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.

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.

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.