Darkness of the Eclipse

by Silverstream233

Chapter 17

Author's Note:

The names of Celestia's and Luna's parents are from Ink rose's headcannon, "Celestia, Luna, and the history of equestria" video.

"What are you doing here?" Luna narrowed her eyes and backed away from the dark blue mare.

"You came here seeking answers, didn't you? Trying to find out more about my connection with your sister?" Asteria took a step towards her.

"Stay back!" She snapped, her horn beginning to glow.

"Oh, I won't hurt you. We have a truce until the next battle," Asteria cleaned off the dust on Celestia's old bed and settled down on it.

"Well? Are you going to answer my question?" Asteria questioned.

"Why should I believe what you have to tell me?" Luna retorted."You are nothing but a threat to Equestria!"

"That's what they thought too," Asteria said bitterly.

"Who?" Luna was getting curious.

"Your parents!" Asteria sprang up, her face contorted with fury. Luna took a step back, startled.

"I was their first born. I should have been ruler! But I was rejected because I wasn't their true daughter!" Asteria advanced on her, her wings spread out.

"What are you talking about?" Luna teleported herself to the other side of the room, her eyes wary.

"Perhaps you should ask your parents yourself!" Asteria flicked open the windows.

"How? They've been gone for thousand of years!" Luna ran after her.

"I thought your purpose was to show everyone the beauty of the eclipse!" Luna added.

"Luna, Luna, Luna, are you really that ignorant? You should have known that I lied to the ponies about that! I have other intentions...I thought you were smarter than that!"

She turned back into mist and vanished into the night sky. Luna glanced at the moon and stared at the whiteness and purity of it. Although it was beautiful, there was darkness behind it. Luna took a deep breath,and tried to connect with the light creatures of the moon. When she had been banished, there had been moon creatures that seemed to be made of dreams and looked like clouds. They had comforted her, but Nightmare Moon had taken over her again and they had scattered.

"Hoo!" Luna whipped around to see a white owl flying towards her.

"Moon! Did anyone follow you?" She glanced at the doors anxiously.

"Only me," Trixie appeared at the entrance. "Look, I know how you feel Luna. I-" She broke off and shrank back as Luna glared at her.

"How? You've never had to fight off a threat to Equestria. I betrayed them as Nightmare Moon! How could they ever trust me to protect them again?" Her expression was filled with anger and hurt. Trixie started forward, but to her surprise, Luna looked up again, her face hard with determination.

"I'll show all of Ponyville that Nightmare Moon is my past. If they can't see that, then so be it. It's my duty to protect Equestria and I won't let my friends down." She walked past Trixie with her head held high and Moon perched on her shoulders. Trixie followed her. As they arrived at the castle, Luna called everyone together; even Discord poked his head in uncertainly and Shining Armor sat at the entrance.

"Ponies, my second battle with her draws near. I need you to defend Ponyville from the ground. There is no doubt she won't let her night creatures attack you. But, I also have creatures of my own. A little while ago, I made contact with the moon spirit animals and they will come to Earth to help me. I know that I was defeated during my first battle because of the guilt I carried inside me of abandoning my sister," Luna paused as she pushed away the unhappy memory. Twilight and her friends smiled. They could no longer see uncertainly in the princess's eyes; there was only hard determination.

"My wing is nearly healed, but I have a plan and I'll go fight her tomorrow," Luna said.

"But isn't that too soon?" Rarity said worriedly.

"I've got a plan in mind and it will surprise everypony, including her." Luna replied. "There's another thing too...my sister has some connection with Asteria. I don't know what it is for she never mentioned it to me," Luna sounded worried.

"Maybe she couldn't tell you because she was afraid she would put you in danger," Fluttershy suggested quietly.

"A princess should make sacrifices, yes, but I don't like the idea that she puts herself in danger while I don't. We should handle problems together," Luna replied.

"Excluding this one," Rainbow Dash added.

"Right," Luna said. She opened the diary she had got from Celestia's old room and flipped through it, hoping to find clues, but there was none. She did, however find a spell book with a way that breaks enchantments over certain objects.

She went back to her room and opened the door to her small balcony. Concentrating all her energy on the moon, she tried to lower it. At once a black ray shot out towards her, but Luna was ready and created a shield just in time, reflecting it back at the moon with a loud boom! It worked! Ponies ran outside to see what was going on. Luna flew carefully down to the ground where the mane six were staying up at the sky.

"I'll try to lower the moon now," Luna flew up carefully and tried to lower it. Inch by inch, it lowered, revealing rays of sunshine. Ponies shielded their eyes as sunlight reached them for the first time in a week.

"This was not part of our deal, Luna!" A loud boom echoed across the sky. A huge shadow covered the moon and it flew down towards Ponyville with lightning speed. Ponies fled, but Luna shot out a thick blue ray of magic towards it, knocking it down and creating a large crater. Luna stepped towards it.

"I figured out your plan. I guess I am as smart as you think," Luna said.

"You want to fight me already? With one wing injured?" Asteria sneered, flying out from the pit.

"I do, but first, you lower the sun and we can fight in the moonlight," Luna replied.

"Moonlight? Why?" Asteria narrowed her eyes.

"It would be easier for the both of us," Luna answered.

"Then hand over the alicorn amulet!" Asteria demanded.

"No," Luna replied calmly. "This will be a more even fight and you won't have your little servant to help you." Her eyes flickered at something behind Asteria. She turned to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack tying up Black Ember against a tree while Twilight restrained his magic with a spell.

"Do you think that everyone has forgotten what you did as Nightmare Moon? Some still fear you, but they're not brave enough to join my side!" Asteria boomed. Luna did not flinch.

"Nightmare Moon is in the past! The nightmare forces are no longer with me. I only wish to bring good and harmony to Equestria. Everypony knows that this is not your intention, so why would they join you?" Luna fired back.

"She's right! She's our princess and no pony's perfect!" Lyra Heartstrings bravely stepped forward until she stood a littles way behind Luna. Bonbon joined her, then Mrs and Mr Cake, followed by the cutie mark crusaders and even Diamond Tiara and her father.

"Fools! You saw what she did! She abandoned her own sister!" Asteria yelled.

"But she's protecting us!" Sweetie Belle snapped. Rarity nudged her sister back, but she refused to budge. Asteria's eyes flared, then she rose up and lowered the sun.

"I'll throw you all in darkness! Then you'll see her true intentions." Sweetie belle cowered next to her sister as darkness began to cover Equestria. Luna's horn glowed, then her entire body seemed to shimmer with moonlight as she flew up and rose the moon once again, throwing silver light over the ponies.

"Luna, you're glowing!" Fluttershy gasped. A single brighter ray of moonlight shone on Luna as tiny white balls of light flowed inside it.

"Look out!" Lyra called, pointing at the sky. Instead of a black creature, a white one was flowing slowly towards her.

"Could that be," Twilight gasped, here eyes wide. "It's the spirit of the moon and her creatures! It's real!" The shadows shifted into the shape of an alicorn Luna lowered her head to it.

"What is your purpose of calling me here?" The white pony asked, her voice pure and serene.

"I wish to borrow some of your power, to protect Equestria and all the ponies who live in it," Luna said, speaking directly to the white mare. Asteria shot a bolt of magic at them, but it simply vanished.

"And what of your past of Nightmare moon?" The mare continued.

"Long gone. Nothing but a mere memory. I shall never turn against my ponies again. Their love for the night is true now. Although my sister often shines more brightly than me, I shall embrace the love my sister and my subjects gives as equal to the love given to my sisters," Luna said. Asteria stopped trying to attack them and stared at them in shock and anger. Everypony was staring at Luna and the white mare.

"I have taught you well, my dear," The white mare shifted to reveal a white alicorn with orange tinted legs. Her mane pale orange that slowly shifted into a umbra of purple. Luna gasped.

"Mother!"