The poems of Equestrian history, discovered by Twilight, may hold a strange secret...
Equestrian history is quite a mysterious subject, so when Twilight finds a book containing poems about times long past, she is determined to read it. Within the pages lie many tales, but also strange foreshadowing of events in her lifetime. Powerful unicorns throughout history have been predicting happenings in the future. Could it be a new kind of magic?
"Spike? Where are you Spike?" called Twilight, awaking the baby dragon from his deep slumber. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he threw back his blanket and went to join the purple unicorn. "Yeah?" "Have you ever seen this book before?" she asked, showing him the front cover. It was old, brown, and very dusty, but the glint of gold shone through. A moon within a sun was emblazoned on the book, along with the words: 'Prophecies and Poems of Equestria'. "Nope," answered Spike, "Never seen it. Why?" "I just found it. It was behind a panel of that bookshelf." Twilight raised a hoof, indicating a large wooden piece of furniture. One of the back panels was indeed open like a door, revealing a dark cavity beyond. "It looks old," the dragon observed. "You're probably right. Canterlot Library doesn't have a copy, which means it's also very rare. Personally, I've never read it" Spike rolled his eyes with a mutter of "I can see where this is going..." "Oh, don't be like that. We can read it together, it'll be fun!" He knew better than to argue.
Three tribes there are of ponykind And though it has been this way since ever we have known Differences caused the spread of unease. Argument flared like the flames Of fires burned bright by hatred.
Three tribes, each could not live without the others But they wished it would not be so For the softness of the pegasus feather Did not match the hardness of their tongue, For the sharp of the unicorn horn Proclaimed their pointed jibes, For the skill of the earth pony hooves Clashed with their lack of great power.
"I think this is the story about the founding of Equestria!" exclaimed Spike. "Yes, although it has a rather different narration style to yours..." said Twilight affectionately.
Magic raised the Sun and Moon but demanded the fruits that grew in the light As did the wings which brought rain-laden clouds So the earth-bound ponies had no choice but to oblige. It was perhaps a fair system, though some argue not As tensions grew between the tribes So wars began, although not wars of weapons But wars of harsh words spoken unto each-other.
As anger drove forth the concerns of each tribe So came knife-like wind that cut through the air And first flurries of snow before gales and blizzards A blanket of white over an unhappy land. Each clan blamed each other for the wailing storm Though the blame did nothing to calm the tempest; It seemed to rage stronger still.
A meeting of leaders was called to be held So the three were sent to argue their cases But above the howling whirlwind was nothing but shouts Shouts of futile accusation that made the snow fall quicker. Commander Hurricane, with a temper to match her name, Princess Platinum, dazzling but cold as if precious metal, Chancellor Puddinghead, perhaps aptly called so, They refused to listen to what had to be done And went their separate ways, the summit done in vain.
"Huh, I never knew Rarity, Pinkie and Rainbow played their parts so well." Twilight murmured. Her friends' portrayals of the characters were more realistic than she had expected.
Clover the Clever, a wise unicorn Smart Cookie, a truthful earth pony Private Pansy, a gentle pegasus Each hoped for peace, though it did not come As they reasoned with their leaders. But they were set firm in their beliefs To find new pastures was to find respite From the freezing winds outside.
So two from each tribe set out in the cold Unaware of the others that mirrored their movement Or the things that followed behind. After travelling far, there was chance at last The sun shone down as a ray of hope Illuminating land so fair and far-reaching Green fields, and not a snowflake found. Until each discovered their rivals there too.
Though the land belonged not to just one pony, Each leader wished for it themselves Each believed it was their right alone Arguing at every turn to make sure it was theirs As once again feuds began to rage, So thunderclouds drew near.
Snow claimed the land from green to white A blizzard came and with it a truce, To retreat to a cave and wait in the dark Whilst the storm raged all around. But the leaders could not coexist long Without marking out their territory So causing the cold to creep inside And take hold within the cavern's depths.
Spike began to snore gently, leaning against Twilight's back. "Ahem..." she cleared her throat, startling the dragon. "Wha-?" "Shhh! We're getting to the good part!"
Fuelled by the hate in the hearts of the ponies, The wind swirled into a terrible storm As the leaders three hurled insults in circles, Ice grew quickly upon their coats Froze looks of loathing upon their faces Unable to move any longer. The three remaining ponies stood Looking up at the violent clouds Finally seeing what created the anguish The pale forms of the Windigoes.
Eyes glowing a menacing, winter blue, Their manes and tails flew back in the wind And their moans chilled the ponies to their very souls. In their terror they stepped closer together And promised they would be friends. As they did, the Windigoes faltered. At their laugh, they bayed and howled Suddenly, magic burst into the air A pink flame, drove the spirits back screaming Defeating the snow and the cold.
Water flowed freely as the great thaw began, It melted the hearts of the leaders and the ice Their differences put aside. The sun shone down as a ray of hope Illuminating land so fair and far-reaching A flag was raised for all to see, Proclaiming the land as Equestria.
"Wow. I never thought that story was like that." pondered Spike. "Yes, it is a change from the Hearth's Warming Eve play, isn't it?" The purple unicorn peered at the page, noting the author's name. "Alpha Centauri...he must have lived a very long time ago." "Can we read more soon? This book seems quite good." the dragon was surprisingly enthusiastic. "Why not?"
Twilight and a fellow unicorn each picked up their cups and sipped their tea. "So, Rarity...I never knew you were interested in poetry." The elegant white pony put down her drink, staring at her friend with mock horror. "How DARE you think such a thing! Why, a pony of culture and class should always be well-read!" "Okay, okay! I'll just show you the book then, shall I?" Twilight said grumpily, not realizing that the drama queen was acting. "Yes please!" sang Rarity.
Peace we know, but once it was not so, A spirit shall bring the old ways to light. Chaos will reign in his rule of terror Until his defeat at the hooves of day and night.
"What in Equestria does that mean?" muttered Twilight, already weighing out all the possibilities. "It says here it's a prediction. A unicorn called Neighstradamus had a vision about it." Spike pointed out helpfully. Rarity closed her eyes, concentrating on figuring out the puzzling words. "Ah...now maybe this is about Discord. Yes. I think that works!" Twilight gasped. "You're right, it does look like it's about Discord. And he was defeated by Celestia and Luna, who control day and night!" "Hey," Spike turned over the page and showed it to the two ponies. "It's got a poem about that right here!"
All was peaceful in the new land For a long time after its founding days The bitter rivalry that once had raged Was banished by friendship and was no more.
But the peace was not to last I fear The ruler of fair Equestria gone An evil presence crept into the land And it came on the wings of bird and bat.
Strong magic he had and used it well Though only for his own selfish gain He desired power that comes from chaos To rule Equestria through the might of fear.
All three tribes of pony suffered Though they tried to rise against his reign The spirit crushed their will with his For he was true Chaos by the name of Discord.
As the land fell into its own anarchy There came two ponies standing tall They were both of beauty and grace And they were blessed with horns and wings.
Shining jewels they bore on their crowns Six gems that shone with glorious light Their glow brought back an affinity And so they faced the embodiment of Chaos.
A single bright rainbow flew from the ponies Chaos fell from its evil black throne The spirit of disharmony turned to run But he was no more than but a living statue.
Two ponies, sisters, took to the throne Equestria was harmonious once again The day and the night ruled together Princesses of Sun and Moon, named as alicorns.
"Well, I did wonder exactly what happened." Twilight finished, closing the book. "At least it wasn't as long as the last one..." yawned Spike, standing up and stretching. Rarity looked impressed. "I knew the Princesses were brave, but not that brave! Seems like they handled the Elements just as well as we did!" "You're right. Come again tomorrow?" asked Twilight. "But of course! And I simply must bring Fluttershy along!"
"Hi there Twilight. Thank you for letting me join this book reading club...oh...is it a club? I'm sorry if I thought it was a club and it isn't..." The yellow pegasus let her pink mane fall in front of her eyes as she apologized. "Oh, really Fluttershy, there's no need to be sorry!" Twilight assured her friend, "I think it sort of is a club now." Rarity joined them with a tray of drinks floating in front of her. "Now, about this book. I can't wait to read the next chapter! I find it rather intriguing, all this poetry." "I agree. Spike? Could you bring the book please?" The dragon ran over to the ponies with his stumpy legs, and heaved the book onto a table. "Here we go!" Everyone sat down, waiting for Twilight to begin.
Though chaos has been banished A new threat shall arise Evil within the heart of night Brings darkness to the skies. If this Nightmare becomes reality Then all hope will be lost Unless Harmony is wielded again Though not without a cost.
"That's pretty deep.." Spike commented. "I uh...I think this is about...Nightmare Moon..." Fluttershy squeaked the last two words, causing Twilight to look at her with concern. "Nightmare Moon doesn't exist anymore, remember?" "Oh. Of course. Sorry..." Rarity chipped in: "Anyway, let's get back to the story shall we? This is about the rise of Nightmare Moon."
For many long years the Sun and Moon ruled As equals they reigned over all In daylight, their subjects would go 'bout their lives Then rest come the start of nightfall. Through the decades the princesses showed their true worth In matters of greatness - and small, But then came an evil of terrible might That nopony could hope to forestall.
This evil I speak of came not from afar But from one that all ponies held dear The princess of night became jealous at heart Her path of destruction was clear. She transformed herself into malevolent spite A creature for ponies to fear "I am your Queen now, the night lasts forever!" The shout for her subjects to hear.
Her sister of sunlight was stricken with grief At what this dark torment had done She reasoned with what had become of the night But was left with no choice but to run. She found the Elements, bright glowing jewels And harnessed the power of sun So wearing each gem in a crown on her head Fought in battle for skies to be won.
The darkness of night faced the white heart of day The war would come quickly, and soon, Only the two sisters witnessed the conflict As Sunlight defeated the Moon. Harmony prevailed, and the sun became ruler But these words she made sure were hewn: 'If envy returns, so will evil in darkness.' Forever preserved in carved rune.
"That was weird." Spike huffed. Twilight looked surprised. "How so?" she asked. "You seem...disappointed.' "Yeah," replied the dragon, "It didn't really describe the battle, did it? And it was kinda hard to understand." Rarity patted him on the head affectionately. "Oh Spike, it seems intellectual works such as this are beyond a young dragon like yourself. I think we had better let Twilight explain." The dragon looked annoyed, but his crush's display of fondness won him over. "Okay then..." The purple unicorn began her lecture. "It's not really about the fighting, Spike, it's kind of a moral about being jealous and how it gets you nowhere." "Oh. Right. I get it now." Twilight's number one assistant blushed a little, remembering the incident which had caused him to learn the same lesson. "But there are some things in there which are real hard to understand!" "Yes...?" "Well, like uh...here! 'In daylight, their subjects would go bout their lives.' What does bout mean?" Fluttershy spoke up, though her voice was quiet. "I think I know this...see that little apostrophe? It means that there's a letter missing. The real word is 'about' but they missed off the 'a' because it didn't fit with the pattern of the rhyme." Twilight was impressed. "Wow Fluttershy, I had no idea you knew so much about poetry!" "Oh. I uh, like reading poetry. It's lovely. In fact, Zecora has some old books of songs and poems that I borrow." Rarity suddenly stood up, half singing, half shouting: "IDEEE-AAAAAA!" Everyone else immediately looked up. "We really should make this a club! We could call it...the Poetry Corner!" "Oh, that's a wonderful idea. Will we be meeting again?" Fluttershy asked. "Sure! Tomorrow at five! And let's invite Applejack, if she enjoys country music she should like this." Twilight called as her two friends departed, the meeting drawing to a close.
"Hey, what's this?" Spike looked up from the book as he was about to close it. "Nightmare Moon made a kind of prediction as well..."
If I should be defeated Then surely I shall return On thousandth year of longest day Is when my freedom I will earn. And lest I be defeated once more By Harmony and Good It will come at the hooves of six ponies, not one Where my sister and I once stood.
"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..."
Pinkie Pie bounced around the room in a typically Pinkie Pie fashion. "Poetry! I love poetry, because poetry is like songs and songs are one of my most favouritest things except for chocolate and candy and cakes and - " "Calm down, Pinkie! We won't be able to read on if you keep talking, and besides, 'favouritest' is not a word." Twilight said firmly to her hyper friend. "Oh. Okey-dokey!" The pink pony settled down and sat back on her chair. Twilight opened the book and glanced at the title of the next chapter. "Woah! This part is by Starswirl the Bearded!" "Right. And who exactly is that, may Ah ask?" Applejack questioned. "He's the pony I dressed up as for Nightmare Night! Did anypony other than Princess Luna recognise the costume?" Sighed Twilight, exasperated. "Huh? I thought you were a weirdo clown!" Added Pinkie. "Never mind all that, let's get on with reading the book shall we?" Rarity interjected. "Good idea."
The Unabridged Observations of Starswirl the Bearded The prophetic spell I that I devised has been a success. What I saw was quite remarkable, and although it does not concern my own future, I believe it may be an important revelation for all of Equestria. After the release of Nightmare Moon If Harmony is to rise again All hope must lie with one unicorn Then once more sun and moon shall reign. This is the template of most prophecies; extremely vague but as meaningful as possible. However, in case a time of great need arises and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony cannot be found, I wish to be detailed in my description of the events yet to take place. On the thousandth year of the summer solstice Nightmare Moon will escape from her prison And once more bring eternal night Before the sun has risen. One unicorn, with a lilac coat Will vow to defeat this evil foe And so to a library within a tree trunk To consult her books she will go. But five ponies follow her, curious To discover what the purple mare knew They read the story of the Elements Then to harmony they will vow to be true. So they will set off to the forest To find the castle where the Elements lie But the Nightmare will be there at every turn Attempting to set them awry. Each pony will face their own trial To test the virtues that they possess But I have not seen what the challenges are So what they will be I must guess. The ponies will each win over The hardships that will stand in their way And so they will come to the ruined castle And in doing so, hope to bring day. The lilac unicorn with magic so strong Will try to ignite a spark But Nightmare Moon will smash the Elements As she fights to keep hold of the dark. Realization will come to the ponies That they bear the jewels of peace A rainbow of light will crash down on the nightmare And the darkness will once again cease. Of course, I have no knowledge of whether these events will actually occur. Everything I saw may have been a fabrication, and I believe that if this prophecy comes true, it will not be in my lifetime. My vision was certainly interesting to witness, however, the spell used in the creation of these predictions is highly complex and far too lengthy to be used purely for entertainment. No, such magic must be taken seriously, and only performed by the most capable of unicorns. Therefore, I will add my musings to this book, 'Prophecies and Poems of Equestria', then re-seal it with the spell inside. Only a powerful unicorn will be able to find it. Before I do so, however, I will provide an accurate description of the ponies that are to become the bearers of theElements of Harmony: First, an earth pony of laughter Her coat and her mane are bright pink With three yellow and blue balloons on her flank She somehow defies physics, I think. Then another earth pony, honesty She wears a brown cowpony hat Three apples she has on her orange coat And her mane is tied up in a plait. Next is loyal blue pegasus Her mane rainbow coloured and long The cloud on her flank shoots a lightning bolt down With three colours bold and strong. After that is a generous unicorn With a purple mane styled so well She has a cutie mark of three diamonds blue And her white horn ready for a spell. Then comes a shy, kind pegasus With a pink mane and yellow coat She cares for animals great and small So on her flank, pink butterflies float. Lastly, the Element of magic A lilac, blue-maned unicorn Her cutie mark is a magenta star And great power comes from her horn.
"I can't believe Starswirl the Bearded actually KNEW about me!" Twilight was jumping three feet off the ground, more Pinkie's thing than anypony else's. "Calm down, sugarcube. Ah'm sure lots of ponies predicted er...predictions about you. After all, you are the Element of Magic." Applejack attempted to settle the hyper unicorn. "Oooooh this is exciting!" A certain pink pony started, "The wizardy guy saw all of us in the future! Well, it's really the past for us but for him it was the future so it must have been really amazing for him that he could see things that hadn't happened yet and he could use all sorts of magical magic to activate that spell that let him predict stuff and - " "PINKIE!" Everypony else shouted simultaneously. "Whoops! Sorry, I wasn't using enough full stops or commas! Never mind, I'll get better at writing my dialogue next time!" Pinkie Pie sang. "What in Equestria is she talking about?" Asked Rarity. "Oh...um, I'm sure it's just Pinkie being Pinkie." Fluttershy explained to the very confused fashionista. Spike brought some lemonade to the table where the ponies were seated. It was a hot and humid day, and all the windows were open to allow air into the library. "Ah sure hope the pegasi get the storm to break soon. It can't stay this hot, all the leaves on mah apple trees are gonna wilt before long." Commented Applejack. "You're right. And that also means that Rainbow Dash will be free tomorrow. We can invite her over to finish the last of the poems...wait a minute!" Twilight gasped, turning the pages of the book. "After Starswirl's entry, there's nothing else! All these pages are blank!"
