Chapter Text
Far out in the endless dark between stars, a colossal ship cut through the void with regal silence.
The massive vessel resembled a castle forged from ancient Altean design and interstellar machinery alike, its winged structure glowing faintly against the sea of stars. This was the Castle of Lions—home of the Paladins of Voltron and the last surviving remnants of the Altean empire.
Ever since their encounter with the Galran rebel Ulaz—the mysterious warrior who had once aided Shiro during his imprisonment after the ill-fated Kerberos mission—the team had learned of a hidden resistance operating deep within Galran territory: the Blade of Marmora. A secret order of Galra working from the shadows to overthrow Emperor Zarkon himself.
Now, after Shiro had finally strengthened his connection with the Black Lion enough to prevent Zarkon from tracking them through their bond, the path to the Marmora base was finally open.
Inside the bridge, the atmosphere was unusually calm. The Paladins occupied their stations in their lounging attire, enjoying one of the rare quiet moments they had been given since becoming defenders of the universe. Allura stood at her Altean control pillars, guiding the Castle through space while Coran monitored navigation from the main console beside Shiro.
At their stations, reactions varied. Pidge and Hunk could barely contain their excitement at the prospect of seeing hidden Marmora technology firsthand after witnessing Ulaz’s outpost. Lance lounged with visible boredom, arms folded behind his head as if the trip were little more than another long space flight. Shiro, Allura, and Coran remained cautiously optimistic, uncertain whether these hidden Galra could truly be trusted as allies.
And then there was Keith. Silent. Thoughtful.
The Red Paladin sat apart from the others, staring intently at the dagger resting in his hand—the same blade he had carried for most of his life. Ever since seeing Ulaz wield a nearly identical weapon marked with the same five-shaped insignia, questions had begun clawing at the edges of his mind. Questions about the Blade of Marmora—Questions about himself.
Finally, Shiro broke the silence. “Coran, how long until we reach the Marmora base?”
The Altean advisor glanced over the glowing navigation screens. “Based on the coordinates Ulaz provided, we should arrive within seven... vargas.” He paused mid-sentence, brow furrowing as his fingers danced across the console. “That’s interesting.”
Allura turned immediately. “What is it, Coran?”
“There appears to be a life-signature directly ahead of us,” he answered slowly. “But, no spacecraft.” At once, a holographic feed appeared above the bridge console. Floating motionless in the void was a small orange figure drifting helplessly through space.
The bridge fell silent. “It’s organic,” Coran added, confusion evident in his tone. “And somehow still alive.”
Concern crossed Allura’s features instantly. “Pidge, get to your Lion and bring them aboard,” the Altean princess ordered. “Coran, prepare a healing pod immediately.”
Pidge was already moving before the sentence finished.
Moments later, the Green Lion launched from its docking bay and glided into open space. Against the endless backdrop of stars, the Lion approached the drifting figure carefully before opening its massive jaws and gently enclosing the small body inside.
The Green Lion returned swiftly to the Castle. By the time Pidge landed inside the hangar bay, the others had already gathered to meet her. The Lion’s jaws lowered with a mechanical hiss. But instead of stepping out normally, Pidge froze at the edge of the cockpit ramp, staring downward in complete disbelief.
Allura’s expression tightened. “Pidge? Did something happen?”
“Yeah,” Lance added, narrowing his eyes. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
For a moment, Pidge said nothing. Then finally answered, "You guys are not going to believe this." Slowly, she bent down and lifted the unconscious creature into view.
Everyone stared.
The being was small and equine in appearance, with a bright orange coat and a long blonde mane partially tucked beneath a weathered cowboy hat. A trio of red apples marked its flank, while a pair of saddlebags with apple-shaped buckles rested against its sides. Around its neck hung a strange necklace—a golden chain bearing an orange gemstone with some green, carved in the shape of an apple.
Silence consumed the hangar.
Finally, Hunk blinked once and spoke the thought none of them could quite process.
“Um...” He pointed uncertainly. “Is that a... pony?”
(Rock Music)
Voltron,
Harmony Defender!
Voltron,
Harmony Defender!
Voltron,
Harmony Defender!
Voltron,
Harmony Defender!
I never knew what friendship could be,
(Voltron)
Until you shared its magic with me.
(Voltron)
When I felt all alone,
(Voltron)
You were here all along
(Voltron)
I've been honest,
(Oh-oh-oh)
(Voltron)
And so kind
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Voltron)
Your laughter,
(Oh-oh-oh)
(Voltron)
Has brought me a smile
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Voltron)
Your generous,
(Oh-oh-oh)
(Voltron)
And loyal heart
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Voltron)
Has ignited,
(Oh-oh-oh)
(Voltron)
A magic spark!
(Oh-oh-oh-oh)
Voltron
Harmony Defender,
And the Elements
Twelve hearts together,
As the best of friends!
As the best of...
As the best of...
As the best of
Friends!
RubyRainbow118
presents...
Voltron: Harmony Defender!
Inside the crystalline halls of the great friendship castle, five ponies and a young dragon waited within the throne room for the arrival of their absent friend. Sunlight streamed through the towering stained-glass windows, scattering shards of color across the polished floor and illuminating the map table at the center of the chamber.
The atmosphere, however, had begun shifting from calm curiosity into growing impatience.
“What do ya think is taking Twilight so long? Considering she's the one who called us here,” the orange earth pony, Applejack asked, adjusting her hat as she glanced toward the throne room doors.
“I don't know, but it better be worth interrupting my nap for,” the impatient pegasus, Rainbow Dash muttered, slouching lazily across her crystalline throne with her forelegs folded behind her head.
“Oh, I'm sure Twilight wouldn't have called us out of the blue, if it wasn't an emergency,” the shy yellow pegasus, Fluttershy said softly, her wings twitching nervously.
At that moment, the massive doors swung open.
“Sorry I'm late everypony. I was just going over a few things before meeting you here.”
Twilight Sparkle entered quickly, levitating an aged book beside her in a field of shimmering magenta magic. The tome itself was striking—a deep purple cover lined with intricate gold trim, its center embedded with a gemstone shaped as a glowing V-shaped insignia.
“Don't fret darling, we understand that you like being prepared,” the elegant white unicorn, Rarity assured warmly.
Twilight smiled gratefully.
Moments like this reminded her why her friends meant everything to her. No matter how chaotic life became, they always understood her in ways nopony else could. Their bond had carried them through every challenge imaginable, tying them not only to one another, but to the Elements of Harmony themselves.
Before Twilight could continue, the energetic pink earth pony, Pinkie Pie suddenly bounced forward and threw a hoof around her shoulders.
“So what's this super exciting thing you wanted to show us, Twilight?”
Without waiting for an answer, Pinkie zipped back to her throne in a blur of pink motion.
Twilight levitated the mysterious tome onto the center of the Cutie Map table.
“Well, yesterday I was doing a book counting, looking for the old books to take to storage to make room for new ones. When I found this.”
Everypony leaned forward.
The book looked ancient—far older than most texts housed in the castle archives—yet the gemstone set into its cover sparkled with flawless brilliance, as though it had been crafted only yesterday.
Rainbow Dash looked distinctly unimpressed.
“Seriously Twilight, you called us over here to talk about books?”
Several disapproving looks immediately turned in her direction.
“What?”
Twilight sighed patiently before opening the tome.
“It's not just a book, let me explain. First of all, I've never seen this book or even heard of it. It's like it's appeared out of nowhere.”
Rainbow Dash scoffed. “I think we've all had bigger problems than excess books in a library, Twilight.”
The glares intensified.
“Maybe if you'll let me finish, I could explain why it's so important!” Twilight snapped, irritation briefly flashing across her features.
Rainbow immediately shrank back into silence.
Twilight turned another page and pointed toward an elaborate illustration spread across the parchment.
Five enormous lions stared back at them.
Not ordinary lions—but towering majestic beasts colored black, red, blue, yellow, and green. Their eyes glowed gold with fierce intelligence, while the largest among them—the black lion—possessed glowing teal markings along its chest and mane.
“From what I've been reading,” Twilight explained, “it's about five mighty lions that protected their world from evil and those who would try to harm others. They were famously known as ‘Voltron, the protectors of the universe’. That was until great evil forced them to disappear for ten thousand years, and has since then inflicted harm on their world.”
As she flipped the pages, more illustrations appeared.
One depicted a serpentine creature wreathed in shades of purple and crimson, its purple glowing eyes radiating menace. Another showed a blue monstrous bat-being with and yellow eyes and blood-red markings across its face.
“I don't think I like this story very much,” Fluttershy murmured, shrinking lower into her chair.
“But after thousands of moons, they finally returned and have been getting their world back on track and recruiting allies to help them try to end the war.”
Twilight turned the page again, revealing strange alien races gathered beside the lions—scaled beings, armored warriors, and creatures unlike anything Equestria had ever seen.
Rarity tilted her head thoughtfully.
“That was a beautiful story Twilight, but I don't see what was so important that you had us come over.”
Without a word, Twilight turned several more pages and pushed the book toward them. The room fell silent. This image was different. The six Elements of Harmony in front of not five—but six lions.
The Element of Laughter was before the Blue Lion. The Element of Kindness was before the Yellow Lion. The Element of Generosity was the Green Lion. The Element of Loyalty was before the Red Lion. The Element of Honesty was before the Black Lion. Finally the Element of Magic was in front of a new Pink Lion, surrounded by a radiant rainbow aura. It was beautiful!
The other five lions circled protectively around it like guardians surrounding a queen. The illustration shimmered with such beauty and detail that it almost seemed alive.
“I can't explain it but somehow us, the Elements and these Lions are connected.” Twilight’s voice lowered with awe. “After reading, I found a piece of parchment hidden inside the gemstone—which was actually a secret compartment.”
Using her magic, she carefully removed a rolled parchment from the crest and opened it. “It says,
‘Twelve hearts of like hearts and minds,
Will shine and bring an everlasting light,
With bonds so strong and hearts so true,
Their rainbow light will forever shine through.’
“Whatever this prophecy means, it must be referring to us and these lions.” Her eyes burned with determination as she stamped a hoof against the crystal floor. “We have to find them!”
The others exchanged uncertain glances. Then, one by one, smiles spread across their faces.
“And you'll have yer friends ta help you,” Applejack said warmly as she walked over beside the alicorn princess. The others followed close behind.
“I don't care if we have to search all of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash declared proudly, flaring her wings.
“We're all here for you Twilight,” Rarity added gently.
“And always will be,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile.
“Woohoo! This is gonna be so much fun!” Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly.
“As long as these Lions don't try to eat us, I'll be good,” Spike added bravely.
Twilight looked around at her friends, emotion swelling in her chest. “Thanks guys. You're the best friends ever!”
The six ponies and dragon gathered together in a tight embrace beneath the glow of the Cutie Map. And in that moment, surrounded by the friends who had changed her life forever, Twilight knew one thing with absolute certainty: No matter what awaited them beyond the stars… the Magic of Friendship would always guide them forward.
The Paladins and Alteans were all in the pod room—the place where'd they first met—as Coran had finished placing the creature they had found inside a healing pod. The humans were all dumbfounded as to how a mythical creature—that on Earth, believed to be fictional—was right in front of them. It was a wonder to behold. After adjusting the pod, Coran turned to face the others. "Good thing it's small, I'm not sure how we would put them on two feet," he said scratching his head. "Anyway, I've got good news and strange news. The good news is that this should only take a few doboshes. It seems they only need a little exposure to oxygen, no physical injuries"
"That's great,...but what's the strange news?" Shiro asked.
"Well, the good news is the strange news. There is no way for any creature to survive in space without a suit," Coran said.
Pidge walked over to the pod, holding a scanner. "It may have something to do with the necklace. It seems to be giving off strange readings, kinda like it's pulsing," she said, clearly interested.
Allura walked up to Pidge, and took the scanner and said, "It looks like its radiating quintessence!"
They gasped, until Lance asked, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?". He got strange looks from his teammates, "What?".
"That must be how they were able to survive that long in space," Hunk said, finally understanding.
"Where would they get such a powerful artefact?" The Red Paladin, Keith asked. They heard a familiar sound, it was the pod opening.
"Hopefully we can get those answers, but remember we must treat them with respect, they are still a living creature." Allura said, warning her comrades.
The pod opened with the orange creature, but without its hat and saddle bag. "What happened? It feels like I bucked a whole tree of apples on my head," the creature asked, rubbing its head with its front leg, in a female country accent, like it came straight from Texas. "UUhhh....., AAAHHHHH!!!" she screamed backing up from the strange two-legged creatures in front of her. "AAAHHHHHHH!! Where am I?! How'd I get here?! Who are ya?! Wait, ya have two legs, am I in the mirror world?! Would somepony answer me??!!!!"
The Paladins looked at each other and Allura stepped forward, "Hello, there is no need to be alarmed. I am Princess Allura of Planet Altea, and these are the Paladins of Voltron and Coran, my guardian." she said, as she turned to her friends. "We are aboard my Castle of Lions. Please, tell us your name." This made the creature calm down and reassured her they meant no harm.
"Ah'm Applejack, pleasure to make yer acquaintance. Ah come from Ponyville, Equestria, Ah'm a member of the Apple family, and the Element of Honesty. Also, have ya seen my hat and saddle bag?" she said, feeling her bare mane and back.
"Here they are. I kept them nice and safe for you," the Yellow Paladin said with a smile, as he handed her the belongings.
Applejack took them and thanked him, "Why thank you. What's yer name, sugarcube?"
"Well, I'm Hunk, you've met Allura, that's Coran, Pidge, Lance, Keith and Shiro." Hunk said, introducing his fellow Paladins. "Uummm.... by any chance could we ask you a few things?" Hunk said as he nervously fiddled with his fingers.
"Sure thing, as long as Ah can get somethin' to eat after. Ask-away." Applejack said and not more than two seconds later, questions came piling up.
"What are you exactly?"
"What's an Element of Honesty?"
"What's that mark on your flank?"
"Where did you get that necklace?"
"Why is it radiating quintessence?"
"How did you get into space?"
"What's with the cowgirl get-up?". The last question, from Lance earned him strange stares. "What, you said ‘any’ question? Also, you're of the Apple family, right? Don't tell me your grandma's called Granny Smith."
"Don't ya dare joke about my granny, loud mouth!" Applejack stomped her hoof, ready to kick him off the ship.
Lance looked at her wondering if she was joking, "Wait, you're serious-"
"Sorry, sometimes he doesn't know when to shut up. So could you answer our other questions?" Pidge interrupted Lance before things got bad, and he got his butt kicked.
"It's times like this Ah miss the others. Sure, 'what am I?', well Ah'm a pony, more specifically an Earth pony. They're four types of ponies in Equestria: Earth ponies, they have the responsibility to till the land, most of us are farmers and a few run in the rodeo business. We're more of the country folk. Next are Unicorns, they have magical horns they learn to use to do all the magical spells, potions and what-knot, they're usually wizards and scientists. They are one of the advanced types of ponies. They're also Pegasi, they have feathery wings they use to fly. They're in charge of controlling the weather and most of them live in the clouds. They have the special ability to walk on clouds, so Ah guess it's solid for them. The last are the Alicorns, a combination of all three ponies, but they're extremely rare. They’re only four...no five in Equestria. Their magic is more powerful than the rest and each of them has the title 'Princess'. But they aren't born that way, they're born either as unicorns or pegasi and had to earn the other, by doin' some 'princess worthy deed', except one that was born an alicorn. That was a doozy. One of my best friends is actually one of them, Twilight Sparkle, the smartest pony I've ever met that's for sure. But we met before the wings.
"UUhhh....next question, well Ah guess talking about Twilight and my other friends would answer the questions about the necklace, the Element of Honesty and the mark. Well, back home there's somethin' called the Tree of Harmony. It's a magical crystal tree that was planted by six legendary ponies, before they disappeared to fight an evil pony of darkness and shadow, but that was a thousand years ago and a story for another day. Anyway, from the Tree, came the Elements and they're six of 'em. I'm the Element of Honesty, the others with ponies are Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, Pinkie pie, the Element of Laughter, Rarity, the Element of Generosity, Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, and Twilight, the Element of Magic. When we first got 'em they took the form of these necklaces, except for Twilight's which became a crown. Each of us are connected to our Elements and to each other, why this mark on my flank is proof of it.
"When we were just fillies, before we met, my friend Rainbow Dash performed the impossible, a legendary Sonic Rainboom. Back at her old flying camp, some bullies were pickin' on Fluttershy, since she was a weak flyer, and Rainbow Dash defended her honor in a race. She was going so fast, she broke the barrier and did a Sonic Rainboom. It created a rainbow effect that spread all across Equestria, even to us. Ah never would have left my aunt and uncle in the big city to go back to my farm if Ah did see that rainbow pointing me back home. Fluttershy who had fallen to the ground, never would have been able to comfort the animals after being frightened by the sound. Pinkie Pie would have never found the courage to leave her home, to spread that joy she felt when she saw it. Rarity never would have found some beautiful gemstones in a rock, that she was pulled to with her magic and cut open by the boom effect, that inspired her to decorate some costumes she was assigned to make for a play. Twilight never would have passed her entrance exam into Celestia's school of magic, if she hadn't felt that burst of magic, which made her not only hatch a dragon egg but turn him into a huge one. And Rainbow Dash never would have known how much she loved that speed and thrill of the race. From these experiences we all got our Cutie Marks, which represent our unique talents and special abilities. It can take years for a pony to find theirs but it's always worth it. The six of us never would have met each other, or found our strong friendship to wield the Elements of Harmony, or even defeat all those evil ponies we had. All of it wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the Magic of Friendship!" Applejack finished after explaining all the experiences she had with her friends.
The Paladins took a long time to soak in all that they had just heard. The Magic of Friendship didn't sound real, but the way she said it with such enthusiasm made them reconsider. But to have permanent marks that show your special abilities sounds amazing, and the fact about hearing six ponies got them at the same time, and them having a special connection with each other before they had met sounds impossible, even if it wasn't. Their magic explained the quintessence readings and how she was able to survive in space for so long. Keith then remembered another question, "But all of this still doesn't explain how you got into space."
"What are ya talking about?" Applejack asked, confused.
"Well we found you floating in space, and there was no broken debris from a ship attack," Coran answered as Applejack stared at him, still confused.
Allura realized she needed another approach, so she asked, "How about you tell us what you were doing before you woke up. Maybe it could answer how you got here."
"Ah suppose that's easy enough. Well, Ah was with my friends and.... Ohhhh no." Applejack started before she realized something. Oh no! Oh no! OH NO! This is terrible, how did Ah forget! By any chance did you also find five ponies and a small dragon?" Applejack asked hopefully, but to her dismay Coran shook his head. "No! They’re probably hurt, or lost, or trapped, or worse! Please, you have to help me find 'em. They mean everything to me, Ah can't bear to lose my friends!" Applejack said, with tears forming in her eyes. They felt pity for her, she lost her friends and to who knows what.
Allura feeling concern said, "Coran, search the area for anymore life signatures, and check the Castle map for Equestria" Coran did as she said and left the room, Allura then knelt down and petted Applejack's mane to comfort her, and said, "We will find them, perhaps you could explain what happened, maybe it could give us some answers?"
"Thanks Princess, for everything." she said, wiping her tears. "My friend, Twilight has a crystal castle, which has a crystal map of all of Equestria. It's connected to the Tree of Harmony, and has special magic to call on ponies with their cutie marks to solve friendship problems. The six of us were called with Twilight's dragon companion, Spike, to a weird abandoned village at the end of Equestria. When we got there, we found a strange cave with a glowing crystal wall. When we finally broke it, it exploded. Then Ah woke up here, Ah don't know what it was, but it may have been some kinda ancient magic."
"Whatever it was, it must've been how you got here," Shiro said, shedding some light on the situation.
"What do you think caused it? Could it have been a wormhole?" Keith asked.
"I don't know, do you happen to remember anything unique about the light?" Allura said, turning to the pony.
She shook her head, "Sorry Princess, Ah don't. It was too bright to see anything." They all lowered their heads.
Coran's voice then came through the speaker, "Princess, I have both good and bad news."
Allura stood up, "What's the bad news?".
Coran started, "Well, I've searched all across the map and castle database, there is no record of the pony-world. But that means it hasn't been found or occupied by the Galra." On the bridge, Coran is at the monitor and continued, "But the good news is that I've located six more life signatures. I'm putting it on screen." He pressed a few buttons and in the pod room, a digital display of five ponies and a small dragon, floating in space appeared.
Applejack jumped up, "They're okay!"
Allura turned to the Green Paladin, "Pidge-"
"On it" she said, already leaving.
Allura's gaze turned to the Yellow Paladin, "Hunk, stay here and prepare the healing pods. Coran, come down and assist him."
"On my way, Princess." Coran said before he cut the transmission.
"The rest of you come with me, we'll need to bring them down. Let's go!" she finished, and ran to the Green Lion's hangar. They all had their orders, and would do them to save the pony's friends.
As they arrived at the Green Lion's hangar, the Green Lion had just arrived. As the Lion's mouth lowered, Applejack started running. She couldn't wait any longer to see her friends. As Pidge was about to exit, Applejack ran past her, even though she was frightened by the lion. Her heart sank to find her friends lying unconscious on the cold, metal floor. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Don't worry, Ah won't let anything happen to you. No matter what."
In another part of space, in the room of a large and eerie warship, a female alien with blue skin and red marks on her face and wearing a long, blue and pale yellow robe was standing at the center. This was Zarkon's High priestess named Haggar. She was not of Galra lineage, but was just as ruthless. She had powerful magic that she used to serve her emperor. Her eyes opened and glowed yellow, in a bone-chilling way.
In the throne room of the warship, an alien with purple-pink and grey armor, grey skin and purple eerie eyes was sitting on a throne. This was Emperor Zarkon. Haggar walked towards him and bowed. She spoke in a scary voice, "My lord, I sensed a powerful magic, something ancient. It could very well threaten to destroy your empire."
Zarkon lifted his head and spoke in a deep and intimidating voice, "Then prepare for the battle ahead."