CHRONICLES OF DIVINE EQUESTRIA
EPISODE 1: regarding THE TEMPLE OF THE SPIRIT and the RISE OF THE SUNDER
CHAPTER 1: THE ROAD TO CANTERLOT
The mountains towered high above the green valley below, surrounding it like a pointed gate of looming protection. A strange haze hovered in the early morning air which glimmered in the sunlight before evaporating with the rising sun of this strange and far-off land. Down below in the valley were lush fields of green trees and tall grass dancing to the silent symphony of the soft easterly winds. Far off in the distance, through the low clouds, a large stone city jutted from the side of the tallest mountain and hung over the forest directly below. It was hard to see it at times from the valley, but at certain times of the day the sunlight would glimmer across the beautiful white walls and violet-trimmed turrets. A series of waterfalls fell from the city straight down into a great lake in the forest, out of from which flowed a river which ran directly into the green fields to the south.
The inhabitants of the great valley below resided among the many hills and rivers which seemed to meet in the center of the valley. A small city rested peacefully entwined between the many hills. Many houses lay scattered more scarcely toward the edge of town. Their English-looking architecture proving that they were made up of the many natural resources nearby, deviating toward a more elegant look which was obviously the joyful color choices and bright windows lit by candles and torches within.
This cheery village was called Ponyville. And, as the name hints, the inhabitants are ponies. For about a hundred years the village has thrived on the wonderful resources of this land and has continued to do so through even the toughest times. The cobblestone streets ran wildly between buildings and houses, out of which many of Ponyville’s inhabitants are just emerging for the day. In the town square, a very large and extremely old tree looms near the Town Hall. Cut into the tree are a number of gold-trimmed windows and rods by which, in pink clay pots, hang many a species of shrubbery and flower. The light blue windows gleamed as the rising sun reflected each drop of morning dew on the panes and the birds began to fly out of the thick branches, singing mildly to each other and flapping their wings in the breeze. This great tree has been hollowed. Many, many years ago, it was turned into the town library but more recently, a certain violet unicorn has moved in with her dragon and now claims the library as her home.
And inside the tree the sun’s golden beams were creeping through the curtains and filling the room with a glimmering ruby red: the color of the wood inside the tree. On the second floor of the tree house, the purple unicorn stirred in her sleep, the sun beam tracing the edge of her chin through the window. She turned to the other side as brightness filled the room, causing her to squint. Next to her bed in a wicker basket lays a young purple dragon, snoring as usual. His green spikes heave up and down with each deep breath which indicates he is having a good dream. With one last sleepy stir, the unicorn turns back the other way and her pillow slips from under her head as she unconsciously edges it closer to the bed. The pillow lands on the floor with a soft thud sending dust silently into the sunbeams which cast across the room and illuminate each corner of the loft.
“Hmmphh…” The unicorn begins to groan and stretch her legs, pushing the blanket off the bed as well. “S-Spike…? ...ughhh what time is it?” She sat up lazily and leaned on her elbow as she glanced at the small purple dragon wrapped in a blanket.
“Spike… you need to wake up, now.” The unicorn’s gaze turned into a frustrated glare. Raising her body over the edge of the bed, she landed on all four hooves then walked over to the basket and nudged it.
“Spike, I know you want to sleep, but we have a big day today.”
“Hmph!” Spike the dragon turned away from the unicorn and grunted, trying to hold onto the dream he was having. “Twi-Twilight, it’s not even… it’s not even 8 o’ clo…” But the dragon had fallen back to sleep again. This time, Twilight kicked the basket hard enough so it would tip and Spike spilled over the other side with his blanket and favorite belonging, a turquoise gem. In a flash, he scooped up his precious gem and held it close to him.
“Twilight! My gem Rarity gave to me! You should be more – “
“I’m sorry Spike, but you weren’t waking up fast enough. We have a lot of stuff to do before we leave later.”
“Where are we going? I didn’t know we – “
“We’re on royal business today. I know it’s the weekend but I got the letter last night from Princess Celestia…” Twilight walked over to the window and looked north to the stone city built on the side of the tallest mountain. “She will be expecting us by noon.”
With those words, Spike stood quickly and scooted his basket aside leaving the precious turquoise gem inside it. He rubbed his eyes before speaking.
“Why are we going to Canterlot? It must be important.”
Twilight looked a little grave and looked out the window again.
“I don’t know Spike, but whatever it is I can’t let the Princess down. She needs me and I need to show her she can rely on me. So let’s pack up for the journey and we’ll leave by 11. I’m thinking we’ll take the train too.”
She turned around at Spike who was already climbing down the short ladder off the loft which led to the bedroom floor below. She jumped down and trotted over to her wardrobe and using her horn, which allowed her to use unicorn magic, began to pull out rain clothes – just in case – and a saddlepack for the journey. As the items hovered across the room, Twilight turned around and also used her horn to levitate her travelling map off the desk and into the saddlepack. Her horn stopped glowing as she sat down at her desk and grabbed a fresh sheet of parchment to write a letter to the princess. Before writing she turned around toward Spike who was making a lot of noise now.
“Spike, what are you –“ But she stopped speaking when she saw that Spike was reading, out loud, the letter Princess Celestia had sent the night before.
“Twilight, it says we’re going to Canterlot ‘to investigate something of great urgency’. I wonder what the urgency is…”
Twilight turned back around and used her magic once more on her quill to write the letter to the princess.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Spike and I are planning on leaving Ponyville by express train to Canterlot at 11 o’ clock a.m. and I will also bring a few nights’ clothes to wear in the case that our visit is extended. We plan on saying goodbye to the others before departing. It shouldn’t take long. See you at noon!
your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
She rolled the paper and sealed it with the royal “C” seal which meant it was exclusively for Princess Celestia. Spike grabbed the letter and took a deep breath before letting out a small wisp of green flame which magically burned the letter and sent the particles straight to its receiver. Somewhere in Canterlot, the princess would see the letter formulating out of thin air before reading it.
Twilight Sparkle started walking down the steps to the library floor and Spike followed close behind. As they both headed into the kitchen, the unicorn spoke.
“I wonder if what the princess wants to discuss has anything to do with that strange flash of blue light you saw in the sky last night, Spike…” It was almost a question. Spike didn’t answer because he knew Twilight was just thinking out loud, but he still considered it anyway.
“Well,” He began. “That light could’ve been anything. But who knows? Maybe it was fireworks from Cloudsdale, or lightning?”
Twilight stopped and seemed to consider this. She opened a small metal cooling unit and pulled out a basket of fresh fruit and bread and began to prepare a small breakfast for the two of them. She recalled the night before as Spike was getting his basket out to sleep and she sat at her desk downstairs, facing away from the north window of the library. Spike had let out a small but audible yelp as he ran down the stairs describing what he had seen in between Ponyville and Canterlot to the north: a swift, bright blue flash behind some clouds that briefly lit up the night sky. The flash was noiseless and looked like someone had drug a light across the sky, like lightning falling. Well, at least that’s how Spike described it.
Twilight placed a glass tray on the table and sat across from Spike who had tied a cotton napkin around his neck. The tray had an array of breakfast foods and snacks from diced fruit to cheese, dandelions to strawberry pie, and of course a teapot containing Twilight’s favorite: blueberry and honey tea. None of this food, however, was for Spike. He ate sweets and junk food for the most part, but gems and ice cream were his favorite things. Spike reached past all the pony food and grabbed a bowl of crushed rubies and emeralds, then poured hot sauce into it and started spooning the shards into his mouth.
“Blehhh! Ugh, Spike! You eat like a, well… like a dragon!”
Twilight tried to ignore the revolting jewel and chili sauce soup by looking down at her plate of pie and fruit and chewing louder to hide the noise of Spike’s slurping.
Spike giggled between bites. “Hah, oh Twilight, don’t you know,” He took another bite of the soup. “… that ah lub jewels more th’n borig frewd.” Gulp! He swallowed hard. “Uh, sorry … well fruit is boring. That’s what I meant anyway.”
And with that, he started shoveling the jewels into his mouth before drinking down the last of the hot sauce and emptying the bowl.
Twilight didn’t like it when Spike talked through a mouth full of food, but ignored him as she continued eating. Spike got up to clean his bowl. She was also concentrating on a book she was reading called Ancient Equestrian History: Antiquities of an Empire before the Tri-Union which talked about some of the earliest races of horse and pony long before the rule of the Tri-Union: Earth Ponies, Pegasus, and Unicorn. The Tri-Union had discovered the land of Equestria thousands of years ago when the races needed a new land to live in. But this book talked about the races of the Antiquities’ era; races of mammal and beast who ruled hundreds of thousands of years ago. Twilight Sparkle thought this book was very interesting. It was extremely old and none of the schools taught antiquity to the fillies, not even at Canterlot. Reluctantly, Twilight had to put the book down and go out if she was to have enough time to say goodbye to her good friends and still make it to Canterlot on time.
“Spike, we’re got to hit the road soon. It’s 10 o’ clock now and we still need to bid farewell to the others.”
She looked back Spike who was slinging his backpack over his scaly shoulder, and then she tightened her saddlepack with her mouth and opened the door with her magic, shutting it and locking it behind the waddling purple dragon.
“Right,” She said. “Let’s go.”
“Hey Twilight, what’s up?”
A pink pony was speaking to Twilight Sparkle and Spike as they walked into the central plaza of Ponyville. Twilight looked around her toward the familiar voice and where it came from. She saw a bright pink tail hanging out of a tree and concluded that Pinkie Pie, the cheerful, hyper-active pony of Ponyville was sitting in the tree.
“Hey Pinkie Pie! Uhhh …” her eyes scanned Pinkie’s partially hidden body amid the branches and smiled sheepily. “What exactly are you doing in that tree?”
“Oh darn it! I thought I had you fooled!” Pinkie looked genuinely disappointed.
“What are you talking about Pinkie Pie?” Twilight knew that Pinkie was always extremely random and completely unpredictable, so she went along with it.
Pinkie looked at her with confusion and scrunched her little nose. “I thought you might fall for my disguise. Didn’t you think I was Fluttershy?”
Twilight looked completely lost as she recalled her yellow-bodied, pink-hair Pegasus friend Fluttershy. “Umm … no I didn’t think you were Fluttershy.” Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. “Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and say goodbye. Spike and I are going to Canterlot on royal business.”
Pinkie Pie looked surprised and jumped out of the tree. She trotted over to Twilight Sparkle and sat near Spike. “Howdy Spike!” She said in her joyful, high-pitched voice. “So Canterlot, huh? Can I come?”
Twilight looked a little reluctant to tell Pinkie Pie she couldn’t, so instead said something else.
“Maybe next time, this time is just going to be a short visit.” Twilight put on a face of boredom, pretending she was dreading to go to the royal capital city. “Honestly, I’m just going to be working.”
But Pinkie wasn’t convinced. “Oh, oh! I want to visit the palace! I don’t care where we go or what we do!” She was now jumping in place and raising her voice. “Oh, pretty pinkie please?”
Twilight looked into Pinkie’s eyes and frowned. She didn’t want to let her down. To her relief, their unicorn friend Rarity came around the corner alongside Fluttershy. Rarity’s pure white body and glamorous, amethyst-colored hair danced against her face as the two ponies trotted toward them. Fluttershy’s soft smile was enough to brighten anyone’s day, and her flowing, soft-pink hair covered one of her eyes. It was obvious that Fluttershy was a little more composed than the others and one of the most caring ponies in all of Equestria.
“Oh, hello Twilight. And hello Pinkie Pie.” said the yellow mare. Then she spotted Spike sitting on the floor playing with his tail. “And hello Spike.”
“Yes, hello Spike! Twilight, Pinkie Pie, it’s great to see all of you on this heavenly day.” said Rarity, smiling as she pushed her dazzling mane to the side.
At the sight of Rarity, Spike rose to his feet and timidly greeted her. “H-hello Rarity, it’s great to see you too…” His voice seemed to trail off as his smile brightened with each word. It was obvious that Spike had a crush on Rarity. Twilight roller her eyes and greeted Rarity and Fluttershy, then explained to them her business with the princess. They both gasped softly and spoke urgently, worried that it was something which needed immediate attention.
“I’m sure it’s just some research or something Princess Celestia needs me to help with. I'm probably going to be working with the Royal Council of Magic and Myhthology.” Twilight reassured them.
“What exactly does the council do, darling?” said Rarity, looking confused.
“Well,” began Twilight. “It’s kind of complicated and hard to explain. I guess it’s a just a meeting of minds who are all knowledgeable with magic and its history.” She smiled as she spoke, not quite sure what the council did either. “Well, I’m sorry girls but I really need to say goodbye to Applejack and Rainbow Dash too. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone so I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”
“Okay, Twilight, do take care.” Said Rarity waving as Twilight waved back before walking away with Spike trailing behind her.
“Bye Twlight!” squeaked Pinkie Pie. Twilight laughed. “Goodbye, Pinkie Pie!”
“Goodbye Twilight, please take care.” said Fluttershy, but she was speaking too softly as usual and Twilight hadn’t heard her.
“Oh, dear …”
Twilight Sparkle and Spike the dragon continued to walk the road northward in hopes that she’d meet up with Rainbow Dash in the park. Rainbow Dash was a light blue colored Pegasus with a rainbow mane and deep, magenta eyes. Her tomboyish attitude and high spirits made her seem like a very prideful pony. The truth was that not many ponies seemed to understand her at all, and her entire life she had been alone in the world to make her dreams come true. She was also the fastest flyer in all of Equestria. Twilight commonly met up with Rainbow Dash in the park where she would be doing tricks in the air while Twilight read from a book: doing what they both loved to do. But in this case -- as Twilight noticed while walking through the hedges in the park -- her encounter would be a little bit different.
She spotted Rainbow Dash lying on her stomach in the grass across from Applejack, an orange pony with blonde hair and little freckles on her cheeks. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were also friends with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, but when it came to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, they were always either in "friendly" competition between each other or arguing over who was faster, stronger, and better at being an athlete.
Applejack was strong just like Rainbow Dash because she owned the local farm near Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, and the hard work had made her one the toughest – yet still humble – pony around. Rainbow Dash on the other hand was strong and stuck-up about it; always afraid to lose and never afraid to prove she was good at something. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t a good friend, she just got carried away – a lot.
As Twilight trotted toward them, she noticed that they were arm wrestling. Their hooves locked together and front arm muscles straining against the strength of the other pony. It was almost painful to watch for Twilight who noticed the beads of sweat running down their foreheads. Their groaning and huffing grew louder as the end of the arm wrestling match came to a close with Applejack twisting Rainbow Dash onto her back as she pushed her arm to the ground.
“Hah! Gotcha, sugarcube!”said Applejack through her thick, farmpony accent. She rose to her hooves and raised her chin, chewing a grain of wheat with humble diginity.
“What?! No, no. I saw you lift your tummy off the grass, AJ! There’s no way!” Rainbow Dash once again was getting angry because she lost. Her wings started flapping violently as she hovered above Applejack and glared at her, speaking through a hoarse, malicious whisper. “I want a rematch.”
“Hey girls!” Twilight strode into the clearing in the park and smiled, pretending not to have seen anything they were doing. But it wasn’t helping. Rainbow Dash was already standing in front of Twilight, telling her about what happened.
“Twi, I just had an arm wrestle match with Applesmack over here …” she spat the syllable out toward Applejack who was smiling, sitting on the grass patiently. “…she totally cheated! She lifted her stomach off the grass to pull my arm down! Ugh, I can’t believe it!”
Rainbow glared at Spike who obviously was not listening.
“Rainbow, I’m sorry. Just have a rematch.” Said Twilight, but winced at the sour look Rainbow gave her. “Look, I have to go to Canterlot with Spike. The princess needs me to help her with something, although I’m not sure what.”
Twilight looked at the ground and seemed to be thinking about why she was going. “But… well, I won’t be back anytime soon. I came to say goodbye.”
She smiled at Rainbow Dash first who seemed to be calming down. The competitive fire in her eyes went out and she stopped hovering and landed in front of Twilight, her face softening.
“Do you know when you’ll be back?” asked Rainbow innocently. By this time, Applejack was walking over toward them. “I mean, you won’t be gone that long right?”
Twilight looked confused at their worry. “Well, no. At least, I don’t think so.” She stopped speaking, her mouth still open and her eyes glancing from Applejack to Rainbow Dash. “Why …?”
Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack then back at Twilight. “Well… we had planned on going with Zecora to Mareocco.” She smiled sheepishly. “It was supposed to be a surprise -- just us three.”
Twilight recalled their Zebra friend Zecora who had come from a desert land across the sea called Mareocco. The ponies didn’t get to see her much since her hut was in the dangerous Everfree Forest. But Twilight – who loved to learn about anything and everything – would have jumped at the idea of travelling to a different land.
She wrinkled her nose and asked, “Why not the other three?”
Applejack giggled. “Fluttershy is too scared, obviously.” Rainbow Dash laughed too. “And, well, Rarity rarely ever wants to spend more than a few minutes in the sun. She said that Marocco sounds like o’ land lackin’ hospitality an’ proper fashion.”
Applejack rolled her eyes at as she spoke those words.
"And Pinkie Pie," began Rainbow Dash. "Well, she doesn't want to leave her store for that long."
“Oh…” Twilight’s voice trailed off in desperation. “I’m sorry girls. Maybe I’ll be back in time. Who knows?” Her voice sounded sad, but given the look on the other two mares’ faces they seemed to understand.
“Don’ sweat it, sugarcube.” said Applejack. “There’ll be time plen’y.”
“Yeah, it’s alright. Honest.” Rainbow Dash patted Twilight on her back. “If anything, we can put it off until you return.”
“Alright girls,” Twilight felt more relieved. “I’ll be seeing you when I get back.” As she turned to walk away the other two ponies announced their so-longs.
“Take care Spike! See ya, Twilight!”
“Safe travellin’ to the both of ya!”
Spike looked back at them and waved.
The blue pegasus and orange pony had turned toward each other as Rainbow grabbed Applejack by the mane and said with cruel determination.
"I want a rematch..."
It was already mid-day when Twilight Sparkle and Spike finally boarded the Ponyville train to Canterlot. Although they were running late, Twilight’s mood was brightened by the realization that within an hour, she would be in the beautiful capital city of Equestria. The pair had taken a seat in the first-class compartment near a group of high-end ponies who appeared to be discussing important business of sorts. Their greased hair and steamed suits looked like fragile glass, their pomp hats and glistening jewelry made Twilight decide it best not to start any conversation with them.
“Is it alright if I sleep, Twilight?” said Spike. “I’m still really tired and you’re probably going to be reading anyway.” He looked down at the book Twilight had spread on the table between them.
“Sure Spike, if you want to that’s fine by me. I’ll wake you when we reach Canterlot station.”
“Thanks, Twi,” said Spike as he spread his plump, purple body across the booth.
Twilight indulged herself in her book "Ancient Equestrian History: Antiquities of an Empire before the Tri-Union" which she found more than fascinating. She was at a part in the book which talked about an empire called Gallopoli which fell more than a twenty five-thousand years ago. The stuff that Twilight read in her book took place so long ago that she was not even sure if it was truth or mythology. Either way, she found it to be fascinating.
“Spike…” Twilight nudged the snoring purple dragon. “Spike, wake up. We’ve arrived.”
He lifted his head sleepily and looked into Twilight’s excited eyes.
“We’re at Canterlot, Spike!” said Twilight, almost hopping with anxiety and smiling. “C’mon, we’ve got to meet the princess!”
She pulled Spike out of the booth and both of them began to make their way to the nearest exit.
Stepping out in Canterlot was like walking into heaven itself. The gleaming, shiny cobblestones, the solid-white buildings, the wide array of eloquent foliage and decorations; all beautified the capital city with jaw-dropping magnificence. Twilight had been to Canterlot many times. As a matter of fact, her and Spike grew up here and Twilight Sparkle spent her school years as the personal protégé of Princess Celestia herself. But none of that seemed to make a difference to Twilight Sparkle or Spike; they never once arrived and didn’t marvel at the elegance of the city and savored every moment spent within its golden walls.
“I wish the others could be here with us,” said Twilight sadly. “Pinkie Pie would love the candy shops here, and I bet Rarity wouldn’t ever leave one of those fashion parlors."
Spike quickly looked from a jewelry shop to Twilight at the mention of Rarity’s name, his feelings for her getting the better of him. “Yeah,” he said. “I agree. I’d love to see Rarity again.”
Twilight giggled at the thought of her friends all having a great weekend spent together in Canterlot, but then she remembered the task at hand.
The two began to venture up the spiraling street which climbed toward the Royal Palace where the sister princesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, ruled Equestria. Twilight’s older brother was a part of the administration; he was the Royal Commander of the Equestrian Guard. His name was Shining Armor and Twilight’s heart skipped a few beats at the thought of seeing his beloved brother again.
The sound of Twilight’s hooves hitting the cobblestones was drowned only by the roar of voices and laughter as she and Spike walked through Canterlot Plaza. Cafes and shops bustled with ponies who were enjoying themselves among friends on this lovely weekend afternoon. Stage performers juggled horseshoes and awed the crowds with eye-popping tricks and stunts. And of course, the wonderful smells that crept out of the restaurants and coffee shops puckered Twilight’s nostrils and induced her longing for some scrumptious Canterlot cuisine.
After passing through the plaza, Twilight and Spike came to the palace gates which towered high above the cobblestone street before it. A pair of Royal Guards stood before the closed gate, beyond it Twilight could see the massive gardens and the white castle further on. She timidly walked up to the one of the guards and spoke.
“Excuse me, I have been summoned by the princess from Ponyville to speak with her. It must be urgent,” She looked up at the towering, steel gates. "I-is the princess in danger? The gates are closed...”
The guard looked at her and spoke to a stallion on the other side of the gate. “Seabring, this must be Twilight Sparkle. Please open the gate.” His deep voice was firm but calm.
He glanced at Twilight Sparkle and blinked his welcome to her as Seabring, the gatekeeper, moved the steel gates apart just enough to let the two pass.
“Nice helmet!” said Spike as they passed Seabring. Twilight shushed him and the gatekeeper smiled slightly.
The hedges in the garden were cut into the shapes of different creatures and objects which were scattered symmetrically about the grass amidst an array of benches and fountains. Twilight noticed the top of a tall, thin statue of a strange animal with limbs and bodies from different animals all making this single creature. Some ponies didn’t know it, but Twilight knew that this stone figure wasn’t a statue at all, rather it was a magical encasement of the Apoxi Master of Chaos, Discord, a Draconequus, who had attacked Equestria a little over a year ago. Memories of that incident flashed through her mind and she shuddered, continuing her slow trot toward the palace door.
As she approached, the two guards opened the heavy wooden doors beneath the large white, marble archway for Twilight and Spike as they walked into the Great Hall of Canterlot Palace. With a dull thud, the doors closed behind them as they looked onward at the spectacular scene before them.