of the sun above penetrated the hallway already lit by crystalline lanterns. The large balcony stretched out several feet to the edge, where it abruptly dropped off to the valley below. Out in the distance, the beacon of the Hall of Henath could be seen on the other side of a distant mountain range. Next to the base of the mountains was a guardian dropship, stationed in its place to carry troops from one part of the world to the next. Its elongated fin touched down to the ground below, making it look like another one of Marcovi’s vertically standing citadels.

Keran took off his robe and handed it to one of the armored guards that stood next to a skiv rack. Keran had a tight-fitting suit made of small bronze scales. He was a trainee for Marcovi’s defense network. The armor he was wearing was for the highest-ranking trainees that had ascended from basic boot camp.

Inna also took off her robe. She wore what looked like a golden spandex body suit. She was also of the defense network, but she worked as an intelligence officer. She graduated from training several months after Keran joined the ranks.

The skivs were a common mode of personal transportation from one citadel to another. They looked like anti-gravity cycles, like the ones Mar used to ride. The skivs had what looked like metallic wings protruding from either side of the front of the vehicles. They served as the primary propulsion of the skiv. Asura took off his robe, wearing his bronze skin suit underneath. He’s had plenty of experience riding a skiv, with Keran as his personal instructor. Keran was training to fly one of the guardian skivs, which were a heavily modified and militarized version of the civilian skivs they were operating now.

Keran started up his skiv, and a jet of blue flames emanated from the end ‘feathers’ of the skiv’s wings. Inna started hers up, and Asura was the last to get onto his. The skivs were all of the same color and finish; Asura and his colleagues had different flight experiences.

Asura looked back to see many of the elders of the citadel standing out onto the balcony. Some of them waved farewell, while others stood and watched. Asura smiled, and waved back. He kept the bronze box in a compartment just below his chest, where it wouldn’t fall out of his hands. He half-expected Keran to show off his aerobatics once again in mid-flight.

Chapter 19 -- Invasion

Author's Note

I didn't want the entire dream sequence to take up an entire chapter, so I split it up in two, just to make it easier to digest.

Chapter 19 -- Invasion

Asura, Inna and Keran pushed their skivs off from the holding racks, letting them fall down a short distance. Keran fired up his thrusters and pushed off toward the mountain. Asura followed suit and Inna trailed behind. The speed of the skivs covered lots of ground at a modest pace. Air rushed past him, hampering his hearing a bit. With the aid of wind guards that went halfway up the length of his ears, it helped reduce the amount of blowback that would’ve otherwise left him deafened without the metal guards.

As he predicted, Keran did a series of spiraling barrel rolls while maintaining a forward momentum. They were quickly approaching the guardian dropship, which was now beginning to move upward. Asura looked back to see Inna catching up to him. She held her hand up to her ear. He heard her voice from a small speaker in the wind guard.

“How’s she holding up?”

“She’s doing great,” Asura replied.

“Hey, you two are starting to fall behind,” Keran’s voice was heard, jokingly taunting them both.

“Oh, I’m gonna catch up to you!” Asura laughed and punched the throttle up. He could hear Inna laughing as well.

They got even closer to the dropship, where they could now see the tunnel in the middle of the mountain. They weren’t allowed to fly above the mountain range, so they had to use the catacomb system to cross into the sacred grounds. It was common practice to use the catacombs when travelling through mountain ranges, especially with rare artifacts in tow.

The barrels of the turbines underneath the dropship’s bow roared to life, carrying it higher at a quickening pace. Asura noticed something dark hovering in the sky. It was a small back spot that was barely visible, as it was above a thin cloud layer. Inna noted Asura’s curiosity.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I don’t know—”

Before either of them could draw any conclusions, a loud series of drumming sounds cascaded from above. They were shortly followed by bright shafts of light that sliced right through the dropship. Fragments of the ship fell from above, and both Asura and Inna were quick to react to avoid getting crushed from the falling debris. The dropship began to split in two, and they saw multiple gunships and skivs falling from the docking bays above—some of them achieving flight, while others kept on falling.

“KERAN!” Inna yelled through the speaker.

“I’m fine! Get to the catacombs!”

Dust began to separate Asura and Inna from Keran. Their view of the catacomb entrance was lost, but the contrast of the lights inside still gave them something to move towards. One half of the drop ship fell forward towards the edge of the valley, while the other was beginning to lean dangerously towards their direction. It would cut off their escape route to the catacomb entrance, and they would have to resort to fly above the mountain range to get to safety.

With as much power as he could give it, Asura cranked the throttle to full power, motoring his way across the valley ridge towards the cavern entrance. Inna was quick to trail his lead. He caught a glimpse of Keran’s shiv in front of him. The dust was becoming more apparent, as parts of the dropship continued to assault the landing dock. The polished golden stone monuments were no match to the weight of the bronze metallic debris that fell from above, crushing the exposed masonry and trapping many civilians and guards within the maze-like hallways below.

The closest half of the dropship loomed just above them, arcing its way to a complete free-fall. The catacomb was only several hundred feet away, and they were rapidly closing in. They knew they’d narrowly escape getting crushed by the falling ship. Keran was the first to reach the mouth of the entrance, then Asura. Right as Inna reached the mouth, the top deck of the dropship hit the edge of the valley and the mountainside. The catacomb entrance became entombed with dust and debris from the impact, trailing behind Inna. The entrance was sealed off from the outside, leaving only the three riders unscathed in their escape from certain death.

They all joined up in a three-wing formation, with Asura leading them toward the Hall of Henath. The catacomb cavern was a short flight, and they ended up appearing on the other side of the mountain range. They could hear a nearby siren in full blast. Keran knew that it was an air-raid signal.

“What was that??” Inna asked.

“I’ve no idea, but we need to get to the citadel—fast!” Keran shouted.

Asura nodded, and turned his skiv towards the solitary citadel that sat on the edge of the mountain range a fair distance away. Something caught his attention from the edge of his vision. A small dark vessel hovered over the top of the tallest mountain from behind. Asura motioned toward Keran, who looked back.

“Shit,” he heard Keran’s voice on the speaker. “That’s a Rygolith gunship!”

The Rygoliths. They finally gathered enough firepower to invade Marcovi.

“Follow me!” Asura shouted. He pointed the skiv down towards the forest valley below. Gargantuan rings of stone penetrated the forest canopy, which would help grant them protection from the pursuing gunship, which was closing in on them. Asura’s dashboard flashed red, indicating an imminent attack warning. He looked back to see that the ship was even closer, and he could see two racks sliding out from underneath the hull of the ship.

Two smoke trails jettisoned forth from the ship, and the dash emitted a shrill screech. Asura slid a hand across the screen, which opened up a hatch at the very end of the skiv. White balls of flame fell from the hatch in random directions, and one of the missiles exploded on contact with one of the flares a fair distance away from behind. The other missile flew straight into one of the stone rings, which split it apart and let the falling debris crash into the earth below, disappearing through the treetops.

The gunship was still in pursuit. Asura, Inna and Keran weaved their way around the top edge of the canopy, dodging past the tallest trees and stone arches to keep their pursuers at bay. Purple streaks of light flashed by them, indicating that one of the gunners was firing down on them. Asura looked back briefly to see that a single Rygolith occupant was hanging off the side of the vehicle with an eco rifle pointed right at them. Another few shots hit Inna’s right wing, causing her to spiral out of control. She jumped out in time to get caught by Asura. She sat down behind him, hugging him closely as he continued to weave his way through the thicket.

The citadel was just in front of them. Both Asura and Keran pulled up aggressively and flew high into the sky, giving their pursuers little time to react. Unfortunately, they didn’t think their plan through entirely; the gunship was more nimble than they had thought. Keran’s skiv was shot out of the sky by a well-timed rifle shot to the internal crystal chamber.

Kenan bailed out of his skiv, which exploded in a brilliant fireball, and was falling down towards the canopy. Asura briskly turned himself around, passing by the Rygolith gunship. He caught a good, brief glimpse of the occupants. They were a sizable infantry, at least twenty strong. He was amazed that they all fit inside the small ship.

Asura sped downwards toward Keran. He closed the distance and grabbed hold of one of Keran’s arms, right when the dashboard flashed red. Asura shifted himself so that he could open up the compartment below him. He took out the box and held it tightly under one arm. Another missile was fired, and Asura was quick to react.

“JUMP!”

Both Asura and Inna jumped off of the skiv, still pointed down towards the forest canopy. He had Keran still in his grasp, and the box was still held in his arm. He focused a large portion of his energy around him, which also surrounded both of his colleagues. He heard the explosion of the missile destroying the shiv just above them. Asura closed his eyes, and the rushing wind was replaced with an intense guttural sound. Everything went bright for that moment.

The light faded, which found all three of them hurtling upward towards the balcony of the citadel. Asura oriented himself and his colleagues so that they weren’t falling down towards the ground. They reached the peak of their arced path, and, fortunately, rolled their way across the balcony. They slid to a stop, letting themselves catch their breaths. It was yet another quick brush with death.

They heard the explosion of the demolished skivs from the valley below, muffled by the thick forest canopy. The gunship hovered just above the forest next to the bottom support beams of the citadel. Asura got up and examined the status of his friends. They looked fine, but were probably bruised up from the impact on the balcony. It wasn’t a good feeling landing on metal. The box was also in good shape, lightly scratched up from sliding across the floor.

Asura brushed himself off and stood up, examining the carnage below. He heard footsteps from behind, and found several of the elders from within the hall, and a few guards, rush towards them. Among the elders was an ottsel about the same height as Asura. He wore a bright gold robe and had a walking stick carved out of wyrmwood—a branch from one of the trees below.

“Are you alright?” the ottsel asked, his voice gentle and soft, yet authoritative. He was worried about the state of Asura and his colleagues.

“Yes, we’re fine, master,” Keran replied, struggling to get himself on his feet.

Two of the guards peered over the edge to find the gunship hovering in place. They turned around and nodded to the others. One of the guards approached the elders. “We need everyone to get inside, now.” The guards ushered the elders to retreat back inside the citadel. Asura and Keran carried Inna by her shoulders, as they all followed the rest of the group inside. The elder ottsel had the box in hand, carefully carrying it along with him.

The massive doors closed behind them, sealing them off from the external hazards that now posed a threat on all of them.

~~~~~~

“This is impossible,” the ottsel elder exclaimed, pacing back and forth in front of the oval table. Several other elders surrounding the table shared the same amount of shock and grief from the sudden attack of the Rygoliths. “In all my years of standing before the Halls of Herath, I’ve never seen the Rygoliths attempt such an invasion on our soil.”

“This is an act of war!” another elder shouted. “How could they decide to attack us without thinking about the end result? Are they that blind?”

“Perhaps they’re not,” another said. “We knew that this day would come, but we did not expect it to come so soon, nor did we expect them to bring in this much firepower.” A bright blue sphere materialized in the middle of the table. Several purple dots lined themselves perfectly above Marcovi’s capital.

The ottsel held his hand below his chin. “Oh my…” The others watched in dismay.

Asura’s heart sank. It was an invasion unlike any he had seen or experienced. This was far beyond the Magi Civil Defense’s power, let alone their own. The Rygoliths announced their declaration of war, and they made it dreadfully clear. He stepped forth and held the box in his hands.

The ottsel turned around, almost forgetting about him. “This is all unfortunate, Asura, but we are certainly grateful you made it here in one piece.”

Asura nodded. Right before the elder spoke again, a pounding sound reverberated through the hallway from the main door. It sounded almost as if the Rygoliths were using some sort of battering ram. Silence ran across their ears, and guards began lining up around the main door. Another thumping sound echoed through the hall.

He felt the elder’s hand clench his shoulder, as other guards ordered them to evacuate to the escape pods. A goliath guardian flashed to life, and the giant statue maneuvered itself from its dormant state within the walls of the hallway. It had a long, sharp stone blade in one hand. It stood in a defensive stance, awaiting the potential onslaught.

Keran stopped and faced both Asura and Inna. “You two go. I’ll protect the elders.”

Inna grabbed Keran’s hand. “No, we stay together! Asura needs us!”

“You’re right. He needs us to divert them away so that he can do what needs to be done. They will be going after the elders first, but if they see him with that amulet, they’re gonna hunt him down instead.” Tears began to flow down Inna’s cheeks. Keran held her close. “Don’t worry. I’ll be alright. Listen to what the elder says and help Asura in any way you can. My duty is with the elders now.”

Inna nodded, letting go of Keran’s hand. She only had Asura to hold on to. They both looked at each other for a long moment amidst the rushing chaos of panicked civilians and elders. They nodded and made their way to the elder ottsel.

“Master,” Asura called out. The elder turned around.

“Asura.” He held out his hands to take the box from Asura’s hands. He took out a bronze key and waved it over the top of the box. It began to glow in a lattice chain pattern, and then it slowly dematerialized. They could now see the Heart of Mar within. Asura reached through the lattice light and grabbed hold of the amulet. The entire box disappeared, leaving only the Heart in his hand. He examined it for a few moments, glancing over its sheer beauty and the ruby gem that was perfectly placed inside the metallic molding.

Asura looked back up to the elder. “The Heart is in your hands now. You must defend the blade, for Mar’s sake. If our enemy takes the blade away from us, they will undo everything that we have done.”

Asura turned to face Inna, who was eager to listen to what else the elder had to say.

“You must go down the hallway here and shut the blast door behind you when you reach the fork. The vault that contains the sword is the only vault in this citadel. You’ll know what it looks like. You must take the sword in your hands and place the Heart of Mar on the hilt.”

A large explosion filled the hall, and the metal doorway opened wide. One of the doors was forced off of its hinges, crushing a few guards underneath. The rest of the guards protected themselves from the flying debris, and were soon engaged in a firefight with the Rygolith infiltrators.

The elder grabbed Asura and Inna and led them to the small corridor. He pointed out to the fork at the other end. “Go!”

Asura and Inna ran as fast as they could down the narrow corridor, not daring to look behind them. They turned left as they were told to and were met with a closed spiral doorway.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…!” Inna hollered. Asura held up the Heart to the doorway. They could see the retreating guards and several flashed of purple light flash by them. Miraculously, the door opened up and they were able to go through. Inna slid her hand on the instrument panel on the other side of the doorway, forcing the heavy stone door to seal them from the invaders. The spiraling metal doorway shut itself as the stone wall was halfway down.

They were sealed off from the rest of the calamity. There were no guards in sight, and they saw the vault that the elder told them about. Asura ran to the vault door and held out the Heart of Mar in front of him. To his dismay, the door did not open. He noticed that the two panels which used to have guards stationed upon were empty.

“Shit! I knew Keran should’ve stayed with us,” Inna exclaimed. She paced back and forth furiously trying to come up with a solution to the situation. She shook her head in frustration and sighed. She bumped herself into Asura, which caused him to strut forward a bit. He grimaced a bit, but found that the doorway was beginning to open. Several locks unlatched themselves and the heavy door slid across the heavy bronze track on the floor. On the other side, they noticed the two guards standing in defensive poses.

The guards lowered their weapons. “Ah, you have the Heart of Mar. Did you speak with the elder?”

“Yes,” Asura said. “He is currently evacuating the citadel as we speak.”

The guards looked at each other. “We should probably do that then." They walked out through the threshold of the open doorway. "Take the sword, and then come with us.”

Asura nodded. The guards let him through into the thick-walled room. It must’ve been strong enough to resist a neutron bomb; it was a formidable shelter. The guards had the right idea, even if that idea made them look slightly cowardly.

In the center of the room was the sword, held up by a topaz-encrusted pedestal. The sword itself was forged by the finest combination of raw metals, and even the faintest light allowed it to show its true brilliance. He saw the reflection of Inna’s face off of the blade when he held it up to him. He allowed his hand to follow the slim contour of the blade’s sharp ends. It had never been used in a single battle—it was a tool that granted protection and offered insight to the wielder and its allies.

Asura felt the groove of the hilt, and he slid the Heart of Mar across it. The hilt perfectly matched his grip, feeling the grooves and the soft leather insets that were decorated along the handle. The gem found its spot and locked itself into the hilt of the blade. He felt an insurmountable amount of energy rush through him all at once. The energy took the form of all the souls and spirits of every living precursor and every existing source of power that they relied upon. He felt the massive movement of souls around him, fleeing for their lives from the threat of the Rygoliths.

~~~

They could barely feel it, but they felt Equestria's power through a single strand that trailed out from the cosmic web of energy through the blade that Asura held in his hands.

~~~

There were a multitude of tiny stabbings flowing through his body. These stabbings were the result of each individual Precursor falling to their deaths. One by one, he felt one soul after the next disappear from his sight. He continued to sift through the masses of individuals that were still walking on their feet. He wanted to focus his attention on one of the nearest souls in particular: Keran.

'Where are you, Keran?' He sifted through the ocean of spirits running to the escape capsules. He found who he was looking for, keeping a close distance with the ottsel elder. 'Found you.'

Keeping Keran’s spirit in mind, Asura took the sheath that hung behind the pedestal and draped the belt on his right shoulder and across his chest. He sheathed the blade into its place, locking it into position. Within a moment’s notice, the blade disappeared as well as the sheath that he slung on him. It must’ve been a way to hide its presence in the event of exceeding danger. The blade was smart—this was the first time Asura had ever carried a powerful artifact, and it needed to trust him first.

Asura nodded to the guards, and they all proceeded to leave the vault. There was a series of thumps coming from the blast doorway. Did the Rygoliths somehow know where they were? The guards ushered them to follow them out to the docking bay. Several guardian skivs were hung on their tracks. They were much larger than the civilian skivs Asura and Inna used to get to the citadel.

The guards both got into one of the skivs, allowing the bubble windshield to seal them from the outside. The skiv roared to life, and light blue flames jettisoned from the ‘feathers’ of the wings. The guardian skivs were able to hold two occupants. Since it was retrofitted and weaponized, the pilot controlled the skiv, while the co-pilot controlled the rotating cannon—at least, that was what Asura speculated.

Inna stopped, turning herself around to face Asura. He could see in her eyes that she had a crazy idea. She’s always had a knack for crafting bizarre plans, but as an intelligence officer, it suited her well, and it also kept her alive.

“Asura,” she said. “I want to go with you, but I feel as if Keran needs me. The guards can escort you to wherever you need to go.”

“Inna,” Asura spoke, unsure about what she was trying to say.

“Asura, this is for our protection. I can’t go to the places that you can now. I belong to the guard just as much as Keran does. We can protect you, but we’re not as much of a noble as you are.” She held onto both of his hands and stared deeply into his eyes. “I want you to promise me that you’ll be safe, wherever you go. I know that they’ll have to send you out to the stars to protect what's left of our hope.”

Asura nodded. “Don’t give up.”

“I won’t.”

One of the guards shouted. “Let’s hurry up; we don’t have any time left!”

Asura and Inna broke apart from their embrace and got into separate skivs. He swiped across the panel, letting the bubble window close. He heard Inna’s voice from the dashboard. “Asura, don’t forget about us.”

“I won’t. That’s a promise.”

“This is Highwing One. Pascal 297, we’re escorting the package over to you.”

“This is Pascal 297! Acknowledged! Be prepared for heavy resistance on your way here!”

“Copy that.”

Asura slid his hand across the dashboard. It was much more sophisticated than the smaller skiv, but he understood the main controls. The only difference was that the main control was a single joystick instead of individual handles. He would make due; at least Keran taught him about basic flight control on these skivs. He spoke through the speaker on the console.

“Highwing One, Pascal 297. I am designating myself as Golden Eagle. Highwing One, maintain close air support.”

“Copy that, Golden Eagle.”

“This is Highwing Two. Preparing to escort escape shuttles one through six.”

“Copy that, Highwing Two. Are you gonna be okay by yourself?”

“Yes sir.”

An explosion could be heard from behind the balcony.

“This is Highwing One. We are making an immediate departure. Enemy infantry has made it through the blast shield.”

The skiv next to Asura dropped from the track and was falling towards the forest canopy below. Asura released the clamp lever, which caused the skiv to fall out from the track. He increased the throttle to allow the skiv to achieve forward momentum and followed the escort in front of him.

“This is Highwing Two. I have observed the safe departure of Highwing One and Golden Eagle. Take good care of yourselves, you two.”

“Will do, ma’am.”

“Asura, be careful.”

“You too, Inna. Take care of Keran.”

Asura felt the reflection shields behind him deflect rifle shots from the Rygoliths standing at the edge of the balcony. The two skivs got to the point where the rifles shots were of no use anymore.

“This is Golden Eagle. Highwing One, we may have possible pursuers within the next minute or so.”

“Acknowledged. We’ll cover your six o’clock.”

Both skivs raced across the valley towards the other end of the mountain range. There was another catacomb cavern, larger than the one that he first flew through. This one led to the capital of Marcovi. Asura looked up to see dozens of dropships falling from the sky, as well as a few flagships. It was a bewildering sight.

It was an all-out war.

Both skivs reached the catacomb entrance, giving themselves ample space between each other to allow any other skivs to travel through. It was a unique cavern system in this catacomb; it almost looked like an underground city all on its own. The catacomb system was interlinked with all of the cities on the planet, allowing massive amounts of traffic to flow uninterrupted from one part of the world to another. Now, the transportation grid was shut down due to the invasion, and any last-minute stragglers had to make their way to either a safety shelter or to an escape shuttle.

They emerged from the other side of the cavern, only to be met with the rapid pursuit of their assailants from the citadel. Asura’s dashboard lit up with a red icon. “Warning; imminent attack detected.”

“This is Golden Eagle. We’re being pursued.”

“Copy that, we see them.”

The spherical screen rotated around Asura and caught a good image of the pursuing gunship. He saw two missiles eject from the ship’s missile racks. “Warning; incoming missile.”

“Golden Eagle, evasive action!”

Asura steered the joystick to a hard left, which caused the skiv to roll rapidly. This had a tremendous effect, as one missile flew right past it. The other blew up just before impacting the other skiv with the help of the turret operator. Asura leveled the craft from its dizzying roll.

The other skiv was then battered with a constant barrage of heavy caliber fire. The rear reflection shield deflected all of the shots, but one unfortunate deflected shot hit a crucial joint of the main wing. This caused Asura’s only escort to spiral out of control and lose altitude.

“This is Highwing One! We’ve taken critical wing damage! We’re going in hard!”

“This is Golden Eagle. Pascal 297, I’ve just lost my escort! Requesting immediate close-air support!”

“Negative! We’re taking heavy casualties! All available units are in active defensive support! We can’t get any available units over to you!”

‘Shit…’ He was a sitting duck. He looked at the onboard hologram and saw the gunship inch closer to him. At any point, it would shoot him down along with the sword in his grasp.

‘Think, Asura. What would Keran do in this situation?’

He swiped his hand across the dashboard, locking all controls and keeping the joystick in its position. “Auto-pilot engaged.” He got out from the pilot seat and into the gunner’s seat, tapping the console which forced the body of the aircraft to spin vertically on an axis. Asura was now facing backwards, while the skiv continued to fly forward in its current momentum. “Warning; imminent attack detected.” A targeting reticule on the screen in front of him narrowed down to a small point, where it became a red box. “Target locked.”

“Engage,” Asura ordered to the computer system.

The heavy cannons in front of him fired on the gunship at a frightening pace. Each eco-charged shot bounced off of the gunship’s shields. The gunship returned fire on him, with its bullets bouncing off the forward-facing reflection shields. He gripped the trigger tighter, shifting his body closer to the screen. The gunship continued to close the distance, and Asura howled menacingly at the gunship as loud as he could.

One of the shots deflected into the gunship’s right intake. It exploded in a dazzling fireball, sending the ship into a lopsided cartwheel. The pelting gunfire subsided, and Asura shook his head to re-establish his bearing. The gunship continued to fall helplessly towards the bare grass valley below.

He let himself fall back onto the chair of the gunner’s seat, giving him a breath of fresh air as he fended himself off against the threatening gunship. There was a loud explosion high above, and Asura looked up to see more dropships falling from the sky. Nimble Skyreavers dotted the skies from the flagships that hovered above, sending spears of missiles towards the general direction of the capital.

The main body spun back to its forward-facing direction. It didn’t take very long for the scene to change drastically. As the aircraft slowed itself to an emergency hover, Asura gazed upon the shocking view that spanned out before him.

His heart sank. Bright flashes from explosions devoured and ripped apart the guardian dropships, huge plumes of smoke followed suit from giant explosions within the various citadels, even toppling some over, and great tracts of land were decimated from a sheer number of gunships spitting gunfire upon the lower valley structures. Tears quelled in his eyes as he watched in horror his homeland being ripped apart from the savage Rygoliths, who would challenge to overturn every speck of dirt to acquire their goals.

He felt thousands of souls keeling over from ravenous gunfire, some even getting brutally mauled by stronger infantries. There were some that would devour the blood from their victims as a sign of domination. He felt hundreds of guardians falling over from sprays of rifle fire, while some were crushed by falling debris of their own dropships being blown to oblivion.

There was nothing they could do to stop the Rygoliths. There was nothing he could do, but flee. He was vastly outnumbered. He knew he could not take them all at once. They would easily outgun and outman him, and toss him to the graves of the millions of others he would share his peace with. The Rygoliths knew no peace at this stage—they were determined to wipe out the Precursors for good. They were dead-set on destroying the civilization from its heart.

More and more, souls faded out of existence, and Asura couldn’t take it anymore. It was too much death and destruction to handle. There was no glimmer of hope. It would soon become clear that not even Inna or Keran would be safe.

“Asura…”

He heard the console crackle to life. He reached out over to the voice command module.

“Inna…?”

“Asura, are you alright?”

It took him a while to register the question.

“Inna… I, I can’t…”

“Asura, listen to me. You need to get out of here. It’s not safe to be here anymore. Keran and I made it to the nearest shuttle.”

He wiped the tears off from his cheeks. “Inna… where…?”

“Anywhere, anywhere but here; Marcovi is already lost.”

This was it—the Rygolith’s promise came true. They spearheaded their way right into an intergalactic war. The balance of power tipped heavily towards them. Without Marcovi, the Elements of Nature were severely weakened.

“Asura… save yourself. Save us.”

He nodded to the console. “…okay… I’ll go.”

“Asura, it’s going to be alright. We’ll never forget about you. We’ll never lose hope. We know that you can fix this. Trust in yourself to do the right thing for us, for your people.”

Those words almost mirrored that of Paleia, his personal mentor. Inna was right—there was still a chance. He owed it to himself to understand his destiny. With the sword in his possession, it would be his guide. Asura wiped off more of his tears again, and regained his composure.

“Inna, don’t lose hope.”

“I won’t. We’ll always be by your side no matter what.”

The speaker went quite. That was the last time he’ll hear her voice. He closed the panel, and switched over to the pilot seat. He swiped his hand over the panel and it blinked back on. “Manual control initiated.” Asura gripped the joystick and pushed it forward. He needed to get to the Library. Fortunately, it was right in front of him. The Library had a solitary escape pod designed specifically for him. The skiv was not built for space travel, so he had only the pod as an option.

“Warning; imminent attack detected.”

The orbital screen in the cockpit shifted to reveal two Skyreaver fighters closing in rapidly on him. The skiv was not prepared for those; they’d pick him out of the sky in seconds. He pressed down on the right pedal and got the skiv into a downward dive towards the catacomb entrance to the Library. The Skyreavers were still closing in, even as he put in all the power the skiv had.

He saw two guardian skivs fly by at the corner of his eyes. They both fired upon the Skyreavers, which diverted their attention to the defending escorts. There was a series of bomblets that flew right into his view—they were released from the Skyreavers above him. The bomblets were too far in front of him to do any damage, but they’d serve as a critical smokescreen when they’d hit the ground.

All at once, the bomblets exploded on the ground, obscuring his view from the catacomb entrance to the Library. He was only seconds behind them and he barely grazed the edge of the raging flames of the explosions. He screamed at the earth below, praying to himself to make it through safely. The fire engulfed the skiv from all angles; it was the only thing that he could see and hear around him for that split moment…

Asura opened his eyes. He found himself hugging tightly against an equally surprised Luna. Tears graced across his cheek, recalling a memory that touched him closely. Luna kept herself still, lamenting on her sorrow of the loss of Asura’s world and his only true friends. When she first met Paleia, she did not fully understand what the loss of a world was like in Asura’s eyes. Now she felt guilty, as if she should’ve left that memory alone. She needed to know why he came to Equestria, and Twilight wanted to know as well. They now had a more concrete answer than what they had originally asked for.

It was now going to haunt them; all of his pain and suffering with the ultimate sacrifice of leaving everything that mattered most to him was left behind. It was no wonder why he was struggling to keep his thoughts under control. He wanted to keep that memory alive, but he did not want it to continually haunt him. It got to the point where he couldn’t recall earlier memories, because he divided himself.

It was now going to take more than just Luna herself to get Asura back on his track. He needed the help of the Elements of Harmony to undo what the Rygoliths had done. Everything up to this point had been because of the Rygoliths balance of pwoer, and now they were all destined to keep the same fate from happening here.

Luna drew herself closer to him, comforting him in a warm snuggle.

“Luna,” Asura said.

“Yes?”

“Did you… reach into my mind again?”

“We did, and we saw what pains thee.”

Asura sighed. “What did you see…?”

“Pain and suffering, things that we should not have seen, but we needed to know that you were telling the truth.”

He looked at her in confusion. “What? Why would I not?”

She gazed at the sheets below. “It’s so unusual having a stranger from another world land on ours, and then proclaiming to us that something out there is threatening to destroy everything.”

Asura chuckled. “And now that you… hijacked into the bitter recesses of my mind, you believe me?”

She chuckled briefly. “Well, we wouldn’t say hijack…” Luna paused, looked up at him again. “It’s more like desperately seeking an answer to an invaluable question. From what we’ve gathered from you and your friends here, this whole thing is now becoming even more desperate.”

Asura nodded. “What did you put in my tea, exactly?”

Luna chirped. “It wasn’t my idea. It was…”

“Shh,” Asura covered Luna’s lips. Something felt odd to him; there was a lingering presence nearby. He looked around the room, noticing that all of the candles were burnt out. “All of the candles are still unlit.”

Luna also noticed the absence of candlelight. “Strange. They shouldn’t be out for this long, unless…”

They both looked at each other, equally worried. Asura got out of bed in a quick motion and tiptoed his way to the bedroom door. He found it relatively easy to see with the moonlight shining through the window. He also noticed that the door opened without much effort. He opened it further and was met face to face with Cassandra. He jumped slightly, which caused her to squeak quietly.

She gasped. “I’m so sorry I spooked you, sir.”

“Eh, that’s fine." He looked down the corridor towards the open balcony to his right. "What are you doing up at this late hour?”

“Well, I wanted to share something with you, but there seems to be something going on with the castle. All of the candles and torches went out, and Skyhawk Two reported that much of the complex has gone completely dark.”

“That’s not a good sign.” Asura pulled out his watch from behind his sleeve. “Skyhawk Two. Do you or Skyhawk One notice anything out of the ordinary?”

“Negative. This is Skyhawk One, I’m seeing nothing.”

“This is Skyhawk Two. I’m also seeing nothing on my end… wait a second…”

Asura and Cassandra froze.

“I think I just saw movement on the second floor of the tower you’re currently residing in. Switching to thermal view.” The watch went silent for a moment. “Scratch that, it was only the castle guards moving through the building. They are eliciting strange behavior, though, as if they’re rushing towards something.”

Cassandra and Asura breathed out slowly.

“Hold it! This is Skyhawk One; I’m seeing downed castle guards on the third floor of the complex.”

“Downed?” Luna asked. The night guards standing next to him turned to face Asura in surprise.

“It means something tranquilized them. I think we’ve got company.”

“Copy that. This is Skyhawk One; we’re putting everyone on high alert.”

Both Asura’s and Cassandra’s watches vibrated and flashed red. Cassandra pulled out her handgun and tiptoed her way along the hall, alongside Asura. He looked behind to see Shining Armor poking his head out from Celestia’s quarters. Asura raised his hand and ushered him to stay put. Shining Armor stared blankly.

Cassandra and Asura rounded the corner and sneaked along the corridor towards a large bay window. The stars twinkled innocently, revealing nothing of unusual happenstance. He heard the faint whirring of one of the Skyhawk drones, so that told him that whoever else was in the building wasn’t far. They came upon a stair well that wrapped itself around the wall of a bedroom. It descended towards more unlit hallways.

They made it halfway down the stairwell, when they noticed lights flashing on the side of the farthest wall that he could see. Asura and Cassandra stopped dead in their tracks. They froze and hugged the outer stairwell wall for a few moments, listening in on anything they could gather from the other side. Asura slid against the wall, slowly inching his way to the bottom of the stairwell. He heard the faint shuffling of footsteps from whatever it was that was on the other side.

There were only two outcomes: either they were from the Rygoliths, or they were from the active royal guards. He heard the voice of one, and the scuffling feet did not sound like loose armor to him. The voice of one rambled in Sarrath tongue.

‘Rygoliths.’

Asura leaned his head beyond the edge of the wall, barely getting a good view of the corridor. He saw several brutes focusing their attention to the doors on the far side of the wall. He had a good shot to blast them all to the ground without being seen, but he needed to keep a low profile. He prayed to himself that the silence would remain for him to make a plan…

Had it not have been for the garrison of guards that busted their way through the hallway on the other side of the corridor.

“INTRUDERS!”

“HALT!!”

The surprised Rygoliths turned around and were met with a blinding flash of light, followed by an ear-piercing screech in that moment. It was bright enough to affect both Asura and Cassandra. Almost immediately after, all of the candles in the castle re-ignited, lighting up the dark stairwell and the corridor in front of them.

The Rygoliths raced their way to the open doorway, where the guards hid themselves away from view so as to not get shot at. Asura took this opportunity to take out his personal sidearm. He stuck out halfway from behind the edge of the wall and pointed his gun at one of them. He aimed at the lower leg of the nearest one, and pulled the trigger. The gunshot ringed throughout the entire tower, and the bullet met its mark by hitting one of the Rygoliths square in the foot between the covering leg plate and the boot.

The brute fell over, keeling over in pain, while the others briskly turned around and raised their rifles. Before they could even get a bead on their target, Asura was already in the safety of the stairwell. The Rygoliths opened fire on the end of the corridor, shooting at nothing but the empty wall.

“This is Skyhawk One! Visual confirmed! Armed Rygolith commandos spotted on fourth floor of the complex!”

After several seconds of non-stop firing, the rifles ceased fire and the tower was silent. He heard the Rygoliths shuffle forward towards the stairwell.

“HEY!” he heard Randan shout from the other side of the corridor. Asura took this as a cue to prevent them from progressing. The Rygoliths were in the perfect spot, as they were easily flanked. He stepped out from behind the wall with a transparent shield in front of him. The Rygoliths were facing the other direction.

Asura flexed the field in front of him, which made a surreal sound. The Rygoliths turned around and pointed their rifles at him. The first few shots bounced off of the field, leaving him unscathed. They all ceased fire, still keeping their defensive stance as Asura took one step toward them.

"My turn." He sent the field of air barreling right at them, sending them flying backwards toward the back end of the corridor. They all landed in several heaps of wriggling bodies. Asura chuckled to himself. One of the Rygoliths got a hold of his rifle and pointed it at Asura, who was exposed. More stared right at him, expecting that one to fire on him at any moment.

“Yep, you caught me,” Asura taunted, obviously aware that they were surrounded. He had his arms held up in a surrendering fashion. Cassandra peered out from behind the wall, examining the scene with her sidearm in hand.

Several of his comrades came in through the doorway on the other side and pointed their rifles at the struggling Rygoliths. “FREEZE!!”

The Rygoliths froze, immediately aware now that they were outmatched.

“Drop your weapons!!” The Rygoliths stayed still. “Right now!!”

One by one, the rifles they held clamored to the ground. They also took one step further to push their rifles away from them.

“Hands in the air!!” A few raised both hands, while some still seized up. “NOW!!” The rest hesitantly raised both hands. The Eagoran individual that shouted the orders seized both arms of the closest one with a coiling energy cuff. Following suit, the rest of the officers seized all of the commandos without any difficulty. It was the first time a Rygolith combat group had not put up a fight in the presence of their enemy. Perhaps something was on their mind.

Asura lowered both hands, and winked to the closest brute.

“Atlas GHQ, we’ve just apprehended twelve Ryoglith commandos attempting to extract the commander from Canterlot Tower.”

“Copy that, corporal. We’ll have a retention chamber waiting for them here.”

Celestia and Luna appeared from the other side. They were shocked to see the Rygoliths in the crew's custody. Asura walked up to the closest Rygolith restrained by Randan. Asura analyzed the gear that the Rygolith was wearing.

“Galvanized steel body suits; Gerushian-grade eco rifles; high-strength Teflon under-armor.” He smirked. “You know, if you really wanted to steal from a munitions shipment, I would’ve recommended Unitrix.”

The Rygolith scoffed. “And how did you know I was the brains of the group?”

“I can tell because you’re the only one brave enough to carry a third weapon on hand.” He took a good look at the hilt of the blade on the Rygolith’s side. “Let me guess, vintage? Family heirloom?”

“What makes you think I’m gonna talk to you in a cell?”

Asura raised an eyebrow. “The only thing different is that it’s not a real cell.” He straightened out his face. “You should be thankful you’re even alive in the first place.”

“Thankful…” the Rygolith spat. “Thankful for what? You and your people have given us nothing but a cold shoulder all of these years, and now you thank us for keeping us alive? I should’ve shot you when I had the chance…”

“But you didn’t,” Asura interrupted, “which begs me to ask you: why? Why didn’t you just shoot me?”

The Rygolith did not share a response.

Asura nodded. “Think on that for the rest of the night. I’ll come back to the Atlas to check up on you and your pals.” He motioned the officers to take them to the Harmony vessel. He turned around, only to come face to face with Shining Armor.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“Just a little pep-talk,” Asura replied. He leaned up close to the captain's ear. “There seems to be some unconventional pattern popping up as of late. Something just doesn’t add up.”

“What do you think it is?”

Asura shrugged. “Dunno. I’ll have to think on that in my sleep. I really should get some rest.”

“I’m not sure if we’re gonna be able to sleep the rest of the night…”

Prologue -- A Song in the Darkness

Who am I?

I am what no other Magi newborn would even dare to dream. I am what many believe to be the face of clairvoyance. The choice of becoming who I am today was not mine to make, yet I took the choice willingly, because thousands of communities and empires relied on the protection of a single entity who would keep the cycle of life going-- even past death.

What am I?

I am part of the common race of individuals who have scattered about the stars, colonizing and bringing together the various communities that had laid silent from each other. The Magi, a product of the sentience of the greater powers of the civilization, and individuals with strong ties to the elemental energies that governed all life, were the warriors of change. We believed in strong communal sociality, and that it would shape the civilization into something good. We believed that happiness within a united intergalactic colonial community would allow us to prosper and further spread our seeds of harmony toward the shadows of the outlying edges of the universe.

Underneath the common veil, I am also a part of an ancient race-- a race that had been forged from the heart of 'he who had forged the stars into existence.' In blood, I am a Precursor, and I have been blessed and cursed with an opportunity no other Magi individual could ever dream of receiving.

How did I come to be? What was my purpose in life?

At my time of birth, I was given the title as a guardian-- not a guardian of a kingdom; not a guardian of a city-state. I was a guardian of a faith. My mother's bloodlines were tied to the Precursors, who believed that their guardian before me was running out of time. My father was a leader and warrior of the Icinian Council, who believed that fortune would favor the bold and wise. Both sides of the coin believed in a better future-- a future without war; a future without fear.

I was dubbed as a guardian of the Precursor traditions-- a religion that has been around since the existence of the first worlds of the universe. It was an enormous undertaking, but it also felt like a privilege. To be trained by those who had studied alongside their ancient ancestors for extensive periods of time meant that I had to be educated at an earlier age and learn how to walk and speak well before many other children at and above the age of one. For twenty five years since that age, I have been taught all about the Precursor traditions, rites, and scriptures, trading sweat for knowledge as I kept up to the words of my mentors.

Paleia, the one mentor who had taught me the most, treated me and tended to me as she would a mother. Her guidance helped me see clearly, granting me greater clarity of the mind and nurturing of the soul. She tested my mind to its limits and beyond, stretching my boundaries of the knowledge of the known worlds within the grasp of the civilization-- etching the past of their trials and their successes into my thoughts.

I received my first coronation as a true guardian at the age of thirteen. I had surpassed the wisest of elders in their collective lores. Many of the elders believed that I was destined to be the face of change-- the face of a new era, which would mark the re-emergence of Cosmos. Despite the brief realizations, I continued to study more of the Precursor traditions, delving deeper into knowledge-- otherwise forbidden from lesser Precursor scholars.

At age twenty six, I was summoned before the elders once more to receive the Mark of the Guardian, to become a pure Precursor-- a shining example of unbent loyalty, and a symbol of hope for the civilization and its core.

That was when 'they' drew their first sword. Our aggressors, the Rygoliths, once peaceful and nomadic protectors of the civilization, turned against us and led a surprise attack upon the civilization and, utterly, to the Precursor's homeworld-- Marcovi.

Many weeks before the attack, I felt the stars of a certain constellation pulling at my soul. The first few days I passed off the feeling, but further on as the days fluttered by, the tugging became more evident-- as if the stars were calling me out by name. The stars broke out into a melody of a song-- a faceless tune of many emotions; gorgeous, rhythmic, heart-breaking. The song itself wasn't what had caught my attention toward the stars; it was the voice behind the singing. It was a voice I did not recognize, yet 'she' continued to reach out from beyond the stars; captivating me, comforting me, wooing me.

I realized that the voice originated from outside of the civilization's protective gaze, and by some amazing coincidence, once the attack had begun, I had received word that my escape would lead me to the outskirts of the Elzar region-- exactly where the voice was coming from. I knew not who she was or where she was from, but I knew that I may be given a chance to meet with this person, and hopefully answer some questions that I had. It haunted me that an individual could have such strength and power to reach her spirit across the vastness of space. Did she know who it was that she was singing out towards? If so, how did she know of my existence if she did not lie within our gaze? Does she need help, or does she simply seek someone to talk to?

I had to make a choice-- to meet this mystery singer and hope that fate would bring us together, or I would remain at my home and defend my religion that I had grown up with. My life would certainly be on the line either way, yet I would have to make the most logical and life-changing decision...

Have our calls been answered?

Has something listened to our words of song?

It has only been seven weeks since we had begun stargazing in a certain part of our night sky. We noticed that our stars were blinking out of existence, left and right. Our sister noticed our subtle distress, yet she continued to behave as if nothing dreadful has happened.

'Tis was for the best of our loyal subjects, for they shan't feel panic for a phenomenon even we could not explain.

But, this strange being hurtling towards us, could this be our answer as to why our stars keep disappearing?

We can only hope that fate can bring us together...

Author's Note

A bit late for this, but I feel that a prologue was needed at this point to get some sort of a brief backstory in place.

Chapter 5 -- Reality

“The Royal Canterlot Library.” Twilight Sparkle’s grin went from cheek to cheek as her and the others entered through the marble threshold. The entrance was short of exquisite, sporting two griffon statues on either side of the tall half-pillars that lined the doorway. The door was crafted from the finest oak, held golden imprints of the caretakers who managed to work in such a grand environment, and glistened with heavy coats of finish that almost looked like a glossy mirror.

After the doorway, the inside was much more impressive. Columns of bookshelves arranged in standard rows equally spaced apart from one another surrounded a central study. Dark, hard oak desks lined with golden corners and golden, built-in lamps squared up the middle of the library. Neither the desks, nor the books themselves, showed any sign of wear, and it was apparent that the caretakers of the library were dedicated hard-workers without a doubt. Few ponies could be seen occupying the desks, reading books and writing notes of various topics. Who knew what they were writing about? Twilight was not here to question that. She had a much more important agenda to fulfill.

She walked around the edge of the study area, looking down the aisle ways of all of the books and journals that filled the shelves. They all seemed to be arranged in the most caring ways, often sorted with books of the same thickness and/ or length to keep with the uniformity and cleanliness of the space. It was truly Twilight’s place of peace. She could read all the books she wanted if she could.

One aisle sparked curiosity within Twilight. A silver-lined doorway contrasted against the dim-lit row of multi-colored, hardened leather spines. She carefully walked along the row of bookshelves, making sure that she did not disturb anypony close by. She heard a treading bouncing behind her, indicating that it was most likely Pinkie Pie, who tried to keep her own excitement at bay. Twilight knew that if anyone made so much of a peep that they’d be scrutinized by just about everypony in the library. It was silent enough to hear a pin drop from the fourth floor.

They had reached the end of the aisle, and the silver doorway came in to better view. It was a double door that led in to another part of the library. Glossy windows on either side showed blurred sets of bookshelves reflecting the torchlight on the other side of the walls between the window frames. On the top of the threshold of the door, golden letters intricately weaved from the top of the doorway to the ceiling, spelling out the word ‘Restricted.’

Two of Celestia’s royal guards stood in watch on either side of the door, aimlessly looking straight for who knows how long. Twilight knew that if she was to find out who and/ or what that strange figure was and where it came from, the answer would have to lie behind that door.

Twilight took a step forward and was mere feet from the silver lined doorway, when one of the guards briskly angled his spear across her path. The guard spoke in a low, intimidating tone.

“Halt.”

The command shook Twilight’s spine and she gulped heavily, and her heavy eyes looked straight at the guard who had spoken.

“Only those of royalty may enter.”

The other guard looked at Twilight, then towards the rest of the crowd.

“Oh, um…”

Twilight heard Fluttershy’s voice from behind, as she gently flew by and landed next to the guard, whose spear was still held in front of Twilight. “Princess Celestia said it was alright for us to go in.” Fluttershy, weakly, drew a smile to the guard, as she shifted her eyes between her friends and the guards. The helmed unicorn turned his head towards Fluttershy and gave her an inquisitive look. His horn was enveloped in a golden mist—it looked to be of Celestia's magic. Twilight clenched her hooves for the worst—her face blushed red with embarrassment.

Just as Twilight held her breath for the boot out of the library, the mist that had enveloped the guard’s horn dissipated, and he readjusted his spear upwards. He gave a slight grin towards Fluttershy. “Very well. You may proceed.”

Twilight reluctantly sighed heavily, as she opened up the silver door. The pegasus guard to the left snapped his head toward her and held up his hoof. “Shhh!”

Twilight covered her mouth as she realized her mistake.

Inside, the room was much smaller than the main part of the library itself. It seemed about as large as the study in the middle of library. Shelves on just about every part of the walls were lined with golden braided hardened leather books that did not seem to vary in color as the ones out in the rest of the library were. The smell of aged parchment hung in the air, but it was not overwhelming. Rainbow Dash flew over the others, along with Fluttershy and stopped a few feet from Twilight, who turned to face the other three.

Twilight cleared her throat. “You all know what to look for now, right?”

The others nodded their heads. Applejack was the first to speak. She propped her hat up so she can see the shelves easier. “How can ya tell if it’s th’ right one? Wouldn’t ya have to show the princess the book first beforehand?”

Twilight shook her head. “If the book shows a picture that looks like him in the slightest, we may have a match. Although, I may have to take a few back if we find more than one with similar qualities.”

Rainbow Dash analyzed the bookshelves above the first set, hanging off of the dome. “I sure hope we can find it in here. Me and Fluttershy will look in the shelves above.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright, Rainbow.” She turned herself around to the nearest bookshelf and took out a book with her magic. The book glowed with a lavender sheen in her grip and she carefully placed it on top of a heavy oak desk.

Rarity took a book out that was adorned with a blue-tinged cover. The golden lace that had bound the book together accentuated the cover very well. She placed it next to the bright red hard covered book that Twilight had set.

Pinkie Pie bounded up and down along the edge of the room, looking at all of the leather-bound spines that stuck perfectly from the shelves. It was easy to read the titles of the book in their state, but it was a daunting task as well. Glancing along the covers of the books was an easy task for Twilight, but glancing through and within the pages of every book would take her a long time, even with the help of her friends.

Fluttershy flew down with a few books and stacked them on the floor next to the desk, which was overflowing with stacked books at this point. Twilight knew where to put all of the books back when she was done with them. One-by-one, she carefully carted them back with her magic to their original spots and quickly glanced through the next book. The contents of some of the books looked similar to those she had read in her home at Ponyville, such as ‘Supernaturals: Natural Remedies that are Simply Super.’ She still held a scar of remorse for busting down Zecora’s door before accusing her of being bewitched by her spells and enchantments.

There were also books that she had never laid her eyes on which seemed fascinating, such as the Journal of Starswirl the Bearded. ‘Now that one I’m definitely going to have to read soon.’

Right after shelving the journal, she gazed into the pages of another brick-red leather journal and came upon a page that made her eyes widen. She saw the head of a figure with humanoid facial features and long, pointed ears that seemed to match the ears of the strange figure. Not only did she find a book that resembled the figure, but she had found a personal journal that matched the figure’s physical description. She raised her hoof in the air with excitement. “I found it!”

The others had bee-lined it to Twilight, and had overlooked the contents amongst each other. Applejack clapped her hooves with delight. “Well ah’ll be, sugarcube. Ah guess y’were right all along.”

Pinkie Pie bounded up and down, reading every line of the pages to herself as she did. “They should have party cannons in here to celebrate!”

Rarity chuckled at Pinkie’s statement. “Oh, darling. I’m sure the librarians wouldn’t be too happy about that.”

“Oh, why do libraries have to be so dull and boring all the time? I mean, Twilight’s library isn’t always somber and dark, right?” Pinkie grinned.

“That’s because no one else uses it, Pinkie,” Twilight inclined. “The mayor of Ponyville was happy enough to let me live in it since it was very rarely used, if ever. This is a public library. Everypony uses it to learn and study in an environment that offers very little distraction.”

After Twilight’s explanation, Pinkie giddily bounced towards the silver door. “Okey dokey lokey!”

Twilight sighed happily after avoiding yet another Pinkie argument, which she’s never gotten into since the incident with Pinkie’s Twitch-a-Sense.

After gathering up all of the un-shelved books and putting them back in to their proper places, the group had made their way to the door, when a Pegasus maid came in. She held a dusting broom in one hoof and wore a black, tight-fitting dress with white, wavy undergarments that lined the edges of the dark dress. She eyed the group as they had approached the door. “Oh, hello. I didn’t notice you were in here.” The maid said in a harmonic, squeaky voice.

Twilight exchanged formalities with the maid. “We were looking for a book upon Celestia’s request. We were actually curious if we could bring a few with us to present to her?” She held a small stack of books before the maid.

“Oh, of course. If the princess requested it, do bring it.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks. We’ll bring it back as soon as possible.” She had walked out of the room, along with the rest of the group. Pinkie Pie hopped her way through the door. The maid gently closed the door and continued on to dust out the room.

Rarity walked up next to Twilight, looking up towards the ceiling of the library and the many floors from the study. “I must say, the ponies that designed this were absolutely stellar. I must also admit that the ones that work here are also very dedicated to the beauty of it all.” She blinked once and imagined a golden ballroom in the middle instead of a desk-lined study.

Twilight broke Rarity’s daydream with a slight nudge. “We’ve got more important matters on our hooves. Let’s get back to the princesses with what we’ve found.” The others nodded and followed closely behind as they left the library in a hurried pace.

~~~~~~

The boy slept within the sheets of the bed without interruption, while Celestia comforted him further by nestling herself behind him. She had extended her wing over the frail boy’s skin—his body still as cold as it has been. Neither of the princesses knew what was wrong with him. They were hopeful that Twilight would find an answer soon.

As they waited, Celestia rubbed the boy’s back in an effort to keep him company, and to jump start his process of thawing. Luna took the time to walk around the boy and examined his physical features from all angles. It was a strange sight to see the boy’s curves all along his frail body—the way how his back was arched, how his arms were somewhat bent. Overall, his whole body was not entirely straight. Then again, Equestrians also had a similar body structure—arching backs, curved legs.

Celestia muttered a few words to herself, and then looked up towards Luna. “Do you think you could, perhaps, attempt to reach in to his mind—see what he may be dreaming?”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “And what, possibly, could we be able to obtain, dearest sister?” She stood valiantly before Celestia, exchanging a look of question.

“Manners, first of all. You should remember that I don’t use the Royal Canterlot Voice as much as you do.”

“Deepest apologies, dearest sister. It has been a thousand years since we hath last spoken to all but ourself.” Luna turned her head to one side and then the other, and eventually back at Celestia. “How’s this? Is this what you suggest that I do?”

Celestia chuckled. “Much better.” Luna did the same. “Now, I think that he may have somethi—“

The door opened, and Twilight rushed through the entryway with a stack of books floating beside her. The rest of the gang shortly followed suit and the door closed, leaving only two Pegasus guards to stand outside and one within the room. Twilight gently placed the books on top of the table next to the couch and sifted through the selection carefully.

“So, I was able to find what could be a match, but I also found several others that looked similar.”

Celestia brought forth the one which Twilight had first pointed out to herself and smiled. “This is the one.”

A huge grinned spanned between Twilight’s cheeks, and the others looked in awe and wonder. Celestia opened the book and flipped through to a page that Twilight had mentioned. She noticed that the image had an uncanny resemblance to the boy, and proceeded to read the text that supplemented the page. She came upon a word that suddenly triggered a fragment of her thoughts to become pieced together.

Before she could say anything further, she was met by Twilight’s excited voice. “Cadence!”

The rest of the gang had looked to the entrance to find both Shining Armor and Cadence accompanied by two stout Pegasus guards with cloudy white coats and royal blue manes, adorned with cleverly polished golden armor that covered most of their bodies. Shining Armor wore his silver chestplate with his cutie mark adorned on the front of it—his sparkling blue mane contrasting his pale white coat very well. Cadence, her beautiful pink coat and curly tri-colored mane, wore a golden trinket around her neck and wore a short, plump dress that hung down above her hooves, almost touching the floor.

The princesses were both delighted to see familiar faces once again, and Twilight was overflown with joy that she had almost forgot about the book that Celestia was still reading. “Big brother! My favorite foal-sitter! How was your trip from the Crystal Empire?”

Cadence’s smile quickly turned sour and stuck out her tongue. “Boring,” she said, in a somewhat comical tone. She managed to giggle a little bit before Twilight burst out with laughter.

Shining Armor held out a hoof. “We got caught up in a middle of a snag as we were about to leave, but things got sorted out and all is well. It took us about a good half an hour to get such a small issue resolved.” He shook his head in disdain. “I tell you, those ponies are sure peculiar when it comes to their own belongings.”

“I wouldn’t blame them,” Celestia said, continuing to flip through the pages of the book she was reading from. “They’re just naturally protective over what they had been through.”

Shining Armor sighed happily. “I guess you’re right.” He started to notice the head of the boy that had lain in Celestia’s bed. As he stared long enough, he realized that the boy wasn’t a pony. “Uhh, princess? What’s that thing doing in here?”

He pointed out the boy who was laying on Celestia’s bed. She cleared her throat. “Shining Armor. Cadence. I brought you two here because of two reasons—one: I need you, Shining Armor, to make sure that the guards do not provoke this creature under any circumstances; two: I need Cadence to assist with Luna to see if their combined magic can attempt to reach into his thoughts. I have high hopes that you two will be able to accomplish such a task together.”

Luna precariously loomed her eyes towards Cadence, who nodded in agreement. Cadence walked over to where Luna was sitting and looked down on the boy. She frowned at the sight of the creature—lying on the floor in a cold, hard, motionless stiffness. Both Cadence and Luna closed their eyes and focused deeply on their powers. Luna could handle such task of reaching in to thoughts, and Cadence had a decent amount of training as well while on her last stay at the castle.

Both of their horns lit up and began to wrap around the boy like another blanket. Almost immediately, Cadence backed off and let go of her power. She looked at the boy in surprise, almost shocked by what she felt.

Shining Armor and Twilight stood by Cadence, Shining Armor comforting Cadence with a hoof on her shoulder. “Is everything alright?” he asked. “Is it something that it did?”

Cadence nuzzled Shining’s hoof and looked up at him. “No, it’s not what he did that surprised me—it’s what he has within him that came as a surprise.” Luna nodded in agreement. It was in that moment of realization that the boy had a magical presence stored within him—something mysterious that laid dormant. “It’s as if he has his own magic.”

Celestia brought down the book as she gasped in surprise, after hearing what Cadence had said. She crouched down to the boy and removed part of the blanket that had sheathed him from the autumn air. The boy still had his shirt on, so she partially brought the collar of the shirt down under his shoulders. There was yet another mystery that was revealed to her. On the front of his right shoulder, a small circular mark was clearly visible. It looked as though it was some sort of karma symbol, but it was quite a bit different. It had no other color aside from the boy’s own skin, slightly accented to stand out.

Twilight focused primarily on the symbol that Celestia had uncovered. She held a puzzled look and tapped her hoof on her chin. “Is that his Cutie Mark?”

“I’m not quite certain,” Celestia said, “but it may seem like one. I’ve never seen such symbol before, so I wouldn’t know what it means.” She brought the book back in front of her and flipped through several pages before making an interesting discovery. There was a page that held the same symbol in amazing detail—a bronze medallion-like amulet with two brass teardrop shapes circling around each other in a karma-like fashion. Granted, it was only an image, but it was enough to confirm that the book would hold all of the answers to their basic questions.

Celestia gazed upon the words that the page contained and came upon one that stuck out to her the most. She recited much of the text. “’The symbol that you see on this page represents an ancient race that live in harmony with space and time. They are the creators and sculptors of the worlds, and they help bring order and chaos into perfect balance. This symbol is of their heritage—their traditions unlike any I had seen in my entire life. They are known, commonly, as the Precursors.’”

Everyone in the room was enticed by the words that Celestia had read, including the guards that stood behind Shining Armor. There was a long moment of silence before Luna gasped in surprise. Her horn had brightened, and her magic around the boy intensified. It was clear that she was in some sort of a struggle. Candence summoned her magic and enveloped it around the boy, assisting Luna in her struggle, only to find herself being locked in the same situation.

“Thy... cannot control… our power…” Luna managed to say, before the magic within her escalated to unprecedented levels. Before long, everyone in the room began to feel a tugging feeling towards Luna and Cadence, and over time the tugging became stronger and more evident. There was a point where the tugging went from a tingling feeling to a greater sensation of pain. Before long, everyone went quiet, sat in place and closed their eyes. Their consciousness went blank.

A slight, gentle breeze brushed up against Luna’s face. She was the first to open her eyes, only to reveal that she wasn’t in Canterlot castle. Had that boy conjured some sort of spell and brought her and the others here? Everyone else was lying on the floor in front of her. As she stood up, she saw that they were beginning to awaken. She took a moment’s notice to examine the surroundings.

It wasn’t exactly like Canterlot, but the place had a similar feeling of brilliance and tranquility. The hallway they were in was quite large. The floor was made of a polished light marble with dark accents that gently contrasted against the white base. The walls and ceiling were smoothly crafted of an orange stone with a slight bronze tinge. Down the hallway, white cloths draped over an archway that had led to an outside balcony. She noticed that the sun was out and had brought in an ambient glow within the hall. Celestia also noticed the glow of the sun, and was intrigued by the beauty of the craftsmanship of the hallway.

Celestia looked all around, studying the surroundings. “Are we inside his dream?”

Luna could only imagine. “I do believe we are, sister. It seems to be a very peaceful one as well.”

“Where is ‘he,’ though?” Celestia looked down the other way of the hall and found that it continued down for many hundreds of meters.She noticed that she was wearing something on her back. She looked at Luna, who had a bronze robe-like dress hanging off the back of her body. The others appeared to be wearing the same thing. They began to come to and stood up. They all looked around to assess where they were. The guards that were in the room last had also made it in to the dream, though they lacked their armor and were, instead, wearing the same robe-like garments everyone else was.

“Flash!” One of them exclaimed. “Your armor!”

The other guard examined himself and held a mortified look. “I am so gonna get in trouble with Shining Armor when he sees me like this…”

He heard a familiar voice cleared its throat. The guard’s eyes went wide when he realized whose voice it was.

Shining Armor could only help to laugh at Flash Sentry. “No, you’re not gonna get in trouble, Flash,” he said playfully.

Cadence shook her head and stood next to Shining Armor, examining the cloth that had draped over the rear of his body. “Ooohh, such fancy décor. I wonder if we can get that in our dreams?” She blinked innocently, feeling the frail, soft fabric run through her hoof.

Rainbow Dash spread her wings and flew about the vicinity of the hallway, keeping close to the others. She noticed the unarmored guards and could only manage to chuckle. “Talk about ‘uncovering’ your duties.” She laughed manically and fell to the floor, rolling on the floor in her bouts of laughter.

The guards raised their eyebrows in question and stared at each other.

Twilight walked up next to Celestia. “Where are we?”

“I do believe we are in—“

“Ahem.”

A strange voice echoed throughout the hallway, interrupting Celestia and tearing Rainbow from her blanket of laughter. Towards the end of the hall, a humanoid figure stood in front of the draped archway. The figure wore a bronze dress with brass highlights around the edges and streaked down the lower portion of the gown. The figure had radiant blonde hair that reached down to the lower back and flowed freely in the wind. It had bright blue eyes and a timid light tan skin and sported long, pointed ears—the same as the boy. It was apparent that the figure was looking right at the group.

The figure spoke—it was clear that it was a female from her high-pitched harmonic tone. “Can I help you with something?”

‘Something that understands our language? Very interesting!’ Twilight’s thoughts could only meander towards the sights that were unfolding before her. ‘Wait, this is just a dream, right?’

Celestia walked towards the figure in an elegant manner. She let her mane drape over the side of her head and body and stood tall to address herself to the woman. “As a matter of fact, we would like some help. We are not sure where we are, but we managed to drop in to the dreams of another just like you.”

The figure turned her head slightly to the side. “You are not in a dream.”

The figure’s words caught everyone off-guard. Their expectations were thrown out of proportions when they had to process what they had just heard. Even Luna had a tough time trying to swallow what she had just heard.

Celestia looked at the figure, heavily puzzled by the figure’s statement. “I’m sorry, but you said… we’re not in a dream?”

The woman shook her head. “I assume you all must be new here, given that we don’t see too many of your kind around here. Your physical selves are where you once were still, but it is your souls that have come here.” She held up her hand as Celestia was about to speak. “You are not dead. You are simply experiencing a temporal leap from your physical bodies—a form of telekinesis, synchronized with the power of the Elements.”

Celestia only managed to draw a blank. “You mean, the Elements of Harmony?”

The woman looked at Celestia with odd curiosity. “I am not familiar with the element in which you call Harmony. Is that what you refer to our elements as?”

Celestia was baffled by the woman’s inquiry. Never before has she had anyone question what the Elements of Harmony were, especially since they were standing, in broad daylight, behind her. “No. Where we come from, we possess powers that we call the Elements of Harmony.”

The woman nodded. “I see.” Her hand lowered and was held out toward Celestia. “I am Paleia, the keeper of the halls of Aniliath.”

Celestia smiled and held her hoof out to Paleia’s hand. “I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria.”

Paleia’s eyes sparkled when she heard those words. “So, the legends are true.” Celestia managed to wrinkle her nose. “There is much for us to discuss, Princess Celestia.” Paleia finished the hand/hoof shake and beckoned the others to follow her down the left corridor.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, equally puzzled. Still, they had no other obligation than to follow Paleia to wherever she was going to lead them to. The rest had also listened to what had happened and had the same obligation to learn more.

Chapter 17 -- Assault

In the morning that preceded, the humming of the Mother Goose aircraft in the castle grounds drew attention to a few passersby. Several crew members were working around the clock, tuning up the wheeled vehicles strapped down to the cargo bay’s floor. The large multi-wheeled truck had its rear trunk covered with a dark green canvas shielding. The small buggy next to it was outfitted with a heavy vulcan rifle mounted on the top of the roll cage. The buggy’s wheels had heavy treads, which enabled it to grip most surfaces. The rugged suspension allowed it to travel across treacherous terrain.

One of the members sat in the driver’s seat of the buggy. The electric starter hummed to life, and current from the crystal flowed from the junction box to the motor housing. The belts that kept the buggy anchored were removed, and the motor drummed quietly, sending the buggy forward and onto the ramp. The buggy rolled onto the grass of the castle grounds, and parked beside the walkway. The driver slapped the bar of the roll cage next to her. “Workin’ like a charm!”

The sound of the truck’s electric starter roared, almost sounding like a real diesel engine. The motor itself was much quieter, and a silent drumming caused the truck to move forward a few feet. They were moving both vehicles into deployment position in the cargo bay, in preparation for scouting the object that landed near the township of Ponyville overnight.

When the truck was strapped into position, the buggy backed itself up to the ramp, and slowly inched its way to its designated deployment spot next to the truck. It was significantly larger and longer than the buggy—able to carry two of the same buggies within its trunk. The cab of the truck could comfortably seat several crew members at any given time, including the driver.

Otan stood next to the door of the driver’s seat to the truck. The driver, a Shadowcon engineer, stuck his head out to converse with Otan.

“How’s that thing working for ya, Darren?”

“It’s functioning perfectly, sir—purring like a kitten!”

“Good to hear!” Otan gave the driver the thumbs up. “I’m gonna go get the commander. Make sure everything is nice and tidy when I come back.” He gently bumped the door with a clenched fist, as he turned around and proceeded to walk out of the cargo bay.

“Sure thing!”

~~~~~~

The morning sun shot through the open window next to Asura’s bed. He opened his eyes lazily to find himself straddled between his sheets and Luna. She was sound asleep, and she had her forehooves wrapped around his chest. She nestled her head alongside his, fondling her muzzle against his cheek. From what he could tell, she was incredibly happy; her wide grin stretching from either side of her nostrils.

On occasion, he heard her exhaling with a relaxing groan. It coaxed him to close his eyes again. He still heard her voiced rummaging through his mind, though it did not seem incredulously awkward. Instead, he found it welcoming, and allowed her to prod her way through his memories. He felt lethargic in her grasp, unable to get himself up from her soothing presence. At the same time, his mind rambled on about the day’s events that would unfold. There was a task that needed to be done, and it had to be done sooner than later.

At that moment, he felt Luna’s head lifting off of him. Her turquoise eyes, glazed with indolence, peered onto his. She continued to smile.

“Good morrow,” she said, weakly. “How is min sleepy star child?”

Asura yawned, stretching his arms across the bed. “Great. I feel… strangely energized.” His mind cleared up, and he felt the swirling energies around him take hold. It continued to haunt him that his stone was nowhere to be seen, yet he could still feel its presence. It felt like it was coming from the other side of the wall, in Celestia's room.

Luna chortled, and leaned her head down. She planted a tender kiss on his lips, in which he gratefully accepted. There was a knock on the door. They both tore away from their kiss, and Luna shimmied herself off of Asura, laying herself flat on the bed next to him.

Asura stared at the door. “Yes?”

Cadence’s voice beckoned through. “Asura, it’s me—Cadence.”

“What is it?”

“Your friend, Otan, is requesting your presence in Celestia’s room.”

“I’ll be right there.” Asura sat up and dropped his feet to the linen floor. He stood up carefully, expecting the pain to return to him like last time. Surprisingly, there was no pinprick or sudden stimulation of any sort of pain within his body. Luna sat up on the bed and rubbed his shoulders moderately. He was not used to this kind of attention, yet somehow Luna managed to hit her stride with him. She knew what pleased him, thanks in part to her dream walking—prodding through his mind like a string woven into fabric.

He sighed in relief, as Luna continued massaging his shoulders. She dragged her hooves across his back, carefully twirling her hooves around on his pale skin. She came across a soft spot, and Asura moaned in satisfaction as she rubbed her hooves on his lower back. She giggled at the thought of crippling him to the ground at the mere touch of her hooves.

Luna pulled her hooves away from him, his skin yearning for more of her soothing fondling. He grasped the mahogany shirt that was on the oak desk next to the bed and he slipped it on with methodical precision. Luna was surprised at how well he did so without effort. She had seen other ponies wear clothes before, but it seemed like it’d be a challenge for them to change into their outfits.

Luna stepped off of the bed and followed him to the door. As he opened it, he caught sight of Cassandra passing by.

Cassandra turned around to notice, and she smiled. “Morning, sir.”

Asura saluted. “Top of the morning to you, corporal,” he sighed deeply, smelling the delicious baked good from the room next door.

“We’re about to start our briefing in Celestia’s quarters. Atlas GHQ is online with us.”

“Oh, right,” he snapped. “I almost forgot about that.” A quaint smiled followed. “Be right there.”

“Yes, sir.”

~~~~~~

Warm pastries and several tea pots were set cleverly on the table in the middle of Celestia’s room. In front of the fireplace, the wireframe atlas hovered complacently above the watch. Twilight and her friends sat nearest to the balcony, along with the princesses, Cadence, and Shining Armor closest to the fireplace. Discord stood between the princesses, eying the rotating globe precariously. Several of the royal guards, including Luna’s night guards, sat firmly beside the princesses and the captain.

“You know, I’ve always wondered how they’re able to accomplish something like this,” Discord pondered. “Being the lord of chaos, you’d think that I’d know just about everything there is to know about our world.”

“They seem to know how to use such ‘technology,’ as they put it,” Shining Armor replied.

Discord continued to lay eyes on the sphere. Asura walked into the room, and all of the Harmony crew saluted to his presence, including Randan and, oddly, Shining Armor.

“At ease,” Asura said, calmly. At those words, the crew set their hands to their sides. Some sat down on the couch, while others continued to stand. Randan joined Asura next to the atlas.

“Good morning, everyone,” Randan spoke. “I hope everyone, and everypony, had a good night’s rest, despite the recent events that took place last night.”

There were a few murmurs amongst the crowd. “As you all may be aware, HSAT One had identified a falling object that crashed south of our position near the residence known as Ponyville, as indicated by the princesses. Both Skyhawk drones were re-tasked to identify any remnants of the wreckage after impact.”

A large screen appeared in front of the sphere, between Randan and Asura. “The fragments left behind the impact appeared to have belonged to a vessel released by an aggressor flagship. We are now aware of their looming presence, and Atlas GHQ has begun preparations for early-warning defensive measures.”

Asura stood forth, taking the floor. “As it stands currently, we are not entirely certain whether the wreckage left behind any survivors, or if it was just a blank shot out to intimidate us. In light of that, we will carry out an investigation of the crash site to determine if there are survivors. If there are any, they will be taken into custody and interrogated by our Civil Defense services and the Equestrian Council.” He looked over to the princesses, who nodded in response.

“If, for any reason, the situation proves to be dangerous, if the survivors respond with any form of hostility towards our forces, we will retaliate in earnest until the situation is brought under control. This will, primarily, be a search and seizure mission, but we will be fully armed in case of an emergency.”

Asura stepped back to allow Randan to speak. “At this time, Harmony MG-1 will be deployed from its current station on Canterlot grounds to the outskirts of Ponyville.” He placed both hands on the globe and motioned them apart to allow the map to zoom in on the town. He pointed out the grass fields nearest to the crater. “We will land the Harmony to deploy the Buzzard and Entourage carrier within the Harmony’s cargo bay. The Buzzard will serve as our heavy artillery defensive counter measure if we encounter stiff opposition. We do not expect fierce resistance, since the crash should leave most of the shuttle’s occupants disoriented; however, in the off chance that we do, we will have some counter measure against them.”

Asura cleared his throat. “Keep in mind that we do need to keep the civilians of the town in check. We cannot let them get in to harm’s way. If we discover any injuries, we will have a medical team respond immediately following containment of any breakouts.”

Randan scanned the crowds diligently. “Are there any questions or outstanding concerns from anyone?”

No hands or hooves rose from either crowd.

“Good. Effective immediately, we will carry out Combat Patrol Initiative C-117— we will conduct a search and seizure campaign of any surviving aggressor individuals, where they will be brought under the light of the sun.” With a single wave through the globe, the wireframe sphere flickered out of existence and let the fireplace come into view once more. Asura knelt down and picked up the watch, who then strapped it firmly to his arm.

“Dismissed.”

~~~~~~

“This is Atlas GHQ. All available units; Initiative C-117 is now in effect. Mission is deemed under codename, ‘Operation: Iron Horse.’”

Cassandra manned the communications panel in the Harmony vessel. “Copy, Atlas. This is Harmony MG-1. We are beginning final pre-flight checks.”

Outside, Asura stood at the foot of the ramp leading up into the cargo bay. The impeller units of the vessel hummed quietly, letting a modest amount of air flow through its manifolds to the turbine barrels. Celestia and Luna stood next to their chariot, making sure that the guards were properly mounted to their harnesses.

Rainbow Dash had already sped her way towards Ponyville, while Twilight and her remaining friends tagged along with Asura and his crew. Discord took one step onto the metallic platform with his dragon foot, hesitant if the ramp would take hold of his form or if he would simply crumple it into a wad of scrap. Shining Armor trotted his way up the ramp, followed by a procession of guards behind him. Cadence stood next to Shining Armor, hugging herself close to him, as if she were to anticipate a rough flight on the oversized ‘chariot.’

Asura took a few steps up the ramp. He noticed the tall draconequus standing still as stone, and turned himself around to come face to face with the creature. “Is there something wrong?” Asura asked.

Discord looked at Asura with an uncertain gaze. “I’m not overly fond of stepping on to unknown territory. I would’ve preferred Celestia’s carriage had I been given the chance.”

“Well, it wouldn’t do you any good to have one foot off the ground,” Asura said, shrugging at the creature’s hesitance.

“I think I can manage. After all, I’m quite used to standing on one foot. You see, I do so all the time, although I guess you could say that I’m standing on two feet, but that’s just how Celestia sees me.” Discord took another step up—this time, his confidence grew. The ramp held up to his weight without any effort or strain.

Asura raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself to you. My name is Asura.” He held his hand out Discord.

He stifled his augmented nose. “I’m Discord, the lord of chaos.” He felt Twilight’s eyes burrow into his skull. “Ahem… ‘reformed’ lord of chaos.” He held out his lion paw, and shook hands with Asura. “It’s my pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Asura.”

The humming of the impellers above became more noticeable. The air around the vessel began to whip around and drown out all other sounds around them. Promptly, Asura waved his hands to get the rest of the crew on board. On his cue, the princess’ chariot elevated itself off of the ground, with the pegasus guards powering through the skies. The ramp lifted off the ground slightly until it came flush with the rest of the cargo bay floor.

Within moments, the grass field began to move away from view, as the vessel hovered off of the ground. The strong currents produced by the turbines flattened the grass underneath and even caused a few bystanders to topple over from the sheer force of the artificial winds. The grass field gradually became smaller and smaller, until the castle structures themselves became small as well. The vessel had been given enough clearance off of the elevated ground to move forward towards their destination.

Asura felt the aircraft tip forward slightly. The grounds of Canterlot began to move away from them at a slow rate. The operators knew that the rear door was open, so they did not maneuver the vessel into full flight. Slowly but surely, the Harmony vessel made its way across the skies toward Ponyville.

~~~~~~

Spike shut the front door of Twilight’s house behind him and began to run at full speed towards the southern edge of town. He saw Rainbow Dash fly by the side of the house earlier, and decided to go see what she was up to. While he was running through town, other ponies trotted their way towards the Everfree Forest as well, equally curious of the ruckus that had occurred the following night. Spike noticed Celestia’s chariot in the skies, and made a sharp dash through the thickening crowds.

He spotted Mayor Mare towards the front of the assembly. He dashed right past her, and quickly made his way through the open fields and over the bridge to where Rainbow Dash hovered herself. She was feet from the lip of the crater, which was surprisingly smaller than she had anticipated.

“Rainbow Dash!” he exclaimed, heaving heavily in exhaust from his mad sprint. “Is… everything… alright? What happened? Where’s Twilight?”

Rainbow Dash turned around and hugged Spike with a gorgeous smile. “Well, am I happy to see you again!” She propped him down from her bubbly embrace. “Twilight should be here any moment. We seem to be put in a sticky situation. I don’t know what this dent in the field is all about, but our new arrivals should be able to tell.”

Spike stroked a claw on his cheek. “New arrivals?”

“Yeah. Didn’t Twilight tell you about them?”

“Not really…” he shrugged. He noticed a single metallic winged formation perched on the ground upon stilted legs. “Is that what you’re referring to?”

Rainbow Dash spotted the drone that Spike pointed out. “Well, that is one of them, but the others should be arriving here soon.” She saw the chariot land just a fair distance away from them. The princesses promptly hopped off and were quick to approach Spike and Rainbow.

“Princess Celestia,” Spike said, cheerfully. “Princess Luna. Am I glad to see you two.”

“I’m glad to see you’re okay, Spike,” Celestia said, gleaming happily.

Luna walked past them, acknowledging Spike’s presence. She carefully scanned the edge of the crater and saw the bits of metal the drones analyzed on the sides of the excavated dirt. She looked over to her right to see one of the drones perched on the ground. She made her way towards it, keeping her regal stance. The drone’s gimbals followed her approach.

“Hath thou seen anything of unusual happenstance between last night and now?” she asked.

The voice of the drone crackled. “Negative. I have not received any indication of unusual activity prior to your arrival.”

Spike scratched his head. “What is that…?”

Celestia knelt her head close towards Spike. “We have new guests in Equestria. Has Twilight not spoken of them to you yet?”

“...No.”

“I think that’s them right there,” Rainbow Dash pointed out the odd shape of the starship Harmony in the distance. It was barely out of sight, but the sun’s reflection on the metal airframe gave it enough visibility to be picked out from a distance.

“Good eye, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia praised.

The shape of the aircraft became more profound as it inched its way closer. The sound of its turbines became apparent, and the onlookers of Ponyville turned around to get a good look of the vessel. Its white body and wings gleamed seamlessly in the sun’s light, and the tip of its nose was covered in black padding—its edges slightly charred from countless deployments into various planetary descents.

When the aircraft got closer to the ground, it picked up a modest amount of dust from the jet wash. Trees swayed violently as it passed over the edge of the Everfree, orienting itself to drop off its cargo. Within a few minutes, the aircraft lowered itself onto the open grass field with plenty of room to maneuver. It was much more spacious than the Canterlot grounds.

The bay door lowered itself to the ground once the aircraft touched down. The impeller units remained active, and the vehicles parked inside moved their way out, rolling down the ramp and guiding themselves just beyond the edges of the vessel on the field. Afterwards, Asura and his crew stepped off of the ramp and onto the field, followed by Twilight and her friends. Shining Armor, Cadence, and a procession of royal guards followed suit, with Discord trailing behind. Once the group was a fair distance away, the Harmony lifted off of the ground and hovered in the air, close to the town.

Cassandra’s voice broke through Asura’s watch. “Harmony MG-1 to commander; we’ll be providing close air support while your team investigates the crash zone.”

“Copy, Harmony,” Asura replied. “Make sure to keep your missiles on their mark when the need arises. We only have limited supplies.”

“Roger.”

Asura and his crew approached the princesses. He noticed the small purple dragon next to Celestia. The dragon stared back at him with widened eyes, and its mouth drooped in awe.

Celestia smiled. “You came just in time.”

Asura nodded. Spike shook his head madly, attempting to set his thoughts straight. The being, dubbed Asura, that stood before him was, strikingly, modest and polite. “Uhh…” he spoke, trying to find words to put through his mouth. “Hi there, mister…”

Asura grinned at the sight of the talking dragon. “Hello to you, little one.”

“Spike!” Twilight shouted. Before Asura could even blink, he saw a streak of violet tackle the little dragon to the ground next to the group. Twilight hugged Spike tightly, smiling and giggling while tickling him at the same time. “Oh, I’m so happy you’re okay!”

Spike laughed alongside Twilight. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you Twilight.”

“Oh, me too. I’ve wanted to tell you all about these new arrivals, but I was so caught up with them and the princesses.”

“Heh heh, it’s alright, Twilight. I can understand that a princess’s duty always takes priority.”

Twilight chuckled. “Oh, I’m lucky and always happy to have you as my ‘humble’ assistant!”

Putting the bubbly moment aside, Asura addressed himself to Celestia. “Shall we go take a look?”

“Be my guest,” Celestia held her hoof out to the crater. To their surprise, it wasn’t as big as they thought it’d be. Asura motioned a few of his crew to escort him and Celestia to the edge, and Shining Armor did the same with his guards.

Peering over the edge, Asura noticed the strange mound of dirt that was, loosely, piled up in the center of the crater. There were only a few large metal shards to be seen, which comprised of most of the pod that landed at this spot. He expected to see more—he expected to find multiple individual capsules. Instead, the entirety of the shuttle’s remains was perfectly centered about the dirt mound. It’d be a chore just to get the large individual pieces into the back of the Entourage carrier.

~~~~~~

Underneath the soft, moist dirt, the Rygolith Scorpion burrowed its way through the ground, leaving behind moist mulch as it tunneled its way underneath the gathering. It picked up the various movements of footfalls above, and it made careful calculations—preparing its first strike.

‘Time to make my first mark.’

The scorpion angled itself upward and rocketed itself towards the surface—poised for its first surprise attack upon the unsuspecting gathering.

~~~~~~

A few of the crew held their rifles toward the center of the mound, with the royal guards pointing their spears in a similar manner. Asura and Shining Armor made their way to the center of the crater. Asura tapped his fist on the metal siding of the broken capsule. The sound resonated lightly in the air.

The ground beneath them shook. It was a strange reaction. ‘Survivors, possibly?’

Asura and Shining Armor looked at each other and decided to vacate the crater promptly. Another shockwave shook the ground—this time, the ground slightly heaved in the middle of the group.

“Hold your ground!” one of the soldiers shouted.

“Oh, the poor critters,” Fluttershy said, shivering in fright.

The rest of the soldiers shouted amongst one another, pointing their rifles at the elevated grass mound. In a split second, the ground behind them exploded, sending a cloud of dirt into the air and spraying clumps of grass and rocks upon the group. The crew members and the Equestrians spread themselves away from the spray of dirt.

In a few moments, the dust cleared to reveal the hulking Rygolith behemoth.

“SKORPION!!!” one of the soldiers shouted, and opened fire on the beast. The rifle’s gunfire dominated the air, and the Rygolith let loose a shrill howl. Bullets ricocheted off of its metal scales. The royal guards surrounded the princesses, who were shocked in fright by the appearance of the beast.

The scorpion’s pincers revolved at a rapid speed, and a light field surrounded the front end of it. Bullets bounced off of the field, closing its distance to the dispersing crew.

Asura, in a snap decision, tackled Celestia down into the lip of the crater, followed suit by Shining Armor diving in with his guards that soon trailed behind in panic. A blast of energy flew over the lip of the crater, originating from the Rygolith. Asura covered his head, and dust from the concussion wave covered them in a light film. When the dust settled, he quickly got up on both feet.

“Stay here!” he shouted, and took out his handgun. Approaching the edge of the crater, he saw the scorpion advancing toward his comrades in the distance. They were still pelting the beast with gunfire.

Celestia shook wildly, peering her head above Luna’s backside and getting a good look of Asura before he disappeared beyond the edge. The deafening pattering of gunfire ringed through her ears, momentarily swallowed out by the Rygolith’s intimidating scream. Shining Armor hunched over her, hugging her in a protective embrace.

“Are you alright, princess?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

The scorpion slowly stammered its way across the field on all eight legs. Its twirling pincers became enveloped in deep violet flames. After bellowing out with another shrill scream, trails of violet energy shot out from its claws, impacting the ground near its assailants with small explosions, toppling a few of them over. Its tail swung lazily from side to side, as it inched closer to the group.

Discord backed himself away, following the retreating soldiers behind him. He held both his hands up and tweaked his head to the side. "Try this on for size!" With a simple wave of his paw, the ground in front of him curled up and rolled straight for the scorpion. It retaliated by digging its claws right through the curling grass and dirt with effortless ease. The beast cackled at Discord.

Scrunching his nose, his eagle talons became enveloped with spinning tendrils of black roots, which disappeared in the ground beneath him. Before long, the roots re-emerge, surrounding the creature in a cage of black spindling roots. He saw the beast rip apart the roots with nothing but its rotating claws, slicing their way through the thicket. More roots sprung up in their place, before getting torn down once again by the scorpion's rage.

Asura studied the beast, as the dark tendrils continued to assault it. “Buzzard! Give it everything you’ve got—right at its front door!” he shouted in his watch.

“Yes, sir!” he heard the prompt reply.

He saw the buggy in the distance maneuver itself upon a small incline of the field. He saw the flash of the vulcan pulse rifle swivel into position. In a split moment, he dove behind the bridge into the culvert, just before hitting the water below. He held on to the edge, letting his legs break through the surface of the calm river.

The sound of the pulse rifle was deafening, even from a far distance. The explosions of the rifle’s rounds caught the scorpion off guard for a moment, but quickly enveloped itself within its protective field. The force of the rounds picked the scorpion off of its legs, even with the energy field surrounding it. It flew backwards in the air, each round pushing it farther. Discord dove into the dirt after a few explosive rounds whizzed past him.

When the rifle ceased its fire, the scorpion landed on all of its legs. It covered itself in a heavier field and its claws rotated at high speeds. The energies between its claws intensified, amplifying the strength of the field in front of it. It sent the field flying forward towards the buggy.

“This is Buzzard; taking immediate evasive action!”

The field flew right through the buggy, sending it cartwheeling backwards. Miraculously, it landed back on the ground on all four wheels. The occupants held on as they were thrashed around from the vehicle's prompt landing.

Asura pulled himself out from the culvert. “Skyhawks One and Two, you have permission to engage the target! Make every shot count!”

“Yes, sir! This is Skyhawk One—fox two!”

A trail of white smoke made its way to the scorpion in a split second, erupting the ground around it in a massive fireball. The concussion wave of the blast shook the ground around the blast. Asura covered the base of his ears to protect himself from the thundering explosion. The dust surrounding the blast fell and covered the area lightly.

The scorpion walked out of the smoldering ashes with its protective field surrounding it.

“This thing just won’t give up, will it?” he growled under his breath. ‘Time for Plan B!’ He clenched his fist, and a surge of energy flowed through his body. Unexpectedly, he felt the sudden surge of the elemental energies flow right through his own. He felt the presence of the elemental guardians pass by his spirit.

‘What astounding timing. What took you folks so long?’

It wasn’t a lot of energy, but it was enough for him to be able to handle the situation. Within that moment, a streak of gold materialized on his back in blinding brilliance. His sword soon took shape, strapped on his back with a golden sheath. The bronze hilt shone in the sunlight with unparalleled luminance. He slid the sword out from its sheath and charged toward the scorpion.

Celestia poked her head just beyond the lip of the crater, with Luna following suit. They saw Asura charging the beast with a long sword in his grasp. The scorpion was prepared to fire its field at the drone high up in the sky.

Moments before firing, it heard the footsteps of an individual running up to it. It turned around to see Asura high up in the air—his sword pointing straight at it. It covered the bulk of its body with its huge claws, as the energy field dissipated. Asura landed on its claws, and he jumped onto the top of its body. The scorpion frantically clamored about, attempting to bump him off of its back. It armed its stinger to try and stab him, but every attempt was in vain, as he cleverly dodged each strike.

On its fourth strike, Asura swung his blade clean through the tail of the beast. It yelped in pain, further accelerating its trampling pace. It was desperate to get him off, but its attempts would soon prove futile. With its limp stinger hanging off the end of its tail, it attempted to use the rest of its tail as a bludgeon, swiping across itself to push him off. Still, all efforts were in vain, for as soon as it made its third swipe, Asura jumped high into the air. On his descent, he thrust the sword deep into the carapace of the Rygolith, sending it into a mad frenzy of howling pain. Its second jump flung Asura off of its back.

Asura landed on both feet, skidding a short distance on the ground several meters from the shouting scorpion. Its cries of pain roared across the field; its deep blue blood dropped out from the bottom of its wound where the sword punctured through. It tried to get a hold of the sword with its massive claws, yet it could never reach the tiny protrusion of the hilt. The beast’s outcries slowly died down, and it fell flat on the ground. Each of its heavy breaths drew out a whining moan.

Its claws could barely move around, yet it still labored its heavy breathing. Asura carefully walked around the scorpion, gauging its next moves. Celestia and Luna carefully climbed out of the crater, staring at awe of the creature that Asura had, single-handedly, brought down to its knees. Shining Armor and his guards shortly followed, and they quickly surrounded the beast—their spears pointing right at it. With stern eyes, the guards held their ground as the beast continued to twitch unnervingly.

It was still alive, and Asura made sure of it where he drove the sword into. It was a weak spot that all Rygoliths shared—the spot in their chest was where their energies were stored. Without that, they’d be left paralyzed until it would be healed.

Twilight poked her head from beyond the culvert behind Asura, followed by Spike.

A few crew members walked up next to Asura, their rifles at hand. The Eagoran next to him poked its rifle on the cheek of the Rygolith scorpion. It replied with a soft, grumbling moan. Its skull gem continued to shine brilliantly in the sunlight—it was its only source of sustenance.

“CLEAR!” the Eagoran shouted. The rest of the surrounding soldiers brought their rifles and handguns down. “Get the Entourage over here. We have a survivor.”

Celestia stood next to Asura, her hooves feet from the hulking body of the hostile Rygolith. She was still shivering in fright—her eyes were as small as golf balls. Asura faced her, standing tall in the basking sunlight. Celestia faced him in return, and he held her in a warm embrace. Her twitching died down in his presence.

“Are you alright, princess?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“This is Atlas GHQ. Commander, what’s the status report?”

Asura let go of her and spoke into his watch. “Atlas, this is the commander. We have the situation under control. The scorpion is in temporary paralysis for now. We’re bringing it back to Canterlot grounds for assessment and interrogation.”

“Copy that. Damage report?”

“We’ve managed to break through without any casualties. Buzzard has sustained heavy damage, and is still in operable condition. We only have a few injuries amongst our troops. The Equestrians do not appear to be injured, although they may need follow-up attention for post-traumatic stress.”

“Copy, we’ll be dispatching a medical team to Canterlot Tower ASAP.”

“Harmony MG-1, you are cleared to land.”

“Copy that; executing landing procedures. That was one hell of a battle, sir.”

Asura took the blade out of the scorpion’s chest, warranting a silent grunt from the hulking body. He wiped off the blood with a white rag in his pocket, and returned it to his sheath. Celestia noticed the craftsmanship of the blade’s hilt; it was a remarkable display of curves and spirals that contoured perfectly with his hands. The way that the light reflected off of it captured the beauty of her sun. It made him stand out as more than just a guardian.

“Now we know why thee is known as a guardian,” Luna spoke.

“And I suppose we garnered more than just a knock?” Shining Armor said.

“This is the best of their infantry that they have, and they have more of these scorpions in their arsenal. The fact that they sent one down here to begin with concerns me.”

“As it should. We hardly even knew what to do, until you pile-drived Celestia to the ground,” Shining Armor chuckled. It also warranted a subtle snicker from Luna. Celestia blushed and coyly looked away.

“If I may speak freely, sir,” one of the guards spoke. “I thought you were going to hurt our majesty before that ‘thing’ showed us any hostility.”

“I expected that reaction, initially. It’s not something I would’ve, willfully, done at such spur-of-the-moment opportunities.”

“Well, you did save the princesses, so we owe you one for that.” The guard saluted.

Asura felt a light tap on his shoulder. Rainbow Dash fluttered feet from the ground—her eyes level with his. She grabbed Asura in a tight hug, grinning widely. He could feel a slight sense of unease coursing through her. “You’re such a tough guy, saving the princess from that nasty monster!” She let go of him, letting himself catch his breath. Her grin melted away into a fierce scowl, staring at the scorpion with bitter fury. She kicked the arm of the beast as hard as she could, screaming at the top of her lungs. “YEAH! That’s what you get when you mess with us, you big, ugly monster!!”

Astounded by Rainbow’s toughness, Asura could only feel a similar emotion towards the beast, yet at the same time he felt shameful for the creature having to be at the mercy of Kor’s reign. ‘If only Kor hadn’t stepped out of his line, it would’ve been better to encounter this thing in peacetime.’

The bed of the Entourage carrier backed up next to the crater, the tailgate wide open to receive the scorpion’s paralyzed mass. Several soldiers held on to the beast in several positions to haul it into the bed of the truck. This presented a fundamental challenge, for the mass of the scorpion, with all of its armor plating, was heavy—even for a group of highly trained and athletically fit soldiers.

Asura took this opportunity to help aid in their efforts to carry the beast to its new resting spot. He clenched both of his hands together, and a swirling mass of energy enveloped the Rygolith, lightening the load pressed upon his crew. It only took them several steps to reach the tail end of the bed. From there, Asura took the reins and slid the creature the rest of the way in. Once it was in an uncompromised position, he let go of the energies and the scorpion lay slump in the back of the truck, slightly shifting its suspension down from the creature’s weight.

Without giving it a moment’s thought, he peered over from the other side of the truck to find that the Harmony vessel had already made its landing on the field further away. The Buzzard made its approach to the ramp, and stopped short. Asura spoke through his watch. “Harmony MG-1, Entourage has package in tow.”

“Copy that. We’re ready to receive the package.”

He gave the thumbs up to the driver. The truck rolled forward effortlessly, despite the heavy weight stressed upon it. Asura walked toward the Harmony vessel, with Shining Armor behind him. The rest of Twilight’s friends had made their way out from the culvert, dripping wet from the river that they had taken cover in. Pinkie Pie shivered on each of her wayward hops, with Fluttershy holding herself tightly around Pinkie. Rarity shook off her mane, studying the landscape riddled with small divots of the creature’s rampage.

Applejack managed to maintain her composure, despite being wracked with the sound of gunfire continuing to ring through her head. Her senses were torn, when she heard a familiar filly’s exclamation.

“Applejack!”

She turned around to see Applebloom running towards her at full force. “Aw, Applebloom! Ye’ alright?”

Applebloom tackled her big sister to the ground, lavishing in delight. “Ah’m alright, big sis! Wha’ happ’ned?”

“Hot air ‘n a load ‘f insecurity,” Applejack brushed the back of her neck.

“What’s that supposed t’ mean?” Applebloom asked, her cute filly voice masking her bigger sister with a big smile.

“Aw, don’t ye worry yer pony feathers one bit, li’l sis. Why aren’t ye at school?”

“We heard all th’ commotion comin’ from th’ Everfree Forest, so we came t’ see wha’ all th’ fuss was about.”

Applejack looked up to where several other ponies came out from hiding. “Doesn’t look like much is happenin’ now.” They both laughed, cuddling amongst each other happily.

Celestia walked gallantly next to Asura. “So, what do you suppose is going to happen now?”

“I don’t know. There’s no telling when they’ll be sending their next wave of attack, but I can guarantee that it’ll be soon.” He looked down on his watch to view the globe on its screen. “I still have questions that need to be answered. Something seems odd with how your parents and Starswirl were able to take part in the World-building committee.” He glanced back up to her. “Do you know of where they possibly may have been during their absences?”

Celestia shook her head. “It’s been so long since then. I hardly even remember what they may have said about any of that, if they did manage to say anything about it at all.”

“I suppose we should take a closer look at Canterlot then, to find any clues perhaps?”

“An astute idea,” Luna said. “We’d be happy to escort thee through our prestigious halls.”