//------------------------------//
// Star Fall 
// Story: Revisions of Past Mistakes 
// by SC_Orion 
//------------------------------//

	Eclipse jerked awake and immediately felt an insurmountable sense of dread fill her entire being. The nightmare she had been having quickly faded from her mind as she felt a faint trace of magic. She immediately recognized the lingering hints of Starlight's magic and knew she had cast a powerful spell, and a shiver ran down her spine. Her mind was set racing a mile a minute, going over the sensation, attempting to wrap her mind around what Starlight had done. As she mulled over the sensation, she felt a pit forming in her stomach. She didn't recognize the spell, nor could she determine the source, but it felt like it happened a very long ways away.


"You okay?" Rainbow's voice gently asked, bringing her back to reality.


Eclipse blinked several times and refocused her thoughts on her surroundings, she was lying on the floor, her head resting in Rainbow's lap, facing away from her. 'I must have fallen asleep some time...' She was vaguely aware of Rainbow's hoof trailing through her mane. Her mind briefly wandered back into her thoughts, but she pushed it aside and forced herself up. "Starlight is making her move," she said gravely.


Rainbow looked at her, doing her best to hide the fear she felt at hearing that. "How do you know that?" she asked quickly, hoping that Eclipse was joking or that it has just been a nightmare, despite looking and sounding like anything but a joke. It being a nightmare, however, wouldn't have surprised her. She didn't know how Eclipse normally slept, but it didn't seem peaceful while she slept on her lap. Her legs and wings kept twitching. The motions were slight but sudden, almost like she was trying to escape something that was chasing her.


Eclipse looked at the floor as she stood to her hooves. "I felt it..." She met Rainbow's gaze as the young pegasus rose to her hooves, "She used a powerful spell..." She clenched her jaw and shook her head. "I do not know to what purpose, but I felt it." Voicing that she did not know to what purpose the spell was only caused her fear and anxiety to double. She closed her eyes and bowed her head as she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. Being on the edge of breaking down in the middle of a fight wasn't in her best interests. After a few seconds she looked back up and met Rainbow's gaze.


"Are you sure it wasn't just a... nightmare?" Rainbow asked carefully as she looked over Eclipse's expression. Her eyes still looked haunted by the fear she felt, and that made her afraid. After a few more seconds, Eclipse managed to compose herself and mask the fear she felt. Rainbow took that as her gaining confidence, and it helped put her at ease.


Eclipse shook her head, "No, I still feel the trace of magic left over..." she trailed off and shivered.


There was a flash of purple light and a crackling sound. Both Eclipse and Rainbow turned to see Nightfall, Shining Armor, and Fluttershy. The latter two looked around in confusion, the result of several teleportation spells taking place in the span of several seconds. Nightfall held an unnerving smile, and when Eclipse met her gaze, another shiver ran down her spine, but this time, from a different source. "It is time," Nightfall said with elation.


"You felt it too..." Eclipse said, more so to herself than anypony else.


Nightfall nodded, "Of course I felt it too," she said as if a mother chiding her foal for doing something stupid. The way she said it really stung Eclipse, but she ignored it.


"Alright, what's going on?" Shining Armor finally asked as he looked between the two elder alicorns. Nightfall had been looking at the floor a few seconds ago. When her head jerked up and she smiled like a mad mare it sent shivers down his spine. She hadn't given any explanation before igniting her horn and teleporting the three of them to Rainbow's room, after first teleporting to the library and Eclipse's room. Much to his surprise, Eclipse was already present, and judging from the few words exchanged between Eclipse and Nightfall, he had a sneaking suspicion that their night was about to get much, much worse.


Both Eclipse and Nightfall looked at him, "Starlight Glimmer is making her move," they said in unison, their voices a stark contrast. While Eclipse's voice held fear and worry, despite her attempts to hide it, Nightfall's dark voice held eagerness and determination. The corrupted alicorn was looking forwards to her revenge on the unicorn that betrayed her. Eclipse was afraid, Starlight was making her move, and they weren't prepared. It also meant that she would have to fight Nightfall soon.


Fluttershy's face paled, and Shining Armor grimaced. "We need to tell the others..." he said. "We need a plan." The thought of taking on a unicorn that had beat his sister, an alicorn, even if it was because she had the advantage of surprise, without a plan raised countless red flags in his mind. Starlight had also helped Nightfall fight and defeat Eclipse, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and his sister again too. Even if Nightfall did most of the heavy lifting, he knew taking on Starlight without a plan was destined to fail, though the odds were in their favor.


Nightfall nodded her head, "Agreed."


"Give me the Elements, Nightfall," Eclipse commanded. Nightfall turned to face Eclipse and narrowed her eyes at her rival. "For a backup plan," she said. "In case we fail."


Nightfall snorted. "I will hold onto the Elements, Eclipse. If you try to take them, you will be fighting not just Starlight Glimmer. I will not let you have them, and we will not fail."


Eclipse held her firm gaze for several seconds before it started to crumble. "What if we fail?" she asked. "What if Starlight beats us?"


Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Eclipse, and Shining Armor all looked at Nightfall. Their eyes felt like they were boring into her, and it made her uncomfortable. "You would use the Elements against me and kill me," she stated firmly.


Eclipse looked at the floor, realizing she wouldn't win this argument. Her ears fell back to her head and she looked back up. "Very well," she said in a dull, emotionless voice. With those words, her mind wandered back to her promise to Rainbow. Her face slowly contorted in pain, but it went unnoticed by everypony except Nightfall.


Nightfall's gaze trailed over her expression for several seconds. She found herself curious as to the source of Eclipse's discomfort. She looked passed her at Rainbow Dash and briefly let her mind wander without any direction. It wasn't long before she pushed the memories and thoughts away because of the discomfort they caused. She refocused on the present and turned to Shining Armor, "Assemble the others," she commanded.


"What about Twilight?" he asked.


Nightfall scowled and her gaze shot over to Eclipse who looked at the floor guiltily. "In the state she is in, she should remain here."


"Someone needs to stay with her then," Shining replied.


Nightfall looked down at her hooves and shook her head. "Then Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie should stay behind. They have no place in this battle."


Immediately following her statement, Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle teleported into the room, which was now starting to overflow with ponies. The original occupants looked between the two new arrivals and rested their gaze on Twilight, whose expression was unsure. Twilight looked at Nightfall and then Eclipse pleadingly, "I'm coming with you..." she said hesitantly. She knew she shouldn't go with them, but she was not just going to stand by and do nothing while they fought Starlight.


Nightfall looked at Eclipse, "She should not come with us."


Eclipse sighed and nodded. "You should stay here,-" Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Eclipse raised a hoof to stop her. Something about Eclipse's movement made her look much older than she did, giving Twilight pause. "But, I will not stop you from coming with us..."


Nightfall opened her mouth to argue with her but snapped it closed. After taking a second to compose herself, she opened her mouth again, "Very well."


Eclipse watched the floor for several seconds before she realized everypony was looking at her to lead them. They were looking at her. Not Twilight, not Princess Cadance, not Nightfall, not Shining Armor, but her. She took a deep breath and looked up at her brother, "Please gather the rest of the girls and Spike..." Shining nodded but hesitated, feeling like he needed to stay. Eclipse looked back at Nightfall, "We will take down Starlight and then find Celestia and Luna."


Nightfall tilted her head and raised an eyebrow when Eclipse didn't elaborate further. "Any more thought put to that plan than just us taking her down?"


Eclipse looked at the floor and bobbed her head, "Together we should be able to defeat her easily enough... We've both killed alicorns before." Twilight's eyes darted towards Eclipse and she felt a sharp pain of guilt strike her heart as she remembered what Eclipse had said. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she steeled her resolve.


"Fair point," Nightfall nodded. "Though," she tilted her head and glanced at Rainbow Dash standing beside Eclipse, "your heart seems otherwise occupied."


"You'll have to forgive me for spending time with my friend when I'll have to fight you soon," Eclipse replied sarcastically. 'And die to protect them...' she added mentally. She wouldn't admit it, but that thought scared her. But it didn't scare her as much as Nightfall winning did. She looked at her hooves and closed her eyes, 'I will stop you from hurting them, Nightfall, no matter the cost.' Eclipse swallowed and then looked back up at Nightfall.


Nightfall nodded. "You have something to fight for..." she trailed off and found a dull ache starting to make itself known in her heart. She regarded the pain dispassionately for a few seconds before pushing it aside and stomping it out. "It will give you strength... Perhaps you will succeed in defeating me. But first, we have a unicorn to put down."


"First, we need to find her..." Cadance trailed off.


"We know the general direction she is in," Nightfall replied.


"Right..." Eclipse nodded her head. "We should be able to find her by following the lingering hints of magic to her."


Nightfall groaned, "I am surrounded by foals..." she mumbled under her breath and shook her head. "If memory serves correctly, there are only a few of major cities coming from that-" she jerked a hoof in the direction that the spell had come from, "-direction. We should be able to narrow down where she is even more if we use a few spells."


Eclipse shifted her weight and nodded. "I hadn't thought of that..."


"Of course not," Nightfall said absently. She looked around the room before baring her teeth in disgust, "Perhaps we should find a more spacious room to reconvene in." She turned to Shining Armor, "Find the others and have them go to the castle's library," she said with finality. Shining Armor glanced at Eclipse, who bowed her head in agreement. He looked back to Nightfall and then slowly made his way out of the room.





Discord looked over the small unicorn standing about ten feet away from him. He had a hard time believing that the pink mare could truly pose a threat to anything, but he had learned never to underestimate somepony based on their looks. He glanced at Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, he felt pity for both of them. He fought back the urge to make a snide joke about their positions being reversed, he wouldn't do something mean like that. "You know, I find myself wondering," he raised his claw to his goatee and ran a talon through it as he looked off into the sky, trailing over the oncoming storm, "do you know what you're doing?"


"You... You aren't real!" Starlight shouted as she poured more magic into her horn, intending to attack him before he could strike her. "You cannot exist!"


Discord leaned back and hung his head low while raising his paw to his chest, "Oh, how your words hurt me so," he mocked before standing to his full height. His expression darkened, "I assure you, Starlight Glimmer, I most certainly am real."


Starlight took a deep breath, "You can't defeat me! I have more power than you can imagine!"


Discord rolled his eyes. They stopped with both of them having the number one facing the sky. He snapped his talons and his eyes returned to his head. "Fighting you would be so... so boring. I do not fight, Starlight Glimmer. I manipulate." He smiled, "Besides, what would be the fun in just stopping you?" His expression darkened again, "But keep in mind I will be watching. I will intervene if you lay a hoof on Fluttershy."


Starlight swung her head downwards and released her spell. The bolt of bright blue magic struck Discord square in his chest, and he was knocked back a few feet. Once he came to a stop, he grunted and wiped the scorch mark away with his paw. "If you wish to fight me, Starlight Glimmer... you will not win."


"You won't stop me! I will-"


"Oh no. I don't wish to stop you. At least not yet. I want to see how this plays out... It's not every day that I get to witness a battle between four alicorns and a unicorn with two alicorn slaves... Good job with that, by the way," he commented as he filed one of his talons. After a few more seconds, he threw the iron file away and it slowly dissipated into the air. He looked over the unicorn again before snapping a talon and disappearing in a flash of white light, immediately followed by a thunderous boom of lightning.


Starlight scanned the area where Discord had occupied for several seconds before turning back around. If looks could kill, her scowl would easily stop Nightfall, Eclipse, Twilight, and the rest of them. "Nightfall and Eclipse will be here soon... With any luck they'll kill each other, leaving Twilight and her friends to me..." She turned to Princess Celestia, "Wait for my signal before making your presence known," she commanded. Princess Celestia bowed. When she rose up, she lit her horn and teleported away, followed by Princess Luna.


As the light from the dual teleportations died away, the rain intensified. Starlight felt a shiver run down her spine as the cold drops pelted her coat. It wasn't long before the downpour soaked her to the bone, but the cold rain did nothing to dampen her burning hatred.





"Manehatton," Eclipse repeated, nodding to herself. "That's one of the largest cities in Equestria."


"How fitting," Nightfall said thoughtfully.


Eclipse teleported a scroll and quill to her, then quickly scribbled out a message. After the ink dried, she rolled the scroll up and sealed it, then teleported it to Canterlot to one of the most competent guards. She nodded to herself after the flash of light died down. "The Royal Guard will know where we're going. I told them to stay put unless we fail..."


Nightfall snorted, "They are far too incompetent to stop Starlight Glimmer. The Guard is a joke."


"The Royal Guard is a very capable force, Nightfall," Shining Armor countered with a fierce glare. Nightfall bit her lip to prevent herself from breaking out laughing at that. 


"How do you suggest we get to Manehatton?" Cadance asked, changing the subject before her husband and Nightfall went at each other's throats.


Twilight's face contorted in thought as she considered their options. More than half the ponies present could fly. Carrying the other four would slow them down too much, though. She mentally crossed out that option and moved to the next option. Teleportation, it would let them get there within the span of a few seconds, but it would leave them vulnerable. Teleporting ten ponies from Ponyville to Manehatton was not something to be taken lightly. "Teleporting would be the most time efficient manner..."


"Time is of the essence..." Eclipse agreed tentatively. As she spoke, in the back of her mind, she pictured a clock counting down the seconds. Ticking by, second by second that they delayed, each time the second hand moved it brought them closer to midnight. Closer to Starlight or Nightfall's victory. Something she could not allow. Something she would prevent.


"Mass teleporting ten ponies that distance would require a lot of magic," Nightfall countered.


Eclipse bobbed her head, "We can do it together... And if Cadance and Twilight help, it should be a piece of cake." She knew from experience, four alicorns working together had the power to perform incredible feats of magic. More than a thousand years before, she had wielded the power of four alicorns and fought Lord Tirek. She could still remember how it felt to wield that kind of power, only surpassed by the Elements themselves. She didn't have that kind of power now, but she had friends and allies to help her. And if it came down to it, she had a spell that she could use, though the cost would be great.


"It will still use a lot of magic, you are just spreading out the cost to all of us," Nightfall chided.


Eclipse sighed and met her gaze, "I know... Do you have a better idea?" Nightfall remained silent. "Then we will teleport there," she said firmly. Nightfall relented and nodded. She looked around the room and took a deep breath, then looked at Twilight. She could still see the pain she had caused her in her eyes. "Are you sure you want to come with us?" Twilight nodded somewhat reluctantly, but she said nothing. Eclipse turned to Cadance and looked over her sister's body. She wasn't showing yet, but that didn't make her any less of a target than herself. "Are you sure you want to come with us? It could be dangerous for your foal..."


Shining Armor's eyes darted to Cadance, and she shifted her weight uncomfortably as all eyes fell on herself. "The best way I can keep her safe is by helping you," she said calmly. The life of her unborn foal hung in her hooves. She was counting on Cadance to keep her safe. As much as Cadance wanted to avoid fighting and putting herself and her foal in danger, she knew it was unavoidable. She glanced at Nightfall and felt fear. Fear for her foal's life, fear for Shining Armor's life, fear for all of Twilight and her friend's lives, and fear for her own life. The ember of hope she felt when she looked at Nightfall what seemed like an eternity ago had grown, but she barely saw a difference in how Nightfall acted. She could still see the pain of loss in her eyes. As much as Eclipse and Nightfall tried to hide it, she could see they had lost somepony more important to them than their own lives, but it was impossible for her to tell who.


Eclipse nodded and turned to face Nightfall. "There's no way I can convince you to give me the Elements?" Nightfall remained silent and Eclipse sighed. Her ears fell back to her head and she nodded. "Alright... Please gather close to me, everypony." At her command, everypony present started approaching her in the center of the room. She felt like the spell she was about to cast was sentencing each of her friends to death. They had all faced many enemies together before and had come out on top each time. She had faced Starlight Glimmer three times before, and each time she had won in the end. 'In the end...' the thought echoed in her mind. 'In the end, does this matter?' she asked herself. She knew that her actions could very well cost the life of each of the ponies present. Just one mistake is all it would take. She had a track record for making mistakes. The burden she was forced to carry weighed heavily upon her mind, body, and soul, but she would not put it on anypony else. It was her mistake that brought them to where they were, and she would fix it.


Twilight paused mid stride and looked back at Spike before grabbing him in a hug and squeezing him tightly. "Hold the castle, Spike."


Spike squeezed her back, "Stay safe, Twilight..." It didn't take him long before he felt something moist roll down his face. He didn't need to look to know it was a tear, but he didn't care if any of them saw him crying. He didn't even care if Rarity saw him crying, he knew that they were all going into danger. They had faced several ancient evils before, but this time, it was different. After they beat Starlight, he knew who they would have to fight next. It was wrong, they shouldn't have to fight Twilight... Even if it was a future version of herself, it was so very, very wrong and twisted. What happened to her was wrong. What she had done was wrong. What she planned to do and said she wanted to do was wrong. 


Twilight gave him another squeeze before releasing him. "I will," she said. The sight of him crying almost brought tears to her own eyes, but she did not cry. She needed to be strong, and she would, for her friends. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before she turned around and crossed the short distance in the span of a few seconds. once she joined the rest of the ponies, she couldn't help but find her gaze drawn to Nightfall. Her callose expression irked her and served to reinforce her determination. She would not cry, not now. 'You will pay for what you did, Nightfall...' she swore to herself. 'I am not you, and Eclipse is not you. You're a monster...' Even with the thought firmly entrenched in her mind, she felt fear, worry, and doubt. Even if she wasn't Nightfall, she knew that Nightfall was a future version of herself. She hated her, and her burning rage was only tempered by the overwhelming despair she felt knowing that not one, but two future iterations of herself murdered Princess Celestia, and one of them wanted to kill her friends. She swallowed as she felt her determination waver, but she held firm.


Eclipse looked over her group, she felt pain in her heart knowing that they were all counting on her and Nightfall to succeed, lead, and protect them. Her gaze landed on Fluttershy, standing between Shining Armor and Nightfall. She looked to Shining's left and looked over Twilight and her unsure expression. To Twilight's left, Princess Cadance, the soon to be mother. Eclipse stood across from Nightfall with Cadance to her right. Immediately to her left were Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and then Pinkie Pie. The were standing in a circle, and after Eclipse's gaze returned to Nightfall, she lit her horn. 'It does matter...' she told herself. "Cadance, Twilight, Nightfall..." the last name came out strained. "Please give me your magic," she asked. Twilight and Cadance immediately lit their horns with their magic, and Eclipse felt a rush of power. Nightfall hesitated for a few seconds before lighting her own horn and giving her magic to Eclipse. Of the four auras coming from the alicorns' horns, Nightfall's was the darkest, and Cadance's was the lightest. Eclipse's own aura was a little brighter than Twilight's, and she frowned at that for a second before pushing the concern aside.


She concentrated on the magic that was being given to her to take, and much to her surprise, Nightfall wasn't holding back. Her mouth felt dry at that, Nightfall was vulnerable once again. It wouldn't take much for her to take all of Nightfall's magic, ending the threat from her then and there. She licked her lips and swallowed. She looked over Nightfall's expression, searching for any hint that she knew what she was considering. The only things she saw were determination, eagerness, and fear. She felt like somepony had stabbed her in the heart at the realization that Nightfall looked afraid. She tried to hide it, and she masked it well, but she had seen that face before. Briefly, a memory rolled passed her eyes as she thought about that expression Nightfall held. The overly eager smile meant to convey a sense of complete confidence that she would emerge victoriously, only it was faked to hide her fear and worry, knowing something bad was going to happen. Her eyes fell to her hooves, even if Nightfall was evil, she would not stoop to her level and betray her in such a vulnerable state. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. She reaffirmed her promise to protect them no matter the cost.


Resigned to her fate, Eclipse cast the spell.