Prologue: Advocate's History of the Gardens (and Equestria)
***The Canterlot Gardens' Guardians
Author: Technopony
Pre-Reader/Editor: None***
Picture by/from: The Canterlot Gardens Convention
Before we start, I should introduce myself... Sorry, I'm not too good around others. Anyways, my name is Advocate, but some ponies call me Phloe for whatever reason. I may have known it before, but I don't anymore. Alright, well, we can start now.
Short History of Equestria
The Beginning
In the beginning there was nothing.
Suddenly, the nothingness lit up as the sun first appeared as a great flaming ball of gas in the middle of nothing.
Then, along with he sun came the universe, and endless expanse of stars like the sun. Then came the planets, and oh were they beautiful. So many in so many places, all rotating around the stars. These were called 'Solar Systems' and millions of these 'Systems' would make up one Galaxy.
In one certain 'Solar System' there stood a planet like no other. Four grand masses of land, the rest water. On this planet, Equis, life started. The creators, whoever they were, made plants, deciding there should be beauty that other things could appreciate. Then, deciding that a world with nothing to appreciate beauty was not enough, they created animals, small ones at first, bugs, birds, and sea creatures. Then they made greater creatures, Dragons, Manticores, and other manor of deadly things. Then, finally, the Ponies.
The Ponies had three main races, the Earth Ponies, which stayed on the ground with nothing but strength and stamina, the Pegasi, who flew with wings of beauty with speed and agility, and the Unicorns, magical creature with a pillar of bone protruding from their skulls that helped them control their magical abilities with nothing less than the smarts of the gods and the imagination of creation.
Immediately after their creation period ended, the creators disappeared, never to be seen again. With the disappearance of the creators, the species' of Equis were alone, to be acted upon by anything, even each other.
The Middle Times
With the world in a constant state of chaos, a creature arose. A creature combined of all the major races in the world, combined into one, seemingly evil, chaotic being. This being called himself 'Discord', and he ruled the lands populated by Ponies.
One thousand years later, after being held under the iron appendages of Discord, the ponies could not take any more of it. Together the races combined and, with the might of three armies, fought a long war with Discord. One hundred years later, the war still raged.
Soon two powerful sisters arose out of the war, mysterious mares who combined the power of the Pegasi and Unicorns to become a new race, the Alicorns. Together, the sisters defeated Discord and banished him. With Discord gone, the Alicorns, too, disappeared.
Years after that, the Ponies had a hard time, really nothing else can describe it. There was racism, the Unicorns ruling over the Earth Ponies with iron hooves, forcing them to become serfs. The Pegasi were alone in the clouds, a military race of ponies who fought constantly. Soon, a horrible winter hit.
Creatures made of wind and cold and hate, called Windigos, began assailing all three races. Soon the ponies would be completely wiped out, frozen and never to be un-thawed in a never-ending blizzard. Soon, the ponies were forced to come together and find a new home, and so they migrated... though not exactly far. Long story short, they stopped the Windigos and began a new era of peace.
The Rise of Equestria
One thousand years later, the land that the three races found back in their time of hatred, called 'Equestria', was once again thrown into chaos as Discord returned from afar, back to control his lands again. This time, however, it did not last. Not but a decade after he rose to power again, Discord was defeated again by the two Alicorns.
His defeat was quick, hardened into stone in a clearing on a mountain. The clearing was large, nothing inhabiting it but dirt, no plants. All that could be seen was a large stone monolith, engraved with the markings of the ancient races. The two Alicorns knew not what the place was, but it was where their enemy Discord was defeated. So here, around this clearing, was where they built what was to be the capitol of Equestria.
After the battle the sisters united the three races into the 'Mighty Equestrian Empire'. Together they ruled as 'Princesses Celestia and Luna' the goddesses of the sun and moon.
After that, Equestria went into an era of peace that lasted for millennia...
But, the rest is history. It's obvious and does not need repeating...
The Canterlot Gardens Tour and History
A History and the Creation of the Guardians
Soon after the creation of Canterlot, the Gardens were first made, nothing more than the 'Royal Hedge-Maze', the beginnings of the 'Statue Gardens', and the main 'Canterlot Gardens' outside the castle. Carelessly, they hired simple gardening ponies from the towns surrounding their new city, ponies who didn't know what they were getting into.
Little by little enemies were being turned to stone in the 'Statue Gardens', filling up space. Many were dangerous, others had been asked to be put there. But with there being so many evil beings in one place, powers only dampened by their stone forms, it became dangerous. Small blasts of power kept emanating from that section of the gardens, injuring the workers there and even killing some of them.
With no idea what to do, Princess Celestia, who had for a while been thought of as the head of the sisters' Empire, set up a temporary solution that would stop any of the emanating powers from hurting the rest of Canterlot and the Gardens, but restricting access in and out of the who area.
As the temporary fix held, the Princesses were forced to search for a better solution to their problem. Together they searched for something, anything to help them. They tried many things, including using their 'Elements of Harmony' which they yielded together for some time then. None of these solutions worked, not for any determinate amount of time.
One day, while reading through the libraries in Canterlot, the younger sister, Luna, found an old spell-book which explained a long and complex spell that would create two sentient guardians to do the bidding of their creators. Excited, Luna showed the book to Celestia, who then took it and spent a fortnight reading it thoroughly. When she finally emerged, she was confident she and her sister could complete the spell.
Several days later, items and ingredients all accounted for, the two princesses began the spell. It took them four long days of hardship and work, but they finally finished their spell. Once the smoke had cleared from the room, before them stood the Guardians. Me, Advocate, and my brother, Safeguard, were summoned.
Long story short, together we solved the problem and began taking care of the gardens full time, eliminating the need for other ponies to be put in danger when two powerful beings were there instead.
As the centuries went by the gardens expanded with the care of the Guardians, with little need of help from the Princesses.
The Hard Part
4000 years later, when Princess Luna as Nightmare Moon tried to bring about an endless night and was then banished to the moon instead of being turned to stone like the rest of Equestria's enemies the Guardians had their first taste of hard work. Half the power of the spell that bound them to the world of Equis had been drained and a new area was added to the Gardens, the entrance to the Everfree Forest closest to Canterlot.
With that new area, the two were spread thin for their first time. To make matters worse, when the entrance had been made a new threat was uncovered. The threat of the 'Slenderpony', an old mare's tale that was used to scare foals away from the Everfree Forest.
It took some work, lots of it in fact, but Princess Celestia and Safeguard were able to make an alliance of sort with Slenderpony. What really sent it through was when Safeguard discovered that this pony had a family. A sister and a father. With a want to reform from their old ways of killing, they decided it would be better if they were to help the Guardians with their part of the gardens. And with that, Advocate and Safeguard were able to do their job once more without any complications.
What's Up Now
Well, you know of how 1000 years after the Nightmare Moon incident happened, Luna returned, and Princess Celestia, with the help of six new friends who now bore the Elements of Harmony, she was turned back to her true form.
About a year after that incident, Discord escaped and wreaked chaos again, but you know that story. We replaced him in his spot in the Gardens, expertly avoiding the notice of the Bearers.
Then after that, not even a year later, the events of the 'Royal Wedding' took place and the 'Changelings' were shown as a major race. Around that time a new territory was added to the Gardens, called the 'Cloud Vines'. It was the domain of another Draconequus, the species that Discord is, named Eris, and it had just recently floated over the mountain range that Canterlot was built on.
Curious, Eris flew down to the city and accidentally (on purpose) wreaked Chaos. With no other option, Princess Celestia herself went down and threatened stone imprisonment if she didn't stop. With a sigh, not unlike the ones Discord used to make, she nodded and stopped. Signing a treaty that put the Cloud Vines as part of the Equestrian Empire, Eris disappeared into her palace there and hasn't been seen since.
But with the addition of the Vines, the Guardians are spread thin again and now Princess Celestia must find a new helper from the masses to learn how to control the Gardens.
And, well, that's pretty much all that's happened since the beginning of time... well, it's what some ponies think it is, but the beginning is a bit sketchy as to how everything actually came along. But yeah, that's about it.
-Advocate
Chapter One: Four Helping Hooves
***The Canterlot Gardens' Guardians
Chapter One: Four Helping Hooves
Author: Technopony***
Pre-Reader/Editor: None
Canterlot Gardens: Main Atrium
*CRASH*
A simple clay vase crashed against a wall exploding into pieces.
"Calm down, Safeguard!" A beautiful white unicorn shouted, ducking just in time to dodge another vase. "There is really nothing to worry about!"
"What do you mean?!" Came the yelled reply from another white unicorn, almost identical to the one who had spoken before, "How can the Princess do this to us? Doesn't she believe in us? We've been doing this for over six thousand years. You'd think she'd let us alone, to do our jobs. A new pony would just slow things down. And you, out of everypony, should know how dangerous the gardens can get without constant upkeep."
"Really. You think we can do this alone? Remember how it was when the entrance to the Everfree opened? We were swamped with work! And if I remember correctly, you were all up for going to the Slender's for help!" The other unicorn, her name Advocate, replied, trying to keep herself calm, but mostly failing.
"That was most different!" Safeguard exclaimed indignantly, "They were like us, they weren't normal."
"So you're saying that in order to get help, we have to get somepony, or something, that's not normal? This place is crazy enough, the most unnatural place in Equestria, heck, the world, other than the Everfree Forest! We need at least some normal in our wholly unnatural lives!" Advocate replied.
"You know what? Fine. Tell me when the new pony gets here..." Safeguard said and turned away, walking from the room.
Advocate heaved a heavy sigh and looked down at the ground, seeing the pieces of broken clay littered around her hooves. With a snort, she used her magic to levitate the pieces into the air and then slowly made the rearrange themselves until they were in the shape of two vases, and finally using a simple spell to put them together again. Then she set them back into their places and walked out of the room herself.
Ponyville Equestria: Marketplace Bazaar
The sky over Ponyville was beautiful. A beautiful only a small town in the Equestrian countryside could create. In this town, everything was picturesque and elegant in a slightly outdated vintage sort of way.
Today was a bit different than most, after all, a Princess doesn't normally fly into town looking for somepony to come back with her to Canterlot. For some, this day was like a dream come true, for others, such as the slightly-eccentric Twilight Sparkle or the town mayor, Mayor Mare, this was a day of hidden disasters.
For one such as Twilight this was a problem because her friend and mentor was coming to town. Due to her own insecurities, she most likely thought it had something to do with her. Of course it wasn't, however. The world doesn't revolve around one easily distressed unicorn like the famous 'Element of Magic', no matter how much it seemed to her.
For the Mayor, well, the problem was wholly a security problem. After all, there was lots of 'What-if's' when it came to royalty. What if somepony tried to attack the princess? What if something went horribly wrong? As it were, most of these 'What-if's' were easily fixed and avoidable. If somepony tried to attack the princess, don't you think the royal guards would be able to help, or even, don't you think that she could defend herself? Or do you just think she's a weakling? And really, what could go wrong in a town like Ponyville?
The point is, not everything bad is going to happen just because you think it will.
In reality, the day would go smoothly. It was a simple visit, not for pleasure, per se, but for easily completed royal business. The one important question would not be 'What will go wrong?' or 'What could she be here for?' but 'Who would be leaving Ponyville to go live and work in Canterlot?'.
The big reveal was to take place not in the town square, but in the marketplace of all areas. The usual stalls had been moved out of the way, covered in tarps and pushed over towards the actual shops that lined the area. A stage-like area had been erected in the middle of the road. This was wholly unneeded, but as it was stated before, Ponyville wasn't exactly known for it's subtlety.
The princess herself had not arrived yet, but several platoons of royal guards had been sent ahead of time to make sure everything was safe. Once again, this wasn't exactly needed, but it was protocol for the government's military. Celestia was due to arrive in less than half an hour so most of Ponyville was already crowded around the stage. Or, really, a few feet back. They weren't rowdy, it wasn't in their nature, but they were pretty excited. After all, it wasn't every day royalty came to their town. Not to mention they were a bit more old fashioned than the rest of the country, like, say, Cloudsdale for instance.
Anyways, with a few minutes to spare, the last of the preparations were made. A few moments later and the sound of flapping wings was heard. The crowd quieted down and looked into the air. As they craned their necks to the skies, a shadow passed below the sun, darkening part of the group. As the crowd continued to look into the air, the shadow passed the sun and was visible. Up in the air was a brilliant gold chariot being pulled by three royal guard pegasi, wings adorned with golden armour.
The chariot slowly descended, circling down and down until finally going in for a roll down the stage before coming to a stop. From the carriage stepped a large white, regal looking Alicorn, her muted rainbow hair flowing unnaturally as if it were in a nice breeze, though none was present. Adorning her hooves were beautiful golden shoes, and atop her head was a golden tiara with a small diamond on it's crest. The princess truly was regal, a remnant of an age long past... a remnant that had lived through many ages.
The princess stood there on the stage, looking over the crowd. In her head she was a bit surprised, even though she shouldn't have been. She had been to this town many times and each time she had been here she had a similar thing happen to her.
"Hello, my little ponies." Celestia began, at a loss for words, "Thank you for such a... warm welcome back to your beautiful town."
And with that, the crowd began to cheer. Celestia looked over them, not losing composure, but inwardly rolling her eyes.
"Alright, alright, calm down everypony." Celestia said, clapping a hoof on the stage and then waited for the cheering to calm down. After a few seconds the crowd was once again quiet. "While this is a really nice welcoming party, it is a bit... over the top..."
The crowd looked up at the stage, some seeming a bit heartbroken.
"If you all will please excuse me, but I have to speak with the Mayor." Celestia said, finally having enough and walking down off the stage, followed by two of her guards.
As she left the stage, the crowd slowly parted with the help of some of the guards and finally Celestia was free... At least for a while. She made her way from the marketplace and towards the town square where the Mayors house and office was located.
Ponyville Equestria: Town Square; The Mayors Office
Celestia had been waiting in the Mayors office for just a few minutes when the elderly mare came through the door.
"Ah, there you are, Ms. Mare." Celestia said, standing up to greet the Mayor.
"Ah, yes. Princess Celestia. So nice of you to drop by our town." The Mayor said, dipping her head in a short bow. "Sorry about the welcoming thing... But what can I do for you today?"
"Of course. It was alright." Celestia replied, letting a small smile come over her face. "The reason I'm here is to see somepony. One of the residents from your town."
"Oh, really? Is everything alright? Nothings wrong, right?" The Mayor asked.
"Oh, yes, nothing is wrong." Celestia replied, immediately soothing the Mayor's worries.
"Alright then." The Mayor said, looking relieved. "So who's the... lucky pony?"
"It's a mare, a local gardener who sells roses at the marketplace. I believe her name was... Roseluck." Celestia explained.
"Roseluck... Roseluck... Oh yes. I remember her. Cream with two-toned pink and red hair. How soon do you need her?" The Mayor asked, after taking some time to remember which mare the name belonged to.
"Well... As soon as possible would be great, but whenever she's ready will be fine."
"Alright, I'll have her here in a few moments."
With that, the Mayor left to get Roseluck.
Celestia sat herself back down and began to wait. She closed her eyes for a moment and waited, just listening to the sound of the world.
Minutes later she heard the door open once more and her eyes flashed open in time to see the Mayor walk in, being followed by a slightly confused cream colored earth pony.
Celestia stood to greet the two. "Ah, hello. You must be Roseluck."
"Er... Uhm... Yes." Roseluck replied, at a loss from words. She had never been this close to royalty in her life and it was both amazing her and slightly scaring her.
Celestia repressed a chuckle and replied, "It is nice to meet you."
"You too... Princess." Roseluck said, smiling a little as she got over her initial shock.
"So, I guess you are wondering why I asked you to come here?"
"Um... yes, kinda."
"Well, I can't get into it too much here, but I've come to take you to Canterlot. We need your help." Celestia explained.
"My help? I'm just a simple gardener? How could I help you?" Roseluck asked incredulously.
"Well... Exactly. You are a gardener. Anyways, I've said enough. I take it you need time to get ready?"
"That would be... nice."
"Alright, you have an hour to get ready. Then we have to go."
With that Roseluck left the house to begin packing some things to take to Canterlot. She was very confused, but she couldn't say no the the princess.
And so, an hour later, Roseluck was walking out of her house, saddlebags full of necessary objects, and towards the royal chariot. The princess had promised an explanation on the ride, so she was expecting that.
What she didn't expect, however, was that she wasn't going to be coming back to Ponyville anytime soon.
End of Chapter One
