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Divine Intervention

by Orthoros

Chapter 12: 10. Setting Up Shop

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Atlas was cooped up in the room Twilight had provided for him. After setting a few things in motion and discussing a few of Twilight's questions, he had thrown himself headfirst into his work. Hundreds of years of training made his work process almost flawless, several quills writing down different things on their respective scrolls. Most of the groundwork had been done by him before when he made the array the first time, so now all he had to do was adjust it to fit the different method of execution.

Aside from integrating a mana relay, that would siphon the mana from Equestria’s citizens and deliver it to the central array in ponyville, he had to split and fuse his earlier design, as he was now using flat surfaces instead of perfectly shaped caves for his arrays.

He wasn’t sure how long he had spent working, since due to his incredible focus on his task, there was little time to question trivial things, like how hungry he was or how much time had passed.

“Atlas!”

Atlas flinched as someone shouted into his ear at full volume. Everything that was held in his magic clattered to the floor as he momentarily lost control, whirling around to face the assailant of his fluffy hearing organs. His field of view was filled with blue, as he came face to face with an uncomfortably close Luna. She seemed annoyed for some reason, her current mood obvious to read from her facial expression.

“Jeez Luna, could you not do that? Daddy’s working on something really important right now…” Atlas said, glad that he wasn’t being attacked.

“I tried calling out to you normally several times,” Luna said while Atlas picked up his notes in his magic and checking if he accidentally made a mistake because of the shock he received. “Yet, you were so absorbed into your work that I had to take some rather drastic methods to get your attention.”

“I was?” Atlas said with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry about that. Writing on four different scrolls without making mistakes tends to put a lot of stress on the mind, and unless I shut out anything unnecessary, I won’t be able to do it.”

“Yes, yes, very impressive,” Luna rolled her eyes. “But you’ve been in here for three days now and Twilight is growing worried.”

“Oh, has it been so long already?” Atlas set down the freshly checked and stacked scrolls on the large desk he was working with. “I should probably eat something soon.”

“Or sleep, for that matter,” Luna mentioned.

“There are spells for that,” Atlas said smugly. “How come Twilight’s worried about me? I heard she’s a bit of a bookworm herself and known to go on binges just like this.”

“Yes, she indeed does similar things, but when she does, she still takes some breaks to eat and sleep, and isn’t totally apathetic to other ponies entering her chambers, or their attempts to talk,” Luna explained, ripping open the closed blinds in the room. “Spike has also been bringing you food, all of which was completely untouched.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll apologize to them, and explain properly about my needs,” Atlas relented. “But I seriously doubt that’s all you’re here for. What’s up? Are there any news?”

“Everything is going according to schedule,” Luna nodded. “The ponies around Equestria are being informed of the situation, and most of them are more than willing to help.”

“Most of them?” Atlas asked with a raised eyebrow.

“There might or not be some crazy conspiracy ponies who are saying that we’re actually trying to destroy everything, but I’m proud to say that the trust of our ponies is strong enough that they put little faith in their claims,” Luna replied. “But that’s not why I’m here either.”

“What is it then?”

“Well, since you said that you’ll have to level the site for the array, I had to make an appointment with the Ponyville mayor. You’ll have to do your fancy large-scale spells today, or there might arise a few problems,” Luna finally revealed.

“You had to make an appointment for this?” Atlas asked with disbelief. “I can’t believe that we have to make appointments to save the world…”

“The problem is the citizens of Ponyville,” Luna explained. “They are a rather skittish bunch, and if large-scale spells are cast within their village without prior warning, there might be a panic. That’s why I came to an agreement with Mayor Mare that you’d do your spells today. This way the common folk can be informed of what’s to come, therefore minimizing the chance of ponies freaking out.”

Atlas sighed deeply before walking over to the door. “Alright, I get it. I wouldn’t say I’m far enough with my designs yet to start doing anything physical, but I guess if it’s just leveling the array site there shouldn’t be much of an issue. Just as a heads up though, since I found out that the elements are still intact and in fact right under our noses, I had to adjust the size of the array. It’ll be a bit bigger than what I marked on the first day.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem, we’ll just have to tell them to stand a bit further back,” Luna replied matter-of-factly.

“Wait a minute,” Atlas paused halfway through the door. “What do you mean?”

“Well, after the announcement was made, a lot of ponies expressed their desire to come and watch such a grand spectacle,” Luna smiled sheepishly. “I’m afraid there will be quite a crowd waiting for you.”

“Are you actually serious?” Atlas made a face as if he just bit into a lemon. “Please tell me you’re not.”

“I’m as serious as I can get. I believe a few of them already gathered outside early in the morning to secure themselves a good spot.”

“Fucking hell,” Atlas deadpanned. “I wasn’t really planning on this being a big show of some kind, you know? It should barely take more than two minutes to do this, you know? And it shouldn’t even look very impressive, just a big circle coming down from above and flattening everything. Short and efficient, and most importantly, boring.”

Atlas started walking again, now entering the crystal hallway proper, Luna following close behind. The door shut after them as they started their small trek to the field just behind Twilight's castle. Now that he was paying more attention, he could hear the quiet chatter of ponies floating up to them through the windows, giving even more credibility to Luna's claim.

“Oh come on, all these ponies came out here just to watch,” Luna complained. “Can’t you spruce it up a little? Just a bit? For me?”

“You didn’t promise them some grand spectacle, didn’t you?” Atlas asked, trepidation evident in his voice.

“I might have laid it on a bit thick when I told them about what you were going to do…” Luna said, making it a point to not look at her father. She could feel his eyes boring through her skull, the unspoken accusation lying heavily in the air. “I’m sorry, okay!? I was just so excited that you’re finally back with us and wanted everypony to know how amazing you really were!” Luna finally cracked, and even though she was incredibly old, she felt just like a filly again.

“Oh, Luna…” Atlas sighed. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Oh, thank you!” Luna squeed. “This is gonna be so cool!”

“How old were you again?” Atlas asked with a chuckle. “I don’t feel like I’m conversing with an age-old being right now.”

“Hush, don’t act like you’re all that grown-up, you act more like a foal as I do at times,” Luna huffed, making her way down a flight of stairs with her father. They could see the doors leading outside now, where Twilight and Spike were waiting.

“I suppose,” Atlas relented reluctantly. “Before we meet up with the others, please tell me we don’t have to do this at every array location around Equestria? I was planning to have Discord set them up…”

“While Celestia has also set aside certain times for the arrays to be set up, there wasn’t any mention of who it’ll be that will make them. I’m sure it’ll be fine if you leave it to… my brother…” Luna said the last few words as if they were alien to her, her face contorting a bit when she did so.

“Good, I don’t think I have more than one of these performances in me,” Atlas said as he waved towards Twilight. “Gotta conserve my mana and all that jazz, you know?”

“I understand perfectly,” Luna nodded. “I’ll make sure to consult you next time before making a decision like this.”


“As long as you understand,” Atlas smiled, stopping in front of their host. “Good morning Twilight, Spike.”

“And a good morning to you too Atlas,” Twilight beamed, the greeting echoed by Spike. “Is everything ready?”

“I would say we’re still far, far away from being ready,” Atlas said and relished in Twilight's slightly panicked look. “But since I’m only going to prepare the site today, I’d say I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Great!” Twilight said relieved. “I think everypony has already gathered outside and is patiently waiting for you to start. I think they’ve been really looking forward to it.”


“Are you sure that it’s not you that’s looking forward to it the most?” Atlas chuckled. “Judging by what I’ve seen so far from you, I have no doubt that you’ll take enough notes to fill half a library.”

“I’m not that excited…” Twilight said with a blush. “I will take a few notes about the event, though. Could we maybe, if at all possible, go over them at a later point in time? Only if you want, of course.”

Atlas eyed the lavender unicorn for a few seconds, remembering what Luna told him earlier. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find some time,” he eventually said. “Also, I’m sorry for shutting myself in like that for the past few days. I’m not used to having ponies around me, so I just kind of shut everything out in order to concentrate better.”

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Twilight replied. “I know first-hoof how that can be, although you’d do us all a favor if you at least ate something. Spike and I started to worry for a bit there…”

“I’ll make sure to remind myself of that,” Atlas nodded. “Now then, I believe there’s a crowd waiting for us, due to my mischievous daughter…”

“Yes, I’m afraid this has turned into quite the spectacle,” Twilight shook her head. “I do believe I even saw a few food stands, out there, trying to capitalize on the event.”

“Alright, let’s get this done and over with then,” Atlas said, pumping himself up. “I don’t like crowds.”

Atlas magically pushed open the door and stepped outside, Luna, Twilight, and Spike following shortly behind him. As they made their way around the base of the castle, the cacophony of the gathered ponies grew louder and louder. When they finally made it to the other side, Atlas eye began to twitch slightly.

At least a few hundred ponies had come out to see him work his magic, evidently expecting a show like no other. Families had made themselves comfortable on blankets, eating an early lunch in the form of a picnic, while others simply decided to sit down together with their friends. Fillies and colts ran through the masses, playing among the adults and reveling in the excitement everypony was displaying.

Slowly but surely, the first few ponies noticed that Twilight and Luna had appeared and were making their way over towards a secluded spot, a secure distance away from the onlookers. An awed hush laid itself over the gathered ponies, as they patiently waited for something to happen.

“They’re all staring at me…” Atlas mumbled while he kept walking.

“Well, you are the star of the party after all,” Luna chuckled. “Right now you’re even more interesting than I am to them.”

“I wish that wasn’t the case…” Atlas sighed, surveying the area he’d have to work with. “Alright, I’ll set down a new marking first, since the old one is too small. Please make sure that nopony is inside the marking, or they might get hurt… or die…” Atlas muttered the last part to himself before taking a deep breath.

Atlas fired up his horn with purple energy, summoning a small circle before him. He flung the circle up into the air, similar to how one would throw a lasso, yet, the circle just kept on rising, the eyes of everypony glued to the slowly ascending light. About a hundred feet into the air, it suddenly jerked to a stop, before violently expanding with a loud bang. It grew to humongous size in the span of a second, the loud noise startling quite a few ponies.

The circle started to descend slowly, until it touched down on the ground, even going as far as phasing through a few ponies, who giggled at the sensation it evoked. When it touched down on the grass, it burned away the greenery, effectively marking the location with a giant circle of dirt.

“Citizens of Ponyville!” Luna announced with the royal canterlot voice, causing Atlas to cringe away from her. “We must ask that you retreat to behind the line that was just drawn, lest you risk getting injured.”

The ponies happily obliged with their princesses request, while Atlas rubbed his ringing ears. “Damn Luna, why don’t you warn me next time you do that?” His ears continued twitching as he shot Twilight and Spike a dirty look. “Besides, how come those two look completely fine?”

“Deafening spell,” Twilight replied nonchalantly. “I took the liberty of applying it to Spike as well.”

“Yeah, being around Luna can really do a number on your ears…” Spike added.

“And what exactly stopped you from applying it to me as well?” Atlas grunted. “Not exactly one of my most pleasurable experiences so far…”

“I assumed you’d do it on your own,” Twilight looked confused. “With Princess Luna being your daughter, I assumed you were already used to this.”

“Let me be the first one to tell you then…” Atlas turned back to face his soon-to-be array. “Back in the days, Luna didn’t have a habit of randomly shattering nearby ponies eardrums. What’s up with that anyways?”

“There was a time where Tia and I were required to speak like this when addressing nobles,” Luna explained. “It was considered regal. Nowadays we mostly use it to address large crowds. As you can see, it’s most helpful in that regard.”

Luna's statement was accompanied by her pointing towards Ponyville's residents, who, by now, had finished relocating. Even the ponies who were situated all the way in the back had apparently heard her just fine, as now nopony was left inside the marked circle.

“Alright, maybe it’s effective,” Atlas rolled his eyes. “Still, next time, a little warning, please? I’m old enough as is, I don’t need to add being deaf to the ever growing list of old people aches.”

“Nonsense, you’re just as young and fit as you’ve been a thousand years ago,” Luna tutted. “I know you’re not an alicorn, but you don’t age, just like us.”

“Where’s Discord when you need him…” Atlas grumbled. “All my jokes are falling flat…”

Just as he finished his sentence, letters materialized with a tiny explosion of green confetti in front of Atlas. They appeared to be made of cardboard, spelling out the word “Joke”. They hovered in front of him for a second, before falling to the ground, lying flush against the grass.

Atlas blinked a few times, as did everypony else who saw it. “Yeah alright, fuck you too, Discord.”

“Do you think he’s just always watching you, waiting for opportunities like this?” Luna asked, her eyes glued to the letters, almost afraid of the implications.

“Fuck if I know,” Atlas harrumphed back. “I wouldn’t put it behind him, though,” he added with a slight smile. “But that’s neither here nor there, let’s get this show on the road. I have an empty room in the castle that calls for me, and I must heed it by locking myself inside of it.”

Atlas closed his eyes for a moment, visualizing the sequence of spells he’d need to cast before actually doing it. Messing up wouldn’t only make him look unprofessional, but could also endanger innocent ponies at the same time. Satisfied, he nodded once before opening them again. “Alright, I’m about to start, please make sure that nopony disrupts me, or that anypony crosses over the line.”

Luna nodded before taking a few steps back, together with Twilight and Spike. A deep breath later, Atlas horn lit up with a brilliant purple. Twilight squinted her eyes, as she saw a few flickers of pink, red, and orange run along the runes carved on his horn.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening, except for Atlas’ horn to glow brighter and brighter, but then, the first earth ponies noticed that the earth began to shake. The small tremors grew in intensity as the audience started to shoot uncertain glances towards their princesses and the one responsible for the phenomenon.

Just as some ponies started having trouble standing up, cracks started appearing all throughout the marked area. They grew and grew, as something seemed to unearth itself slowly. It became immediately apparent just what it was when the suddenly one of the cracks violently started spewing lava everywhere. With explosions, the other cracks joined in on the spectacle, imitating miniature volcanoes.

Lava globs as big as a ponies head flew straight towards where the audience was, before crashing against a purple shield, erected by Atlas. They fell to the ground, joining the spreading lava until the whole area was covered in a sheet of molten rock.

After overcoming their initial uncertainty, the ponies soaked up the spectacle. They were watching the events unfold with a smile on their face while a few parents had to actively hold back their children from reaching out and touching the burning death right in front of them. Even though they were almost sitting on the force of nature in front of them, they barely felt any heat penetrate through the shield that was protecting them.

In short order, the miniature volcanoes stopped spewing their payload everywhere, but before the ponies could start cheering, Atlas already went to the next step. A low rumble announced the arrival of a single thundercloud at the center of the circle. It rapidly expanded until it couldn’t go any further, seemingly being squished against an invisible barrier.

Contrary to all laws of nature, a single snowflake could be seen falling from the clouds and onto the burning ground. Soon, more and more snow began to fall, and the wind began to pick up. A blizzard was forming right in front of their eyes.

The heat of the lava was fighting with the cold of the blizzard in a violent display of nature. Snowflakes evaporated as soon as they made contact with the ground, but the clouds and the winds didn’t relent, constantly chipping away at the heat. Slowly, the lava that had been roiling and boiling became more sluggish, a few patches already starting to cool down.

The fight continued for a while, but eventually, the lava had to relent to the cold. Crackling could be heard as the once molten rock solidified once more, blackness replacing the reds and yellows that had been predominant up to this point. More and more lava was converted, until the clouds above dispersed, and all that was left in their wake was a giant slab of volcanic rock.

Luna looked at what her father had produced in a never seen before display and furrowed her brows. Atlas had stressed again and again that the surface he needed had to be as flat as possible, and what she was looking at now, was anything but.

Her question was answered when Atlas’ horn switched from glowing a bright purple to a deep red. Shortly after, a shockwave sliced vertically through the giant slab of stone, emerging from the other side seemingly undisturbed. The top half was then lifted up into the air, before being broken apart into smaller pieces, which Atlas neatly stacked behind them, close to the castle.

What was left behind, was a giant circle of perfectly polished obsidian, it’s shiny black surface reflecting the sun high up above. Another red shockwave spewed forth from Atlas’ horn, this one traveling along the circumference of the circle. All it did was cut the side of the stone at an angle, making the huge stone seem like a pedestal of epic proportions.

Luna squinted and saw that the edge had been rounded, most likely to prevent ponies from cutting themselves. “Well then, was that “epic” enough for you, dearest daughter?” Atlas asked when he turned around.

“It was certainly a sight to see,” Luna nodded. “I believe you’ve proven just how mighty you are. Don’t you think so, Twilight?”

No answer came from the lavender unicorn, prompting Luna to turn her head with a questioning look. Twilight was busy scribbling on a piece of parchment, so absorbed in her task that she probably hadn’t heard the question.

“I do believe that I should tell you all that you need to know,” Atlas said with a raised eyebrow. “Could you do me a favor and tell your citizens that they’re allowed to step on the platform I made? They seem awfully curious, but are holding themselves back for some reason,” he added with a devious smirk.

Luna nodded and turned around once more, seeing that the ponies indeed seemed to be enraptured by the new addition to their town. “Citizens of Ponyville!” A shriek could be heard nearby. “The stone has been deemed safe and you are free to explore it to your heart's content.”

Loud cheers erupted, as ponies spilled out on the platform, the foals being the first before any of the adults could even react. Once again, Luna faced her father with a bemused smile, finding him cackling like a madman. Upon her curious look, he simply pointed over towards Twilight, which had stabbed her quill straight through the parchment she was writing on and was rubbing her ears with a pained look on her face.

“Oh, sweet, sweet revenge!” Atlas called out.

“Ow…” Twilight winced while Spike was behind her snickering into his claws. He had seen it coming and wisely plugged up his ears beforehand.

“Well, I’m sure the purple one has just about a million questions that she wants to ask me,” Atlas calmed down a bit. “But before I do that, would you mind if I took a quick scan of the present populace? This would be a good opportunity to get a rough idea of what I’m working with, mana-wise, considering most of ponyville is present right now.”

“Go right ahead,” Luna gestured towards the masses sprawling over the obsidian slab. “I do hope they won’t be inconvenienced by this?”

“Nah,” Atlas said while firing up his horn and closing his eyes. “Won’t notice a thing.”

Luna couldn’t see it, but she felt a pulse of magic emanating from Atlas, which washed over her before continuing towards the mob. Atlas soaked up the information that his spell sent back to him, mentally recording the rough numbers. All in all, he was rather satisfied, as the amount of present mana equaled more or less what he had used to calculate up until this point.

He was about to cut the spell when two rather… unusual pings returned to him. He tilted his head, confused about what they could be. At first glance, the originators were definitely ponies, but something was… off about them. Their magical signatures seemed oddly familiar, yet appeared like some sort of caricature of what they were supposed to be. He magically attached a tracker on each of the signatures, resolving to investigate once all of this was over.

“Alright, I do believe my calculations are on the right track,” Atlas nodded. “Do you need anything else from me? If not, I’ll retreat back to my work.”

“That would be everything, thank you,” Luna smiled warmly. “What should we do with all that spare rock you stacked up over there, though?” She added, pointing at the offending rocks.

“Sell them,” Atlas smirked. “I heard obsidian is pretty rare and should sell for a pretty penny.”

With these words, Atlas left Luna, Twilight, and Spike alone to their thoughts, as they watched him walk off towards the castle, each with a different kind of awe in their eyes.

Author's Notes:

This one took a little longer to write. Because, you guessed it, I'm lazy. Updates may be slow in the coming months, because of games. You know? It's the season after all.

Once again, thanks to my proofreader Soren Mercer.

Today's chapter was brought to you by this song.

Come join us in the Discord channel! Lonk

Or the official Divine Entertainment group! Divine Universe

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Next Chapter: 11. The Brightest Minds Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 26 Minutes
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