• Published 17th Sep 2013
  • 2,761 Views, 22 Comments

Magi Chronicles: Fires of Equestria - Xeadin



A young Precursor guardian, forced to flee from his home by the threat of an overzealous dominion, seeks refuge amongst the stars-- hoping to answer the questions left behind by the strange disappearance of a powerful entity.

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Chapter 11 -- Arrival

Author's Note:

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

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.