Revisions of Past Mistakes

by SC_Orion

Revisions Part 2

"This isn't friendship..." Twilight said in a voice as soft as the wind, yet as if aided by an unseen force, everypony present heard it as clear as day. The five mares surrounding her immediately looked at her with soft, gentle smiles and pulled back as Twilight slowly stood up. She still didn't look up, but she stood firmly on her hooves. "You said you didn't want to hurt me," she said despairingly. "But this hu-hurts... so, s-so much..." she sobbed. Immediately, she felt five sets of arms wrap around her neck, and she smiled, despite the moisture falling from her eyes.

"Life is despair," Nightfall stated harshly. She looked at the six mares huddled together in a pile and suppressed a smile. The way they held each other reminded her so much of her own friends from centuries before. She turned her attention to the mare that stood out the most of the group, a rainbow-maned pegasus. She suppressed a sigh, 'I'm... sorry,' she thought. 'But at the same time... I'm not.' She looked at Fluttershy and sighed, longing for the friendship of her own kind pegasus bearing the same name as her. She turned her attention back to Twilight. 'You will never get the chance that I never took... It's almost a pity... I... feel sorry for you, Twilight... Perhaps things could have turned out differently here, but... I must do this. In the grand scheme of things, this will make no difference...'

Nightfall glanced at Eclipse and their eyes met. Nightfall half-heartedly suppressed a smirk. Eclipse scrutinized Nightfall's eyes, searching for something she could use. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nightfall smirk. Nightfall threw her head towards Twilight and her friends. Eclipse's heart skipped a beat and she watched in horror as a sickly purple beam of magic erupted out of her horn. She mustered her magic and willpower, then flared her wings and reacted.

Twilight reacted faster. "Friendship is magic," she stated forcefully in a voice that somehow sent shivers down everypony's backs. She ignited her own horn and looked up, forming a lavender barrier around her friends and herself just as the beam reached them. She grunted from the impact, then dropped the barrier the second the beam ended.

Nightfall snorted. "Friendship was magic," she corrected. She sharply turned back towards the four alicorns and unicorn standing in a line against her just as they launched a counter-attack. She bared her teeth in disgust, fell to the ground and rolled out of the way, ignoring her body's protests to the action necessary to save her life. Twin beams and three bolts of magic soared over where she had been standing.

When she stood up, she found herself the target of another barrage before she could retaliate. She scoffed at the sight, then teleported to the rooftop of the building to her right. She leaned over the ledge and scowled at them. She only had a view seconds before they found her, and she had to make them count. She pointed her horn at Rainbow Dash but found herself hesitating for precious milliseconds. She grunted and finally relented, then pointed her horn at Fluttershy. 'I'm sorry,' she thought as she released another beam of magic.

She regarded the lavender barrier that formed around the group of confused mares wryly, knowing what would come of it. Eclipse reacted to Nightfall's attack quicker than she expected, and she had to jump out of the way of a spell. Twilight's barrier collapsed the second the first beam that hit it, and her scream of pain made Nightfall close her eyes.

"Twilight!" several voices cried out as the alicorn fell to the ground, grasping her horn and writhing in pain from the feedback.

Nightfall teleported to the ground, then grabbed Twilight in her magic and teleported away, leaving everypony in shock.

---

Twilight jolted in fear, reeling from the darkness surrounding her. She looked around in panic, searching for anything familiar, something to hold on to. Her friends were nowhere to be seen. She took a step back and summoned her magic, lighting the darkness with her pale lavender aura.

"It took you a while to gain awareness. That did more damage than I intended," Nightfall commented.

Twilight felt a cold chill run down her back. She spun around and pointed her horn at Nightfall. "You..." she trailed off and looked through the darkness. "Where are we?"

"We are inside my mind. You are currently unconscious, and I am locked in battle with the princesses. I have split my mind so that I can talk to you," Nightfall explained.

"W-what?" Twilight asked, taking a step back from Nightfall. "Why would you want to talk to me, why are-"

Nightfall lifted a hoof to silence her. "You are me. Granted, a much, much younger and much more naive version of me, but you are me." Twilight snorted. "I'm sorry."

Twilight raised an eyebrow and glared at her. "You're sorry?" she asked mockingly. "You honestly expect me to believe that?"

Nightfall chuckled. "Your belief is irrelevant. What does it matter whether you believe me or not? It doesn't. For all you know, I could be lying."

Twilight said nothing.

Nightfall walked to her right and nodded. "You know, I'm effectively killing myself."

"Just now realizing that, are you?" Twilight mocked.

Nightfall sharply turned to face her. "Do not forget where we are, foal. We are still in my mind, and you are incredibly vulnerable right now."

"I will die before I let you hurt them," Twilight said calmly.

Nightfall nodded. "So would Eclipse. And I would have, all those years ago." She shook her head. "No, I'm effectively killing myself by fighting them. I'm using the one spell that I said I would never use. But it doesn't matter, I'm going to be dead soon anyway, regardless of who wins." She snorted and smiled weakly.

"If you expect me to feel sorry for you, you're sorely mistaken," Twilight hissed.

"Oh, I know you would kill me if you had the chance." Nightfall looked at the black floor and nodded. "What does that say about you? What does that say about us?"

Twilight looked at her hooves, then looked sharply at Nightfall. "This is your fault. You did this. If you hadn't come back-"

"Yes, yes, yes. It's all my fault. That's been established by now," Nightfall spat. "You do not have to rub salt in the wound. I screwed up. Badly. I ended up losing everything because of my choices. My friends, my family, my mentors. Everything." She took a deep breath and sat down on her haunches. "All I have left are bittersweet memories," she said softly. She looked Twilight in the eye. "I have no reason to keep living. My entire reason for living right now is to destroy the world so that you won't feel my pain. Revenge, partially, bust the main reason is so to spare you. I would not wish my pain on anypony, except Celestia. I hate her with a passion."

"It wasn't her fault," Twilight stated firmly.

Nightfall snorted. "We could discuss this until I either win or Eclipse does. It doesn't change the fact that neither of us are innocent. As you have said, I'm a monster. Eclipse? Maybe you're right. Maybe she isn't a monster. We are the same but opposites." She paused and grunted. "If I win, then you will never experience most of what I did. Most of what I experienced wasn't worth experiencing. There were good times I had with them," she looked off at space longingly, recalling the warm memories. "But they all died. They all passed. Maybe I should have killed myself then, rather than kept going. We wouldn't be here if I had. I'd get to... to be with them again, and I wouldn't..." She closed her eyes. "I miss them. I won't see my friends again. They're dead. Even if there is something after this, I doubt I will ever see them again. Or at the very least, they won't look at me the same way they looked at me when I was you."

Twilight steeled herself. "You expect me to feel sorry for your mistakes?"

Nightfall smiled and shook her head. "Of course not. We've already established that you hate me. You would kill me, but you'd rather not. You don't want the blood on your hooves... or do you? Are you that far gone already?" she asked.

Twilight's lips pressed into a straight, emotionless line.

"Regardless. If you had the chance, would you make the same decisions I did?" Nightfall asked genuinely.

"I... can't answer that question," Twilight answered with a sigh. Her ears drooped as she considered it. "I'm already... I've... I'm not me anymore."

Nightfall nodded. "That... I am sorry." She stood up, then the Elements of Harmony appeared in a flash of purple light. Twilight looked at her quizzically. She levitated the Elements over to Twilight. "Finish this," she commanded.

Twilight ripped the Elements from Nightfall's magic. "You'll die," she said.

Nightfall snorted. "Don't pretend to care. We both know you're just trying to put up a facade to make me not kill you. I don't want to kill you. Besides," she waved a hoof dismissingly, "I'll die regardless. The Elements will probably be... much, much more painful," she grimaced and swallowed, "but..."

"Why are you doing this? You can stop. They can be your friends too," Twilight said.

Nightfall looked at Twilight thoughtfully. "I can't change." Her horn glowed brighter, and the light blinded Twilight, preventing her from seeing Nightfall's smile.

---

Twilight jerked awake. Her head hurt. She winced and rubbed her temples. "Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted. A pair of blue arms wrapped around her, followed by a pair of light yellow arms, then white, pink, and orange. Twilight clenched her eyes shut and tried to block out the headache. Her success was limited. She shifted her weight and the five ponies hugging her stepped away from her. She smiled at them and stood up.

Nightfall flew to the left, narrowly dodging a beam of magic from Eclipse. A bolt of blue slammed into the purple barrier surrounding her. A purple beam of magic surged forward from her horn and collided with a yellow beam.

Four alicorns fought one alicorn. The lone alicorn seemed to be winning.

Twilight grunted and charged up her horn, then teleported six crystals to her. The six Elements of Harmony appeared, held firmly in her magic. The five mares surrounding her gaped in shock. She levitated each gem to its corresponding bearer, and immediately a golden necklace formed from the crystal, and the Element attached itself around its bearer's neck. Twilight brought the Element of Magic to her head, and a golden tiara appeared from it, then she sat it on her head.

She blinked, and her eyes glowed white from the power she wielded. Her friends all lifted into the air as she summoned the magic of the Elements, then she felt herself hover in the air. A low hum filled the air. Over the next few seconds, every fighting alicorn took notice and landed. Nightfall stood stoically, facing them. Eclipse blinked in surprise, unable to understand how Twilight got the Elements.

A rainbow beam erupted from the six mares and raced towards the sky. The lone alicorn rubbed her wings against her sides and lit her horn. Nightfall pointed her horn at Twilight, then released a spell. Twilight whimpered in pain, then the Element of Magic was torn from her control. Nightfall teleported the crown to her head, then she bent control of the Elements to her own will. Her eyes glowed white as the power became hers.

Twilight fell to the ground, panting heavily and whimpering. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance ran towards Twilight.

Eclipse's horn grew brighter, then she fired a beam of magic at Nightfall.

The rainbow colored beam of magic darkened and became monotone, then it faded to a sickly green and black beam racing off towards the sun.

Nightfall winced and grunted from the headache. She felt a trickle of warmth flowing from her nose. She smiled and collapsed to the ground. The crown of the Element of Magic rolled off of her head. Eclipse's beam of magic flew over her and exploded the building it impacted. Twilight's five friends fell to the ground, groaning, but otherwise fine.

Celestia stopped and looked at the sky in horror. Her heart beat faster and she looked at Luna in fear.

It took Luna a few seconds to figure out what Nightfall had done. When she did, she pulled away from Twilight and looked at Celestia gravely. "S-sister?" she asked, unable to mask the fear she felt.

Celestia swallowed and blinked. "I... Luna..." She smiled softly then bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"No..." Luna whispered. She teleported and appeared in front of Celestia.

Eclipse pressed her horn sharply against Nightfall's neck. The corrupted alicorn smiled up at her. "What did you do?" Eclipse demanded.

Nightfall chuckled. The chuckle was empty and trailed off into a fit of coughs. She lit her horn, then teleported away from Eclipse. She reappeared standing on shaky hooves and facing down Eclipse. Eclipse aimed her horn at her. "What will it be?" Nightfall asked. "It won't be long before we're all dead," she raised her eyebrows in emphasis.

"Twilight, are you alright?" Cadance asked in worry. Twilight was whimpering and shaking like she was having a nightmare.

"Twiley?" Shining Armor asked. "Twilight?"

Discord held a neutral expression as he viewed the scene before him. He snapped his claw and immediately was beside Fluttershy. He picked her up, then held her close. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes..." Fluttershy whispered back. She turned her head away from Discord and looked over everypony. Eclipse and Nightfall were staring each other down. Celestia and Luna were watching each other, Celestia looked sad, and Luna was on the verge of breaking down. Cadance and Shining Armor looked worried. Twilight shook. The other four bearers groaned as they pushed themselves up. "W-what did she do?"

Discord grimaced. "Something I thought impossible."

"It's over," Nightfall stated.

Eclipse's resolve faded and she fell to her haunches and hung her head. "I..." She closed her eyes. "After all I did... it didn't make a difference?" she asked.

Nightfall laughed, then grunted and fell to her haunches in pain. "I told you..." she groaned. "That I would not be stopped. Your... your notion of... trying to save... me was foalish," she said between waves of pain.

Eclipse clenched her eyes tighter and stood up. She opened her eyes and looked at Nightfall sadly. For a few seconds, she stood there, then she turned around and walked away from her, leaving Nightfall by herself.

"S-sister, you... you... no, you... can't..." Luna sobbed.

"I don't know of any other way to stop it, Lulu..." Celestia said gently. "If I don't, then Equestria will perish."

"But... you'll..." Luna couldn't bring herself to say it. "I-I feel like I just got you back, and th-then..."

"Shh," Celestia cooed as she pulled Luna into a hug. She glanced up at the sky and watched the faint beam of green and purple as it shot towards her sun. "We had five years, Luna..."

Eclipse regarded Celestia and Luna absently. For a few seconds, she just watched them, then she walked over to them. "Celestia," she said gently.

Celestia and Luna tore away from each other and faced Eclipse. "Y-yes, Eclipse?" Celestia said, wiping a tear away from her eye.

Eclipse glanced back at Nightfall, who was propping herself up against a building. "She... what did she do?"

Celestia swallowed. "She tainted the Elements of Harmony and used it against the sun... once the Element's magic reaches it..."

Eclipse nodded. "Can you stop it?" she asked.

Celestia bit her lip and nodded. "I can, but-"

"It will kill her," Luna said softly. She closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head.

Eclipse closed her eyes, then hung her head and looked at her hooves. She sighed and held her head low for several seconds, then she looked at the ponies surrounding Twilight. "They need you," she said. She turned to face Celestia. "You can't just sacrifice yourself to-"

Celestia stood more regally. "If I don't, Nightfall will succeed in killing everypony, myself included. It... is my duty, and I will not let her hurt my ponies..."

"Celestia..." Eclipse sighed. She turned back to her friends and looked at their crestfallen expressions, then steeled her resolve. "How do I stop this?" she asked.

"You can't," Celestia sighed. "I am the only pony capable of-"

"I can use the Elements," Eclipse countered. "I can at least try to stop this."

"Eclipse, it could... kill you," Celestia replied.

Eclipse shook her head sadly. "I know, but... Equestria needs you more than it needs me. Besides, I've done horrible things. This isn't my Equestria. I doomed my own Equestria. If I can save yours, then... it's worth it. If only to... save them."

"I can't let you do this, Eclipse," Celestia stated firmly.

Eclipse opened her mouth, only to close it and shake her head. "Celestia... I don't... I can't... I can't be responsible for your death again, nor theirs!" She stepped back and teleported the Element of Magic onto her head, then ran towards the ponies surrounding Twilight.

"Eclipse!" Celestia called. Eclipse ignored her.

Everypony looked up at Eclipse's arrival. Their gazes were drawn to the crown on her head. "We have to stop this," she said. The four bearers sulked away from Twilight, then stood around her in silence. Discord hovered over to her and let go of Fluttershy, then stepped back.

Eclipse didn't know what to do, even with the Elements at her disposal. She looked at the beam as it crept closer to the sun while she struggled to come up with an idea of what to do. She turned to Discord. "Discord, can't you do something?" she asked.

Discord grimaced, "The Elements of Harmony are stronger than I am."

"They were corrupted though! That means they should be weaker!" Eclipse retorted.

"W-why um... can't we just move the sun out of the way?" Fluttershy timidly asked.

Eclipse swallowed, thinking back to Luna using the Elements against her. "When... when Luna used the Elements against me, I... could not move. I tried teleporting out of the way, but... I couldn't."

"There has to be something we can do!" Rainbow shouted.

Eclipse looked at her and sighed. "I'm sorry," she said.

"You mean-" Rainbow was cut off by Eclipse teleporting away from the group. The crown of the Element of Magic fell to the ground with a clank and splashed water from the puddle it landed in.

Eclipse enveloped Celestia in her magic. "Ec-Eclipse, what are you doing?" Luna asked.

"Use my magic," Eclipse commanded.

Celestia shook her head. "No, Eclipse... I... I want you to be my successor."

Eclipse's aura died. She stared blankly at Celestia. "Celestia..." she shook her head and walked closer to her. "I'm... I can't. I'm not the right pony to do this."

Celestia smiled, "Eclipse, you've more than proven yourself a good leader and a good pony. Even knowing what you did, I know that you are not that pony. I forgive you, and I hope that you can forgive me." Eclipse said nothing. Celestia's expression fell. "Cadance is... she has the Crystal Empire, and she's expecting. Luna will need help, Eclipse... Twilight..." she trailed off and looked at the mare lying on the ground, shaking. She grimaced and turned back to Eclipse. "She can't do this... It... that's what caused you to become corrupted, wasn't it? I wanted you to be my successor, and..."

"It... you never said that to me," Eclipse answered calmly.

"Did I... tell you that I thought of you as the daughter I never had?" Celestia asked.

Eclipse took a step back and looked at Celestia with a shocked expression. "You..." She licked her lips. "You thought of me as... your daughter?" Celestia smiled. "You... never said... that..." Eclipse clenched her eyes shut as tears spilled from the corners of her eyes.

Celestia pulled Luna and Eclipse into a hug. Both of them eagerly returned it.

Discord looked at the Element of Magic and stroked his beard. He looked up in thought and eyed the beam of magic wryly. He looked back at the Element of magic, then picked it up in his paw and then picked his teeth with it. He pulled back in shock, then ran his tongue over the gold. While mulling over the taste, he snapped his talon and teleported himself and everypony around him over to Celestia, Luna, and Eclipse. "Eclipse?"

"W-what?" Eclipse asked through tears.

Discord wiped off the Element of Magic with a cloth, then handed it to her. "I believe this is yours," he said.

Eclipse pulled back and shook her head. "Th-That's Twilight's, not mine." Discord ignored her and put the tiara on her head.

"It's both of yours," Celestia replied sweetly.

Discord hummed. "You know, I find myself wondering. Nightfall corrupted the Elements of Harmony, but they're still pure and unaffected, and she's dying. I can't help but wonder if she didn't actually corrupt the Elements, but rather the magic that Twilight used against her, then redirected it at the sun."

Eclipse swallowed and pulled back from Celestia. "Twilight and Nightfall were both linked to that magic... Are... are you saying we need to use the Elements... on them?" she asked.

Discord shrugged. "It's worth a shot. Twilight's still unconscious."

Eclipse looked at each of her friends in turn, then looked at Twilight. She sighed, then closed her eyes and accesed the Element's magic. She grabbed the magic and claimed it as her own. The magic wasn't searing, harsh, or condemning. It felt warm and embracing. She smiled at the sensation and then directed the Elements at Twilight, knowing she would be okay.

Instead of a rainbow beam flying into the sky and crashing down onto her, a beam of rainbow-colored magic shot forth from each Element and hit her. Twilight grunted. A few seconds later, the light died down, and Twilight sighed, then picked herself off the ground and rubbed her head. She blinked and looked at everypony. "What... happened?"

"Did it... work?" Rarity asked.

Eclipse looked to the sky and grimaced. "No, it didn't..." She spun around and faced Celestia. "How do I stop this?" she implored. Celestia sighed and relented, then stepped forward and touched her horn to Eclipse's horn. Their horns glowed and their auras mixes. A few seconds later, Celestia pulled back. They locked eyes, both sets were glistening in the light. "Thank you," Eclipse said softly.

Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head. Luna leaned her head against her sister's neck. Eclipse inhaled, then slowly turned around to face her friends. She looked at each of her friends in turn, then met their gazes. She didn't quite meet Rainbow's gaze. She found her mouth dry and her heart beating faster when she finally met Twilight's eyes.

There was a lot she wanted to say. She had waited several lifetimes for the opportunity to see them again. Each lifetime without them had been wasted, in her mind. Each lifetime had a list of things she wanted to say. "Take care of them," she said in a calm, content voice.

Eclipse watched as realization donned on each of them one at a time. She felt tired. She had to force herself not to turn away from them. Their expressions were permanently burned into the back of her mind, right alongside their expressions when she hurt each of them. "You promised!" Rainbow shouted furiously.

Eclipse turned her attention to the pegasus as she hovered in the air and matched her for height. "My first promise was to fix everything and to save you all," she said. "I'm sorry." Rainbow's lips curled in anger, but her eyes told another story. Eclipse locked eyes with her, then opened her mouth. For a few seconds, she struggled with whether to say something or not. She closed her mouth and channeled magic into her teleportation spell, then disappeared in a flash of magic.

---

Eclipse reappeared beside Nightfall, who was struggling to stand up. She grabbed the alicorn in her magic, then lifted her into the air and teleported both of them away. The second they appeared, Eclipse dropped Nightfall to the floor. Nightfall grunted and glared at Eclipse. Eclipse pointed her horn at her and walked over to her. "We're going to have a little chat," she said coldly.

Nightfall snorted. "If you think you can convince me to undo this-"

Eclipse snorted. "Whether you undo this or not doesn't matter. You're not going to win. I won't let you. None of them will suffer for our crimes anymore," she said solemnly. "Celestia was going to sacrifice herself to stop you from succeeding, but I'm taking her place." She smiled, then the Element of Magic started glowing brightly.

Nightfall smiled and tentatively pushed herself up. "How very noble of you," she mocked. "Dying to protect those you love. Naive and weak," she spat. She leveled her horn on Eclipse and lit it with her aura. She groaned as her headache intensified, but she forced herself to focus passed it and on Eclipse.

"You would have done the same all those centuries ago," Eclipse countered with a calm voice. She glanced at the sky and pressed her lips together. She leveled her gaze on Nightfall, then spread her wings out.

Nightfall snarled at her, then fired a bolt of magic at her and charged. "You're not stopping me that easily!"

Eclipse jumped out of the way from the bolt of magic and kicked Nightfall's legs out from under her. The alicorn tumbled to the floor, breathing heavily. For a few seconds, Nightfall laid there, then her aura glowed brighter, temporarily blinding Eclipse. Nightfall lowered her head and pulled back, then jumped at Eclipse. Her horn impacted a lavender barrier surrounding Eclipse, and she stumbled back, wincing in pain.

Eclipse nodded and turned to Nightfall. "You're going to die. We both know that. Why do you keep this up?" she asked gently.

Nightfall snorted. "It will give my life and death some meaning, I suppose. Twilight won't feel the same pain that we've felt. The same pain that drove us to... to this," she spat venomously.

"You're assuming that after what has happened, events would play out the same way. I don't think that..." she trailed off and grunted as a wave of pain rolled over her. "Is very... likely..." she panted.

Nightfall stood up straighter. "It hurts, doesn't it? The pain we've felt." Eclipse matched her gaze and kept her posture firm. "And just think. I couldn't have corrupted the Elements' magic if you hadn't have tried to use them against me with Twilight..." She smiled maliciously. "It helps that Twilight is in the state she is, of course."

"I thought you didn't-" she closed her eyes as another wave of pain rolled through her body "-want Twilight to feel our pain?"

Nightfall looked at Eclipse evenly. "I do not wish her to feel our pain, nor to hurt her."

"That is... exactly what you're doing. She knows exactly what's... what's happening." Eclipse opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "You're trying to kill them all."

Nightfall snorted. "The damage is already done. Even if you save the sun, you will perish-"

"So will you," Eclipse retorted. "The Elements are killing you. I can see it. Even as we speak, you're dying."

A look of revulsion ran across Nightfall's face. "How fitting. Us dying together."

Eclipse focused more magic into the spell and collapsed to her knees as another wave of pain soared through her body. She felt like she was on fire and being crushed at the same time. She bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut. "Do you... really want to die?" she asked.

"No. But that doesn't matter. It will be as it is meant to be," Nightfall grunted.

"You really think this is as it was meant to be? We both know they were meant to become alicorns." Eclipse opened her eyes and met Nightfall's gaze. "There's still time, you know. We can fix all of this and... ascend them."

"You came back to ascend them, didn't you?" Nightfall asked evenly. Eclipse nodded. Nightfall wiped blood away from her muzzle with a hoof. "In our own way, we both came back for the same reason. To stop the pain..." Nightfall pursed her lips and mulled over her thoughts. She pressed her jaw closed as another sharp pang struck at the base of her horn. "Do you-" she coughed "-honestly think that I can change?" she asked in a mocking tone.

"Yes," Eclipse answered firmly.

Nightfall groaned. "You are... so naive and... ugh." She fought through the pain and strode over to Eclipse. "You would give your life for them, despite knowing that we will never see our own again?" she asked mockingly. Eclipse opened her eyes and nodded. Nightfall groaned in disgust, then slowly shook her head in an unsure manner. She stopped, then looked intently at Eclipse. "You... you're not afraid. You're happy." Eclipse said nothing. Nightfall pulled back and looked at the floor. She snorted, "Well then... Perhaps you can have that happy ending after all," she spat, then powered up her horn and teleported both of them away.

Eclipse and Nightfall reappeared on the street below. Nightfall immediately turned to her left and glared at the assembled group of ponies. Not a single one of them didn't have dry eyes. Seven friends were holding each other in a group hug, two sisters had their heads bowed and pressed together, and a husband and wife held each other. She locked eyes on the group of friends, all of whom looked at her unsurely. She turned to Eclipse, then used her magic to rip the Element of Magic away from her. Eclipse gasped in shock and took a step back, then lowered her horn on Nightfall. The corrupt alicorn looked at her evenly, then turned to the group of six mares and one Spirit of Chaos. "Assist me," she demanded.

A look of uncertainty passed through all of them, along with a glimmer of hope. They eventually parted and rushed over to her, then formed a circle around her and closed their eyes. Nightfall looked at Eclipse intently but said nothing, then she closed her eyes. The Elements of Harmony glowed, and all of the mares were lifted into the sky. Nightfall's mane flickered between solid and ethereal as the pink glow from the Element of Magic intensifies, aided by her dark purple aura. Nightfall pressed her eyes together as waves of searing pain rolled through her body.

She fought through the pain and opened her eyes, then tore the magic from the Elements and bent it to her will. It resisted her at first, then stopped fighting. An explosion erupted from the Element of magic, sending a wave of rainbow-colored magic rushing outwards, followed by a rainbow beam of magic rushing towards the sky.

As the wave of rainbow magic rushed away from the epicenter, missing ponies started appearing and looking around in confusion. Pegasi who had been flying fell to the ground in a daze but were unharmed. Unicorns winced and rubbed their heads. Earth ponies blinked and looked around, confused about what had happened. A small, gray unicorn filly appeared just outside of the circle of mares. She grunted and rubbed her head as she adjusted to the light.

One by one, each of the five non-alicorns surrounding Nightfall were lowered to the ground, while Nightfall remained hovering in the air, eyes aglow. Her brow creased in pain, then a flash of white light erupted from her. Everypony present had to shield their eyes.

Nightfall grunted as she hit the ground unceremoniously. She blinked, then scooted her arms forward and pushed against the ground, only to lose consciousness from the pain.

The pain Eclipse felt subsided, and the sun appeared to shine a little brighter. She closed her eyes and let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, then she fell to her haunches and hung her head. For a few seconds, she just sat there, remembering everything that had happened since she came back, thinking that it was finally over. A pair of arms wrapped around her, and then a head pressed against her chest. She wrapped her arm around Rainbow Dash and squeezed her, then opened her eyes and watched as the other five walked over to her and hugged her. She smiled at them.

---

Nightfall jerked her head up and winced. Strands of her mane fell over her face and impaired her vision. She clenched her eyes shut, then tentatively turned to face Eclipse and the ponies surrounding her. She looked at them in disgust, then shifted her hoof forward and pushed against the ground. She clenched her eyes shut as pain rolled through her entire being. She fought against the dizziness and forced herself into a sitting position, but she didn't dare to open her eyes.

'Why did I do that?' She asked herself through the pain. She snarled at herself for undoing all of her hard work and planning in a single blow. Centuries of effort were undone in the blink of an eye, and she had nothing to show for it. The snarl died and she hung her head in pain.

She heard hoofsteps approach her and then slow to a stop. She opened her eyes and blinked the blurriness away. Two white hooves stood at the edge of her vision. She looked up and gritted her teeth. "Celestia," she said coolly. Princess Celestia ignored her tone and smiled gently at her, then extended a hoof to her.

Nightfall glared at Celestia for several seconds, then tore her gaze away from her and stared blankly at the outstretched hoof, trying to remember the meaning of it and decipher the message. Her muzzle twisted between disgust and curiosity multiple times as she realized the offer. She tore her eyes away from the hoof and met Celestia's gaze.

---

Eclipse sighed and enjoyed feeling the gentle and warm breeze flow through her mane and tail. She looked out across a lush and beautiful Equestria, rather than a wasteland of despair. It was refreshing. Everything even looked brighter than it had a few days ago before their trip to Manehatton. Off in the distance, she could see soft and fluffy clouds lazily rolling through the air.

She felt alive and at peace. Her heart was beating, and she was breathing. For the first time in thirteen centuries, her mind wasn't oppressed by painful or dark thoughts. Instead, she smiled as she relived her memories from her early life. Her life from before she became an alicorn, and the next few years. Years that were without a doubt, the best in her whole lifetime. Years that were worth everything to her. Years that would be joined with more happy memories, separated by centuries of pain and suffering.

She smiled and ran her hoof over the vibrant crystal railing. It was alive, and shone brightly in approval, almost like it was happy for her. She looked up at the bright midday sun. The happy golden orb filled the sky and gave life, unlike her own Equestria. She closed her eyes and let the warmth soak into her coat, banishing the cold, lifeless memories of the moon, and the frozen wastes of a time that should not have happened.

She opened her eyes, then levitated the tiara off of her head and looked it over. The golden circlet was reminiscent of Celestia's tiara, but in place of a purple crystal, there was a pink, six-pointed star, one which was a little lighter in color than the gem in Twilight' own new tiara. The gold encased the crystal in a loving and protective embrace and smiled at her.

Eclipse sighed contently, then sat the tiara back on her head. She closed her eyes and inhaled of the late summer air, letting the warm and open air fill her lungs. Fall would come soon, and it would quickly pass, and then Spring would come, bringing with it new life and renewed joy, along with a promise that everything would recover, no matter what happened.

Gentle wingbeats broke the calm stillness, and Eclipse smiled as hooves touched down on the balcony beside her. "This is where you've been?" A raspy feminine voice asked. "Come one, you're missing out on the celebration!"

Eclipse took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I guess I am, aren't I?" She opened her eyes and grinned at the pegasus beside her. She lit her horn, then teleported herself into the air and spread her wings. "Race you!" she shouted with a smile.

It took the pegasus a few seconds to process the challenge, then she grinned and jumped into the air. "Oh, you are so on!" she retorted as Eclipse flew away from her. In the span of a few seconds, she caught up to her. Eclipse was giggling, she looked at her curiously. "What is it?"

Eclipse simply shook her head happily, then banked to the left away from Rainbow and flew down towards the ground. Rainbow Dash followed her, and both of them landed about the same time.

"Eclipse, darling! We were looking all over for you... where have you been?" Rarity chirped as she rushed over to the alicorn.

Eclipse looked over the crowd of happy ponies and smiled. "I've been thinking, that's all," she explained.

"Oh, Eclipse, do tell. What have you been thinking about?" Discord asked as he landed on the alicorn's back. Eclipse looked up at him blankly. He shrugged. "What?" he asked defensively.

Eclipse shook her head and levitated Discord off of her back, then glanced over the crowd. Her eyes fell on Twilight, standing across from a gray unicorn filly. She watched them and smiled, their conversation appearing to come to an end. Twilight turned away from the foal, smiling. Eclipse looked around again, then stopped and watched Princess Celestia. Princess Luna stood on the other side of her, and somepony was hidden between the two of them.

She sighed and looked away, then grunted as Rainbow poked her in her side. "What was that for?" she quipped.

Rainbow smiled, then looked at her seriously. "Why?" she asked.

Eclipse bit her lip, then looked around. She lit her horn and quickly teleported both of them back to the balcony. She looked around cautiously, then faced Rainbow solemnly. "I wasn't about to let you all die, and I wasn't about to let Celestia die. I killed her before, and so it was only fair that I take her place this time."

Rainbow swallowed. "Do you... have any idea how worried I was? How worried we all were? We thought that..." She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

Eclipse tilted her head and smiled at her gently. "I made a promise, didn't I?"

Rainbow cracked a smile, then looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah. You did promise." She turned away from her and looked out across Equestria. "What now?" she asked.

Eclipse pursed her lips and sat down. "Originally, I didn't expect to survive this." Rainbow looked at her sideways. "But... I did." She nodded happily. "I'm not finished yet, though. I still haven't fixed things completely, but... I have time."

Rainbow turned to her and looked at her seriously. "How much time?" she asked in a low voice.

"As much time as I need..." She looked at Rainbow. The pegasus didn't look convinced. Eclipse smiled, attempting to reassure her. "It's enough time," she said. "It'll be worth it. I'll make it worth it, this time." She nodded and turned back to look out over Equestria. "Besides, I still need to ascend all of you... I... can wait a few years for that, though." She nodded happily to herself.

"What about in the meantime?" Rainbow asked.

Eclipse inhaled deeply, then blew air out of her mouth. "I'll take things one day at a time, I guess. Celestia naming me as her successor and all of that..." Rainbow grimaced at that. "Hey, don't worry. I'm not going to go insane this time," she giggled. "I promise."

"Right..." Rainbow groaned. For a few seconds, they sat in silence. "Isn't that kind of... silly though? Won't Celestia still outlive you?"

Eclipse shook her head. "I don't know. The Element of Magic accepted me as it's bearer, alongside Twilight and Nightfall... so I can't honestly say."

"So... one day at a time, huh?" Rainbow asked.

Eclipse nodded. "Yeah. It's... It'll be strange."

"So, what about today?" Rainbow asked. "The Celebration's barely started."

Eclipse shook her head and chuckled. "I have a lot on my mind."

"Yeah, that sounds like you. You're thinking too much, you should just act for once," Rainbow commented.

Eclipse grimaced and looked at the floor. "I did just act before. It ended badly..."

"Well... The fate of the world isn't at stake now, so..." Rainbow trailed off, smiling.

Eclipse smiled and nodded.

Author's Note:

Well... Eleven months and 147,000 words later... it's over.

Man, there's a lot I can say... This has been something. An experience, a major sink of time... As to whether this story is actually any good or not, at least a few people think so, so it's not a complete waste.

I'll be the first to admit this story could have been a lot better.

Originally, this story was just a side project, I projected it to end up at half its current word count, and I had planned to end it with a fight between Twilight and Nightfall in Ponyville. That idea came to me so many months ago, and so much has happened since then, and so much has changed.

For one, I've proven that I have the capability of writing something that is simply massive. I couldn't have honestly pictured myself ever doing this two years ago. When I started writing this, the end of it seemed so far away, and it was even farther than I expected, although not in terms of time.

So I guess I can add an accomplishment, "Finish writing a story totaling over 145,000 words" to my very short list of accomplishments. Again, as to whether this story is any good or not, that's up to all of you who have taken the time to read it to decide. I really hope that you enjoyed this story and that it wasn't too torturous to read.

I'd like to thank everyone who has commented on the story, liked it, or favorited it. It really meant a lot to me and kept me going. If it hadn't been for all of you, this story would have died.

Comments

[Thranx]

It has been a blast reading this, probably the best ending in my opinion, none of the Twilights have to sacrifice their lives and all of them are happy(well, at least as happy as Nightfall can get). To my favourites file then.