The Crystal War Book I: A Spark to Light the Dark

by NatureSpark

Ch.4 Lessons Learned

~Chapter 4: Lessons Learned~

“Rise and shine, everypony!” Downpour's voice rang out through the small house as one by one the ponies and dragon were awakened from their sleep. They had soon gathered in the living room to go over their supplies one more time and plan the route they would be taking to Canterlot. Spark’s normal routine had been thrown off and as a consequence the unicorn was still feeling a bit groggy. Eventually they got everything figured out however, and Spark went about the task of preparing some breakfast with a helpful dose Star’s magical assistance.

“Thanks for your help, Star, this will go much faster with your skilled spells doing most of the work,” Spark commented as he piled food onto plates and floated them out to each of his guests. They were all gathered around his small dining room table, which didn’t leave much in the way of space, but the four ponies and dragon did their best to make it work.

“Oh it’s really no trouble at all, besides I wouldn’t want to be dead weight,” Star replied. She smiled and soon brought the last of the food to the dining table, where Downpour was in a heated debate with Inferno about proper table etiquette.

“It’s just rude to burp at the table you brute,” Inferno scolded the pegasus. The little dragon emphasized her point by jabbing her eating utensil in the pony’s face.

“Maybe up in Canterlot, missy, but this here is Dodge and letting out a burp is just how I show my satisfaction,” Downpour taunted. He followed the statement with an even longer belch causing his younger brother to laugh until he choked on his food. Spark rolled his eyes as he took his seat and began picking at the hot plate of food.

“Why aren’t you eating, Spark? Did I burn the food?” Star asked, her large, violet eyes staring at him with a worried expression.

“No, it’s not that,” Spark answered nervously. “I just don’t usually eat breakfast when I’m not high.” He smiled sheepishly and forced himself to take a few bites. The food actually tasted really delicious, far better than what he usually made in the mornings. It was all cooked just the right amount and lightly seasoned. Spark could make a decent meal, but nothing like the black mare had prepared.

“You don’t have to abstain on our account. This is your home after all,” Star told him with a half smile.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to make either of you uncomfortable,” Spark replied, glancing between his two newest friends. Inferno just shrugged her shoulders at him and Star nodded her head.

“You heard the lady, Spark. Let’s get this journey started off right,” the older pegasus chimed in. Leave it to Downpour to jump on the opportunity to smoke.

“I’m with my brother on this one,” Draft heartily agreed. “Let’s light up a fat joint before we leave.” With everypony in agreement, Spark decided it couldn’t hurt to smoke a little bit before they started the long walk ahead of them. A little bit of magic later and the three stallions were happily puffing on some sweet smelling herb. Smiles graced the three stallion’s faces almost instantaneously.

“Ah, much better,” Spark exhaled with a puff of thick white smoke.

The group had finished breakfast and taken care of last minute business before setting off north, for the capitol city of Equestria, Canterlot. They decided to save Star’s history lesson for when they made camp later that night, but the ponies found plenty of other things to talk about in the meantime. Spark spoke about some of the magical herbs he had experimented with, which Star found very endlessly fascinating, having never been much for experimenting with that sort of magic herself.

“So you said that certain mushrooms can help you use magic to slow down time?” Star asked with wonder. “That’s amazing! How come all unicorns don’t use that?” She was practically bubbling over with an enthusiasm that Spark new all too well.

“Unless you’re used to the effects of strong mystical drugs affecting your magic it can get very overwhelming,” Spark elaborated. “You see, every benefit comes with its own drawbacks. The mushrooms can overload your visual senses and generally causes severe headaches after the effects have worn off.”

“That’s incredible. I would love to see it in action sometime,” Star replied. The mare was hanging off of his every word. She really was a very good student and Spark could see why Princess Luna valued her as much as she did. She soaked up every stupid detail that Spark cared to spout as they walked along the damp road.

“Knowing Spark here, you’ll most likely get the chance before this whole trip is over with,” Downpour interrupted. He was flying backwards, just so that he could interject on the conversation. He never saw the branch that his head smacked into a few seconds later. “Ow!” Downpour shouted as the branch cracked across his skull. He lost his balance and fell to the ground with a large knot already forming an the top of his head. From that point on the cocky stallion decided to keep his eyes forward while he flew down the trail.

“We should stop in and see Old Mule Chestnut, since we’re going to be walking past his place anyway,” Draft announced. Spark was mildly surprised to hear the younger pegasus suggest the idea, after what had happened the last time they were at the mule’s house. “He may have a few good tips on the best ways to avoid danger while on our trip to the city.”

“That’s a good idea,” Spark replied. “I’m sure he’d like to see us all before we head out for a couple weeks anyway.” Inferno glanced over at the grey pegasus with a quizzical expression on her scaly, red face.

“Who’s Old Mule Chestnut?” she asked.

“He’s one of Spark’s friends. I think he’s known Spark since around the time that burnout got his cutie mark,” Draft chuckled. “Chestnut a bit, uh, eccentric would probably be the best word to use.”

“Don’t bother sugar coating it for the little dragon, Draft,” his older brother piped in. “He’s a crazy old ass, plain and simple.” Downpour smiled at as he spoke. “I still remember the first time I met him. We took turns shutting ourselves in a cider cask and filling it with some smoke. I got so high that I thought there were rainbows falling out of the sky. It was an intense experience."

“He’s not that bad…” Spark contradicted. The unicorn started to defend the old mule and then thought better of it. “Okay, he’s exactly that bad, but he’s also a good friend and valuable confidant.” Spark couldn’t even count the number of times he had poured his heart out to Chestnut. He’d even told the mule how much he blamed the government for his father’s death, even though he new that his father had chosen that path for himself. With what he had just learned though, Spark felt stupid for having ever held a grudge in the first place.

“He sounds interesting and I can’t wait to meet him,” Stars replied, but her voice betrayed the confident expression she wore.

“As long as you’re with us, it will be just fine,” the younger pegasus told her. Leave it to Draft to be the one to reassure the frightened mare, Spark thought. Unlike his older brother, Draft had a way of calming people down when he needed to. It was probably his tranquil demeanor and easygoing presence, a couple of skills which Spark would have liked to have for him, instead of his stern features and semi-awkwardness.

The sun hung bright and beautiful in a nearly cloudless sky as the five companions walked through the forest trails and enjoyed the autumn air. It was probably the last of the pleasant weather that they would be receiving before winter came and Spark, at least, was going to get his fill as he through his head back and let the gentle breeze rustle his shaggy mane. The rest of the trip seemed to go by quickly and before long Spark was knocking on the front door of the mule’s house and waiting for his friend to answer.

“Hey Chestnut, it’s me, Spark, and I’ve brought some friends,” the stallion announced. He waited patiently on the porch for a moment before the door finally opened. Spark took two steps inside the rustic house and immediately noticed something was wrong. Most of the furniture had been over turned and all of Chestnut’s belongings were in disarray, as if there had been a struggle of some sort. “Everypony, get in here now!” Spark shouted back to his companions. The other ponies ran through the front door a moment later, to see what was going on. Before anypony even had a chance to look around, a figure jumped out of the shadows and bucked Spark in his side, sending the lanky unicorn sailing to the dusty floorboards.

Downpour wasted no time charging forward and ramming into the mysterious earth pony with his full weight. The intruder may have had the jump on Spark, but he was no match for the force of a stocky Pegasus crashing into him from above. The earth pony went flying back, landing on the end table which splintered under the impact. Draft followed up his older brother’s attack by flying straight down and ramming all four of his hooves into the pony’s back leg, breaking it with a sickening crunch.

“Where the hay is Chestnut!” he screamed at the now terrified pony squirming beneath him. “Don’t make me break your other leg!” The intruder’s brown eyes grew wide at that threat and he opened his mouth to speak, but was in too much shock to do more than let out a croak.

“Draft, you’d better calm down before you kill the pony,” Spark huffed. He had gotten to his feet and was walking toward his friend, wincing in pain with each step. “We can’t question a dead pony, after all. Let him up so that I can talk to him.” Draft stepped away and Spark sat down next to the earth pony stallion and took on the most menacing tone he could muster, which was pretty menacing when accompanied with the glares from his friends. “The mule who lives here is a very dear friend of mine so, if you have any hope of living, you will tell me exactly what is going on.” He emphasized his point by pushing down on the earth pony’s broken leg. This elicited a pained filled cry from the wounded stallion’s throat.

“Please, I’ll tell you everything I know as long as you promise to let me live,” the intruder pleaded. “I have a family for Celestia’s sake.”

There was no way Spark or his friends could have ever killed the pathetic looking grey, earth pony, but he couldn’t show any sign of weakness or it would break the façade that he now wore. Something terrible had happened to Chestnut, from the looks of his house and Spark wanted to find out what.

“If I decide that you’re telling the truth, then you have my word that you will limp out of here without further harm,” Spark told him flatly. The stallion seemed to accept his answer and started to explain the situation to him.

“I was hired by some griffons to come here and retrieve something from the old mule; a letter that was delivered to him late last night from Canterlot,” the earth pony babbled in fear. “I don’t know who the griffon was, but he paid well and I need the money to feed my wife and kids.” In the process of telling his story the stallion had pissed himself and Spark could smell the scent of urine wafting up to him. It was disgusting and made the unicorn feel like a criminal, but his friend had been threatened and he had to find out the reason.

“Where is the mule now? Did you kill him?” Spark questioned, placing just a little more pressure on the broken leg eliciting another scream from his captive.

“No! No! When I got here he was already gone, so I started tearing the place apart trying to find the letter,” the earth pony cried. “That’s when you all showed up.”

“Why is the letter so important?” Spark asked. He was relieved to hear that Chestnut was unhurt, but he still wanted to know why his friend was in danger to begin with and the letter was his only other clue.

“I don’t know, I swear to Celestia that I don’t,” his captive blubbered. “Now, please let me go.” The stallion started sobbing after Spark backed off a few steps.

“What are you going to do to him?” Star asked, her cute face locked in terror as she fixed her violet eyes on Spark.

“Do you know healing spells? I want you to mend his leg the best you can and then he’s free to go,” Spark replied. He didn’t like hurting anypony and hoped that the damage that had been done wasn’t too sever to fix, but that seemed to surprise Star.

“Yes, I know a couple spells that should help,” she told him, a bit stunned by the unexpected change in character. The mare stepped forward and her horn began to glow with a white light and she touched it gently against the earth pony’s wound.

“Good, then see to his injuries while the rest of us try to find the letter he was talking about,” Spark told her as he walked away. “Chestnut probably took it with him, but just in case it’s still here; Draft check the kitchen, Downpour go through what’s left of the living room and I’ll search his bedroom. Make sure to check everywhere.” He headed towards the mule’s room and the brothers began searching the rest of the house while Star and Inferno took care of the would-be criminal’s broken bones.

Awhile later, Spark and his companions had scoured every nook and cranny of the old home, but had come up empty hoofed. There was no sign of a letter anywhere and also no sign of where Chestnut had gone. Spark felt hopeless as he walked over to where Star and Inferno were working on the wounded earth pony, hanging his head in defeat. “How does it look?” he asked quietly. The leg looked a bit swollen and discolored, but not nearly as bad as it could have been.

“It should be just fine in a few days, but it’s going to hurt quite bit in the mean time. He lives a good distance from here and I don’t know if he will be able to make it back as he is,” Star replied. The mare was drained from her efforts, but she had performed admirably. Spark knew how hard it was to work healing magic that well and mentally applauded her for doing such a good job. She had shaved a couple days worth of recovery from the lucky earth pony.

“I have something in my bag that can help with that,” Spark explained. He floated out a small bottle of dark green liquid and gave it to the stallion lying in front of him. “Drink this and it should alleviate enough of the pain to get you home. I’ll give you an extra bottle just in case that one wears off to soon. The wounded stallion drank down the bitter fluid, choking on it momentarily as the strange taste assaulted his tongue, before finishing the bottle. Relief immediately washed over the pony’s tan face.

“Why are you helping me like this?” the stallion asked in confusion. “I’m not your friend and I have done nothing to deserve mercy.” Spark just smiled at the poor pony, letting go of any lingering anger before he spoke.

“It’s because everypony has good in them and we all deserve a second chance to prove that to ourselves,” Spark sighed in reply. He helped the stallion to his hooves with a burst of magic and watched him walk out the front door. The tan earth pony took one last look back before disappearing down the dirt road. Spark hadn’t even thought to ask his name, but it wasn’t important, because he knew they would remember one another, should their paths ever cross again.

The four ponies and single dragon left Chestnut’s place a short while after the wounded stallion had departed and slowly, but surely, the tension faded from the five friends. It was still a nice day, despite the fact that it was getting later in the afternoon and the breeze was cooling down. Spark still intended to get as much joy out of the walk as he could, though he was a bit concerned about Chestnut’s disappearance.

“Is everyday with you ponies this intense?” Inferno asked, effectively breaking the silence that had settled around them. The young, red dragon looked around with apprehension. Spark couldn’t help but laugh desperately and soon all of the rest were doing the same.

“Thank Luna, no. That’s the most excitement the three of us have seen in ages,” Draft replied with a smile. “We aren’t really the violent type. Well, my brother can be a little bit intense sometimes, but other than that we’re pretty mellow.” The younger pegasus took to the air to stretch his wings out with Downpour, while everypony without wings continued to walk down the road.

“It’s true, I’m generally a peace loving pony unless you threaten my friends,” Spark replied, wondering if that would always be the case. The way this trip was starting he was beginning to have his doubts, because he generally had no need to threaten anypony. “I just hope that Chestnut is doing okay, wherever he is.” He couldn’t help worrying about the old mule.

“I’m glad you didn’t kill that pony, for a minute there I couldn’t tell if you were serious about it or not,” Star told him with evident concern.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Spark assured her. “I really don’t think I have it in me to kill anypony. Downpour might, if he was pushed hard enough, but I’m just not that kind of stallion.” He gave the mare his most reassuring smile, the last thing he wanted to do was scare his new friends off.

“I have to admit, even though I usually don’t care for stallions, you seem to be a pretty good pony, Spark,” Inferno replied.

“Well thank you, Inferno. I try to do the most good I can for anypony I meet,” Spark said with a grin. He noticed the young dragon giving him an odd look. “What was that look for?”

“Nothing, I was just wondering why Star can’t seem to find a stallion like you. Most of the boys she brings around are total jerks,” Inferno explained. She was about to continue on before she was shushed by Star, who may have been blushing a bit. Spark just shrugged and continued walking down the path.

The trees on their right were beginning to thin out and it let more of the late afternoon breeze blow through. Spark enjoyed the cool sensation on his bruised hide. In all the excitement earlier he had forgotten to have Star take a look at his wound, but figured that it would be fine until they set up camp later that day. That didn’t stop him from pulling out his bag of herbs, the unicorn magic surrounding his horn also covering rolling papers in its green glow. A second later and he sparked a small joint on his horn and inhaled deeply on the end. The pain relief washed over the stallion immediately and eased the ache in his side.

“Are you planning on sharing that?” Downpour asked as he dropped out of the sky, landing next to his unicorn friend and sending up a small cloud of dust. A few seconds later and his younger brother followed suit.

“Do I really have a choice with you two leeches hanging around all the time?” Spark asked. He chuckled and passed the joint down the line. “I forgot to thank you two for saving my ass earlier. I would have been pretty bucked if you weren’t with me.”

“What are friends for?” Draft replied. He snatched the joint from his brother after he spoke, puffing down the last of it and snuffing the roach under his hoof. “Although, if you really want to thank us, you could roll up another one of those,” he added.

“Maybe after we cross the river and find a place to make camp for the night. I was hoping to at least get in the vicinity of Rambling Rock Ridge by dark,” Spark explained. He slowed his pace so that he could walk beside Star, who was in the middle of lecturing Inferno about some old book. “Ahem, sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you would still be willing to tell us more about the history of Equestria later tonight?”

“I’d be more than happy to, Spark. Knowledge is meant to be shared, after all.” She looked to the west, where the sun was just beginning to dip behind the mountains, far off in the distance. “Where are we going to make camp tonight? It will be getting late soon and I can’t imagine that you are planning to have us walk all night.”

“Of course not. I thought we’d make camp near Rambling Rock, just a little ways north of the river over that hill,” Spark told her. The thought of getting some sleep was very alluring to him. It would be a task just to stay awake for Star’s lesson, but that was something he really needed to learn. Celestia and Luna’s parents; that was a lesson the brothers and him hadn’t learned before they dropped out of school. He felt like an ignorant foal, but also wondered why it had never been mentioned by anypony else he knew. Was everypony aware of this or was it just because of her connection to the princess that Star knew so much? Spark decided it was better to leave the thinking for later. Right then, he needed to focus on getting over the river and finding a place to camp.

Spark led everypony to the bridge with a few hours to spare before night settle in completely. The pegasus brothers had both flown ahead to find a sheltered place to set up camp while he, Star and Inferno kept walking. The wind had picked up and the small mare was shivering from the cold. Spark wasn’t too surprised, she was pretty of small for her age and a bit skinny as well.

“Don’t you have a coat in your saddle bags Spark asked her. “You’re going to freeze your flank off walking all over Equestria like that.” He noticed how full her bags were and assumed she had packed plenty of gear.

“I should have, but I had too many artifacts and books that I wanted to bring. Along with the food there just wasn’t any room for gear,” Star replied. She smiled awkwardly at him and Inferno simply sighed.

“I guess it’s important to have your priorities straight,” Spark responded. He was heavy on the sarcasm, but Star must not have noticed because she just nodded her head in agreement. Sweet Celestia, this mare is naïve, he thought. His horn lit up green and a thick robe was pulled out of his bag. At least he had been smart enough to bring an extra, which he floated over to his companion. “Here, I have another one, so you can have this. It might be a little large, but it beats the hay out of freezing to death.” He draped it over the shivering, black mare and she smiled brightly at him.

“Thank you, I guess I should have thought things through a little better,” Star replied as her smile softened a bit. Spark turned his attention to the little dragon walking beside her, wondering if she was getting cold.

“I’m afraid that I don’t have anything that would work for a dragon, Inferno, sorry,” Spark explained with a grimace. The young serpent smirked and blew out a black flame in reply.

“I’m actually just fine thank you,” she explained. He should have realized that dragons weren’t as susceptible to the elements as ponies were. It must be nice to be a dragon, Spark thought, they were so tough and had a longevity that was almost unbelievable, or so he had heard. Having never met another dragon the unicorn really couldn’t be sure what they were actually like.

“So tell me, Inferno, how long do dragons actually live?” Spark asked. He had heard they could live for over a thousand years, but that seemed like an exaggeration.

“I think the oldest Dragon alive today is nearly fifteen hundred years old, but that’s not counting the Dragon Lord. Who knows how old he is?” Inferno replied casually, leaving Spark staring back with a stunned expression.

“That’s incredible!” He was surprised at the revelation. Dragons had a lifespan to rival Celestia and Luna. He didn’t have long to think about it though, they were finally nearing Rambling Ridge and Downpour was returning to them in a fairly pleasant mood.

“We found a nice place in a cave by the ridge,” Downpour called down to them. “I’ll carry your saddle bags over so that you can hurry up and get there. Just follow me to camp!” Spark and Star levitated their bags onto the stocky Pegasus and he lifted back into the darkening sky, flying just low enough for them to keep an eye on him in the fading light. Spark trotted briskly and Star managed to keep up well enough, considering that Inferno was riding on her back. It was only a short run before they made it to Downpour’s promised campsite.

Setting up camp hadn’t taken long, unicorn magic made everything fairly easy and having a young dragon to light the fire didn’t hurt either. They were all enjoying some dinner and getting warmed up before Star began her story. Spark was happy to be done walking for the day and ate his food greedily as he warmed himself by the crackling fire. Downpour finished eating first and asked if the story could wait until he had checked out the area for danger.

“I’ll just take a quick pass and be back here before you know it,” the stocky pegasus told them as he stood up.

“That’s a good idea, besides my side is killing me where I got tackled and I was hoping Star wouldn’t mind checking on it,” Spark explained. “I think I may have fractured a rib.” He looked over to Star, who tried to answer through a mouthful of carrot stew, but didn’t do a very good job.

“Mhmph, wha idn’t oo phey fumfing thooner?” Star choked out. She swallowed the food and tried again, blushing crimson as she spoke. “Sorry. Yes, but why didn’t you say something sooner?” She shot Spark a worried look while Downpour took off on his scouting mission.

“Seriously Spark, you won’t be able to lead this little mish mashed group of ponies,” Draft began.

“And dragon,” Inferno interrupted.

“And dragon, if you don’t take care of yourself,” he finished, before digging his face back into his food.

“I thought we were all in this together. Whoever said I was the one leading?” Spark asked as he threw up his forehooves in defeat.

“Oh please, don’t get me wrong now, I’m beginning to warm up to your friends Spark, but they’re total chicken brains,” Inferno replied. They dragon smiled sweetly at Draft as she said it.

“Hey now! I resemble that remark,” Draft chuckled.

“Okay I see your point,” Spark sighed as he slowly shook his head. “Star, would you please patch up your fearless leader then?” Spark lay down on his side by the fire where she would be able to see better and Star got to work on the stallion, while Inferno and Draft got engrossed in a conversation about what tasted better, radishes or rubies. Having actually tried both, the dragon’s points were probably more valid, but debating the fact gave them both something to do while they waited and gave Spark something to listen to instead of the sounds of magic as the black mare worked on him.

“It doesn’t seem to be fractured, but I’m sure it got pretty bruised,” Star told him with concern. “There isn’t much I can do to help it heal more than it will naturally. Do you have any more of those potions that you gave to that earth pony?”
“I have about a half dozen or so, but I think I’d rather save them just in case somepony gets seriously injured,” Spark replied. “They aren’t easy to brew and besides that I can just smoke some herb. I made sure to bring plenty of that.”

“You have to have your priorities, right?” Star laughed. The mare smirked at him and Spark just smiled in return. She seemed to be catching on quicker than he had originally thought she would. She might not have been quite as naïve as he’d once assumed. Downpour returned a moment later and gave the all clear, so they decided that it was about time to start Star’s lesson.

“Okay everypony, you’ve asked me to cover a whole bunch of history, spanning thousands of years,” Star explained with a bit of nervousness in her lightly trembling voice. “I’ll tell the parts that seem the most important for now, but that still leaves quite a bit to learn. We may have to have a two part story. The first part will be tonight and the next part tomorrow night.” Everypony agreed that would be the best way to get through it all. “I can’t tell you where Celestia and Luna’s parents came from, because I don’t think anypony but the Princesses could answer that and I don’t dare to ask them.” Her face took on a mature quality as she spoke and her horn began to glow. Slowly, white light formed itself into shapes, pictures that changed and moved with her tale. “Our story begins about two and a half thousand years ago in the magical land of Equestria…”

The mother of the princesses had just given birth to her first daughter, Princess Celestia, so she and her husband were filled with a joy beyond words, but that day had marked the beginning of their mortality. Upon bringing a new alicorn into the world, they had unwittingly forgone their immortality and they began to age. Even so, they were still filled with a power that would allow them to live for another thousand years and in this time they gave birth to their second daughter, Princess Luna. In time, the two new alicorns grew up to be incredible, as their parents had. They also aged very slowly when they were young, until they stopped aging altogether. Their parents told them that they would remain as the immortal guardians of Equestria until they day they gave birth to foals of their own, or so the legends go.

The first alicorns raised their daughters for many years, teaching them how to raise the sun and moon and they had other children who were given dominion over other parts of the earth. They showed them how to rule with peace and love to keep their subjects happy and safe. The first alicorns formed treaties with the other rulers; the Dragon Lord, who rules all serpents, the five shamans of the zebra tribes, the Saddle Arabians and the Griffon General. By doing so, they ensured that their children would be able to live in harmony with the rest of the world.

Eventually, the original alicorns passed, leaving the royal sisters to rule Equestria in their stead. Under their guidance, Equestria thrived and grew into a veritable utopian society, free of crime and violence. The ponies living in their domain knew only peace and tranquility for over a thousand years. The crops were bountiful, the weather fair and the beasts were tame. Celestia would raise the sun, as her father had before her, and Luna would raise the moon each night, like her mother had once done. Then everything changed with the rise of Discord.

Where he came from is a mystery, maybe even to the princesses themselves, but the draconequus brought chaos and misery with him, wherever he roamed. He withered crops and scrambled the seasons. As his domain grew, so did his power and it caused ponies to panic, hoarding what little food they could find and turning against their neighbors with terrified violence. Their disharmony only fed Discord’s power and he began to turn more violent as the years passed by. Fire rained from the skies and the beasts grew savage and bloodthirsty. Ponies were beginning to die helplessly in result of his chaotic works. The princesses fought him with all of their strength, but it wasn’t enough to slay the beast. He was as immortal as they were and, fearing that their fight would last forever and kill everypony in the process, the sisters left Equestria, in search of a better way to end Discord’s reign.

Believing that their princesses had forsaken them, the ponies of Equestria launched a bloody campaign against Discord. The rest of the nations also went to war in Celestia and Luna’s absence. Most sided against the draconequus, but a few broke the ancient treaties to fight along side Discord, in hopes that they would be spared his wrath. Equestria, the Crystal Empire, the Zebra Tribes, Saddle Arabia and some of the Griffon Clans were the only ones to rebel against his power. Many of the griffons, as well as all manner of other beasts, sided with Discord and caused pain and misery wherever they went. The Dragon Empire was the only nation that chose no sides; they remained apart from the battle, knowing that it would only bring destruction and misery upon the world.

Fifty years ago, the princesses returned with a new, magical weapon, the Elements of Harmony. Wielding this magical force, they were finally able to seal Discord in stone and end his tyranny over the land. Even so, it was no easy task to convince their subject that they were still the rulers that Equestria needed and deserved. Many ponies saw what happened as a sign of their weakness. It’s taken fifty years for Equestria to return to the way it is now, even with the Elements of Harmony and the hard work of ponykind...

The white lights faded as Stars magic was silenced. Everypony was quiet for a long time while they each thought upon her story. Spark was still in shock at the depth of the mare’s knowledge. He would have given many things just to know the things that she knew. The only sound for awhile was the quiet crackles and pops that the small campfire produced, sending burning sparks drifting into the night sky. It was Draft who finally broke the silence around the group.

In a voice barely above a whisper he said, “That was incredible, but I thought that you said it would take two nights to tell the entire story.” He turned to Star who had her eyes closed as if in meditation.

“I just went over the major events of Equestria, to fully understand what happened you would need to learn the history of each country,” Star replied softly. She opened her eyes and smiled at her friends. Everypony was yawning already, except for Inferno, who had fallen asleep sometime during the tale.

“So nopony knows where Discord came from? It’s not like he just popped into existence, right?” Downpour asked her. He was staring at the fire and Spark realized that this was probably the most history that the pegasus had learned in his entire life.

“The princesses, the Dragon Lord and maybe the other rulers could have some idea, but I don’t know for sure,” Star replied. “It could be that the only one who knows is Discord himself, but he’s not talking to anypony anytime soon.” She got up and stretched her legs and neck, yawning deeply. Her violet eyes flashed in the darkness when the firelight reflected off of them. Looking over, Spark noticed Downpour was staring at her with a look that could have been mistaken for passion. No way, he thought, Star wasn’t the type of mare that the cocky pegasus usually went for. Spark figured he was just tired and noticing things that weren’t actually there.

“Alright ponies, let’s get to bed, we have along day of walking ahead of us tomorrow,” Spark announced. He let out one more yawn before lying down and closing his eyes. His last thought was a thank you to Luna, for giving them such a beautiful starry night. Soon after, the other three ponies followed his example and, one by one, they drifted off to sleep under the light of the moon, leaving the small flames in the firepit to die out of their own accord.

Author's Note:

I don't think I knew for sure that I was going to make a trilogy when I wrote this chapter, so I tried to fit in a big chunk of history, in case I made it a single book. I guess it seems a bit forced, now that I'm looking back at it. Aside from that though, not a bad chapter in my opinion.