Chronicles Of Divine Equestria 1: Temple of the Spirit

CHRONICLES OF DIVINE EQUESTRIA
EPISODE 1: regarding THE TEMPLE OF THE SPIRIT and the RISE OF THE SUNDER
CHAPTER 2: THE ROYAL COUNCIL OF MAGIC AND MYTHOLOGY

Twilight Sparkle gazed around the beautiful Great Hall inside Canterlot Castle with Spike standing next to her, his eyes dazzling at the decorations. The hall had been decorated recently to welcome back the new royal bride and groom from their honeymoon, now it was filled with majestic violet and royal red tapestries, hollies and sunflowers lining elegant clay pots filled to the brim with white roses. White candles were alight all over that fueled a tiny pink flame. Although the festivities of the bride and groom’s return was over, Twilight still marveled at their fresh beauty as if they had been put there for her and Spike’s arrival.

The bride and groom of course were Twilight’s older brother Shining Armor and Princess Celestia’s niece, Princess Cadance. It was only a few months ago that Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike had been at the wedding – with a surprising turn of events. To say the least, it was an incredible experience and the realization that Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were now only a short walk from the castle in the palace quarters made Twilight even more excited than she was already. Of course, she was still on royal duty and had to fulfill Princess Celestia’s wishes before she thought about visiting her brother, let alone leave the city at all.

As if on cue, a small door in the center of marble catwalk that overlooked the entrance to the Great Hall opened slowly and a tall, kind looking mare looked down at Twilight and Spike. She shut the door behind her before speaking.

“Ah, my faithful student Twilight Sparkle,” said the Princess. “It’s so good to see you and Spike again in Canterlot.”

She began to walk down the curving stairs to the floor below, her light pink, blue and green mane flowing softly behind her. Her mane was always floating silently around her pure white body. She was an Alicorn, a heavenly Guardian of the Earth. Her tall, slender figure shifted side to side as she descended the stairs. Her golden tiara with its amethyst centerpiece and golden horseshoe boots around her hooves, the princess looked like an angel to say the least.

Twilight loved seeing Princess Celestia because she had grown up with her after being admitted into a school for the magically gifted. As the princess’ personal protégé, Twilight had become very fond of the princess and even saw her as a best friend, although now she was family through Shining Armor’s marriage. Still, Twilight respected her in her highest esteem for who she was: Princess and ruler of Equestria.

“It’s so good to see you again princess!” Twilight bowed as she spoke.

“Yeah, it’s good to see you Princess Celestia, the Great Hall looks awesome!” said Spike as he bowed as well.

When they looked up they saw the princess rising up from a bow as well. “I can’t believe you’re my in-law, Twilight Sparkle.” The princess almost sounded disbelieving. “It didn’t quite dawn on me until your brother and Cadance returned from their honeymoon. It saddened me when I realized how long it has been since I’ve hugged you, Twilight, as a friend.” She looked lovingly at Spike as well. “You too, Spike. The Royal Palace quarters are just as much yours now as they are mine. So feel free to stay in Canterlot whenever you’d like however long you wish.”

The princess reached out and hugged both of them. Twilight felt smothered and blushed.

“Oh gosh! Why, thank you princess!”

Princess Celestia nodded her welcome. “On the other hoof, we have important business to tend to.” She turned to walk back up the stairs to the catwalk as she motioned with her hoof for them to follow. “Shall we proceed to the council chamber?”

Twilight Sparkle and Spike humbly trailed the princess up the stairs, but they went through a different door than the one they had seen the princess come through earlier. The princess’ tail flowed gracefully behind her, its great length making Twilight and Spike step to the sides of her so as not to step on it.

“Twilight,” The princess sounded grave and serious. “What we are about to discuss might seem a little beyond you at first. But I’ve called you up here because you have a talent in unicorn magic that no one else in all of Equestria could even dream of controlling.”

The princess looked back, smiling. She glanced at Twilight’s flank with a knowing look, and then looked back. Twilight knew what that look meant. Twilight glanced at her own flank as well, remembering the symbol of twinkling stars which magically appeared there when she was a young filly. It was her cutie mark. Every pony gets one when they discover their special, unique talent. Twilight’s cutie mark represented her power to control and manipulate magic. It was made up of six six-sided stars: five white ones around a large pink one. Twilight seemed beside herself with humility, knowing that the princess of Equestria called her here because she needed her skills with magic.

“We’ll be meeting with the Royal Council of Magic and Mythology in a few minutes.” continued the princess. "So try to keep up with the conversation. These are very sophisticated and smart unicorns. A few of them are pegasi and are very old.” Princess Celestia chuckled as she open a large wooden door. “Well, not as old as me.”

As the door swung open Twilight Sparkle walked steadily inside the oval-shaped room which was the council room for the meeting. The pure white marble floor reflected the hundred-foot high ceiling and shimmered in the sunlight which beamed through the four gigantic windows high above the ponies below. In the center of the room was an oval table made of white stone and trimmed with gold and violet paint, around which sat about twenty ponies; a mixture of unicorns, pegasi, and of course Princess Celestia, who was an Alicorn. In the center of the table was a small two-level circular shelf which had on it what appeared to be very old tomes. Twilight figured they must have relevance in this particular meeting.

Princess Celestia went to the head of the table where another Alicorn was sitting. Although much darker, Twilight Sparkle knew this to be Celestia’s sister Princess Luna. Together they ruled Equestria with equal power. Her dark velvety body resembled the color of the night sky, her ocean blue eyes glowed even in the light and she wore a blue mantle around her body which was silver and blue. Princess Luna was the Guardian of the Night and it was obvious because of her cutie mark: a crescent moon in the center of what looked like a splash of blue paint.

Twilight took a seat near the princesses and Spike sat in a chair to her right. The unicorns and pegasi around the table looked serious and preoccupied but still friendly. Few seemed to notice her; the ones who did just looked at her briefly and then to the princess, waiting for the meeting to begin. Twilight counted twenty-two occupants altogether – eleven of them were pegasi – who didn’t include Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Spike, or herself.

“Welcome every pony.” Princess Celestia spoke with a friendly tone, but did not invite any room for conversation. “We have a great deal to discuss today. This meeting may well go into the night, part of the meeting will be spent apart from each other as we have much work to do. Some of you already know what has happened, but many others are uninformed. So may I allow Princess Luna to stand and discuss our situation before we get started?”

With that, Princess Celestia sat as Princess Luna stood simultaneously. Luna cleared her throat and looked down, wisely preparing her words before speaking. She opened her voice and spoke, every single pony in the room listening intently.

“Last night I noticed a strange alteration in the night sky. As the Guardian of the Night, it is my duty to watch over the land after the sun goes down. For tens of thousands of years I have held the power of the night – it has become my second nature; the moon, the stars, the vacancy of light and the shadows cast about are all a part of my celestial soul.”

There was a hint of innocent pride in Luna’s voice, almost passionate.

“But it was last night when I noticed a faint but surely substantial change in the night sky.” There was a murmur in the room which lasted for a second. Luna resumed speaking, her voice more anguished and fearful. “A magical star in the sky has gone missing.”

Now the unicorns had started speaking louder than before. Twilight heard one say “Is that even possible? Can a star simply disappear?”

“This star is no ordinary star,” continued Luna, her voice silencing the room. “Much knowledge of its significance has deteriorated with time. The name of this star is Avari; the name is of an ancient language much older than Equestria. For something like this to simply disappear overnight is stunning. This star possesses a magic much further than any pony could ever dream of comprehending. Without this star, Equestria is at risk of a magical imbalance in the world which could threaten the fortune of our very existence.” The council gasped at these words.

Three of the pegasi looked at each other then back to Luna, waiting for her to continue. Spike was tapping Twilight's side to get her attention.

“Twilight?” His voice hinted his skepticism. When Twilight looked down at him, Spike’s mouth opened to say something then closed. Spike looked scared.

She heard a unicorn next to her mumble “A magical star…?”

“How do we know a missing star like this one could cause an imbalance in our – how did you put it? – existence?” A pegasus was speaking with an accusing voice, his eyes glowering at Luna as he stood up to make himself and his voice noticed above the others.

“Because,” exclaimed Luna. Her raised voice immediately hushed the room. Celestia stood up beside her sister to show she was supporting her. “This star is of ancient magic. Almost all ancient magic left behind in this world possesses a power that binds and holds the world in place. Surely you of the council should know this!” Luna was clearly frustrated. “It was the ancients who created this world! We believe that this star was left behind for some important reason beyond our knowledge. It is well known that the star has a magical property about it. That is why we have always kept a close eye on it.”

The council erupted with questions again. The pegasus who had previously questioned Luna was now sitting calmly, sulking in his chair.

“Are there other magical stars?”

“What kind of power do you think the star possesses?”

“What language is the star named after? Why is it called Avari?”

“Please calm down,” said Princess Celestia, rising up beside her sister. The council fell silent, save for a few scattered whispers. “The reason why we have gathered here is to see if we can figure out why this star has disappeared. We know that this situation may seem a bit frightful, but we still of have the balance of the day and the night in our control.”

The room went quiet as everypony looked to Celestia and Luna with admiration.

A light blue unicorn with a feather cutie mark and silver hair stood up. She humbly spoke, her horn glowing as she used her magic to open a book in front of her.

“With all due respect, your highness, what shall the council do to uncover Avari’s many mysteries?”

Celestia looked to her sister.

“That is a good question, Wind Dancer. Princess Luna will instruct some of you in the research of this star’s constellation. From what we do know about this ancient power, the star’s magic was bound in the constellation.”

Wind Dancer, the light blue Unicorn, spoke once more. “So it isn’t just the star that is magical?”

“Yes, although we do not know whether the rest of the constellation is.”

“What is the name of this constellation?”

Princess Luna used her magic to bring one of the books toward her and, using her hoof, turned the dusty pages to a star map. Reading for all the council to hear, she said:

“The constellation is known as the Lord, although it is sometimes called the Redeemer.”

“How many stars make up the constellation?” said an olive green Pegasus.

“There are six stars total.” said Princess Celestia, glancing over to the book in front of her sister. “But we only know that Avari is a magical star, maybe even binding the constellation together. But we can only know for sure with further research.”

“So please,” continued Princess Luna. “Gather as much information as you can. All of you are welcome to use the Palace Library at any time or the books here if need be. If all of the unicorns would come with me please. Pegasi stay her with Wind Dancer, if you will.”

Princess Luna started for the door with a handful of unicorns going with her.

“I would ask for the company of Nebula, Shimmer Stone, and Twilight Sparkle in the private sector of the castle’s library.” said Princess Celestia. She looked at Twilight and Spike as she spoke. “I have something I’d like you to do, this task I’d prefer to explain in the library.” She stood and walked toward Twilight motioning for her to follow.

The council adjourned and the unicorns and pegasi – with the exclusion of Twilight Sparkle – stayed behind in the library as they gathered their things. Twilight assumed that Shimmer Stone and Nebula would be meeting them in the library in due time.

Down a flight of stairs and through a corridor, Princess Celestia led Twilight Sparkle and Spike in the Castle Library which was unoccupied and silent. The wooden door closed softly behind them, a small thud echoing against the white walls of the castle. A single circular stained glass window reflected dazzling colors onto the velvety carpet in the center of the circular room. The picture in the ancient window depicted Princess Celestia and Princess Luna many years ago. Their tasks of controlling the day and night portrayed in the glass. Spike walked over to a table below the window and sat in a chair. The princess walked between the bookcases apparently looking for a particular volume of ancient Equestrian astronomy. Twilight just stood in the middle of the room and waited for the princess to return.

Just then, the door opened up and two Unicorns walked in. They looked at Twilight with a friendly gaze and trotted over to her.

“You must be Twilight Sparkle,” said one of the unicorns who was a dark gray color. Her hair was curling, mixed with pink and blue colors. Her cutie mark was what looked like candy, resembling a sparkling stone. “I am Shimmer Stone.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” said Twilight kindly. “Spike is my helper.” She tilted her head toward the table where Spike sat, now reading a book.

The other unicorn came forward. She looked much older and wiser, but kind still.

“Hello Twilight Sparkle. I am Nebula. It is an honor to work with the princess’ personal protégé.” Nebula smiled at Twilight’s reddening cheeks. Nebula’s body was magenta. Her mane and tail were silver with beauty and grey with age. Her pink eyes were full of life and she wore a silver brace around her neck which symbolized her seniority in the council. Twilight realized she must be a very old unicorn.

“Great! We are all here.” Princess Celestia came around the corner of tall book case, four large tomes hovering around her as she used her magic to guide them to a large wooden table beneath the window. “We should probably get started now. I’ve gathered you three in here because I need your skills with magic for the time being.”

She let the books set on the table as the ponies took their seats. Spike walked over to their table with his book and sat between the princess and Shimmer Stone.

“Let me just say this: I have a personal belief that the star that went missing is much more significant to the balance of life in Equestria than you may realize.” The princess paused to let that sink in. “I know Luna has noticed this as well but I’m sure she won’t mention it unless she absolutely needs to.” She sighed audibly and looked between Nebula and Twilight. “This star, Avari, is much more magical than ever imagined. Look at this.”

She opened one of the books to a page she had marked previously. On the ancient page was a drawing of a tall, slender unicorn. But it wasn’t a unicorn because it had wings. Twilight realized it was an Alicorn like the princess.

“This,” began Celestia. “Must be who we are looking for…”

Twilight looked at Nebula, obviously confused. “This star is an Alicorn?”

“The Alicorn is a star.” Princess Celestia opened another book as she spoke. “There are old Equestrian legends of certain stars actually moving around in the sky. No pony knows why or how this one got there. But it is truly magical in every sense.”

“So there is more than one of these magical stars…er…Alicorns?” said Shimmer Stone.

“Presumably there are more, but for now we’ll just settle with the fact that there is one.” The princess looked at Twilight. “I fear that something has gone wrong with this star. Magic is a complicated energy, and only those who have been given the power to use it can understand its potential. There is no way in Equestria this star would just die out.”

“Are you saying these stars are alive?” asked Nebula, respectfully. “Or does this Alicorn in the book represent the power of the star? And if the star is – or was – alive, then are you saying some pony…killed it?”

Princess Celestia smiled. “That’s quite a few questions. Well, in a sense, yes the star was alive. Magic is alive at all times. I don’t doubt that you knew that. And I believe that this Alicorn we see here – who, assuming the star was named after her power and magic, is named Avari – does represent the star. She is the star.” She looked down. “In other words, yes, Avari is dead.”

There was a moment of silence before Twilight spoke.

“But what if it…I mean “she” is still alive? What if the star is still in the sky? You said that they move…”

“Those are both good questions Twilight Sparkle,” said Celestia through her dazzling smile. “But the stars have always been in the same place for thousands of years. If and when they moved, it was so little that it went unnoticed. Like I said, magic is alive at all times. If Avari is dead, then her power would have remained. We Alicorns can feel the energy of magic. Alas, there is no sign of her power where the star once was. My belief is that the star – I mean Avari – is simply not there anymore.”

Twilight looked down at the book on the table and the picture of the tall Alicorn.

“However,” said the princess. “I call you all here for your skills with magic. We are going to try to find the star. Maybe it is still in the sky. The possibilities are endless with magic.”

Twilight Sparkle had so many questions to ask but couldn’t seem to mouth even one of them. She just didn’t understand any of this. This must be very ancient Equestrian history because she had never heard or read anything about stars in the sky which harness magical powers; ones that were alive.

“I may be an old and wise Alicorn,” continued the princess, humbly. “But I am no scholar. I cannot speak very many languages, and if you look closely at this book…” she pointed below the picture of Avari. “There are writings here which look like an ancient language. One that I am positive none of you know. But with magic, I believe we may be able to translate it.”

Nebula looked at Twilight Sparkle and Shimmer Stone, a look of confidence flashing across her eyes.

“I’m sure we can do it, your highness.”

Princess Celestia stood back as Nebula grabbed the book and turned it so it was facing the three Unicorns.

“Are we ready?” asked Shimmer Stone. “Nebula, would you start the spell? We’ll join in one at a time so the magic isn’t too concentrated at first.”

Sighing deeply, Nebula closed her eyes as her horn glowed in preparation for the spell.

“I am going to use an agnosco verbum spell which should translate the words on this page into Equestrian,” said Nebula. “I hope you both know how to control this spell, because it may in fact translate the words into a completely different language. Or they may just disappear altogether. Okay, right…” she focused on the ancient book once more. “Let us begin.”

For a moment, Nebula’s horn glowed purple as she concentrated on the spell in her head. Her horn hovered above the open book and began to hum distinctly -- magic dust started to gather around her horn. Nebula looked stressed within seconds – the spell was a complicated one – and Shimmer Stone immediately began to use her horn as well. Both of them were now glowing light blue and Twilight watched the foreign text on the musty pages glow. Finally, she joined the other two Unicorns.
Closing her eyes Twilight recited the spell in her head and focused on the text, picturing the book in her mind. She could feel the familiar sensation of weightlessness whenever she used a powerful spell, the humming from the three Unicorns’ horns was now a screeching buzz. The force of the spells pulled the magic dust – which was always present in Equestria – toward the unified horns which were now glowing and forming a single blinding light at the ends. Twilight Sparkle felt the magic begin to fail.

Where is the sign that the spell was a success? She thought to herself.

That is what most Unicorns relied on to know when a powerful spell was complete. It was inexplainable, but the spells themselves were magic thoughts which were powered by the Unicorns’ knowledge of the spell and when the spell was finished, one had the strange feeling of success, sort of like the one you get when you complete a thought you had started but couldn’t remember earlier, or have a brilliant idea.

But Twilight didn’t feel like she had completed the spell. Now her head was beginning to throb painfully and she could hear Shimmer Stone groaning beside her. Suddenly, she felt an airy feeling and heard Spike say something.

“Twilight! Your cutie mark!”

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes to look and saw that all three of the unicorns were hovering about a foot in the air. She looked backed to see that her cutie mark was glowing and the princess was looking in awe at her. The text was glowing so brightly that Twilight had to close her eyes again. She felt her hooves touch the marble floor and her thoughts returned to her again. She relaxed and hung her head, the humming fading into an echo and the magic dust, which was glowing silvery with the gathering of energy, disappeared.

The unicorns breathed heavily and rested against the table. Shimmer Stone held a hoof to her head and wiped a bead of sweat from her cheek. As she sat back into the chair, Twilight Sparkle saw that the words had now appeared in Equestrian, although much smaller in size than the text before it.

“Incredible, magic is!” exclaimed the princess. “Well done indeed! Twilight, I believe your special talent with magic may have completed the spell.” Celestia pointed to Twilight’s cutie mark and Nebula and Shimmer Stone looked as well.

“So,” said Nebula with a smile. “Your cutie mark represents magic? Fascinating!” Nebula brushed her mane, which was now a little frizzy and over her eyes, to the side. “I have never met a unicorn with such a talent.”

“No wonder you are the princesses’ protégé.” Shimmer Stone was looking at Twilight in admiration, then glanced at Celestia. “Why is she not in the council?” She said this in a half-joking way. The princess knew the answer but said nothing about it.

“Princess,” said Twilight who had started reading the translated book. “This is remarkable!”

The three Unicorns, the Alicorn, and Spike gathered around the old tome and read the small print which looked as if it had just been scribed in ink a few minutes before. The text read as follows:

Almost in the center of the sky is the constellation known as “Vulcan, the Lord and Redeemer of Súndero”. It is comprised of six valiant stars; each containing the soul and power of their respective guardians. Many years ago six mighty Alicorns, each of whom were granted powers by the Life Gods, sacrificed their physical existence for an eternal duty as the Balancers of Time and Space; a duty which could only be broken by those who gave them that power or one with equal. It is with their unity in the stars do they imprison the powerful warlord Vulcan, who once ruled Súndero but was defeated; imprisoned so his tyranny may never return to the land. Even as I scribe this, it was only last year when these occurrences took place. The unity of the Balancers of Time and Space in the sky keeps the soul of Vulcan alive but powerless. And so it is that these stars and their respective souls are known as the Malistare, who represent the scale of Time and Space.

Twilight knew that the others were done reading the first paragraph of the page because they all leaned back slightly and looked up. The silence that followed was a sign that all five were deep in thought about what they had just read.

The constellation was a barrier! Thought Twilight. This is incredible! The star that is missing, Avari, may have broken the seal to the barrier. But what does it mean about the unity of the stars keeping this Vulcan alive? No, not alive completely, just his soul.

Twilight looked down at the book again and reread some of the paragraph.

It says the six Alicorns sacrificed their physical existence and were bound as stars to guard the soul of Vulcan. It says they are also the “Balancers of Time and Space”. But…

Her thoughts were interrupted.

“This is extremely hard to believe, although…” The Princess spoke grimly. She was looking down at the book, eyes closed. “I will not deny its truths. This, as you may know, is ancient history; much older than anything ever taught in any Equestrian school.”

“But how could we have not known of this stellar imprisonment right above our land?” Shimmer Stone spoke quickly, almost angry with growing fear. “How is there a soul kept in the sky to begin with? It’s physically –"

“It is magic”, interrupted the princess. “and it is beyond even Alicorn powers. Alas, I wish it wasn’t true.” She turned her head toward the window and looked out over the capital city. Sighing, she looked down and raised her voice so the others could hear her clearly. “I do not know who this Vulcan is, or was. But I feel that if this so-called legend is true then Equestria may not be safe. Princess Luna may have found out something we have not. It’d be best if we joined her again.”

Nebula and Shimmer Stone rose as the princess walked back to the table and said her farewells. As Twilight Sparkle and Spike started for the door, the princess called back to them.

“Twilight, Spike, please come here.” She sounded worried. But there was still a strength left in her voice. It gave Twilight confidence as she stood beside the tall Alicorn.

“Twilight…” The princess looked down into Twilight’s eyes and smiled gently. “I thank you for your help today, I doubt we could have gotten anywhere without your talents.” Chuckling softly, she continued. “It was in the next room over that I asked you to become my protégé almost fifteen years ago. I still remember that day, the look on your face, and even Spike sitting in a pile of eggshells.” She nodded toward the purple dragon who was blushing and looked away.

“Oh gosh, princess! Don’t embarrass me.”

“Princess,” said Twilight. “I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t tried to enter your school that day. I feel like the luckiest mare on the planet! Being able to live in the castle and receive the highest education any young filly could ask for. It was you, princess, who gave me the confidence to use my magic the way I did earlier with the translation spell.”

Princess Celestia smiled and laughed. “Of course, it was my pleasure dear.”

“But I have one question, princess” continued the purple unicorn. “How did you come about that book? And why did you pull it out when we came into the library?”

Smiling, the princess responded. “Doing what you do best, Twilight Sparkle: studying. I have been reading these books for thousands of years and that is one of the few books I’ve never been able to read, and never been able to translate it. Of course, when we figured out the star Avari was missing, I remembered that book and the ancient, articulate pictures in them of the many hundreds of constellations above Equestria. Luna’s fascination with stars led me to believe she’d know what the book was saying or at least have an idea of what the stars were. All she knew was that the constellation – the one drawn in the book, called Vulcan – was deeply magical. And its many mysteries have been clouded because of the loss of that language and the other volumes. As you read according to the scribe of that book, Vulcan’s soul was sealed in the constellation just of few days prior to the day those words were written in the book. That language must be many, many years old.”

“It’s just a bit hard to believe I guess, about the stars sealing up an ancient leader – tyrant at that. What if he is free? What if he wants to hurt the leaders of our time? What if he wants to hurt you?”

Unfortunately, the princess looked more saddened than ever. Looking down at the table where the book lay closed, Princess Celestia said nothing but instead looked lost in deep thought. Knowing the answer to her question, Twilight Sparkle told the princess what they both feared the most.

“We’ll need to fight back, won’t we?” It was almost a whisper, like the words , if spoken any louder, would break the peaceful lifestyle that the thousands of Equestrians so deeply loved and appreciated. The country had not been at war for decades and now its inhabitants were on the brink of uncovering what could be a very real and very ancient threat.

“Yes,” responded the princess. “We’ll just have to fight.”

Suddenly, Princess Celestia raised her head and spoke a little more cheerily. “Fortunately, Vulcan is only one pony. Without any followers or an army he wouldn’t stand a chance against the Royal Equestrian Military.”

Spike perked up at these words. “With all due respect, what are you so worried about then? Why all the gloom and doom?”

“Because,” said the princess. “Vulcan is ancient. He is probably an Alicorn, or something more powerful. Ancient magic is what created this planet and keeps everything balanced. It is ancient magic that holds nature and all of the elements together. Gravity, air, wind, the clouds; it is all magic beyond anything we possess.” She stopped and lowered her voice once more. Leaning down toward Spike, she stroked her hoof across his head. “Unless we can understand fully where this magic came from or how to fight it, I think that even one ancient Alicorn – Vulcan – could accomplish anything he wanted to do. But I will not let him conquer us, though he may fight us. We just don’t know enough about Vulcan or the constellation, or any of the powers that bound him to his imprisonment.”

The princess started for the door, motioning for Twilight Sparkle and Spike to follow.

“Let us go to Luna and see what she has found. Maybe we can put an end to this threat before it formulates into a dreadful reality.”