Author's Notes:

Hey everypony! This is it, episode 2! Remember to check out the adjoining website http://mylittleponyfriendshipofgenerations.webs.com/ for all character biographies and more! I hope you enjoy the second part of the season opener. Episode 3 will be posted on Friday January 24th by 6pm est time.

A couple days following the arrival of the dark stars, Star and Bri move around the Princess Twilight Sparkle Memorial Library at an amazing speed. Various books of all sizes and genres swiftly fly from the shelves, thrown haphazardly into the air by the two mares as they search for the one book they need. Each book creates a loud thud as it hits the floor. Some flip open, and the piles continue to grow minute after minute. When Star awoke this morning, she had no idea what they were going to do. All hope seemed lost since the stars blacked out the sky. Luckily, Bri had come up with a brilliant idea; to come here to the library and search for the information needed to hopefully help stop this mortifying event. Star can't help but agree that it truly is a wonderful plan, but being here in this old tree just makes her uneasy. Once called the Golden Oak Library, it used to be the home of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Being here now makes her feel so sad.

Shaking her head, Star returns her focus to why they came. They need to find as much information on these dark stars as possible. If they can help the princess in even the smallest of ways, they'll be happy. She can't explain it, but for some reason she feels that it's her duty as a citizen of Equestria to help out, especially with everypony else locked in a constant stare of paralyzing fear. Few have left their homes these past couple days, and most of the businesses in town have closed down. Some ponies have gone around and broken into some of the shops, stealing goods as if it were the end of the world as they know it. Ponyville has become a shadow of it's former self, and if things continue to degrade at the speed they are, it shall cease to exist at all.

"So," Bri curiously asks, her Trottingham accent cutting into Star's ears like a white hot knife, "what kind of book do you think this information will be in? Also, where's that lil' bugger Spike? Doesn't he live 'ere? He could be helping us find it."

"Look for a book called Ancient Equestrian Legends. I read it a long time ago, and if I remember right, it has a legend in it covering these dark stars. As for Spike, I'm not sure where he is. Whenever someone comes to the library these days, he usually goes off and hides. The incidents fifteen years ago turned him into a recluse. He did lose his best friend Twilight, as well as the love of his life, Rarity."

"He loved Rarity?"

"According to Fluttershy, he was obsessed over her," Star tells her friend as she shuffles through the books on a low shelf before heading up a ladder to reach some higher ones, "he would do anything for her. Nowadays he just mopes and hides. At least Owlowicious left after Twilight disappeared. He went about his life, and chose not to wallow in despair."

At that moment, a reference guide to Canterlot royalty flies past Star's head, nearly hitting it dead on. Surprised, she falls back off the ladder, hitting the floor with a thud louder than that any of the books had previously made. In an instant, Bri stops what she's doing and is by her friend's side, helping her back up as she profusely apologizes for nearly decapitating her with knowledge. Star shakes the whole thing off, however, and moves on. That's when she sees it. Directly in front of her, on a near-empty shelf, sits the one book she had been hoping to find. While everything else is already piled on the floor around them, now they have exactly what they need to help stop this terrible threat.

Grabbing it excitedly, Star flips open the cover and scans each and every page enthusiastically, hoping to quickly find the right legend that she remembered reading once as a filly. Bri looks on in keen interest while simultaneously trying to avoid getting in Star's way. She knows that this could very possibly be the key to saving everypong from this eerie and mysterious threat that's plaguing their land right now. She doesn't want to mess anything up, but her curiosity is getting the better of her. She wants to know what it says, and how these dark stars came to be.

"Eureka! I've found it!" Star shouts at the top of her lungs, giving her friend a scare. Stopping on one of the pages, she begins to read aloud, "One thousand years prior to Equestria's founding, on the very day that would become known as Hearth's Warming, there was a great and terrible event that threatened the entirety of the known world. Without warning, our peaceful skies were encapsulated by stars as black as death itself. They seemed to glow eerily during both daytime and night. During the day, they would block out our light and warmth, and would plunge the land into indescribable fear and pure, unadulterated darkness when the sun fell for the night. Our world quickly became a cold and desolate wasteland. Plantlife soon began to die, and so did the ponies who required them for life. It seemed as though the entire world was at it's demise, but the dark stars then disappeared as quickly as they came. No one knows how they were stopped, but their origin has been talked about by many through the ages. It is said that they come from a spell of the darkest magic known to ponykind; a dark magic cast by the most powerful of unicorns. One who had forgone his own morality for the sheer power he now posessed. His name was Antonin Sevulva Star. They say that when the dark stars disappeared, he went with them."

"Is...is this serious?" Bri quietly asks, trying to look over her friends shoulder at the page. She wants to be absolutely sure that she didn't mishear anything. Shaking her head, Star can hardly believe it herself. This legend tells them so much. This Antonin Sevulva Star; he must be the ancestor of the very same Sevulva Star that now resides her in Ponyville. But one thing still bothers her. The pony mentioned in the legend is a unicorn, and Sevulva is an earth pony. Then there's the question about how no one discovered this before. Sevulva is the most famous stage pony in all of Canterlot, possibly all of Equestria. With the fans he has gained, wouldn't someone have discovered this already? It just doesn't add up. Not to mention, he was as terrified as everypony else, maybe even more so. Sevulva was the first to notice the dark stars, and he gave the most mortifying, blood-curdling scream she's ever heard.
How could he have faked something like that? There's more to this story, there has to be.

Suddenly, Star notices a small note hoof-written on the bottom of the page, saying "See Elements of Harmony." She reads this over a couple of times, wanting to make sure she truly read it right. So without another second of hesitation, she flips rapidly through the large book until she finally locates the section that discusses the magical elements which have been lost for such a long time now.

She begins reading the first paragraph to herself, and by the time she finishes the entire section, her eyes have widened and mouth has dropped. This is impossible. Bri cheerily trots back up to her and tries to peer over her at the pages. However, she isn't able to properly see at the angle she's in, so instead asks Star to read it aloud, so that she too can know what it says and understand why her friend seems so shocked.

"The sixth Element of Harmony, the Element of Magic," Star begins to read at the third paragraph in, "is noted by many to be the most elusive and powerful element of them all. There are some who even claim that it doesn't exist. However, there is one element even more rare than that. There are legends throughout history that have told of a seventh Element of Harmony. It is said to transcend the power of all the others combined. Nopony knows what kind of magic this mysterious seventh element holds, and it's existence has never been confirmed even by the least reliable of sources. It remains just a legend."

After reading it, she suddenly sees another note. This one is written on the pages margin and is so small that it requires her to squint her eyes just so she can make it out. She quickly reads aloud, "Since I became a princess, I have poured everything I have into using my newly acquired connections so that I can locate any and all information possible on this seventh Element of Harmony. As of writing this, I have unfortunately been unsuccessful. However, I do believe that somehow it may relate to an old legend regarding dark stars. It's said that the dark stars will herald the beginning of true evil's return. A force more powerful than that of Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Nightmare Moon, and Discord combined will cast it's shadow upon the earth. The legend also states that a famous Star will be the key to everything, for when he arrives in a land that is not his own, the destruction of the world shall occur. I do not yet know what this means. I have to do more research."

Star quietly stares at the note from Princess Twilight Sparkle, feeling as if she were in the middle of a horrible nightmare. Surely this can't be real. Dark stars, an ancient evil returning, what could this all mean? Why is this even happening? Especially now, after so much peace and prosperity. She sets the book down and looks over to Bri, who still seems confused by all of this information, telling her, "We have to find Sevulva Star as quickly as possible. I don't know for sure if he's behind this, but he has to know something. This says that a famous Star will be the key when he arrives in a land not his own. This has to refer to Sevulva. He's a Canterlot stage actor who just arrived in Ponyville. It fits perfectly."

Bri nods and follows her now determined friend as she runs out the open door of the library, leaving behind the huge mess of books they made on the floor. It's only around three in the afternoon, yet Ponyville is darker than night because of the dark stars invading the skies. They've multiplied to such a degree that they blocked out the vast majority of the entire sky, allowing no real light to shine through. Underneath them, it's all become dark and terrible. The streets have become deserted, and as both mares run throughout the town, not a soul can be seen around. As they pass through the streets, they check every one of the hotels and inns that Ponyville has to offer, and considering the small size of the town, it isn't very many. However, they have no luck in finding Sevulva at any of them. It's at that point that they reach the final hotel the town has, the Hay & Stay near Sugarcube Corner. Their frustration growing, they burst in through the doors.

The lobby is as deserted and quiet as the streets outside. There's only one pony around, the concierge, who is standing behind the counter to their left. He doesn't bother to even smile as the two turn to look at him, and instead he quietly asks them why they're here, and if they plan to steal something as well. Star and Bri look at each other, worried expressions spread across their faces, and begin to slowly trot toward the timid-looking stallion. Glaring at them, he shies away as they approach, so Star decides it best to just skip the pleasantries at this point. Walking around the counter itself, she gets into the stallions face and demands to know if Sevulva is staying here while in Ponyville.

"You...you're here for him? Well...um...yes, he is staying here. But he said that he doesn't like visitors. He, uh, told me not to let anypony know his room number. He doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Listen you idiot!" Star yells out suddenly, her frustration having poured out of her in pure anger, "Sevulva Star might just hold the key to stopping these dark stars! More than just Ponyville is in danger here! More than even all of Equestria! The last time this happened, the entire world nearly got wiped out! Now you WILL tell me where he is, one way or the other!"

Cowering back from the infuriated mare, the concierge slowly passes her a keycard to the lavish Royalty Suite on the tenth floor of the hotel. She grabs it from his hoof and nods before bolting to the nearby elevator, Bri closely following behind her. The two soon reach the tenth floor and walk out of the elevator, finding themselves in the middle of two long-stretched hallways. They walk down the one to their left, but the key doesn't seem to work for any of the suites there, so they quickly go down the opposite hall, finding the correct room rather quickly. Star inserts the keycard into the door and turns the handle, pushing it open with great force. The two of them then proceed to storm into the room, finding the stage actor seated there, a surprised look on his face. In his hooves rests an old diary. Worn and tattered, it's binding is weak and it has a faded star on the cover. Though it seems somehow familiar, they are hardly interested in Sevulva's reading preferences. Their only goal right now is to find out the truth.

"What...what do you think you're doing! Barging into my room like this! I told that concierge that I didn't want guests!" Sevulva cries out, his voice echoing with a combination of immense fear and surprise. His mane is unkempt and his glasses are haphazardly thrown upon the bed on the other side of the suite. Somehow he seems different than when he first arrived. With all the glam and glimmer gone, he seems just like any other stallion.

"We're here because we know about the dark stars, and your families connection to them!" Star furiously shouts back, her patience having already been worn thin. Storming up to the confused stallion, she grabs the collar of his satin cloak and pulls him up to her face as she continues, "we know that your ancestor Antonin originally created these stars with his dark magic! And we know that you know something about their return!"

"What in Aurora's name are you talking about!?" Sevulva asks in desperation, managing to escape Star's grasp and back up against the wall of the room, "I...I have no idea who this Antonin is, or why these black stars are even here! I'm just as terrified and confused about all this as anypony could possibly be right now!"

"Don't you dare lie to us, you bloody idiot!" Bri suddenly yells out, stomping forward as she seems to mimic the anger her friend had shown. Star looks to her in surprise, as she's never been confrontational in the slightest, despite her being obnoxiously outgoing.
That's why she chose to do it instead. She had hoped that Bri would be the sort of good cop in this interrogation, and that she'd be the bad one. However, the light blue pony glares into the eyes of the scared stallion and continues, "we did our research! We know that Antonin was corrupted with his power, and that 'e used it to form the dark stars! He used his advanced knowledge of magic in the most terrible of ways and almost destroyed the entire world! Somehow he was stopped, and though we don't know how, we won't let you get away with this! We know you're the one behind this!"

"Um...wow Bri, that was...well," Star quietly says, struggling to find the right words to express her thoughts on that completely surprising outburst from her friend. Bri smiles with pride in herself as she backs away from Sevulva, causing Star to raise a hoof to her face and shake her head. She knows that Bri had been speaking out of a wish to be useful, but she knows it's true. Deep down she too feels that Sevulva has to be behind all of this. Focusing back on Sevulva, she watches as his head bows low. Despite him now facing the floor, Star can easily see the wild smirk spreading. An aura begins to glow around him, and he looks up at the two, eyes turned a bright, glowing red. The two instantly go into a defensive stance and watch to see what he does.

"How impressive, you figured it all out. And here I thought that I had given my best performance yet. I guess even acting skills as polished and refined as mine are no match for proper research. Congratulations, my little ponies. You're completely correct. But ask yourself this one little question before you run off to celebrate. What can two little mares like you do to stop me?"

Suddenly, the aura around him begins to grow, and a strange magic emanates from his very body, despite him being an earth pony. Star and Bri feel their bodies forced downward, and though they try to fight against it, they soon find themselves forced to bow in petulance before him. As Sevulva stands there, laughing psychotically, he decides to appease their curiosity and explain his actions.

"So you want to know why I'm doing all of this, do you? Why have I chosen to bring back the dark stars after my ancestor was stopped, and how did I even do it? Why today of all days? Well, allow me to enlighten you two. You see, today is the anniversary of when Antonin created the dark stars. Since his downfall, my family has been working to bring his dark plans to fruition, but in the thousands of years since then, not one has been able to reach his level of dark magic, until me that is. Today I shall use the magic passed down to me to finally finish his work and cleanse this impure world! I will destroy it and begin anew, ruling over the new earth myself! No one, not even your precious Princess Aurora can stand against me! I worked these past fifteen years to achieve this! I got rid of those perky princesses! I swatted all those who could have opposed me! I am too powerful for anypony to stop now! You see girls, there is a reason for the outlawing of dark magic. It's strengthened and controlled by fear, and is easily the strongest power known to ponykind! The more fear that the pitiable low-class ponies like you show, the stronger I shall become! Now, let's see exactly how terrified I can make you."

Sevulva prepares to attack when suddenly, the door to his room bursts in once again, this time blown straight off of it's hinges.
Flying across the room, it smashes hard against the opposite wall and lands with a huge thud on the carpet. Star and Bri fearfully look towards the doorway as four other ponies rush into the room, none of them recognizable to the two of them. Sevulva watches in interest with raised eyebrow as they step forward. The leader of them is a stallion who's coat is a slightly different shade of dark blue than Star's. His mane is red and gold and flows wildly behind him. He dons the official Canterlot royal guard's armor, so breathing a sigh of relief, Star realizes that this indeed is one of Princess Aurora's guards.

To his direct left is another stallion. Not as heavily built as the guard, he is still quite strong looking. His coat is dark red, which matches his mane. He wears a blue vest and has a horn protruding from his forehead; a unicorn. He has a confident look on his face and seems like the type of pony who's willing to do whatever it takes. On the guards opposite side is a little filly. Young in age, she has a light brown coat with orange and black hair. A scarf is wrapped around her neck, and beside her stands the final of the four intruders. This one has a light blue coat and is a pegasus. His black and blue hair is slicked back and he has a small goatee on his chin. He has a racing suit on and is as eager to get things done as the dark red unicorn.

"Princess Aurora says otherwise, foul villain!" the guard says as he steps forward towards Sevulva, "there is no power in the world stronger than hope, and by the orders of her majesty, we shall give that hope to the world in this time of need!"

The unicorn breaks Sevulva's spell of petulance, releasing both Star and Bri, who quickly run to join the four ponies standing against the enemy. The young filly smiles at the two before growing serious again, staring daggers into Sevulva's eyes. His smile has faded, and he now glares angrily at the six ponies who are confronting him. His nostrils flare and eyes grow brighter than ever. Smirking, he then summons up more magic and locks the six into place, preventing them from moving as he laughs menacingly and slowly walks over to the large window. With ease, he bucks and smashes the glass, letting the light of the dark stars enter the suite.

Watching in terror, the six see the dark stars energy come in through the window in a physical state and envelop the stallion standing there. It seems to cover him in a coat of pure darkness, surrounding his entire body until it transforms him in a horrifying way. He is no longer the prim and proper Canterlot pony they all knew him to be. Instead, Sevulva Star stands there, changed by the power of the dark stars into the most menacing of forms. His grey coat had darkened to pure black, and his eyes have become demon-like. Fangs have replaced his teeth, his mane flows with the pure essence of shadow, and a horn has grown on his head. He has become one with the energy of the dark stars. With a wild laugh, he then expels a great shockwave of pure energy, and at once the entire hotel explodes.

Releasing a terrified scream, Star covers her eyes expecting the worse. However, nothing seems to happen. She still seems to be alive, and now can even feel a cool wind blow through her mane. Opening her eyes and quieting her voice, she realizes that she's safely on the grass outside, looking right in front of her at the ruins of what used to be the Hay & Stay hotel. All around her are confused looking ponies, wondering what happened. Among them are Bri and the other four, all safe and recovering. She even sees the timid concierge. As she begins to ask them all how they made it out of there alive, Star suddenly sees the magnificent form of an alicorn approaching her. Princess Aurora walks up with a gentle, calming smile and asks the young mare if she's alright. Freaking out, Star bows before her, but the princess raises her back up with a chuckle.

"Princess Aurora! It's such an honor to meet you!" she yells out in shock, trying to bow again. She then thinks about Sevulva Star and looks back at the ruins of the hotel, wondering what could have happened. The princess seems to understand and gets serious, sighing as she too looks at the ruins.

"Sevulva has unfortunately escaped. I couldn't stop him and save everypony at the same time. I felt that your lives were more important."

Nodding, Star understands. She can see that everyone is alright, and it warms her to know that no one died from the explosion. That's when she notices it. Looking up to the sky, Star sees that it's returned to normal. The dark stars are gone, and the light of day has returned to Ponyville. Everypony else soon realizes this as well, and all begin to mutter amongst themselves. Approaching Star and the princess, Bri looks around and asks what happened to the dark stars.

"When Sevulva absorbed the power of the dark stars, he absorbed them as well. It's been his family's goal for generations, and he has been the only one to become strong enough to achieve it. He has become something beyond the realms of the living and the dead. His evil has transcended that of anything Equestria has seen before," Princess Aurora explains, pacing back and forth, "I would've come here sooner, but I had to help those in Canterlot as well. Luckily, I was able to send my captain and the others here to assist you both, Star Rider and Briance Happer."

"You know who we are?" Star asks in surprise.

"I know a lot more than that. There is a prophecy that dates back to before the time of the Celestial Sisters that I believe refers to the six of you. You are destined to stop Sevulva and the dark stars once and for all. It's up to you to save the world."

"Wow," Bri responds, sitting down on the grass as she contemplated this for a moment, "so then...we're like the new version of the six ponies who wielded the Elements of Harmony all those years ago? Blimey, we ARE the new six. That's it! We have to work together to stop this bugger from destroying the world! There's so many places I have yet to explore!" Chuckling, the princess shakes her head and motions to the four ponies she sent to help Star and Bri, introducing them.

"This is Agelian Wingblade," she tells them as she motions towards the light blue pegasus who's cutie mark is shown to be a checkered flag, "he is a racer from Cloudsdale. He has faith and loyalty that will serve you well."

Pointing next to the young filly, Princess Aurora introduces her as, "Chupa Cabra, a young filly in Cheerilee's class at the Ponyville schoolhouse. She is peaceful and kind, and will help you to better understand how powerful of a weapon this can be."

"Next is Devlin Speedster, a unicorn who spends his days in Ponyville helping others out and doing what he can. He rarely uses magic, and instead will work his hardest to make sure everypony is happy. His determination and honesty will make him a valuable ally to anypony."

The princess then reaches the final of the four, the guard who took charge back in the suite. He's removed his helmet and shows the princess a proper, respectful bow. Smiling, Princess Aurora introduces him as, "Terra Lionmane, the captain of my elite royal guard. He may be just a simple earth pony, but his honor and valiance will make sure that he always serves his land with the greatest of his ability. He has the leadership that will lead you all to victory in whatever troubles may come."

"And then there's the two of you," she says, now looking to Star and Bri with a bright, warm smile that seems to embrace them, "Briance Happer. You are a beautiful spirit who loves to travel. Yet you hide insecurity and fear of the unknown behind a mask of bravery. Do not listen to Sevulva. Your fear is nothing to be ashamed of, it shows how caring and compassionate you truly are. You, my dear Briance, embrace adventure. You embrace the very spirit of bravery; doing what is right despite being afraid."

"Then there's you, Star Rider. You dream of ponies from the past. You wish hard that you can be half the pony that they were, and you honor their memories every day. You are a wonderful mare Star Rider, filled with positive thoughts and the greatest of generosity. When others feel sorrow, you cry with them. When they cheer in joy, you jump up and down to celebrate. You embrace the feelings of your fellow ponies, and love them like no other. You are the friend everypony needs in this dark time."

Turning, the princess then smiles and unfurls her wings, prepares to fly off and help the rest of Ponyville and all of Equestria recover from the recent events. However, before she leaves, she turns back to the six of them and says that if they are to truly stand a chance against this great evil, they must find the long lost Elements of Harmony that disappeared fifteen years ago at the same time as the four princesses. A final smile spreads across her face as she wishes them luck, taking off and leaving them all behind to contemplate their futures.

So much to take in at once. The famous stage actor they idolized is an evil pony consumed by the power of the dark stars. He wants to take over the entirety of the world, and easily has the ability to do so. And now they find out that they're the only ones who can stop him, but they have to find six magical elements that haven't been seen in over a decade. Stepping forward, Terra places his hoof out and tells them that whoever is with him in saving the world, they should do the same. One by one, the other four walk forward and place their hooves into the circle, then all turn to stare at the still contemplating Star Rider. Thoughts of her sister come to her. If she does this, she might have to put it before her family, before everything. She knows Grace will understand, but can she handle this? Can she handle putting everything else aside when it calls for it? Can she leave behind her entire life to stop this threat? Yes, she can. Placing her hoof in with the others, she smiles and knows that their journey has just begun.