Chapter 1
Celestia’s sun shined strong as always. As princess of the Sun, Celestia was responsible for making light get to every corner of the world, including the far away from Equestria land of Mexicolt. The Friendship Express train had come a long way from the Ponyville train station to this foreign land. Almost three days of travel had taken it cross Appeloosa, the Macintosh Hills, and all the wild lands that most ponies knew nothing of.
After the countless hours of nothing but the sound of the wheels beneath the train, the train manager All Aboard finally spoke through the microphone. “Attention, everypony. We are arriving to the city of Mexicolt City. Have everything ready when you leave the train.” The stallion close the transmission and went to prepare everything for the arrival.
At any other stop, most ponies would have stood up—the noise from the hooves and their talking filling the room. Instead an eerie silence filled train car; because there were only two passengers left on the train.
“Finally! It’s been like for ever since we took this train. I feel like my wings were going to fall off.” Rainbow Dash flew to the limits of what the train carts let her.
“It wasn’t that long, was it?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Because you’ve been reading this whole time. I bet I can fly faster than this pesky train.”
“You do actually, but you can’t go as far as it.” Twilight got up from her bet, stretching her wings and legs.
“Oh! Is that a challenge I hear?”
“We already got here, let’s just get out.”
Rainbow Dash darted to the main door of the train, while Twilight carried floated her and Rainbow’s, baggage out from its storage space.
The train’s door opened, releasing a rainbow flash that streaked into the sky as high as it could. A moment later, an alicorn stepped out with luggage in tow. The streets were filled with ponies walking around; their coats a little darker than the bright colors than Twilight was used to seeing. The buildings too, had their own style.
She felt oddly alone and out of place for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes and calmed her nerves: this was a new place and with that came new experiences. The little ritual helped, but hearing Dash land nets to her made her feel even better.
“Feel better?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, I needed a good stretch,” Dash said, frowning a bit as she looked around. “So, we are in Mexicolt… This isn’t as I imagined.”
“What did you expected?”
“Ponies with big round sombreros, cactus, saloons, and stuff.”
“Oh, Rainbow, those are just stereotypes from long time ago. Mexicolt is kind of like Equestria, their culture is just a little different.” Twilight giggled at the thought of what her friend had expected.
Rainbow Dash looked confused. “What’s a stereotype?”
Twilight levitated their baggage again with a sigh. “We should get going to the hotel, I’ll fill you in later.” Using a location spell she pinpointed the hotel on her map.
The plaza outside the train station was ringed with colorful storefronts. A few diners, some local speciality shops, but mostly little knick-knack shops catering to tourists. Curiosity brought them into some of the more cluttered shops.
They couldn’t help but be amused with the gift shop's verity: a miniature statue of Princess Celestia with sun lights coming from her back, another statue of Princess Luna with a skeleton mask, hoof painted landscapes on porcelain, a shirt with an angry gray pegasus with crossed eyes and the phrase “Mi familia fue a Mexicolt y lo único que me trajeron fue ésta maldita camiseta de Mexicolt.” 1 They didn’t know what the later said said, but assumed it was some sort of joke. And of course.nearly every item in the store had the Mexicolt flag painted onto it; with is green, white, and red stripes baring a brown griffon with a snake on it’s peak.
Back out in the streets they saw decorations hanging from the buildings, papers of every color, confetti, streamers, even the light bulbs were painted displaying a very strange color of light.
“Looks like these ponies had a crazy party. Too bad Pinkie didn’t come,” Said Rainbow.
Twilight looked closer at the decorations. They had a freshness to them, the care they had been put out with hand not yet been disturbed. Letting the bigger picture sink in, she realized the roads had been sweeped with extra care recently too. “It’s too clean for there to have been a party. I think they're preparing for one. I wonder who their party pony is?”
Their eyes wandered as the walked around a city they didn’t know, but they kept their baggage close; they were still strangers here. Rounding a corner, the point on the map marked the hotel as being just down the road. At first they were not able to see it, but after a few more steps they finally saw a building with the sign “Hotel La Siesta” near the top.
Dash pointed up to the sign. “There it is, Sleep Hotel”
Twilight blinked, looking to Dash with a mix of confusion and admiration. “You can read that?”
“I know how to say sleep in five languages.” Dash paused a moment to puff out her chest. “It’s cysgu in Griffon.”
Twilight could only shake her head.
The lobby of the hotel was generally familiar, but still steeped in local flavor. Pictures of the city littered the walls, some old they were in black and white or sepia. Painted pots, and colorful blankets, rounded out the sampling of local art.
At the end of the path there was a front desk where a brown coated mare with pink mane was sitting.
“Hey, Twilight, they speak Spanish here, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yes, they speak Spanish, why?”
“Because I know a little Griffon, but I don’t know Spanish. How are we going to ask for our room?”
“I don’t know Spanish either, but I have this book,” Twilight Sparkle levitated a book from her saddleback titled My First Spanish Dictionary. “I took some notes too, don’t worry.” The alicorn approached the front desk, using her magic she skimmed across the pages until she found the one with the bookmark.
“Saludos, mi nombre es Crepúsculo Chispa. Reservado una alcoba por dos,”2 Twilight recited with confidence.
The mare gave them a confused look, taking a moment to find a response. “You are not from around here, are you?”
“Oh… Yes… I mean no,” Twilight answered.
“It’s nice to have visitors from Equestria around here. Welcome to Mexicolt City.”
Relieved to hear the pony speaking her native language, she flew over to stand next to Twilight. “Nice, somepony that speaks our language.” Rainbow said
“Actually, most of us do. But, where are my manners? My name is Flor del Desierto3,” The pony opened a book on the desk, she skimmed through the pages until she got to the last page “So, you said your name was… Crepúsculo?”
The alicorn shook her head “Oh, well, is actually Twilight Sparkle.” She smiled nervously.
“Twilight, oh yes here you are. Your room is the penthouse suite, the princess was quite clear about who you are.” Flor winked.
Twilight groaned. Celestia had insisted on handling the reservations for the trip. She hoped her mentor hadn’t been in one of her mischievous moods at the time.
“Here’s your key, if you need anything just ask,” Flor said smiling as she laid the brass keys on the counter between them.
“By the way, what’s the deal with all that decoration?” Rainbow asked.
Flor turned her head towards where the pegasus was pointing. There was an old picture in that wall; the centerpiece of that side of the room “Oh, that is Pancho Pezuñas. A bandit who stayed in this very hotel almost a hundred years ago.”
Rainbow Dash put her hoof on her face in frustration. “Not that, the decorations outside.” A better look from the pegasus revealed that she was pointing out the window.
“Ahh... That is for el Día de los Muertos. It’s a big holiday here.” Flor answered.
Twilight looked for the meaning in the dictionary as she walked towards the elevator. She knew Dash wanted to ask more questions, but the sun was about to set and they had a lot of things they wanted to do before night came.
“You found the meaning of that holiday?” Dash asked as they waited for the elevator to creep it was down to them.
Flipping another page in the little book, Twilight perked up. “Here!” Twilight took a moment to make sure she wasn’t mistaken “Día de los muertos means… Day of the Dead.”
Rainbow Dash gawked at her friend who still had her nose in the book. “So, what the deads just come out of their grave and attack everypony, like in that movie?” She asked with nervous laughter.
“No.” Twilight waved a hoof dismissing the idea. “Remember, tonight is Nightmare Night back home. This is like their version of the celebration, only the name is more… Dramatic.”
- - -
In their room Twilight carefully unpacked her luggage. Her bathroom items carefully arranged just like home, her study materials organized on the writing desk, and what little clothes she brought hung in the closet with care.
“Can we go now?” Dash asked, standing over her still closed suitcase. “The temple where Daring Do got her first clue about the Golden Skull isn’t far from here. I really want to see it.”
Twilight frowned a little. Walking to the window, she opened the curtains to reveal the dark night outside. “Sorry Rainbow, we'll go in the morning.
“Darn it. I’ve been cramped up all day. Now what?”
“We could just walk around, and see the night life. Then we go to this restaurant Flor suggested.”
“Is better than nothing,” Dash said with a shrug. Opening the door, she lead the way back to the elevator.
Outside the hotel, Twilight took out her map and marked some places on it as they started to walk.
More interested in simply being outside and moving, than where they were actually going; Rainbow absently followed her friend. It was a bad decision for her, as the first place they stopped was a small museum.
“Seriously Twilight?! You go to a vacation and the first place you decide to go is a museum?”
“This is not an ordinary museum… This is the museum of the magic and history of Mexicolt!” The alicorn announced.
With nowhere else to go, and the afraid of getting lost in this city, the Dash followed Twilight in the museum. The entrance was dark. The only thing she could make out, was the candle lit desk against the wall.
A figure emerged from the shadows, and stepped into the dim light. His expressionless eyes focused on them. “Welcome. I’m sorry, but the museum will close shortly.” It was donkey, similar to Cranky, only taller with a hairstyle Rarity would have classified as vintage.
“S-see? We should get going… Now!” Rainbow Dash pulled from Twilight’s tail.
On their retreat back to the entrance, the donkey spotted wings on her sides; which confused him for a moment, as he had clearly saw a horn before. “Wait, by any chance are you… Princess Twilight?”
“Why yes, yes I am.” Twilight didn’t like using her title to her advantage. But when it comes to books or history, there are no rules.
“My apologies,” he said taking a bow. “If you desire, you are welcome to stay as long as you like.”
Smiling at the invitation, Twilight walked past the desk, and into the museum. She was a little surprised to find it in near darkness. The windows offered the light of the moon, but it did little to illuminate the space.
“Hey, why is this so dark?” Asked Rainbow
The donkey stepped in front of them with a lantern in his mouth. Setting the lamp beside him, he adopted the tone and posture of tour guide. “This is the oldest house in Mexicolt; built during the foundation of the city. It hosted many important meeting during the revolution. It was also the hiding place of many bandits. Basically, this place is history, We want to keep this house just as it was when those ponies lived here.”
“What about the magic part?” Twilight asked.
“The last owner, El Corcel Zapata, lived here. He was a wanted fugitive that fought against the unfairness of the government. He was a brave soldier, but he also was very superstitious. He hired a zebra enchantress who told him what to do in order to win every battle”.
The donkey turned from them, and adjusted the lantern to shine on a portrait of Zapata. “However, when the zebra fell in love with him, she found out that he never cared for her. She cursed him, and two days after that he died in battle. Ponies say that his spirit still linger around this house.”
“Oh… So, it was just that.” Rainbow Dash giggled nervously.
“Is dangerous to go in the dark. Take this,” The donkey said, pushing the lantern towards them.
“I’m good,” Twilight said, lighting her horn with her magic, and illuminating the area around her. “You take it, Rainbow. That way you you can look where you want.”
Reaching down, Dash took the lantern as the donkey kept staring at her.
“Enjoy the tour,” he said before returning to his place behind the desk.
Just as the donkey said, the museum was just a big old house. The first room was an old style parlor. Old furniture, that would probably crumbled if you sat on it, was placed as if the ponies who lived there waited for a nice reunion. Pictures hung on the walls, flower pots with dead flowers almost on every corner. Everything was so old, it could easily become dust with the most gentle touch.
“Wow! So, this is where they rebels planned to take over the government. The table still has some marks of where they were going to meet the rest of the resistance.” Twilight squeezed with enthusiasm.
“Yeah, fascinating. Let’s get this over with and get something to eat.” Rainbow Dash felt more than out of place, she felt out of time.
The second room was dinning room. A table that could set a dozen or more ponies dominated the center of the room. On the sides two large cabinets sat against the wall, inside them dishes where displayed. Most of them had cracks showing their age, but a few had avoided the ravages of time.
Here they had two ways to continue the tour. A door going into another room on the ground floor, and a stairway leading upwards. Before Twilight could say anything, Rainbow begin climbing the stairs to the second floor. If her guess was right, the other door in the dining room would lead to the kitchen and some other boring rooms. On the second floor should have the bedroom and private places that my at least have something cool to look at.
At the top of the stairs, Dash found herself in a little anti chamber with four rooms splitting off from it. “Oh, come one! How many rooms this house have?!” Rainbow stomp a hoof in frustrated, the wood floor groaning from the abuse.
Twilight winced, and turned to scold her friend, but stopped when she saw a mark on one of the door frames. “Could this be?” Leaning forward, twilight examined the mark. She has seen it before, in Zecora’s house to be precise. “This mark… Is the on one of Zecora’s books. This must have been the enchantress’s room.”
Pushing the door open, Twilight stepped lightly into the room. It was filled with book of all kind. The books teased her with knowledge she could not reach, as not a one was written in Equestrian. The mixture of Spanish and Zebra could be translated in time, but she had a limited amount of that.
The cauldron, crystal ball, small cages, masks on the wall, all sorts of things littering around the room promised her more accessible information. For Twilight it was a magical jackpot, she didn’t even know the name of this zebra, but she has become a fan.
On the other hoof, Rainbow couldn’t care less about it messy room with it’s tiny bed on one corner. Trotting back where the other doors were and looked around.
“Eenie meenie miney mo,” She said while pointing the doors with her hoof. She decided to go in direction of the door she pointed last, taking the lantern with her. It was a poor substitute for Twilight’s magic, casting harsh shadows, and doing little more that letting her see where she was stepping.
As she stepped through the chosen doorway, she almost stumbled with a chair concealed by the darkness. Shining the lamp around, she found the room different from the other. This one was very clean: a large wardrobe, a writing desk, a chair, a full body mirror, a bed, and a nightstand where the only things this bedroom had.
On the bed there was an old dusty sombrero that caught Dash’s attention. Setting the lantern on the desk, Dash picked it up, and blew the dust off it. Taking a look to her side, she spotted a picture frame on the nightstand, she took a look at it the best she could in the dim light. It was a black a white picture of a stallion, he appeared to be startled as if he wasn’t expecting somepony to take a picture. He had a long bushy mustache, and the same sombrero that she was now holding. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but laugh at how silly the stallion looked.
“Oh poor guy, if that’s the best you could look I’d hate to see you in your worse. Who would ever frame this picture anyway?”Turning her back to the nightstand, she put the sombrero and put it on, and look herself on the mirror
“Nope, maybe Applejack would make it look good.” She giggled at her own reflection, and struck a silly pose. “Hold it right there partner!” She said, imitating a pony she remembered seeing in Appleloosa “You know who I am? I’m the toughest, roughest, mean ol’ mare who ever jumped a claim!”
“You shouldn’t have done that.” A voice came from the darkness of the room.
Rainbow squealed at the top of her lungs.
Twilight bolted out of the room she was in, and into the lantern lit room she’d heard Dash scream from. Charging into the room, she surged the magic on her horn till it lit up every corner of the room. She found Dash still gathering her senses, and a strange stallion in the room. He was a beige coated earth pony with a green outfit. Nothing about him seemed off, other than perhaps his fatigued eyes and the grin on his face.
“Who are you?” Asked the alicorn
“I’m the museum caretaker. Name’s Ben.” He introduced himself.
“And you just go around scaring ponies?” Rainbow asked.
“I didn’t try, I just told you: you shouldn’t have done that.”
Calming down from the scare, Twilight noticed the hat on her friend’s head. “What’s with that hat?”
“I was just playing,” She answered.
“That’s Mr. Zapata’s hat. He wore it every single day without miss, except the day he… Departed. And you just made him mad.”
His soft tranquil voice and placid grin gave Dash goosebumps. “Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?” Dash said, steeling herself.
“Me? Nothing, but him… Well, let’s just say he’s a little short tempered.” The stallion winked. “Tomorrow, when the day of the dead begins, I’m sure he will pay you a visit. If I were you, I would apologize now.” Ben gave a polite bow to both mares, before turning towards the door. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said before leaving, with no further comments.
Dash laid the hat back on the bed with the flick of a wing. “Can we go now? These ponies are creeping me out.”
“Yeah, that was weird. Let’s get something to eat and call it a day.”
Doubling back through the house without pausing, they quickly found himself back in the lobby. The donkey bowed his head again as passed him. “Bye, thanks, see ya” The two said making their way to the door.
Safely back outside, Twilight took the map again. Thankfully, the restaurant Rosa suggested her before leaving was just a block over. Making a few notes, both mental and magical, Twilight lead the way to their meal.
The restaurant was full of ponies. A live band in the corner played for the crowd, while waitresses wove their way around tables with food on their backs; their long white and red dresses flickering behind them. It was a little louder than what they were used to for a dinner, but today was a day of new things. It looked more like a party than a restaurant, with colorful waitress that seemed to dance more than walk, and huge portions of food that filled the air with exotic scents.
When nopony came to seat them, they watched the flow of customers and wait staff. Ponies would rise from their table after finishing their meal, and new ponies would slid into their seats before the old dishes had been completely taken away. Seeing a couple stand up from their table near them, Dash and Twilight imitated what they had seen others do.
It didn’t take long for a waitress to leave two menus on the table. She even spoke Equestrian, asking what they wanted to drink. The accent was a bit thick, but Dash appreciated the effort. Leaving to fetch their drinks, she told them she would be right back to take their orders.
“Twilight, do you know what any of these are?” Rainbow asked when she didn’t understand what the menu said.
“Not really, the only thing I understand is tacos.”
“I’ll just pick whatever. Eenie meenie miney mo.” She used her hoof again to pick one of the things the menu offered. Meanwhile, Twilight tried to make out something on the menu, but had little luck with it.
“Can I take your order?” The waitress asked, sitting their drinks down.
“Oh… I want… Chiles Rellenos4?” Rainbow said trying her best to speak clearly.
“I’ll take… Enchiladas5.” Twilight said. The waitress wrote down their orders and left.
The band played some songs the Equestrian ponies have heard on their lives, probably because there were in Spanish. They had to admit it was a catchy sound, and couldn’t help but occasionally nod their heads in time with the music. Even if the hodgepodge of a violin, a trumpet, a guitar, looked strange, the music was undeniably festive.
The waitress returned shortly with their food, and carefully placed it on the table “That’s on the house. Enjoy,” she said before leaving to attend more ponies.
The two friends looked at their plates, not sure about what they had asked for.
“So, I asked for chiles with something in them. I mean, I got the chiles part, but… Whatever,” Rainbow said. She took a bite to the stuffed chile and chewed. There was no taste, only burning.
“Hot! So hot!” she gasped. Taking the drink she had been sipping on, she poured its content in her mouth. Catching her breath, Dash wiped the sweat that had formed on her face.
Twilight looked her food, looked harmless enough, three rolled tortillas covered in sauce and cream. But looking at her friend she knew she didn’t want to feel that pain. Levitating one of them, she gave it a small gentle bite. It was sort of spicy; a subtle warmth, not a burn. The combination of tomato and chilli made it a unique flavor.
“Goodness, this is delicious.”
“What? Gimme that!” Rainbow stole one of the enchiladas off Twilight’s place, and put it on her own. Taking a tentative bit, she quickly understood why was her friend reacting that way “Why didn’t I order that? Can I change the order? Miss! MIss!”
After a good meal, and lively music, the weight of their trip and the late evening began to write on them. Returning to their room for sleep started to sound like the best thing in the world. They had a lot planned for tomorrow, they’d need their rest to make the most of it.
Back in the room, Dash tucked herself into bed. Sleep came, but not as fast as she wanted. She just couldn’t escape the feeling that she was being watched by something.
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Primero que nada: un muy buen inicio, eh de aceptar que es una interesante representación de nuestra colorida cultura en el universo de MLP.
Espero poder leer mas de usted.
And for those whose didn't understand, I have a simple message: learn new idioms!
5150018 Muchas gracias
He notado que algo como el día de los muertos abre las puertas para muchas historias y que no ha sido utilizado a su maximo potencial.
Tambien tengo que agradecer a Rocinante, pues el realmente fue quien me dio la idea para esta historia
5150053
I am suddenly reminded of how many years it's been since Spanish class.
5150018
Errr... honestly, coming to an English-focused site to talk in another language and then demanding others to learn it is kinda super disrespectful. And this is coming from someone with Spanish as his native language.
Also.
This killed me. Instantly tracking. Oh my god.
EEEHHH. Ya era hora de que alguien hiciera un fic de Mexico. VIVA MEXICO.
5150132 Its a joke kid.
5150053 Pues en ese caso; gracias Rocinante!
Y es cierto, nuestra fiesta de para que hablar. Espero que trabajos como el tuyo hagan a otros darse cuenta de ello.
I always did that when I was little. ...and still do.
Also, I can say the most weirdest sentences in Spanish! *ahem* Mi pene es muy largo porque me encanta un té y yogur.
Good fic.
5150946 You remind me of this video.
5150892
Joke or not, you're purposely using a language the majority can't understand.
A story about Día de los Muertos? Oh, this is gonna be great.
5150124
You're not the only one, man. It's funny; I can remember understanding pretty much everything in those two comments. It might as well be Greek for all I know now...
5151545
The only things in that I can understand is library and small. xD
5150053
Creo que es la primera vez que veo a alguien hablando español en fimfic. Ahora no me siento tan solo...
Dejando eso de lado, creo que es la primera vez que veo una fic en que van a algun pais latinoamericano. es algo nuevo e interesante y espero ver mas...
Me encanto lo de Crepusculo Chispa.
Fijate donde pusistes sleep, "siesta" en ingles es "nap", "la siesta" seria "the nap".
5150132
I feel the same. I got that it was a joke but still...
There is a reason why they have as a rule to only post fics in english.
5152422 Un pequeño error, escribir en ingles y en español y pensar en como explicar las cosas pueden hacer estragos con mi cerebro
Me da gusto que te haya gustado
Just a small technical tip: you don't need to include both Twilight tags unless your story deals with both pre- and post-ascension Twilight.
If someone searches using alicorn Twilight's tag, they will already find all unicorn Twilight stories unless they explicitly anti-tag them. Unicorn Twilight tag searched will only find unicorn Twilight stories, because it's exists for those of questionable cognitive abilities who have emotional issues with her being an alicorn now.
Simply use alicorn Twilight.
5152604 Thanks
, I wasn't sure how the tag system worked with Twilight.
Bastante interesante, veamos que tal va.
Y es genial que haya un fanfic relacionado con México, creo que es el primero en este sitio.
This looks like fun.
Me encanta. Siempre me da gusto que se escriban fics con esta temática. Me encantaron los chistes y como siempre, la cochina camisa no podía faltar XD Aun no me toca que me den una, pero, igual me encanta verla en cada lugar a donde me tocado ir.
Definitivamente seguiré esta historia. Besos!
