//------------------------------//
// To Find A Spell 
// Story: Prophecies and Poems of Equestria 
// by LesserSpottedBrony 
//------------------------------//

"Uh...Twilight? What exactly made ya think of me when you were readin' this here poetry book?" Applejack asked uncertainly.
"Well, you like country music. Poems are just like songs, trust me!"
"Ah'm sure they are, but er...I'm not really into this fancy talk and rhymin' stuff." The earth pony was, as usual, honest about her opinion of the subject.
"Applejack," Rarity butted in, "you should really give this book a chance. Even Spike wants to read the rest of it!"
"It is really good." Agreed Fluttershy.
"Well...okay. Since you think it's great an' all."
Twilight opened the book and began to read to her club.

The night of the Summer Sun Celebration
On the thousandth year of her majesty's reign
The stars will draw near to the glowing moon
And a nightmare shall rise again.
Although sun will imprison the princess
Her student shall try to bring day
Along with five others who each in their turn
Face the trials that stand in their way.

"Woah nelly! Is this talkin' about us? When we defeated Nightmare Moon?" Applejack exclaimed
"Yep. And this is actually a prophecy - the unicorn who predicted it didn't live in our lifetime." Explained Twilight.
"Wait just a pony pickin' minute. How do you know it was a unicorn?"
"Oh, it's a special kind of magic that allows ponies to see future events."
Rarity leaned forward with interest.
"And were we to find a spell for this obscure magic, could we predict the future?"
"I suppose it's possible, but any spell like that has been lost for centuries." answered the purple unicorn. Spike flicked through the book, looking for any indication of a spell, and opened to the inside back cover.
"Uh...Twilight? What's this?" there was clearly a pocket stuck to the back, containing a single piece of parchment.
"Wow. It looks like you've found the spell!"

A spell for seeing what is yet to come
Is the sum of its parts and the parts of its sum
For the art of the prophecy is no easy feat
There are many things that make this spell complete.

First take two bowls, one of silver, one gold
Two cups of spring water is what each one must hold
This water must be taken from a clear blue pool
Or the spell will be worthless; that is the rule.
In the gold bowl place a ruby gemstone
In the silver, a sapphire, then these words intone:
'I summon the forces of day and of night
The sun on the left and the moon on the right.'

The fire of a dragon is now what you need
To burn to a cinder a bright glowing seed
The seeds of truth must be turned to ash
And put in the gold bowl, they are gone in a flash
Then the same with the bark of a silver birch tree
To be placed in the silver bowl, quickness is key.
Stir both mixtures with a copper spoon
And leave them until the next new moon.

Take seawater and mix with diamond dust
Place onto iron and collect the rust
This goes into the bowl of gold
For all the secrets that metal can hold.
Grind up more iron for the silver bowl
Along with a measure of powdered blue kohl.

Then light two fires underneath open sky
The water in the gold bowl must be boiled at sun-high.
The water in the silver bowl must be boiled too
But only when the moon is shining clear and bright and true.
This leaves you with two bowls of precious brew
You must not spill it, the drops are few
In the gold bowl, the water must be pure white
In the silver, the water must be black as night.

Now finished, these bowls and the liquid within
Will tell you the future, so let us begin:
"I chant these words, so laden with power
And call for your help at the midnight hour
I wish to see what has yet to come about
You must show me truthfully, so I may have no doubt.
I summon the strength of sun and moon
To help my predictions to come true soon
Whilst I know the weight of the choices I make
Discovering my fate is a risk that I will take."

"That's it? It doesn't tell you what actually happens during the spell?" Spike asked out loud. Nopony paid attention to him, however. They were all too busy trying to make sense of the mysterious poem.
"This is a complicated recipe. I'm not sure if I can make this..." Twilight said.
"It seems more like Zecora's area, it's sort of a...um...potion. But uh, I'm sure you could do it Twilight, because you're so clever and everything." Added Fluttershy.
"Maybe we should jus' read a bit more first. Maybe it's because Ah'm not a unicorn, but Ah wouldn't trust jus' any old spell, particularly not one this...weird." Applejack voiced her opinion, and all the other ponies nodded.
"I actually agree with Applejack," Rarity said. "I don't imagine this spell should be considered lightly. If we were to find out something we didn't want to know, could we live with the consequences? No, I think we need to read on before we even begin to contemplate using this spell."
"I think you're both right. We should get to the end of this book first." Twilight agreed "And we should ask Pinkie and Rainbow their opinions."
"Pinkie Pie for sure. But Rainbow Dash is organizin' a great big storm tomorrow, so she can't make it." Applejack informed the rest of the group.
"Right, that's settled then. We'll bring Pinkie around for our next meet. And maybe learn some more about this prophecy spell..."