//------------------------------//
// Chocolate Rain 
// Story: Discord's Rise 
// by legomaster00156 
//------------------------------//

It was the year 1, in the First Age of Equestria. Only 12 months ago, 6 brave ponies had forged their way to find a new land, attempting to escape the Windigos' eternal winter. They had nearly perished on the way, but through the combined efforts of 3 important ponies, the Windigos were repelled, and Equestria was founded.
Each of the three pony races had their own ways of bring new settlers to the land. The Earth-ponies made a long but steady march, and the pegasi took wing to reach it in record time. Most impressive, though, were the unicorns.
Clover the Clever and Princess Platinum had worked together to create a teleportation circle inside a small library of scrolls they'd brought along. The runes within the circle would not allow one to teleport, but would make the process of mass teleportation much less straining to and from the circle. They then teleported a scroll of good news to Clover's mentor: Starswirl the Bearded.
Within the next few hours, they were pleasantly surprised. A few unicorns teleported directly into the circle, indicating that it had functioned properly. For the new half hour, more and more unicorns came in, and were greeted by the two original trailblazers.
Finally, a large stallion popped in. His blue-grey coat, flowing white beard, and twisted horn identified him even before his Cutie Mark did.
"Master!" Clover greeted excitedly. He ran over and nuzzled his mentor affectionately, which the wise old unicorn returned.
"Clover, it is so good to see you again," he said, his voice slightly cracked with age. "After 12 months with no news from you, I was worried that only the pegasi and Earth-ponies had made peace with one another."
"You knew?" Princess Platinum interrupted angrily.
"Yes, of course. Why to you think all of the ponies decided to move at the same time?" Starswirl said, smiling at the Princess' glare. "I identified the effects of Windigos within the first few weeks of their storm. I had hoped that the meeting could've bonded our races, but I was afraid when it did not work. So, I sent out a low-level telepathic wave to three ponies: yourself, the Earth-pony Chancellor, and the Pegasus Commander."
"You charmed me?" the Princess shouted, now even more furious than before.
"No, no, I would never charm you. That would be treason," Starswirl assured her. "It was just a single idea: move east. I offered for Clover to come with you, so that you could have a bit more magical, how shall I say... versatility?"
"Did Princess Platinum write about what I did, Master?" Clover asked excitedly. He hoped to earn his master's approval for helping to defeat the Windigos.
"Yes, I heard about it. Although, from what I understand, she'd been frozen during the time that you were helping to defeat the Windigos..." Starswirl said, giving a rueful smile towards the Princess.
"Wha- I never said anything about being frozen!" Princess Platinum exclaimed.
"Did you think a written letter was beyond the abilities of a truth spell? I could sense the deciet on the letter almost immediately. I deduced from there that you had not in fact seen the event at all, at least not consciously," Starswirl said.
"Your stupid magic..." Princess Platinum mumbled. She sulked off, her robe's trail following her through the door. Clover smiled and used his magic to shut the door behind her.
"Master, not many unicorns came through the portal. I counted 82, not including yourself. What happened to the others?" Clover asked, now that he was alone with his teacher.
"I am afraid that though the Windigos had been defeated by your friendship with the other races, things were not so pretty at the old home," Starswirl said sadly. "Commander Hurricane was the one who came back for the pegasi and Earth-ponies, but the word did not reach them fast enough. The cruel winter and continuing hatred between the ponies took away many of our loved ones."
"Oh," Clover said, obviously disappointed and hurt. "But- but some did survive. And.. we can rebuild, right?"
"Of course, Clover, my dear student," Starswirl said, nodding his head. "I am sorry to leave your company so quickly, but I am reminded that I planned to research a spell as soon as I appeared here."
"May I help you, Master?" Clover asked excitedly.
"Oh, you clever pony. Of course. Come, we must create a fertility spell," Starswirl said. Clover immediately blushed, and began to stammer.
"A- a- but why? We have plenty of stallions and mares!" Clover protested.
"For the Earth-pony plants, Clover," Starswirl said, chuckling at Clover's embarassment. Clover sighed in relief, and joined in a laugh with his teacher.
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15 years later, the bonds of love and friendship had united Equestria firmly. The command of the pegasi had passed to the newly-dubbed Commander Pansy, while the Earth-ponies still had Puddinghead as their Chancellor. Starswirl was amazingly still alive, prolonging his life indefinitely with a special potion, devised by himself and Clover. Clover, meanwhile, had finished his apprenticeship several years ago. Although he knew that he was nowhere near as proficient with magic as his old master, both were proud of Clover's abilities.
Then one day, against the will of the pegasi, a storm rolled into Equestria over the lands of the Earth-ponies. Nothing the pegasi could do would dispel the pink clouds appearing across the country. But before panic could ensue, laughter did. The pink clouds rained chocolate milk. The pegasi and Earth-ponies congratulated the unicorns on their practical joke, before sending a polite letter to Princess Platinum to cease the rain.
Starswirl and Clover, amongst a few other unicorn mages, were summoned to the Princess' court, to discuss the turn of events.
"... And so, in summary, although it is a relief to know that you are capable of the occasional joke, we ask you to end the spell bringing chocolate rain to Equestria. Your allies, Chancellor Puddinghead and Commander Pansy," Princess Platinum said, reading the last few lines of the letter. "So, what are your thoughts?"
"I suggest that we end the spell prematurely," one unicorn said.
"Are you casting the spell?" the Princess asked.
"Well, no," the unicorn replied.
"Is anypony here casting the spell?" the Princess demanded.
"No, your highness," Starswirl said, speaking for the entire court.
"Well, seeing as all of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria are here in this room, and none of them are casting the spell, than obviously the unicorns are not responsible!" Princess Platinum shouted. "It is obviously the work of the pegasi!"
"I do not believe chocolate rain is within their weather control ability," Starswirl pointed out.
"Well, perhaps not, but cocoa is a plant in it's simplest stage," Clover said. "Perhaps the two races are the ones playing a joke on us?"
"Now, let's not let disharmony fall across us again," Starswirl advised. "Let us simply let them know that we are not responsible, and not blame any others. Perhaps this is simply an odd but natural occurence in this region?"
"Starswirl, we've been here for 16 years. Surely we'd have known about this 'natural occurence' by now," Princess Platinum said.
"Ah, yes, that is a fair point," Starswirl said. "Either way, though, we should let the other races know of our response. Meanwhile, I am willing to seek out the source of this phenomenon, your highness."
"Good. Go with good speed, and send a scroll when you find it," the Princess said, nodding as she wrote out  responding letter.
"Clover, Oak, and Quake, would you please accompany me?" Starswirl asked, pointing to the three ponies.
Oak was another stallion, who looked very similar to Starswirl, although significantly younger. This was to be expected, as Oak was Starswirl's grandson. However, unlike his grandfather, he was much more focused on one type of magic: healing magic. His Cutie Mark was a caduceus.
Quake was a light grey mare with a mane that was frequently compared to fire. However, despite her status as a mare, nopony wanted to get on her bad side; she was considered second only to Starswirl when it came to battle magic. Her Cutie Mark was a meteor.
"I would be honored to adventure beside you, my old Master," Clover said, steping over to stand beside Starswirl.
"As would I, Starswirl. You shall need my skill, hm?" Quake added.
After a few moment, Starswirl spoke again. "And you, Oak?"
"I... am sorry, grandfather," Oak said, taking a step backwards. "I cannot leave Equestria. The ponies here will remain in need of my healing."
"I understand," Starswirl said, though he was obviously disappointed. "Well, three is a magic number, as they say. We will prepare for a month's journey, and then leave at sundown from Canterlot's city gates. Now, go!"
The three ponies split up and left to prepare. The other mages soon left, as well, leaving Oak alone in the room with Princess Platinum and her guards. She ordered the guards to leave her presence.
"Oak, I must admit. I was surprised," Princess Platinum said. "You would lie to your own grandfather?"
"Platinum, you know I cannot let others know. It is highly inappropriate," Oak said, flustered.
"I am glad that you are capable of keeping a secret," Platinum said, smiling. "I hope that I shall see you tonight, after they have left?"
"You have my word, Platinum," Oak said, bowing.
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The Canterlot city gates were being observed closely, as a group of 20 unicorns nearby used their horns to slowly lower the sun. The three adventurers were gathered at the closed gates, and several royal guards kept the crowd at bay. Princess Platinum herself set down a bag before Starswirl.
"Your highness, what is in that?" Starswirl asked.
"Three sending stones, one for each of you," Princess Platinum answered.
"Starswirl, what is a sending stone?" Quake asked.
"It's an enchanted stone, for use in emergencies. Should one of us wind up in mortal peril, with no chance of escape, you need only to break it on the ground, and it will send out a powerful telepathic wave to any living creatures within a few miles," Starswirl said. "Everypony nearby will know exactly where you are, and that you are in distress. You can be rescued."
"I see. I suppose that is one of your inventions?" Quake asked.
"Actually, not to brag or anything, but it's my design," Clover said. "It's not perfect, of course. It contacts hostile entities just as well as friendly ones. I've been working on an improved one, but it's ridiculously complicated."
"Well, that's pretty impressive, Clover," Quake complimented.
"I'm sure you could do better," Clover said. He was blushing and running his hoof across the ground. Starswirl rolled his eyes.
"Alright, there's no time to lose," Starswirl said, interrupting his companions. "Princess, expect the scroll."
"I will. Guards, open the gates!" Princess Platinum ordered.
The gates swung open, just as the sun disappeared over the horizon. The red light bathed the mountain upon which Canterlot sat. The three ponies took off running down the mountain trail, deciding to conserve their magic for when it was necessary.
Princess Platinum turned around, and nodded to the guards. The guards shut the gate, and the moon began to rise above their heads. Oak stepped over, allowed permission by the Princess.
"So, Princess, where do you think it's coming from? You have not told anypony that?" Oak asked quietly, so nopony else could hear.
"I don't think anything, Oak," Princess Platinum whispered in return. "All I know is that whatever is causing this is dangerous enough that only two ponies will be returning from this  mission."