//------------------------------// // Prologue: Accepted Applications // Story: Students To Power: The Prophecies // by Hyacintho Ignis //------------------------------// Students To Power: The Prophecies Prologue: Accepted Applications Written by: Hyacintho Ignis Edited by: Unknown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Distant Past~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A contingent of soldiers stood ready to fight, their weapons drawn or their magic at the fore. Totaling twenty-two, their captain stood at the point of the triangle formation the soldiers had made around their rulers. Princess Celestia stood tallest, a beacon of peace that represented the kingdom of Equestria. Princess Luna stood slightly shorter than her sister, a beacon of leadership in the hard times that had fallen Equestria, for her views, although tempered by love, were less so than Celestia’s. A cloaked figure stood a mere eight steps from the captain, its massive levels of tainted magic giving off a sickening aura. The two princesses could only guess what would happen in the coming fight against this enemy. The air was thick with tension and danger, mixing with the snow and the weather matched the overall attitude as they all faced off against this dangerous being. Cold. Calculating. The snow and wind suddenly stopped as the four Unicorns on each end erected a barrier and eight Pegasi jumped at the sinister figure. There was no warning as they were suddenly swiped out of the air by a transparent force. Luna noted a glow from beneath the hood as Celestia threw up a cushioning barrier to stop her elite troops from being thrown to their deaths. “It has speed, and its level of control is perfect.” Luna turned to look behind her and signaled with a hoof. “Simultaneous strikes, four points.” Slivers of shadows were all that could be seen as eight of Luna’s own elite guard attacked the figure from the left, the right, from above and from the front. But they never made managed to make contact as a ball of ice formed around the figure. Their attacks cracked the ice, and it disappeared to stick out from their bodies as sheets and icicles. Luna growled as she watched the carefree slaughter of her finest combatants. Celestia held out a hoof in front of Luna, stopping her from jumping in. “Pheriphorn, fall back to Crystalia and make haste to Canterlot. Inform the Prince and our Generals that we are handling this personally.” Pheriphorn, captain of Celestia’s elite and a veteran with over forty years in his Highness’ service, gave only a single nod and a shrill whistle. Ten Unicorns gathered the injured Pegasi in their magic while the other four extended their barrier, cutting a path through the snow and wind. The party made it fourteen steps past the princesses before a glow came from beneath the hood again and a ring of fire surrounded the troops. From equidistant points on the circle’s circumference, eight massive arms reached up to the sky, dwarfing even Celestia and Luna for their sheer height. Forming a strange symbol in the air, the eight arms came rushing down upon Pheriphorn and his command. He only had time to close his eyes and bow to Celestia before the entire contingent disappeared and the wind and snow rushed in the fill the emptiness. ’Twenty-two of my elite guard, and eight of Luna’s close quarters combat masters. Where is this power coming from?’ Celestia contemplated this as she turned back to look at the figure again, the cloak billowing in the wind but revealing nothing. “Show yourself, you foul demon. Your blood shall be spilled so that those who met death in your meaningless slaughters can find peace. No longer shall the lands of Equestria run red with the life-force of its people. Let me look upon your face as I take your life in recompense for the genocide you have committed!” Luna started forward, ready to give herself fully to the darkness. To embrace her ultimate power at the cost of herself for her subjects. To surrender every fiber of her being to the Spirit inside her. “Luna! We do not have the need to release our beasts. To do so would spell the end for many more than one. But the idea is tempting… Pheriphorn was close to my heart...” Celestia was still looking at the figure when another glow came from beneath the hood. Jumping forward, she connected with Luna, taking her out of the way as a bolt of blue came from beneath the hood. The bolt caught her leg as it passed, but it wasn’t electricity that coursed through her body. It was an alien magic that counteracted her own. Bile rose in her throat and she rolled off of Luna just as gobs of her golden aura forced themselves from her mouth. “Sister! What’s happening to your magic!?” Luna could feel Celestia’s power slipping away every time she hawked up her own magic. It was as if the alien magic were expelling it from her body. She went to touch Celestia’s shivering body with a hoof, but if the contagion could be spread through contact… Luna whipped around to face the hooded monster that had rendered her sister useless with a single attack. “You piece of filth-covered carrion, I will make sure you burn in the deepest pits of Tartarus for this. Tell me your name so that I may consent you to eternity’s keeping.” Pulling back the hood, the creature revealed itself to Luna and the cloak unbuckled, surrendering to the wind. Its body, or rather species, was a hybrid of five races. The torso was that of a Griffin, dull and greyed. It had two sets of wings, one Griffin, one Pegasus. Atop its head was a Unicorn's horn, its green coloring making it stand out amongst the red tinged feathers. While it had the body and front legs of a Griffin, the back legs were clearly those of an Earth pony. The final species that made up this freak of nature was Dragon. The spines that started from behind the horn and travelled down its back to the base of the scaly green tail that flowed in the wind. The creature’s beak was sewn shut, leaving it incapable of verbal speech. But such was the level of its power, that it had no problem communicating inside Luna’s mind. “I have no name, for I was not born willingly into this world. What I have is a number, for I was just a statistic to those that created me. I am Zero, and my purpose in this world is such that even you could not comprehend.” “Your purpose will be to amuse me until the end of days as I slowly destroy your mentality. The amalgamation of parts that makes up your body shall be ripped to shreds, one by one, as I keep you alive to pay for what has happened to my sister and our fair kingdom.” What little sunlight that pierced the snow seemed to fade as another dome surrounded them. Instead of being transparent though, its outline was shown by swirling patterns and dots of light upon the pitch black. No matter what the little pinpricks of light did, they were dragged into the center of the swirls where they disappeared. Luna’s eyes took on cat-like pupils as they adjusted to the darkness. She could easily make out their opponent in front of her and she turned to see Celestia stop retching and shivering. Walking over to Celestia, Luna noted her steady breathing and the decidedly alien aura of the magic inside her. “Sister, how do you feel? Your aura has changed; where has your magic gone?” Celestia could feel what remained of her magic buried deep within. She closed her eyes and tried an armor forming spell. Instead of her golden aura, her horn was shrouded with a sickly grey and the armor appeared with the same film. Cancelling the spell, Celestia enhanced her sight using the alien magic, her vision becoming as clear as if it were midday. “My magic is closed to me but I can use what has replaced it.” ”Do you both see now? I have left you no other option save one. The longer this goes on, the longer that death and destruction shall rule over Equestria.” Zero’s words sounded in their minds as it moved towards them, using its magic to constantly ping their location as it slowly came closer and closer. Its form began to change, bulging from within, stretching the skin over lumps as it became more and more distorted. “Luna, did you bring the Elements with you? We shall have to trust in them to give us the power needed to vanquish this abomination. The last time I had to rely on the Elements, I did not have my desired result..." Luna gave a terse nod and a box appeared between them. They both opened the box to reveal six gemstones, with one crafted into a six pointed star. They each took three with Celestia taking the star and the box disappeared, having served it’s purpose. Together they stood, facing their opponent with the six gems before them. “The Elements of Harmony, representing Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, Loyalty and Magic. These are the most powerful artifacts in Equestria, to be used in its time of need, when all hope has faded.” The gems grew brighter as a glow came from within them. But it was only the three Luna held that glowed brightly as Celestia’s remained lifeless in her sickly gray aura. Luna stopped using the Elements for a moment, letting them settle back to their lifeless state as she looked at Celestia. “What’s wrong? Why are the Elements not responding to you?” “I do not know, this has never happened before.” Celestia tried pouring her magic into the Elements again, but rather than enter, it simply stopped and built up around them. Shadows formed around the three that she held and a single crack ran down the star. The sounds of torture and painful screams reverberated from the gem and Celestia dropped all of them in fright. ”You stupid ponies! How can you not see what is right in front of your faces!?” The face that confronted them shouldn’t have been able to hold itself together. Zero’s entire body was nothing more than a writhing mass of bumps that pushed at the skin, shown by a bright gray glow that came from the green horn amongst the reddened feathers. "My magic does not allow the Elements to work! Why did you think that I would leave you such an easy option!? Has the death of half a million fools not made my point clear!? Must the rivers of Equestria run red with blood again so that you can find the answer!? You two have nearly run out of time, and destiny will take a new path, one upon which neither of you will tread!” Celestia was a bit shaken after having the Elements scream at her and the sudden appearance of the horrifyingly bulging face of their opponent. She took several steps back while Luna stood her ground, not wanting to give ground to the abomination before them. Luna's eyes reverted back to their normal state while her canine teeth grew long and pointed, for the small amount of power she let slip had to manifest somewhere on her body. The Sisters couldn't beat him in a contest of magic, the elements couldn’t be used with Celestia in her current state and his mind was so confusing at first glance that a battle of minds would end in their swift defeat. There was still an option left, but neither of them could figure out what it was. Luna took the words that echoed around in their minds and stood firm as she examined them closer. 'Death... Blood… We cannot kill him but our victory must be certain for Equestria to survive. It must be too easy to simply seal him away using a physical sealing spell, but if we were to use a dimensional one...’ The skin on Zero’s face and body began to droop and the violent bumps under his skin slowed to a stop as his body grew larger. A wave of magic was released from his horn and it expanded outwards, passing through the barrier that Luna had erected. As it touched the Elements, Luna lost her connection to them and they dropped to the ground, nothing but smooth, round stones. ”Those that come to this plane of existence suffer pain like no other, for it is their constant companion in this life. There is but one relief though obtaining it means passing the gate of no return. I make the choice for them; a moment of intensity for an eternity of peace.” Luna stepped back so she was level with Celestia and bending down, she whispered in her ear so their enemy wouldn’t hear the conversation. “Sister, there is one thing that we could try. The sealing spell of Blood. The one we found in the abandoned research lab beneath our city. The Great Binding.” “The Demon’s Deal…” Celestia almost breathed out the words. As much as she tried, she couldn’t find anything that could work besides what Luna had suggested. They were down to this last chance, all or nothing. “We must ensure that the beast cannot escape the s-sealing. I fear that this magic can only be used with the darker arts. In the short time they’d looked away from Zero, it had grown to match them in height. The two pairs of wings were spread wide and its head was tilted back. A white orb appeared over its head as it drew forth more and more power, focusing it all on that one spot. ”The cogs have stopped. The clock strikes its final moments. Armageddon shall fall upon Equestria with your deaths, for there is none to guide them, save you two. But neither of you can exist on this path, for it is not open to you. Your passing shall be most painful. Now accept your death.” “We refuse your reality! It shall be you who passes this day!” Luna shrunk the sphere she’d put around them, the dots growing even smaller against the black. Passing over Celestia and Luna, it continued to shrink to Luna’s will and as it began to pass through their enemy, it stopped, trapping it in place. “Now Celestia, get into position and bring forth everything you can!” Celestia jumped to the right while Luna jumped left, placing themselves on opposites sides of the struggling beast between them. Drawing upon their power, they sent tendrils of magic through their hooves and into the snow. They continued expanding and moving, marking out patterns atop the white landscape. Completing their purpose, the tendrils now formed a circle with Celestia and Luna outside it. Zero raged between them in the exact center of the circle, surrounded by swirling lines and intricate patterns. Two final strands of magic worked their way from the princesses horns to Zero’s horn. As the connection was made, a beam of light shot up into the sky, mixing blue, grey, red and black. Zero’s body split into six different pieces and its chest simply disappeared, paying a sacrifice owed to the circle. Its head and legs each went to one place on the circle, forming a pentagram between them. The Binding was almost completed… Celestia and Luna stepped away from the circle and the beam that had lit up the sky collapsed downwards, its energy imprinting the patterns in the snow. Each body part had disappeared, leaving five circles with a single runic symbol in their place. The weather continued with its business, but the spell was never covered up. It merely continued to show itself, rising or falling with the snow. The two princesses took a long and hard look at one another, breathing hard and shaking with exhaustion. Celestia suddenly fell to the ground as her knees gave out and Luna rushed over to her, careful not to touch the seal that lay upon the snow. She looked to the south, to where their home lay, noting that the red and black sky still covered Equestria. “Come Sister, we have a long trial ahead of us.” Gathering Celestia in her aura, Luna lifted her sister onto her back and settled her there. Summoning the box again, Luna placed the Elements in their respective slots. Doing a quick count, Luna realized she only had five Elements and the star was pointedly absent. After an extensive search, she found a star shaped rock that she recognized as the Element of Magic. Placing it in the box, she closed the lid and banishing the box to its hiding place. Making sure Celestia wouldn't fall from her perch, Luna began the long trek back to Canterlot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Unknown~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Zero stood in nothingness, a desolate and dark void that stretched on infinitely. Two white orbs of light appeared before it and it knelt, looking down at the darkness beneath him. Reaching out with its mind, it spoke. ”I have started them on their path, but the choice remains to them to follow it.” ”They will face their challenges, as each much, whether or not they fail will decide the fate of worlds, for even we cannot see far enough into the future. You have done well, and there will be more, but you may rest for now in the Blood Void. Pray that you do not encounter those that have also been sealed away.” The two white orbs disappeared and Zero stood up, staring at where the orbs had been. The gemstone that represented the Element of Magic appeared before it, the crack still running from tip to center. ”I fear I may have to… to fulfill my part.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Present~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a small room, a snow grey Unicorn sat on a pillow before a desk. A pencil, surrounded by a pastel blue aura, flew across the sheets of paper littered upon the wooden surface. The light of the afternoon sun filtered through the only window to fall upon the exact center of the floor, where faint chalk outlines could be seen. A bed sat in the corner, pushed up against the orange walls, with a wooden chest at its feet. A thin bookshelf stood next to the desk like a sentry, loaded down with books from magical theory and engineering principles, to worn children's books and dusty comics. The pencil marked one final line before coming to rest upon the edge of the desk and the colt stood up, twisting his head left and right to hear his bones crack and shift. His sky blue mane showed signs of being combed half-heartedly with tufts sticking out at odd angles and slightly covering one of his eyes. His horn came to life as he levitated a thin, leather bound book back onto the bookshelf before turning to look at his latest design. It was a trebuchet, but instead of flinging debris or ammunition at the enemy, it fired pure magic. Another sheet showed all the materials that would be required while yet another held all the angles and trajectories upon its face. “Well, still trying to make your weapons a reality, eh?” A deep voice sounded from behind and he turned to see a tall, slender stallion looking over his shoulder. His coat was a steel grey while his mane was silver, slicked and tied back out of the way. His cutie mark was covered by several belts and bands that held a few of his tools and other oddities. A single scar ran across his brow and down his left eye, which had caused the color in his iris to fade. “You realize that mass producing magical constructions that will last after being casted is impossible, yes?” “I understand that Dad, that’s why the ponies who are operating it are mostly unicorns. Their job is to maintain the output of constructions throughout the battle and to defend the post from magic attacks if necessary.” Taking a black cased book from the shelf with his magic, he placed a forehoof on the book, pointing out the title to his father. “‘Rules of Magic’ by Midas Magellan. You gave me this for my birthday three years ago, which was my last day of primary school, remember?” His father chuckled, nodding at the remark. “Of course I remember, Amadeus. After all, I had never seen you take to a book so quickly as that one.” He took the book and held it up for a moment. “However, while Midas does make some excellent points, his theories on magic and the three solid forms are highly flawed. As Auric magic stands by itself, it has no base form. It has to be converted into a solid. A secondary type of magic must be used. Be it Cryomancy, Pyromancy or any other elemental based magical art, but by itself... impossible." Rolling his eyes, Amadeus grasped the book in his blue aura and took the initiative in the almost awkward silence that had followed. “Hey Dad, why aren’t you teaching at a school anyway? I know you enjoy doing what you do, but it’s hard to get the materials I need with your rather limited paycheck.” Replacing the book, he noticed that his father’s horn was still glowing, and his curiosity was instantly aroused. “So... you don’t usually come into my room without a reason.” His voice, usually quivering with excitement, took on a more questioning tone. “Would it have anything to do with my weapons? Or my recent applications for schooling?” Relius Zero was not a stallion known to play games, but for his son, he could not resist the chance. “Does a father need an excuse to check on his only son?” Losing his composure, Amadeus started fidgeting on the pillow. He wanted to know why his dad was here, but he knew he had no chance of trying to wrest whatever he was hiding away from him. “Pleaaaase? I’ve put in at four different schools. I even applied for that magic school in Manehatten. Please tell meeeee...” He opened his eyes nice and wide as he looked up at his father, hoping that the act would work. “I suppose you have the right to know.” Relius grinned for a moment, turning away from his son to look out the window. “All four schools that you sent the applications to... they were all rejected.” He looked out of the corner of his eyes to see his son’s reaction. Amadeus looked to be on the verge of tears, and he slumped against the desk. Turning back to his son, Relius smiled warmly. “However, I did take the time to fill out a fifth application for you and I sent it off to a small school you may have heard of... I believe it’s known as PCSGU. You have heard of it, yes?” Amadeus looked up at his father’s face, smiling warmly down at him with a playful glint in those eyes. He knew of the school; it was famous enough simply for the pony it was named after. He also knew that the price for tuition was far from affordable. But he didn’t care about that, all he cared about was that his father had applied for him to go to the most prestigious magic school in Equestria; Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. “Really!? Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” His voice rose with each repetition until his father was rubbing his head with a hoof. “Okay... calm down, Amadeus.” Relius tried to bring the over-the-moon colt back to earth. After seconds of watching his son bounce around the room, he dropped the scroll he’d been carrying on the bed and grabbed the colt in his orange magic, setting him down in the middle of the room. “Yes, you’ve been accepted to take the Entrance Test two days from now. The details are right here in this letter.” Of course, after that was said, Amadeus couldn’t wait to read it and ripped his own aura into overdrive, trying to pierce his father’s hold. Relius simply gave a deep chuckle and released him onto the floor, giving him the letter to read. After two minutes of complete silence, Amadeus looked up from the scroll at his father with a wondering tilt to his head. “Hey dad... Who is Twilight Sparkle?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two Days Earlier~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a house on the other side of Canterlot, a unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle was snoring into her pillow. A tower of books reared up beside the bed, almost reaching the roof. A trail of drool started from the purple unicorn’s mouth, dripping off the blue covers and onto the floor. The open windows allowed the unfiltered sunlight to come in and a blustery breeze entered the room. Several loud crashes woke the sleeping filly to have her find that everything she’d read was on the floor or atop the furniture that was strewn about. “Twilight! Are you okay!?” Voices floated up from downstairs. Quickly darting up the stairs, the two adults almost forced the door down. Upon entering the room, they sighed in relief knowing that their daughter was all right. Despite the massive number of books that now lay scattered about the room, their daughter appeared to be fine. Twilight looked at her gasping parents, a tousled mane and a sheepish smile on her face. She wiped the saliva off her muzzle with a hoof and walked over to her parents. “Sorry Mum, sorry Dad. I guess I fell asleep reading and I left the window open.” She put a forehoof to her father’s and the other to her mother’s and gave a sweet little smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you both. Can you forgive me for making you worry?” Exhaling in a mixture of emotions, her father did his best to smile. “Of course we forgive you, Twilight, but how many times are you going give us these heart attacks?” “What your father means is, we want you to be more careful.” Her mother kneeled down, brushing off some dust from Twilight’s forehead. “We know that you have a passion for knowledge, but you have to balance it with other things in your life-” “Such as sleeping,” her father interjected, “... Properly.” “Yes, Father.” Twilight looked around at the mess that she’d made and sighed. Her horn lit up with a magenta aura, closing the windows and she began sorting the books back to their shelves around the room. “By the way, did my latest order of books come in? I went down to the bookstore and placed an order last week for Professor Seeker’s latest works. I think they might be late.” Sighing, Nightlight Sparkle shook his head. “Don’t you think those books are little too advanced? Maybe try something more simplistic." Velvet gave a giggle at Nightlight's statement and his seriousness. "Oh, don't be too hard on her Dear. You used to be quite the avid scholar when we were still dating," Taking on a thoughtfully provocative tone, she finished, "In fact... I remember our third date... You left me at the table when you received a phone call from your professor saying that your specialized study books had come in." Nightlight blushed as he too remembered the night in question. "C-come on Vellie... Not in front of Twilight." Twilight placed the last book on it’s shelf and decided she should rejoin the conversation, starting with her father's first statement. “Dad, I outgrew those childish books when I was three. I prefer a lengthy novel, or a paper on a new theory or hypothesis. Scientia potestas est* was our family motto generations ago, and I like to follow the traditions of the past. And I don't want to know about what you two did on your dates! That's just gross!” A clear chime sounded through the house to reach the three of them and they all looked at each other with confusion. Nightlight raised an eyebrow as he looked at Twilight with a question in his eyes. “Expecting anyone Twilight? I know you like to organise things first and tell us second.” His voice took on a tone of reproval but Twilight just looked stonily at her father. “Really Dad? If I’d organised something for today then you and mom would’ve known about it. I’d left the rest of the week for studying the rise of the Royal Sisters and how they formed Equestria.” The doorbell sounded again and the family made their way down to the front door. Nightlight opened the door to reveal a tall cream-colored Pegasus with the official uniform of the Canterlot Mail Service and a bright smile on his face. “Is this the house of a Twilight Sparkle?” The trio looked at each other before Twilight stepped up next to her father. “I am Twilight Sparkle and... ahh... I’m quite sure I am at least. But I didn’t order anything personal, or someone playing a prank on me?” “Well I wouldn’t know myself, but I have a package here for you from a very important pony.” Taking his bag off with his wings, the mailpony removed a scroll and a bulky package and offered them to Twilight. She tentatively grasped both items with her magenta aura and the cream Pegasus tipped his hat with a hoof before walking off. Nightlight closed the door and they stood in a triangle, looking at the brown package that Twilight was holding. “Any idea who these are from Twilight?” Velvet asked the purple filly. They were all trying to find a tag on the package but the wrappings were uninterrupted. “There’s nothing on the package, let me check who this letter is from.” She unrolled the parchment and began to read. To Twilight Sparkle, Your preliminary written tests have passed our minimal criteria of acceptance into our prestigious college. However, while lesser learning institutions may accept students based purely on their theoretical knowledge, we ascribe to a higher standard. Therefore you must submit to a practical application assessment of your magical talents. This test will occur before our college’s board of reviewers and failure will result in permanent rejection, leaving you unable to attempt a second test. Due the high injury incidents with these tests, by continuing your application process you accept that any disembodiment, mental trauma, physical trauma, or death will not be the college’s responsibility. Reply to this letter will be accepted as a legally binding contract to these terms. Finally, due to new efforts to reduce the mortality rate, a partner has been selected for you from a pool of fellow candidates to take the test with you which will be held four days hence. Sincerely Professor Magellan Sword of Akasha, Headmaster of PCSGU, Four Time Tennis Champion “Death?!” Nightlight’s face was ashen as he spoke. “Disembodiment!?” Velvet’s face and voice were as equally disturbed as her husband’s. “A partner!?” Twilight’s voice contained nothing less than utter horror as she read the final piece. After re-reading the scroll, she looked up to see her parents staring at her with ludicrous expressions. “What? I could probably do it by myself but to hinder me with a partner just increases the risk to us both. Ohhh, I’ll have to study really hard!” Twilight dropped the scroll and the package on a nearby table and bolted up to her room, locking the door to begin her eighty-four hour study marathon. “This could be a problem dear. Twilight may take after me, but this is a whole different ball game.” Velvet picked up the package that had been discarded while they’d read the letter and sighed at the declaration of her other half. “As long as she’s able to come home to us in one piece, I will be happy. Do you think we should open this package, Honey?” She waved the delivery in his face, trying to get his attention. “Yes, yes. Go ahead and open it.” Nightlight waved a hoof in the air, clearly distracted by the fact that his child faced death in her upcoming test. As Velvet ripped off the brown wrapping however, a slip of parchment fell to the ground and she picked it up with her own aura to read. I understand that you’ve been looking for Professor Seeker’s latest works. Here is a copy with her signature on the inside of the front cover. Signed P.C “Who in the world is that?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Unknown~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two mares faced each other in a dark room known only to the two of them. A single light shone down on them and caught them at the edge of it’s cone. The silver table that sat between them sparkled so intensely that it hurt to look at it for too long. The blue mare spoke first in a voice laced with power. “Are you sure that we should go through with this? Immortality is a double-edged sword for those who do not understand it.” Facing the blue mare directly across from her, the white mare replied with her own power. “The appointed time is upon us and we lack in number. All of the conditions must be met. Sighing at the reply, the blue mare brought forth her magic and cast a spell on the table. The surface began to roil and bubble, forming a map of Equestria that began to zoom in on Canterlot. Finally, the map stopped and a single building rose above everything save the castle in the background. “The stage has been set.” As those words were spoken by them both, a stone tablet materialised above the miniature building. It merely hovered there as writings began to appear on the two sides. Its script, as well as the reading and use of it had been lost to the ages. Translated, the text said: Two Celestial powers, similar, yet different Entwined in an eternal dance Two Mortal beings, chosen to represent Chosen by Heaven’s glance A time of harmony and peace Ruled by benevolence The land must first find release From evil prevalence As the time of peace begins The chosen two shall search For two, whose powers shall be twins And take them straight from the perch When the final two are found And their powers are inducted The seal shall be unbound And the Prophet, reconstructed The Prophecy of Power, of Release, of Choosing, and of Construction