//------------------------------//
// First Awakening/ Gathering of Destiny 
// Story: Long Live The Empress 
// by Mystic Sunrise 
//------------------------------//

And in the Age of Five, one will rise above the others. She bears the mark of destiny. Nightmare Slayer and Bringer of Harmony. She to bear the Cosmic Crown. The one to wear the mantle not seen since the First Age.

Empress Cosmos.

The First Verse of the Lost Prophecy.





Canterlot was abuzz. A coronation of a new princess was something that most thought they would never see again. Most remembered the coronation of Princess Cadance some years earlier, but they had thought it a fluke at the time.

Now though the whole city was abuzz with the celebration of Twilight Sparkle's elevation to the level of royalty. Ponies from all corners of Equestria had gathered for the event and the After Party was now in full swing.

Even if the guest of honor had since retired to her temporary quarters in Canterlot Castle. Twilight's mind though was awash with different thoughts and plans for the future.

She had flat out refused to even consider moving back to Canterlot. If they needed her for any important meetings or events, then she would of course attend. But if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna thought she would move away from her friends, then they were as crazy as Discord.

When later told this by Fluttershy, Discord took it as a compliment.

To her eternal relief, Celestia and Luna had been relieved by her answer, Luna saying that some of the more self-obsessed nobles had demanded that they make her come back, that Ponyville was unfit for a princess.

Eternal, she grumbled. Twilight had known since the night of her ascension what being an alicorn meant: That she would forever remain young, in the prime of life, while her family and friends would grow old and eventually die.

Her reaction to that had surprised Celestia at first, but Twilight had made sure they understood that she would mourn and miss them. But to tie herself to the past and not move on was just plain stupid. Some had already come forward to tell her otherwise of course.

"A bunch of butthurt ponies is all they were," Twilight thought. "They didn't know me at all. They just assumed because that's what they wanted."

She pushed the thoughts away as she came to her room at last and pushed the door open with a burst of magic. Inside was rather spartan. A bed and table sat next to each other. Along one wall were bookshelves that were just begging to be filled with knowledge. A large window overlooked the city below.

A mannequin stood next to the table. With a gentle glow of her magic, Twilight removed her dress and draped it over the form. She had to admit, it was a quite beautiful dress, the colors complimenting her crown and cutie mark. Speaking of which.

Twilight levitated her crown off her head and looked it over. Not only was it her symbol of office, but it was also the Element of Magic. She could already feel the massive surge in magic her ascension had given her. Not only that, but she could also feel her earth pony and Pegasus magic as well. Not yet well developed, but they were there.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had already committed to helping her with her Pegasus magic and Applejack had said she would love to help with her earth pony magic as well.

But that was for tomorrow to worry about. She was staying in Canterlot for a week or so to adjust to her new position and to spend time with her parents, whom she had somewhat been neglecting lately.

Setting her crown down on the table, Twilight slid her golden hoof shoes off and set them next to her bed. Honestly, how Celestia, Luna, and Cadance wore them all the time was a mystery to her. They were uncomfortable to wear for so long. Maybe it was just long use?

Putting up to another question she could ask in the morning, Twilight slid herself under the covers, wiggling somewhat to find a comfortable position for her wings. Exhausted, she soon passed into a dreamless slumber.

As she did, the Element of Magic began to glow, sending out a silent signal.





In a place that existed outside of time and space, something heard the signal and for the first time in uncounted years responded.

"She has awakened sister."

"Yes, sister. I have felt her as well. The first changes have begun. But she is not yet ready.

"How much longer must we wait. I long to be one once more."

"As do I sister. But we cannot rush her. We risk losing everything if we do."

"Then I will help and guide her until the day were are all together once more. I long for that day, and I hope it will arrive soon."

"As do I," The Armor of Eternity replied, as the Element of Magic receded back into her inert form, "as do I."





Princess Celestia and Princess Luna could not remember being this concerned in a long time. Princess Twilight's Coronation After Party was winding down, many guests had retired for the evening when they had received a jolt in their horns indicating a massive shift in the Aether had occurred.

When Luna had investigated the disturbance, she had been both shocked and happy at the same time, also tinged with a hint of sadness, knowing now what it meant.

Opening her eyes she smiled slightly. "It is as we thought. The Awakening has begun."

Celestia nodded. "Then it is as I thought. Twilight is her. I didn't think it would begin so soon though."

Luna chuckled. "Tia, you know that we were never meant to rule forever, that the power we wield is not ours and never has been."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "I remember Lulu. We were sent down to prepare the way for her return, but still. For the first signs to appear now? I did not expect that."

"Nor did I." Luna replied, her tone softening. "But now that we know, what do we do now?"

"We begin preparations," Celestia said, her tone firm. "Unless I miss my mark, her Exarchs will begin to awaken soon. The Element of Magic will never leave her side now. It yearns to reunite with the Armor of Eternity."

"Do you think her friends are the five?" Luna asked.

Celestia shook her head. "No. Whoever they are, I doubt they even know each other at the moment, let alone Twilight."

"Then when the time comes?" Luna asked.

"When the time comes, they will know. The six of them share a bond and magic that goes beyond our understanding." Celestia said.

Luna nodded, knowing it was true. As they said their goodnights and Luna prepared for her nightly Dream Walk, their minds were on the future and what it might bring.

Neither saw five stars in the sky above move position.





That night across Equestria and the Crystal Empire, five mares, all from vastly different backgrounds and ages, felt something new blossom in their hearts.

And the seeds planted in ages past began to germinate.





The next morning Twilight awoke refreshed and ready to face the new day. In fact, she hadn't felt this good in a long time. Must have something to do with being an alicorn.

With all that though, Twilight still felt a bit of confusion. Her dreams the night before had been strange. And there had been a distinct lack of Luna to help her make sense of them.

In them, she had found herself in a black void, all alone. For a time there had been nothing but her in the darkness. But then in the distance there had appeared five lights. Twilight didn't know how or why, but she knew they were calling out to her, and, on some primal level, she knew she was calling out to them.

Soon the lights began to grow closer and closer. As they did, Twilight felt something she never expected: Whatever the lights were, they loved her and wanted to be near her. And to her shock, Twilight knew that she loved them as well. Not the kind she had for her friends or family though. No, this was a love that went beyond that. It was something she couldn't explain in words, yet it felt so right all the same.

Even as she felt her love for them grow, and their own love for her grow in turn, she awoke in bed with a deep feeling of loss she couldn't explain. "Well, that was odd." She mumbled. "Maybe Luna would know. Dreams are her thing after all."

Finally deciding it was time to get moving for the day, she looked around the room and saw that Spike was not there. He had made a vague promise not to for some reason the night before. Apparently, he had meant it. Figuring she could ask him later at breakfast she slipped into her hoof shoes before placing her crown on her head and making her way to the door before turning toward the Royal Dining Hall.

As she passed various staff and guards along the way, all bowed to her as she passed. Normally this would have annoyed her to no end. But now it felt, right somehow. Not just for now officially being a princess, but something, else.

As the thought passed her mind though, the dream kept coming back to her. And only now did something she had missed before coming to the forefront.

Just before she awoke, for a split second, she had seen five more lights beyond the five that were gathering around her. They were hazy with distance and something, else. Like they slept in a deep sleep and only waited for someone to awaken them.

What that could mean, and why she thought of it like that, Twilight didn't know. But because they had only been there for such a short time, she just chalked it up to her mind playing tricks on her.





At the same time, Celestia and Luna sat deep in discussion in the dining hall. Even from this distance though they could feel the aura Twilight was unconsciously projecting from herself. It was another sign of her coming into her full being. Thankfully it wouldn't be obvious as anything more than ponies bowing to her because she was a princess.

Celestia had set the wheels of the Empress's return in motion as soon as she had raised the sun. Documents long in gestation had been sent to the House of Lords for approval. They were worded so vaguely, the nobility has no idea of what they were signing.

The total erasure of any and all government and the stripping of their titles and lands. Only her Exarchs would hold power below her once she came into her full being and they answered only to their Empress. No other could command them. What sort of government she implemented after that was up to her.

They were rather proud of the wording on those bills. The nobility as a whole was known for not being that smart. They also knew that when they returned to the Crystal Empire, Cadance and Shining Armor would begin the same process.

"So how do we explain things to Twilight sister?" Luna asked after a moment. "I believe she will have many questions regarding her new position."

Celestia smiled. "I plan on being as blunt as possible Luna. For too long I've held back on what I tell her. No more. If she has a question I will answer it. Whether she likes the answer or not."

Luna nodded. It was something she had been advocating for some time. She considered Twilight a close friend, and she had never been happy with how vague her sister could be sometimes.

Before more could be said, a guard poked his head in to announce that Princess Twilight Sparkle had arrived. Nodding their approval, the guard let Twilight enter.

"Good morning Twilight. Sleep well?" Celestia asked with her usual smile.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Like a rock." She mumbled, earning a few giggles from her fellow monarchs. "But I had an odd dream last night. And I was hoping you could help Luna."

"Oh?" Luna replied, raising an eyebrow. "I did not feel anything wrong in your subconscious during the night. Nor did I feel any nightmares."

"It wasn't a nightmare," Twilight replied. "All night, it felt like I was calling to something. To someone. All five of them. And they responded. I know they did."

This caused quite a bit of shock for Celestia and Luna, who shared an unreadable look as she continued. "The feeling stopped as soon as I woke up, and now I feel empty inside. Like I'm missing something."

Luna spoke first. "That is strange Twilight. But even I do not know all there is to know of the Dream Realm. That knowledge was lost long ago.  Only one knew more about it, and she has not been seen in millennia."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Really. Who was she?"

Celestia, who had been giving her sister a look, sighed, knowing Twilight wouldn't be happy unless she got a full answer. "Her name, as far as mortals knew it, was Empress Cosmos."

Twilight felt her heart flutter at the name. She didn't know why, but she felt like she knew that name somehow. "What happened to her?"

"No one knows," Luna replied. "She just vanished one night and never returned. Not even her Exarchs knew where she had gone, or why."

"Her what?" Twilight asked.

"The five mares directly beneath her in power and prestige," Celestia said. "And her closest advisers and friends. Alone, one of her Exarchs was more than a match for a hundred ponies, without trying. When the Five stood together, whole armies were crushed. In less than a day."

"And when they stood beside their empress, they could have conquered whole worlds if they had wanted to," Luna added, a small smile on her face. "But they only did so with Equus. Bringing it out of darkness and savagery, and into a golden age. One Equestria is nowhere near it."

Twilight wasn't sure why, but she knew in her heart this was all true. "Did you know them? You sound like you knew them."

Luna shook her head. "Nay, we did not. By the time we were born, she had vanished millennia before, and the last of her Exarchs died a thousand years before Tia was born."

"Then how do you know all this?" Twilight asked. "Is there a history book about them?" She hoped there was. This sounded like something worth a read.

Celestia shook her head. "No there isn't. Very few even remember they existed at all. Most have long forgotten that age, or purposely erased it from history." She smiled a little. "As for how we know..."

"We know because we are the ones who will herald her return," Luna said, her tone serious. "We have known for as long as we can remember that we were the first signs of her impending return."

Now Twilight was really confused., even though she was enjoying the history lesson. "What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense."

Celestia's own expression turned serious. "Twilight, we have been preparing Equestria. No, the world, for the return of its one true master since we took up the thrones over a thousand years ago. And now, all our time and effort are about to pay off."

Twilight's raised eyebrow was her only response. Celestia was rather proud she had picked up that little nuance of hers like that.

"The final signs have begun to appear," Luna said, her eyes, glistening. "Her return is nigh. Her Exarchs will soon begin to gather. They will seek her out. The call has already been sent."





The rest of the meal was spent in relative silence, only broken now and then by another question from Twilight about what she had been told. But Celestia and Luna were being tight-lipped now about it for some reason. But she knew enough for the moment to know this.

Something huge was coming. Something that would change the entire world. Twilight wasn't sure if she was ready for that. She was still getting used to the last one. And it was her!

Her thoughts were interrupted when another guard came to announce that the Element Bearers were soon to leave for Ponyville. For some reason, this didn't sadden her as much as she thought it would.

Celestia saw the look in her eye and smirked. "Yes Twilight, you can go see your friends off. You don't need my permission."

Twilight smiled sheepishly. "Right. Sorry. I'll be back." She called as she cantered out of the room followed by the guard.

As soon as she was sure Twilight was well out of earshot, Celestia turned and glared at Luna. "Do you realize how much we've risked in telling Twilight so much? She can't know. Not yet."

Luna glared right back. "And what would you have me do Tia, lie to her? You know what that dream of hers means. She's called out to them, and they've heard her call."

Celestia relaxed somewhat. "And now they will seek her out. But you know she can't force them to. They have to willingly give themselves to her."

Luna nodded. "Aye, I remember. But it is better that Twilight knows there will be a reason when five mares come to her and she feels a connection to them that transcends the one she has with her fellow Element Bearers."

Celestia smiled ruefully. "When did you become so smart Luna? I'm supposed to be the wise one."

Luna stuck her tongue out playfully. "A thousand years alone on the moon gave me plenty of time to think about this Tia."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Fair point. Do you have any idea who the Five might be?"

Luna shook her head. "Nay. I felt nothing in the Dream Realm that would suggest any who might be them." Her brows furrowed as a memory came to her. "But there was, something else. An echo."

Celestia's brows rose in confusion. "An echo? Of what?"

Luna shook her head. "I don't know. When Twilight called out to her Exarchs, something else answered back with them. Faint, as if from a great distance. I only heard it for a split second. Twilight did not." She paused as what she heard in that echo came back.

Celestia's own concern grew. "What is it, Luna?"

Luna's eyes began to glisten. "Tia, it sounded like five more called back, begging Twilight to hear them. But they knew she couldn't."

Celestia was stumped for a moment. "You are sure? Maybe it was just Twilight's mind playing tricks on you? If she is awakening, then her mind is something we cannot understand fully."

Luna glared at her sister with tear-filled eyes. "Celestia. I know what I heard. I have never heard such joy before, tinged with such soul-crushing sadness. Something else did respond to Twilight. No, the Empress last night."





Deep in the Everfree Forest, another conversation was taking place. But this was not done in a way that most creatures could understand. It was not even spoken aloud.

"She didn't hear us."

"No, but it was a long shot she would."

"I did hear our new family though. They seem nice."

"You're just happy you'll have someone your age around now."

"Now now you two. We should be glad. Our wait is almost over."

"Are you sure?

"Yes. Something is coming. Their rise will not be in a time of peace."

"Just like it was for us." They all said together.





Even as Twilight was saying goodbye to her friends for a time, and Celestia began her daily Day Court, five mares began their own journies.





Crystal Dawn knew she was in big trouble if she was caught now.

The filly, not much older than seven, had snuck out of her parent's house in the Crystal Empire a few hours earlier and was now on a train heading south. Luckily, all her allowance money had been enough to buy a ticket.

When the pony behind the ticket window had asked where she was going, she had simply said "Ponyville."

Something in her look must have convinced him because he had just shrugged and given her the ticket. Crystal knew she was too young to be riding alone like she was.

But something was telling her that she needed to be in Ponyville. Call it fate or destiny she didn't know, but she knew one thing for sure. Something was calling her, and she could no more deny it any more than she could be going to the bathroom.





Emerald Dawn had never been outside of Hollow Shades before. The town was a haven for Chiroptera like herself, though a few had left to join the reinstated Night Guard of Princess Luna.

Yet now something was calling her away, far to the west. Call it a mare's intuition, but she had always felt she was different from the rest of the town. But this feeling, it felt like something she had been waiting for her entire life.

Luckily the town she was going to was rather well known by now across all of Equestria, so she wouldn't get lost. Ponyville.





Celestial Rose was conflicted about what she had just done and what it meant for her own future.

She had given up her life as a moderately well off singer on the Las Pegasus strip. Quit it entirely in fact and was now on a train ride south to a small town she had never bothered to pay attention to before now.

But something was telling her that it was the right decision. It had begun the night before. Something had awakened within her, a feeling that her true destiny was calling.

Even as she settled in for the long ride ahead, the conductor made the announcement of their destination. Ponyville.





Water Lilly and Orchid Aura were not really sure what had compelled them to leave the relative comfort of their home in Appleloosa, but they were glad they were doing it together at least.

The two sisters had awoken that morning to a deep feeling that something major had changed for both of them. In their hearts, they felt something calling them north, something they could not ignore.

So having put their affairs in order, and making some quick excuses to their parents, the two of them had caught the next train north. Luckily they knew where they were going, having seen the town's resident heroes when they had come to visit.

Ponyville.





Princess Celestia barely kept her eyes open as the most recent petitioner to her Day Court droned on and on. Quite frankly she didn't give a single buck about whatever sir 'What's-his-name's' petition was. She rarely did with the nobility. A waste of bits was what they usually were.

Her mind was now on how to proceed with laying the groundwork for what was to come. The abdication was ready and only needed to be announced. The sun had already begun to distance itself from her as its true master's return drew closer. She wasn't upset with that fact. Her time with the celestial orb had been worth every minute they shared, and she dared think the feeling was mutual. She could only guess the same was happening with Luna.

"And so..."

"Oh put a sock in it already blowhard!" Celestia thought with a scowl. This was one thing she wouldn't miss when the time came. What she did with idiots like this when they came to, whatever the Empress would hold she didn't know. But she hoped she found a way to make them fun.

Just as she was beginning to imagine all the ways the Empress could handle these idiots, trying not to grin like a maniac in the process, a note popped into existence in front of her. Startled, she unfurled the document and read what it had.

"The Five have arisen. They will be in Ponyville within the day."

There was no signature, but Celestia knew where it came from. Only a very select few knew about them. An intelligence network so secret that to even talk about it was grounds for a time in the dungeon.

Hidden behind a wall of unassailable clearance codes, ones that brokered no argument, it reported directly to Celestia and Luna. No one else was even allowed to be in the same room when a report was delivered by an agent. Special security measures protected a single room in the palace where each report was delivered, one that didn't show up on any map or plan of the castle.

S.M.I.L.E. had tried to infiltrate the network years earlier, in their misguided belief that they should be the only organization that existed to serve the princess. But they had been caught before they even had a chance to try and pierce the veil around it. It had been the final straw for Celestia.

She had despised the idea for the organization from the beginning but had kept them on as a necessary evil. But their bungling of the Bugbear situation and their blatant use of mind-wiping spells on those who had seen them work had broken her patience on the matter and had dissolved the agency on the spot and dishonorably discharged every member.

She had made it clear at the time that any attempt to continue its work or to refound it, would be tried as high treason, assuming, of course, they lived long enough to be tried. Past that their lives were their own to live.

The agents scattered across Equestria and beyond had kept their eyes on them ever since, even while they continued their own assignments. So far none had been caught doing so, though Sweetie Drops had been caught snooping around more than she should have on several occasions.

But now, this was a letter long in coming. Her lips quirked in a small smile, Celestia penned a quick response and sent it on its way, even as Sir 'Windbag' droned on and on.





At the same time, and while Twilight returned to the castle, another meeting was taking place in the Upper Northside neighborhood of Canterlot, one of the most exclusive parts of the city.

In the basement of one of the mansions, the meeting was just getting underway.

"Sisters. In the name of our Empress, I welcome you," A cloaked figure announced to the four others around her, all also cloaked.

"In Her name do we serve. Now and forever," Came the reply in unison.

The first nodded to the one to her left. "Sisters, the day we have longed for draws near. Tell us what you know."

The other mare nodded. "The call has been sent. The Five have been chosen."

This drew excited gasps from the others. "Are you sure of this?" One asked.

The first nodded. "Very. Celestia received a report from one of 'her' agents that confirmed it. They're converging on Ponyville as we speak."

This drew a round of murmurs. "Then it is as we thought. Twilight Sparkle is her," one said.

"Indeed. Celestia and Luna have played their parts well but their time is almost up," the first responded.

"How are they taking it?" another asked.

"As well as can be expected," the fourth figure said. "But what of the third alicorn?"

"How do we proceed with her?" One asked. "There was never supposed to be the fourth alicorn."

"Cadenza's ascension was unexpected, but I can't see it being a problem. She and the Empress have known each other since she was her foalsitter. She loves her too much to interfere," the second responded.

That drew another round of murmurs from the others. The first raised her voice to get their attention. "Sisters. For ten thousand years our families have kept the memory of the greatest age of our world alive. A task her Exarchs, our ancestors, gave to their children before they vanished. And now." The mare dropped her hood.

"That era is returning." Starlight Glimmer finished.

"May her reign last until time itself is unmade," the others chorused, also dropping their hoods.

"What is our next step First Mistress?" Fleur dis Lis asked.

Starlight smiled. "We proceed with Phase 1. Send word to every agent that mission objectives and parameters will be sent shortly."

"And what of us?" Another asked.

"Continue with our normal lives," Starlight replied. "We will meet just before her rebirth to make sure everything is ready."

The others nodded. One by one each left the room, leaving only Starlight behind. At that moment, she was not particularly happy with what she did as the mayor of Our Town (and in hindsight, that was a really stupid name for a town). The Empress would give her an earful for sure. But she could only hope she saw that Starlight's heart was in the right place.

Sighing, she too soon left, letting the room fall back into darkness.





Later that week ponies throughout the Equestria and the Crystal Empire received coded messages through the regular Postal Service. To most, they would be utter gibberish, but to a select few they were instructions long hoped for.

"The Five have been chosen. Phase 1 is now in effect. The mission parameter is Orpheus. Further instructions to follow."





Pinkie Pie was bored, and as anypony who knew her well could do tell you, that was never a good thing.

Sugarcube Corner had been slow that morning. Outside the normal morning rush, not many ponies had come in. Right now the only ones in the store besides Pinkie and the Cakes were four mares sitting in a corner booth, talking quietly among themselves.

Now, Pinkie was all for meeting new ponies. Heck, she loved meeting new ponies! But something about them seemed, off, to her. Not in a bad way or anything, and they had been nothing but friendly since they had come in. But there was something, more to them.

And then there was the fact that they had all been sitting apart from each other when they first came in, apart from two who Pinkie could tell were sisters in a way that only one who had one could tell.

Gradually though they had all come together within a few minutes of each other. Like something was drawing them together. And then there was the fact that every few minutes, one of them would look at the front door, before sighing and turning back to her companions. They seemed to be waiting for something, or somepony.

Pinkie would've loved to help, but she was busy manning the counter and she had no idea of who they might be waiting for or what they looked like.

Call it a hunch, and her hunches were usually right, but she felt something big was in the air, and these four had a part to play in it.

The bell over the door ringing broke Pinkie out of her thoughts. Looking up, she was surprised. Not that the customer was a filly (having dealt with the CMC for so long, she was used to them coming in), but that she was a crystal pony.

"Um. Is this Sugarcube Corner?" The filly asked.

Remembering her manners Pinkie hopped over. "Yep. This is the one. Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! What's yours?"

"Crystal Dawn," the filly replied.

Pinkie happily shook her hoof. "Nice to meet ya, Crystal! Welcome to Ponyville. What can I get ya?"

Crystal looked at the baked goods on display and tried not to drool at the sight. "Are any of those cupcakes vanilla flavored?" She asked.

Pinkie nodded as she hopped back behind the counter. "Yep! How many do ya want?"

Crystal opened her saddlebags and pulled out what was left of her allowance money. There wasn't much left now. "How many can I get with this?" She asked.

Pinkie rubbed her chin. "Well. Usually only one or two. But!" She quickly added, seeing Crystal's ears droop, "Since I'm feeling extra nice today, have three or four. My treat!"

She leaned over the counter and motioned Crystal closer. "Just don't tell anypony I did that. I'm not supposed to," she whispered conspiratorially.

Crystal giggled. "My lips are sealed. I'm good at keeping secrets. At least that's what my friends tell me."

Pinkie grinned. "Neat! So what brings you to Ponyville Crystal? Don't see a lot of crystal ponies this far south. Unless they're with Princess Cadance. Are you with her?"

"Um..." Crystal mumbled, trying to think of something. She hadn't planned this far ahead when she had left the empire. But then someone spoke up next to her.

"She's with us."

Looking up, it was the Chiroptera mare she had seen in another booth that had spoken. The mare stood out quite a bit with her light grey coat and dark blue mane. Her cutie mark was a single white star with an emerald light.

"Neat!" Pinkie replied leaning away. "Enjoy your cupcakes."

Crystal sighed as she took her treats with a hoof and followed the other mare back the way she came. "Thanks. But I don't know you guys."

The mare smiled. "Join the club. I'll let the others explain."

By that point, they had reached the booth. The mare took a seat next to a unicorn mare. Her sky blue coat contrasted rather well with her blond mane. Crystal took a seat next to two earth pony mares, one a lime green color with a deeper shade of green for a mane, and the other a light orange with a red mane.

"So what brings a crystal pony so far south of the Crystal Empire?" The mare who had grabbed Crystal asked. "The name's Emerald Dream."

"Water Lilly," the lime green mare added.

"Orchid Aura," the light orange mare said.

"Celestial Rose," the unicorn mare added.

"Crystal Dawn," Crystal said. "I don't know why really. It just felt like-"

"Like I needed to be here. Like I belonged here," they all said together before blinking in surprise.

"Okay. This can't be a coincidence," Celestial said. "All five of us here, all for the same reason?"

"But why would we be?" Emerald asked. "We don't know each at all. We've never met before."

"Maybe you're looking for somepony?" A voice asked, making them all jump as they found Pinkie Pie had joined them. "You girls sound like you're looking for something, or waiting for someone."

"What makes you say that?" Water Lilly asked.

"Just a hunch," Pinkie replied with a grin. "You know what? My friend Twilight could probably help you guys find whatever you're looking for. She's the smarted pony around."

The girls shared a confused look. "Twilight. As in Princess Twilight Sparkle? Do you know her? Celestial asked.

Pinkie gasped. "Of course I know her silly! I'm one of her best friends." She gave them all a look. "You really need to get out more if don't know that."

The girls exchanged a look before deciding to focus on just one part of that. "Do you know where she is then?" Orchid asked. "Is she around?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Sorry. She's still in Canterlot for the rest of the week. But you girls can see her when she gets back."

Something unspoken passed between the group then and they all nodded. "We'll do that," Crystal replied. As Pinkie nodded and happily bounced away, they fell into thoughtful silence for a time.

None of them noticed their cutie marks began to glow slightly as they sat there.





At the same moment in Canterlot, Princess Twilight was trying to stay awake as some random noble drone on and on about something of no importance during the Afternoon Day Court Session. Who knew politics could be so dull?

She too never felt the five satellite stars around her central starburst cutie mark begin to glow, even if she did feel a warm fuzzy feeling spread through her whole body.