In the crew's quarters, Pinkie, Rainbow and Fluttershy feared that what they had just heard by the speaker was true.

"They're... dead?" Pinkie shivered.

As the two who had found back their memory were sitting on their respective beds, feeling the effects of the news, Dash was snuggling herself into her blankets.

"Surviving a collision while in a cape is impossible," Rainbow said.

"Precisely a one in a trillion," the yellow flying stated like a reflex, since she didn't really seem mentally present. She was only reciting what she had learned. "And that chance is only in the case of the colliding teleportation landing in an almost empty part of the obstacle, with only the hull being hit, without being perforated. In which case, they would have crossed the cape. Though collisions are so rare we have very little information about them."

"Something like that," the mechanic tossed, not particularly caring about the details. "Wake me up when it'll be time to eat."

And without any further qualms, she closed her eyes to sleep. As the mechanic, the crossing of the cape had quite exhausted her, and she already had to prepare for the next. She couldn't allow herself to pity the fate of the Humanity, or they would be the next.

In Fluttershy's head, against her own wishes, the explanation about capes and collisions was turning on loop, underlining why they were particularly fatal.

An encounter with an object during a cape meant finding yourself teleported inside. Rock being more solid than a teleporting ship, more often than not this ended with a teleportation unable to get the spacecraft back to its original size. Lyra and her crew had found themselves compressed to the size of a molecule for a brief instant.

The pink woman sat beside her, her mind someplace else as well, still shocked by all this. She gently wrapped an arm around the flying's shoulder and held her against her own torso. Fluttershy seemed to snap back to reality for a moment and snuggled against Pinkie, sobbing.

Two hours went by in a deathly silence. Not a single radio message, not a word. Even Dash could only manage a bad sleep. The cape was in view. Here again, even the customs officer hadn't tried to get in contact with them. He probably had been warned by the previous cape.

The three ships lined up next to the great ring of metal. For this cape, the circle was a little bit smaller, and there was only one. The Crystal Constellation was a very recent colony. Dinner hour was approaching.

In her quarter, laying down on her bed, the captain of the Friendship Cottage was hugging her pillow. Head buried against the cushion, her tears had stopped running down her face, but the sorrow and guilt were still eating her.

A little beep came out of her pocket. With a slow gesture, she reached by feel for the pager thingy, before she raised her head to read the message, sniffing strongly.

"You should look outside..."

Twilight let her arm fall down along the edge of the bed, rehashing once more her morbid thoughts. After a few minutes, during which she didn't move from her bed, a new beep echoed.

"Leave me alone," the horned muttered and sighed, looking at the message nonetheless, revealing that her interlocutor knew her well enough to guess her thoughts.

"No, I refuse to abandon you. You can stay on your own for a moment if you so desire, but your crew still counts on you, Whooves as well. And me too... So get up and go to your cockpit."

The captain mumbled words without real meaning towards Octavia, externalizing the repressed anger she was feeling against herself.

Yet, she straightened up on her bed and slowly got down from it. With a sluggish pace to her steps, she went to the cockpit in which, to her surprise, the whole crew was gathered.

The five of them turned around, sending her way, each with their own manner to it, a little smile that aimed to be comforting, all sharing the same pain. Twilight tried to return it, way less convincingly however.

Applejack stood up from the captain's seat and turned it toward her, inviting Twilight to sit down. Which she did, thanking her second-in-command.

The radio mic was on, which meant that all the crews had heard her arrival. Octavia spoke softly.

"Good. I think everyone is here."

No one replied. The silence stayed in the three ships and all were able to contemplate the calm of the Dale cloud.

A myriad of small white particles were floating in the void. The black background only accentuated the blueish and reddish sparkles from the minuscule and uncountable aggregates of gas, drifting at the direction of the spatial fluctuations.

In the distance, on the right, two small forming suns, small red-orange balls, surrounded by spirals of the same color, reminiscent of the shape of galaxies. They were already slightly spinning on themselves, dragging in what passed in their reach in a majestic slowness. They were close to each other, probably would they merge with enough time.

On the entire left side of the crew's field of view, an azure cascade of particles, similar to snow, slowly and gracefully flowed, carrying in its current of magic the spatial snowdrops crossing its path. They were called dragons of mana, because they weaved randomly in the clouds, sometimes spreading and giving the impression that wings were being deployed. A slightly paler halo was engulfing the structure, giving it a ghostly aspect.

A few asteroids were rolling forward, covering themselves in particles and accumulating them on their surface, to the point where their natural gray disappeared behind a prism of surprising colors.

Two rocks collided almost in front of the ships. A shower of particles escaped in a circle from the point of contact, like the undulating surface of a calm water in which a stone has just been tossed.

The spectacle happened once more. Then again.

The custom officer hadn't lied. That vision was worth it. Faced with it, such beauty, reality itself seemed to fade for an instant, and the spirits found themselves as if confronted by their own imagination. It was soothing. In the crews, many members took on deep inspirations, before slowly letting them go, a little bit relieved of their grief.

Even Twilight found a touch of comfort in front of the great and long factory of the universe.

"We're all putting our lives on the line," Whooves told with softness, breaking the silence. "At every moment. We tend to forget it. A piloting error, a mishap, a hole in the hull... Yet, I do not regret risking my life, not even a little bit, now that I've seen this."

He had just said out loud what they all thought. He had managed to put words on that feeling.

"And it's just one of the many wonders of space," Octavia added with a smile that sounded half-impatient to discover more and half-happy to finally be able to think clearly.

Two asteroids had just gone by the dragon of mana and were beginning to spin around it, mirroring each other in their movement, getting closer to the center of the curved mana rod, little by little.

"I propose we all take a nice meal, followed by a well deserved night of sleep. We will all go through the cape tomorrow morning. What do you think?"

Whooves' suggestion was unanimously accepted. Once more, it was free time. Each could do whatever they wanted, and many stayed to contemplate the firmament.

As it was only Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie left in the cockpit, the horned, who had just cut her mic, turned her seat to the gunner, asking:

"You're feeling better by the way?"

"Yes, don't worry," the pink woman smiled. "I don't know what happened, but Fluttershy took great care of me."

"And your hair?"

Pinkie raised her eyes towards her cotton-candy mess of a coiffure. It's true that they had become inflated again as her memory had returned.

"I'm going to leave them like this, it's funnier," she replied with a great grin.

"It makes you less unfriendly I find," the captain approved, trying to find back a bit of happiness.

"Thanks Twilight! Or rather, thanks captain."

Twilight stood up from her seat.

"Good, I think it's time to eat," she said, heading out by the door.

The small in-draft she created brought in the cockpit a sweet smell of good cooking, a sign that she was right. Pinkie rushed after her, remembering how starved she was, as she always was when it came to great food. Fluttershy, who had been nervously holding her own arm for a moment now, still shaken, followed them with way less motivation.

"Whooves?"

The image on the holographic screen, in the quarters of the captain of the TARDIS, shivered with static for a bit, before stabilizing on the picture of an Octavia standing up, for once, and visibly worried.

She had asked for a private conversation with her colleague, without informing him about the topic of it.

"What is it, Captain Melody?"

"Do me a favor, simply call me Octavia. I think we'll stop with the protocol in-between us, it won't be tenable in the long run."

Whooves arched an eyebrow, surprised that her, usually so serious, would come to say they should ignore the protocol. But in that case, he didn't mind it so he didn't complain.

"As you wish. You wanted to talk to me?"

The gray woman sighed slightly, before asking:

"Do you believe in signs?"

"Not really, I'd rather follow my intuitions," he answered with the same surprise, before understanding where she was going.

"What's happening to us... First mission, an exploration. Already in itself, it's not really good news. To add to that, the admiral of the Canterlot spaceport alerts his sister, who he knows to be easily worried, on the dangers of the mission. A gunner faints without any reason. And now, we lose a whole crew in a cape despite the fact accidents are supposed to be more than rare..."

"So, if I'm getting you right..." he said, frowning and clenching his fists. "For you, a whole crew's death is just bad omen? It's all it does to you?"

The up until now soft face of Octavia became harsher, obviously hurt by his words. Even her tone was more rude.

"I didn't get to know Lyra as good as you did, but be aware that I'm crying her death all the same. Do you really think I'm sincerely insensitive? I'm only telling you that this mission could lead to a greater catastrophe than the disappearance of six of us!"

"Like?" Captain Whooves asked, starting to get angry.

"Like the death of us all!" Octavia replied, raising her voice to make him calm down. "Come on, look around you! We haven't got to the constellation that a quarter of our expedition has been wiped out!"

Whooves took a little second to get a grip of himself and used that to take a deep breath and relax. In the end, he answered, calmer:

"I think we're all still shaken by Lyra's and the other's disappearance... Maybe there are reasons to worry about the mission, but what happened in the cape was pure bad luck. We were at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Even Raggedy said so..."

The brown man's eyes slowly drifted as he said those words, which got Octavia intrigued.

"What is it?"

"Well..." Whooves hesitated. "I heard him mumble theories about magical interference earlier. He said that the cape's magic being unstable, the encounter could have led to an overcharge or a diversion from the path. In which case, they would end up in the middle of nowhere, probably years from the closest colony, but they wouldn't be-"

"Whooves," Octavia cut quite firmly, bringing him back to reality. "Why do you think this is a theory, and not something that was already observed during the years of the capes' existence?"

The captain winced, forced to see the truth in that. Yet, he seemed reluctant to fully dismiss his scientist's hypothesis. Octavia saw it, and added in a breath:

"I don't think having them drift on for years in the void, slowly running out of food and water, would be a more desirable fate than what happened to them, Whooves..."

He passed a hand on his forehead, letting out a little sigh. That faint glimmer of hope was gone, wasn't it?

"You're right..." he said, focusing back on Octavia. "Why did you want to talk about that with me and not Twilight?"

"Because she would have found a way to frame herself as the culprit of the accident once again. I'd rather wait for it to go down a bit. The second cape is going to be hard enough to cross already..."

Whooves didn't reply, but was sharing that view. No one, not even himself, wanted to see a cape anytime soon after this tragedy, but they wouldn't get the choice.

"And do you have propositions to make to prevent your bad feeling from becoming true?" he asked.

"Not for the cape... Once in the constellation, I'll think about it when we have more information about our mission. And I'd like for you to think about it on your end as well."

He was about to reply, but the sound of a door on which someone was knocking was heard on Octavia's side. She added:

"I have to go. We'll see in good time. Stay strong."

And the screen shut down without any more formalities.

In the Friendship Cottage's canteen, the meal was taking place in a heavy calm. In great part caused by Twilight. Being the captain, it was a part of her role to initiate an active discussion. Except that it had never been her strength, and the situation as well as her mood didn't lend itself to it.

Maybe she even felt that her presence was bothering the others, since she finished her plate quickly and stood up, thanking Rarity in a half-voice before heading out of the cafeteria.

Another silence followed her departure, only ruptured by the sound of the silverware.

"S-So, Pinkie?" the cook tried. "Feeling better?"

It was like a sigh of relief going through everyone. Finally, a word had been spoken.

"Yes, yes, and you, you're feeling alright?"

"Don't remind me..." Rarity let out in a short breath, putting her apron away. "I knew Mrs Cake a bit, and she was a charming person..."

"Yeah, I know. It feels weird to me too..."

"You knew her?" the horned asked, surprised.

"Well!" Applejack cut, standing up, avoiding Pinkie the occasion to commit another mistake, since she wasn't supposed to know Mrs Cake in this world. "Thanks Rarity, that was delicious. Rainbow, come over, I need to talk to ya."

"Yes, ma'am," said the flying with a fake weariness, hiding a little smile showing she very much intended on following where she had been interrupted last time.

She stood up and followed Applejack outside of the canteen, leaving Fluttershy and Pinkie alone with Rarity.

The two who had recovered their memories exchanged a little gaze, before nodding, while the horned was busy gathering the plates of everyone.

"Rarity, can you fill my plate again?" Pinkie asked with a great smile.

"Hm?" said the woman in question, surprised. "You're still hungry?"

"Being fainted whet the appetite," she pretended, handing her plate to the cook.

"Well, if you say so..."

She grabbed it by magic and replenished it again, before handing it back. In her mind, Fluttershy was crossing her feathers and fingers.

"Here."

"Thanks Rarity, it's really generous of you," the pink woman greatly thanked.

The cook arched an eyebrow.

"It's just a meal, you don't have to be so dr..."

But she couldn't finish her sentence, already keeling over. Pinkie had put down her plate and hurried to catch her in her arms as she was falling frontward.

"Phew! It worked!" Fluttershy said with relief. "I was afraid it would be a bit light..."

"Aw, I'm sure my plan would have worked too..."

"Hum, I'm not certain stealing a screw from the engine room, so that a hair pin from Rarity would have become the only solution to save us, leading her to show an act of generosity may have been a good idea..." the flying judged, without meaning to offend her.

"The upside of Applejack's is that it's faster. And we don't have to steal all the hair pins from the rest of the crew."

Pinkie sat down the unconscious horned on her chair, before returning to her plate and resuming her meal as if nothing had happened.

"I do hope Applejack can manage with Rainbow..." Fluttershy said, looking at the pink woman swallowing her second plate.

The second-in-command had brought the mechanic in her personal quarters to be in peace, but barely had the door shut that the flying pushed her on the bed, other projects being on her mind.

"Rainbow!" Applejack said firmly while the mechanic was slowly getting on top of her. "I'm serious!"

"But I am serious too," Dash sensually replied, bringing her face close to hers.

"Ah need to talk to you!" the second-in-command said categorically. Doing any of that was out of the question now that she had recovered her memory!

"And I need to take care of you," Dash whispered, not letting go of it, her hand brushing by her lover's body.

In a little bit too abrupt reflex, Applejack grabbed her arms and immobilized her, which disappointed her partner.

"What, it's that important?"

"Yes!"

Rainbow scowled and let Applejack straighten up, crossing her arms, taping on one of them with her fingers.

"Go on, I'm listening," Dash invited, passably upset.

"You know about the Humanity?"

The flying rolled her eyes.

"Yes, who do you take me for?"

The second-in-command grabbed her by the shoulders and stared at her in the eyes.

"Listen to me, Rainbow. It's an ugly thing what happen'. I know that it affects you, even if you don't act like it."

Dash looked away, her face growing softer.

"But we all have to support each other," Applejack followed. "Twilight's gonna need some help, so I need to be sure I can count on ya, Dash, because I know you're someone loyal."

Rainbow didn't reply, still fleeing Applejack's gaze. The latter shook her a bit, forcing their eyes to meet.

"You got me?"

"Yeah," almost grumbled the mechanic. "I'll help you, don't worry."

"Thanks. I knew I could count on you."

Internally, the ex-farmer sighed with relief. Rainbow had just fulfilled her element's requirements while recognizing it herself. Now it was only Twilight's turn to recover her memory.

"That's all you wanted to say?"

"Uh..." was probably the best transcription of Applejack's thoughts in that instant.

The flying pushed her gently on her back, getting on top of her again.

"Can we get back to where we left?" she said with a little smile.

At this moment, Applejack was faced with two problems. The first one was that, obviously, her attempt at making Rainbow find back her memory had failed. And the second, but by far the most serious, was that she had absolutely no idea as to how she could get out of this situation, as the flying was already busy undoing the buttons of her outfit.

The worst part being that, despite how much she protested in her own thoughts, a good portion of Applejack didn't really mind.

Let's leave this poor Applejack to her "couple issues". Because, at a similar time – supposing it means something to talk about simultaneity over such distances – far from the Dale cloud where our three crews were resting, in a dark room stained from floor to ceiling, someone was there.

A girl. An adolescent, wearing a uniform similar to that of the captains, added with a colt on her belt. Standing up, straight and firm, in the middle of overturned chairs scattering the room, her skin magenta and with purple hair stripped with white, she was facing two crackling screens, returning images from two different places.

On the left, it was almost pitch black. A blackness that moved and undulated slowly, among which two red and angry eyes could be seen.

And on the right, in front of a disgusting green-khaki setting, there was a horned with black skin and green eyes shading off to turquoise.

"What is this quip!?" a deep voice thundered on the left screen. "I won't deal with a minion!"

"You'll have to make do with it nonetheless," the adolescent replied. "As if you were important enough for him to show himself..."

"I demand that-" the shape began, but the horned interrupted him coldly.

"We're not her for that. If he wants to underestimate us, it is not our problem."

"Very true," the adolescent noted. "Why did you ask for this meeting by the way?"

Each on their side, they turned to the screen displaying the two red eyes.

"The pact has been broken," the voice announced. "Intruders have penetrated my lands."

"So?" the two others asked simultaneously.

"They are only on your side of the galaxy," the youngest said. "How does it concern us?"

"The pact is clear," the shadow growled. "Whoever breaks it will be eliminated by the conjoint strengths of the others."

"Funny to hear that from the one who broke it first," the horned cackled.

"My debt has been paid! This is why I can only intervene now as well!"

"As soon as you're free, your case poses yet again another problem," the horned said with a more hidden mockery. "I wonder if we shouldn't change the terms of the pact and replace your name with Celestia and Luna."

"Just dare! This agreement cannot be changed! And what Equestria did is a pure and simple violation!"

"Equestria was never relevant in it," the horned retorted.

"Maybe, but they are getting too comfortable," the voice continued. "If you don't help me to-"

Without any warnings, the adolescent pulled her weapon out and directed it right at the screen, menacing, her voice suddenly hysterical:

"Watch your words! Don't even try to tell us what we should do, and even less impose conditions on us!"

Despite the fact the young girl was taking aim at a screen, which didn't seem that dangerous, the horned tried to ease the situation:

"Lower your gun, kid. I wouldn't mind you two killing each other, but only after we're done with our issue."

"Think twice before committing such an act, little fool," the voice despised. "I won't tolerate it a second time."

Indeed, out of nowhere, a black and transparent shard had worked its way to the young human's throat, right as she had drawn her weapon. She kept her scornful gaze and a spasm in her upper lip, but still sheathed her weird pistol, and the shard went back.

"You signed this pact," the shadow continued. "You don't have any other choice than to annihilate them. Otherwise, when I'm done with them, it'll be your turn."

"I am willing to participate," the horned answered. "At the condition that we impose a division of their territory."

"I will keep the lands they stole to me. Do whatever you please with what will be left."

The adolescent was distractedly scratching her chin.

"When will you be ready?" she asked.

"I am already," said the voice.

"Less than a week," told the horned.

"Fine," the young woman concluded. "I'll warn him and we will see."

"You have twenty-four hours," the voice growled.

The dark screen cut, quickly followed by the one with the horned.

The adolescent stayed there a moment, still scratching her chin while thinking. Then, she turned around in the now completely dark room and pulled out a flashlight.

Walking inside the wreck drifting in space, echoes of her heavy boots bouncing on each metal wall, she didn't pay any attention to the shapes lying on her path.

She suddenly stopped, something bothering her. Taking two steps back, she returned in front of a body leaning against a wall and crouched to put her face in front of his.

She took his pulse. Weak. The fainted astronaut received a few slaps on the cheek.

"Hey! Hey, you're alive? Wake up."

Slowly, he opened his eyes, coming back from a far-off place and on the brink of being unconscious again.

"What's your name?" the young girl asked.

"B-Blaze... Rainbow Blaze..."

"What division?"

"E-Eight... Fifth squadron..."

She ran the ray of light on his body, revealing a heavy wound on his belly.

"Where were you going like that?"

"We were following... a signal..."

The man with rainbow-colored hair began to topple, but was caught by the adolescent's hand.

"Hey, hey, stay with me, okay? What was your rallying point?"

The wounded searched in his memory, his vision blurry. Unable to follow a clear train of thoughts, he asked:

"Who... Who are you?"

"Your only chance of survival, so answer me."

"We had to gather... at the asteroid belt, near star number five... Help me..."

A comforting smile appeared on the adolescent's face, and she gave him a tap on the shoulder.

"Good job. Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

Still holding his shoulder, she put her flashlight in between her teeth to free one hand. She then took out her gun, put the barrel in the poor man's mouth and pulled the trigger, unleashing a flash of light which pierced his crane.

Without any qualms, she let the smoking cadaver fall, sheathing again and standing up, taking a radio on her belt and resuming her walk.

"Unit one, I'll be home in half-an-hour. Get ready, we're going to have to do some cleaning near the fifth sun."

"Roger that, unit one."

The crew members' awakening is usually scheduled at seven, Equestrian hour. But most of them were already up way before that. Each in their cockpits, the captains were already ready to initiate the departure. The custom officer had just transmitted the last formalities, and the metal ring was starting to crackle.

Tension was more present than ever. It was a feeling of uneasiness gripping everyone. Yet, the voice warned again:

"Pathway opened. Have a good ride."

After taking in a deep breath to relax himself, Whooves pushed the engines and the TARDIS dived into the immense blueish jelly, followed by the Friendship Cottage, then the Symphonia.

The ship purred once more and the cycles of teleportations started again, and everything went, for now, fine.

It's around that time that Applejack woke up from her long night. Alone in her bed, she had only been recently and kept a quite shocked impression about what she had done. Her sheets were still wrinkled from the energy the flying had deployed for a good amount of time, time they should have dedicated to sleep.

It is while asking herself if what she had lived was actually real or not that the second-in-command stood up, gathering her spread out clothes. Dressing up, something she did as a reflex even though as a pony it seemed secondary, she added the final touch by giving back its rightful place to her hat. Identical to the one she had in Equestria. Well, the pony world.

She went out of her quarters, trying to chase away the thought that she might have enjoyed her night, to focus on her close destination, the canteen.

Entering, she was welcomed by a sweet smell of hot coffee and croissants, accompanied by a "Hellow!" from a Pinkie Pie with a mouth full.

Rarity headed out of the small adjacent room she used as a kitchen, noticing the ex-farmer.

"Coffee, Applejack?" she proposed. "Sorry, I don't have any apples, they don't consider it a preservable food."

The second-in-command questioned Pinkie with a glance, but Rarity answered for her:

"She explained everything to me. I recovered my memory too."

"Glad to have you back, then! The adaptation isn't too harsh, sugarcube?"

"Tell me about it," the cook raised with a diva look. "Just the apron alone is awful. And I mean, seriously, taking care of the kitchen? I don't have anything against that type of job, but I think I deserved better, didn't I?"

"Probably," Applejack laughed, sitting at the table.

"Well, I guess at least I know what I'm eating. I'd rather have that than eating Spike's or Rainbow's cooking."

"How did it go with her by the way?" Pinkie asked, as she had just finished another croissant. "She dropped by earlier on, she was smiling, but didn't say anything."

"I couldn't do it," Applejack simply said, before quickly changing topic. "A coffee with two sugars, Rarity, please."

"That works! ... Oh my Celestia, my vocabulary is so much more boorish in this world! I can't wait until we find a way to go home!"

She went to the coffee machine, while Applejack was sighing.

"We should already try to understand why we're here," she said. "And how we got here. I'm sure Twilight would have an explanation."

"I don't remember anything, aside from the fact we were all in the castle, sitting around a table," Rarity thought out loud. "We were talking... But I don't remember the topic. And after that, we were all here for the last training exam."

"Eyup. Same thing for me. I don't get it. I can't recall what we were talkin' about, but it wasn't urgent."

"And for the other crews?" Pinkie asked. "How do we do to make them regain their memories?"

"I don't know..." Applejack sighed again. "It could be we're the only ones who can gain back our memories because we're protected by the elements or somethin'."

"Or we are the only ones to have switched worlds," Pinkie put forward, having seriously thought about it. "Just by chance, we're a group of six, and there are six members per ship."

"I don't think that means anythin'. If it was seven, Spike would have been there."

"There are only six elements of harmony," the pink woman objected. "Now that you mentioned him, what's Spike doing in this world?"

The second-in-command shrugged, while Rarity was putting down a cup of coffee right in front of her.

"Thanks, Rarity."

She quietly drank her morning coffee, while the cook was clearing Pinkie's cup with her magic.

"So, there's only Twilight and Rainbow left," the gunner concluded after a moment of silence.

"Eyup. Ah think we'll get a better picture of what's happening once-"

The door suddenly opened on a visibly exhausted Dash. Her arms falling and the back hunched, letting her great wings stick out, she walked up to the closest chair, next to Applejack, and slouched down on it more than she sat.

"Phew!"

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash," Rarity politely said.

"Yo," she replied.

"You're not in the engine room?"

"I'm taking a break. What were you talking about?"

"How to make Twilight and Dashie recover their memory," Pinkie joyfully explained.

The two others froze at the same time. It's only when looking at Rainbow in the eyes that the pink woman understood her mistake.

"Oopsie..."

Yet, nonchalantly, the flying pointed a finger at the gunner while saying to the others:

"She should be examined again, she doesn't look well."

"Probably," Applejack quickly approved, while Rarity was looking daggers at Pinkie.

The flying snickered, before bursting out laughing, to general incomprehension.

"Is something wrong, Rainbow?" the cook worried.

"You should see the look on your faces! In human form it's even more priceless!"

It took a few seconds for the three of them to understand the meaning of her words.

"Rainbow, you..."

"Of course I found my memory back, Rarity!" she guffawed.

"When!?" the pink woman asked.

"Earlier on, in the engine room. I thought about what AJ said and pow, I fainted. But since Twilight was yelling at me on the radio and the engines were still running, I only stayed unconscious for like a second."

Rainbow stretched her arms behind her head, swinging on her chair.

"So, explain to me what is all that mess. What are we doing here?"

It was four hours of travel which passed in peace. During that time, the five friends – Fluttershy having joined the conversation – talked for a while about their rather surprising situation. Unanimously, they thought it was the work of a new enemy, even if the goal and the how of all this seemed to elude them.

On the captain's side, a discussion intended to be light began between Whooves and Vinyl, Twilight and Octavia intervening only a couple of times. Both talked of the technology of magic weapons, laser guns as they were sometimes called, and Whooves clearly exposed his profound disgust for weapons, while the second-in-command with a white skin showed fascination for the topic.

Finally, approaching for a while now, the Crystal Constellation became clearly visible. Its blue suns formed a six-branched star. Strange thing, but recently explained by new discoveries, no matter from where on the outside this constellation was being looked at, that shape was always the same. It was due to the magic unleashed by the suns, giving off this vision.

And in the center, massive, shining the purest crystal-clear blue, one of the strangest suns ever observed. Beyond its titanic size and its magical radiation level way above anything else seen in the galaxy, its shape was very particular: A heart, slowly rotating on itself. Here again, no matter from where it was looked at, the heart was always right side up for the observer.

The ships slowly lost their speed, approaching one of the sun on the outskirts of the constellation. They came out not too far from the return cape, informing it that everything had gone fine this time. The place was some kind of crossroads. Eight capes, leading to the four corners of the constellation. Of course, the distances were way less impressive here. A cape only took five minutes to cross, at most.

Without waiting any further, the three spacecrafts headed for their "highway ramp".

"Just another jargon from old space backpackers," Whooves joked.

"The transformation begins," Octavia informed.

Progressively, the skin exposed to the blue light of the suns started to pale and become transparent. In the end, all those in the cockpits, only part of the ships the light easily penetrated, became translucent. Even the hair changed, by way of reaction with the magic. For the rest of the ship, the rays would take a bit more time to pierce through the hulls, but everyone would be metamorphosed sooner or later.

Whooves launched the dialogue procedure with the mini-cape and they went through the ring, straight for the center of the constellation. More precisely, the planet closest to the heart, where Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was awaiting them.

Author's Note

CHAPTERS ARE SO F*CKING LONG ITS A NIGHTMARE TO TRANSLATE

The sentence are so long in French, oh my god it's awful.