Astra (Story 1/9)

by Spikey_Wikey

Chapter 9: Title Drop

Chapter 9: Title Drop

“Polaris, come on. What’s the problem?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not? He and I have been friends since we were just foals!”

“I don’t trust him.”

Equina let out a frustrated sigh. “Polaris, he’s the son of one of our mother’s best friends. It’s fine.”

Equina tossed and turned in the bed she had built a few days ago, as a memory she wanted desperately to stop replayed in her head in the form of a dream.

“You don’t think it’s strange then?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The deaths…”

“Oh, here we go again…”

“I’m serious, Equina. Those weren’t natural deaths; even mom thinks so.”

“And just what was so unnatural about them?”

“Well, our father’s is a good example. He died in his sleep, remember?”

Images of her father flashed through her mind now, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of guilt.

“So?”

“Nopony his age just dies like that.”

Equina bit her lip. “Well, yeah, I guess that is a bit odd…but that doesn’t prove anything.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Polaris agreed. “But it still doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t want you to go to the castle.”

“I’m going,” Equina responded. “It’ll be fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

She turned around and walked through the front door, slamming it behind her.

The dream ended, and Equina opened her eyes. It was still dark out so she couldn’t tell what time it was, but it seemed sleeping was out of the question. She shivered lightly as she walked out of her bedroom. Her mind was still clouded with sleep as she glanced out one of the hallway windows, taking notice of the fact that it was snowing.

‘That doesn’t make any sense,’ she told herself.

Shaking her head, she made her way down the stairs into the entrance hall, listening to the wind hit the outside of the stone structure surrounding her. She walked towards the kitchen, her thoughts now beginning to reflect her dream.

‘It’s my fault…all of this. If I had just stayed home…if I had just listened to him...’

Equina shivered again as she walked into the kitchen, which was nothing more than a fire pit and some poorly crafted cooking utensils. The ceiling was incomplete in order to allow smoke to escape, but as a result, the room was colder than the rest of the castle. The winter wind blew gently through her coat as she began working on a fire.

After a few moments, she was able to light it, and she moved closer to the fire pit as the kitchen filled with heat and light. She scanned her eyes across the wall in front of her, watching the shadows of the dancing flames, but she stopped when she got to the doorway, for standing in it was a familiar face.

“It’s you!” she said as she stood up. “What are you doing here?”

Starswirl smiled and sat down by the fire pit, motioning for her to do the same. “I figured it would be rude of me to just drop you two in the middle of nowhere and not even say goodbye.”

Equina was taken aback. “That…that was you? You did that?”

“I was under a lot of pressure.”

“Our mother was dying, and you couldn’t let us stay-”

“No, I couldn’t,” Starswirl replied coldly. “I had told your mother previously to make sure that you two left, but you didn’t listen to her.”

“But why did we have to…” Equina stopped as a memory flooded her mind. It was shortly after she had appeared in the forest. She was still able to see the Crystal Empire. The only problem was that-

“It’s gone.” Slowly, she sat down next to Starswirl. “It vanished. I remember; I saw it!” She looked up at him. “What happened to it?”

Starswirl sighed. “After I saved your mother, Sombra-”

“What do you mean you saved her? You just told me-”

“Don’t interrupt me! I don’t have time to explain that right now!”

“Make the time!”

Starswirl stared at her, and she stared right back. After a few tense moments, he looked up towards the sky. “As usual, Clover has performed her task exceedingly well.”

“What?”

The draconequus sighed again. “Before you were even born, I instructed your mother to instill the values of perseverance and persistence in you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I did this,” he continued, ignoring her. “Because I had met you before, and you told me who you were and who your mother was.” He looked back at her. “I’ve traveled through time, remember?”

A memory surfaced in Equina’s mind: her mother, blood trickling from her mouth, lying on the floor and telling her never to give up. She nodded. “So, we’re going to meet…in my future?”

“Exactly, but I will still be a pony, and I will know considerably less than you.”

“But…wait…you told my mom how to raise me because you had met me and seen what I was like, but that only works because my mother raised me to be this way…where does it start?”

Starswirl smiled. “It’s called a paradox. There’s no start and no end. It just is.”

Equina mulled this around for a few moments. “Can…can it be broken? What if I don’t meet you?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Starswirl stretched his two upper legs and yawned. “In my experience, these things have a way of working themselves out.”

“Are you sure?”

“Entirely. Now, I believe I was explaining what happened to the Crystal Empire, yes?”

“Oh, um, yeah.”

“Your mother had…passed away, and-”

“You told me you saved her.”

“And I told you I don’t have time to explain.”

“And I told you to-”

“No, I mean I literally don’t have the time! You’ll recall what I explained about this form I’ve been forced to take and how it also comes with a brand new mind as well – the mind of a complete lunatic! His whispers have clouded my thoughts for weeks, growing louder and stronger, tormenting me, and soon I won’t be able to control them anymore! Soon he’s going to win, and I’m going to lose! Every trace of me will be completely gone, so when I say I don’t have the time, know that I’m not just trying to shut you up!”

Equina had opened her mouth to respond, but decided against it. She looked down at the ground instead. “Sorry. I…I guess I forgot.”

Starswirl let out a breath. “It’s alright. I’m sorry I yelled.”

“It’s just that…everything that’s happened since I went to the castle…” She stopped; she didn’t even know how long ago that had happened and considered again the fact that it was snowing.

“If I hadn’t gone, none of this-”

“Knowing what I told you about paradoxes and what I’m assuming Polaris told you after saving you, how can you possibly blame yourself?”

“Well, what if I hadn’t gone?”

Starswirl considered this for a few moments. “Polaris never would have had that conversation with Clover-”

“Who was actually just a changeling.”

“Yes…and he never would have met me because the event that triggered everypony disappearing was he and I showing up at the castle looking for you.”

“Right, and then he saved me after six months, talked to my dad-”

“Ah, yes, I suppose he wouldn’t have had time to tell you this. I was actually the one who brought your father to the castle.”

Equina gave him a perplexed look. “How did you know to do that?”

“That is another story in and of itself, and I-”

“-don’t have time,” Equina finished.

“I’m sorry. If I could, I would tell you everything, but to ensure everything plays out how it is supposed to and due to the fact that I’m losing my mind to a maniac, I can’t.”

“You seem awfully calm about it.”

Starswirl shrugged. “It’s been a slow process, and I’ve gotten used to it. Now, he spoke with your father, I brought you both back to the present, and…hm.”

“You see?” It’s all my fault.”

“That’s not true at all. Events occurred long before you were born and well after you died that caused that empire to vanish, and I can assure you of this because I had a hoof-” He looked down at his arms and legs. “Eh, in a manner of speaking, anyway, in many of them. Blaming all of this on yourself would be like blaming an entire forest on one blade of grass.”

Equina sat silently for a few moments before looking at him and nodding. “Alright…I guess that’s true. Can you answer something for me, though?”

“Depends what it is.”

“Well, it’s just that…it’s snowing right now, and I can’t help but feel like maybe…it shouldn’t be? It’s kind of weird that the seasons change by themselves, too. I don’t know...it’s silly, really.”

“Well, that’s partially correct. You see, when I moved you and Polaris, I was obviously under severe physical and emotional distress, and I may have accidentally moved the two of you through both space and time. By my calculation, Polaris was displaced forward in the timeline by eight months and you…” He looked upwards at the snow and then back at her. “Not at all.”

“Not…not all.”

“You told me you remember watching the Crystal Empire disappear, and I can assure you that happened not long after I moved you two. At the most you’re ahead by a few minutes.”

“But then, why is it snowing? It feels like it’s too soon.”

Starswirl thought about this for a moment. “Well, let’s see. It was early September when Sombra attacked, I believe. How long have you been here?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Autumn came pretty quickly, and it’s been snowing for a few weeks, so maybe…January?”

“Hmmm, you must be somewhere further south of where the Crystal Empire was, then. I believe that place saw snow as early as mid-November, correct?”
Equina nodded. “It’s been like this for weeks now, though…oh!” She cried out suddenly as she remembered something. “I wonder if I’ve missed Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
“Perhaps,” Starswirl responded thoughtfully. “If I were in your position, I would count the weeks until the snow began melting. You’re lucky the seasons here change by themselves, you know, otherwise there’d be no way to figure out what time of year it was.”

“I guess you’re right about that,” she agreed. “So…Polaris isn’t here yet, right?”

“As far as I know, you…won’t see each other again. I only know where to go from memory, but you’ll still communicate with him!” Starswirl added hastily, seeing Equina’s forlorn look.

“How?”

“If I told you everything, it would be cheating, don’t you agree?”

Equina smiled. “I guess. So, in eight months, Polaris is going to randomly appear somewhere?”

“Not eight, my dear. It’s snowing, and for simplicity’s sake, let’s say it’s early January, which means-”

“Four months.”

Starswirl nodded. “Yes, and I imagine he will be very upset.”

“You haven’t seen him yet?”

Starswirl shook his head. “Most of what I would say to him he either already knows or doesn’t care about. I am, however, bringing him…” His voice trailed off.

“Bringing him what?”

“I…you see, I’m not sure you’re going to like this.”

“What are you bringing him?”

“Well, after your mother died, I wanted the body to be taken care of respectfully, so…” His words died as Equina’s expression quickly began reflecting her thoughts on this news.

“And you chose Polaris?”

“I assure you, I have very good reasons for this decision.”

Equina thought about this and sat staring at Starswirl for a while, the cold wind whistling through the hole above their heads before finally answering.

“Can I see her?”

“You’re…you’re not upset that I didn’t choose you?”

“You have good reasons, right?”

Starswirl nodded curtly.

“Then please just let me see her.”

Starswirl ended his storage spell, and Clover’s body slowly came into view. Gently, he placed her on the ground between them.

Equina looked at her and placed a hoof on her face. “You weren’t going to tell me about this, were you.”

“I…didn’t think you would take it as well as you are.”

Equina nodded blankly before leaning down and resting her head on her mother, as she had done months ago.

“She always taught me never to give up, to always keep trying.” She sniffed as tears filled her eyes and then closed them.

“I’m going to miss her. She was my best friend and the best caster I’ve ever met.”

Equina sat up and wiped her eyes. “Thank you for letting me see her again.” She turned away as Starswirl performed the storage spell.
She sat there for a few moments sniffling before composing herself and asking a new question.

“Can you bring Polaris here?”

Starswirl shook his head. “I’m now incapable of teleporting anypony but myself, never mind moving them through time as well.”

“Oh…well, what if I look for him?”

Starswirl, who had been looking around the room, put a claw up to his chin and chuckled. “You’re welcome to try, but I think you’ll have other things to worry about.”

“Like what?”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” he responded with a smile.

Equina wiped her eyes. “You’re always speaking in riddles.”

“Have you ever tried it? It’s actually quite fun.”

“Hmph…when you show up here again, I’m gonna get you back.”

“Ah, that would explain it.”

“Explain what?”

“Exactly.”

For the first time in many months, Equina found herself laughing. For a while now, she had sort of just been going through each day mindlessly, but now she had full closure. Even though all of her questions wouldn’t be answered, she had at least been able to say a proper goodbye to her mother.

Starswirl had now begun laughing as well, and hearing this only made her happier. It had been too long since she had felt like this, and, elusive and eccentric as he was, she couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Starswirl hadn’t helped.

‘Maybe laughter isn’t as weak as I thought.’

“Starswirl,” she said, having come to this realization. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do? Some way to help you? You’ve done so much for all of us; it’s not fair that this has to happen to you. Are you sure there’s nothing-”

“Don’t. For the first time in many years, I have no idea what’s going to happen, and I think…I think I’m okay with that.”

“Hmm…Polaris told me you were always very careful about what you said and did around us, but before you told me that everything works out so things happen how they’re supposed to. Why did you work that hard, anyway?”

“I was younger then. I didn’t realize at that point that it really doesn’t matter. But now it’s like I get to start over. It won’t be me, but, and I don’t know if this is just my damaged mind talking, I’ve been alive for a very long time, and I’m tired. I think it’s time I took a break, anyway.”

Equina nodded, and the two of them stood up.

“Thank you for everything,” she said as she hugged him.

“No more questions? That’s it?”

“Oh, I have plenty,” she said, letting go. “And even though my mother taught me never to give up, my dad taught me to know when there was nothing more to be said or done.”

Starswirl nodded. “Your father loved the three of you very much, and it was unfair that he passed away when he did. I often consider…if I had done things differently…”

“It’s not your fault. Like you said, a lot of different events caused all of this.”

“I…yes, I suppose you’re right.” He shook his head. “Before I go, however, there is one last thing I would like to do for you.”

He clapped a paw and talon together and suddenly the fire was gone, replaced by a stove attached to the wall. The ceiling closed itself, and almost instantly the room felt warmer.

“This way,” he said to her as they left the kitchen and entered the main hall.

Equina couldn’t believe her eyes. The rickety wooden front door had been replaced with a magnificent oak set of two. High above them on the same wall were three beautiful stained glass windows, and the rest of the walls were adorned with torches and tapestries, the floor covered in a marvelous red carpet.

The stairs leading up to the second floor had been adjusted and repositioned to be even and were now decorated with a gleaming brass banister, while two crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling overhead. Several hallways led away from the main hall in different directions, all covered with stone archway ceilings.

“Starswirl, this is…how did you do all this?” She turned to him only to see that he had fallen to his knees and was breathing quite heavily. She sat down next to him and put a hoof on his serpentine back.

“You told me you couldn’t do really powerful magic anymore.”

Starswirl coughed violently before answering. “It’s not that. These powers, you’ll remember, are chaotic. I’ve been keeping them at bay, but in order to do this,” he gestured around them. “I had to let them take control and then take it back.” He shivered. “That was quite draining, but necessary, given what you’re going to be tasked with.”

“Great, more riddles,” Equina answered as she helped him stand up.

“I don’t know where all the rooms are exactly,” he groaned. “But I’m sure you’ll learn the layout just from exploring. Most of your belongings should be where they’re supposed to. You might find a few misplaced items for the first couple weeks, but…”

“Oh, no, this is amazing!” She gave the entrance hall another glance. “I don’t even know what to say. I’ll do my best to do…whatever it is I’m supposed to do.”

Starswirl smiled again. “Well, I’m not really supposed to give hints, but if I were you, I’d start with the Elements of Harmony.”
Equina gasped and opened her mouth to respond, but Starswirl had, of course, already disappeared.

***

‘How can I say this?’

It was a question Equina had become all too familiar with over the past two months. To pass the lonely time, she had taken to writing about her past and the fate the Crystal Empire had met, but writing wasn’t a particularly favorite hobby of hers, as she found she obsessed too much over wording her sentences just perfectly, and she often found herself struggling to get her thoughts on paper. She wasn’t nearly as worried about concealing information as Starswirl had been, however. If she wrote something nopony else was supposed to know, the timeline would simply correct it.

Currently, she was working on her recollection of the six months she had spent trapped inside the castle. She found it helpful to write from a third pony perspective. She was just stuck on the potion Sombra had given her. She had no idea what was in it, and none of the other books she had had been helpful. The potion was a light pink; that much she remembered, but no combination of ingredients she had tried had produced a potion of that same color and effect.

She looked at the snails she had sitting in the jar her mother had given her and sighed. She felt bad for testing potions on them, but she couldn’t test them on herself, and after seeing some of the results she was glad she didn’t. She had made a variety of different potions with a light pink color, but some of the effects were outright dangerous. Some snails died immediately, some exploded, (her least favorite was the potion that caused them to explode several hours after administering it) some began floating, while others turned intangible, causing them to fall through the floor, and others simply disappeared, never to be seen again.

‘Maybe I’ll just work on the recipe later,’ she considered silently and began writing about something else.

‘After my father rescued me, he stayed with me, helping me recover from the effects of the potion for six months while the world outside the castle slowly fell apart. My brother was out there, though for a long time I barely remembered that he existed, and after a “happenstance” meeting with Starswirl, (I suspect he knew more at the time than he let on) the two came to see me at the castle, causing Sombra to cast the spell that would ultimately result in suspending the citizens of the Crystal Empire (save, for reasons I still don’t fully understand, my brother) in a sort of “frozen” state. Time did not pass for them, though it did for the structures around them, and six months of neglect, intermittent day/night cycles, and seasonal weather changes took their toll on them.

‘Anyway, Starswirl and my brother recruited the assistance of a changeling, a creature that can, as the name suggests, assume the physical appearance of anypony it sees. The changeling took the place of our mother, whom Polaris witnessed the death of during a conversation with her. (This conversation took place at the exact moment Sombra cast the suspension spell. However, the changeling’s biology caused her to react to it differently, and she died). Our real mother was brought to a “safer” (I will address this later) point in time by Starswirl and my brother dropped off at the castle to rescue me. There he encountered our father, spoke with him, and proceeded to search the castle for me after realizing Sombra was loose. (He, too, had been under the effects of the love potion but, unlike me, had nopony to help him recover from it). Unfortunately, Sombra had already captured me and brought me to the top of the tower, trapping me in what I can only describe as a suppression spell.

'It was terrible. The spell itself was like a bubble that surrounded me, clouding my thoughts and preventing me from breaking it. Physical force was, of course, no use whatsoever, as the more I struggled, the less I felt I wanted to. Eventually, I gave up and fell asleep, collapsing on the ground. My brother arrived there (I assume) shortly afterward, having been trapped by Sombra in a hallway that had a spell cast on it to self-repeat. He discovered me this way, and after a short, rather one-sided battle, my brother did something I never would have thought possible. Beaten and broken, he concentrated what was left of his magical energy on two mysterious objects he had been given. His spell, one which I haven’t seen and don’t believe anypony has seen before, combined with these two objects, a scale and a feather, created a creature unlike any other, a completely new kind of life. It was covered in scales, with two massive wings on its back, a long, snaking tail, four large, sharp claws, and (its most fascinating feature) a mouth that could breathe scorching fire. In one sweeping motion it knocked Sombra off of the tower and then reached through the spell bubble to grab me.

'I was awake in an instant, screaming in horror. I tried to fire a stun spell at it to no avail; this creature (to my knowledge, it hasn’t been named yet) is impervious to magic. My brother quickly called to me, and, hearing his voice, I calmed down. The beast placed me gently on the floor, then swiftly took flight.’

She sat back and let out a breath. ‘That’s probably enough for now,’ she decided. Her head was foggy from writing so much, and she needed some fresh air. Snowfall had been steadily decreasing lately, and plants had started growing out again, making it much more enjoyable to go outside.

***

She had finally done it. Through failed attempt after failed attempt, she had finally been able to recreate the potion Sombra had made for her, much to the relief of the local snail population. Now she could write about it in detail so that nopony would ever try to make it again. It had taken her weeks and weeks, and, though she had no idea where, if Starswirl was correct, Polaris would be arriving in about a month. She had kept close tabs on how many days passed by since Starswirl had visited her and had kept consistently raising and lowering the sun and moon. Starswirl had told her Polaris would be upset, but knowing his sister was still alive might help him a bit.

She stood up and stretched, yawning loudly before making her way to the kitchen via teleportation, which she had finally learned only a few weeks ago. She put the kettle on the stove and was about to turn it on when she heard a series of knocks.

Confused, she walked into the entrance hall towards the source, and, sure enough, the knocks were louder. Was it Starswirl? She approached the door slowly, putting her eye up to the peephole. There was nopony in sight.

“Hello?” she heard a muffled voice yell. It sounded very young. She stepped back and opened the two doors with her magic. Three small fillies met her surprised gaze.

One was completely white, with a glimmering rainbow mane and tail and lavender eyes. The one next to her was a very dark blue, including her mane and tail, which sparkled as well. Her eyes were dark green. The third one was completely black with dark purple splotches all over her coat. Her mane and tail were streaks of the same two colors, and her eyes followed a similar color scheme, save for the purple. The most prominent and perplexing feature, however, was one, Equina noticed, all three of them shared. They were alicorns, just like her. Equina walked towards them slowly as the beginning suspicions that she was dreaming began to set in.

“Can…can I help you?” she asked.

“My name is Celestia!” the white one said as she walked forward, a big smile on her face. She was the one who had called out.

“Mine’s Luna!” the dark blue one added, following the other into the castle.

The final one soon followed suit, and the three of them walked right up to a very bewildered Equina, simultaneously taking a seat in front of her. The remaining filly looked up at her, her smile matching the two others,’ and introduced herself as well. “I’m Astra! The three of us are sisters!”

Luna pulled out a piece of paper from behind her ear and held it out to Equina. If these three fillies randomly showing up hadn’t been enough to make her day strange, the message on the paper certainly was.

Hey, sis. I finally thought of a name. It’s called a dragon.

***

Within hours, Equina had figured out the task Starswirl mentioned, though knowing this didn’t help much. For the first few days, she was at a complete loss as to what she should do. How could she possibly be expected to look after these three fillies? Despite their unanimous insistence that she was their mother, she knew for a fact that she had never met them before. Would someone be coming for them? Where did they come from? Where did the note Luna had given to her come from? She tried asking them these questions but quickly gave up when it became apparent that they didn’t have the answers to them, either.

It didn’t take long for the three of them to start referring to her as their mother, though Astra was the last to do so, waiting until the morning of the next day of their arrival, and Equina was convinced that this was only because she was the least talkative of the three. She was certainly, however, no less energetic, for that morning Astra had woken her up by climbing under her bed covers and then lying down on top of her.

A few weeks had gone by since then, and during that time Equina had become more comfortable with the idea of raising three alicorn fillies, though she was still somewhat disappointed they couldn’t offer her more answers. As the days went by, however, Equina found herself to be less and less bothered by this. Starswirl had made the castle more than spacious enough to accommodate three energetic fillies, which was good since they spent many a day playing in it, as, she reluctantly recalled one day, she and Sombra had done in the Crystal Castle when they had been foals themselves (hide and seek was Celestia’s favorite game). They loved the library, too, and would frequently ask what their mother was reading about or writing down. Equina did her best to explain to them what she could, but it wasn’t always easy, especially on one day in particular when she had been sitting at her desk and Luna had asked her what the Elements of Harmony were.

Equina hadn’t thought about the Elements in long time; she had been far too busy with everything else going on, and when she asked where Luna had heard about them, Luna pointed to an unfurled scroll hanging over the edge of her mother’s desk, buried beneath a pile of papers and other books.

“Oh, that was just something I was working on a while ago,” Equina answered. “I got stuck and started doing other things, and I guess I just never got back to it.”

“Oh, well, maybe now you can do it?”

“Hmm…maybe…” she responded absently.

“How’d you think of them, anyway?”

Equina thought for a while how best to answer this question. She couldn’t possibly tell Luna about all the horrible things that had happened to her and her family. In fact, she had carefully hidden her written account of these events with a storage spell. No one should be forced to relive what she had gone through, least of all any of her daughters.

“Mommy?”

“Sorry, I…it was just an idea that I got from the story of how my home was created. I didn’t always live in this forest.”

Luna looked shocked. “You didn’t? Where then? Can we go there? Is your mommy there?”

“It was…” Equina now realized her voice was trembling. “It was called The Crystal Empire, and…it’s gone.” She forced herself as much as she could not to cry.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing, sweetie. I’m-”

“Luna! Why is mommy crying? What did you do?”

Celestia had come in with Astra following her. The two had spent most of the day running around and chasing each other through the castle, giving Equina some free time to read.

“I didn’t do anything!” She took a few steps forward and stood on her hind legs, resting her front hooves on her mother. “I’m sorry, mommy. I didn’t mean it, I swear!”

“No, no, it wasn’t you,” Equina answered, stroking Celestia’s mane as she began climbing on the chair. Luna and Astra quickly followed suit, and the three of them stood up, leaning against their mother for support and embracing her.

“Don’t cry, mommy,” Astra whispered. “We want you to be happy.”

“I’m very happy,” Equina said, smiling. “I love you all so much.”

She wrapped her hooves around them, glancing briefly at the parchment on the desk before closing her eyes, realizing, truly, that she had everything she needed. All that mattered to her was caring for her three daughters. Perhaps they could even help her work on the Elements.

She felt Celestia nuzzle her, and she smiled. Now she had something worth protecting. Now the Elements could be finished. She no longer cared about where they had come from or why. All that mattered was that they were there, and she would do everything in her power to care for them. Something had brought her exactly what she needed, in her time of loneliness, something amazing, something unexplainable, something…magic.

Author's Note:

Hi, there! I'd say Chapter 10 won't take as long, but I have no way of knowing that for sure.
Fun fact: I just remembered that I finally put up cover art. I'd love to know what you think of it. I basically just clumped a bunch of re-sized and cropped images together, since that's all I know how to do, so if you feel anything needs tweaking (and it probably does) please let me know. I've also put it on my deviantart account, and that's where all future cover art will go as well. You can find it here:
http://little-spikey-wikey.deviantart.com/art/Astra-Cover-Art-499206462