> The Dusk Daughter of Hecate > by DiscordFan > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue: Celestia's Thoughts > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia regally trotted through the castle halls. Specifically, towards the Sun Hall, the area which her chambers were located. Guards of white saluted as she passed. She nodded in acknowledgement. She arrived at the doors of her chambers. The two guards beside the doors opened them and bowed. Celestia nodded. "Guards, see to it that a Funfetti cake with Vanilla icing and orange and yellow sprinkles is delivered to my room." "At once, you're Majesty," the guard to the left informed. As he began trotting away, Celestia trotted into her chambers and sighed. She sat down on her Queen-Size bed and began removing her regalia. She kicked off her golden slippers. She levitated her crown off her head and onto her pristine vanity. She removed the chest-piece with an un-regal struggle of hooves. As soon as she removed the last of her regalia from her body, her size shrank down to that of the size of Twilight Sparkle. Her mane and tail was now normally placed and had gentle waves of pink. Her horn had shortened, and her wings were now big but not overly huge. She blinked her yellow eyes and sighed again. Slowly she put on comfortable, fuzzy, pink slippers and a fluffy, yellow bath robe. Only the castle staff and Twilight and Luna knew of her true form. A few minutes later of relaxing, Celestia heard a knock at her doors. "Enter," she welcomed. The guard that had gone to get her cake had returned with her cake. Celestia's mouth watered a bit at the sight of it. The frosting was perfect. The aroma wafted with pure goodness. The sprinkles shimmered invitingly. It. Was. Perfect. "Thanks, sir," Celestia drawled as the aroma hit her. The smell crawled up her nose and infected her body. She felt shivers travel down her spine of the thought of eating her cake. ... But then her thoughts drifted to her protege, Twilight Sparkle. The young unicorn was fantastic. Very studious, faithful, and powerful. Celestia let out a sigh. Unfortunately, Twilight didn't know of her blood or true power. It could only be unlocked through Camp. But she wasn't ready for Camp... Celestia shook her head to clear her thoughts, and she let her mind go back to thinking about the precious cake. ... But something was about to interrupt her time with her perfect cake. > I: Mistake > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A lavender unicorn with a mane of navy and pink and purple was comfortably snuggled up on a couch in her library reading before the time she planned to go to bed. This unicorn is Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of the Element of Magic, studious protege of Princess Celestia, savior from eternal night and everlasting chaos, and probably a bunch of other titles I don't feel like saying. She was currently being utterly fascinated by the book she levitated. The title was Greek Mage Spells. She had never really been that interested in the... strange beliefs history had, but the magic she could learn drowned out that disinterest. She muttered, "'The spell Ancestor Sight allows only the most powerful of mages to see their dead ancestors mentally. Greek unicorns use to perform this spell to see if they were related to a god. If the spell showed no mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, etc., then the unicorn was to be believed that he or she had a god's blood.' Interesting..." Twilight re-read how to cast it. She then thought to encourage herself, I can probably do this complex spell. I've dealt with an Ursa Minor before, so how hard can this be? After tri-reading the spell and its casting, Twilight Sparkle stood up and charged her horn with energy. Let's see... I only want to see my parents since I only want to see if I can perform the spell. The book said to think only a generation back, so that's what I'll do. She closed her eyes and thought back a generation of Sparkles as her horn grew brighter and brighter with pink magic. A drop of sweat ran down her muzzle. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes closed tighter. Then, a medium, magic bubble of pink formed and floated in front of her. She carefully opened her eyes and saw it. She leaped back as the bubble quaked and glowed. Suddenly, an image of a blue stallion with a carefully styled dark blue mane and yellow eyes appeared in the bubble. His cutie mark were two moons, a big, yellow one and a small, white one. Night Light. Second eldest male in the Nobles of Sparkle. Twilight gazed at the bubble with curious eyes waiting for the image of Night Light fade and be replaced by her mother Twilight Velvet, a light gray unicorn with a simple mane of a lighter gray and lavender. After about fifteen seconds, the bubble popped without showing Twilight Velvet. Twilight Sparkle's eyes widened upon not seeing her mother. {*}{*}{*}{*} Twilight had re-read the spell's description over, and over, and over again, and again, and again. I had to have made a mistake while casting, she thought to herself. "Y-yeah," she muttered. "A mistake... somewhere. I have a mother. Yeah, Twilight. Of course you do! You could go to Canterlot now and see her if you wanted to..." She began gently caressing her tail in hope to relieve her worry. Her eye twitched with each stroke, and she was soon rocking herself back and forth on the couch that she had rested on again. Then a purple dragon with green spikes and eyes and a light green belly walked in while she was still in her... special state. "Whoa! Twi," Spike exclaimed in worry, "are you okay?" The he face-palmed. "What did Pinkie do this time?" Twilight released a weak laugh. "N-nothing, Spike. Pinkie didn't do anything." "Well, then can you tell me what happened?!" "ICastASpellThatWasSupposeToShowMeMyParentsButItOnlyShowedDaddyAndNotMommyEvenThoughItWasSupposeToShowMommyAnd..." As Twilight continued her ramble, Spike grabbed a quill and some paper and began frantically writing a letter to Princess Celestia on Twilight's current mental state. {*}{*}{*}{*} Celestia heard a pop of magic and a few swirly noises. She looked down at her perfect cake, and she began to mourn over it because its perfection had been ruined by a scroll. Everypony in Canterlot fell asleep to the sound of a crying princess. > II: Truth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Celestia awoke, she removed the icing-dipped scroll from her former-perfect cake. Somberly, she ate the cake and read the scroll. Dear Princess Celestia, Twilight has performed a spell and is freaking out because she made a mistake. I tried to help, but nothing seems to be working. Please, come to Ponyville immediately! Yours, Spike P.S. She's getting worse by the second. Celestia stopped chewing and just stared at the paper. One wing-boner later, she charged her horn and disappeared, and as did her regalia. {*}{*}{*}{*} Twilight had fallen asleep on the couch and was "sleep-caressing" her tail. Spike hadn't fallen asleep because he was too worried about Twilight. He squirmed where he was sitting, and his claws were fiddling. He just gazed in deep worry at his caretaker that caressed her own tail in her sleep. A magical pop later, Spike was now looking at a small, white alicorn with a pink mane fumbling with Princess Celestia's regalia. "Hey, Spike," she said as she put on the golden slippers. She grew back to her "Normal-Princess" size. "Hi, Princess," he said with a dry throat. Oh yeah, he hadn't drank anything since his dinner last night. "Spike," Celestia said, "you can go get a drink." Spike just nodded, stood up, and sleepily walked into the kitchen. Celestia drifted her gaze towards the currently insane and sleeping, lavender unicorn that was her student. "Twilight," Celestia said softly as she gently shook her. "Come on, Twilight. You need to wake up now." Twilight Sparkle continued caressing her tail in her sleep. Celestia sighed at the thought of what she was about to do. "Twiliiiight," she whined. "Wake aaa-up... You need to go to Magic Kindergarten." Celestia smirked. Three... Two... And now! "AHHHH!!!! I CAN'T GO BACK!!!! I CAN'T GO BACK TO MAGIC KINDERGARTEN!!!!! PLEASE!!!! DON'T MAKE MEEEEE!!!!!!!" Twilight began sobbing into her front hooves. "I don't wanna.... I don't wanna..." Celestia chuckled. "Don't worry, Twilight. You're not going back. I just needed to wake you up," she explained. "Oh," Twilight said sheepishly. "A-heheh..." Twilight rose from the couch and stretched. She looked at the princess. "So... Why are you here, Princess?" "Spike told me of your..." Celestia lifted her right, front hoof to her chin. "... condition." "Oh, yeah. Um, that... Well, you see... IFoundASpellThatOnlyPowerfulUnicornsCouldDoAndIWantedToSeeIfICouldButSomethingHappenedThatItDidn'tWorkTheWayItWasSupposeToSoIHadAMentalBreakdown." Twilight let out a huff of relief. "That felt good to get out after sleeping on it." Celestia merely giggled. "It always feels good to get stress off yourself. So what is this spell?" Twilight charged her horn and levitated over Greek Mage Spells. "Alright," Celestia said 'grabbing' it with her magic, "what spell on what page, Twilight?" "Page 26, Ancestor Sight." Celestia flipped the pages of the book to page 26. She read the description, and her eyes widened to a degree that shouldn't have been possible for any creature. Twilight watched as Celestia's repeated a cycle of back and forth to read the page again and again. Eventually, Celestia let her magic on the book go and sat down. She closed her eyes, and a few tears leaked out. "Pr-Princess?" Twilight gazed at her mentor with worried eyes. She sat down and snuggled up to Princess Celestia. "Are you okay, Princess?" Celestia didn't respond. She just continued weeping silently. "T-'Tia?" Celestia's eyes snapped open upon hearing her 'Pet Name.' She turned her head towards Twilight. "I... Nopony has called me that since Luna left... 1,000 years... ago..." Tears started shedding faster. "Thank you, Twilight." She nuzzled her student. "I needed that." They stayed like that for a while just snuggling with each other contently, like a young foal would with his or her grandmother. "Princess," Twilight whispered, "why were crying over the spell?" Celestia let out a large sigh, clearly displeased with the topic. "Story time, Twilight." Twilight perked an eyebrow but stayed silent. "Alright. So-" "Ah, ah, ah," Twilight said with a playful smile. "How do we begin a story?" She winked. Celestia giggled. "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, a lavender unicorn was born, but she was no ordinary filly, for she had been born in a special way and very, very powerful. Her father was a normal unicorn in Canterlot, but her mother wasn't." "Her mother was very special and very powerful. So powerful that she give up some of her power to have some balance throughout the land. She had four aspects of power: Knowledge, Strength, Illusion, and Magic. She gave some of these powers to four daughters." Celestia stared kindly yet sadly into Twilight's eyes. "You and three others." Twilight Sparkle quickly ran the story through her mind again before whispering slightly fearful, "Who is my mother, and what aspect am I?" Celestia put her hoof below Twilight's chin and raised her protege's face up to eye contact. "You, Twilight Sparkle, are the aspect of Knowledge." Twilight fainted. I don't know why. I mean, c'mon! It's rather obvious! She's really smart! > III: Fear > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Celestia pondered while Twilight Sparkle was in her temporary comatose state. She pondered on almost everything: Equestria, Twilight, cake, Luna- Luna! Oh no! I never told her I would be out of the castle! Wait, what day is it? Buuuuck..! It's Luna and my personal day! Stupid, Celestia! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..! Their personal day was just the two sisters relaxing with one another. "Spike," Celestia screamed frantically. "Spiiiike!!!" The dragon ran into the library section with wide eyes. "I-is something wrong?" "Quick! Take a letter to Luna!" Spike quickly and fearfully grabbed a quill, paper, and ink. "Dear Luna, I am so, so, so, so sorry. I completely forgot about our day together because Twilight Sparkle, my student, has learned a slightly scary truth about her. Please, forgive me for my forgetfulness. Yours, 'Tia." Celestia scribbled her signature down and sent the scroll away with a pop of magic. {*}{*}{*}{*} Twilight Sparkle woke up with tea on her side table. She inhaled some of it. Mmm... Jasmine, she thought with bliss. Thanks, Princess. She levitated the tea cup and saucer over towards herself and took a sip. "Ahh," she said, showing her pleasure with the tea. "We see thou are awake." Twilight turned her head a bit to see a navy alicorn with a star-filled, blue mane. Princess Luna. "Hi, Princess Luna," Twilight said respectfully. "Please, Twilight," Luna huffed. "Thee and we are friends, for Faust's sake! Call us Luna." Twilight nodded. "Of course. So what are you doing here, Luna?" "'Tia informed us that thee was experiencing the mental hardships. We wished to help thou." Luna's eyes shone with care and worry over her first true friend in Equestria, excluding Celestia. Twilight gave a soft smile. "Thank you for your generosity. Um, I presume you made my Jasmine tea?" Luna beamed at the notice. "Indeed we did! 'Tia had informed us thee enjoyed it greatly." She puffed her chest up in pride and appreciation. "T'was the first tea 'Tia let us make since our... return." Twilight nodded in understanding. "So..." Twilight thought for a moment. How should she ask this? "Luna? Could you tell me who my mother is? I passed out before Princess Celestia could tell me." Luna began nervously shuffling her hooves and staring at the floor. "Um..." Twilight sighed. "Fine. Don't tell me. But let me guess, some sort of Equestria's old enemies will reawaken." Twilight let out a giggle. "Hmm... Thou are more use to the routine then we thought," Luna thought out loud. "How many villains have thee fought, again?" "Um... Four: Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, and Nigh-" Twilight grew red in the face. A lot. "Um... your—" *cough* "— former self..." "Oh, Twilight. The past is the past. We and thou both know we are better now." Luna released a quiet sigh of relief. She had managed to change the subject. "Alright, so can you tell me who my mother is now," Twilight asked. Buck, Luna thought. "Um, we wish we could explain more, but do not worry. Thou shall learn and understand once you go to Camp." Luna shoved her front, left hoof in her mouth. She had spoken too much. "Luunaaa," Twilight complained in an agitated way. Hmm... She is more like 'Tia then we thought. She even speaks like our sister. Luna snorted at her thoughts. Twilight let out another sigh. "You're not going to tell me, are you?" Luna shook her head. "Figures," Twilight muttered. {*}{*}{*}{*} Luna, Twilight sparkle, and Spike were trotting into the Everfree forest. "Um, Luna," Twilight said, "is the camp really in here?" Luna just nodded casually, unfazed on what most ponies thought of the Everfree. "Do not worry, Twilight," Luna replied. "We shall protect the and the little dragon!" "I'm right here, you know," Spike said, clearly offended. "And my name is Spike. Not 'the little dragon.'" "We are truly sorry, Spike, but we are still memorizing our saviors' names. Do accept our apologies." Spike just rolled his eyes and grumbled. "What ever... I wasn't even one of your 'saviors,' anyway..." "Come now, Twilight and Spike! We shall trek in the Everfree towards Camp," exclaimed Luna cheerfully. Spike stayed by Twilight who hadn't moved yet. "C'mon, Twilight. We have to make sure the Princess doesn't accidentally kill herself," Spike said. Twilight looked at the forest and sighed. "Wait up, Luna! We're coming!" She galloped off with Spike running behind her. Twilight scanned the forest and saw Luna waiting for her up ahead towards the left. She galloped towards her. "Phew," Twilight huffed with relief. "Thanks for wait... ing... Luna..." Before Luna stood a minotour. He was brown with a beige body and two large, black horns that stuck out from the sides of his bull head. His black eyes glittered with rage. He snorted and stared at twilight with anger. "Twilight! Run!" Spike ran up to the minotour on four legs and leaped up and attacked. He let down a mighty chomp and dung his claws into the minotour's fleshy skin. A bellow of rage resounded through the forest. "Twilight, come! Spike will handle it," Luna called out. She galloped away with Twilight close in steps. "GaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Twilight was blinded by a golden light. > IV: Camp > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle woke up with an awful headache. It felt like a hammer in her head and was pounding against her skull again and again. "Ughh... my head," she groaned. A male voice exclaimed, "Oh, thank Zeus Almighty you're alright!" Twilight rubbed her eyes, and she opened them groggily. She was in a wooden... cabin?.. and on a white bed. There were white beds lining the walls along with little side tables. By the door was this yellow pony with a beige mane that had eyes all over him (or at least, Twilight thinks it's a boy). And before her was a gray earth pony with... a black-haired goat's butt? His mane was scruffy and black. He had a goat's tail and barely visible, goat horns. His eyes were a cool, soothing green. "Thank who," Twilight asked with genuine confusion. She didn't have a clue who Zeus was. "You know, Zeus! The lightning god," the pony-goat replied. "God? But gods don't exist." Twilight scrunched her muzzle and squinted her eyes in thought. "Wh-what? You don't believe? Didn't anybody tell you?" "No. Nopony told me." "Whoa! You even speak with pony stuff instead of people stuff!" The goat stallion narrowed his eyes. "You looked like an experienced Half-blood, but you're not. Oh well." "Half-blood?" Her splitting headache suddenly worsened. "Ughh! Just, please, shut up. My head hurts so much right now!" "That's an easy fix," the goat stallion laughed. He trotted over to Twilight's side table and picked up a glass full of, what Twilight was to believe, apple juice. He held his hoof with the drink out towards her. "Apple juice? How's that going to fix a splitting headache?" The goat stallion laughed. "Just drink it. Try to make it last long. You won't get more until maybe tomorrow." Twilight raised an eyebrow. Why couldn't she have more? She shrugged it off and levitated to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she took her first sip. It tasted like, like... like her mother's hot chocolate! But... how could apple juice taste like hot chocolate? Twilight took some more sips. Mom always did know how to make good hot choco... Wait... isn't she actually my step-mom? Ugh... just don't think about it, Twi, Twilight thought. "What did it taste like," the goat stallion asked. "Like my mother's hot choco. I haven't had that since I was a filly... Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want some?" He laughed. "Yes and no. If I had some, I would burn up!" "You would what!?" Twilight began breathing quickly. "Am I dying!? Will I burn up, too!? Why did you give me that drink!?" "Wow... Celestia wasn't kidding when she said you freak out over almost anything." "I..." Twilight put that sentence through her head again. "Princess Celestia is here? How come?" "She's one of the counselors. Wow! This tour is gonna be great! I can't wait to show you everything here!" "Um, where exactly is here?" "Camp Half-Blood." The goat stallion jumped a little with excitement. "You're gonna be the first one I get to give a tour to! I'm so excited!" Twilight pondered on everything the goat stallion had said. Then she realized an important fact. "What's your name," she asked. "Huh?" The goat stallion face-hoofed. "How did I forget to introduce myself?! I'm Midnight Clover. And you?" "Twilight Sparkle." She paused. "Should I list my titles, or is my name enough?" "I don't really care. But what do you titles? Don't you have, like, one like everybody else?" She sighed. "Nope. I'm am the wielder of the Element of Magic for the Elements of Harmony, savior of Princess Luna and eternal night, vanquisher of chaos, savior of Princess Cadence, assistant with the save of the Crystal Empire, caretaker of Spike the dragon, protege of princess Celestia..." She let out a huff of boredom. "Do I have to list anymore?" Midnight Clover gulped. "No, no. You're good. That's a lot of titles..." He turned his head towards the eye-covered stallion by the door. "Hey, Argus? Can I take her on tour now?" Argus, the eye-covered stallion, nodded and blinked some of his eyes. "Thanks, pal!" Midnight Clover turned back to Twilight. "Wanna see if you can walk," he teased. "Wait. I have a few questions." He shrugged. "Shoot." "Where is Camp Half-Blood located?" "In a protected clearing within the Everfree Forest." "What was that drink from before?" "Necter. The drink of the gods." "Who are the gods?" "Well, there are tons of them, but thirteen main gods, the Olympians. Zeus, Posieden, and Hades are known as the Big Three. The rest include Hera, Athena, Ares, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes. Hades isn't really counted as an Olympian, but he plays such a big role, and I think he should be counted as one." "What are you?" "A satyr." "Last one. You said Necter was the drink of the gods. If that's so, what is the food of the gods, and would that burn you up as well?" "Ambrosia. And yes, it would burn me up. If you ate or drank too much of either. You burn up as well." Twilight sighed. "Alright. Take me on the tour." {*}{*}{*}{*} Midnight Clover and Twilight Sparkle trotted out of what Midnight had said was the medic center. "Hey, Midnight," Twilight asked. "How long was I out?" "Um... I think three days. "Oh," she said weakly. "Alright! To begin our tour, we shall go to the lake! Onwards!" He ran off in a direction with Twilight following. He leapt over some tree roots and some animal holes. Twilight did her best to follow, but eventually she gave up, focused on where Midnight was, and teleported. Midnight Clover jumped in place and brayed, "BLAH-EH-EH-EH!!! Zeus Almighty! Don't scare me like that!!" "Sorry," Twilight said, rolling her eyes, "but you were going too fast for me." "You could have asked for me to wait up or slow down instead of almost making me wet Pansy here!" Twilight blinked. "Who?" "Oh." Midnight Clover blushed and became very sheepish... or would it be goatish? Bad, DiscordFan! Figure it out later! "I should probably explain nymphs and naids. Heheh..." He looked down on the ground on the bed of pansies he was near. "Nymphs and naids are spirits of nature. Nymphs are the spirits of plants and air, but ponies refer to them at wendigos sometimes. They aren't wendigos, thank you very much!" He scowled and flicked his tiny goat tail in agitation. "Naids are water spirits. We're gonna meet some when we get to the lake. But back to Pansy! The bed of pansies that were near is her. And you made me almost pee on her." Suddenly, a pony-like shape came into being. She was green with purple eyes and a yellow and short, flowy, purple mane and tail. "I heard somebody say my name," the pony said sleepily with a soft voice. "Hi, Clover. Who's the unicorn?" "Pansy, this is Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is Pansy." "Nice to-" *yawn* "- meet you." She looked at Midnight. "So what were you talking about?" "Well, um, Twilight did a teleportation spell and almost made me wet myself on your flower bed." He shot a glare at Twilight. "You better be glad a satyr's bladder is strong!" Pansy giggled. "See you two later!" She then 'melted' into the bed of pansies. "Come on," Twilight grumbled. "Let's just go to the lake and start the tour..." {*}{*}{*}{*} [ The description of Camp Half-Blood is based off Rick Riordan's description. Enjoy! ] "So here's the lake and dock. We so canoeing and swimming here. Over there is the volleyball pit..." Some ponies with simple, orange shirts (like the Winter Wrap Up vests. They're similar to those) were playing at the volleyball pit. A few satyrs were also playing, and all the ponies had these thin, leather necklaces with beads. Suddenly, they all stopped and stared at Twilight. They began whispering to one another. Twilight's ears wilted. Had she done something something wrong? "C'mon, Twilight," Midnight Clover said, breaking Twilight's thoughts. "Let's go." They passed the bathrooms, designed like the ones you find at amusement parks. "There's the armory. A Hephaestus kid can make you a weapon there. That's the Camp border over there, where that pine tree is, the one with the golden cloth on one of its branches. And finally over here are the cabins!" They trotted towards the cabins that sprawled out all the place. "We use to only have twelve cabins, but then minor demigods came in, as well as a Hades kid, so we needed more cabins. I can tell you the Olympian cabins though." He pointed his hoof towards a regal, marble cabin. "Number One, Zeus." He pointed towards the one beside it. "Number Two, Hera. Number Three, Posieden. Number Four, Demeter. Number Five, Ares. Number Six, Athena. Number Seven, Apollo. Number Eight, Artemis. Number Nine, Hephaestus. Number Ten, Aphrodite. Number Eleven, Hermes. Number Twelve, Dionysus. And Number Thirteen Hades." Hera's was similar to Zeus,' but it was smaller. Posieden's was sea blue and wafted with the scent of a shoreline. Demeter's was simple but had a roof with grass and flowers on it. Ares was blood red with barbed wire lining the roof. Athena's was simple and white. Apollo's was golden and practically blinded you when you looked at it during the end. Artemis' was similar except silver and shone brighter during the night. Hephaestus' looked like an armory and had steam pumping from a chimney like tube. Aphrodite's was pink and reeked of perfume and hoof polish. Hermes' looked completely normal: run down and almost broken. Dionysus' was normal and had vines growing all over it. Hades' was black with green fire on its torches, and a few fake skulls were on the walls. Other cabins sprawled on the Camp grounds. "Which cabin will I go to," asked Twilight. "Don't know," Midnight Clover simply said. "Oh, hey! There's three of the counselors! C'mon, Twilight." He ran away towards the three figures. Twilight galloped after him. When Twilight got there, Midnight was already conversing with a familiar, white alicorn with a sun on her flanks. "Princess," Twilight exclaimed cheerfully, galloping even faster. "Hello, Twilight. I'm glad to see you're wake," Celestia said with a friendly smile. She wasn't wearing her regalia so she was as tall as an average pony. Her yellow eyes gleamed with compassion. "Princess, this is so confusing! Why am I here? What's a half-blood? And I still want to know who my mother is," rambled Twilight. Celestia let out a chuckle. "Oh, Twilight... First, I would like you to meet the main counselors." She gestured towards the two figures by her. The first on was a brown lion on two legs with a scruffy, dark brown mane. He flicked his dark brown, lion tail. Dark brown, bat wings protruded from his back. He was wearing a leather, gold-studded belt and a golden medallion. His eyes shone with wisdom and curiosity and the experience of battle. The second one was a red and black centaur with a white tail and mane. He had yellow eyes that shone with the same things as the other counselor's did. The bottom of his hoofs were white, and he had black horns on his head. "Twilight, this is Scorpan..." Celestia gestured toward the brown lion. "... and this is Tirek!" She gestured towards the red and black centaur. Tirek gave Twilight a genuine smile. "Greetings, young half-blood," he said. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood..." Then Scorpan spoke up. "... Here we will train you to survive in the world of the Greek gods." Scorpan's eyes sparked with excitement. "Shall we begin, Twilight Sparkle?" > V: Unexpected > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle Celestia were in the armory. The weapons they had here were so historic. She looked at each weapon very carefully. Eventually, she sat down and sighed. "Princess," she moaned, "I'm never going to find a good weapon!" "Yes, you will, Twilight," Celestia said with a reassuring voice. "Can we just look another day?" Celestia shook her head and sighed. "Fine." They trotted out of the armory. Ponies with orange shirts milled about, whispering whenever Twilight passed them. "Princess," Twilight whispered, "why are they whispering whenever I pass? Did I do something incorrectly?" Celestia scoffed. "Of course not, Twilight! You see, we usually only get campers during a certain time of year, and that's Summer. It's Autumn," she lied while not lying. Suddenly, a loud horn resounded through the area. Campers began hollering and hooting. Stallions bucked the air in excitement. Mares started to practically bounce up and down. Satyrs began braying with cheerfulness. Nymphs and naids danced about. "Um, Princess," Twilight asked. "What's goin-" The horn interrupted her. Then, the horn faded into a kazoo. "New weapons and pastries are being delivered by a seasoned camper. She makes the best of the best of both," Celestia replied after the kazoo finished sounding. The campers galloped to the border between the Camp and the Everfree Forest. That's when a squeaky-ish, female voice said, "Hey everybody! Did you miss me?" Twilight's eyes widened. Puh... Puh... Then, Midnight Clover ran out from the mob of ponies and creatures, exclaiming, "Twilight! C'mon! You're gonna miss out on all of Pinkie Pie's pastries!" At the sound of the pink mare's name, Twilight galloped towards the mob of ponies, nymphs, naids, and satyrs. She immediately froze when she saw Pinkie Pie, a pink mare with a darker pink, curly mane and blue eyes. Why is Pinkie a camper here? Does she have a godly ancestor? How long has she known? How come she never told me and our friends? Twilight's thoughts began to get faster and faster, and then she zoned out. "Twilight," Midnight said, waving his hoof in front of her face. "Twilight?" "Don't worry I got this," Pinkie Pie said with utmost confidence. "Hey, Twilight! My Pinkie Sense told me another doozy is coming!" Twilight leaped into the air and screamed, "NOT ANOTHER HYDRA!!!!!" When she touched the ground, Twilight was shaking with fear. She sat down and began to slowly caress her tail, whispering, "No hydra, no hydra, no hydra, no hydra..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin with her hoof. "Hmm..." She circled around Twilight twice, poked and prodded at her chest, and pressed her pink ear on Twilight's head. "She'll be fine in about five minutes," Pinkie concluded. Everybody let out a sigh of relief. > VI: This Friday Night... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ Yes, the chapter title's pun is intended. ] Thump!! Twilight Sparkle groaned and grasped her head in pain. Oww... She had hit her head off a bed's border (I don't know what to call it). The Hermes Cabin was crowded with ponies. The bunk beds were up against each other, and sleeping bags were sprawled on the floor. Twilight was currently in a sleeping bag. Wait... When did I get in here? Let's see... Saw Pinkie Pie. Passed out. Somepo- Somebody! Somebody must have brought me here. "You okay," a male voice asked. Twilight looked up to see a brown stallion with a blond, almost white, parted, long mane and tail. His blue eyes shined with concern. A leather necklace with five clay beads. Twilight blushed upon seeing visible muscles, showing how much he worked out. [Even if a pony works out, it's rare to see muscles. And Bulk Bisceps over does it.] "Um muh," she said distracted by the muscles. "F-fine. I'm good. You're hot..." She began to drool. The stallion was taken aback. "I... What? Uh... thank you?" Twilight blushed furiously as she realized what she said. "I, uh, mean. I'm good. Thanks for asking, um..." She motioned with her hoof for a name. "Oh! Right! Heheh, sorry. It's Backbiter." He chuckled in embarrassment. "What's your name?" "Twilight Sparkle," she said formally. "Youngest female in the Nobles of Sparkles." Backbiter raised an eyebrow. "Why so formal? Here at Camp, everybody is family." "Of course!" A bell was being rung somewhere. "Soup's on, everybody!!!" Twilight gasped. What? B-but... What?! Backbiter grinned. "Friday breakfast. Best kind of breakfast there is. C'mon!" Backbiter galloped towards the door, where the rest of the Hermes Cabin campers were lined up. Twilight trotted to the line, but she had to gallop because the line began to leave. "W-wait!" She got to the group as soon as she stepped out the door. That's when she truly saw how many campers there was. "Whoa," she whispered faintly as she kept trotting with the group. If Twilight's calculations were correct, there was over 7,00 campers. She gawked at the sight. The, the satyrs and nymphs and naiads joined the campers, which Twilight believed added up to over 1,000. She swallowed hard. "Whoa..." "I know! Isn't that a lot of creatures, Twilight!" Twilight turned her head to the sound and saw Pinkie Pie bouncing next to her. "In fact, on an normal days, there's 1,764 creatures. Isn't that a lot!?" "Uh," Twilight mumbled. "Y-yeah. Um, Pinkie?" "Yeah, Twilight?" "What are you doing here?" She froze in mid air and slowly fell to ground to walk. "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm a camper here!" She beamed at Twilight. "What are you doing here?" Twilight let her head fall. "I have no clue." "What!?" Pinkie's jaw was on the ground. "But aren't you a camper? By the way, where's your shirt?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at the question, but she then noticed Pinkie was wearing the orange shirt everyone else was wearing. "Are they important," she inquired. "Yeah." "Then I'll get a shirt later," she said with a matter-of-fact voice. "Okie dokie lokie!!" Finally, The Harmes Cabin (and Pinkie Pie) arrived at a pavilion where a lot of tables were set up. Most tables were already occupied. The Hermes Cabin went over to two tables against each other (just one table is pretty big), and the campers sat down. The other tables were crowded as well. Each group, Twilight noticed, had somewhat distinguished features. One table had only blond maned campers. Another had only red coated campers. Another had pink somewhere on the campers' bodies, be it their cutie marks, hair, or coat. Twilight absorbed this fact and realized she was sitting with all brown ponies. She immediately felt left out. "Campers," Celestia said in the Royal-Canterlot-Voice. "I am pleased to announce that tonight is Game Night..." All the campers and creatures began hollering and hooting. Celestia raised a hoof for silence. "... and that our newest camper will get to experience our fun-filled, weekly event. So happy Friday, everybody!" The campers hollered and hooted as Celestia flew away morphing into her larger form. "A'right, everybody! Time to get some grub," a southern accented voice called. Suddenly, plates filled to the brim with a hearty meal appeared in front of everybody: strawberries, pancakes, eggs, and these weird, round, brown things. Then, everybody got and walked over in a line to this raging fire. The first one in line threw in the best looking food on his plate. Back biter was already in line. He winked at Twilight and motioned for her to get in front of him. Twilight hesitantly trotted over with her plate and cut him in line. "Just throw in what you think looks the best," he whispered. "The gods like the smell." The smell? What? But Twilight did what Backbiter said. She threw in her ripest strawberry and fluffiness pancake while thinking, Whoever's my mother, please, send me a sign. Then, she felt a jolt of magic surge threw her horn. She held back as much magic as possible, but her horn released tiny, magic sparks. She kept holding back her magic until the jolt faded. She trotted back over to her table to observe the brown things. After poking and prodding to no avail, she asked the camper she was sitting next to what it was. "Excuse me, but what are these round, brown things?" "Sausage," the female camper provided obviously. "Um... What is sausage?" The camper rolled her eyes and looked at Twilight. "Ya' know? Meat?" Twilight's eyes widened. But then she relaxed. "Oh, um. Thanks." "Whatever..." Twilight leaned over the sausage and sniffed it. It smelled... okay, she supposed. She nibbled it. Her eyes widened. This is... This is delicious... Twilight stuffed the sausages into her mouth and moaned in pleasure. It tasted better then that necter stuff. She then noticed the empty goblet by her plate. Twilight's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Just tell it what you want." Twilight jumped a bit. The mare she had been talking to before was staring at her with a bored expression. "Are you thirsty or not," she continued raising her eyebrow. Twilight thought for a moment on what to drink. She picked the goblet up and stared intensely at it. "Jasmine tea." A liquid content filled the goblet. Twilight took a sip. "Well done, goblet." She took more sips. After doing several activities and eating dinner, the campers began to get ready for game night. Tonight it was Capture the Flag. "So," Twilight said, "what team am I on?" Backbiter threw her a silver helmet with a blue plume and said, "Blue." "Okay, so where am I going to be positioned?" "Defense. Just stand by the flag and don't let the other team take it." "Okay." Twilight put the helmet on and began looking for a suitable weapon. She held daggers, swords, spears, bows, shields, etc., etc. Nothing felt right. Even when she held them with her magic, it didn't feel right to her. She sighed and sat down. "I'll never find a weapon," she groaned. "Oh, c'mon, Twilight! There has to be something," Backbiter remarked. "Well, there isn't!!" Enraged, Twilight shot a powerful bolt of magic at Backbiter. "Gah!" Backbiter ducked, and the magic hit a tree, which now had a massive burnt mark. A nymph melted out of the tree with scorched hair. She stomped a hoof at Twilight and Backbiter. Grumbling, she melted back into her tree. Backbiter shook his head. "Twilight, just take a shield for protection. We'll figure out a weapon for you later." Twilight sighed, and they went to the Everfree to begin the game. > VII: Capture the Flag > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle was galloping through the Everfree Forest in a panicked manner. Her lavender coat dripped with sweat, and her hooves ached from running so long. Her breathing was slightly labored, and her armor wasn't helping speed her up. She carried a dagger in her mouth. RAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her pace increased. Everything was fine. They had started to play Capture the Flag. She had been defending the flag. Then a few ponies wearing red capes appeared. Twilight had fended them off the best she could before a roar was heard... Twilight Sparkle backed up against the flag pole. She snarled at the surrounding campers, who returned the gesture. Thinking on impulse, Twilight stole a dagger from one of campers. The campers readied themselves to leap on Twilight, but suddenly a roar resounded. Everyone froze. "Wh-what's that," Twilight whispered. No one moved; no one breathed as loud footsteps approached. The ground began to shake as the steps got louder. The campers that had been surrounding Twilight began screaming and ran off. Fearfully and curiously, Twilight turned around. Tears began streaming down her face at the sight. Before her, with utter anger smeared on its face, was a giant purple and green dragon. Its eyes were like mindless orbs of green. Sharp teeth blocked slobber. Massive purple wings protruded from its back. It was Spike. Twilight began sobbing uncontrollably, and Spike tilted his head in confusion. Why wasn't this puny creature scampering away like all the others had? Twilight took a few steps forward towards Spike. He growled in rage. Tears continued as Twilight placed a hoof on Spike's foot. Spike roared in utmost hate. Taken aback, Twilight's eyes widened. Spike lifted his foot to step on her. Only now did Twilight bolt. In her panicked state, she teleported on top of Spike. Still in rage, Spike began spewing flames of green and orange into the air. He roared and reared as Twilight held on for life. She gripped her dagger with her magic, but she didn't have the heart to do anything. She let go and teleported. She began galloping furiously. I have to get Spike away from here. I have to, I have to, I have to... She whistled loudly, and Spike began chasing the lavender speck of meat. Twilight galloped faster. She now grasped the dagger in her mouth to save energy. She was making a plan. Spike continued deeper into the forest to obtain his lavender meal. She felt her armor slowing her. Her lavender coat was drenched in sweat. In her panicked state, she began charging her spell. Her horn lit a wild pink aura. She tried to calm her breathing. Suddenly, the world around dissolved as Twilight continued charging her spell. Her horn flared. Roars resounded. She noticed nothing. She released the magic. Twilight opened her eyes, and the Everfree Forest reappeared. Behind her, Spike growled and roared in pain. He lurched and thrashed painfully on the ground. Her bellows continued as he began to shrink in size, but the bellows of pain quickly became cries of pain. Twilight hesitantly approached the now small and crying Spike. Spike was lying on the ground sobbing. His body twitched with pain and confusion. His head pounded. He was muttering only two words repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Twilight hugged him. He didn't notice. (Scratch that.) He couldn't notice. Twilight with Spike on her back approached Luna who was in a state of stress and concern. "Oh, Twilight Sparkle! Are thou okay," Luna asked as she slipped into old Equestrian. "Is that Spike on thou's back? What happened?" Twilight blinked sleepily. "I don't even know right now. I'm going to bed." Twilight began to wearily trot away, but Luna stopped her. "Twilight Sparkle. I have grand news for you. You will be moving cabins. You are to report to the Hecate Cabin for sleep. I will take Spike to the infirmary." Twilight groggily trotted away, not even processing what Luna had just said. Still tired from running, Twilight collapsed. Before falling unconscious, she heard a familiar male voice say, "Really, Twilight? Again?" "Wake up." Twilight moaned. "Wake up!" No response. "The great and powerful Trixie demands you wake up, Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight growled. "That's it." *Splash* "COLD COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD!!!" Twilight shivered. She shook to get dry if only a bit. "Sorry, Twilight, but the great and powerful Trixie was getting tired of waiting. Besides, you am I supposed to talk to my sister if she's asleep?!" "Sorry for the wait. Not my fault I fell unconscious." Twilight wrapped a blanket around herself in attempt to warm up. "What do you want to talk abo- Wait, did you just call me your sister?"