A Dark Shade of the Past

by InfinityBreach

Of Horses and Ponies

"Would you mind if I studied you? I've never known for an Earth Pony to have magical abilities." Twilight asked me, with a glint in her eyes.

"Um…" I backed away a little, not sure how to respond to her, especially since I barely even knew her.

"Aw come on, Eclipsal. You might not know Twilight here, but you trust me and Fluttershy, right?" Rainbow smirked.

I stood there for a few moments, thinking things over. Rainbow and Fluttershy took care of me when I was injured. I'm sure I can trust them… right?

I nodded my head a little, to respond to Rainbow's question.

"Okay well come over here, while I look through some books to see what I can find." Twilight said, reassuringly.

I walked over to her, and as I did the sound of my steps seemed to echo across the room, which made Twilight's ears perk up.

"Your steps seem pretty loud…" she said. She then looked at my hooves, and seemed in shock for a second.

"Wait a minute here… you can't be a pony." Twilight stated, curiously.

"Uh… what?" I said, looking down at my hooves. "Are you looking at these things encasing my hooves?" I asked.

"Yes. Those are horseshoes. This makes no sense though." Twilight responded.

"How can this not make sense?" I asked.

"Because only horses can grow horseshoes. Ponies can't. Also, because horses have been extinct for many, many decades…" Fluttershy said, staring at me in wonder.

"That… really doesn't make any sense." I stared at my hooves, not knowing what to think.

Twilight picked up my hoof, examining it. "These are real horseshoes alright. No way these are fake."

"How can you tell?" I asked.

"Well, a long time ago, when horses and ponies both existed together, horses grew horseshoes on their own. Horses have special magic inside them, just like every creature does. Not like the magic you demonstrated, but a different one, having to do with their hooves. When they were born, their magic would coat them, and encase their hooves in an irremovable meld of metals." Twilight explained.

"So then how did horses go extinct?" Rainbow asked.

"They began mating with ponies, and well… at some point, only ponies existed." Fluttershy responded.

"Then… where did I come from?" I asked no one in particular.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at me sadly, knowing that it would be even harder to find out who I am when I technically don't exist. My ears drooped down, and I decided to sit down.

"Maybe I can ask Celestia about horses." Twilight said.

"Celestia… that's the princess pony right?" I asked.

"Yes, and she has lived for thousands of years too, so she must know something about the horse race. I'm sure she would be more than willing to help." Twilight replyed, smiling.

"Spike!" Twilight yelled. "Get out of bed! I need you!"

From upstairs I could hear a loud groan and some shuffling. Pretty soon, a purple and green thing appeared at the top of the stairs.

"What is it Twilight? Its barely past noon, and you know how I like my sleep." He said.

I stared at the small being while he walked down the stairs, and for some reason, the word 'Draco' appeared inside my head.

"Who is this?" I asked Twilight.

"This is Spike, a dragon. He's also my assistant, helping me with my studies and taking care of the library." Twilight responded.

I nodded my head a little, and looked at him. He got to the bottom of the stairs, and looked around, sighing. I looked around too, and saw how much of a mess there was. If he's Twilight's assistant I guess he's going to have to clean all this up…

"Who is this?" said Spike, breaking my train of thought. I was about greet him, when Twilight interrupted me.

"This is Eclipsal Shade. He lost his memories, and I need you to take a note to the princess asking her for information." Twilight said.

Spike sighed, and took out a scroll and a quill, then looked at Twilight, signaling that he was ready to write the note.

"Ah-hem." Twilight began. "Dear Princess Celestia, my friends Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash found a wounded creature outside Fluttershy's house during the storm last night. The strange thing is, he is a horse, and has no idea as to who he is. From what I can tell, he must have lost his memories during the storm. Coupled with that, he also seems to possess Unicorn-grade magic, not like the magic that normal horses used to use. The magic was so strong that I couldn't even cast a spell on him to help him free his memories. I would like to borrow all the reference books about horses in the Canterlot archive, and also any other books that you might recommend involving horses. If you happen to have any other information about horses that could help us out, I would also appreciate that."

"…. Signed, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." Spike finished for her.

With that, Spike blew fire on the letter, and it disintegrated.

"Why did you put the letter on fire?" I asked Spike.

"Oh, it's just that my fire is magical, and it can be used to transport messages to other ponies faster than mail can." Spike explained.

'So everything in the world has some sort of magical thing about them?' I thought to myself. 'Ugh… this is so confusing.'

"Are you even sure I'm a horse?" I asked Twilight, doubting that I was really all that different.

"Well, look at how tall you are compared to other ponies. You're even a little taller than the biggest pony around, Big Mac." Twilight said.

"Although you're not as muscular." Spike added.

Twilight rolled her eyes at her assistant, and continued. "You also have horseshoes, which don't even exist anymore. If it weren't for those two facts, I would think you're a regular pony."

After she explained this to me, I looked at myself, then at Fluttershy who was still next to me. I really was taller than her!

"Well… okay I guess." I said, unsure of what to do.

Then Twilight asked a question that surprised me. "Where is Eclipsal going to be living?"

I looked at Fluttershy, who glanced at me, then started mumbling something. I was barely able to make it out, but she said, "There isn't enough room for him to stay at my house..."

I looked at Rainbow Dash next, and she looked at me and shrugged. "I live in a house on a cloud. Since you can't fly, you're gonna have to find another place."

This time I glanced at Twilight, even though I had a good idea at what her answer was.

"You can't live with me either; my library is a bit too small for you."

I felt my ears droop down, and was saddened at what I heard. "So… I'm going to be all alone?" I asked, staring hard at the ground.

Fluttershy hugged me, saying, "Of course not! You will always have us. We'll help you find a place to live, don't you worry." She smiled at me, which filled my heart with the happiness that I needed.

Me, the last of my kind, nowhere to live, in a place where nopony knows me. Things would have gone even worse if it weren't for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

"Thank you Fluttershy," I smiled. "Thank you too Rainbow. You two are amazing ponies."

"You're darn right we are!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Eh-heh, I mean, thanks Eclipsal." she said after Fluttershy gave her a condescending stare.

Fluttershy let go of me and turned towards the door. "Rainbow, I have to go and take care of my animals. Can you help Eclipsal find a home?"

Rainbow turned to her and saluted, saying, "Yes, mam."

After Fluttershy left, Twilight said, "Maybe you should try Applejack's house first. I'm sure she would be more than happy to let you live there. Especially since she recently cleared out that one barn of hers."

"Sounds like the best place to start." Rainbow said. "Come on, Eclipsal, we had better start heading over there before it gets dark."

I nodded my head, and turned to Twilight. "Thank you for everything Twilight. Thanks to you, knowing what I am can bring me closer to figuring out who I am."

Twilight blushed, surprised from the sudden praise. "I-it's no problem."

"See ya, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said, flying out the door. I trotted along behind her, and said one last goodbye to Twilight before shutting the door.