> Twilight Sparkle and the Unicorn Stone > by Lucasnike123 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A long, cold fog was all that could be seen along the streets of Ponyville, Equestria, that very night. An eagle owl sits on the street sign for this sleepy neighborhood, gazing down the long, empty street. Eventually the owl flies off the sign, soars into the mist, and is soon gone. However, something else walks through the fog walking down the street... or rather, “someone”. An adult woman, with very long green, light blue and pink hair, was walking slowly down the road. She wore a dark wine red robe. As she walks, she came across a small black cat sitting next to her sidewalk looking at her. Once the woman reached the center of the street, she reached into a pocket inside her robe and pulled out a rather small device. She flicked a small lever and pointed directly at the street lamps. One by one, the lights seemed to come out of the streetlight lamps and fly directly into this strange device. After the last light went out, leaving the street in total darkness, the woman closed the small device and replaced it on her robe. Then the cat's meow attracted her attention, looking silently at the little creature. "I should have imagined you would be here... Professor Luna". A moment passed as silence filled the air. Then, as he slowly advanced a few steps, something very strange happened: the cat seemed to undergo a transformation before the woman's eyes, and in its place was another woman with a dark blue robe, long hair of the same color, and a witch's hat. "Good evening, Professor Celestia" Luna greests. Luna rushed to stand next to Celestia, as both women walked down the rather dark path. "Are the rumors true, sister?" Luna asked, concerned. "I'm afraid so" Celestia confirmed "The good and the bad". "And the girl?" "Spike will bring her". "Do you really think it's sensible to entrust Spike with as important as this?" Luna asked skeptically. "Ah, Luna. I would trust Spike until my life" Celestia answered, sincerely. It was then that they could hear a faint sound coming from high in the sky. Celestia and Luna turn to look in the direction the sound is coming from, only to see a bright white light grow bigger and wider. As it got closer, they could make out the outline of what resembles a man descending into the air on some kind of motorcycle. The motorcycle finally touched the ground, screeching slightly as it came to a stop in front of both women. The man took off his glasses and looked at them intently. "Professor Celestia! Professor Luna!" the man greeted. He slowly walked away from the vehicle, adjusting a small bundle that he was carrying. "No problem, Spike?" Dumbledore asked. “No ma'am” Spike replied “The little girl fell asleep while we were flying over Manehattan. She tried not to wake her up". Spike hands the small bundle to the women, as they proceed to turn the other direction and walk down the road again. Inside the bundle was a little girl, no older than a year, sleeping peacefully. The only details that stood out were her blue hair, with two strands of pink and purple, and a small scar in the shape of a six-pointed star on the palm of her right hand. "Sister! Do you think she will be safe, leaving her with these people? " Luna said “I've watched them all day. They are the worst muggles you can imagine. A disaster!" "The only family she has left…" Celestia finished. The three people finally reached the door of a brick row house, where the only source of light was from the porch. "This girl will be famous..." Luna said "There will be no one in our world who does not know her name". "Exactly! It's much better for her to grow up outside of all that..." Celestia replied "Until she's ready". With that, Celestia leans forward and carefully sets the baby on the threshold of the townhouse. It was at this moment that both women heard whining behind them. They both turned to see Spike, tears streaming down his face, knowing that he had become quite attached to the girl. "Easy, Spike..." Celestia assures him "It's not goodbye forever after all". Spike took one last inhale, nodding with a half smile. The women turned to look once more at the baby, who lay motionless by the doorway. The last thing Celestia did, while she bent over the sleeping girl, was place a letter addressed to the owners of this house. "Good luck... Twilight Sparkle". TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND THE UNICORN STONE > Chapter 1 - The Vanished Glass > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ten years later… A pair of lavender eyes slowly open in the dark. Twilight Sparkle yawned as she sat up, stretching her limbs. She searched the tiny room in which she slept. It was hideously cramped given how small she actually was... despite being under the stairs of the house. Suddenly, she heard someone knock on her "bedroom" door quickly. She was a tall woman with deep purple hair, opal eyes, and was dressed in a red sweater, a long black skirt, and a kitchen apron. This woman was Spoiled Rich, Twilight's aunt. "Wake up!" Spoiled demanded "Get up! Now!" She bangs on the closet door just in case, before heading back to the kitchen. Inside the "room", Twilight turned on the small ceiling light bulb, illuminating the small space, and put on some black glasses that were on top of one of the shelves behind her, these had a bit of zeal in the nose area. It was then that a loud commotion was heard upstairs and a spoiled-looking girl started running down the stairs. This girl would be almost Twilight's age, she had light grayish violet hair with white streaks. She was wearing a red sweater, beige pants, and a small toy tiara on her head. This girl was Twilight's spoiled and rude cousin, Diamond Tiara. Diamond was halfway up the stairs when she stopped, she climbed over Twilight's "room" again and started jumping. "Wake up, cousin!" she yelled "We're going to the zoo!" Diamond laughs as she runs down the stairs to the kitchen, and just as Twilight opened the door, Diamond shoves her inside and kicks the door shut. She rushes into the kitchen and closes the door behind her. After recovering, Twilight left her "room" and entered the kitchen. Inside, there was a businessman, with dark gray hair and light blue eyes, dressed in a dark blue suit and red tie. This man was Filthy Rich, Twilight's uncle. Filthy was sitting at the table, while Aunt Spoiled fawned over Diamond. "Oh here's my birthday girl!" Spoiled praised. "Happy birthday!" Filthy said kindly. At those words, Twilight quickly remembered what was happening: today was Diamond's birthday and they planned to go to the zoo to celebrate. Spoiled and Diamond laugh together, while Twilight walks in, dressed in her usual old and tattered pajamas. "Twilight, help me make breakfast" Spoiled ordered "And be careful not to burn anything!" "Yes, Aunt Spoiled" Twilight replied. Twilight quickly sets about cooking breakfast, in this case bacon, while Spoiled covered Diamond's eyes and led her slowly into the living room. "I want everything to be perfect for my little Diamond's special day". Twilight finished preparing the bacon and was now setting the table. "Hurry up!" Filthy ordered "Get me some coffee later, girl!" "Yes, Uncle Filthy". Spoiled finished leading Diamond into the living room and uncapped her eyes so she could see a host of presents. Diamond stared wide-eyed as her mother smiled. "What is it wonderful at, darling?" she asked hopefully. Diamond continued to look at all of her gifts, until she began to narrow her eyes. She slowly she turned to her father. "How many gifts are there?" Diamond asked suspiciously. "Thirty-six" replied Filthy "I've already told you". "Thirty-six?!" shouted Diamond "But last year I had thirty-seven!!" "Yeah, but some are bigger than last year!" "I don't care how big they are!" shouted Diamond. "Wait, honey" Spoiled said calmly. "This is what we are going to do: we will go to town and buy you two more presents. What do you say?" Soon after, the whole family was dressed and ready to go. Spoiled led Diamond toward the car and they both got in, but just as Twilight was about to get in, Filthy stopped her by pointing the keys at her. "I'm warning you now, girl: just one weird thing... just one... and you won't eat for a week" Filthy said threateningly "To the car". They both get in the car and take it out onto the road, heading to the zoo. A few hours later, at the Ponyville Zoo's Reptile House, Twilight and her relatives were standing next to one of the glass cages. The four of them were looking at a large Boa constrictor that appeared to simply be resting along the branch of the tree. Judging by the way the family were hunched over, Twilight could see that they were terribly bored. "Make it move!" Diamond ordered her father. Filthy taps the glass of the cage with a gentle tap. "Move on!" Impatient, Diamond hits the glass harder. "MOVE ON!" shouted Diamond. "She is asleep!" Twilight said. "How boring..." Diamond said, shaking his head and walking away. Twilight watches silently as Diamond and her parents retreat to another enclosure, leaving her alone, watching the snake. "Sorry. She doesn't understand what it's like to be lying there all day, watching people stick their ugly faces on the glass". Then, to Twilight's surprise, the snake suddenly looks up... and winks at her. To say that Twilight was in shock at the time was an understatement. "You are hearing me!" Twilight whispered still surprised. The snake nods its head and stands up slightly, its attention fixed on the girl looking at it. "It's just... I've never talked to a snake" said Twilight starting to engage in a conversation "Do you usually... talk... often with people?" In response, the snake simply shook its head. Twilight reads the small sign in front of the glass before turning to the snake. "You're from Burma, right?" Twilight asked "Is that nice? Do you remember your family?" The snake turned its head towards a sign and Twilight looked in the same direction. The sign read: "Raised in Captivity". "I see..." Twilight nodded, understanding the snake "Then like me. I didn't meet my parents either". With the snake now fully awake, this caught Diamond's attention. She slides into the cage, knocking Twilight to the ground. "Mom, Dad, come!" shouted Diamond "You aren't going to believe what the snake is doing!!" As Diamond placed her hands on the glass wall, Twilight looked at her cousin with a stab of anger. Suddenly something VERY strange happened: before her very eyes, the glass wall disappeared and Diamond began to lose his balance. "Wow! Ah! Ah!!" The spoiled girl fell into the snake's enclosure, landing in a pool of water. At that moment, Diamond, trembling with fear, sits perfectly still, watching the snake pass by her. Once the snake was completely free from her cage, she stopped before Twilight, who watched silently. "Thankssssssss" said the snake. "You're welcome" Twilight replied. And so, the snake began to slide slowly, while Twilight watched. "A SNAKE!!!" yelled a man. It wasn't long before chaos broke out throughout the zoo as the entire area was filled with screams from men, women, and children trying to get out of the way of the snake. The entire time, the snake just slithered into her new freedom while Twilight was in complete shock. Eventually, Diamond got up ready to go... only to find that the missing crystal was back in her place. The shocked girl, now trapped in the ancient snake cage, frantically bangs on the glass. "Mommy, mommy!" shouted Diamond. At the time, Spoiled and Filthy had just returned, but the moment they saw Diamond, they screamed. "Mom, help me!" Diamond pleaded. "My daughter!" shouted Spoiled "How did you get in there?!" But Filthy's attention was not on her daughter at the moment. Instead, her eyes were looking towards a certain girl who smiled and laughed a little at the scene. In the moment, as Twilight saw the anger in her uncle's eyes, her smile disappeared just as quickly. It was a while before everyone returned home. Spoiled had Diamond wrapped in a blanket, while the girl shivered and whimpered from the cold caused by the water in the cage. "Easy, let's take those clothes off right now" Petunia said. When Spoiled and Diamond disappeared around the corner, Twilight and Filthy entered, the latter slamming the door and grabbing Twilight by her hair. “What happened!?” Filthy yelled. "I swear I don't know!" Twilight insisted “There was a crystal and suddenly it disappeared! It was magic!". Then Filthy groaned and shoved Twilight into her "room" down the stairs, slamming the door and bolting it. "THE MAGIC HAS NEVER EXISTED!" Filthy yelled, pounding on the door. > Chapter 2 - The Letters from Nobody > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the incident with the vanishing glass at the zoo, Twilight was locked in her "room" under the stairs for a week, denied food, and only allowed out of the small space to use the bathroom. One morning, Twilight walked quickly down the hall to the front door, to go pick up the mail. As she proceeded to sort the letters, most were bills for the month, one letter in particular makes her eyes widen in shock: there, in her hand, one of the letters was addressed to Twilight herself. Miss T. Sparkle The Cupboard under the stairs Privat Driva Nº 5 Ponyville "How weird..." Twilight said curiously "I've never received mail before". Then Twilight headed to the kitchen. Uncle Filthy and Diamond are sitting at the table, while Aunt Spoiled is busy working in the kitchen. Twilight hands Filthy the rest of the mail, as she walked across the table with her letter. "Ah, Cousin Silver is ill!" Filthy said, as he read the postcard "She must have eaten something bad..." Then, just as Twilight was about to open her own letter, Diamond noticed her and rushed across the table, snatching it from her hands. "Dad, look! There is a letter for Twilight!" "Hey, give it back to me!" Twilight said "It's mine!" "Yours?" Filthy said as he laughed "Who is going to write to you?" Filthy turned the letter over noticing the broken red seal on the back. Seeing this, his eyes widen in surprise and horror. He showed the letter to Spoiled, who in turn also looked quite horrified. Then they both looked at Twilight, who gulped, believing that she would be in trouble. But not. Unfortunately, she was unable to read the letter. As time goes on, it wasn't long before strange events began to occur around the Rich's house. An owl flew from the sky with another similar letter, dropping it through the slot in the mailbox and joining a large flock gathered around the fireplace in the house. From the inside, Filthy took a handful of letters and tore them up in frustration. Meanwhile, Twilight was inside her "room", distracted by what she could. At that moment, she heard what sounded like a slight hum. Curious, she slowly opened the door and looked out for a quick peek: before her very eyes, she could see Filthy drilling wooden boards over the mailbox opening. "There will be no more letters in this mailbox!" Filthy stated seriously. Another day, outside the house, Filthy and Spoiled were at the front door. Before Filthy was about to leave for work, Spoiled gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck in the office, darling" Petunia said fondly. Then a bird screech makes Spoiled stop, staring with horror into his eyes. She gestured Filthy in his direction, and when he turned around, she saw a group of owls perched on the car. "OUT!" grunted Filthy "GET OUT OF HERE!" But a flock of owls was not the most disturbing thing for both of them. Spoiled's eyes widened in amazement even more as he gazes down at the foot of the porch. Filthy also looked down and there's no mistaking what they both saw: another pile of letters addressed to Twilight Sparkle. Another day turned to night, when Filthy spent hours tossing letter after letter straight into the fireplace. Twilight Sparkle turned the corner to witness the display he had before her. Filthy turned briefly, grinning wickedly with a letter in hand, before tossing it onto the burning pile of papers. It was a difficult event to witness, especially for Twilight, but still she fell silent knowing that more would come... many more... Even so, she still didn't understand him. What was it about those letters to prevent her from reading them? A week had passed since then. As the family sat around the living room, Twilight serving a plate full of cookies, an insane look played on Filthy's face. Her eyes moved nonstop, her hair sticking out in many different places. There was no doubt that the man seemed to have gone mad. "Nice day, Sunday...” Filthy muttered to himself “Best day in my opinion. And why, Diamond?" Diamond just shrugged, as Twilight continued walking with the plate of cookies. She finally stood in front of her uncle, handing her a cookie, while she took note of his growing insanity. "Why is there no mail on Sunday?" guessed Twilight. "You said it, Twilight" Filthy said enthusiastically "There is no mail. Ha!" As soon as Filthy spoke, Twilight thought she saw a shadow flying outside the window, drawing her attention. Twilight walked over to the window, while Filthy kept muttering to himself. "Not a bloody letter! No sir. Not a happy and bloody letter, not a..." Looking through the curtains, Twilight saw something that surprised her: there were millions of owls gathered outside. Most were perched on top of the house, in cars, on streetlights… on everything! Seeing it, her Twilight knew what only "one" thing could mean. "No, sir..." Filthy continued "Not one hateful, miserable--" Suddenly, a letter shot out of the fireplace and crashed into Vernon's face, interrupting him. Suddenly, an earthquake began to shake the house. At that moment, billions of cards shot out of the chimney at once. The sudden arrival of letters makes the whole family, except Twilight, scream in panic. "AH! Make it stop!" shouted Diamond, jumping onto her mother's lap "Please make it stop!" "Leave me alone!” Filthy yelled "Ah!" As the family screamed like crazy, Twilight jumped on the table to grab a letter, which was a bit difficult due to the speed at which they were flying. "What is this!? What's going on!?" shouted Diamond, scared. Finally, Twilight managed to grab a letter and began to run away. But Filthy, seeing Twilight in sight of her, also jumped up. "Give me that!" Filthy yelled "Give me that letter!" Filthy chased Twilight down the hall, grabbing her just before she could reach her "room" under the stairs. Suddenly an avalanche of letters fell on them both. "AH!!!" Filthy yelled. "They are my letters!" Twilight yelled "Let go of me!" Finally, the wooden board nailed in front of the mailbox was broken by the expressive pressure of the letters that were shot out of the slot. And it was, during this moment, that Filthy had enough of this madness. "IT'S OVER! WE ARE GETTING OUT OF HERE! " Filthy yelled, totally frustrated. "FAR AWAY! WHERE THEY CAN'T FIND US! ”. "Mom, Dad has gone crazy" Diamond said to his mother. Spoiled just stared with the most horrified look he had ever formed. But deep down, in the midst of everything that happens around him, he knew that his daughter could be right. > Chapter 3 - You're a Witch > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- With their home literally bombarded by thousands of letters, the Rich family, along with Twilight, quickly packed their bags, loaded them into their car, and sped off. In the end, Filthy stopped the car in its tracks and silently led everyone to the only boat along the shore. The family began rowing, parking the boat together on a tiny rocky island, where an old rustic hut stood on it. The hut itself was completely rotten, its boards were falling apart, a moth-eaten old sofa in the downstairs area, and a lumpy old mattress upstairs. A deep breath of air made the whole family hold their noses and shrink their faces. A few minutes later Filthy and Spoiled came down the stairs with some old blankets in their hands. "Looks like there's only one bed upstairs" Spoiled announced “Filthy and I are going to take the bed; Diamond can sleep on the couch... and you, Twilight, can sleep on the floor". A few hours later, a massive storm hit the island. Lightning lit up the sky, thunder rumbled loudly, rain fell in massive amounts, and waves crashed against the island's rocky shores. At this point, it was already night and the Rich were asleep. The only person awake was Twilight. She shuddered because it was such a cold night that the storm outside made it so much worse. At that moment, Twilight lay face down on the dirt floor drawing a birthday cake on the ground. It turned out that tomorrow was her 11th birthday (which was only a few minutes away). Unfortunately, she had never had a real birthday. After finishing her "cake", Twilight turned to Diamond's wristwatch. It sounded when the clock struck twelve and it was now officially her birthday. "Make a wish, Twilight" she told herself, before blowing out the candles on the "cake". Suddenly, a loud bang sounded against the door, causing Twilight and Diamond's heads to spin rapidly. Another blow followed quickly, as Twilight leaped to her feet and hid behind the fireplace, while Diamond backed away as far as she could. At that moment, Filthy and Spoiled came down the stairs. Spoiled turned on the light, while Filthy pointed a shotgun at the door. "Who's there?" Filthy screeched in fear. The next blow was so strong that he knocked the door completely off its hinges and fell with a thud. Everyone screamed when a large figure appeared from the entrance. It was so dark that it was difficult to see at first. After a moment, the figure came to light and was revealed to be none other than Spike. "Pardon the intrusion" he apologized calmly. He walked to the door, lifting it off the ground with ease, and snapping it back into place. Filthy flinched as he pointed the gun at the mysterious man, trying to look as intimidating as possible. "Hey, get out of here immediately!" grunted Filthy "This is breaking and entering!" Spike, completely unfazed by the shotgun pointed at him, simply walked over to the frightened Rich. "Shut up, Rich!" Spike said "Foolish fool!" He grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, easily bending it like a flexible straw. The gun went off with a 'BAM!' creating a large hole in the ceiling. Everyone gasped from the loud explosion. As soon as the fiasco settled, Spike turned his attention to Diamond, the girl who was still huddled against the wall. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby, Twilight," Spike said, "But now you're grown up. Above all “in the middle”!". "I... I'm not... I'm not Twilight" stammered Diamond. At that moment, Twilight came out from behind the fireplace and faced the mysterious man. "It's… me" she said nervously. "Oh, of course it's you! I have something for you. I had to come sitting on it! But I guess it still tastes just as good" said Spike, before pulling out a small white box, with a blue ribbon on top. "I have done it, with his words and everything". Spike hands the box to Twilight, while everyone in the room looked on curiously. Twilight opens the lid and discovers a cake covered in pink frosting. Written across the top of the cake, the words read "Happee Birdae Twilight" in green frosting. "Thanks!" Twilight smiled. "It's not every day someone turns eleven, eh?" Spike replied. While Twilight admired the cake, Spike sat down next to the couch. He pulls an umbrella out of his coat and points it at the empty fireplace. At that moment, two sparks came out of the tip and a fire starts out of nowhere, while the family gasps in surprise. "Excuse me" Twilight said, putting down the cake "But… who are you?" "My name is Spike. Keeper of the keys and grounds of Canterlot High" the man introduced "You will already know everything about Canterlot High, right?" "I'm sorry… but no" Twilight shook. "No?" Spike asked, surprised. "Hell, Twilight, don't you know where your parents learned everything?" "Learn what?" "You're a witch, Twilight" Twilight's eyes widened in shock, her face showing complete confusion. "What I am what?" Twilight gasped. "A witch" said Spike "And one of the good ones, no doubt. As soon as you train a little". "No, you made a mistake" objected Twilight "I... I can't be... a witch. I'm just... I'm Twilight. Just Twilight". "Fine, Just Twilight" Spike replied "Have you ever done something that you can't explain being angry or scared?" Twilight's face softened at Spike's question, while in her mind she couldn't help but recall the events of the zoo visit and the snake. Eventually, Spike hands Twilight the same letter that they had sent her in the past. Finally, Harry opened the envelope and read the letter aloud. "Dear, Miss Sparkle" read Twilight "We are pleased to inform you that she has been admitted to the Canterlot High's College of Magic and Sorcery". "Well, she doesn't go because I say so!" Filthy said, facing Spike "By adopting her, we swore we would end this nonsense!" "Did you know!?" Twilight spoke up angrily "Did you know and have you never told me !?" "Of course. How could you not be, my sister being who she was? Oh, my parents were so proud, the day she received the letter. We have a witch in the family, how wonderful!" Spoiled said, as she walked towards Filthy "I was the only one who saw her as she was... a monster!" "She meet Night Light and they had you, and I knew that you would be just like them, so strange, so... abnormal. And as if that weren't enough, she died in that explosion, and we had to stay with you". "Explosion!?" Twilight spoke angrily "You said they were killed in a car accident!" "Car accident?" asked Spike "How could Twilight Velvet and Night Light die like this!?" "We had something to say" Spoiled said, defensively. "It's an outrage!" yelled Spike "A scandal!" As the Richs argued with Spike and Twilight, no one noticed Diamond taking Twilight's cake from him. "No, she won't go!" Filthy insisted. "Oh, so a puny muggle like you is going to stop her, right?" Spike asked. "Muggle?" Twilight asked, confused. "Non-Magical People" Spike translated, before facing the Rich family "This girl's been enrolled there since she was born!" As Spike spoke, Diamond was messily chewing on Twilight's cake. "She's going to study the best magic school in the world" said Spike "And she will be with the best principal Canterlot High has ever seen: Celestia Solaris". Hearing that name, Twilight couldn't help but smile. "I'm not going to pay for a crazy woman to teach her magic tricks!" Filthy snapped. At those words, an enraged Spike grabbed her umbrella, pointing it at Filthy, threateningly. "Never… insult Celestia Solaris… in my presence!" Spike warned. Spike finally saw Diamond eating Twilight's cake, getting a little idea. Using his umbrella, Spike fired a magic spark at Diamond's bottom, causing him to sprout... a pink pig's tail. The Richs scream in horror, and run upstairs, leaving Twilight and Spike alone. Twilight couldn't help but laugh at what she saw. "Hey, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't bring this up at Canterlot High" Spike whispered "Now I'm not authorized to do magic". "Okay" Twilight said, promising. Spike then pulled out a small pocket watch, shocked at what time it was. "It's getting late. Let's move on". Spike heads for the door, pulling it down again before exiting. He slowly turned to Twilight. "Unless you prefer to stay, of course. Hmm? " When Spike left, Twilight was left considering her options, but in the end she smiled, as she turned in the direction the Richs had gone. Realizing what he had to do, Twilight grabbed his jacket and followed his new friend. > Chapter 4 - The White Dragon Alley (Part 1) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the events of the previous night, Twilight and Spike left for the city of Canterlot City, California, to get all the necessary material that she would need for the school year. Many thoughts raced through Twilight's mind. Just yesterday, Spike arrived at the old shack on the island, revealing the most shocking piece of information ever given to a girl who just turned eleven. Not only did he reveal to her that she was a witch, but she would also attend a real wizarding school. Finally, after the long journey, the duo found themselves walking through the streets of Canterlot City, while Twilight read from the list of school supplies that came with the admission letter. "All students should have... a size two pewter cauldron. And they may also bring... an owl, cat or toad" Twilight read, before looking at Spike in confusion "Will we find this in Canterlot City?". "Yeah, if you know where to go" Spike answered simply. Finally, their journey led them to what appeared to be the entrance to a bar on a street corner. As they got closer, Twilight could see a sign above the entrance, which magically appeared before her eyes: "The Silver Witch" Upon entering the bar, the sound from the interior, which combined music and conversations between various customers talking to each other, filled Twilight's ears. The owner of the place noticed both of them entering the place, with a smile on his face. "Oh, Spike, old friend! The usual, I suppose?" "No, thanks. I'm on official mission for Canterlot High" Spike declined politely "I'm helping my friend Twilight buy her school supplies". And when the bar owner looked at Twilight, her eyes widened in astonishment. "It's her?" he gasped "It's Twilight Sparkle!" Then, at that precise moment, the entire bar went completely silent, while the eyes of all the customers turned curiously to Twilight. Suddenly, a man came up and shook Twilight's hand. "Welcome, Miss Sparkle, welcome". Then an elderly witch came over to shake Twilight's hand as well. "Doris Crockford, Miss Sparkle" the woman introduced herself "I can't believe she finally met you". Suddenly, another young witch approached Twilight, causing her to notice two things: the woman had long green hair, covered by a black turban, and her eyes... they seemed like those of a snake. "T-Twilight S-Sparkle..." the green haired witch stuttered "Y-You don't know how pleased I am to meet you". Seeing the green-haired witch, Spike smiled. "Oh hi, professor. I haven't seen her" Spike greeted "Twilight, this is Professor Amanda Chrysallis. She's going to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts at Canterlot High". "Oh, my pleasure" Twilight answered. Twilight held out her hand, offering Chrysallis a handshake...but she, for some strange reason, simply stared at the hand and hesitantly refused to touch it. "F-Fascinating... my subject, believe me" Chrysallis said "Even though you don't need it, eh, S-Sparkle?" "Anyway, we have to go" Spike chimed in "There's a lot to buy". "Bye" Twilight said, saying goodbye to Chrysalis. However, as Twilight and Spike headed inside the bar... neither of them noticed that Chrysallis was smiling mischievously. Then, Twilight followed Spike to the back room of the bar... where there were only some barrels and a brick wall. "You see, Twilight? You're famous!" Spike said, with a smile. "But why am I famous, Spike?" Twilight asked worriedly, as she pointed to the door through which they had entered "All those people in there... how do they know who I am?" "I don't know if I'm the most appropriate person to tell you that…" Spike admitted. Then, instead of speaking, Spike tapped his umbrella on an area of the brick wall in a clockwise direction. And suddenly, before Twilight's eyes, the blocks of the wall magically moved, protruding inside and out…until revealing a hidden, busy street, making Twilight gasp in amazement. "Welcome, Twilight Sparkle... to the White Dragon Alley" Spike said with a smile. Twilight grinned as she and Spike slowly walked down the street of White Dragon Alley. As they walked, in every store there were many varieties of witches and wizards who had come to buy. Amidst the hustle and bustle of people passing by or conducting their business, the screeching and hooting of owls caught Twilight's attention, as she admired the birds perched in her cages. "Here they buy the quills and the ink" Spike explained, as he pointed to the shops "And there the necessary items to do magic". Twilight was simply in awe of all the shops around her, as some of the owls and bats watched the passing duo. As they made their way down the street, Twilight noticed a broom shop, where a group of children huddled around a window displaying a shiny broomstick. “Wow! Check this out!” spoke a boy in amazement "It's the new Nimbus 3000!" "It's incredible" another child said "It's the fastest model, isn't that cool?" At that moment, Twilight realized something important. "But Spike... how am I going to pay for all this?" Twilight asked. "I don't have any money". "Your money is there, Twilight" Spike said, as he pointed ahead. Looking where Spike was pointing, Twilight stared at a huge snow-white building ahead of her. Its structure itself indicated that it was the tallest building of all the other shops in the White Dragon Alley. "Gringatts, the Bank of Wizards" Spike explained "There is no safer place, not one... except Canterlot High". (Start music in minute 1:12) As Spike escorted Twilight into the bank, she was able to notice several small, pointy-eared creatures wandering the main lobby, which was lined with desks. Some of them counted and weighed gold coins, while others recorded information in their ledgers. "Uh, Spike... what are exactly they?" Twilight asked curiously. "They're gnomes, Twilight. And smart as anyone" Spike explained "But they're not very friendly... You don't get too far from me, okay?" Heeding the comment, the duo soon approached the desk at the end of the main lobby, where a bespectacled gnome (who Twilight deduced was the bank's owner) was making records in a huge ledger. Spike cleared his throat, drawing the gnome's attention, as he looked at him. "Miss Twilight Sparkle wishes to draw some money" Spike informed. The gnome peeked out from his desk, looking at Twilight with a slight grimace. "And does Miss Twilight Sparkle have her key?" he asked. "Wait, I have it here somewhere..." Spike said, rummaging through his pockets. The gnome stared at Spike, until he finally pulled out a golden key which he placed on the desk. “Ha! Here is the key!" The gnome took the key, just as Spike realized something else. "Oh, and one more thing…" Spike added, revealing a letter wrapped in string "Professor Celestia gave me this". Spike handed the letter to the gnome, while he watched closely. "It's about what-you-know... in the vault... you-know-which..." Twilight looked at the two of them curiously, wondering what was in the letter and what vault they were talking about. "Very well..." the gnome nodded "Follow me". The gnome got down from his desk chair and Twilight and Spike followed him to the inside of the bank. Later, Twilight and Spike found themselves traveling in some kind of mining cart, bound for several meters down, while a gnome, by the name of Grophuuk, was assigned to drive the cart. During the trip, Twilight noticed that the bank extended underground, to great caverns filled with tunnels and rails that led to hundreds of subterranean vaults. Finally, the cart came to a stop right in front of the door of one of the vaults. "Vault 798" Grophuuk declared, as he jumped down from the cart "Light, please". Spike handed the lantern they had been carrying to the gnome, while Grophuuk led them to the vault door, with Twilight and Spike following close behind. "Key, please". Grophuuk returned the lantern to Spike, who then handed over the key, which Grophuuk used to unlock the vault door. Opening herself up, Twilight couldn't help but make an astonished face when he saw the inside of her vault: a small mountain of gold coins that was at least as high as she was. A single sight surprised Twilight, who had never expected to see so much gold in his entire life. "You wouldn't think your parents were going to leave you with nothing, would you?" Spike asked, as he looked at Twilight. Then, Grophuuk escorted the duo down a corridor, until stopping in front of another vault door...which had no lock. "Vault 824" Grophuuk declared. "What's inside, Spike?" Twilight asked curiously. "I can't tell you" Spike replied, with a bit of seriousness in his voice, "It's a Canterlot High business, very secret". "One step back!" ordered Grophuuk. Slowly, Grophuuk ran his finger along the surface of the vault door, causing what sounded like multiple padlocks to be heard from the other side being opened. Finally, the door opened and the interior was revealed to Twilight: a small stone-sized package, wrapped in string, placed in the center of a well-lit podium. Quickly, Spike took the package from him and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. "Better not mention this to anyone" Spike advised. Twilight nods silently, although deep down they can't help but wonder the same thing over and over again in her mind: What was important about that package? > Chapter 5 - The White Dragon Alley (Part 2) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shortly after leaving Gringatts, Twilight and Spike were back in the White Dragon Alley, walking around the area. Having bought most of her school supplies, Twilight realized that she was still missing one thing as she read the list. "I'm still missing... the wand" Twilight said, after looking over the list. "The wand?" Spike asked, before pointing towards a specific store "Then go to Ollivanders, there's no better place". Twilight looked over at the shop Spike was pointing at: a narrow, dilapidated building with chipped gold lettering above the shop door that read: "Ollivanders: Makers of Wands since 382 A.C.". "Why don't you go ahead and wait for me?" Spike replied "I still have a business to take care of. I won't be long". With that, Spike walked away through the crowd, while Twilight headed for the wand shop. Soon, Twilight entered the interior of the store, which was completely silent, as she looked around and placed some of her recently bought books on a cabinet by the door. She looked at shelves filled with various thin boxes, of which there were surely wands of various shapes. But, for some strange reason, there were no signs of people anywhere. "Hello?" Twilight called softly as she approached the store counter "Hello?" Suddenly, a background noise startled her. Twilight looked to the back room when an elderly witch appeared, at the top of a ladder. The woman, Elizabeth Ollivander, smiled briefly as she looked at her new client. "I was already expecting you to come visit me, Miss Sparkle". Slowly, Ollivander came down the stairs and she went to one of the shelves full of wands, looking for what she needed. "It seems like just yesterday that your father and mother came to buy their first wand..." Suddenly, Ollivander reached for one of the cases and pulled out a wooden wand, offering it to Twilight. Twilight couldn't believe she was holding a real wand, as she held it for a second or two... doing nothing. "Come on, shake it" Ollivander said, as she waved her hand. Hesitantly, Twilight waved the wand... sending most of the boxes flying and crashing to the floor, causing her to flinch and quickly set the wand down on the counter. "Rather not..." Ollivander said, as she returned the wand to her case. Thinking quickly, Ollivander reached for another wand from another case. "Try... this one". Twilight took the wand and waved it at a vase... and it shattered, so much so that she flinched in shock. "No, no, definitely not that one!" Ollivander shook his head, while Twilight put the wand back on the counter "Never mind…" Then, Ollivander walked over to the back room and she picked up a third wand case... but she stops and as her face turns thoughtful. "Maybe..." As Twilight watched curiously, Ollivander returned to her and presents her with her wand. And then, the moment Twilight had the wand in her hand, it suddenly glowed under her. Her hair flew in all directions and various pieces of paper flew into the air. Ollivander looked slightly surprised, as her face sank into her thoughts. “Curious… very curious…” "Excuse me, but... what's curious?" Twilight asked, confused. “I remember every wand I've ever sold, Miss Sparkle" Ollivander explained, as she examined the wand "And it turns out that the Alicorn Wing, which feather contains your wand, gave another feather… just one more. It's curious you were meant for this wand... when it was her sister... that gave you that scar on your hand". As soon as Ollivander said that last sentence, Twilight couldn't help but feel curious. "And... who did the other one belong to?" Twilight asked curiously. "Oh, we never uttered her name..." Ollivander shook his head "The wand chooses his owner, Miss Sparkle. It's never entirely clear why. But, what is clear, is that we can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things… terrible, yes… but great”. Then, Ollivander handed Twilight her wand back and she headed back into the back room, leaving Twilight with many thoughts on her mind. Then, before Twilight could ask another question, there was a bang from outside the shop, causing her to turn to see who it was. "Twilight! Twilight!" It was Spike...with a birdcage in hand. "Happy Birthday!" And inside the cage, a male barn owl was sitting along the bar. "Wow…" Twilight said, surprised to see her new pet. Later that day, as soon as the two finished shopping in White Dragon Alley, they returned to The Silver Witch for the night, since tomorrow was the day Twilight was going to Canterlot High by train. As they ate the dinner that the owner of the place prepared for them, Spike noticed that Twilight was sitting quietly at the table and, while she was petting her new owl (which she named Owlowiscious), she hadn't said a word since she left Mrs. Ollivander's wand store. "Hey, are you okay, Twilight?" Spike asked "You seem very quiet". Twilight turned to Spike, sensing that her friend especially needed to hear what she couldn't stop thinking. "He killed my parents, right? The one who did this" Twilight asked, as she showed the scar on his hand "You know that, Spike. I know that you know". The subject of how Twilight got her scar and who was responsible for it made Spike stop eating... knowing that she deserved to know the truth. With a deep sigh, Spike pushed his food bowl away. "First, and understand this because it's very important. Not all wizards are good. Some get darkened…" Spike explained, seriousness in his voice “Years ago, there was a wizard who darkened more than the rest. And his name was Gr--... his name was Gr--..." Twilight looked at Spike in confusion, looking as if he was holding himself back from saying the wizard's name… or was he trying to remember it… or was it too hard to pronounce. "Maybe if you wrote it down..." Twilight suggested. "I don't know how to spell it…" Spike said, before starting to speak quietly "Okay… Grogar". "Grogar?" Twilight asked, out loud. Quickly, Spike silenced her, while Twilight looked around to see if anyone was listening, since most of The Silver Witch was empty, apart from a few customers. But even if someone was listening, they either didn't pay much attention or refused to make themselves known. However, as Twilight looked back at Spike, and judging by the way he was pronouncing that name, she could sense that even mentioning it... was a taboo. "Those were dark times, very dark…" Spike clarified. 10 years ago... On the streets of a small town, in the middle of the night, a hooded figure walked in the dark. If a person found him in his way... he could notice in him an enormous sensation of PURE evil. The hooded man walked towards one of the houses. "You-Know-Who... tried to find followers..." Spike's voice narrated "He dragged them to the Dark Side..." Slowly, the hooded figure used his wand to open the front door of the house. "Anyone who tried to fight him... ended up dead". The hooded figure then attempted to chase a woman, who turned out to be Twilight's mother, Twilight Velvet, who was carrying her young daughter and trying to escape from him, hiding in a room. "Including your parents..." The room's door exploded violently from her hinges... while Velvet used her body to protect her daughter. “Nobody survived his wrath…” Then, Velvet screamed inaudibly but painfully, as she was killed by the magic of the Dark Lord's wand, whose green flash illuminated the windows outside the house. Finally, Grogar himself pointed his wand at little Twilight's head with murderous intent, while she put the hand of the one who would have her future scar in the middle. "Nobody, nobody... except you". By the time Spike finished telling the story, Twilight had many emotions running through her head as she discovered the terrible fate her parents suffered... and the mark Grogar left on her. "Me?" Twilight asked, speaking softly "Did Grogar want to kill... me?" "Yes. What you have in your hand is not a normal cut, Twilight..." Spike said, nodding reluctantly "A mark like that is only produced by a curse... an evil curse". Then, Twilight decided to ask one last question. "What happened to Gr--...You-Know-Who?" "Some… say he died. Legends in my opinion" Spike guessed “But no…I think he's still out there. Too tired to continue. But there is something that is true: that you managed to defeat him that night..." At that moment, Spike looked at Twilight intently, while she listened to the story without interrupting. "That's why you're famous. That's why everyone knows your name" Spike said "Because you, Twilight Sparkle... you're the Girl Who Lived" Those words left a shock to Twilight, who was sitting there absorbing everything that she had discovered. An evil wizard who had the chance to kill her when she was most vulnerable, and yet for some reason, he spared her life. This still left a lot of questions for her, which didn't help the fact that this Grogar might still be alive and plotting revenge for her. And if what Spike said is true, and he's as dangerous an enemy as can be, by now Twilight Sparkle has good reason to go to her new school.