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Episode 12 - History 101

Episode 12 - History 101

The sun had only begun to rise above Ponyville, but a bad bout of sleep had forced Peter to start his day early. Only a few stores had opened up, so he decided to grab what he could for the day ahead. Not only that, but there was barely anyone around, mostly store owners getting ready for business. Many of them waved in Peter’s general direction and wished him a good morning, which he returned in kind. Despite being from a different world, Peter felt so welcome. Then again, no one knew he was from a different world. Just as he picked up the last of the supplies, Peter could feel a small tingle sweep through his head, and took a step back to accommodate for its warning.


A yellow and grey blur just missed him before slamming into the ground with quite the thud. Fortunately, this wasn't Peter’s first time having to play dodge with this particular pegasus, as she was for some reason incredibly prone to mishaps.

“You ok there, Derpy? That’s the second time this week you’ve taken a fall this bad.” As Derpy wiped off the dirt and grime from herself, Peter offered her a hand to get back on her feet.

“I’m ok… I think. I gotta get this mail delivered before 9:00 a.m., and I’m running out of time!” Confused, Peter checked the time piece he had fashioned himself a few days ago (because no digital clocks existed here) and let out a heavy sigh.

“Derpy… It's 6:30. You have more than two hours to finish. Maybe I should make you a watch too.”

The cross-eyed mailwoman seemed to be processing this new information, though it was hard to tell given that she was something of an emotional blank slate. Difficult to read, almost like no one was home in that head of hers sometimes. Eventually, she seemed to have finished taking it in. “Oooooooh… My bad! I’ll be a little slower. Bye Peter!” Despite having just promised that she would take her time, Derpy took to the skies at a blistering speed, causing Peter to sigh in frustration.

“And here I thought Dash was the fast one. She at least looks where she’s going.” With his supplies for the day in hand and a collision avoided, Peter walked off from the marketplace to his destination - Twilight's Castle.

***

In all his time being in Equestria, Peter had never once been to this side of Ponyville, despite the castle dominating the nearby skyline of Ponyville. What struck his mind was how out of place it seemed, so close to the rustic charm of the town. He had noticed it while helping with repairs, but had never thought much of it. But from this close up, it definitely looked impressive (if a bit of an eyesore). Its design was similar to a tree, the bottom thick and sturdy as it rose up from the ground, finally branching out at the top. A flag emblazoned with a star-like symbol adorned near the tip of the castle. A symbol Peter could vaguely remember from the first time he met Twilight, somewhere on her clothing.

"Must be her sigil or something. Kinda like the sun and moon I saw around Canterlot. Guess symbols mean something here too." The way inside was barred by two yellow doors, imposing as Peter stood before them. "Guess I should knock?" Before his hand could connect, the massive doors began to creak open, which did look a little ominous. Expecting to see Twilight on the other side, Peter instead saw a young boy, or someone that at least looked like a young boy. Rather than the almost human appearance that the others had, this boy had rather scale-like purple and green skin, and yet still had the face of a small child.

"Good Morning! The names Spike! You must be Peter." The small dragon boy held up a small, clawed hand which Peter took and shook firmly. He noticed the texture of the scales were quite smooth rather than sharp or jagged. Perhaps this was due to Spike's age? "Nice to meet you Spike. And yeah, I'm Peter." Spike then stepped aside to allow Peter access to the castle. Inside felt just as daunting as the outside. The ceiling stretched high above and the corridors widened out into what felt like a cavern. Yet there were no staff, no guards. There didn't seem to be anyone else wandering around the premises like they did at Canterlot. "It can't just be Twilight and this kid, can it? I'd go mad in a place like this by myself."

At either side of the corridor were seemingly countless doors, each expertly crafted from what Peter could make out. In fact, the whole castle seemed to have been built to an incredibly high standard. Some of the crystal-like structure reminded him of a certain fortress back home. “Hey Spike, who’s the architect behind this place? It must have taken years to do all this!”

All Spike could do was stifle a giggle at Peter's comment. “Yeah, no one built the castle. It grew out of a magic box.” Of all the responses to expect, that was not the one Peter was thinking of. Sometimes he forgot that the world he was in was largely all magic, so all the rules went out the window. Then again, same as the fortress he recalled, it wasn't the only structure that had apparently grown from thin air. As the two continued to wander the halls, a slight tingle made its way into Peter’s head, directing his attention to one room in particular. “Something about that room…” Following the tingle, Peter began to wander over to the doorway. Spike couldn't help but notice the deviation, but at no point began to panic. “Hey Peter, you ok over there?”

Breaking from his trance, Peter realised what he was doing. “Oh, sorry Spike. Guessing I’m not allowed in this room?” Once again, all the young drake could do was giggle. “I mean, no one told me you can’t go in there. It’s just the map room anyway. Come on, I’ll show you!” As they entered, Peter’s jaw hit the floor at what he saw. In the centre of the room stood six thrones, all with unique symbols near the top. One he instantly recognised as Twilights, but the other five took a moment to sink. “I swear I’ve seen those symbols before. On the other girls' clothing?” The most intriguing part of the room was the circular object in the middle of the thrones. “Is that some kind of hologram on the table?"


Hopping up onto the smaller throne next to Twilights, Spike motioned for Peter to join him. "This is the map of Equestria! The girls use it to go on quests to help people out with their Friendship problems. It even tells them where to go!" Taking a seat on Twilight's throne, Peter observed the apparently sentient map. Some locations he recognised immediately such as Canterlot and Ponyville, many others he had no idea about. It looked like there was much more to this world than he thought. There was so much for him to explore.

“I see you two are having fun.” Peter and Spike looked over to see Twilight at the doorway, looking rather bemused as the two boys got excited over the map. Spike, feeling rather sheepish, tried to save face. “Oh, hey Twilight. Uh, I was just showing Peter some of the castle. We just wandered in here.” While not mad per say about this intrusion, Twilight was still a little miffed. “Next time, let me know when you want to give a tour. So Peter, What can I do for you?" Now that he was the focus of discussion, Peter dragged his attention away from the map. “Oh… Oh yeah. I might as well get to know this place while I’m here. And Applejack mentioned you were a bit of a tutor. Think you could help me out?”

Rather than immediately reply, Twilight instead motioned for Peter to follow her, with Spike following closely behind. “In the past, yes, I’ve tried my hand at being a teacher for Rainbow Dash. With, admittedly, mixed results. So with you, I want to try a different approach.” A few moments later, the three stood outside one of the other rooms. Not that anyone could tell, given all the rooms had the same door. Twilight then laid her hands on the handle, ready to open the door.

"From what Pinkie has told me, you learn from observation and self study rather than being tutored. So…" Entering the new room, Peter's jaw once again hit the floor - wall to wall, there were books filling every shelf, all in pristine condition. It was like walking into heaven. Twilight stood back and allowed Peter to appreciate her collection. "Impressive, isn't it? I even have several first editions on the history of Equestria that I MIGHT let you use. For the time being, I have an extensive list of books you should start with." With a wave of her hand, several books started to levitate off the shelves, falling right into Peter's waiting hands.

"For starters, here are some basic history books covering the creation of Equestria and the Three tribes. Then moving onto the reign of the princesses, ancient sorcerers and the foundation of modern Equestria. Next, magical creatures, some basic spellbooks…" Without thinking it, Twilight was beginning to pile a worrisome amount of books on top of Peter's arms, with Spike becoming slightly concerned. "Um, Twilight? Maybe ease up a little?" Snapping out of her fixation, Twilight dropped several books to the floor. Glancing over, she felt slightly embarrassed once she saw how many books she piled on top of Peter.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Rather than getting angry or annoyed, Peter instead seemed to be scanning the books that had been thrust into his possession. "No worries. I got it. Should be enough here to get me started though, right?"

As they walked down the hallway, Twilight couldn't help but think she had overdone things. "I might have messed up, Spike. What if it's too much for him? What if I gave him one too many books to study? It might put him off learning about our history, and make him feel alienated!" Before she could get any more flustered, Twilight felt a clawed hand tug at her arm. Looking down, she saw Spike giving her an almost exasperated look. “I’m sure he'll be fine, Twilight. Peter seems like a smart guy. I’m sure he can manage anything you throw at him.”

Unfortunately, Twilight couldn’t get the thought out of her head, and dashed back towards the library, expecting the worst once she got back. As she burst through the doors, she was ready to see Peter panicking over all the books she had thrust upon him. Instead, she saw him setting up a table, ready to start reading. He already had a history book opened and several pages in, as well as some snacks on the table. “Has he already started reading? We were only gone for a few moments!” Startled by the sudden intrusion, Peter whipped around to see Twilight at the doorway in a state of panic. “Everything ok there, Twilight?”

A thousand different responses were coursing through Twilight's mind, but she was unable to get a single one of them out. All she could do was feel flustered and embarrassed. “I… never mind. It’s no big deal. Enjoy your study time, Peter.” As she left, Twilight gently closed the doors behind her, attempting to salvage whatever dignity she had left. “I can’t believe I just did that! I must’ve looked so stupid!” The intrusion hadn’t phased Peter all that much, as he was still partially invested in the books that had been picked out for him. All this studying had begun to remind him of days gone by.

***

EMPIRE STATE UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK CITY, ONE YEAR AGO

"Jeez, these exams have been really eating into my social life lately. Good thing finals are soon." Study time was something that Peter had a very mixed relationship with, given that it usually cut into his other activities, specifically his time as Spider-Man. In his mind, he would be better off swinging across the city taking out bad guys rather than sitting around. “I am so over college right now.”

“Is that right, Mr Parker?”


The sarcastic tone of Gwen Stacy brought Peter back to reality. The love of his life had a way of bringing him down from his sense of grandeur - something he sometimes sorely needed. “Afternoon, Ms Stacy. Shouldn’t you be in Chemistry class right now with Dr Warren?” With a rather cheeky grin, Gwen sat her belongings on the table as she took a seat next to Peter, kissing him lightly on the cheek. “Class finished ten minutes ago. You would know that if your head wasn’t in outer space. Come on Peter. Don’t be too quick to give up college just yet. Think about it. Another few years and we can apply for MIT. Wouldn’t that be amazing?!”

Despite his thoughts still being somewhat elsewhere, Peter knew that what Gwen was saying was right. He wasn’t going to be Spider-Man forever. Perhaps it was best to have a backup plan. “Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. But to be honest, I’d go anywhere as long as you were there with me.” This rather romantic gesture was rewarded by another kiss, this time deep on the lips. After it broke, Gwen gave Peter a warm smile. “You definitely keep things interesting Peter. Especially with your… out of school activities.”

***

It had been quite a while since Peter had sequestered himself in the library, a small pile of books at his side. However, all of these books were different from the ones he had been given earlier, hinting that he had gone through them all and had replaced them throughout the night. He was surprised at just how much intrigue he had gained for Equestria’s past. It was as if he now better understood this new land he had been residing in for all this time. “You know, I never did consider that everyone was from a unique tribe. Would explain all their different skill sets. And now Celestia and Luna’s positions make more sense now. Can’t have been easy leading everyone to Harmony. That’s not something I could ever do.”

While lost in thought, Peter took notice of the next chapter in the book, and could feel his heart sink. “The Fall of Princess Luna.” While the title was still rather ominous, some things were starting to add up. But the only way to find out for sure was to read ahead. The more he took in, the more things made sense. According to the book, over one thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna ruled together peacefully. During the day, Celestia would oversee the ongoing rulings of the kingdom during the light, while Luna protected the dream realm at night. For centuries, Equestria thrived under their benevolent rule.

“Huh, so both Celestia and Luna are over a thousand years old. They look pretty good for their age. Huh, is Twilight gonna get that old?” As he continued to push further into the book, things began to take a darker turn. “In the third century of the Alicorn Sisters rule, a malevolent force took over the mind of the overwhelmed Princess Luna, transforming her into the dark creature known as Nightmare Moon.” A lot of things were now starting to make sense. “Oh god, now I understand why Luna wanted me to talk to her. Damn, I shouldn’t have blown her off like that. Still, I wonder how this all ends.”

The book continued to go into more detail. After Nightmare Moon’s creation, she destroyed part of Canterlot Castle as she left to create her own dark army. Before her departure, Nightmare Moon raised the moon in front of the sun, plunging Equestria into darkness for weeks. A panicked nation was the perfect sustenance for her dark magic army, which manifested itself into existence in the now forbidden Everfree Forest. Feeling responsible for the creation of this dark princess, Celestia met the opposing army alone, but not unprepared.

With her, she took the most sacred objects of power available to her - The Elements of Harmony. These six gems represented the various aspects of Friendship, and would amplify the magic of those that exemplified these aspects. Reading the description of the elements brought old memories into Peter's mind. “Six gems of impossible power that amplify the abilities of the wielder? Please don’t tell me someone snaps their fingers and annihilates half a populace.” As she met the dark army in the field, it is written that as Celestia wielded the power of the Elements, she snapped her fingers, utilising her new might to turn the opposition into dust. “I was kidding! Ugh, way to tempt fate, Parker.”

In one final, desperate assault, Nightmare Moon unleashed all of her power against her sister, who was unphased with the magic of the Elements at her side. With a heavy heart, Celestia prepared a spell that would entrap her fallen sibling in the moon for the next millennium - A solution devised so that she would not have to kill the Nightmare that contained her dear sister. However, this came at a cost. The sheer trauma of having to banish her only family severed Princess Celestia’s connection to the Elements, leaving her unable to wield them on her own. So for now, they lie dormant, waiting for their new bearers.

“Well… That was a lot to take in. Damn, all this time I thought Celestia was this perfect being who could do no wrong. Can’t believe I made that mistake again. *sigh* Where’s something light to read before I head home?” Just down the hallway, Twilight sat in the map room on her throne, contemplating everything she had done over the past few weeks, especially given who was not too far away from her currently. “All these weeks of spying on Peter, now he’s casually in my home. It almost feels like I’m still spying on him. And I can’t even tell the girls. I wish I had never done this!”

***

As much as Peter wanted to stick around and explore more of the library, he knew that eventually he would have to return to the farm. A quick look at his watch showed that it was getting late. It was hard to tell the time of day given the lack of natural light in the room. Before he left, Peter made sure to return all the books back to their rightful spots. "Can't leave someone else's home messy. I could almost hear Aunt May reminding me before staying over at a friend's place. I wish I could hear her voice now…"

Lost in thought, Peter hadn't noticed Twilight enter the library, surprised that he was tidying away the piles of books he had created. "Good evening, Peter. I assume your interest gained some traction after I left?" Still somewhat lost in his own head, Peter only just caught on to what Twilight was asking. "Hmmm? Oh, oh yeah. Definitely a lot of intriguing history here. More than I expected." While on the outside, Twilight was pleased to see Peter’s journey for knowledge was successful, she was internally still debating the decisions she had made since his arrival. “I hope he feels more comfortable now that he understands our history a little more. The more at home he feels, the easier it’ll be for him to fit in from now on.”

With the library left in the same condition it was earlier, Peter and Twilight made their way to the main door, the latter in total silence the entire time. The lack of communication didn't pass Peter’s notice. He began to wonder if he had done something wrong. “Maybe I should’ve hung out with her a little? I was in the library all day.” As they reached the door, he wondered if she felt left out. “So, I was kinda in there a while. Sorry if you felt like I was blowing you off. Maybe soon we could hang out for real?” Of all the things Twilight wanted to hear, this wasn't one of them. Yes, she did want to be Peter’s friend, but not in this situation. For now, she could only respond with false hope. “Of course. Next time I have all the girls over, I’ll let Applejack know to bring you along. See you soon?”

Her response brought a small smile to Peter’s face. For weeks he had felt like an outsider here, alone and trapped. But it somewhat was starting to feel like maybe he could make some kind of life. As he waved goodbye and walked into the moonlight, Twilight closed the castle doors and sunk to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m sorry Peter. I’ve already betrayed whatever friendship we have. I am so… Sorry…”

Author's Note:

ITS GONNA BE MAY!

At least here in the UK, its May 1st. I hope you all enjoy todays episode as Peter learns a little history on his new home, with some sobering revelations.

Stay tuned for the next one!