Magi Chronicles: Fires of Equestria

by Xeadin

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.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

What is this a crossover of?

[Xeadin]

4102311
If you're familiar with the Jak & Daxter video game series, some of the content being crossed over is, essentially, a spin-off of that, but with a whole bunch of new fluff added to the mix to create an expansive world.

The only resemblances being made between Jak & Daxter and the Magi Chronicles are that the main characters in both the series and the story look alike, anatomically; the Metal Heads are mentioned a few times; the Precursors are mentioned rather frequently. That's, just about, where all the similarities end-- because of that, you don't, necessarily, need to know much about Jak & Daxter in order to understand the spin-off, though it does help to paint a few pictures.