The gray Pegasus hit the cliff face with a thud. The Unicorn magician looked over to the pony.
"Hey, Hurricane!" he shouted, the bells on his hat jingling as he turned, "You okay?"
Commander Hurricane stood up. He was built like a tank. Star Swirl knew he was fine. "Yep, just fine." Hurricane replied, flying back toward their foe and his army. From a distance, they appeared to be Changelings, but Star Swirl knew that Changelings were mythological. These were undead ponies. Their leader looked just as menacing, but larger and definitely alive. Smart Cookie, an Earth pony, was wrangling the skeletal ponies up with rope.
"Phew!" she called upon hog tying another group. "I'm too old for this."
Star Swirl looked to the battlefield. All the skeleton ponies were tied up. It was time. With a burst of sea green magic, a firework appeared in the sky. This was the signal. Their leader, a regal Alicorn queen, appeared, her white wings spread. She didn't look like the other Alicorns. Her mane was flat against her head, not long and flowing. But that was who she was. Queen Fausticorn didn't need a gold tiara, she needed respect. She left the gold to the other princesses, the stuck up ones like Princess Platinum. Fausticorn flew up, her horn aglow with teal magic. Star Swirl knew this threat hit close to home to her. Her child was a princess, and their foe was coming for Fausticorn, her child, and her unborn daughter. Their magic combined would be enough to take over the new land of Equestria. But Fausticorn knew that her magic, combined with that of her friends, would defeat their enemy. The other three ponies levitated up next to the Alicorn. It was time. All four ponies closed their eyes. Time seemed to slow down to Star Swirl. Minutes passed. When Star Swirl opened his eyes, he was on solid ground and their enemies were gone.
"Well, team," Fausticorn started, "that was our last fight together. That spell should keep our enemy contained in Tartarus for a while. Our time as the Shards of Power is over. So, who are the lucky ponies your powers are going to?"
"My son, Funnel Cloud, will be receiving the Shard of Strength." Commander Hurricane said with confidence. Star Swirl wished he knew who his Shard would go to.
"My daughter, Cookies 'n Cream, will get the Shard of Agility." Smart Cookie stated with a tone of nervousness.
"And for you, Star Swirl the Bearded?" Fausticorn spoke. Star Swirl had a temporary lapse in thought.
"Uh... You go first." He replied.
"Okay then. My daughter, Princess Celestia, will receive the Shard of Haste." She answered.
Star Swirl knew who would get his Shard now. He could declare positively that his nephew would get his Shard.
"My nephew, Starstreak, will gain the Shard of Knowledge." Star Swirl declared.
Star Swirl closed his eyes. When they opened, he was in his sister's house. He asked to see his nephew. His sister agreed. She knew what was to happen. When Star Swirl arrived in Starstreak's room, the colt was on the floor with his toys. Star Swirl sat down next to his nephew.
"Hi Uncle Starry! What are you doing here?" the colt asked, his eyes full of curiosity.
"I came to give you something, my little pony." Star Swirl replied, inclining the colt to look behind his uncle.
"All I can say regarding this gift is... Good luck." Star Swirl's horn began to glow, not sea green, but gold. He touched his horn to Starstreak's forehead.
"Starstreak... You are now the Shard of Knowledge."
The sound of trumpets woke Princess Twilight Sparkle up. She looked around her room. Her baby dragon assistant, Spike, was not in his bed. Twilight was in trouble. It was Thursday. Not just any Thursday, but the third Thursday of the month. The day when she and her friends met up to discuss important matters in Ponyville.
And she was going to be late!
Twilight flew to the vanity in one corner of her room. She levitated her crown onto her head, making sure it was at the right angle. A royal guard busted into the room.
"Princess Twilight! Thank Celestia you're awake! The meeting is about to start!" he stated in a rushed manner. He ushered Twilight to the landing on which she was to wait for her cue to enter. Another guard opened the doors to let Twilight's friends into the castle.
A pink pony with a wildly curly mane skipped into the room. A guard tried to stop her, but she was too fast. Pinkie Pie was made of boundless energy, Twilight was sure of it. She also believed Pinkie lived off of the infamous cupcakes she made. The ones made of pure sugar. She plopped into her throne, illuminating the balloons that mirrored those of her cutie mark.
Twilight had told the white Unicorn that these meeting were not formal events and that there would be no ponyrazzi, but Rarity insisted on wearing he most fabulous dresses to the meetings. This particular dress looked like the one she wore to the Grand Galloping Gala. The three diamonds on her throne lit up upon her sitting down.
A sky blue Pegasus flew into the room, but stopped when she remembered where she was. She tried to look as poised as possible, but Rainbow Dash was not one for poise. Her rainbow mane was a perfect offset to the purple and silver interior of the castle. The rainbow lightning bolt lit up on her throne when she sat down.
The orange pony's name didn't go with her color, but did for her cutie mark. Applejack normally wore her famous cowboy hat, but today it was absent. Twilight knew it had some sort of tie to her parents, whom Twilight never met. She wondered when she would. But when Applejack sat down, illuminating the trio of apples on her chair, she slipped her hat onto her head. Twilight giggled. It was good that her chair was to the back of the guards.
A light yellow Pegasus shyly entered the room, her light pink tail trailing on the floor. Twilight never knew why it did that until the infamous Gabby Gums event that wrapped Ponyville in numerous controversies. It may have even ended one marriage. Not the tail, the controversies. Whatever the case, Fluttershy didn't particularly like these meetings. She was very shy about public speaking, even though the only ponies that could hear the meetings were her friends, Spike, and the guards. She gingerly sat in her throne, illuminating the pink butterflies which adorned it.
Trumpets sounded. A guard spoke loudly.
"Presenting Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship."
Twilight descended the stairs, her wings spread in an effort to look more regal. She walked to her throne. The purple and white stars lit up when she sat down, bringing the cutie marks of her and her friends full circle. Spike walked into the room, standing at the center of the circle. He spoke loudly and clearly. He rhetoric skills were improving.
"Welcome, everypony. Today, we will discuss two matters concerning Ponyville." Spike stated. Twilight nodded at him, gesturing to him to continue.
"Mayor Mare would like to destroy the old, broken clock tower to make room for a new, more accurate one." Upon Spike's finishing the request, the six ponies took a vote. It was decided that the old clock tower would be destroyed.
"Excellent. The next request comes from a committee called 'Muffins for Ponyville". This committee would like to make muffins the official dessert and pastry of Ponyville." Upon hearing this, Pinkie Pie launched into a speech on why cupcakes were superior to muffins, and the request was approved, inexplicably. Everypony knew Pinkie had some sort of secret ingredient to her cupcakes, and it made everypony suspicious.
"Great job, everypony. Meeting adjourned." Twilight called out. Nopony got up. They wanted to talk with Twilight about whatever they wanted to. Spike walked up to the room he shared with Twilight, presumably to take a nap.
A minute passed as the guards left. Rarity was about to launch into a ramble about her last trip to Manehattan, but a loud belching noise interrupted her.
"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity gasped, "How rude!"
"It wasn't me!" Pinkie replied.
Spike rushed down the stairs. He clutched a scroll and book in his claws.
"Twilight! This looks super important! It's from Celestia!" The book read 'Ancient Equestrian Defense Volume Two: The Shards of Power'.
