Cosmos (story arc)

Cosmos is the twenty-second story arc of IDW Publishing's , spanning five parts over issues #75-78. In this story, the Mane Six's quest for the fallen stars of a missing constellation puts them on a collision course with their most galactic adversary yet.
An event serving as a sequel to the arc, entitled "Missing Wings and Maze-y Things", is included in Gameloft's mobile game.
==Summary==
===Issue #75===
====Part 1====
The issue begins in the distant past, some time during Discord's first reign. As his chaos gets extremely out of control, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Queen Novo, King Aspen, and the King of Abyssinia try to contain the damage being caused. When Discord is dragged before the princesses and accused of taking his chaos too far, he insists that he is not causing this.
Just then, a giant creature appears demanding that Discord be returned to her, and Discord begs Celestia and the others to save him from this creature. With their combined magic, Discord and the royals banish the creature to the stars, and the chaos is brought under control. Just before Celestia can question Discord on who the creature was and what just happened, Discord puts her and the others to sleep, erases the creature's existence from their memories, and bids the creature farewell, referring to her as "Cosmos".
In present-day Equestria, the Mane Six and Spike browse through a Ponyville flea market, where Rarity has just purchased a necklace with a mysterious purple star on it. Believing it to be more Twilight Sparkle's style, Rarity gives the necklace to her, and when Twilight puts it on, she hears a voice in her head telling her to "find the rest". She calls an emergency meeting at the Castle of Friendship, and her friends tell her they do not hear the voice while wearing the necklace.
While Twilight tries to make sense of the voice's words, the necklace suddenly creates a holographic image of the galaxy, focusing on a constellation of six stars arranged in the shape of a heart. Twilight recognizes the constellation as the Andalusian, an arrangement of stars that appeared in the night sky centuries ago but disappeared some time later, and realizes that the necklace is one of the six stars that fell out of the sky. Twilight is excited to solve one of the biggest cosmic mysteries of all time—so much so that she appears to become obsessed with finding the rest of the stars.
The ponies decide to recruit some of their other friends to help them on this quest while Twilight stays behind to plan out their trip. When Spike expresses a hungry interest in the necklace's star jewel, Twilight keeps it from him, momentarily snapping in uncharacteristic anger. As Spike leaves the room, it is revealed that Cosmos has taken control of Twilight's body through the necklace, and she wants to gather the stars together in order to regain her true form and be with Discord again.
====Part 2====
In another flashback to thousands of years ago, Discord and Cosmos created chaos together, and Cosmos was obsessively in love with him. Unable to handle Cosmos' rabid obsession with him, Discord reasoned that the only way to escape her was to surrender himself to Celestia.
Back in present day, the Mane Six team up with Big McIntosh, Zecora, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders to track down the rest of the fallen Andalusian stars. Twilight sends Pinkie Pie and Big Mac to Klugetown, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike to the Crystal Empire, Zecora and the Crusaders to Griffonstone, and Fluttershy to the Everfree Forest while she and Applejack go to Canterlot. As the teams head out, Applejack notices Twilight behaving strangely.
On the way to Canterlot, Applejack picks up on more strange behavior from Twilight and worries that the necklace is causing it, but Twilight assures her that she is fine. When they reach Canterlot Castle, Applejack suggests letting the princesses know they have arrived, but Twilight ignores her and proceeds into a secret underground chamber housing various forbidden artifacts. She finds the chest that the second Andalusian star is locked inside and appears obsessed with claiming it.
When Applejack tries to remove Twilight's necklace, Twilight angrily snaps at her, and Applejack realizes she is under someone else's control. With her cover blown, Cosmos attacks Applejack, forcing Applejack to fight back and defend herself. Cosmos eventually overpowers Applejack using Twilight's magical superiority and traps her in a cage. With Applejack out of the way, Cosmos claims the second star for herself and heads to the throne room.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Fluttershy heads to her cottage where she had left Discord to take care of Angel. When she tells him that they are tasked with finding a fallen star in the Everfree Forest, Discord realizes she is referring to the Andalusian stars and is alarmed to discover that Cosmos is returning. He takes Fluttershy to his realm and explains that Cosmos is a being of chaos like him who took her love of chaos too far. Celestia and her allies sealed her away in the stars, but a shooting star knocked her out of the sky, and the stars were scattered across Equestria. Discord found one of the stars in the Everfree Forest and buried it so that all of the stars could never be reunited.
Fluttershy reasons that Discord knows more about Cosmos and the threat she poses than anyone else, and at her encouragement, Discord agrees to unearth the third Andalusian star—still where he left it long ago—and take it to Princess Celestia. Unfortunately, when they go to Canterlot Castle, Cosmos has already used the second star to take control of Celestia's body. Using the third star that Fluttershy and Discord brought with them, she takes control of Princess Luna as well.
With Discord present, Cosmos is excited to pick up where they left off thousands of years ago and wreak violent chaos across Equestria with him once she is back to full power. When Discord tells Cosmos that he has reformed from his previously chaotic ways, Cosmos is disturbingly displeased. Fearing that Discord might warn the rest of the Mane Six about her return, Cosmos distracts him by transforming Fluttershy into a pony/butterfly hybrid. Discord takes Fluttershy and escapes while Cosmos waits for the rest of the Andalusian stars to be brought together.
===Issue #76===
In another flashback to thousands of years ago, Discord and Cosmos both reveled in chaos, but Discord believed Cosmos' sense of chaos was too extreme, favoring destruction and violence and even threatening ponies' lives. When Discord objected, her love for him turned abusive, eventually leaving him with no choice than to surrender himself to Celestia. Back in present day, Twilight, Celestia, and Luna—under Cosmos' control—waits for the three remaining stars of the Andalusian constellation to be found.
In Klugetown, Pinkie Pie and Big McIntosh search for the fourth Andalusian star, but Pinkie proves easily distracted. As some of the Klugetowners attempt to coerce Big Mac into selling them his yoke and hair, Capper arrives to shoo them away. Pinkie and Big Mac explain to Capper what they are looking for, and Capper recognizes the star as the top of the trophy for Klugetown's annual Muck Marathon, coincidentally being held later that day.
Pinkie Pie signs herself and Big Mac up to enter the marathon and win the trophy, and after a gauntlet of over two hundred events, they eventually triumph. Unfortunately, the trophy is stolen before it can be awarded to Pinkie and Big Mac, and when they inform Capper of this, he reveals that he was the one who stole it as a contingency plan in case they did not win the marathon. With the fourth Andalusian star obtained, Pinkie and Big Mac—with Capper tagging along—take an airship back to Canterlot.
Meanwhile, in Griffonstone, Zecora and the Crusaders have just obtained the fifth star, which the griffons seemed eager to part with. Zecora senses a dark magic emanating from the star and suggests delivering it to Celestia quickly. To expedite the long trip home, Apple Bloom convinces a couple of griffons to give them a ride by claiming to be official envoys of Princess Twilight Sparkle. On their way back to Equestria, they cross paths with Pinkie, Big Mac, and Capper's airship.
Shortly after arriving in Canterlot, the entire group finds the Cosmos-possessed Twilight, Celestia, and Luna waiting for them. They notice the princesses acting strangely and the surrounding vegetation looking very sinister. The princesses demand that they hand over the stars they found, but Zecora is very wary about doing so. Capper, not wishing to anger the princesses, gives them the bag containing the stars and leads the group away, revealing that he hid the stars under his coat. However, Celestia discovers Capper's ruse, and the three possessed princesses attack. As with Applejack, the magic-less ponies and Capper are quickly overpowered.
While Pinkie, Capper, and the Crusaders are captured in the same cage as Applejack, Cosmos uses the fourth and fifth stars to take control of Big Mac and Zecora's bodies. With only one star left to find before she is back to full power, Cosmos decides to use her possessed slaves to seek out the final star herself.
===Issue #77===
Another flashback to thousands of years ago shows how Discord and Cosmos first met when she crash-landed outside his home. When Cosmos expressed the same enthusiasm for chaos that Discord did, the two struck up a friendship; as they went to several worlds spreading chaos together, that friendship blossomed into a romance. When they reached Equestria, however, Cosmos wanted to depose the princesses and take the entire kingdom for herself, resulting in her eventual banishment.
Back in present day, Discord takes Fluttershy to his home after their escape from Cosmos in Issue #75, while Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Big Mac, and Zecora—under Cosmos' control—seek out the final Andalusian star.
In the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike meet with Princess Cadance, who has been informed of their search. She leads them to the Empire's Crystal Market, which has hundreds of gems for sale. As Spike tells Rainbow and Cadance about various gem flavors, Rarity puts her discerning eye for gemstones to use to find the star. Very soon, she succeeds in finding the star embedded in a tiara. When she removes the star from the tiara, it falls into Cadance's hooves, causing her to fall under Cosmos' control. The other possessed ponies detect that the final star has been found and set a course for the Crystal Empire.
Back in his realm, Discord explains to Fluttershy that, after Cosmos was banished, he erased her from everyone's memories and took the blame for the chaos she caused. He was treated as a threat instead of a nuisance from then on, and a small part of him missed Cosmos. Fluttershy, stuck as a pony/butterfly hybrid, suggests going back to help their friends, but Discord is so terrified of Cosmos that he suggests they simply find another dimension to live in. After calming him down, Fluttershy convinces him that they have to save their friends and home, and Discord hesitantly agrees.
When Discord and Fluttershy return to Canterlot, they find that everything has been remade in Cosmos' image, and all the ponies have either been captured or turned into non-threatening bugs. In the underground library, they free Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders from their cage, and they all rally together to save their friends in the Crystal Empire.
Back at the Empire, the ponies under Twilight's control arrive and, with the newly possessed Cadance, bring all six Andalusian stars together. Cosmos not only regains her true form, but she also fuses together with Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Big Mac, and Zecora, creating a new, all-powerful body. Discord and his friends appear to help Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Spike, and they all bear witness to Cosmos' monstrous new form.
===Issue #78===
In one final flashback from Cosmos' perspective, Cosmos watches from her prison in the stars as Discord observes the constellations through a telescope, believing he is searching for her. When a shooting star collides with the stars that make up her prison, her stars are knocked out of the sky, and they fall to several locations across Equestria.
Back in present day, Discord and his friends behold Cosmos' new form after fusing together with the ponies under her mind control. Discord teleports himself and the others into hiding, and as Cosmos causes destruction across the Crystal Empire searching for him, they try to figure out how to stop her. Reasoning that the Andalusian stars are the source of Cosmos' power, the ponies come up with the idea of taking them away from her and destroying them by having Spike eat them. Pinkie Pie takes command of the attack plan just as Cosmos discovers their hiding spot, and the group charges straight in.
The ponies overwhelm Cosmos with their numbers, removing the stars from her armor one-by-one and giving them to Spike to devour. However, over the course of this battle, Cosmos turns Pinkie into a toy figurine, Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders into a merry-go-round, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash into goldfish. Discord is uncertain of their chances to defeat Cosmos as their numbers keep decreasing, but Fluttershy gives him words of encouragement to face Cosmos alone while she helps her friends.
Confronting Cosmos face-to-face, Discord orders her to turn everything back to normal or else he will destroy the last Andalusian star. Cosmos believes Discord cannot bring himself to hurt her, having watched him observe her stars through a telescope, but Discord says he observed her because he was terrified of her. He also reveals that he intentionally gave himself up to Celestia and Luna in order to have Cosmos imprisoned. Discord grows in size to match Cosmos' stature, and he angrily tells her off, saying she was never his friend and that she used him to get what she wanted.
Realizing how much Discord has changed, Cosmos drops her innocent facade and turns Fluttershy into a statue and Spike into a dog, revealing she is more than just a lover of chaos—she is the very embodiment of malice. Discord distracts Cosmos by throwing chocolate milk in her face, and he seizes the last Andalusian star and feeds it to Spike. With her power taken away, Cosmos reverts back to her normal form, and all the ponies and creatures she fused with become separated from her. Discord banishes the powerless Cosmos to the moon, and everything and everyone she changed turns back to normal.
Some time later, Celestia and Luna award Discord and his friends with medals for saving Equestria from a great threat, making particular mention of Discord paying his dues for his past actions. As Twilight tries to interview everyone about this latest adventure for her notes, Luna expresses her displeasure that, with Cosmos banished to the moon, she is now in charge of making sure Cosmos stays there and worries that Cosmos is disturbing her gardens of moon rocks.
==Quotes==
:Cosmos: Now, now, it's not nice to touch things that aren't yours. Return him to me.
:Princess Luna: Who... What... are you?
:Cosmos: NO! DISCORD! STOP THEM!
:Discord: What was that, dear? I can't hear you over all the chaos.
:Discord: I can't let any of you remember this. Wake up and think it was me. There wasn't anyone else here. It was all me.
:Pinkie Pie: Can you believe ponies are selling this stuff? I'd keep it forever!
:Twilight Sparkle: That's called "hoarding," and it's usually something only dragons do.
:Spike: Hey! ...You are not wrong, but still.
:Twilight Sparkle: So. None of you hear a voice when you put on that necklace?
:Applejack: Nope.
:Rainbow Dash: Wait... I'm getting something...
:Twilight Sparkle: Yes. What do you hear?
:Rainbow Dash: That you are an overworked egghead and hearing things and you should take [gasp] a break.
:Twilight Sparkle: Har de har har.
:Rainbow Dash: So... what do we do? Just find all these things and fling them back into the sky?
:Applejack: Seems simple enough... I mean, we have a map telling us where to look.
:Rainbow Dash: And the flinging them back into the sky part?
:Applejack: Well, I can kick mighty hard...
:Twilight Sparkle: Find the rest... Yes. I'll find the rest. I should leave now and find the rest.
:Fluttershy: Are you all right?
:Twilight Sparkle: Oh... Yes, just excited with the thought of discovery and all that. You know how I get.
:Pinkie Pie: Do I need to bring my giant comb? I have a giant comb.
:Rainbow Dash: Why do you have that?
:Applejack: Where did you have that?
:Pinkie Pie: Have you seen my mane? This much bounce takes work!
:Rarity: You know, I have the most wonderful conditioner for that.
:Pinkie Pie: Conditioner? What's that? I wash my hair with frosting.
:Rarity: Really? Is that why you always smell like vanilla?
:Spike: Well, you won't need this for a bit. Can I at least smell it until they get back? Maybe lick it? I promise I won't eat it.
:Twilight Sparkle: NO! DON'T TOUCH IT!
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): At last, after all this time, somepony powerful enough for me to embody has found me. And a princes no less. How delightfully fortunate. I will need every piece of my magic so I can get back to... him. Are you ready, Discord, my dear? Bit by bit, I'm coming home.
:Applejack: Does she seem a little... more intense than usual?
:Rainbow Dash: No... This is a pretty normal level of intense for her.
:Apple Bloom: I'm just excited to be included in one of y'all's adventure!
:Scootaloo: We're in the big leagues now, ponies. Watch out!
:Sweetie Belle: Next step: our own chairs at the weird map-table-thing!
:Twilight Sparkle: Let's get out there, find the stars of the Andalusian constellation, and...
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): ...bring them all to me.
:Twilight Sparkle: I'm just... so excited about the prospect of solving an astronomical mystery! Ha! See what I did there?
:Rainbow Dash: No. I'm getting out of here before there are more puns. Nope.
:Applejack: You aren't going to do that the whole train ride to Canterlot, are you?
:Twilight Sparkle: How about this one? The rotation of the planet really makes my day.
:Applejack: Does anypony want to switch partners? Trade 'ya an apple. ...Please?
:Applejack: Uh, Twilight? Looky here, Ah think it's time to take off that necklace... You're getting a little excited.
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): DON'T TOUCH IT!
:Applejack: Gasp! You ain't Twilight!
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): Oh, she's still in here. I bring her out when needed. If you prefer, some call me... COSMOS!
:Discord: You said we're going on a trip? I do hope it's to go antiquing! A chippendale table for my breakfast nook would be lovely! Or perhaps—scuba diving in the Great Farrier Reef? Oh. What about a walk in Gallop Park? Oh, gouda! A cheese plate!
:Discord: You're being far too calm and reasonable.
:Fluttershy: It's a gift.
:Cosmos: Discord. Darling. It's so lovely to see you again.
:Discord: Oooooooh, no.
:Discord: I'm a reformed draconequus. So I think you'll just need to find somepony else to... reign with?
:Princess Celestia (Cosmos): I am so very displeased to hear that, darling.
:Princess Luna (Cosmos): Do you know what would distract you from warning the world about my return.
:Discord: A sternly worded letter?
:Princess Luna (Cosmos): If you're too busy trying to save something you care about.
:Princess Luna (Cosmos): He'll be back.
:Princess Celestia (Cosmos): He always comes back.
:Discord: Now listen here, Cosmos, you know how I feel about kil...
:Cosmos: Dear one... you dropped my new scarf.
:Discord: Gulp.
:Princess Celestia (Cosmos): Must find...
:Princess Luna (Cosmos): ...three more stars...
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): ...and I shall be whole again.
:All: Wonderful.
:Capper: Pinkie Pie, you know better than to bring a greenhorn to Klugetown. What were you thinking?
:Pinkie Pie: ...That... he doesn't have a green horn?
:Pinkie Pie: Someone stole the trophy and now we don't know where to look.
:Capper: Well, yeah. That was me. Wait, did you honestly think I wasn't going to steal it?
:Sweetie Belle: I bought this souvenir Griffonstone thimble for Rarity's collection! Odd thing for one to collect with no thumbs, I always thought...
:Apple Bloom: We're on a mission from Twilight herself. That means we have a powerful skill we have yet to utilize.
:Sweetie Belle: And what's that?
:Apple Bloom: The power of name dropping!
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): Don't waste time with prose when you should be defeating your foes.
:Scootaloo: Twilight! Please! We're your friends!
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): Blech, children. Filthy creatures.
:Apple Bloom: Aw, horse apples.
:Applejack: Yeah... That's what Ah said.
:Discord: I'd love to talk to you more about... disorderly things, Miss...?
:Cosmos: You can call me.. Cosmos.
:Discord: Discord... Now, tell me how you feel about chaos.
:Cosmos: I... adore it.
:Rarity: I'm in dire need of another bushel of emeralds.
:Rainbow Dash: I was not aware emeralds came in "bushels."
:Rarity: They do if you're doing it right.
:Princess Celestia (Cosmos): Soon, I'll be whole.
:Zecora (Cosmos): And then with Discord I will stroll.
:Twilight Sparkle (Cosmos): Maybe taking the rhyming one wasn't the best choice.
:Zecora (Cosmos): My apologies, but enjoyment I receive from this voice!
:Big McIntosh (Cosmos): ...You know, I'm gonna get real sick of that.
:Discord: From then on, everything that had happened was blamed on yours truly. Equestria healed... for the most part.
:Fluttershy: You mean there's still evidence of her?
:Discord: Some. You know the Everfree Forest? Before Cosmos, it was an herb garden.
:Discord: We could take a vacation. How does six months off sound to you?
:Fluttershy: Discord.
:Discord: Ooh, you're right! We'll winter in Saddle Arabia! Just make it a full year!
:Fluttershy: Discord.
:Discord: Let's not even go to your place to pack! You know, spontaneity!
:Fluttershy: Discord!
:Applejack: Iffun' you wanted to read, you should have brought your own magazine!
:Apple Bloom: Just let me read one article? This cage is so boring. I'm desperate.
:Cosmos: I feel delightful!
:Spike: Well, there's something you don't see every day.
:Discord: Let's all deal with this horrible mess of Cosmos. She's just the worst, but I think if we all put our heads together we can... She's right behind me, isn't she?
:Cosmos: Hello, darliiiing...
:Rarity: How are we supposed to defeat her when she's got all those ponies... what? In her. As part of her? What is happening? Why is she so big. I hate everything about this.
:Applejack: Shhh. She'll hear you. Discord, who is that crazy monster and why is she looking for you?
:Discord: Have you not paid attention for these past issues?
:Applejack: We're the only ones here who know what's going on.
:Rarity: I have no idea what's going on!
:Rainbow Dash: Okay, who has a plan?
:Pinkie Pie: Ooh! I do. Pick me.
:Sweetie Belle: I would like it on record that I would prefer if Applejack came up with a plan.
:Apple Bloom: I second that.
:Rainbow Dash: Third.
:Pinkie Pie: We will not go quietly into the night! We will vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our independence day!
:Apple Bloom: Oh captain, my captain!
:Scootaloo: What is she talking about?
:Rarity: Oh yes, let's run toward the giant monster in a blind panic and see what happens.
:Pinkie Pie: That's the plan!
:Rarity: I was being sarcastic.
:Fluttershy: [to Discord] Everything you've learned has led to this moment. You've got this. You're so brave. I'm so proud of you.
:Discord: Cosmos... This is it for you. You're done. Put everything back the way it was, or I'm going to have to destroy this last piece of you. Please.
:Cosmos: Oh, dearest, I knew you cared. I watched you, you know. From the stars. I watched you looking up at the sky to me... You can't hurt me.
:Discord: I was looking up at the sky because I was terrified of you, you arrogant fool. You were making me miserable.
:Cosmos: You can't hurt me. You care about me. You're my friend.
:Discord: I did care... once. But you... were never my friend!
:Cosmos: You want to know what I am? I'm malice personified! Of course I used you! What goes better with malice than chaos! And if chaos won't join me as my companion, you can sit at my feet as my dog.
:Pinkie Pie: My plan worked! Go Team Llama!
:Rainbow Dash: No more Pinkie Pie plans. Never again. I was a fish.
:Princess Luna: I can't believe you put her on the moon. Now, not only am I in charge of making sure she stays there, I need to worry if she's been moving all my moon-rock gardens. I had them just the way I liked them.
:Twilight Sparkle: I missed out on the whole adventure because I was possessed by a crazy monster. It's not fair.
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